> In Thunder Rebels, the public gathering is called "moot"
> (Anglo-saxon?)
> But can I call it with Icelandish name? Althing or thing?
> Priests are called godar or godi with icelander way.
I'm sure there's lots of variant names amongst the clans. The Icelandic Althingi or Althing, however, was a national gathering, an annual parliament whose exact function changed over the country's history, and so *may* be a little misleading when applied to a clan moot.
I personally tend to use 'thing' to apply to tribal, confederation, and even national level gatherings, and use 'moot' or 'weapontake' for clan meetings. For instance, the Aldathingi is a gathering of the Far Place tribes each Earth Season, held during the harvest market. (Perhaps significantly, this is also the accustomed end of the cattle raiding season).
In Heortling use we've retranslated 'vapnatak'/'wapentake' back to it's original Norse meaning - 'bring your weapon', which is basically how Heortling society works. The Anglo-Saxon usage of 'wapentak' also came to mean an area of land, what we call the tula - which is also an insight into how early Anglo-Saxon society worked under the Danelaw :).
The Aldathingi custom has Far Walker and Sairdite roots, and is not necessarily practiced in the south. Tribes have Councils, and perhaps annual gatherings, or ritual gatherings based around selecting a king and other important positions, but these are secondary to Clan government and are likely to be ad hoc, extraordinary and imperfect events. In other words, typically Heortling. Tribes are fluid and everchanging amongst the Sartari, and whatever skeletal tribe-level institutions and proto-institutions exist will reflect this.
Did Sartar and his descendants ever call a national Thing? We know of the twelve member High Council of course, but this is a cult rather than tribe based group, a combination of the Orlanth Circle and the Lightbringers Circle. It doesn't reflect any notion of tribal representation.
There *may* have been a small number of extraordinary gatherings though, in times of looming national or ritual crisis. (Heck, even English Parliaments were called only at the king's pleasure right up until Chopblock Charlie). At Boldhome, no doubt. What might they be called? Thunderthings? There's a ('small c' chaotic scenario in here somewhere). And the participants? Kero-Thing-Yellers.
John
nysalor_at_... John HughesQuestlines: http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/
The cloaked one's hero heat shakes wide the city wall. With feat and spear and magic bolt the final rite begins. War-band's white bull, a dragon in strife, Feeds he most fulsome the dogs of the Death-Lord.
The Righteous Wind returns to range free! Open your arms, let it hurl against your faces, hair and eyes streaming. You have breath,
voice, limb and power.
Hurricane rebels, what you must.
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