>But more seriously, there is another big issue: No kids. Clans need
>kids to be the next generation. Even if a Vingan did desire to get
>married, what clan is willing to part with a bride price for someone
>who is infertile and will bring no kids to the clan? Not just that,
>she ties up a young man who also won't have any kids. I can imagine
>rather a lot of screaming and arguing when a young man and a Vingan
>manage to fall in love and really want to get married. (With a lot
>of the oldsters saying "look, we really don't care how many times you
>mess around behind the hay bin, and neither do her people. Without
>kids there isn't any point in a marriage anyway. So why should we
>part with these cows again?")
That's easy enough to fix, the brideprice only becomes payable on the birth of the first child.
I did write up a married vingan character - the reason for the marriage was that she was the sole heir to some land and plough team. She needed a husband to farm it or the clan would transfer it to some other bloodline. Her husband had the inclination and apptitude for farming but being one of several sons would struggle to get his own land. There's an implication that she won't be a Vingan forever at least among the respective families. This may prove to be wishful thinking but they could always adopt.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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