I believe it is a mistake to generalize Heortling societal dress codes with such sweeping statements. Heortling women on the "marriage track" will be far less likely to do what is "practical" since they are always trying to show themselves to the best effect when in public (i.e. away from the stead). Women following "men's gods" that accept women will probably wear men's clothing; whether it's because it's "more practical" or "like my god" or some other reason depends on the woman and the circumstances.
My suspicion is that there are clothing "kits" that are as much a badge of station (or profession) as well as the more general conventions to denote maturity (i.e. a girl's braids, a man's mustache, etc.) But it brings up the question of what the other Warrior Women wear, if the skirt-over-leggings bit is a Vingan standard.
Oliver Bernuetz:
> You could see the long skirt the women wear as a symbol of their
> adulthood. Girls might wear something shorter. Heortlings could
> have three lengths of skirt, a girl's shorter version, a woman's
> longer skirt and a Vingan's symbolic skirt. Maybe female
> followers of Humakt, Odayla or Yinkin also wear an abbreviated
> skirt over men's clothing to symbolize their status? Perhaps if a
> woman wants to symbolize her complete rejection of her gender she
> stops wearing the short skirt?
I would suggest that most women who follow "male gods" like Odayla and Humakt wear men's clothing. People who follow Yinkin might prefer skyclad or woad-painted attire, but would be more likely to wear "comfortable clothes". People who follow Heler would probably wear whatever they want to (i.e. "feels right") and not care about the gender distinctions (disturbing more traditional Heortlings' sensibilities).
Roland Volz
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