Orlanthi bloodlines

[Anonymous]

Hi, I have a small question. As regards bloodlines amongst a Heortling clan, how do members mark their affiliation? I’ve noticed that there aren’t any surnames or family names beyond the occasional -son or -dottir. I understand that tattoos play a part, but are there any other universal indicators?

Thank you!

[Harald Smith]

Maybe just your ability to recite your bloodline, though I would think tattoos are part of it too (maybe one given at birth?).

[Anonymous]

I suppose that would make perfect sense. It seems odd that they would name other associations, such as clan and tribe, but not the bloodline. Perhaps I’m reading too much into the importance of bloodlines to the Heortlings? Either way, I like the idea that every member can recite their bloodline’s lineage orally. Thank you for the response.

[Harald Smith]

Well most members of a given bloodline live together at a single stead, so perhaps it’s obvious at that level? When you go out from the stead, you’ll identify by clan and tribe because that’s what others will recognize and respond to (though undoubtedly others in the clan will know which stead/bloodline you’re from).

[Charles]

My theory is that when Orlanthi talk of bloodlines, they mean two entirely different things depending on the context.

On the one hand, they can recite their ancestry. Usually, for men, this will be their paternal line through to some famous man (or to several famous men). Depending on the result they are trying to achieve, they may recite famous women or even foster parents (as one of the Argraths did in King of Sartar).

On the other hand, a bloodline is a fairly fluid economic unit within a clan. It’s purpose is to pay the weregild of its members and to distribute weregild received. Therefore there must be some bond leading to trust within the group. So it is often made up of all the descendants of a common great-grandfather. Which leads to bloodlines dissolving and reforming at least once every generation.

[Simon Phipp]

Don’t forget fostering. If someone from one bloodline is fostered to another bloodline, then that person is a member of both bloodlines.

I’d say that tattooing would be fine, it needn’t be highly visible, unless the bloodline was very powerful or proud. Clothing or hairstyle might work as well, so one bloodline wouldn’t wear blue, for example, or another might only wear breeches not kilts. That would make for a good scenario – when members of one bloodline need to disguise themselves as members of another, “What? I’m not wearing a blue kilt, no way!”

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for giving me some excellent food for thought. Hair styles: I never thought of that! Ancestral recitation is definitely there, as are the significance of tattoos. As far as lineage goes, I think it’s made more complex by the fact that the Orlanthi mark bloodline membership through both the male and female ancestry. This is why I was looking for some universally held symbol or naming convention to clear up any confusion that might result(not to mention that as far as I know, bloodlines can be several hundred members strong and spread over multiple steads). I’ve done some more research on the subject and found that:

‘Everyone has other identifiers. These include a family identification, as the
“son of” or “daughter of” a parent (usually the father, unless the person is
fatherless or their mother is more important than their father); a bloodline
identification, as “of the X lineage;” or a clan identification, “the X-ing,”
where X is the clan name (“-ing” means “chidren of” or “descendant of”).
The first of these identifiers would be commonly used by neighbours and
clansfolk, to tell which Aski is meant. The second, bloodline, identification
is used among the clan. The third name is used for everyone else in the
world outside the clan.’ Thunder Rebels, p.156

So it seems there DOES exist some fashion of naming convention as regards bloodlines (I couldn’t find a reference in S:KoH)…I wonder what form they take? Anyway, thanks again for your engagement.

[Simon Phipp]

So, for Erik, you would have Erik Honarsson, Erik the Redanling, or just plain Erik.

I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on those names, as that’s what other people call you. Erik wouldn’t necessarily call himself Erik Redanling, even though he comes from the Redan bloedline, he might say “I am Erik Brooslayer, son of Honar the Angry, of the Redan bloodline of the Storm Crow clan” in a formal introduction.

Most of my PCs take on an honorific – Soltak StormSpear, Shergar Sunhoof, Saltan StormRunner – but could be called other things by other people.

So, Shergar might be called Shergar IronHoofling by other centaurs, because of his uncle.

[Anonymous]

I think your assessment of Orlanthi naming is spot on, at least as far as I can tell. I suppose what I’m driving at, is that I’m interested to note that there even exists a name for a given bloodline (Redan in your example). Before this little spate of discussion and research, I was pretty much coming to the conclusion that bloodline was identifed only by lineage recital and tattooing.

[Harald Smith]

Quote:

I’m interested to note that there even exists a name for a given bloodline

There are a few references to these in the Orlmarth writeup in SKoH as well as some old posts of Jeff’s. These include if I remember correctly: Varsmaring (devolving into 2 lines: Kentventsons and Hendsons), Urothorlings (Morganeth Whiteeye was one), Hindelssons, and 3 or 4 others. But I think it’s been left open enough so that people can create their own or revise relatively easily.

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