Culture & Customs
When the Gorean story meets the culture of a particular group of people,
there is always some obligation to weave the two into a cohesive society.
This page will hopefully give you a sense of the unique partnership
that Sparrow Song is trying to forge for its members, between:
a virtual world, a solid Viking tradition, and John Norman’s Gorean books.
LOCATION AND WEATHER
Sparrow Song is located near the Southwestern edge of Torvaldsland where it meets the Northern Forest. The mountains are often packed deep in snow, but the village itself lies somewhat shielded by those same mountains, in a calm and protected bay. This gives Sparrow Song a quite moderate climate for most of the year. Moderate to the extent that even our Sacred Spring, which feeds the village lake, has only frozen solid one time in recent memory. (This page has a map.)
Expect to see some grass surviving year-round. Most of the trees are hearty evergreens. You will need a good fur coat and warm boots, but there are plenty of days that are well suited for bare chests and feet. If you get too cold… grab a horn of mead!
BARBARIANS
Torvaldsland is one of Gor's "barbarian" areas. Barbarian in this sense is being applied to many people and regions. Several outlying areas of Gor, anyone that does not speak fluent Gorean, as well as anyone newly brought to Gor from Earth (such as slaves) are considered inherently barbarian. The culture of the Cylinder Cities of Known Gor (and the many areas influenced by that culture, such as the Vosk Delta) is the only convention or way of living that is not referred to as barbarian.
HOMESTONES AND CASTES
Torvaldslanders, as a whole, don’t subscribe to the concept of “home stones”, nor do they see any cause for acclaim regarding the Initiates. They will generally respect other's beliefs, but do often consider those people to be gullible and misled.
Torvaldslanders also don’t adhere to a rigid caste system the way that the majority of Gor does. Most Torvaldslanders can’t afford to specialize in just one field. To survive, they must be a bit of all things… sailors, traders, raiders, and farmers. Only communities with the benefit of plentiful resources can support having its members focus on a specific trade.
That being said, Sparrow Song is one such fortunate village and has ample means to move beyond mere subsistence living. Many of its citizens have traveled extensively - from some of the most populous cities to even the vast Southern deserts. It boasts an educated community where foreign practices are generally permitted, albeit not always welcomed. Nonetheless, they do occasionally adopt the customs of others and adapt them to meet their own needs.
For example, long ago the concept of a beneficial caste system was brought back from a lengthy raiding voyage to the docks of Sparrow Song. Over time, the idea was naturalized, and the aspects that most suited the people’s needs were modified and implemented. Now, you'll find halls specifically dedicated to trades like Healing, Commerce, Slavery, and Knowledge.
FREE VILLAGERS
The free people of Sparrow Song are referred to as Master/Jarl, or Mistress/Frue. All free men are jarls, even if only inside their own homes. It is a title used to show respect to anyone above your own station. (A farmer would address a warrior named John as "Jarl John". While the village's administrators may only use this term when speaking to the Jarl (the top leader of the village - think King).
The people of Sparrow Song are quite familiar with the terms "Sir" and "Mister" and they tolerate them well.
Free people in Sparrow Song work and play as they choose. There are very few village laws pertaining to the daily activities of a free. They are considered unnecessary as the people of the North are a hard-working lot, generally driven by their honor.
All villagers are by good faith in allegiance to the Jarl.
SLAVES
A slave in Torvaldsland is referred to as a thrall if it is male, and as a bondmaid or simply bond if female.
Often, just the term slave/s or bond/s is used when referring to a group or a nonspecific gender.
There are two classifications for slaves living in Sparrow Song: village slaves and private slaves.
Both must be registered with the village’s Head Slaver and maintain a health record on file.
Village Slaves:
These slaves are owned by the Village of Sparrow Song and under the control of its Head Slaver. They are made available to serve any Free in the village as requested or assigned. The Slaver may loan or rent out their services as well, sometimes even selling them outright. All village slaves reside in the Kennel unless entrusted to and assigned another location by the Head Slaver.
Private Slaves:
These slaves are chattel-property owned by a Free Person and as such, they are compelled to obey their Owners. These Owners often bring slaves with them to Sparrow Song as part of their personal possessions. A private slave is always the physical and financial responsibility of its Owner. The housing and care of private slaves are at their Owner’s discretion. Private slaves must have a health record on file to be permitted outside of the lodging of their Owner.
Visiting Slaves:
Any slave entering the village with a traveler will be viewed as private property and expected to remain with its Slaver/Owner at all times.
MORE ... ?
Isn’t there more that needs to be said?
Aren’t there many other aspects to life in the Village of Sparrow Song?
What of the things like - animals, politics, times and dates… there must be more!
Indeed!
There is much that is still to be defined, and even more that is known but not recorded yet.
As these things arise, and as the scrolls are etched, this page will be updated.
Updates are sent to all residents,
but if you are living in the beautiful village of Sparrow Song,
surely you are part of creating our living-standards and culture!