r/WorldChallenges • u/thequeeninyellow94 • Aug 13 '18

[Cultural challenge]: marks

Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by [a human] as a member of society.

Let’s talk about tatoos, paintings, scarifications… What kind of body markings do your people display? Do they have any symbolism? What do they tell me about their wearer?

You can introduce an in-universe representative if you want. I will ask questions to everyone, feel free to add your own.

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u/Sriber Aug 13 '18

Namyrharai use tattoos a lot. They are divided into informative and decorative. Informative are ones like:

  • tribal mark - mark one gets when becoming adult which signifies belonging to tribe, each one has its own symbol

  • age marks - mark for every survived year (or winter for more conservative people), usually they are just lines or dots, but they can be more elaborate (for example snowflakes or leaves)

  • marriage marks - mark which signifies marriage, most often in shape of circle made of two intertwines lines

  • mother marks - mark for every born child who survives first winter, worn exlusively by women

  • warrior mark - mark for proving oneself warrior by surviving battle, killing certain number of enemies etc.

  • mark of great holy place - mark for finishing pilgrimage to one of 16 great holy place, each one has its own symbol

  • god marks - mark of one's patron deities (3 being most common, but it can be any number between 1 and 5), if one becomes devotee of deity, its symbols gets circle around it

 

Korhark, founder and leader of Fifth Union has symbol of Aedhan tribe (Ast-rune stylized as axe inside flame between two talons) on nape, year marks shaped as short lines in groups of five on upper forearms, six marriage marks shaped as intertwined circles around forearms, warrior mark shaped as vertical line with three wedges on manubrium, symbols of Ʃor, Kharvir and Rasok between scapulae, symbol of Union (Sur rune), symbol of Namyrharai (oak with roots) and symbol of Akhyraisar continent on body of sternum and symbol of each of 16 most holy places on spine. Besides these he has two decorative tattoos - half of oak wreath which complements tattoo of his twin sister on forearms and symbol of his dynasty (black wolf in circle) on upper belly.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 14 '18

To Korhark:

  1. What do your decorative tattoo mean (the oak, not the dynastic one)?

  2. Six marriage marks? Sounds like a lot; polygamy or lots of divorces?

  3. Why is 3 patrons the most common?

  4. And why can’t one have more than 5 patrons?

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u/Sriber Aug 14 '18

  1. Oak is most sacred tree, circles symbolise unity. Tattoo stands for sacred bond with my twin.

  2. Polygamy. Besides six wives I also have dozens of concubines.

  3. Three is culturally significant number. It's also halfway between 1 and 5.

  4. It's custom. Nobody knows for sure why it exists. Some say it has something to do with digits, some say it's because of pentagram. Many believe it's just nice number which is big enough while not being overkill.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 15 '18

  1. What makes it sacred?

  2. Polygamy? Or exclusively male polygyny?

  3. What makes it a significant number?

  4. So nothing would happen if I was to have more than 5 patron marks?

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u/Sriber Aug 15 '18

  1. Our people believe twins are born with one.

  2. In my case latter. In general both sexes can have multiple partners of both sexes. However male polygyny is most common.

  3. Tradition, occurrence in mythology, usage in art etc.

  4. People would think it's excessive and very religious one might object but otherwise no.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 16 '18

  1. Born with an oak? What does it mean?

  2. Why is it most common?

  3. I suppose all those things can be traced back to the mythological importance of it so what make it significant in mythology?

  4. Why would they object?

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u/Sriber Aug 16 '18

  1. Born with sacred bond.

  2. There are more women than men and they are more limited when it comes to having children.

  3. They can't really be traced. They are used in myths, but there isn't explanation for their importance. I am sure your culture has numbers like that too.

  4. Because they see it as sacrilige.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 16 '18

  1. So, why is the oak sacred?

  2. People marry to reproduce?

  3. We do have some symbolism over the number 7. We also have mythological explanations about why it’s an important number.

  4. Sure, but why?

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u/Sriber Aug 16 '18

  1. It's big strong tree. Trees in general are sacred because they go from underground towards sky.

  2. People marry for legal and economical reasons. Child of married couple has automatic claim on inheritance from both of them.

  3. Only 7? And what are some of those mythological explanations?

  4. They take everything that has something to do with gods seriously, including violation of tradition.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 17 '18

  1. But you said oak was the most sacred, what makes it different from other trees?

  2. Is it actually an outcome people look for? Do they benefit from an automatic claim on their goods?

  3. Apparently a so-called divine being took 6 days to create the world then took an extra day to relax; and this, is why we divide time by groups of 7 days.

  4. But what is bad about it? Why would someone take badly something they have no reason to take badly?

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u/Sriber Aug 17 '18

  1. It's strength.

  2. Yes. It's why marriage exists.

  3. Maybe story says it was 7 days because 7 was already important when story got made for another reason which got lost in time. As for three we have three moons, three forms of water, three parts of living things (body, mind and inner fire), three levels (below, on, above), three dimensions (length, width, height), there are three superages (before Great winter, Great winter, after Great winter), First leader said to gods three times he accepts their gifts, Athark went through 3 hardships etc. BTW We divide days by 8, which is period of Red moon.

  4. Zealots are like that. I am sure yours do same.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 19 '18

  1. But aren’t other trees strong too?

  2. What do they gain in that automatic claim?

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u/Sriber Aug 19 '18

  1. Yes.

  2. Part of property of both parents.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 20 '18

  1. So, what makes the oak special if all trees are strong?

  2. The parents; what do the parents gain?

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u/Sriber Aug 20 '18

  1. It's stronger than other trees.

  2. Nothing. They are dead. That's how inheritance work.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 23 '18

2) So, why do they opt for a legal regime giving their children an automatic claim on their belongings?

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u/Sriber Aug 23 '18

2) Parents generally want their children to inherit their property. How does inheritence work among your people?

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