Vityng ethnographical questionnaire
I. Questions of Place
(a) Describe the geography of where your society calls home.
drǿmmøyjar is a chain of large islands off the coast of dragnaland which has fjords on the coast and mountainous forrest farther inland.
(b) Describe the climate your society deals with. How severe are their seasons?
northern temperate climate. the winter is moredately severe and the summers are mild.
(c) What kinds of natural disasters has this society gotten used to?
harsh winters, low crop yields due to vermin and hurricane like storms.
(d) What are the most commonly-grown foods?
wheat, potatoes, barley, cabbage, carrots, onions and mushrooms
(e) What are the most commonly-eaten meats?
fish, deer, cow and domesticated duck
(f) What foods are considered exotic or expensive?
veal, tomatoes and grapes
(g) What forms of alcohol are common? Rare?
beer, whiskey and vodka are common. and hallucinagenic whiskey infused with morning glory seeds called drǿmvatn (dream water)
(h) Is there usually enough food and water for the population?
generally the population is well fed, but during the harsher winters whole towns can starve to death.
(i) What is this place's most abundant resource?
sea food and lumber
(j) What is its most valuable resource?
soldiers rented out to foreign lords.
(k) What resource is it most lacking?
precious and common metals
(l) How do people travel from one place to another?
walk, horse or for off island journeys they use ships
(m) Are the borders secure? In what way?
yes, the sea protects from the peoples on the mainland.
(n) How many people live here?
between 60,000 and 75,000 depending on the time of year
(o) Where in this place to they congregate?
the largest island in the chain, langøy
(p) What part of this place do they avoid? Why?
no part
(q) What are the most common domesticated animals here? And what are they domesticated for?
ducks. for food.
(r) What are the most common wild animals?
deer
(s) Which animals are likely to be pets? Which ones won't be?
dogs and mice. most others.
II. Questions of Time
(a) How far back does this society's written history go?
about 500 years
(b) How far back do its people believe it goes?
over 2500 years
(c) What is the worst disaster they believe they've faced?
the great winter, which lasted for 100 years
(d) What was the best thing that ever happened to them?
nothing
(e) What in their past makes them feel ashamed?
nothing
(f) What in their past makes them proud?
conquering the mainland
(g) What are they afraid of happening again?
another great winter
(h) What are they hoping will happen? Do they think it likely?
a great summer. no.
(i) What do they assume the future will hold?
nothing.
(j) How has this society changed? Do its current members realize this?
they have become less warlike. yes.
(k) What are the most popular stories about the past?
stories of famous warriors.
(l) Who in the past is the greatest hero? The worst villain?
harlang ragnmundssen. dǽtvæng the dragon.
(m) Do people think the present better or worse than the past?
the same.
(n) Do people believe the future will be better or worse than the present or past?
the same.
III. Questions of Sex and Family
(a) How many spouses may a man or woman have?
a man may have a wife and as many consorts as he can support. while a woman is supposed to be with just her husband it is not unheared of for woman to have as many consorts as her husband.
(b) Who decides on a marriage?
with the commoners marriage is decided by the people getting married. "royal" marriages are decided by the parents.
(c) Can a marriage end in divorce? How?
yes, a man can leave his wife for being unfaithful and a woman may leave her husband for cowardice or being unable to support her.
(d) Who usually takes custody of children if a marriage ends for some reason?
the person who dissolves the marriage.
(e) How is adultery defined? What (if any) is the punishment? Who decides?
adultery for a man is taking another woman into his marriage bed, the punishment is a loss of face. adultery for a woman is being with any man other than her husband, the punishment is divorce.
(f) How are families named?
families are named after a common ancestor
(g) What happens to orphans?
orphans are usually adopted by an uncle from the fathers side.
(h) How are boy and girl children treated differently?
boys are treated roughly to make them tough
(i) Are premarital relations allowed?
there are no laws or religious rules prohibiting premarital relations, but "royal" marriages can be dissolved if it is found that the woman had premarital relations.
(j) How does your society define incest? Rape? How do people react to these?
incest is anything closer than a second cousin. rape is taken up with either the father or if the woman is married, the husband. the man will lose face and the womans family will often kill him.
(k) What, if anything, is considered a good marriage gift?
lands, livestock, ships, precious metals.
(l) What secret vice is believed to be widely practiced?
homosexuality among men.
(m) What secret vice actually is practiced?
homosexuality among women.
(n) What sexual habits are widely believed common among foriegners?
fellatio and cunnilingus
(o) How do people react to homosexuality?
if the participants are men they are shunned or sent into exile, if they are women it is considered normal.
(p) How do the genders dress?
men wear long pants, shirts and tall boots. women wear long dresses and bodices.
(q) Is prostitution legal? How are prostitutes viewed? Is this accurate?
prostitution is legal and wholly unthought of by the general population
(r) What professions or activities are considered masculine?
any activity using strength or wit.
(s) What professions or activities are viewed as feminine?
any activity that requires tenderness or care.
(t) What inanimate or sexless things are considered male or female?
weapons and tools are male and plants, the home and ships are female.
(u) What is the biggest sexual taboo?
group sex.
(v) Does this society connect the ideas of marriage with love?
only among the commoners
(w) What does this society mean by the word "virgin" and how important it it?
unpenetrated women are virgins and it is unimportant among commoners and very important among "royals"
IV. Questions of Manners
(a) Who speaks first at a formal gathering?
he who called the gathering
(b) What kinds of gifts are considered in extremely bad taste?
weapons unless it is father to son or from a dying man to any other.
(c) How do younger adults address their elders?
hørr (name)
(d) What colors are associated with power? With virtue? With death?
black is associated with power and brown with poverty, light blue with virtue and green with wickedness, red with death and lust, and white with mourning.
(e) If two men get into a fight, how is this supposed to be resolved?
they fight until they stop or one dies.
(f) If two women get into a fight, how should that be resolved?
one or both husbands/fathers are supposed to intervene.
(g) When is it rude to laugh at something funny?
rarely but usually at a wedding or a religious ceremony
(h) What kinds of questions cannot be asked in public? In private? At all?
family matters cannot be politely asked in public.
(i) How do people demonstrate grief?
one wears red for a month and fasts from dawn till dusk for the first two weeks.
(j) What does this society do with their corpses?
the bodies are left for the ravens but the heads are kept in a family crypt.
(k) What kinds of jewelry do people wear? And when?
silver rings and necklaces. during formal occasions or feasts.
(l) Who inherits property? Titles? Position?
the eldest son inherits property. all children inherit titles. position goes to the eldest son.
(m) What happens to those suffering from extreme mental illness?
they are usually killed if their family is unwilling to care for him or her.
(n) What are the most popular games? How important are they?
checkers, a type of chess and a variant of hurling.
(o) What parts of the body are routinely covered?
all of it except for the hands and head, and the chest for men.
(p) How private are bodily functions like bathing or defecating?
bathing is not private but it is considered to be a bit rude to watch some one bathing without showing your presence. urinating and defecating are considered to be very private.
(q) How do people react to physical deformity?
badly. obvious physical deformation results in a child being killed at birth.
(r) When and how does someone go from child to adult?
at 16 years for men and 14 for women.
V. Questions of Faith
(a) Is there a formal clergy? How are they organized?
there are priests. they are only organized by cult.
(b) What do people believe happens to them after death? How, if at all, can they influence this?
sailors and warriors and women believe they go to a great feast hall. men of other professions believe they are reincarnated until they can go to the feast hall.
(c) What happens to those who disagree with the majority on questions of religion?
there is no majority, but many many cults.
(d) Are there any particular places considered special or holy? What are they like?
the sea, mountain tops and some forrests.
(e) What are the most popular rituals or festivals?
equinoxes and solstices, and the first day of every month.
(f) What do people want from the god or gods? How do they try and get it?
usually just the favor of the god is sought. the seeker asks a priest what he thinks the god wishes and then attempts to do it to gain favor.
(g) How do their religious practices differ from their neighbours?
there are almost no differences.
(h) What is the most commonly broken religious rule?
wearing the token of a god without earning it.
(i) What is the least-violated religious rule?
failing at a task set by a priest.
(j) What factions exist within the dominant religious institutions? How do they compete?
there is no dominant faction but the four main cults are: drukktmann (drowned man), hængtmann (hanged man), flokkør (shepherd) and moðra (mother).
(k) Are there monastic groups? What do they do and how are they organized? How do you join one?
there are monastic orders. one can only join by having a vision.
(l) How are those who follow different faiths treated?
all faiths are treated the same.
(m) What relationship do religious and political leaders have?
they have a great relationship but rarely does it affect the governance of the kingdom.
(n) What superstitions are common? What kinds of supernaturalevents/beings do people fear?
amulets are common. werebeasts are commonly believed as are monster bears and wolves.
VI. Questions of Government
(a) Who decides whether someone has broken a law? How?
the king, local lord or the kings sheriffs.
(b) What kinds of punishments are meted out? By whom? Why?
if the crime is theft or murder the victim or victims family decides on either monetary reimbursement, exile or a vendetta. if the crime is treason or slander the persons toungue is cut out.
(c) How are new laws created or old ones changed?
the king.
(d) Is there some form of clemency or pardon? What is involved?
the king may pardon whom ever he likes unless the punishment is a vendetta.
(e) Who has the right to give orders, and why?
the king or local lords.
(f) What titles do various officials have?
there are too many levels of lord to mention.
(g) How are the rules different for officials as opposed to the common person?
they dont differ.
(h) How do government officials dress?
similar to commoners but more richly.
(i) Is the law written down? Who interprets it?
only the most basic laws like no murder, protecting your guests and vendettas may only be settled by death.
(j) Once accused, what recourse does someone have?
trial by combat.
(k) Is torture allowed? What kinds?
officially no, but slowly cutting out the lungs through the back is not uncommon.
(l) How are people executed?
beheading or drowning
(m) Who cannot rise to positions of leadership?
criminals.
(n) Is bribery allowed? Under what circumstances?
never.
(o) What makes someone a bad ruler in this society? What can be done about it?
over taxing, and losing battles.
(p) What are the most common or dangerous forms of criminal?
most common is theft.
VII. Questions of War
(a) Who declares war?
the king.
(b) Who has the power to declare conditions of peace?
the king.
(c) What happens to prisoners taken in battle?
they are ransomed back to their people or kept as thralls.
(d) What form of warfare does this society use?
medieval would be most accurate.
(e) Who are the Elite warriors? What distinguishes them?
langmannærnir (the long men). they are chosen from birth and built up until they are massive, they are trained in all weapons and hand to hand combat.
(f) How does someone get command of troops?
troops are commanded by their local lord.
(g) Where do the loyalties of military units lie?
their lord.
(h) Are there professional soldiers? Do they make up the bulk of the military?
yes but they do not make up the bulk of the military.
(i) Has this society ever attacked another? Do they want to? What would make them do so?
they have attacked the mainland many times.
(j) Who are their enemies? Who's winning?
many of the peoples on the mainland. it is a draw.
(k) What do soldiers do when there's no war?
go back to their usual lives.
VIII. Questions of Education
(a) Does this society have its own language? Its own writing?
yes and yes.
(b) How common is literacy? How is literacy viewed?
literacy is about 15%.
(c) What form and value are books?
books are very valuable and treated with reverence by those who cannot read.
(d) Who teaches others? How do they teach?
parents teach children or hire a tutor.
(e) Who decides who learns to read or write?
"royals".
(f) Who teaches professions, like carpenter or scribe?
carpenters and scribes.
(g) Are foreigners ever brought in to teach new skills? Who does that?
rarely.
(h) How do this society's doctors try to treat wounds and sickness?
wounds and sickness are treated by a fairly advanced level of herbal medicine.
(i) Which medical assumtions of this society are wrong?
all diseases are foreign in origin (outside the body that is).
IX. Questions of Art
(a) What are the favorite artforms?
music, metal and leather working.
(b) What are the least-favorite?
dance and painting.
(c) How respected are artists?
very.
(d) Do artists require official or unofficial protection?
no.
(e) What kinds of trouble are artists in particular likely to find themselves in?
they may find themselves destitute very easily.
(f) How might a very successful artist live?
luxuriously.
(g) What forms of theatre does your society have?
plays are common.
(h) How naturalistic or stylized is your society's art?
fairly stylize.
(j) What shapes are most common in your society's arts, like embroidery or architecture?
knots and triangles.
(k) Which artforms get the most and least respect?
music and painting.
(l) What form does censorship take?
the king and his lords may destroy any work that displeases them.
(m) Who may not be an artist?
every one can be an artist.
(n) What qualities equal "beauty" in this society?
(o) What makes a man or woman especially beautiful?
overall strength in men. large breasts and a fair face in women. brown hair and green eyes for both genders.
(p) How do people react to tattoos? Piercings? Facial hair? Make-up?
tattoos are nearly universal usually religious. piercings are unheard of. facial hair is more common than not. makeup is not common.
X. Questions of sex and marriage
(a) Is sex confined to marriage?
no
(b) Or, is it supposed to be? What constitutes aberrant behavior?
only among women
(c) Is there anything about this culture or religion in that culture that specifically addresses sexual conduct?
few
(d) Are there laws about it? What about prostitution?
just a few
(e) How old should someone be in your culture to be having sex?
they should come of age 14 or 16.
(f) What is considered too great a difference in age for a couple?
about 16 years.
(g) Do relationships allow multiple partners?
not in marriage but men are allowed consorts.
(h) Should sex be a one-to-one experience? Or are groups allowed?
yes sex should be one on one.
(i) And, of course, what about homosexuality? Is it frowned on? Encouraged?
male homosexuality is discouraged while female homosexuality is considered normal.
XI. Questions of death and burial
(a) What is their understanding of death and dying?
death is something to embrace when it comes.
(b) Do they cremate their dead? Or, how are dead bodies disposed of?
the bodies are fed to the ravens and the heads are put in the family crypt. except sailors who are tossed into the sea.
(c) Is the family responsible for the body?
yes.
(d) What part do the priests play?
none.
(e) Are there cemeteries at all?
no.
(f) Or, does everyone have a crypt in back with all the relatives in it?
yes.
(g) Do people visit the dead? If so, how often and why?
yes. for advice.
XII. Questions of suicide
(a) What do people in this culture think about suicide?
it is only acceptable for elderly people.
(b) Is it the greatest sin one can commit? Or is it a sin at all?
no.
(c) Is it the great and last comfort of a tormented soul?
no.
(d) Is it worse than murder?
the same.
XIII. Questions of Law, Justice and Police
(a) Is there a civilian police force, or is law enforcement the province of the military?
the law is enforced by the kings shefiffs.
(b) Is the police force a nationalised one, or are there multiple regional forces?
the kings sheriffs are under the direct comand of the local lords.
(c) How "military" are they? Are they usually/ever armed?
always armed.
(d) What is the extent of their authority? Can they shoot you? Can they use magic? Can they torture or otherwise force a confession? Can
they use telepathy?
they may use any force necessary to bring the criminal before the family or the lord.
(e) Are there individuals or groups who are above the law?
no.
(f) Is there a secret police?
no.
(g) What is the role of police informants, if any?
most people are tight lipped.
