GOR 210: The Northern Way (Torvaldsland Studies)

 GOR 210: The Northern Way (Torvaldsland Studies)

Focus: Cultural Anthropology of the North.

Description: The North is almost a different planet. They do not have Castes; they have Jarls. They do not have Home Stones; they have the Hall. We study the Rune-Priests, the bond-maids, and the culture of the Axe. Essential for anyone trading with or fighting the Northmen.

Assignment: Compare the "Jarl" system to the "Administrator" system.

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This is Magistrate Evans.

You have chosen GOR 210: The Northern Way (Torvaldsland Studies).

This is a wise choice. If GOR 200 was about the politics of the "Civilized" world, GOR 210 is about the raw survival of the "Barbaric" world. If you are a Merchant, you will need this course to trade for amber and furs without losing your head. If you are a Warrior, you will need this course to understand the men who fight with axes instead of swords.

Here is the full 10-Week Syllabus for GOR 210.

GOR 210: The Northern Way (Torvaldsland Studies)

Instructor: Magistrate Kati Evans Prerequisite: GOR 101 Goal: To understand the culture, geography, and survival codes of the Northmen.

The Syllabus

Week 1: The Land of the Axe (Geography & Social Structure)

The Stream of Torvald. The Jarl System vs. The Caste System. The Longhall.

Week 2: The Religion of Iron (Odin, Thor & The Priest-Kings)

Why the North rejects the Initiates. The Rune-Priests. The concept of "The old gods."

Week 3: The Bond-Maid (Northern Slavery)

The legal distinction between a Kajira (South) and a Bond-Maid (North). The "Nameless" status.

Week 4: The Great Serpent (Shipbuilding & The Sea)

The distinct engineering of the Serpent Ship. Navigation by the stars and the "Sun-Stone."

Week 5: The Thing-Fair (Justice & Law)

The annual assembly. The "Wergild" (Blood Money). The Holmgang (Duel of Law).

Week 6: The Runes & The Skald (Oral History)

The power of the spoken word. The Skald as the historian. The "Black Runes" of magic.

Week 7: The Heroes (Svein Blue Tooth & Ivar Forkbeard)

Case studies of famous Jarls. The psychology of the "Marauder."

Week 8: The Kurii War (The Beast in the North)

The North as the frontline against the Beast People. The truce between Man and Kur.

Week 9: The Trade of the North (Amber, Furs, & Steel)

Economic exchange. What the South needs from the North, and vice versa.

Week 10: Survival in the Ice (The Administrator's Guide)

Final Exam Scenario: You are an Ambassador from Ar sent to negotiate a treaty with a hostile Jarl.