The Ways and Manners of Skellige Folk

Journal entry

 * One's attention immediately is drawn to the fact that their seemingly impoverished huts shine with cleanliness. The walls of their homes are usually made from pine and covered with a substance derived from sap which keeps out all manner of vermin. I believe it scares off insects as well, for I did not see a single one indoors during my entire stay in Skellige.


 * The interiors of their huts are quite spacious and usually divided into two rooms. The first is used by the members of the household during the day and is separated by a doorway from the second, which acts as a bedroom and contains only simple wooden beds covered with linens that resemble sacks more than Continental bedding.


 * In the middle of each main chamber stands a large round table around which the members of the household gather to eat only once a day. This usually happens just after dusk, the time for their main meal. This supper is a hallowed event and is carried out in a nearly ritualistic manner. At its start, before the family members have even taken their seats around the table, the eldest of the family tears off a piece of bread and places it on something of a household altar, which occupies a place of honor in each Skellige home. This serves as a symbol of respect for deceased ancestors. At the end of this ceremony for the departed, the entire family sits down to eat. The eldest woman places a steaming bowl in the middle of the table. Everyone has their own spoon, which they dip, one by one, into the basin of food. They most often eat porridge, over which they pour a gravy made from meat or fish.


 * Curiously, immediately upon the supper's conclusion the eldest takes the piece of bread set aside at the start of the meal and places it in a large amphora. As I later learned, when an amphora becomes full, it is filled with boiling water and a beverage is brewed which in taste somewhat resembles beer, though it is much weaker.