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(no indication in the text that the Dauk writings were alphabetical, so the First Runes part is only a speculation (plus halfling removal at Juraj's request xD))
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== Culture ==
 
== Culture ==
Similarly to other humans groups in the North before the appearance of Nordlings and establishment of the feudal system of rule, they were at least partially nomadic yet, but more permanent settlements started to emerge with the dawn of agriculture, as evidenced with their worship of a goddess of harvest and fertility and a guardian of farmers and gardeners. Apart from these deities, their mythology included a patroness of love and marriage and the menacing [[Lilit]].<ref name="tlw" /> Scholars consider Dauk deities as predecessors to [[Melitele]], [[Coram Agh Tera]] and [[Veyopatis]].<ref name="twotw" />
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Similarly to other humans groups in the North before the appearance of Nordlings and establishment of the feudal system of rule, they were at least partially nomadic, but more permanent settlements started to emerge with the dawn of agriculture, as evidenced with their worship of a goddess of harvest and fertility and a guardian of farmers and gardeners. Apart from these deities, their mythology included a patroness of love and marriage and the menacing [[Lilit]].<ref name="tlw" /> Scholars consider Dauk deities as predecessors to [[Melitele]], [[Coram Agh Tera]] and [[Veyopatis]].<ref name="twotw" />
   
 
Dauk had their own language and writing system. Their writings survive on [[Obelisks|menhirs]] and are still studied and deciphered. Notable yet controversial studies were carried out by [[Eltibald]], who examined several inscriptions in his investigation into the curse of the [[Black Sun]].<ref name="tlw">{{TLW}}</ref>
 
Dauk had their own language and writing system. Their writings survive on [[Obelisks|menhirs]] and are still studied and deciphered. Notable yet controversial studies were carried out by [[Eltibald]], who examined several inscriptions in his investigation into the curse of the [[Black Sun]].<ref name="tlw">{{TLW}}</ref>

Revision as of 16:45, 31 March 2020

Dauk were people who populated the northern reaches of the Continent before First Landing and the consolidation of Nordlings as the dominant human civilization of the area. While the Dauk culture is gone, its heritage survives in mythological figures that were incorporated into Nordling Pantheon.

Characteristics

The appearance and behavior of Dauk are shrouded in mystery. According to a recognized classification by Arnelius Grock, they were humans.[1][2]

Culture

Similarly to other humans groups in the North before the appearance of Nordlings and establishment of the feudal system of rule, they were at least partially nomadic, but more permanent settlements started to emerge with the dawn of agriculture, as evidenced with their worship of a goddess of harvest and fertility and a guardian of farmers and gardeners. Apart from these deities, their mythology included a patroness of love and marriage and the menacing Lilit.[3] Scholars consider Dauk deities as predecessors to Melitele, Coram Agh Tera and Veyopatis.[2]

Dauk had their own language and writing system. Their writings survive on menhirs and are still studied and deciphered. Notable yet controversial studies were carried out by Eltibald, who examined several inscriptions in his investigation into the curse of the Black Sun.[3]

History

Alongside the Wozgor, the Dauk are counted among most ancient humans on the Continent. Arriving immediately after the Conjunction of the Spheres, they settled between the Dragon Mountains and the Gulf of Praxeda in nowadays Narok, Talgar, Hengfors League, Gelibol, Nimnar valley, and went up to Velhad,[2] which lies in the cold Far North.[4] Their contact with elves and dwarves must have been limited as most nonhumans associate the beginning of the human era with First Landing.[5]

What led to their extinction is unknown and greatly disputed by historians. One theory holds they were assimilated by Nordlings after the First Landing.[2]

Notes

  • While The Last Wish mentions both the Dauk and unspecified primordial human groups, the first confirmation that the first belonged to the second comes in The World of the Witcher, a compendium for CD Projekt's The Witcher franchise. Andrzej Sapkowski's writings are more vague, with a perceived inconsistency between The Last Wish and Blood of Elves, where humans are said to appear only following the First Landing. A possible explanation might be that Arnelius Grock's classification mistakenly attributed nonhuman achievements to ancient humans, reflecting how real-world colonialists perceived various Native American and African ruins as remnants left by ancient Europeans or Lost Tribes of Israel instead of admitting their indigenousness. The "real" Dauk might be then a nonhuman group that was assimilated into humanity or other race through interbreeding.

Trivia

  • In Andrzej Sapkowski's ERROR role-playing game of debatable connection to The Witcher world, two tribes of a species called vorkers appear, the halla-vorkers and the dauk-vorkers. Dauk-vorkers are described as 1.20 meters tall, stocky humanoids with Mongolian facial features and goblin manners who arrived at the Yarra valley, where they came into conflict with more peaceful halla-vorkers and Wood Elves. While the area where dauk-vorkers live does not match territories of the Dauk described in The Witcher sources, it's possible that their shared name has the same origin, for example an Elder Rune.

References