Nordling

Nordlings
General Information
Classification	Human culture
Languages	Common Speech
Locations	Northern Realms, northern provinces of the Nilfgaardian Empire
Physical Characteristics
Skin Color	Most often pale or swarthy
Hair Color	Often brown, black, blond or red; people of elven heritage often have more unique colors

A Nordling is an inhabitant of the Northern Kingdoms on the Continent, belonging to human cultures dominant in those realms. It is a colloquialism often applied to Northerners by Nilfgaardians, but rarely used by populations of the North themselves.

History

The ancestors of Nordlings came to the Continent during the Landings, beggining with the Landing of the Exiles around the 760s. Though relatively small in number at the beginning, thanks to their military art and fertility they managed to conquer the land belonging to the Elder Races during a few centuries. At the height of their range, Nordlings had states from Kestrel and Dragon Mountains in the north to possibly even Ebbing in the south – the southernmost known area where the Common Speech is the main language.

Their might began to vanish in the 13th century, when armies of the Nilfgaardian Empire started so-called Northern Wars, ultimately conquering almost every land south to the Yaruga.

At the time when Encyclopaedia Maxima Mundi is written, several centuries after the plot of the Witcher series, the Common Speech is considered endangered or even dead language, though some realms like Cidaris are still referred to as the "Northern Kingdoms".

Physical description

Being a mix-up of several waves of settlers and native nonhuman societies, Nordlings can have various physical traits. They are tall and short, skinny and muscular, slim and stocky. Hair color varies as well: black, blond, brown and red are most often mentioned. People of elven heritage sometimes have more unique hair or eye color, like in case of mousy-ashen-gray haired Ciri or purple-eyed Yennefer. Nordling characters of described skin color are pale or swarthy. There is also one example of black-skinned person, Leila of Gors Velen, which could suggest that residents of seaside trade cities may be even more varied.

Culture

Nordlings live in a feudal society and their lands are shredded between several kings and dukes. They are mostly agricultural society, running several farmlands providing food for cities and the nobility. Folks living near the sea or rivers often deal with fishing or aquaculture. The industry is less important, and is often leaved to the mages, like those of Rissberg, or assimilated nonhumans, most often gnomes or dwarves.

In contrast to the Nilfgaardians or Aen Elle, Nordlings do not practice slavery. Unfortunately, in several lands the situation of peasants or nonhumans is often not an enviable as they are forced to deal with everyday classism or xenophobia as well as strict rules giving them lesser rights than upper classes. For example, only the pureblood nobility can enter cities during the nights, commoners or people of even small percentage of elven genes are dissallowed.

The mages have really high position in Nordling society. Members of the Brotherhood, whether masters or practicing dwimveandras, are warmly welcome both in rural areas and metropolises. Many cities and towns have their resident mages who live in towers as providing magic assistance and selling magical items. Anti-magic sentiments arise rarely, the most famed and bloody are witch hunts lasting from 1272 to 1276.

The situation of women varies throughout the realms. There are several successful warrioresses, priestesses or sorceresses, but there are as well many cases when a young maiden is forced by the family to marry an unwanted person (to do justice though, several young men are forced as well). While a decision to abort is for the most part considered as the indefeasible right, Belohun had tried to force the anti-abortion rights through in Kerack, but his advisor sorceress Coral talked it out of him.

The Nordling society seems to be rather liberal in non-heterosexual relationships since bi- or homosexual affairs are popular and perceived as normal among the mages. There is at least one example of intolerance though, when in Common Speech-speaking Loredo one of the members of Pinta gang referred to Ciri and Mistle's relationship as a "perversion".

Notes

• Though Andrzej Sapkowski does not explore themes alluding to the Polish politics so often, he makes a few exceptions in cases of abortion and right to keep and bear arms. As he stated in the interview Historia i fantastyka (History and Fantasy) that as an opponent of prohibition he is a supporter of the idea that each citizen should have a right to abort on demand and bear arms. Since the police is often idle or even being the wrong side (as Geralt says to Fulko Artevelde, big hunts for thugs always result in thugs massively joining the ranks of the guardians of the law), the citizen should be able to defend himself or herself from the banditry. Pro-woman attitude is a reaction to constantly reducing the abortion laws by the conservatives after the end of Communist rule (see Wikipedia:Abortion in Poland). His views are highlighted a few times during the Saga, like in cases of Milva's abortion dillema and the Hildebrandts defending themselves from the deserters.

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