Honor
Life without honor is meaningless
Zakharan proverb
The pursuit of honor—and the prestige it brings— is a driving force behind the life of every Zakharan. For many, there is no greater cause. Even to a city dweller, money and power mean nothing if they are attained at the expense of one’s honor. In its broadest sense, honor is the embodiment of all that is good—such as honesty, kindness, and forgiveness. Honorable men and women keep their word when it’s given. They are generous, offering sustenance to those who are poor, lending protection to those who are weak. They are faithful to their friends and loyal to their families. Men show their strength and bravery in battle; women display their courage in the face of hardship. Both must be virtuous and free of shame.
To a foreigner, the Zakharan concept of honor may appear complex. To a Zakharan, nothing could be simpler. Honor is as natural and as necessary as breathing, and its badge, for better or worse, is as inescapable as death.
Every action, large or small, serves either to enhance or erode one’s honor. Moreover, every deed colors the honor of an individual’s family. Honor and kinship are closely entwined. If a man acts dishonorably, his offense may create a stain upon his family’s honor that will be remembered for generations to come. The same, of course, would hold true for a dishonorable woman.
Honor is closely guarded. For every insult to a person’s honor, restitution must be made. If the insult is small, a simple apology may suffice. But to steal or injure with intention, to kill without justification— these are grave offenses. They can ruin the honor of the offender as well as that of the offender’s family. Moreover, these crimes assault the honor of the victim and the victim’s family, too. The graver the offense, the greater the required restitution—and the harsher the punishment.
If, for example, a woman in this fantasy world should be caught stealing, she may lose part of her hand; at the very least, she will be forced to make a humiliating public apology and to offer money or livestock to her victims. If a man kills another without just cause, then the victim’s family has the right to demand the offender’s death—or to kill him themselves—in lieu of monetary compensation. In all likelihood, the offender’s family will eliminate the offender themselves. When a crime is severe, only the death of the dishonorable person can erase the stain upon his or her family’s honor. In effect, the family must “cut out the offending part” before the honor of the whole can be restored.
Aside from murder, only one crime is great enough to warrant punishment by death: amorous impropriety. Contrary to popular belief among foreigners, no honorable desert warrior would ride off with his enemy’s screaming wife—even in the midst of a feverish camel raid. (Such raids, incidentally, are not considered stealing.) Nor would he ride off with his enemy’s unwed daughter unless a marriage were to be arranged somehow. In fact, if a desert raider were to return to his camp after committing such a crime, his brothers might strike him down on the spot—thereby sparing the family honor.
The pursuit of honor—and the prestige it brings— is a driving force behind the life of every Zakharan. For many, there is no greater cause. Even to a city dweller, money and power mean nothing if they are attained at the expense of one’s honor. In its broadest sense, honor is the embodiment of all that is good—such as honesty, kindness, and forgiveness. Honorable men and women keep their word when it’s given. They are generous, offering sustenance to those who are poor, lending protection to those who are weak. They are faithful to their friends and loyal to their families. Men show their strength and bravery in battle; women display their courage in the face of hardship. Both must be virtuous and free of shame.
To a foreigner, the Zakharan concept of honor may appear complex. To a Zakharan, nothing could be simpler. Honor is as natural and as necessary as breathing, and its badge, for better or worse, is as inescapable as death.
Every action, large or small, serves either to enhance or erode one’s honor. Moreover, every deed colors the honor of an individual’s family. Honor and kinship are closely entwined. If a man acts dishonorably, his offense may create a stain upon his family’s honor that will be remembered for generations to come. The same, of course, would hold true for a dishonorable woman.
Honor is closely guarded. For every insult to a person’s honor, restitution must be made. If the insult is small, a simple apology may suffice. But to steal or injure with intention, to kill without justification— these are grave offenses. They can ruin the honor of the offender as well as that of the offender’s family. Moreover, these crimes assault the honor of the victim and the victim’s family, too. The graver the offense, the greater the required restitution—and the harsher the punishment.
If, for example, a woman in this fantasy world should be caught stealing, she may lose part of her hand; at the very least, she will be forced to make a humiliating public apology and to offer money or livestock to her victims. If a man kills another without just cause, then the victim’s family has the right to demand the offender’s death—or to kill him themselves—in lieu of monetary compensation. In all likelihood, the offender’s family will eliminate the offender themselves. When a crime is severe, only the death of the dishonorable person can erase the stain upon his or her family’s honor. In effect, the family must “cut out the offending part” before the honor of the whole can be restored.
Aside from murder, only one crime is great enough to warrant punishment by death: amorous impropriety. Contrary to popular belief among foreigners, no honorable desert warrior would ride off with his enemy’s screaming wife—even in the midst of a feverish camel raid. (Such raids, incidentally, are not considered stealing.) Nor would he ride off with his enemy’s unwed daughter unless a marriage were to be arranged somehow. In fact, if a desert raider were to return to his camp after committing such a crime, his brothers might strike him down on the spot—thereby sparing the family honor.
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