Gondorians

So, this is one of the biggest arguments for simplifying I have found in Lord of the Rings. Gondor appears to be some weird mix of the Byzantine Empire, Western feudalism and the early modern period. The hoops I have had to jump through to make these things fit together are kinda insane. If you are looking to make your own world, please find as few inspirations as possible for nations as possible. At least have them fit together well. So, for this section, I am basing my information on what I can find about medieval England and the Byzantines. I have little to no information directly on the culture of every day Gondorians in universe. As I note in discussing the Gondorian infantry, I suspect that the 5,000 soldier number would be based on a rearmament program to respond to the threat of Mordor, up from a base or 4,000 troops. Due to the decline Gondor is supposed to be experiencing, I suspect that 4,000 men would be .3% of the total population. This gives us a population of around 1,351,000 for Gondor. Based on the commentary in Return of the King, the number of total troops when we include the reinforcements from the Southern Fiefs was 28,000 men. That is actually 2.07% of the 1,351,000 figure I estimated earlier. Since 2.4% is my upper limit, this appears to be within reasonable expectations. Kazhdan 1991, p. 250. Heath 1995, p. 13.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

The caution that defined the Stewards did not seem to infect the rest of society – most Gondorian citizens still seemed to have a sense of superiority best described as Gondorian Exceptionalism. They felt themselves superior to all other human societies and were proud of their cultural heritage. It was thought in the Middle Ages that the bodies of people from different social classes were different. This meant that the foods were different and were cooked differently. Pork was the meat seen as most compatible with the human body. For soldiers, all parts were used - bones, fat and so on. For lords, the meat would be boiled then mostly roasted, cut up then braised for about two minutes. Fish was very common for the lower classes to eat due to the fact it had low capital requirments to get. Basically anyone with access to water could get salmon. However, meat was rarer. Often lords would forbid people from hunting on their lands. Which meant access to meat was more restricted. Apparently pork was the main meat people ate. Raising cows for meat was a waste of a good cow. Cows could produce milk for the duration of its life - killing it for beef reduces the milk you can get out of it. Meanwhile bulls were used as beasts of burden in the age prior to moter vehicles. Sheep could produce wool, thus lamb was rare. Not to say that these meats were not eaten. Just that pigs were the only animals raised that were both common and had no other use but for meat - thus it was more common. These rarer meats were consumed when animals were no longer "productive". They would be killed so they were no longer a burden. At that point, you had perfectly good meat to eat and skin for leather. Now, hunting meat was less common for peasants. But everyone had access to vermin. Which meant rabbit was a common meat too. Common weeds were also used for cooking and medicine as well. Sweetness came from honey and fruits Bread - mainly sourdough - would have been the staple of the diets. Often, especially in rural areas, baking would be a family affair done at home. Stone, brick and even dirt was effective enough to cook medieval breads. Not all cooking had to be done with open fires at the time. Stone ovens could even hold enough heat for long enough to bake with even after the fuel was removed. Bread became one of the most common foods in medieval Europe. Due to the need for cows for labor, butter was also common as well. Interesting side note here - the flours to make white bread takes more work. This makes it more expensive. This means that the more unhealthy breads were mainly affordable to the rich. Like in a surprising number of cases, the poor actually ate better than the rich. The biggest differences were in food though. Agriculture at the time was horrible by today’s standards – we are talking yields about 10% what we get today per acre. At the time, food transportation and storage were a lot worse, so when there was a good time in one area and shortage in another, that other area still got hit with hunger issues. This meant subsistence and famine was common at the time. This meant also that cheese and butter were common staples due to the fact milk could be preserved as a result. Legumes and grains were the staples grown all year long with most of the food being governed by strict seasonality. The biggest differences were in food though. Agriculture at the time was horrible by today’s standards – we are talking yields about 10% what we get today per acre. At the time, food transportation and storage were a lot worse, so when there was a good time in one area and shortage in another, that other area still got hit with hunger issues. This meant subsistence and famine was common at the time. This meant also that cheese and butter were common staples due to the fact milk could be preserved as a result. Legumes and grains were the staples grown all year long with most of the food being governed by strict seasonality. The diets of the upper and lower classes were wildly different and where the class divide appears the starkest. Lower class people tended to eat a lot of bread supplemented with the seasonal veggies, legumes, eggs, dairy and sometimes seafood. But it was highly variable. Because the different crops each season and the fluctuations in yields, the poor tended to have much less stable diets. The rich tended to be able to afford more meat and could hunt more. Therefore, they had more steady access to food. But it was actually not very good nutritionally speaking. Assuming a well placed village in a good year, the diet of a serf would be healthier. But that was rare. While malnutrition rarely killed outright, it often made people more vulnerable to diseases. The poor hygiene and greater exposure to bad weather didn’t help either. A note on the intoxicating beverages here. Fermentation tends to kill bacteria in the water. This meant beer and wine were actually safer to drink at the time. Some nutrition is also provided. As a result, even kids drank some at every meal. Now, the alcohol content was pretty low. Also, clean water was much more common in villages, so there was much less of a need for beer as an alternative to water. People were also not stupid - they knew what beer does to your ability to operate. So on one hand, beer was much more common than it is today. But also much less common than it is commonly portrayed. There were regional differences. Ale was more popular in northern Europe while southern Europe preferred wine. So, given Gondor’s climate being similar to Venice and culture inspired by the Byzantine Empire, we can assume wine would be the drink of choice. This fact also makes the ale preferred by dwarves, who tend to live in the more northern parts of Middle Earth, actually reflective of historical fact. We see a similar trend in the rest of the diet – the dwarves preferred more meat than a lot of other Middle Earth cultures, just as in Northern Europe. The Church was one of the main landowning institutions in the Middle Ages. It also had major influence over the rest of society as well. Its buildings were some of the most impressive public buildings and local landmarks. As a result, the artistic tastes (especially in architecture) of an area were in part inspired by the Church. Part of this was the Church itself. Like the Castle of the local lord, the church was meant to be impressive. It was a local landmark. It was also more educational than the castle. The statues and murals were meant to tell stories to a mostly illiterate population. As such these art styles were meant to be communications and thus be seen by the public. Thus, whether intentional or not, it would have influenced the public tastes and artistic norms of the period.

Average technological level

Silk was apparently quite a big deal for the Byzantines. It was imported raw from China then woven into richly colored and patterned clothing. The skill was extreme. The silk was used in looms to make cloth but the detail was compared to what one would expect from embroidery. Beyond the obvious use in cloths, it was used in book binding and tapestries of churches and mansions. Laiou, Angeliki. "Exchange and Trade Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine". In Laiou (2002), p. 703

Common Etiquette rules

Food in medieval Europe was often eaten from communal dishes everyone could eat. People did not understand sanitation in the sense that germs and viruses caused illness. But cleanliness was understood. Therefore, one piece of etiquette in some regions and times was to use bread to scratch itching skin.

Common Dress code

In the movies, the dress and construction were inspired by the Byzantine Empire. The silk the Byzantines were famous for was quite brightly colored and mixed with gold thread. Red, indigo and bright yellow were the more common dyes used on this silk. A huge variety of patterns were used - hearts, swastikas, palmettes, lotus leaves and flowers and people. Themes also incorporated iconographic ideas and interest in the lives of the royal court - which then saw chariots and hunting scenes depicted. Medallions with pairs of human or animal figures were seen in later. More mythological patterns had the tree of life, winged horses, lions, and imaginary beasts. We can assume that the Tree of Gondor would also be common too in the Gondorian clothing. The value of Byzantine Silk saw Byzantine dress influencing the European and Islamic fashions of the day. The nobles, religious officials and military officers all had elaborate court attire made of this silk. These clothes were a form of portable wealth due to these factors. Wild, John Peter. "The later Roman and early Byzantine East, AD 300–1000." In Jenkins (2003) Hoffman, Eva R. (2007): Pathways of Portability: Islamic and Christian Interchange from the Tenth to the Twelfth Century, in: Hoffman, Eva R. (ed.): Late Antique and Medieval Art of the Mediterranean World, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4051-2071-5 As one can assume, class would be a huge element in Gondorian culture, as it was in Byzantine and English cultures of the Middle Ages. Strips in Byzantine fashion were placed around the borders of clothing to denote rank. This is on top of the better material (like the silk) and manufacturing techniques being mainly available to the rich. The clothing of the lower classes was still a huge investment for them, so a single outfit for a person's entire life would be common. This meant that women tended to have loose fitting outfits so the same outfit could be worn through all stages of pregnancy. Tunics appear to be the main design. Togas were common in the early days of the Byzantine Empire, but increasingly for the upper classes on special occasions. Upper class men and all women had tunics down to their ankles. Riders and (I assume) lower class men had tunics down to their mid thighs. Over this, women wore a feminine version of the toga. Generally, modesty was prized in women's fashion, so formless clothing that did not show off their body was valued. For the same reason, the clothing went to the ankles. Veils were also used to cover hair. A huge variety of cloaks were worn, again with variations depending on rank. A panel was attached to the front to indicate high rank. A thick, gold border was also used in cloaks for the same purpose. Byzantine cloaks were attached to the right shoulder to make it easier to draw swords. Payne, Blanche; Winakor, Geitel; Farrell-Beck Jane: The History of Costume, from the Ancient Mesopotamia to the Twentieth Century, 2nd Edn, p128, HarperCollins, 1992. ISBN 0-06-047141-7 Military dress often featured a breast plate over a tunic. This tunic would come to the thigh and have strips of leather as a fringe. A belt is tied under the rib cage. Leather straps are put around the arm below the armor covering the shoulders. Boots would come to the calf. Turbans were sometimes worn in ceremonial dress. The dress of the political elites were derived from the old Roman Senatorial fashions. In fact, the Emperor had a style that started out inspired by that of the old Consuls. These were made more ornate with enameled plaques and jewels sewn into the clothes. A gold, embroidered, jewel covered collar was common as well. Later emperors had gold breastplates and red boots used for their court appearances.

Art & Architecture

Byzantine construction was centered on exotic domes and rounded arches that created wide open spaces. Marble was common especially in columns. Byzantine columns mainly borrowed from classical Greek and Roman styles, but did innovate with the "composite capital". This combined the Corinthian and Ionic. Mosaics of gold were also common on walls. Byzantine construction is often seen as a precursor to Gothic styles. The actual materials appear to be primarily stone, but brick was common too. Windows were more common in larger civilian public buildings. These were coated with thin layers of alabaster to give the room a characteristic look to it. Graur, Neaga (1970). Stiluri în arta decorativă (in Romanian). Cerces. p. 38. The more militaristic environment of castles still had extensive interior decorations. The floors were covered with mud clay tiles. Walls were whitewashed. Sometimes the walls were covered in tapestries or murals. Ideally, one would make the interiors as bright as possible via the painting. After all, candles and torches were the only reliable light. The arrow slits on castles would not let in much light. Even civilian buildings did not have much glass - windows were often just big holes in the wall. The manufacture of tiles was an industry itself. Huge numbers were needed, but making even one was hard work. Regulations were actually put into place to standardize production. Kilns were often owned by the local lords, who charged for the right to use them. There was no real modern quality control though. The right temperature was achieved by experience and looking at the color of the flames (among other techniques). Tapping the tiles together to hear the sounds they make and spitting on them to see if they absorb moisture tests to see if they were cooked enough. Firings could involve 4,000 tiles at a time. If things went wrong, moisture in the tiles would cause them to burst and break tiles next to them. So, failure could be costly. Harvesting the clay was actually part of the process of getting paint pigments as well. This meant that we could expect the colors used in painting to be from pigments one could find in the natural environment. Those that were not one would have to be noble to get. But this is not to say that the range was limited. There were actually cooking techniques that could get many colors out of the same source material. In areas where sandstone was the main stone found, the main colors available were reds, browns and yellows. Murals would be painted all over the walls with these colors. Because of the protective value of the paint and other layers added to (often cheaper sandstone) masonry walls, it was pretty much always done. This meant that the intricate stonework was covered up. But it did have an upshot for the nobles. It provided the medium for "fictive masonry". It provided the illusion of the more expensive limestone being used to construct the walls. It would still imagine the actual masons would still be annoyed. But as a culture with a long history of monumental stonework, I would imagine that this style would be popular in Gondor as well. The Queen of England in the 1200s had one pattern painted in her bedchamber in the Tower of London. It involved the above mentioned fictive masonry. However, it had a red five leaf rose motif positioned in the center of each stone. This became a popular style among the nobles wishing to emulate the royal family. I would imagine that this too would be popular in Gondor. Beyond that, flowers, trees, and geometric shapes appear to be common. It is important to note here the economics. The Church and the nobles were pretty much the only customers that had the money to devote to any sort of art. They also had cultural and political power as well. This meant that any substandard work could ruin the incomes of the craftsmen and artists. It also provided another mechanism by which the tastes of the upper classes were infused into the rest of society. When artists produced art pretty much exclusively for the nobles and Church, their values and tastes became almost exclusively what people were exposed to. Purely out of economic need. Badger hair, rabbit skin, goose feathers, fish bladders and chicken eggs all were used to make the paints, rendering and brushes. The peasantry in general tended to live in wattle and daube houses they built themselves. Animals lived in with them to keep then from being stolen. The houses were hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Not only was there no air conditioning, windows were simply holes in the wall. Glass would be too expensive for most people to afford. They had to pay taxes to the government, the tithe to the Church and the rent to the lord. So, there was not much disposable income left for the average peasant. An apartment in Paris would cost about $1043.21 a month. Rent in a village was closer to 36 pennies per year ($675.46).

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The surprisingly high amount of down time medieval peasants had led to a large number of festivals. Some of my sources suggest up to 80 per year. This means a rich tradition in folk art, music and stories. Hence the profession of bards or professional story tellers. This was especially important in a mostly illiterate culture - this might have been one of the few means to hear history. Telling stories in communal settings was an important part of life. I would imagine that medieval festivals were thus rather lively affairs. At the same time, around 80 major festivals were part of peasant life. While the Church was mainly a burden due to its demands for tithes, the services provided combined with the festivals were major bright spots in the lives of peasants.

Ideals

Gender Ideals

In Byzantine society, women were much more well educated. Thus, they took a much stronger role in society. This carried over to England as well. Contrary to what we normally would like to think for medieval gender roles, women actually took a greater role in metalworking. Iron work was still more of a male role, but female participation was higher here than say in stone cutting or masonry. Making gold leaf or thread though was primarily a female occupation. It was also highly skilled and precise - involving cutting strips around a millimeter thick. Making it was technically really easy but doing it well enough for the product to be useful was a whole other ballgame. This was interesting to me as it was primarily used in a specific type of embroidery made primarily in London. The final product was preferred for the clothing of high ranking clergy like bishops and the Pope. Wall hangings that the richest lords would have in their castles would also be produced with this technique. Thus while the elements of art and architecture that remain today would be the product of traditionally male craftsmen, the elements that showed off real wealth and power would have been female in origin. In fact, this was one of, if not the only female run occupation with its own guild structure, apprentices and so forth where women were the business owners. This apprenticeship was one of the 7 year long terms.

Parent ethnicities