Jar-born

Jar-born is a term widely used to describe a particular caste of sailors plying the trade routes of the Sea of Jars. The Jar-born are of interest to thaumatlogists because of their store of folkloric songs, dances, tales and handicrafts, many of which appear to have their origins in the popular worship of Zargyod, the pre-Wesmodian god of the sea, metals, and good fortune.

Definition

Very few of these individuals are literally born on the sea. Some captains do employ female support crew, but this is fairly rare, and the rigors of shipboard life are particularly ill-suited for those in a delicate condition. Nevertheless a proportion of sailors spend so much time at sea that they come to identify themselves as seamen first and citizens of any community on dry land second, and to think of their vessels as their homes. Many, furthermore, induct their sons to shipboard life at a very early age, with or without the consent of the mothers of the children. Many ship's masters and captains in most cities practice impressment at least occasionally (though the practice is famously illegal in both Loros and Tyros, both cities are regarded as eccentric for passing such laws) and those impressed at a young age often eventually begin to attract the label of Jar-born.
That those who identify as Jar-born make up only a minority of seamen travelling between the Eleven Cities. Even a grizzled old sailor reaching the end of a career of decades on the sea can still see himself as a citizen of Pholyos or Ramoros and look forward to a peaceful, stable retirement on land. Most do so. There are always those, however, for whom the sea exerts an emotional hold that nowhere on land can match, and for whom the camaraderie of shipboard life comes to supplant any other loyalties. Such sailors may start referring to themselves as Jar-born or, more commonly, have the label discreetly applied to them by their shipmates. It is generally accepted that putting the matter directly to such a sailor ought to be done gently and respectably.
Once so labeled a Jar-born sailor will actually go about his business much as before, except that he will enjoy a greater degree of respect and deference from his shipmates, who are likely to esteem his skills and experience. If a sailor has no skills or experience to esteem, it is unlikely that he will be identified as Jar-born, and those who claim the title for himself best stand ready to illustrate it via uncommon shipboard expertise in the very near future. Some in fact reject the title, take it as a warning that they are losing touch with life on shore, and may even leave the sea as a result. Others will accept the title, either with alacrity or resignation depending on the individual.

Position aboard ship

To be identified as Jar-born tends to improve one's standing with employers, as it indicates tenacity, seasoning and competence. Jar-born individuals therefore often find themselves elevated through the ranks of their ship, frequently becoming captains. This being said, most actually prefer to abide in the middle ranks, as cooks, mates or watch captains, valuing the security of a position on the sea more highly than they do titles and payments that are ultimately relevant to shore life. By definition, a Jar-born sailor has largely ejected life on dry land from his frame of reference. In extreme cases Jar-born may make a resolution not to set foot on shore ever again. Tales of such sailors are often fraught with torturous observations of exceptions for such matters as low and high tides, sandbars and shoals. Maritime etiquette demands that all such tales be listened to in full and taken entirely seriously; failure to do so is likely to destroy any sympathy or credibility a shore-dwelling visitor may have among sailors.
It is universally acknowledged that the Jar-born will not be buried on land when they die. Rather, they are put over the side of their vessels amid displays of respect and solemnity, returned to the bosom of the ocean they have adopted as their true home. These usually take the form of recitations of some of the songs, tunes, dances, stories and sayings that make the Jar-born of such interest to thaumatologists.

Thaumatological significance

The Jar-born, simply by virtue of their long careers at sea, invariably come into contact with the vast body of folklore that passes between Sailors on the Sea of Jars. This lore is widely supposed to have originated from the shipboard worship of Zargyod, the pre-Wesmodian god of fortune and the sea. This makes the Jar-born very interesting to thaumatologists, who speculate that this material contains echoes of the invocation of Zargyod and that properly studied and staged recitations of these oral phenomena could therefore be used to magically warp the laws of probability or grant some sort of control over the sea or its (non-human) inhabitants. When thaumatologists board a ship with the goal of interviewing sailors to learn some of this lore, it is likely that the first question they ask is whether the ship's company includes any Jar-born. The reactions of any such Jar-born to being interviewed vary widely; some are entirely open while others clam up, apparently offended that any land-dwelling individual would seek to systematise and exploit something so important to them.
The Jar-born also turn up frequently in the folktales of sailors, many of which involve these individuals or recount how they acquired the title.

Type

Professional