Avvar

Although often referred to as a single entity, the Avvars are actually groups of small tribes who operate independently of each other. The only unifying concepts that the Avvars share are their beliefs and culture.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Agnes, Anja, Astrid, Dagmar, Lilja, Sigrid, Svarah

Masculine names

Amund, Arne, Bertil, Dietmar, Gurd, Helsdim, Olaf

Family names

Bynames indicate the parent of the same gender as the child with “sen” for son of or “dotten” for daughter.
Ex: Janesdotten, Bertilsen

Other names

Legend-marks replace the byname, and are awarded by the clan for notable deeds
Ex: Bright-Ax, Sun-Hair, First-Thaw, Star-Caller, Feather, Fall

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Avvar, Trade

Shared customary codes and values

Permanence is a foreign concept to the Avvars. Nothing in the Frostbacks stays the same forever, and nothing in Avvar life is permanent either. Their settlements are temporary; their agreements are temporary; even their marriages are temporary.
Avvars are expected to put loyalty to hold before blood. Avvar hold all oaths close to sacred, but the final authority on them, the thane, can always find "a hole in the tent of any promise, a place for the cold wind to sneak in". To make up for breaking an oath with another hold, the party which has done wrong can pay the price of their transgression with gifts and new trade conditions. Spiritual rules are considered equally stringent.
Avvar despise capture and would rather end their own life or die in battle than be prisoner to an enemy

Funerary and Memorial customs

The Avvars dismember their dead and offer them to the Lady through her messengers, the birds, in what Ferelden scholars refer to as an "air burial" (also known as "Sky burial"). For most, the body is laid out, and prayers given. When the bird comes, they carry the soul to the Lady of the Skies. The body, unneeded, is gone. Some souls are chosen to return- a blessing considered a rare honor. The augur reads the signs at birth to find such worthy individuals. In order to return, an offering provided by blood-kin and prepared by a huntsmaster is made to Korth the Mountain Father; and buried beneath the body. A piece of the soul thus remains, allowing the rest to return to the world and be reborn.

Common Myths and Legends

The Avvars still worship the old gods of the Alamarri, the chief among them Korth the Mountain-Father, Hakkon Wintersbreath, and The Lady of the Skies. It is nearly impossible to speak of the Avvarian people without speaking of their beliefs. Faith is the vibrant cornerstone of their existence, filling their harsh lives with sacred implications, for the Avvars believe as the Alamarri once did: The gods live in all things.

Ideals

Courtship Ideals

Since each Avvar hold is made up of several extended-family clans, Avvars must often marry outside their hold to avoid their relatives. They see this as a good thing, for it brings in new blood and extends the ties among Avvars. Avvar men go about securing brides by kidnapping them. This is partially arranged in advance by approaching the elders of the target clan and announcing one’s intention. Failure to do so can lead to a blood feud.