Post by Admin on Mar 15, 2015 21:42:40 GMT -5
The major unit of political and family organization in Vulcanis is the Clan, an extended family grouping or confederation of families all claiming descent from a common ancestor, who commonly also gives his name to the Clan itself. Through adoption and marriage, passing through the male line, clans have developed into large groupings of families subordinated to the authority of a single chief, known as a Clan Laird.
The immediate family of the Clan Laird is almost exclusively the branch of the family able to claim the most direct descent from the common ancestor, and therefore forms the Clan’s nobility. They are easily recognized by being the only persons in the Clan to bear the Clan name as a surname. In the most formal rendering of a Vulcanean nobleman’s name, this is further identified by the possessive a’ or an’, which roughly means “of” in the sense of “of Clan X”. For example, the current Clan Laird of Clan Cadag, Merthen Cadag, is formally Merthen a’Cadag. Bastards of noble descent are considered part of the Clan and entitled to a claim to its noble heritage, but as they do not derive this from full legitimate descent, their surnames are prefixed with patronyms such as “mac” or “fitz” for males and “ferc” or “nic” for females. In our example, this would result in macCadag, fitzCadag, fercCadag or nicCadag, which respectively means “son of (a) Cadag” or “daughter of (a) Cadag”, which denotes their status as being passed the noble blood of the Clan by their parents even though they are not a legitimate part of the main branch.
All other families that are part of a Clan are known as septs. Members of septs do not bear the Clan name, but are considered part of the clan by virtue of their familial loyalty to the Clan Laird. Most septs originated as families living in the land of a noble Clan that were simply considered to be part of a clan after many years. Others have originated through marriage ties to junior branches of the Clan, through adoption of worthy individuals into the Clan or through the line of bastards. Such septs are almost exclusively considered to be commoners. Especially in the lands of the most important Clans, minor Clans can function as septs of a major Clan. In that case, the main branch of the sept is considered to be nobility, and follows the noble naming conventions as if they were a Clan. The membership of a Clan and its septs is maintained on rolls by its Elders.
The immediate family of the Clan Laird is almost exclusively the branch of the family able to claim the most direct descent from the common ancestor, and therefore forms the Clan’s nobility. They are easily recognized by being the only persons in the Clan to bear the Clan name as a surname. In the most formal rendering of a Vulcanean nobleman’s name, this is further identified by the possessive a’ or an’, which roughly means “of” in the sense of “of Clan X”. For example, the current Clan Laird of Clan Cadag, Merthen Cadag, is formally Merthen a’Cadag. Bastards of noble descent are considered part of the Clan and entitled to a claim to its noble heritage, but as they do not derive this from full legitimate descent, their surnames are prefixed with patronyms such as “mac” or “fitz” for males and “ferc” or “nic” for females. In our example, this would result in macCadag, fitzCadag, fercCadag or nicCadag, which respectively means “son of (a) Cadag” or “daughter of (a) Cadag”, which denotes their status as being passed the noble blood of the Clan by their parents even though they are not a legitimate part of the main branch.
All other families that are part of a Clan are known as septs. Members of septs do not bear the Clan name, but are considered part of the clan by virtue of their familial loyalty to the Clan Laird. Most septs originated as families living in the land of a noble Clan that were simply considered to be part of a clan after many years. Others have originated through marriage ties to junior branches of the Clan, through adoption of worthy individuals into the Clan or through the line of bastards. Such septs are almost exclusively considered to be commoners. Especially in the lands of the most important Clans, minor Clans can function as septs of a major Clan. In that case, the main branch of the sept is considered to be nobility, and follows the noble naming conventions as if they were a Clan. The membership of a Clan and its septs is maintained on rolls by its Elders.