Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
It seems to me, in the Norse culture, the ‘jarl’ is a warlord.
Actually, jarl might be a good name for the class or archetype. Many players will think of the classic D&D adventure ‘The Frost Giant Jarl’.
Etymologically, the name jarl relates to the verb jara, ‘to fight’. It literally means something like ‘the devise that makes fighters fight’.
The jarl is a democratically elected leader, a kind of president of a realm. Especially, he is the commander and chief of the military (army/navy). Each clan has their own militia. But the clans entrust their respective soldiers to the leadership of the jarl, so as to form a multi-clan army. The Norse value courage, and when in battle, the jarl will tend to lead from the front − albeit in a smart way.
But there is also a connotation of granting extra attacks, in terms of organizing military formations in live time.
Interestingly, the term jarl (earlier erilaʀ) is also sometimes used for the writer of a runic inscription, connoting education, knowledge, the sacred animistic worldview, and military tactics. The inscriber is like a military leader commanding an army of runic letters into a powerful, meaningful, formation. In addition to warriors, there is even a connotation of marshaling mages, with certain inscriptions that record magical intentions.
The jarl lends itself to two classes. A nonmagical military orchestrator, with governmental skills.
Plus even a psionic military leader (mainly spá prescience and luck, and galdr mostly for abjuration and healing, even resurrection, relating to the Eighteen Songs), who perform psionic songs and psionic runic rituals. The voice is a kind of psionic focus to formulate thoughts. Not all jarl were thought to be psychic, but certain ones were, especially the revered ones.
The aboriginal Norse culture are a direct democracy, where all men and women in the realm gather at the parliament (þing) to vote. This means, there are family members of a jarl or former jarls, who are skilled at military tactics and coordination, who are currently not in office, and who may well be on a viking military expedition, or whatever.
Anyway, there is a nice connection between the viking era flavor of the jarl, and the D&D warlord class or archetype.
Actually, jarl might be a good name for the class or archetype. Many players will think of the classic D&D adventure ‘The Frost Giant Jarl’.
Etymologically, the name jarl relates to the verb jara, ‘to fight’. It literally means something like ‘the devise that makes fighters fight’.
The jarl is a democratically elected leader, a kind of president of a realm. Especially, he is the commander and chief of the military (army/navy). Each clan has their own militia. But the clans entrust their respective soldiers to the leadership of the jarl, so as to form a multi-clan army. The Norse value courage, and when in battle, the jarl will tend to lead from the front − albeit in a smart way.
But there is also a connotation of granting extra attacks, in terms of organizing military formations in live time.
Interestingly, the term jarl (earlier erilaʀ) is also sometimes used for the writer of a runic inscription, connoting education, knowledge, the sacred animistic worldview, and military tactics. The inscriber is like a military leader commanding an army of runic letters into a powerful, meaningful, formation. In addition to warriors, there is even a connotation of marshaling mages, with certain inscriptions that record magical intentions.
The jarl lends itself to two classes. A nonmagical military orchestrator, with governmental skills.
Plus even a psionic military leader (mainly spá prescience and luck, and galdr mostly for abjuration and healing, even resurrection, relating to the Eighteen Songs), who perform psionic songs and psionic runic rituals. The voice is a kind of psionic focus to formulate thoughts. Not all jarl were thought to be psychic, but certain ones were, especially the revered ones.
The aboriginal Norse culture are a direct democracy, where all men and women in the realm gather at the parliament (þing) to vote. This means, there are family members of a jarl or former jarls, who are skilled at military tactics and coordination, who are currently not in office, and who may well be on a viking military expedition, or whatever.
Anyway, there is a nice connection between the viking era flavor of the jarl, and the D&D warlord class or archetype.
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