HALLS The raiders of Torvaldsland often live within the hall of their Jarl. There are true halls and common halls, the former being for the wealthiest of Jarls such as Svein Blue Tooth. The primary difference between the halls is that the true hall is made of wood, a valuable commodity in the north. Timber is more often used to construct ships rather than halls. Thus, there are few true halls in Torvaldsland. One common custom, for both types of halls, is the greeting of a guest to the hall. The master of hall, garbed in his finery, will stand at the doorway into the hall holding a bowl of water and a towel. The guest will then wash his hand and face. The common hall is a longhouse, about 125 feet long. Instead of being made of wood, the walls are made of turf and stone. The walls may be up to eight or more feet thick. The hall is oriented north to south so as to reduce the exposure to the biting north wind. At the center of the hall will be a rounded pit for a fire. Ventilation is supplied by narrow holes in the roof so the hall is often smoky. The hall is essentially a single room that serves as residence, dining room and sleeping area. The kitchen area is separated from this main room by a wooden partition. The roof is only about six feet high so most of the men must bend and stoop to walk around. Down the length of the hall, in the center, there is a trench dug about a foot deep and twelve feet wide. In this trench are set tables and benches. There are also wooden posts here that help support the roof. The edges of the hall are the sleeping areas and stones mark off each person's area. Each area is about eight feet long. At the edge of the sleeping area some logs that have iron bands around them. The bands have chains and iron fetters, used to secure female slaves. Windows are rare in these halls. If they do exist, they use the dried afterbirth membrane of a bosk fetus to cover the window. Svein Blue Tooth possesses a true hall, fitting as he is the High Jarl of Torvaldsland. His hall is made of much valuable wood and is truly a marvel. The interior hall, not counting the rooms that lead into it or its balcony, is two hundred feet long, forty feet wide and forty feet high. No one need bend or stoop in his hall. On the western side of the hall is a long table. Behind this table is the high seat, also known as the "rightful seat." It is the seat of the Jarl, the master of the house. The seat is large enough that three to four men could sit in it. It is a great honor for someone to be permitted to sit in this seat with the Jarl. On each side of this throne are pillars, each eight feet high and eight inches in diameter. The pillars bear the luck signs of the Jarl's house. There are then long benches to either side of the pillars and on the other side of the table. Another place of honor is on the bench directly in front of the throne seat. This seat allows one to easily converse with the Jarl. On the north and south walls there are other long tables with benches. There are bowls of salt on these tables to help differentiate the rankings of the men present. Those men permitted to sit "above the salts" are the ones with greater prestige and ranking. Everyone at the Jarl's table is considered to be "above the salts." There is a fire pit almost the length of the hall down the middle of the room. This is where all the food is cooked. The sleeping area is also at the edges of the hall. Each man's shield and weapons are hung on the wall above his designated sleeping area. High officers have private sleeping rooms outside this main room. The main room is also decorated with tapestries and carvings, commonly depicting scenes of war, hunting or ship life. |