Aiel

Kinship among the Aiel

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Relationships among the Aiel are both precise and complex. There is a specific term for every relationship of blood and marriage.
In the Aiel society, the relation to the mother is more important than that to the father and takes precedence over male bloodline. Therefore, siblings that have the same mother (regardless whether they have a different father) are considered a closer kin than those of the same father (but with a different mother)

1. Blood relations

First-brothers and first-sisters are siblings that have the same mother but not necessarily the same father.

Second-brothers and second-sisters are the children of one's mother's first-brother or first-sister.
Translated into our language: the nieces and nephews of your mother's brothers and sisters born from the same mother of your mother.

Sister-mothers and sister-fathers are the first-sisters and first-brothers of one's mother.
Translated into our language: your aunts and uncles on your mother side born from the same mother as your mother.

Greatfathers and greatmothers are the parent's of one's own mother.
Translated into our language: your grandparents on your mother's side.

Second greatfathers and second greatmothers are the parent's of one's own father.
Translated into our language: your grandparents on your father's side.  

 2. Non-blood relations

The Aiel also have a kinship system that is not related to blood relationship. Close friends are often referred to as and considered kin.

Near-sisters and near-brothers are friends that are as close as first-sisters and first-brothers.

Near-sisters often adopt each other formally as first-sisters. This is done through the First Sibling Ceremony.
Near-brothers almost never do this, for the ceremony is quite taxing and often collides with the male psyche.

3. Marriage relations

The Aiel marriages are not always monogamous. It is quite common for one man to marry two women. While some wetlanders (usually the men) find this rather amusing, to most of them the concept is quite shocking. To the Aiel, however, it is perfectly normal. Unlike what most wetlanders might think, however, the Aiel women have a great deal to say in this matter. Indeed, in some cases and Aiel man may find himself married to a woman he had no intention to marry simply because his chosen wife wishes it so. Or to get the one he wants to marry to agree to marrying him in the first place.

In most cases, the two women sharing the same man are often near-sisters or first-sisters. In such marriages, the women are considered to be married to each other as well as to the man and they often love each other every bit as much as they love their husband. However, the women do not always start out as near-sisters or first-sisters, but if they both love the same man, they will often develop such a close relationship with each other that it will lead to them becoming near- or first-sisters.

Sister-wives is the term that is used for two women that are married to the same man.

 

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