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Barsoomians place great value in the observance of ancient
rituals and customs, as John Carter learned very early on. Nearly
every daily activity can be dictated or restricted by a tradition
or custom, and the penalty for failing to observe proper formality
often depends on the reaction of one's peers.
Players of Barsoomian characters should study the customs
of their characters' homeworld, as should the Storyteller. Knowing
the culture of the world will enhance everyone's enjoyment of
the game. If a character is not a native of Barsoom (perhaps
he came from Earth, like John Carter did), he should be kept
in the dark as much as possible. Make him learn things the hard
way!
Barsoomian Greetings
- When John Carter first alit upon the surface of Mars, he
met the Thark chieftain Tars Tarkas, who offered him an armband
of wrought gold. Carter accepted the armband and placed it on
his own arm, thus accepting the offer of friendship. (PoM,
3)
- Talu, the Prince of Marentina, also offered a similar
gift to John Carter and Thuvan Dihn. He had previously offered
his shield, which was quite properly refused, being
an offering of the man's life in return for his rescue. (WoM,
9)
- Casting one's sword at the feet of another is a pledge
of loyalty and trust to that person, even unto death. If the
recipient is a woman, it can also be interpreted as a
declaration of courtship. If cast at the feet of a man,
he buckles the sword back on the owner's belt as a sign of acceptance.
A woman will return the sword hilt first to its owner.
In either case, if the sword is left to lie, it is a refusal
of the offer. If the sword is returned point first, it
means complete rejection and necessitates a duel to the death.
Women do not fight; that honor is passed to the closest male
relative or champion. (GoM, 16; LloG, 1/10)
- When two Barsoomians meet, each will usually place
his right hand on the shoulder of the other. A stronger show
of friendship is to use both hands in the greeting. Barsoomians
rarely embrace. (PoM, 13)
- Kissing is permitted only between lovers, or husbands
and wives (their own), and occasionally one's intimate friends.
A subject may occasionally kiss the hand of his queen; this is
a show of fealty rather than affection, and the more common practice
is to cast the sword. (PoM, 14; CoM, 1, 2, 9)
- For a departing salute, a Barsoomian may raise both
hands, palms backward, above his head.(GoM, 8)
Military Honors
- Among the more modern nations of Barsoom, troops honor their
leaders and heroes by raising their swords and clashing
them together. (WoM, 16)
- Soldiers are recognized for bravery with metal armbands
rather than medals, which are clasped to the warrior's left arm
by the Jeddak. (PoM, 21)
- Some particularly despotic rulers demand that all persons
approaching the throne prostrate themselves. (GoM, 9;
TMoM, 7)
Green Customs
- Among the green hordes, when a warrior approaches his
chief, the latter will acknowledge him by name. The warrior
will then address his superior by name and rank. (PoM, 4)
- On the rare occasions when two green men meet in peace, they
will exchange gifts as a token of friendship. (PoM, 12)
- Among the green men it is the custom, in intratribal disputes,
for the victor of a duel to take over the property, women and
name of the vanquished (who is dead anyway). (PoM, 10)
- Important prisoners taken in battle must be brought
alive to the ruler of the tribe, whose responsibility it is to
decide their fate. Such prisoners may only be killed in self-defense
or if they try to escape. If they do escape, the captor must
forfiet his rank. (PoM, 12)
Battle
- In hand-to-hand combat, one must defend himself with
the same weapon as that selected by his opponent, or a
lesser one. If attacked with a longsword, one may defend himself
with a longsword, shortsword or dagger, but never with a pistol.
To draw one's pistol when attacked with a sword is unpardonable,
as is any attempt at foul play. A warrior never asks for quarter,
as that is considered cowardly, and will not offer it,
as that is considered a sign of weakness. (PoM, 10, 14; GoM,
3, 7; LloG, 2, 8)
- All physically fit Barsoomian males, except for slaves,
are considered warriors and must wear weapons and trappings
at all times. Only contempt would be shown for a man who chose
to spurn weapons. (TMoM, 2)
- Officers are expected to lead their men, from the
noblest Jeddak to the lowest padwar. It would be
unthinkably cowardly for an officer to order his men into any
situation where he would not be willing to go. (CoM, 15)
- In aerial naval battles it is the custom for a defeated commander
to leap to his death rather than surrender his ship. (PoM,26)
- A drunken commander will not be tolerated aboard
any vessel and will likely be thrown overboard by his
crew. This act of insubordination will probably go unpunished.
(LloG, 3/6)
Funerals
- Green men burn their dead on great funeral pyres.
(PoM, 18)
- Modern red men dress their dead in special trappings
before disposing of them. In the red Barsoomian household, it
is customary to drape the wedding trappings of the deceased
over his or her dining chair and post a slave in attendance behind
it during the period of mourning. (GoM, 17)
- The yellow men of Okar used to throw the bodies of their
deceased into the Carrion Caves. The remains were then
consumed by the sacred apts. (WoM, 8)
- In Manator, the bodies of notables are preserved in
a special process. Some are mummified and shrunk; these are displayed
along the Avenue of the Ancestors. (CMoM, 15)
Trials
- Trials are presided over by a panel of thirty-one judges
selected from the social class of the accused. His accusers list
the acts charged against him, then he is heard, and has the right
to call witnesses on his behalf. The judges then decide on either
acquittal or sentence. (GoM, 12)
- In Manator, a person may be judged only by the jeddak.
He may, if he wishes, seek counsel in his defense. (CMoM, 14)
Courtship and Marriage, and Male-Female
Relationships
- A man shows devotion to a woman by placing his sword at
her feet. If she rejects him, she will leave it there; if
she returns it hilt first, she has accepted his offer. (LloG,
1/13)
- It is the custom for the man to propose to the woman
he wishes to marry. He does this by asking her permission
to call her "my princess". If she accepts, she will
call him "my chieftain". The woman may use this phrase
more casually than the man; for a man to call a woman "my
princess" without the accompanying proposal of marriage
is a grave insult. This honorific is reserved only for the man's
betrothed. (PoM, 13, 22; TMoM, 1)
- Once betrothed, a woman may not listen to love-making from
any other man, nor may she break the promise. (PoM, 22)
- A woman may not marry the man who kills her husband,
even if he does so in self-defense. (PoM, 22)
- Each nation has its own traditions concerning the marriage
ceremony, the most common features being the use of golden collars
or handcuffs. In Manator, the groom will enter wearing
a grotesque jeweled mask while the bride waits at the foot of
the throne. Following is a typical example of a royal wedding
in Zodanga:
"As we approached the palace I
could see through the great windows of the first floor into the
brilliantly illuminated audience chamber of Than Kosis. The immense
hall was crowded with nobles and their women, as though some
important function was in progress. There was not a guard in
sight without the palace, due, I presume, to the fact that the
city and palace walls were considered impregnable, and so I came
close and peered within.
At one end of the chamber, upon massive
golden thrones encrusted with diamonds, sat Than Kosis and his
consort, surrounded by officers and dignitaries of state. Before
them stretched a broad aisle lined on either side with soldiery,
and as I looked there entered this aisle at the far end of the
hall, the head of a procession which advanced to the foot of
the throne.
First there marched four officers of
the jeddak's Guard bearing a huge salver on which reposed, upon
a cushion of scarlet silk, a great golden chain with a collar
and padlock at each end. Directly behind these officers came
four others carrying a similar salver which supported the magnificent
ornaments of a prince and princess of the reigning house of Zodanga.
At the foot of the throne these two
parties separated and halted, facing each other at opposite sides
of the aisle. Then came more dignitaries, and the officers of
the palace and of the army, and finally two figures entirely
muffled in scarlet silk, so that not a feature of either was
discernible. These two stopped at the foot of the throne, facing
Than Kosis. When the balance of the procession had entered and
assumed their stations Than Kosis addressed the couple standing
before him. I could not hear his words, but presently two officers
advanced and removed the scarlet robe from one of the figures,
and I saw that Kantos Kan had failed in his mission, for it was
Sab Than, Prince of Zodanga, who stood revealed before me.
Than Kosis now took a set of the ornaments
from one of the salvers and placed one of the collars of gold
about his son's neck, springing the padlock fast. After a few
more words addressed to Sab Than he turned to the other figure,
from which the officers now removed the enshrouding silks, disclosing
to my now comprehending view Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.
The object of the ceremony was clear
to me; in another moment Dejah Thoris would be joined forever
to the Prince of Zodanga. It was an impressive and beautiful
ceremony, I presume, but to me it seemed the most fiendish sight
I had ever witnessed, and as the ornaments were adjusted upon
her beautiful figure and her collar of gold swung open in the
hands of Than Kosis I raised my long-sword above my head, and,
with the heavy hilt, I shattered the glass of the great window
and sprang into the midst of the astonished assemblage. With
a bound I was on the steps of the platform beside Than Kosis,
and as he stood riveted with surprise I brought my long-sword
down upon the golden chain that would have bound Dejah Thoris
to another." (PoM, 25)
- The time required for preparation of the nuptials varies
from region to region. In Okar, ten days are required. In Manator,
the period is seven days. (WoM, 11; CMoM, 20)
Other Male-Female Customs
- Barsoomian men, married and single, may posess female slaves
in their household. Red women are held in the highest regard
in all cases, and to defile even the lowliest of them is considered
a heinous crime.
- Men do not kill women, nor women, men. (PoM, 11)
- Men of Barsoom all have a hand-signal they use as a sign
of love to the women they love. For any other man to use such
a sign is a grave offense. (WoM, 10)
Miscellaneous
- When announcing the entrance of royalty, a guardsman will
strike a gong with his short-sword and call out the name and
rank of the person entering.
- Public houses or hotels provide little privacy for anyone
except married couples. Sleeping quarters are segregated by sex
and each consists of a large chamber with raised platforms for
sleeping silks and furs. Meals are not served, but baths are
provided in an adjoining room. The female quarters are guarded
from without by armed men who are constantly on call to the female
slaves within. The male quarters are patrolled inside by guardsmen.
- At certain social gatherings, particularly royal balls, it
is customary to play the Dance of Barsoom. This simple,
intimate, elegant ritual is as much a work of music as it is
a dance, as shown in the following scene from The Chessmen
of Mars:
"Slaves were passing among the
guests, distributing small musical instruments of a single string.
Upon each instrument were characters which indicated the pitch
and length of its tone. The instruments were of skeel, the string
of gut, and were shaped to fit the left forearm of the dancer,
to which it was strapped. There was also a ring wound with gut
which was worn between the first and second joints of the index
finger of the right hand and which, when passed over the string
of the instrument, elicited the single note required of the dancer...
"The Dance of Barsoombears a relation
to the more formal dancing functions of Mars than the Grand March
does to ours, though it is infinitely more intricate and more
beautiful. Before a Martian youth of either sex may attend an
important social function where their is dancing, he must have
become proficient in at least three dances - The Dance of Barsoom,
his national dance, and the dance of his city. In these three
dances the dancers furnish their own music, which never varies;
nor do the steps or figures vary, having been passed down from
time immemorial. All Barsoomian dances are stately and beautiful,
but the Dance of Barsoom is a wondrous epic of motion and harmony
- there is no grotesque posturing, no vulgar or suggestive movements.
It has been described as the interpretation of the highest ideals
of a world that aspired to grace and beauty and chastitiy in
woman, and strength and dignity and loyalty in man." (CMoM,
1)
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