Gotian

Kura Amnaschild, a Gotian

Gotians are a coastal culture, primarily making a living off of fishing with small to midsized nets, baited hooks, and even the occasional dam system that will be used to trap fish. Their salted, pickled, dried, and fermented fish is a very popular export and a bit of a city delicacy in landlocked regions.

## Naming Traditions

### Unisex names

As in the majority of cultures of Paan Atta, Gotian personal names are not gender specific. Names are officially given only once it is clear a child will survive for at least a year. Names generally allude to a defining (but not degrading to point out) personality or physical feature of the child.

### Family names

Gotians generally do not have traditional family names as many of us know them, instead, their personal name is followed by the name of the one who gave birth to them, an indication of ownership, and then the suffix -child. (Examples include: Andaschild, Pitarschild, Amnaschild)

## Culture

### Cultural Garments

It is very common to see Gotians wearing wide scarves and shawls, bracing themselves against the chill of the sea breeze. Closely fitting laced boots, long tunics under shirts, and simple yet bold colors are also the fashion.

### Crafts

Macramé is a popular pastime with numerous practical uses. It is taught to young children as a means of practicing different useful knots, often with a maritime application. Adults keep their hands busy with it when stormy weather confines them to land.

The result of this common craft is a particularly unique aesthetic appearance widely seen across Gotia, especially in the coastal regions. All manner of personal storage and transportation utilizes this special style of weaving.

### Major language groups and dialects

There is an often overlooked minority of Gotians who live on the inland border of the country. These Gotians are much less densely populated, and eat ruminant and bird livestock more than fish. They are often also traders due to their proximity to the border. Their dialect is distinct in their lack of pronunciation of the sounds "x"/"ks"/"sk", as well as an archetypal sort of rise and fall in their cadence.

### Common Etiquette rules

Spicing or similarly augmenting your food in any way if not invited to do so is seen as a massive insult to whoever prepared the food.

### Art & Architecture

Gotian homes are often raised on sturdy wooden pylons to protect against flooding, which has become a distinct symbol of their culture and seen as a beautiful landmark by foreigners.

Clay is abundant in the many rivers and streams of Gotia that pour out into the ocean. This clay is used for roofing, creating tiles with a specific curved shape that helps rainwater pour down off the roof, often into a specialized tube that streams the water into collection buckets. These tubes on Gotian houses are made of clay, with holes on the top that will allow water to enter, but not let leaves and similar unwanted matter through.

### Common Myths and Legends

It is said that humans used to live in the sea but were tricked out of it by the Crab, who is a major trickster figure in Gotian mythology.

Humans are said to have traded their gills for a box the Crab claimed held the secret of life, said to ensure humankind's continued prospering and descendants for centuries to come. When the humans climbed onto land, leaving their ability to breathe through water behind, they opened the box, and inside it was an illustration of two humans reproducing.

All the Crab's words were technically true, but it was a cruel trick since humans had already known how to have children for quite a while, even though it was technically the secret to (creating) life.

The Crab then traded this extra ability to breathe water to the young of the frog, since the Crab had no need for it and could already breathe underwater, claiming truthfully that it would protect the frog's young from land predators. In exchange for this, he took the voices of all frogs through a tricky technicality in his words that made it seem like he would only make them unable to talk underwater. Ever since then, frogs have had hoarse throats and croaking instead of words.

## Ideals

### Beauty Ideals

For Gotians, nose bumps are very attractive. There is also an ideal of long, windswept hair and colorful, rosy cheeks and noses. Paler hair is seen as more attractive, and in hopes to attain it, many Gotians sun their hair, sometimes with oils in it hoping to absorb the light and naturally bleach it.

### Courtship Ideals

Gotian courtship is usually made very clear through very large amounts of physical affection, very often. Reciprocation signals returned feelings. This usually manifests as hand touching, hugs, cuddling up to and leaning on a person. The key difference between just being an affectionate friend and courtship is the sheer frequency of the touch.

### Relationship Ideals

Knowing about one another in certain unspoken ways is ideal in Gotian culture, such as in-jokes, picking up on emotional hints, knowing the right gift your partner desires most and similar.