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 the Comyn
The Comyn are a type of hereditary aristocracy, whose social structure
strongly resembles that of the feudal system in Europe during the Middle
Ages. The core of the Comyn is made up of the ruling families of the
Seven Domains. The title of Comyn depends on whether one can sit in
Comyn Council (and vice versa: all Comyn can sit on the Council and all
of the members of the Council are Comyn).
Thus a Comyn is a person born into a Comyn family; but in order to become
truly Comyn, the "candidate" must promise allegiance to the Comyn and the Council (The Heritage of Hastur). It is entirely possible for the illegitimate child of a Comyn lord
to sit in Council, provided that he is recognized by the Council. This
recognition is one of the many powers of the Comyn Council. The
definition of Comyn is broad enough that a distant relative of one of the
seven principal families can be admitted to the Council (op. cit.). In fact, possession of laran seems to be the only real
determining factor. However, becoming the heir of a Domain when one is an
"unofficial" or bastard child can be extremely difficult, though it is not
impossible (see the stories of Kennard and Lewis Alton for more on this
subject).
A Comyn carries the mark of Comyn, a sort of tattoo made
somewhere on the wrist (with a branding iron? op. cit.).
Ordinarily a Comyn has laran. However, the telepathic
capacities of some Comyn are very limited, or seemingly non-existent (as with
Danvan Hastur, the grandfather of Regis Hastur). In fact, the legitimate heir
of a Domain does not really have to have laran in order to be recognized by
the Council. Only
bastards must possess laran in order to be considered Comyn.
The philosophical underpinnings of the power which the Comyn have over the
people of Darkover is rather complex. It is certainly based, at least in part,
on the fear engendered by laran among those who do not
have it. However, many of the Comyn do have a high and noble vision of their
purpose. They believe that they do not deserve their privileges unless they
serve the people of Darkover. This implies a number of responsibilities:
development of laran,
service in the Towers,
giving birth to heirs so that laran will not be lost, and so on.
The word Comyn does not seem to have a plural form. In fact,
Comyn might be a plural form as its original meaning is something like
"allies". On the other hand, it does have a feminine form,
Comynaria, the meaning of which is more restrictive (in the
same way that "woman" is more restrictive than "man"; the latter can apply to
both a male person and the human race in general).
source file (Last modification: Wed Apr 21 17:21:45 1999)
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