I just would love to know more about Nordic traditions cause I remember in OB that its very different from everyone else ....

edit: I forgot there is a lore section :facepalm:

sorry mods :touched:

Yeah I remember that, in Oblivion a Nord woman said that Nord tradition don't include marriage they just live in together or something like that

Well thats odd that marriage is then included in skyrim of all games

Actual viking tradition had the women literally hunt down there men and catch them with nets. (Wether or not she had to drag him home I don't know?)

Are you sure of that? I know that in viking tradition women could get divorced, and that doesn't fit with what you say...

sounds adorable :touched:

lore masters hear my call *insert dragon shout*

I think the Nords might follow something like the tradition of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handfasting

Really? Thats hilarious.

interesting read ty

I don't know the lore on this (if indeed there is any), but I picture Nordic culture to be quite jovial and open-minded on the subject of marriage. Honour, loyalty, courage - these things might be taken very seriously indeed within such bonds, but the courting, celebration, etc I imagine to be very easy-going and informal.

It's the Elves who seem to be the stuck-up ones; imagine going to meet your Altmer in-laws. [shudders]

Due to the inefficiencies of birthing practices at the time many women died during child birth. Women were given a more important role in viking society than other societies at the time. I'm sure many clans were possibly matriarchal even. So they had the power to pick and choose who they wanted as a mate.


One of the most important thing a viking sought after during a raid were women to bring back to the tribe.

Yeah, but those were captured women. I think that men treated "viking" women with respect... well, compared to how women used to be treated in those times.

Nobody said there's going to be a ceremony...

I was just reading up on how smiths used to conduct marriege ceremonies before the church took over the marriege business so maybe conducting marrieges will be a smithing perk

Can people stop saying "viking culture"? There is no such thing. First of all, viking is a made up word and not a civilization. Second of all, the ones that went "viking" in the Viking Age were looters, raiders and warriors. Saying that Scandinavian/Norse culture is "viking" is simply ignorant, especially so considering finnish are Scandinavians and had absolutely nothing to do with vikings (also considering the finnish consider themselves an entirely different ethnicity apart from whats usually considered "norse".)

Now, if you would please join together your flaming axes of courage and light the marriage pyre, we can move on to the mead...

Another good reference for Viking type courtship, marriage, etc., is http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/wedding.shtml

Edit: Just to add, I guess I will have to wait for actual gameplay to see how this works in Skyrim.

Ah I love history

but is there nothing about nords in lore ??? seems strange maybe we will read them in the in game books!

As people mentioned above, the so called "marriage" could simply mean living together in the NPCs house, something that was confirmed as possible ages ago. The whole "the player can marry someone" is a massive piece of misdirection about a mechanic that was confirmed long ago, and is largely irrelevant. Seriously, get NPCs disposition high enough, you can sleep in their house and use their stuff, they'll probably have requests to you. You're about as married as they come.

If there were Nord marriage ceremonies, does that mean that every playable race would have to have said ceremony?
I know at this point everything is conjuncture, but perhaps if this were the case do you think that other races culture would play a part in the festivities.

For instance I will use my friends' wedding as an example.
The husband was Jewish and she was Unitarian.
The wedding was heavily influenced by his faith, but there were aspects of hers as well.

Maybe if a Dunmer and an Orc were to be wed, would both their traditions be seen?

My best bet though is they will just go to the Magistrates office and get some papers, or a small innocuous ceremony held in a courtyard or temple.

We're not all Scandinavian experts. Calm down...

I wouldn't look at Norse culture for this one, people. Aside from concubines, weren't the Norse mostly monogamous? The Nords appear to be into polygamy.

If the recent obscure text's by Kirkbride are to be believed, they divide their spouses into rolls: War-Wife, Bed-Wife, Wine-Wife, Pity-Husband, ect.