Divorce on Pern

[PastMember]

Is there divorce on Pern?


:puzzled:

[PastMember]

I tend to think of it as up to the individual Lord's discretion--and none of the Lord Holders really interfere with rulings in other territories they're not responsible for, so this could be different from territory to territory.

It's not something I remember being addressed in any of the books; I try not to look at it with 'Terran' insight but try to remember it's Pern.  Marriage is different, life in general is different.  Remember, our scenario is based on a what if comprised of 'what would happen if plagues decimated the Southern half of the continent? How would social changes occur?'; The rest of Pern is not repressive to women in this setting...and unfortunately (or fortunately for storylines! lol) the South seems to have slipped backwards socially in order to save itself...that's why I find the scenario fascinating to work with.

~Nici

[PastMember]

Nici is right.  How ending a marriage is viewed would vary due to Lord Holder decree.  In fact, I was reading somewhere on the KTBB one time that Pern marriages are usually more "common-law" than a formal ceremony, unless the parties involved are ranking.  The only weddings you see on Pern all involve someone of rank - or at least crafters.

After all, the average isolated holder isn't going to travel a couple hundred miles to marry at the local Gather.  If they're lucky, they'd probably grab the local travelling harper, just to make things official in the record books back at the main Hold.

Another issue is Impression after marriage, which negates any marital status for the new weyrling.  The spouse would be allowed to either return home (or stay there if they didn't come to the Weyr before the Hatching) and remarry at will.  Or stay at the Weyr as a weyrmate - lots of choice there.

Storylines covering each scenario have been done at OCH and DEW both, just that I can think of off the top of my head.