The Bead Language of the Southlands
Bead codes in the south range from incredibly complex to very simple. A few general guidelines apply:
The more rows in the bracelet/beadwork, the more important the wearer.
The material, color, shape, size, and surrounding colors, and even the string material for the beadwork, can influence the conveyed message.
The simpler the arrangement, the simpler the message.
General Meanings of Colors
Aquamarine/blue-green |
(lightest shades) Family ties, travel toward the sea, the sea (darkest shades) |
Black |
Absence and endings |
Blue |
Depending on hue, this color can indicate: |
Brown |
One of the colors of Comos; also signifies winter or an ending |
Gold (color) |
Used in decorations to signify endings or money changing hands (not necessarily wealth—could mean the bearer is a merchant or accountant, for example) |
Green |
Can signify, depending on hue: new beginnings or safety (lighter green); sanctuary or political shift (darker green); wealth or travel out of dry lands to more fertile areas (emerald green); family ties or travel towards an ocean/large body of water (blue-green) |
Red |
Blood, violence, or death |
White |
One of the colors of Comos; can also indicate female, daytime, or 'a day' (as a measure of time) |
Yellow |
Depending on the hue and placement: death, the sun, extremes, the Sun-Lord, or deceit |
Sample Combinations
Red combined with yellow – violent death or transition
Red combined with white – death of a female or (paradoxically) a birth
Red combined with indigo – death of a male or change of ruler
Specific Pieces and Their Meanings
Pieas Sessin's bracelet (worn during the audience of Alyea Peysimun, Eredion Sessin, and Pieas Sessin with King Oruen in Secrets of the Sands): “a thin bracelet of gold and green beads on his left arm, arranged asymmetrically on fine silver wire” |
This signifies that Pieas, while a member of an important southern Family and thus under its protection, is actually little more than a child in official terms, and holds no rank a king need recognize. It's a humiliating piece of jewelry, and one Eredion almost certainly forced Pieas to wear, as the proud young man never would have sported such an admission willingly. |
Eredion Sessin's arm-band (during Eredion's audience in open court with King Oruen in Secrets of the Sands): “A wide, beaded band covered the man's right forearm from the wrist nearly to the elbow.” |
This very likely was in the Sessin Family colors of emerald-green and sand-tan, and composed of hundreds of small round beads. The width indicates that Eredion is claiming contextually preeminent Sessin status; he could never wear this arm band within Sessin Fortress, for example, because his relative status there is much lower. But as Sessin ambassador to the northern court, this armband indicates that he outranks any other Sessin Family member who might be present. It's a slightly audacious statement, but not one likely to be challenged. Patterns within the beadwork itself probably also indicated, to the experienced eye, items such as Eredion's parentage, marital status, and whether he has any children. |
Alyea's bracelet (which Chac gives her at the first way-stop in Secrets of the Sands): “small, round pieces of some dark green gemstone interspersed with squared off, unevenly sized pieces of thick white shell, threaded on a thin golden wire” |
This indicates a female under political protection by a major name, but not someone important in her own right: Chac's version of “hands off, she's mine”. When Deiq sees it, he understands exactly what Chac meant, and knowing what he does of the overall situation and how he intends to manipulate events in the near future, finds it extremely funny. Note about the use of silver/gold 'wire': Metal wire, at a thread-thin width, breaks far too easily to be used for heavy beads; what Alyea sees is either at least a rigid frame of at least an eighth-inch diameter, or braided strands of a stiffened fiber dipped in a thin coating of silver or gold. |
The dining-hall attendant's bracelet (at the first way-stop dinner in Secrets of the Sands): “A bracelet on his right wrist ran through a gamut of grey hues, in three rows of precisely-matched beads.” |
This indicates a servant of rank or status sufficient to wait on those of noble blood. In the south, even the servants have an internal ranking system, and this particular waystop is very sensitive to those nuances. Most likely, there were actually only three shades of grey, one for each row; the beads were of flawed glass or clay, and they were at least the size of a cherry pit. Alyea can perhaps be forgiven for not noticing such small details in a moment of stress. |
Miscellaneous Symbols
Feathers are the Aerthraim Family symbol, signifying freedom and the ability to soar above others.
Owls are the symbol of the teyanain, especially the great horned owl, signifying ferocity and adaptability.
Lizards, the symbol of Sessin Family, signify sharp perception and a subtle, quick wit.
Groundhogs, the symbol of Scratha Family, signify community and shared resources.
Ginger plants, also often seen on Scratha tapestries, signify matters of the heart and spirit.
Badgers, often used by loremasters, signify keepers of stories and deep secrets.
Brickroot plants represent tenacity and strength, but also imply a strong resistance to change.
