[Meta] Thoughts on Calormen, parts 1 & 2

[edenfalling]

This is for rthstewart, who suggested I crosspost my Calormene world-building here for more general discussion. The original posts are on my own journal: part 1: history, and part 2: culture.

So, what are your thoughts on Calormen, Liz? In brief, they are an attempt to elaborate on what Lewis wrote in his books while mitigating his racism, ethnocentrism, and religious... um... blinders, shall we say. Extra-canonical material, such as the Narnian timeline that Lewis wrote at some point, is incorporated or ignored depending on whether Lewis's ideas make sense or sound to me as if he was talking through his hat. Also, please bear in mind that I am not Christian, that I read the books in complete ignorance of Lewis's Christian allegory for most of my childhood, and that I have always fervently disliked the theological aspects of The Last Battle. With that basic framework in place, I will now relate a brief sketch of the history and culture of Calormen as I see it. (And by brief I mean "brief compared to a textbook," not that this is actually short. *wry*)

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( History )

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( Language )

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( Religion )

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( The Arts )

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( Legal Authority )

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I still want to say things about climate, slavery, patterns of trade (internal and external), child-rearing, marriage and divorce, and the organization and physical layout of communities, but those will have to wait for part 3. Also, if there is anything in particular you want me to talk about, just tell me and I will try to world-build an answer!