3,910
edits
Vandarch: Difference between revisions
m
→Etymology: reformatted to be cleaner
m (→Ecology) Tag: 2017 source edit |
m (→Etymology: reformatted to be cleaner) |
||
| Line 60: | Line 60: | ||
The '''Vandarch''' is an inland sea which constitutes the dominant geographical feature of northwestern [[Levantia]]. Bounded by many nations and fed by many rivers, the sea has played a key role in the cultures of its coastal peoples from antiquity to the present day. The sea is hydrologically a lake, as until the completion of the [[Grand Vandarch Canal]] in 1975 it was isolated from the [[Kilikas Sea]] by the largely-impassable marshes of the Ereglasian Isthmus. It was not however an endorheic basin until this time, as the Ereglasian marshes do drain the Vandarch into the Kilikas. As the construction of the [[Carolina Grand Canal]] caused the River Urce to flow ''into'' the lake rather than draw water out, much of southern Levantia also falls within the Vandarch's catchment area. Despite its historic isolation from the world's oceans and its relatively fresh water even after the completion of the Grand Vandarch Canal, the Vandarch was (and is) generally considered a sea by its inhabitants due to its sheer size. | The '''Vandarch''' is an inland sea which constitutes the dominant geographical feature of northwestern [[Levantia]]. Bounded by many nations and fed by many rivers, the sea has played a key role in the cultures of its coastal peoples from antiquity to the present day. The sea is hydrologically a lake, as until the completion of the [[Grand Vandarch Canal]] in 1975 it was isolated from the [[Kilikas Sea]] by the largely-impassable marshes of the Ereglasian Isthmus. It was not however an endorheic basin until this time, as the Ereglasian marshes do drain the Vandarch into the Kilikas. As the construction of the [[Carolina Grand Canal]] caused the River Urce to flow ''into'' the lake rather than draw water out, much of southern Levantia also falls within the Vandarch's catchment area. Despite its historic isolation from the world's oceans and its relatively fresh water even after the completion of the Grand Vandarch Canal, the Vandarch was (and is) generally considered a sea by its inhabitants due to its sheer size. | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
==== | '''Déithaigh''' | ||
The Vandarch has gone through several major name changes throughout its settled history. While its Fenni name is unknown, the first references to it in [[Fhasen|proto-Fhasen]] dialects refer to it as ''Déithaigh,'' or 'Godsgrave', and is believed to be religious in origin due to early Fenni religion and its focus on freshwater as divine blood. | |||
====Wandark==== | |||
Two competing etymologies exist for the Gothic name '''Wandark''' (''Wandák'' in modern [[Hendalarskisch]] orthography), with both agreeing that the ''Wand'' element represents the Gothic word for "wall, barrier". | Two competing etymologies exist for the Gothic name '''Wandark''' (''Wandák'' in modern [[Hendalarskisch]] orthography), with both agreeing that the ''Wand'' element represents the Gothic word for "wall, barrier". | ||
| Line 68: | Line 72: | ||
Both theories converge on the idea of the sea as enclosed by land rather than opening up into a wider ocean, a notion which implies a high level of seafaring knowledge among the Gothic peoples of the southern Vandarch coast well into the ancient past. | Both theories converge on the idea of the sea as enclosed by land rather than opening up into a wider ocean, a notion which implies a high level of seafaring knowledge among the Gothic peoples of the southern Vandarch coast well into the ancient past. | ||
==== | |||
The common name for the Vandarch used in modern Fhasen, ''Tá Bacain'', is a direct result of adoption of the term 'wall' in relation to the sea, and was promoted by Catholic clergy as a means of divesting the language from pagan influences. | |||
====Vandarch==== | |||
The term 'Vandar' was coined as a Latinization of the Gothic ''Wandark'', and was used to refer to the entire sea and surrounding Basin. [[Vandar Orientalis]] was the first administrative example of this term in use, though the word would develop into 'Vandarch' through adoption of the '<nowiki/>''k''' sound beginning in modern [[Yonderre]]. Most countries in the world refer to the sea as the Vandarch, including many unofficial references in Fhasen in spite of encouragement for the use of endonyms in Faneria. | |||
==Formation== | ==Formation== | ||
Prior to the last Ice Age, the Vandarch formed a large bay of the Kilikas Sea known as the Urvandarch Gulf and was much saltier than it is in the present day. It also shrank dramatically during the Ice Age, in line with global sea levels in that period, as Levantia to its north was trapped under an enormous ice sheet - as was the [[Kupferberg]] to its south - formed from previously liquid fresh water. Much of its current surface area, along with much of what is now Hendalarsk, Eldmora-Regulus and Yonderre, remained ice-free but was reduced to barren tundra by the combination of extreme cold and lack of moisture, forming the erstwhile Vandarch Desert (Hendalarskisch: ''Wandáschwöste''). | Prior to the last Ice Age, the Vandarch formed a large bay of the Kilikas Sea known as the Urvandarch Gulf and was much saltier than it is in the present day. It also shrank dramatically during the Ice Age, in line with global sea levels in that period, as Levantia to its north was trapped under an enormous ice sheet - as was the [[Kupferberg]] to its south - formed from previously liquid fresh water. Much of its current surface area, along with much of what is now Hendalarsk, Eldmora-Regulus and Yonderre, remained ice-free but was reduced to barren tundra by the combination of extreme cold and lack of moisture, forming the erstwhile Vandarch Desert (Hendalarskisch: ''Wandáschwöste''). | ||
| Line 90: | Line 97: | ||
The flora of the Vandarch are similar to those in the Kilikas, but with a much greater concentration of seagrasses and kelp due to the warmer waters. Coral reefs exist in limited quantities, primarily in the eastern and southern regions of the seabed, and the sea has two species of algae mat that grow rapidly in the spring and historically have been used as food sources and fuel by coastal peoples. These algae mats are the basis of some salads in modernity, though they are generally considered a nuisance for private boatowners. | The flora of the Vandarch are similar to those in the Kilikas, but with a much greater concentration of seagrasses and kelp due to the warmer waters. Coral reefs exist in limited quantities, primarily in the eastern and southern regions of the seabed, and the sea has two species of algae mat that grow rapidly in the spring and historically have been used as food sources and fuel by coastal peoples. These algae mats are the basis of some salads in modernity, though they are generally considered a nuisance for private boatowners. | ||
====Hazards==== | ====Hazards==== | ||
Several dozen of the hundreds of species in the Vandarch, such as the [[Whitegill Eel]], are considered poisonous, but almost none other than the Whitegill and some types of conch are venomous. The Vandarch has few large predators, with the generally placid [[Kestrel Shark]] being the largest at nine feet fully-grown. Swimmers are attacked on occasion by Capjaw salmon during breeding season, but such attacks are rarely fatal. The most lethal species in the Vandarch per attack are the Whitegill Eel, both from bites and improper preparation, the George's Grenadier Conch, and the Ereglasian Seanettle, a type of jellyfish which anchors itself to coral similarly to a tubeworm. | Several dozen of the hundreds of species in the Vandarch, such as the [[Whitegill Eel]], are considered poisonous, but almost none other than the Whitegill and some types of conch are venomous. The Vandarch has few large predators, with the generally placid [[Kestrel Shark]] being the largest at nine feet fully-grown. Swimmers are attacked on occasion by Capjaw salmon during breeding season, but such attacks are rarely fatal. The most lethal species in the Vandarch per attack are the Whitegill Eel, both from bites and improper preparation, the George's Grenadier Conch, and the Ereglasian Seanettle, a type of jellyfish which anchors itself to coral similarly to a tubeworm. | ||
| Line 106: | Line 112: | ||
===Indigenous Peoples=== | ===Indigenous Peoples=== | ||
The Vandarch Basin is the ancestral homelands to several Gaelic and mixed-Gaelic peoples in its northern reaches, as well as native Gothic peoples in the south and several extinct or later assimilated first peoples such as the pre-Gaelic ''Fenni''. In addition, the Vandarch has seen a number of movements of foreign peoples such as Coscivians, Aengles, Latins and Romance-descent peoples, and non-native Germanic and Gaelic peoples in varying degrees throughout history. | The Vandarch Basin is the ancestral homelands to several Gaelic and mixed-Gaelic peoples in its northern reaches, as well as native Gothic peoples in the south and several extinct or later assimilated first peoples such as the pre-Gaelic ''Fenni''. In addition, the Vandarch has seen a number of movements of foreign peoples such as Coscivians, Aengles, Latins and Romance-descent peoples, and non-native Germanic and Gaelic peoples in varying degrees throughout history. | ||
== See Also == | == See Also == | ||
* [[Vandarch Sea Trade Zone Organization]] | * [[Vandarch Sea Trade Zone Organization]] | ||
* [[Vandarch Canal Crisis]] | * [[Vandarch Canal Crisis]] | ||