There is a problematic matter in Book 4 that was not anticipated: why is Gerard sharing his slave girls with Fogrim? He does so with no sign of jealousy or possessiveness. This is an oversight on my part, and is corrected in Book 5.
However, Hyperborean customs in this matter should be examined.
Why Do they Share?
"Where is Layla?" I asked.
"I do not know. I thought that you had taken her last night, to breed her, as planned."
Book 4 begins with Gerard going to a slave pen to drag out Fogrim's slave, Layla, in order to breed her (Layla as it turns out, has her own ideas about this). Gerard makes use of Fogrim's other slaves, with as much reservation as he would a cup in a friend's kitchen. Likewise, Fogrim discusses how much he enjoys having sex with Gerard's girls, Amber and Haley.
Setting aside Gerard's feelings on the matter, why is Fogrim so comfortable with letting another man have sex with his slave girls, even as far as breeding one of his favorites?
The Quality of Quantity
abundance
Everywhere on Hyperborea, one will find highly attractive slave girls. Many fall literally right out of the sky in the vicinity of the Mist Wall, or along its latitude as failed landing beasts deorbit. A good portion of the slaves in Hyperborea's markets are Siberians and Anatolian's from the Neolithic past, and Shang and Bharaji from the deep future (Tales of Hyperborea, Book 1).
The majority however are bred. Hyperborea's humans are generally Bronze Age. Specialization is low and most are involved in farming. However, unlike farmers in the Ancient and Medieval period, Hyperborean farmers are slave owners. Even one with a small farm will own at least 5 to 10 slave girls. Hyperborean farmers do not farm so much as manage; they are slave drivers managing intelligent livestock who do the work, and are bred to produce more slaves.These bred slaves, raised from birth to their station, are most of what end up in Hyperborea's markets.
Lastly of course, there are free women who go on to become enslaved. Some are captured in raids or wars. Most though end up enslaved to settle debts, or as punishment for crimes.
CHEAP
With abundance comes low prices.A beautiful young woman can be purchased for a fistful of coins (gold, yes, but a fistful all the same). Hyperborean slave markets are generally glutted, especially at seaports (supplied by pirate raiders); near the Mist Wall; rich agricultural areas; and where slave-breeding is mandated to maintain large populations (Shem). Slave traders make their profit in quantity.
disposable
Hyperboreans are quick to discard their slave girls. They may be sacrificed to please Gods, sold off for quick liquidity, or simply traded away for the delight of new females, or because they are getting older.
The disposable status of slave girls is a direct function of their low cost and high abundance. Only a handful of slave girls will make it past the age of 40; once aging becomes noticeable the average slave girl becomes worthless.
As Such…
Given that beautiful slave women are abundant, cheap, and not highly regarded, Hyperborea Masters have no concerns to do with scarcity or deprivation where they are concerned. As such, they have low attachment to their slave girls. They will often see unique value in some of them, but in the end, they see them as ultimately interchangeable. The last thing a Hyperborean master sees a slave girl as, is human.
Courtesy and Politeness
Having established the reasons for Hyperborea attitudes, let us examine how these play out in their culture.
Slave girls, like any common property, are seen by Hyperborean masters as things to be shared with their friends and guests. The sharing of a slave girl with a guest, likewise necessitates the guest to return the favor. Fogrim shares his slaves with Gerard; this forces Gerard to share his own with Fogrim, even though he is not excited at the idea. The cost of refusal would be to insult Fogrim's hospitality.
Bonding Between Masters
Another reason Hyperborean men will allow others to enjoy their slave girls is to build bonds with each other. It is a way of reinforcing alliances and unit cohesion.
I missed this out in Books 2 and 3; should Gerard join another gang of raiders or slavers, such bonding will occur.
Enjoyment
Hyperborea men enjoy having sex with slave girls! Customs and social practices that allow them to have sex with more than the ones they personally own, are to their benefit.
Additionally, they benefit the slave girls. Shared girls learn new tricks, are trained to meet new expectations, and enjoy the novelty of different men. Mostly slave girls on Hyperborea are sexual submissives; those brought by the landing beasts are almost exclusively so. Sexual submissives (to varying degrees of course) enjoy and even crave sexual slavery.
On that note, all of Gerard's slave girls are sexual submissives. He has an unerring sense for finding them. However, he has become Hyperborean enough that he would not care, either way. He buys in wholeheartedly to Jean-Paul Sartre's argument that there are no rules, and that instead he should live authentically by his own.
Under his rules, no beautiful young woman is safe from his chains.
