This was one of Alina's most -- and least -- favorite lessons.  On the one hand, she highly approved of good manners, civility, and chivalry.  On the other hand, teaching it was often a real pain in the tail.  It had been difficult with Candidates before they'd come 1,100 years into the future, she could only imagine how outrageous behaviors were today.  However, knowing that she was going to be teaching this class, she sat down with the local Harper, Benimin, to garner some understanding of how greetings had changed.  In the post-Threadfall world, it had been normal to greet those of the opposite gender with cheek-kissing, but Lery had told her about how uncomfortable that greeting had made Leena and Artie when Lerane had done that.  Contemporary greetings typically involved handshakes or bows for men and curtsies or clasping both hands for women; men and women greeted with handshakes or a bow with a curtsy.

Add to that, it appeared that shoulder knots had fallen out of favor.  Halls still used insignia to denote different ranks within their Hall, but each Hall seemed to have its own set of badges, so unless you knew each Hall's choice...for Faranth's sake!  That was something they were insisting on being brought back immediately, and Master Weaver Shyen and her proteges were working on making new knots for everyone in the Weyr.  However, the majority of the Weyrfolk still had little knowledge of the nuances of the knots, making this Candidate lesson extremely important.

Before they settled in for learning about shoulder knots, however, they had an oral quiz about the material covered in the previous day's lecture (for those who had been expected to attend it):


After completing the quiz and any subsequent discussions, Alina would go on to explain the shoulder knots, and then to briefly describe the appropriate customs for greeting those of higher, equal, or lower rank.  She brought examples of each of the shoulder knots, and was wearing her own, of course, to demonstrate how they were attached to clothing.  Each Candidate would receive their own shoulder knot in class.

Shoulder knots are braided or twisted loops that wrap around the arm and shoulder, under the armpit and are held in place by an epaulet strap on the shoulder.  They are described as single-, double-, or triple-looped, which indicate how many loops go around the shoulder and armpit.  Most knots also have a tail which is pinned or buttoned to the shirt breast.  All of the shoulder knots are made with the two dominant colors of the individuals Weyr, Hold, or Hall.  Rank and advancement is shown by the complexity of the knot and/or additional colors.

In the Halls, the primary indications of advancement are color and the knot complexity.  The base knots are twists produced with the two dominant colors of the Hall. Apprentices wear a single-loop knot with a tail with a single knot at the end of the tail. Journeymen knots are single-looped with a copper thread braided in and two tails, with a short tassel at the end of the tails.  Masters have a double-looped knot with two silver threads woven in and no tail, while Craftmasters have a triple-looped knot with two gold threads and no tail.  If they are stationed at a Hold or Weyr, Journeymen and Masters may also add one or two threads of the Hold's or Weyr's dominant colors to their knots.

In the Holds, mostly knot complexity is used to indicate advancement.  The base knots for staff are twists produced of the two dominant colors of the Hold.  Low-level staff wear a single-loop knot with a single tail, mid-level staff wear a double-loop knot with a single tail, and upper-level staff wear a triple-loop knot with a single tail.  The base knots for administrative staff (Substewards, Stewards, and Head Stewards) are a square braid produced of two threads of each of the two dominant colors.  Substewards have a single-loop, Stewards have a double-loop, and Head Stewards have a triple-loop knot, each with two tails.  The Lord and Lady Holders have a similar triple-looped square braid, but silver thread is woven in, there is a silver tassel for the epaulet, and the three tails each end in a silver tassel; their heirs have double-looped square braids with copper thread and copper tassels on the two tails, with no epaulet tassel.

In the case of the Weyrs, Staff wear a simple single-colored knot made of the dominant Weyr color; 3rd-level Staff have a single loop, 2nd-level staff have a double loop, and 1st-level staff have a triple loop, each with a single tail.  Candidates' and most other non-Riders (Substewards, Stewards, and Head Stewards) shoulder knots are bicolor, made of the two dominant Weyr colors, but still single-looped, while the Headwoman and Candidatemaster have double-looped versions; non-Candidates have a tassel at the end of the tail.  After Impression, a weyrling is allowed to add a single thread of their dragon's color to their Candidate knot.  After graduation (when they become full riders), they add a second thread of their dragon's color and a second knot in the tail.  If they hold the rank of Wingthird, a third knot is added to the tail; advancing to Wingsecond earns them a fourth knot in the tail.  Wingleaders and Junior Weyrwomen get a double-looped braid with a tail, with two threads of their dragon's color; they also receive a epaulet pin with a silver tassel that hangs over the point of the shoulder.  The Weyrwoman and Weyrleader receive loops similar to the Wingleaders, but without the tail, and the epaulet tassel is gold.

In addition to the shoulder knots, badges may be used to represent an individual's Hold, Hall, or Weyr.  Full riders may have a badge with a dragon of their color set on a background that is their Weyr's primary color.

After explaining the complexities of the knots, Alina hands out knots to each of the attending Candidates and assists them with pinning them in place.  She also gives them chits to allow them to take their clothing to one of the tailors to have the right shoulders modified with epaulet loops, which are much safer and are easier to use than pins.

Then they do several exercises, practicing recognizing the different shoulder knots and the appropriate greetings to use.

{WIP}