Okay, this isn't an astronauts vs. cavemen thread as you may have hoped, but one about definitions. I've been struggling to make sense of what we should be calling the elite warriors of the Orlanthi clans - and what to make of them when they are called this or that.
So, we have the term weaponthanes, which is basically a warrior-leader supported by the clan (or tribe, as it may be). However, sometimes (as in the Coming Storm) we see housecarls used instead. Is the intention here that there is a distinction between these two terms, or are they intended to be largely interchangeable? In looking for a distinction, perhaps you can have weaponthanes who do not live with the chief/king, instead occupying some other strategic piece of territory (which certainly makes sense), who would be differentiated from housecarls, who are specifically the weaponthanes who guard the chief/king.
Also, a weaponthane has his Four Storms, but they are really not considered to be thanes themselves (I assume). However, I would also assume that they are likely to be supported by the largesse of the weaponthane in question (so, in that sense, their difference to thanes is actually somewhat minor, making them more like "minor thanes"). If we go by the distinction I outline above (ie. housecarls being the weaponthanes of the chief's bodyguard), are their Storms considered to be housecarls as well - if not, what exactly are they then? One might contemplate a situation where the housecarls wouldn't even have Storms at all, as one might not want to incentivize bodyguards to develop followings of their own, but not sure about that.
Another way to think about housecarls is to, well, look at the words. It says they are "carls", so one might consider these to be warrior retainers not benefitting from a thane's rank... which is an entirely different line of thinking all together.
Looking for a simple set of answers here, guys. 😅