Knots & Badges

Rank is an important element of daily interactions on Pern. Knots are complex cord braidings which denote the ranks of many different Pernese. They're useful in avoiding serious social errors. Once glance at another's knot, and a well-trained Pernese will know number of useful things about the position the other occupies in society.

The Pernese abandoned the use of surnames centuries ago. These days, people tend to identify themselves more by the Hold, Hall or Weyr in which they live rather than to whom they are related. In a society in which literacy is not necessarily a given, identification is by means of symbols, in the form of shoulder knots and badges. Everyone wears a badge that identifies the Hold, Hall or Weyr in which they reside. This is a symbol of pride, as a sense of patriotism to their home Hold, Hall or Weyr is usually strongly inbred.