Sacred Concubinage

The Daulmārkian historical attitude towards homosexual relationships remained significant long before the Xaviet colonial period of the early 8th century. The local culture of the pagan Ynlyyr people upheld male/male same sex couples as equal to heterosexual pairings, though being a patriarchal society did not view female/female relationships with the same level of equality, a social bias that somewhat remains today amongst some communities.

A Morža (from the Xaviet “Mörser”, meaning “Mortar”) is a young, effeminate, sexually desirable and submissive male that in the later Ynlyyr and Xavo-Daulmārkian cultures served the purpose of being a bride for men when a given population had an insufficient amount of women.
Morža have existed in recordings dating supposedly thousands of years and were first introduced to the Kalzan culture around the early 6th century when they had invaded the now-Overian region of Sron-Lajpen. The invading Kalzan armies instantly became enamoured with what were at the time referred to as “maiden-boys” (“Noyir”) in their language. The Morža were taken from villages to be used by the invading Kalzan forces as “comfort girls” in their camps to entertain the needs of their weary soldiers as they could not be impregnated and were a decent alternative to women, which was convenient to the Kalzan who held a firm cultural belief against rape. It’s an inevitable fact that the popularity of the Morža was related to race as the mostly-golden-haired, crystal eyed Sron people were seen as lesser, more delicate, and even emasculated humans. Kalzan generals would gather harems of Morža courtesan-servants that were considered to be ‘of the highest quality’ as their symbol of status and their dominion over the newly conquered Sron homeland.

After the war, once annexation was completed and colonisation began, the Morža reverted from their fetishised status as army prostitutes to once again serve their original purpose; being the brides of men.
The compatibility of Morža brides with the Daul culture was up for debate however when mass societal conversions began following the Xaviet settlement.

It was argued by some Axonite clerics that the Morža brides were a clear affront to the religion’s commandments and were no different to the homosexual hedonism as described by Axonite orthodoxy. Others however stated that this was different as it approximated itself to the divine union of man and woman, and it was permissible because the now-Daulmārkians played the dominant role and the formerly pagan Sron Overians were the receivers. The imperial governate also intervened, arguing that they were beneficial to the soldiers’ performance and that certain homosexual bonds could greatly influence the cohesion of the army for the better. Before serious schism could break out among the Axonite Church, the Daulmārkian Patriarchs settled the debate and declared such relationships permissible within Daulmārkian society. It was later also decided that bisexuality was considered a desirable trait of Daulmārkian men in certain scenarios as it displayed their versatility and a capability of forming strong and passionate bonds with both men and women. Young cadets in the Daulmārkian army would even be encouraged to intermingle with their peers to solidify their unity as a fighting force, though this was never a legitimate policy of the military.

Following their proper implementation into Daulmārkian society and culture, administration of Morža would be handed over to the Astlopitnican church.
“Sacred Concubinage” was introduced as an alternative to classical marriage, though it still served relatively the same purpose. All would-be Morža brides had to be approved and certified by the Church according to a series of criteria mostly adopted from their culture of origin. Only Morža that had been certified could be brides. In order to be certified, the Morža; had to be converted to Astlopitnican Axonity, be of Overian descent (though this would soon be changed in the next couple years), be of marriageable age (18 and above), be sufficiently feminine, be sufficiently short and unimposing, and pass a physical examination that would determine whether the subject was desirable and of adequate health.
Once married, they were expected to uphold a certain etiquette and behave in a certain way. They were to be docile, soft-spoken, and unproblematic. Their main purpose was to be accommodating, and in the presence of guests. They were to keep their bodies clean, shaven, and presentable at all times. Morža were to crossdress and liken themselves to women as much as possible while still making the clear distinction that they were male. They were not encouraged to grow their hair long.

Since Sacred Concubinage was not technically marriage, it meant that Morža brides were not “true wives”, meaning that one could have more than one at a time. This form of polygamy was most common among the wealthy as just like the generals of old. They would horde harems of Morža numbering anywhere from seven to fifteen, though these were mostly isolated cases and most settled for between two to four.

Their husbands (whom were dubbed Stoszals, from the Xaviet “Stößel”, meaning “Pestle”) however also had their own set of conduct regulations, and they were expected to behave as any other husband. They were not to injure or abuse their Morža, nor were they to commit adultery. Any of these violations would result in the Stoszal losing their Morža permanently.

Morža also found a purpose in the Daulmārkian military aside from prostitution as they were perfect in both size and weight to be messengers, and thus also became heavily associated with the local pagan messenger god Mysha.

Contrasting with their previous culture’s nature to exist in villages and small rural towns, the Morža now found themselves in a largely urban Daulmārkian society where their purpose as a replacement for insufficient amounts of women was relatively obsolete, and instead most Morža marriages were willingly sought out by other homosexuals. They were wildly popular and considered an exotic and erotic luxury for several centuries. As they became more accessible, they were even more desirable, though they were oftentimes discouraged by families as it would mean the end of that branch of the bloodline on both sides. This however could be easily avoided if you were not the firstborn or only male of your siblings, though having multiple children was fairly common for most heterosexual families and thus the issue of bloodline continuation was rarely an occurrence.

Even in modern times, because a marriages between Stoszal and Morža males (which are now considered equal to that of heterosexual marriages) would not result in pregnancies, the relationship was seen as strictly pleasurable, and therefore became symbolic of upper-class hedonism. Although many marriages between Stoszal and Morža are romantic, it is still socially regarded as a status symbol as members of a higher class. This idea is supported by the modern costs of beauty, ranging from fashion to dermatological products.