Hwímersc of which Wednesbury Shire is a part, tries to reconstruct every part of ancient Anglo-Saxon Heathen
society. This includes the social classes. Within the theod, social classes
reflect several things, primary amongst these are experience, and dedication
to the theod. Rank is based on one's deeds that have been done to build the
community, and further the religon of Heathenry. Social classes are referred
to as árungas or "honorings."
In ancient pagan Anglo-Saxon England, everyone was upwardly mobile, and
downwardly as well. The earliest Anglo-Saxon laws divided the social
classes into two groups, the twelve-hynde and twy-hynde (see
Seebohm, pages 406-410). This idea of two major social classes is also seen
in the use in poetry of eorlas ond ceorlas (see Whitlock, page 83). As
stated, one could be upwardly mobile, if a churl in ancient times were to buy
or otherwise obtain five hides of land (roughly between 200 and 480 acres
depending on which kingdom one was in), and oath into service to the king,
they would be thought to be a part of thegesiðcund, in other words a
þegn(see Seebohm pages 365-369). Within Wednesbury Shire this is true as
well. One can move up the classes through one's dedication, knowledge, and
abilities.
At the lowst level, that of entry level into the theod is the þéow. þéowas have no rights in the
theod, and are overseen by full member. They have no voting rights and
are limited in what they can do in ritual contexts. They are required to
learn as much about the theod and its traditions as possible, and are
tested on such. One must remain a þéow until such as it is decided they know what it means to be a member of a theod. They must meet personally with the members of the theod or some portion of the membership. Then there is the leising. Leisingas have many rights within the theod, but are not quite full members. One can be a leising no more than a year and a day. The lowest level of full membership in the theod is ceorl or
churl. Upon becoming a ceorl, one pledges their service and self to the
theod. ceorlas are the
backbone of the theod and consists of the majority of the membership. They
are responsible for nothing beyond their own sibb, and have little to no duties beyond
that. Ceorl is broken down into three tiers. These are gebur,
cotsetla, and genaeat. Genaeatas are a special type of ceorl in that they perform special services for the shire. Above the ceorl is the gesiþa or þegn. A gesiþa is a member that has went above
and beyond the deeds of the average member to further the theod. They are
always oathed to an ealdorman or lord. Gesiþas are likely to lead a dryht or guild, or otherwise hold office
in the shire. They are service
oriented, seeking to somehow serve the folk. A gesiþa that leads a shire is called an
ealdorman, as is the highest gesiþa that leads the theod. A special class
is that of æþeling. An æþeling is a gesiþa that can document that they are
descended from one of the ancient kingly lines of Anglo-Saxon England. Only
an æþeling can lead the theod.
The highest social class is
that of cyning or king. However, numbers do not warrant this
class/office at this time. It will be many years before Hwímesc chooses to practice kingship.