On 17/03/2019 01:27, Jeff Zeitlin wrote:
> Warning: _Long_ post.
>
> Back about a year ago, I'd written:
>
>> I need a term for a person who is in the belowdescribed relationship with a
>> scion of a noble or wealthy-and-socially-prominent line:
>> ["the person" below refers to the person for whom I am seeking a term.
>> "the scion" is the individual of noble blood who is the 'principal' in
>> the relationship]
>> When the scion is young, and perhaps still in school (even before
>> majority), the person serves as a bodyguard, advisor, and tutor, but
>> most of the learning that the person imparts is that of experience,
>> rather than pure academics - he will allow his charge to get into
>> trouble, and then *assist* him in getting back out, while explaining
>> how the trouble came about and how it could have been avoided.
>> Bodyguarding is not protecting him from *all* harm, but from threats
>> that could impact the Family - if the scion provokes a bully, the
>> person will not prevent the scion from having to take his lumps - but
>> will tend any wounds afterward, and will offer to teach self-defense
>> and non-provocation (where appropriate).
>> As the scion gets older and more mature, the person will continue in
>> all the roles described, but shifting more toward an advisor role, and
>> gradually adding the role of 'facilitator' - when the scion moves to
>> do something that this person sees as beneficial to the Family, he
>> will do what he can - subtly - to promote the activity and elicit
>> cooperation from others. In the advisory role, even if the scion is
>> proposing to do "the right thing", whether by ethics, morals, Family
>> benefit, etc., the person may argue against it, to get the person to
>> clearly realize his own reasons for doing/proposing it.
>> It is likely that the scion will come to view the person as a
>> 'friend', though never as a 'lackey' - even though the scion has the
>> 'social advantage' (i.e., higher status), the nonpublic relationship
>> is far more equal, and quite often, the scion will specifically turn
>> to the person for advice. Equally, the person will involved with the
>> hiring of the scion's personal staff, and will often guide new staff
>> members in their understanding and response to the business/social
>> needs of the scion.
>> [For those of you who have read the Jao Empire series by Eric Flint,
>> K.D.Wentworth, and David Carrico, the Jao word for the role is
>> 'fraghta'. I want to more-or-less have this role available in a
>> generic Traveller universe - but I don't want to use the Jao word for
>> it; I'd like a human word. In any language.]
> Several terms were proposed, none of which were _quite_ what I was looking
> for; I'd commented on them as follows:
>
>> I'm going to take this opportunity to discuss - briefly - the problems
>> I see with many other suggestions. In general, the suggestions tended
>> to have meanings or associations that were too specific in some way:
>> Sensei -      In general, a 'sensei' is perceived as a trainer in what
>>              are commonly called "martial arts", and specifically the
>>              "oriental" subset: judo, karate, aikido, jiu-jitsu, and
>>              the like. The general advisor role, and the facilitator
>>              role, are definitely well outside the normal perception
>>              attached to the word 'sensei'.
>> Swordmaster - Without having encountered this term previously, a quick
>>              google argues against this as being appropriate for the
>>              role as described, for essentially the same reasons as
>>              'sensei' - the focus is on the combat training, and this
>>              is _not_ what the Jao /fraghta/'s principal role is,
>>              though they may take it on early in the Jao
>>              "principal's" life.
>> Mentor -      probably the best suggestion so far, but doesn't "feel"
>>              right; the public part of the relationship has the
>>              /fraghta/ being "part of the 'principal's' staff", or
>>              maybe 'chief of staff', and I just don't see a "mentor"
>>              being in that role - the opposite would be more likely,
>>              I would think - that is, the 'principal' is the mentor's
>>              chief of staff as his last "relationship" before they
>>              separate and the 'principal' goes on his own.
>> "Jeeves", Valet, "Gentleman's Gentleman" - Different ways, more or
>>              less, of saying the same thing. Almost works,
>>              conceptually, except that the /fraghta/ isn't really a
>>              personal servant the way these terms imply.
>> Batman -      No, not Bruce Wayne. Alfred might be closer. But the
>>              problems here are first the advisory role, which, while
>>              it might exist, is strongly downplayed in the general
>>              perception of the role, and second, the personal servant
>>              part of the 'batman' definition.
>>              That said, there _is_ a military relationship that just
>>              might possibly be a good match: There's no defined term
>>              for it that I'm aware of, but the crusty old career
>>              sergeant really does more-or-less act as /fraghta/ to
>>              the wet-behind-the-ears butterbar whose commission is
>>              still so new it squeaks.
>> Sifu -        Better than 'Sensei', but still tends to carry
>>              implications of specialization and/or of martial arts.
>>              Similarly, 'guru', with the special focus being
>>              spiritual philosophy.
>> Squire -      Almost the exact opposite of the desired relationship.
>>              The squire is there to be advised and taught by the
>>              principal, and is generally younger and less experienced
>>              than the principal.
>> Pedagogue, Tutor, Proctor, Didact - Perception here would be too
>>              focussed on 'book learning', not on learning-by-
>>              experience with the /fraghta/ mostly in the background.
>>              There's also the evolving role of the /fraghta/, and
>>              none of these words really cover that.
> I should note that 'Tutor' in an older sense wouldn't be completely
> inappropriate; when it was common for a family to send out an adolescent
> scion on a 'Grand Tour', it would be with a 'tutor', who would actually act
> very much as a /fraghta/. However, the tutor's service in this role was
> very much temporary; a /fraghta/ is essentially permanent - if a /fraghta/
> resigns for any reason other than personal incapacity, or is recalled by
> the family/clan for any reason, it reflects poorly - VERY poorly - on the
> scion (for example, if the heir-apparent has their /fraghta/ withdrawn (or
> the /fraghta/ resigns), it is essentially a statement that the
> heir-apparent is utterly unqualified to inherit).
>
>> Consigliere - Another close one. May have problems because of the
>>              political overtones, but if it can be used for the
>>              'chief of staff', as opposed to the Prime Minister, it
>>              might be the best suggestion yet, even though it misses
>>              the bodyguard and teacher roles.
>> Honestly, the best word I have so far is /fraghta/, but there are
>> Reasons that I will not use it at present.
> I'm still looking for a good term; others that have been suggested, and
> what I perceive as their weaknesses:
>
> Chaperone, Duenna - There isn't a perception that these include the
>                facilitation, advisory, or training/education roles that are
>                included in the original /fraghta/. There's also the idea
>                that the chaperone/duenna is supposed to keep their charge
>                out of trouble, rather than allowing it to happen, but
>                keeping it from damaging the _family_, and then using it as a
>                lesson to the scion.
>
> Coryphaeus -  I like this word; it's just not right for this role. It's
>                more appropriate for the role of the 'public face' of e.g., a
>                political party in a legislature or parliament. The /fraghta/
>                isn't the speaker for/public face of the scion.
>
> Craig, Petra, Rock, etc. - There's something to be said for this as a
>                characterisation of _part_ of the /fraghta/'s early role;
>                what the scion learns from the /fraghta/ is in effect a
>                foundation for his (the scion's) later role in society.
>                However, even though the scion will rely on the /fraghta/ for
>                as long as the /fraghta/ is in his service, the role does in
>                fact evolve away from this aspect, and more toward 'chief of
>                staff', for which 'rock' isn't really an appropriate
>                characterisation.
>
> Caretaker, Custodian, Tender - These terms make it seem like the scion is
>                nothing more than a job to the /fraghta/, but the reality is
>                that neither the scion nor the /fraghta/ see it that way; the
>                /fraghta/ is actually more than friend, but less than family.
>
> Subintendant (as opposed to superintendant), Infraintendant - Both of these
>              seem to be coined words, but looking up the role of
>              'intendant' makes these seem inappropriate for the role; the
>              /fraghta/ is not primarily an administrative _overseer_, as
>              'intendant' seems to be.
>
> Nurturer, Lifemother (as opposed to birthmother), Nanny, Governess - All of
>              these seem to imply a relationship that is more personal than
>              the role actually is, and one that does not include the
>              'school of hard knocks' lessons.
>
> Sculptor -  Somewhat the same objection as 'rock'.
>
> Majordomo, Steward, Reeve - Where 'Valet' was _too_ personal a role, these
>              words imply a role that is _less_ personal than the /fraghta/.
>
> Factotum -  Certainly not an inaccurate word for the role; I would say
>              that a /fraghta/ is a _specific kind_ of factotum, somewhere
>              between a valet and a majordomo.
>
>
> It's interesting that someone had started with 'mentat', based on the
> /Dune/ series; some comments disposing of it as a valid idea had the /Dune/
> mentat "able to see the fluctuating paths of the future" - which has some
> resonance in the Jao concept of 'flow' (or the Ekhat perception of the
> /Ekha/).
>
> Would the role of /fraghta/, by whatever name, actually be more common
> among Aslan than among humans? Among Aslan, would it actually be a paired
> role, one male, one female? Would some human cultures be more likely to
> have it than others? Which ones?
>
> Note: Baen has revamped their website since this topic was last active; the
> URL in that thread for the books from which this idea arises may or may not
> be valid. A definitely-valid URL for them is
> https://www.baen.com/allbooks/category/index/id/2159,1972
>
> ®Traveller is a registered trademark of
> Far Future Enterprises, 1977-2018. Use of
> the trademark in this notice and in the
> referenced materials is not intended to
> infringe or devalue the trademark.
>
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