Hed, Land of Peace and Planting

Hed is a small island nation to the west of Ymris. Unlike the land-rules of the other five nations, the land-rule of Hed has one central land-law that of peace. The land-laws of Hed evolved during the Years of Settlement and have been passed down from land-ruler to land-ruler for generations.

The peace of Hed was possible because Hed possessed nothing anyone would have fought over: it had no wealth, no great stretches of land, no seat of power or mystery, just good farm land and good weather. Not even the Kings of An during their years of conquering were tempted by the small island of Hed. With no fighting, the people of Hed chose leaders they wanted to keep the peace, and their instinct for peace drove deep into the land like a seed, binding the land of Hed to peace.

From the western coast of Hed, the mainland is barely visible as a dark thread along the horizon. The villages of Tol and Akren are situated on the southwest coast of the land. As mentioned the island is very small, and a horse from Hed can make the journey across the island in a day. However, a horse from An can apparently make the journey much faster.

The majority of the people of Hed are farmers; however, some residents of Hed operate fishing boats out of coastal towns such as Tol. Grain is the major agricultural staple of Hed. Beer is made from this grain and shipped around the world.

Trade
Trade-ships come to Tol for the season's exchange of goods.  Among the products exported from Hed are beer, grain, and wool.  Plow horses are also shipped from Hed to An and Herun.  Herun wine, metal, such as a chest full of iron, and salt from the beds above Caithnard are among the products bought by the people of Hed.

Land-Rulers
The land-rulers of Hed are more informal in nature compared to the land-rulers of An and Ymris.  They act more as managers of the island than anything else.  In fact the last prince of Hed to have a crown was Kern of Hed, the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of Morgon of Hed.  The crown was made of silver with a green jewel in it shaped like a cabbage.  At the beginning of the Riddle of Stars, Morgon is the the current prince of Hed, with his brother Eliard as his land-heir.

PASSAGE OF LAND-RULE

"After our father died, we (Morgon & Eliard) grew so close that sometimes we dream the same dreams....I was that close to my father as his land-heir.  I felt him die.  I didn't know how or why or where; I simply knew, at that moment, that he was dying.  And then that he was dead, and the land-rule had passed to me.  For a moment I saw every leaf, every new-planted seed...." 

 Passage of land-rule of Hed from Althol to Morgon as told by Morgon

PAST LAND-RULERS

• Athol of Hed - He  is a former Prince of Hed.  His wife was Spring Oakland, and he was father to Morgon, Eliard, and Tristan.  His son Eliard is described as looking like him.
• Kern of Hed - Kern was a prince of Hed.  In addition, he is the last known prince of Hed to have had a crown.  The crown was made of silver, with a green jewel in it shaped like a cabbage.  He traded if for twenty barrels of Herun wine.  No prince of Hed has worn a crown since.  The only known riddle to come out of Hed is about Kern.
• Lathe Wold - The great-grandfather of Eliard, Morgon, and Tristan.
• Lathe Wold's daughter - She was the grandmother of Eliard, Morgon, and Tristan.  She was a slender, proud woman from south Hed who, like her grandson, had a way of looking at people, remotely, like a fox glancing up from a pile of chicken feathers.
• Spring Oakland - She was the wife of Athol of Hed and the mother of Morgon, Eliard, and Tristan.  Her daughter Tristan is described as looking like her.

CURRENT LAND-RULERS

• Eliard - He is the land-heir and brother of Morgon.  Eliard is two years younger than his brother Morgon.  He has his father Althol's broad shoulders and big bones, and his fair, feathery hair.
• Morgon - He is the Prince of Hed and later the High One.  Morgon has hair and eyes the color of light beer and takes more after his grandmother than anybody.  Both he and his grandmother had a way of looking at people, remotely, like a fox glancing up from a pile of chicken feathers.
• Tristan - She is the sister of Morgon and Eliard of Hed.  A year before the death of ther parents, she is described as having been a thin, brown reed of a girl, prone to walking field walls barefoot and whistling through her teeth.  Now, however, she spends most of her time scowling at herself in the mirror and, of course, anyone in range beyond them.   Tristan has flighty black hair and a small, triangular face and looks very much like her mother.

MINOR CHARACTERS OF HED

• Arin Amory - She is perhaps the daughter of Wyndon Amory.  It may also be that Cannon Master has a crush on her.
• Cannon Master -  He grew up with Morgon of Hed.
• Grim Oakland - Morgan's portly overseer.  He is a farmer of Hed with a storage barn like many other farmers of Hed.  He is described as having red-grey brows.  He made have been related to Spring Oakland, the mother of Eliard, Morgon, and Tristan.
• Harl Stone - a farmer of Hed.  He is described as having a shock of hair grey as a grindstone and a body like a sack of grain.
• Sil Wold - A farmer of Hed.  He is likely a relative of Eliard, Morgon, and Tristan.
• Snog Nutt - He is Morgon's pigherder.
• Tor Oakland - an old farmer at least 70 years of age from Hed.
• Wyndon Amory -  He is a farmer of Hed.  He lives and has a storage barn in east Hed.