In this post I'll focus on writing plot taking place in a village setting. I'll focus on medieval villages in general, so if you have a specific time setting you want to focus on, you'll be better to research that particular timing. After all, centuries have proven how changeable things can be. Location is also another aspect we should acknowledge.
If you're interested in writing about a general medieval village, for example for your fantasy story, this is a perfect place for you - whether the village will be a center to the story or not. I'll be writing from an European point of view, since I'm from Europe and it's what I know most about.
This post is a part of the "Writing locations" series. Make sure to check out writing a medieval city, writing a travel story and writing a castle as well.
Let's start with what the life of a villager traditionally looked like. Let's keep in mind the chores were divided - men, females and children all had their specific tasks. Usually, the men would spend entire days working on their fields, growing grains and potatoes (alongside other things). Females took care of the cooking, washing the dishes (mostly wooden ones), washing the clothes and cleaning. Children would help take care of their younger siblings and clean.
The life of a village was strongly influenced by the time of the year. In cooking that would be seen in what ingredients were used to cook with. Keep that in mind as you write your story. The longer the winter lasted, the lesser food there was, as the stocks were running out.
Washing the clothes was a lot different than it is nowadays, if one owns a washing machine. Back in the days, the woman would take a basket of clothes to be washed, and go to the nearest river or lake. There were no products for laundry, so you had to make ones. That could be done for example by lye, made from ash and water. You would soak the dirty clothes in it, beat them with a stick, scrub them, and hang them up to dry.
As for cleaning the house, the floors were typically made from clay, so you would sweep the floor (to get rid of dirt and potential animal fescues) and get rid of any food remains.
Typically, a village person would regularly visit a local church. Religion was an important part of people's lives.
I already mentioned the clay floor, but what about the rest of the house? Usually it had one floor, or one floor with an attic. The ceiling was typically made from hay. Inside the house there was a fireplace and a kitchen with a table for the entire family.
There is a darker side to this village living. Babies and kids often died before reaching adulthood, and illnesses would take people away left and right. Men would often drink a lot, and everyone was generally overworked. Also, education was not easily accessible, so most people would be illiterate or learn some basics from their parents.
Why would you choose a village as the location to write about? There are multiple reasons:
• village people are closer to nature. There's a lot of space for describing its beauties but also more dangerous sides. You can show the characters living in balance with the nature, using herbs to cure diseases and celebrating the harvest
• to introduce a strong-willed, hard-working character. Village life toughens you up
• you can show that outside of the work and natural dangers people still find love, companionship and passion
• you can use village as a place someone arrived to to escape the city life; or as a place someone escaped from on the search for a different life
• villages are strongly focused on community. You can write about the people living there and their relationships
Here I'll mention some other places which could be found in a village. It's from the website https://myliteraryquest.wordpress.com:
Black Smith – To be able to harvest food and build and repair buildings you need tools, and those tools need to be made. He also shoes horses.
Mill – Situated next to a stream or river, the mill grinds the grains that the village grows into flour to make bread and other items.
Rectory – home of the clergy of the church and also serves as the administrative offices as well.
Lord’s Manor House – he is the one who owns the land and it is his responsibility to see that it is developed and defended. The village comes as an extension of his needs. His manor would be located off to one side, on a hill when possible.
Lord’s Oven or Bake House – To supply bread for the Lord’s tables there was a bakery in town that used the grain from the mill.
Tannery – In more developed towns there would be a tannery to process animal hides into leather. This leather would then be used for apparel, boots, and saddles.
Some interesting TV tropes examples connected to village setting:
Uncunny village - a beautiful, seemingly utopian community which is not what it seems. Often either under control of a morally questionable conspiracy or protected by a Deal with the Devil.
Training the peaceful villagers - There's a big bad gang/army out there that wants to sack the peaceful village for whatever reason. The protagonist can't stop them by himself. Either way, it's time to teach the community how to fight and defend themselves.
Treetop town - village built, as the name suggests, entirely out of treehouses. Rope bridges typically connect the structures to one another, and ladders are typically used to access the community from ground level.
The Outsider - A character who is new to the village, bringing a fresh perspective and potentially disrupting the established order.
Small-Town Secrets - The village is not as idyllic as it seems, with hidden truths and past grievances that the protagonist must uncover
This post was written with a big help of the book "Life in a Medieval City" by Frances Gies.
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