Varangian culture?

[Galaahd]

What do you guys think about the possibility of adding a Varangian culture for Rurik's son and successors?

I really dislike the fact that in order to sail through rivers you're forced to stay norse, while ideally there should be some kind of melting pot between east slavic and norse, forming the Varangian culture (which would have the Russian units and clothes but Norse portraits, Norse ships and ability to sail rivers).

Oh, and while we're at it, the Varangian Guard should be open to them and to Anglo-Saxons.

 

[CrabHelmet]

It seems a little odd because Varangian obviously can't stay around forever given there aren't Varangians around now, so it extends the Norse -> Russian conversion to Norse -> Varangian -> Russian, where Varangian will never be the culture of a province, only of the elites, and is transitory at best. It'd be sort of equivalent to introducing an Anglo-Normaund culture, if you see what I mean - it only has a very brief window of impact and the impact is quite small.

I agree about Anglo-Saxons serving in the Varangian guard, though.

 

[herrmarisa]

Everyone can serve in the Varangian guard, no? I've read about Frankish and Slavic ones for example and it doesn't seem impossible to me.

 

[Hess99]

Good idea for if say Russia doesn't flip Orthodox and stays heathen (Asatru) leadership after 1000 AD. Could be easily implemented.

Edit: Sorry about the grave-digging I was thinking of making the custom culture myself and google'd the thread. I only wonder about this because there was a segment of Constantinople's population that considered itself "Varangian" for a long time after Christianization of Scandinavia.