Holds are the life of Pern. Simply put, without the Holds, people would not survive. The Holds are the where the general population lives, that is those that are not riders, and do not craft. They house the agricultural population, producing food and other items, to which they tithe to the Weyr that protects them, otherwise known as the Weyr to which they are beholden. In return, the Weyr protects them, and their crops, from Thread.

Each Hold has a Lord and/or Lady Holder, or a Holder. The difference between the two is that a Lord and Lady are the Holders of a major Hold, and have voting rights on the Holder's Conclave. The smaller Holds tithe to the Major Holds, and then below this are the Cotholds which each tithe to a Hold, thus providing distribution of needs across a wide range of people.

Holds also house posted Crafters. These are generally Crafters who have reached the rank of Journeyman or above, or who are studying under a posted Journeyman or Master. Each Hold has different needs, depending upon its location. Southern Hold is the Major port of the Southern Continent and thus has a great number of Fisher and SeaCraft personnel. Whereas Cove, once the home of the famed Harper Robinton, is located next to the new Harper Hall for the Southern Continent, and thus many Harpers are to be found there.