BARNTAR AND MAHOME, MAN AND WOMAN, PLOUGH AND=20 HEARTH This pair is the low key version of Orlanth and Ernalda; they symbolise=20 Man and Woman and their general provinces - woman as the master of=20 house and home, and man as ranging provider. As a metaphor one can=20 see man as the circumference of a circle, which defines the centre, and=20 woman as the pivotal point of the world, which defines what the circle=20 can circle around. Thus Mahome and Barntar define society (in a rather=20 simplistic version) not as a binary opposition but as complimentary=20 sides of a coin. And as a pars pro toto they are symbolised as Plough=20 and Hearth (at least in highly agricultural societies; in more barbaric=20 regions Odayla takes the part of Barntar).
Mahome and Barntar are also associated with the spirits of household=20
and bountiful nature, like the hustomte (a spirit of the stead which=20
takes=20
care of the household as long as the tomte is respected and gets its=20
offerings every now and then) or gnomes of the field that keeps the=20
farmer=D5s fields free of vermin and weeds and suchlike. [unfortunately I=
=20
have difficulties finding cognate terms in english for the traditional=20
swedish ones concerning these spirits]
And of course Mahome and Barntar have yearly rituals to be=20 performed. Here are two of them:
PLOUGH DAY
This day is not fixed, but depends on the weather. On very warm=20
winters it takes place in Dark Season but usually it is performed in=20
Storm Season (as per John Hughes=D5 calendar). It is the day of the First=
=20
Ploughing (symbolically that is). The day that precedes Plough Day is=20
the Boundary Day, when the clan=D5s boundaries are walked and=20
reaffirmed with the neighboring clans. Plough Day is an honor to=20
Barntar, Ernalda and Orlanth. The plough must be a special one, to be=20
used only in this ritual. And it must be drawn by a cow and a bull. The=20
field is not ploughed as usual but in a spiralling fashion starting with=20
the boundaries of the field spiralling into the middle, where the=20
Mahome/Ernalda/Giver of Life stands (his wife).
I like this ritual but I not altogether clear myself on the symbolism and=
=20
purpose of the ritual. Comments are welcome.
Any objects found when ploughing are held to be sacred to Barntar but=20 belongs to the farmer who found it. There is a myth about Barntar and=20 Asrelia concerning the finding of buried treasures and to whom it=20 belongs. It=D5s propably based on a law suit, but was heroquested into=20 the myths.
Please do not resurrect the plough thread.
HEARTH DAY
The Hearth is a symbol of household and home and the centre of the=20
universe. This day (in Dark Season) the hearth must burn the whole=20
night and the whole day to purify the sacred Hearth Stone, which is=20
buried in the ususal spot the next evening, to be put in the fire next=20
dark=20
season. The aim of the ritual is to renew and confirm the bond between=20
the members of the household and between the members of the=20
household and the house/hearth itself. The leader of the rite is a woman=20
of the household, and the men guards the hearth from attack from=20
malign spirits as the Hearth Stone cannot protect the house as long as it=
=20
is in the fire.
There is another Hearth Rite in Fire Season - Ash Day - when the=20 hearth is thoroughly cleaned or renewed or rebuilt, according to need.
I like to write rituals like these and will post those that i have, but I=
=20
would also like to see what others have done in this area of Gloranthan=20
society. Mail those rituals!
If there's still a lot of =3D20s in the text i'm gonna get real frustrated.=
=20
Please bear with the eyesore if they're still there; I'm working on it.
Thanks for all the comments i've received. One of the reasons to post=20 things on the digest is that you don't have to think about everything=20 yourself; the other readers gladly do that for you.
Salvete,
Michael Raaterova.
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