>From: Andrew Barton <AndrewBarton_at_compuserve.com>
>Gloranthans don't necessarily have anything corresponding to DNA. It's
>probably no longer canon, but the description in Different Wolrds of how
>lycanthropy is inherited (I think in an article on Tiger Sons) was
>impossible in terms of RW genetics, and IIRC the author said this was
>deliberate.
>
>Heroquesting often allows your offspring to inherit acquired
>characteristics, so if there is DNA in Glorantha, there are also magical
>ways to do genetic engineering.
I was thinking of DNA more as the group of identifiable bits which allow for the similarities within races and differences between individuals. Clearly some of this is passed between generations because the vast majority of children of human parents are human. Equally there is a lot of magic which deliberately or accidentally determines characteristics. The way in which cult affiliations are determined being a common example.
So if a sample was taken from a Gloranthan and analysed in the real world I would expect it to reveal human DNA. Equally I would expect there would be anomolies when comparing the DNA of individuals of the same family - the child's DNA would not be restricted to the parents' DNA.
Alternatively creating a child is a heroquest in itself and the details of that heroquest determine the child's attributes. If that was the sole determinant you could have a blank DNA test result. The majority of children being similar to their parents would be due to following a standard path. There's lots of scope then for failures in the quest producing unviable or chaotic babies - how do different societies deal with this problem? It would explain why pre-marital sex is acceptable in Orlanthi society (without the heroquest a child will not be born) but equally there will be taboos about how the birth heroquest is performed and who with.
Hmm, there's quite a bit of potential here for taking the courtship and marriage traditions already detailed though impregnation and birth to the resulting child...... I'll have to think about this....
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/ --__--__-- End of Glorantha Digest
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