> Chris Lemens wrote:
> > Animists generally know that some
> > spirits are supposed to be in the
> > natural world and some are supposed
> > to be in the land of the dead. It
> > is not good for either to be in
> > the wrong spot.
>
> Absolutely, and from my understanding such
> dual concepts (Life/Death, Spirit/Embodied,
> Hunter/Prey, Eater/Eaten) underpin their
> whole mythology.
Two points: First, dual concepts are important, but it is a fallacy to conclude that one such dual concept is therefore central to their mythology.
Second, the dead/live duality is not so much part of the their _mythology_ as it is part of their _environment_. There are probably better ways to express it, but the point is when Praxians look for role models, they are not generally looking to Daka Fal or Horned Man. They look to Waha, Eiritha, and Stomr Bull, whose stories they tell with relish.
> > Praxians would certainly want ghosts laid
> > to rest, but you won't get sacred societies
> > mustering in response to rumors of undead.
> > etc.
>
> I suspect that you would, and that the
> main antagonists in their mythology would
> be undead.
Well, then your Glorantha varies. The main antagonists in the Praxian mythology were chaos before time and outlanders afterwards. There was an important period after the compromise and before the dawn when Waha set everything right: he set the horned man to make the land of the dead, set Daka Fal to lead the way, freed the spirits needed for the living to live, and got Storm Bull to fetch the bright treasure. But we have no stories about Waha defeating the zombies. In fact, he has no magic to lay ghosts to rest; he relies on Daka Fal for that and Daka Fal is ancestor worship.
In fact, the only Praxian group I can think of that has reference to undead are the Ghost Darters, and they are a very confused bunch.
> I see the shamen in praxian societies being
> very wary of undead and seeing themselves and
> all good spiritist followers as guardians
> against such blurring of the boundaries
> that define their philosophy.
Shamans -- and everone else -- are wary of undead. But I doubt they would even talk about "undead"; they would categorize ghosts (spirits without bodies, in the natural world) as something completely different from zombies (bodies without spirits, in the natural world). Possession by ghosts and other spirits is well known; it is an occupational hazard for shamans.
And, yes, Praxian shamans know that it is bad for ghosts to be in the world, but they will be practical about it. Is this a ghost that I need to lay to rest, or can we just avoid this place? Compare that to the hatred that Praxians have of chaos; Bullmen bands will go far out of their way to attack chaos they have heard of. You don't get roving Daka Fal bands laying ghosts to rest.
> In the case of attitudes to chaos in prax (hatred
> or fear) I am not saying that it is not evil or
> that it isn't part of their mythology and
> something to be feared or destroyed. I am
> saying that it is probably not the central
> evil in their mythology.
Then your Glorantha varies. Choas is the central evil in the world for Praxians.
> Nearly all animist societies have been
> heavily influenced by their surrounding
> cultures and so it is not easy to define
> animists in isolation, but I feel that
> the mythology that deals with chaos (a
> real threat in the world) will either
> by imported or overlaid onto the existing
> mythologies.
Chaos is a feature of Praxian mythology that sprung from their own experiences. It was not imported. Vrak Kargl Vozn, the Devil, sprang from the empty spot where nothing would grow. Their oldest stories are about what chaos did to them; everything after was how they survived and recovered.
Chris Lemens
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End of Glorantha Digest, Vol 11, Issue 199
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