Alakoring vs. Heortling

From: Ian Cooper <ian_hammond_cooper_at_...>
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 17:49:03 -0000

This does raise the interesting question of how Alakoring and Heorting cultures differ.

Personally I have always regarded the term Orlanthi as being similiar to Aryan - Celts and Germans were both Aryan cultures and at a structural level (warrior/nobility, priesthood, free farmer organisation into kin-groups, a legal system absed on fines) are quite similiar.

Alakorings and Heortlings have (IIRC) been seen as Celts(A) and Germans(H), but as elements of Celtic culture (cattle raids, ringforts etc, chariots) exist in Heortling culture, I think of it more as Celtic = Vingkotling i.e the antecedent culture and Heortling = Germanic + Celtic. The Alakorings are Vingkotlings but influenced by Alakoring Dragonbreaker.

So we get

                Orlanthi

|
Vingkotlings [Celtic analogues]
|
|-- Esrolians [some Egyptian influences?]
|
|-- Heortlings [Germanic influences]
Alakorings [?]--| | |-- Sartari[Icelandic analogues] | |-- Hendrieki [AS influences]

Of course as John has pointed out to me in the past we should only rely on analogues for about 40% of our facts.

OK this is a first guess I expect people to disagree.

What are the differences then between Heortling and Vingkotlings - a loss of those German influences. In Glorantha this could be represented as Alakorings not having the tradition of democracy that the Heortlings do. I'm not sure that the primary analogue for Vingkotling - Celtic culture - has a moot/thing equivalent (could well be wrong).

We know that Alakoring instituted the Rex subcult to remove power from the Wind Lords and placed it in the hands of tribal chiefs and that before that Vingkotling clans were run by Wind Lords . The Rex subcult gives divine powers to command worshippers not quite "No one can make you do anything". Alakoring tribes have had more interaction with DH culture with its heavily centralised authority so a movement towards increasing the power of the tribal chief ring might be likely.

Tarsh which is Alakoring has moved to a hereditary nobility. I suspect that this might be more feasible in a culture that gave more power to their rulers and less to the people.

Anybody else have thoughts on this?

Ian
PS What about non-Vingkotling Orlanthi cultures?

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