Re: Re: Head Taking (was Baron's Friends)

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 09:49:28 -0700

> I'd personally see it occurring among Orlanthi only in two circumstances:
>
> * When two clans are locked in a long running and deadly feud with no
hope
> of peace or reconciliation, a feud where the utter obliteration of the
> entire clan is the goal.
>
> * When two champions or heroes have a long-running, highly personal hatred
> or rivalry that is well known and publicised. In their final encounter it
is
> expected that the victor may take the vanquished opponent's head as part
of
> Victor's Right. Of course, it is a mark of honour and high praise to
return
> the head almost immediately, or leave the corpse undefiled as a sign of
> respect to an honoured opponent, but this doesn't always happen.

A third option, often used in Scotland: You take the head as proof of death. Hauling the entire body halfway across the country takes a lot of effort, so you take the easily-transportable head and leave the rest for the ravens. The various Wells of the Head in Scotland all have similar legends surrounding them - they are where heads were washed after being removed from their former owners.

By taking the head and displaying it to kin or king, an Orlanthi is saying "*I* killed him, and here is the proof, so it isn't murder." there may even be ways to talk to the head to ascertain the truth of the matter - "Yeah, he killed me in a fair fight".

Of course, this option probably isn't taken when the killing occurs in front of witnesses, as there is less doubt about what happened. But when the killing occurs out in the heathland between steads, then it is an option to consider.

Another point to consider - Taking a head and *Keeping* the head are two different acts - turning a head into a doorpost ornament, or a drinking cup, or a Thanatari item, is much different than giving it back to the family. The head isn't the only thing here; as others have pointed out the head can contain part of the victim's "Breath", and what happens to that breath is important. Allowing it to pass on to the proper otherside is one thing, enslaving it is another.

RR