>There's no particular reason to assume this, I would think. It's
>easier and cheaper to grow a sheep herd, since their birth rate
>is faster than cattle, but cattle live longer as well.
Cows require more feeding, while pigs and sheep can live on marginal land not suitable for growing crops... which means the average clan could probably support more of the latter.
Also bear in mind Heort's Laws: 1 cow = 5 pigs = 7 sheep = 0.25 horse. I suspect this represents the ratio the animals can be found in.
>One of the big disadvantages to pigs is that they're essentially
>a pure food animal. It makes more sense to put labour resources
>into sheep, cattle, and poultry: their existence produces useful
>by-products that can be harvested as well as a carcase.
Actually, that can be turned around the other way. Cattle pull ploughs and provide milk, sheep provide wool (and milk, too) - so you want to keep them alive as long as possible, not kill them. If you want to add some meat to your diet, the easiest and cheapest method is to slaughter a pig. Only the rich eat beef, but anyone can get pork or bacon.
>And speaking of pure food animals, I wonder if the Orlanthi keep
>rabbits?
In our world they were introduced to Northern Europe by the Romans. Maybe in Glorantha they're another Lunar innovation? ;-)
> > Sheep and cattle need to be moved from pasture to pasture by
> > herders. There are seasonal high and low pastures.
Depends on the area. In southern Europe, it got too hot for cows in summer in the lowlands so they were moved up the hills - then in winter they came back down to the warmer valleys. (Technical term for this: transhumance). In England cows were kept close to the village - because they kept one field fallow each year, that could be used as pasture. Also, once the harvest was brought in the cattle were turned loose on the fields to eat the stubble (and grow fat ready for the coming slaughter...). Finally, there was usually a hay-field (often in marshy land close to a stream), and the hay would be used to feed the cattle over the winter.
Climate-wise, I think Sartar is closer to Britain than Italy; but maybe they practice transhumance in Heortland.
Sheep tend to eat an area bare if they're left there too long, so it makes sense to move them around more.
> > Herds are culled at the end of Earth-season. They need to be
> > kept indoors (in a barn or a stead byre) during Dark-season.
According to 'Thunder Rebels' the culling is done in the second week of Darkness Season (Freeze/Harmony/Dark). Animals are not necessarily kept in a separate byre; they're more likely to be down one end of the same longhouse the humans live in. Keeps things warm!
>This is especially true of pigs -- pigs are quite vulnerable to
>cold weather (as much, if not more so, as people).
Modern pigs maybe - they've been selectively bred to be huge, hairless and lazy. Small, bristly ancient-era pigs are likely to have been much more hardy.
> > What seasons are associated with the high/low pasture transhumance?
Leave in Sea Season, spend Fire Season up in the hills, return in Earth Season.
> > Would there be a small stead (or even just a hut) at the high
> > pasture for the herders?
Depends how far away they go, and whether it's practical to come back each night. In Celtic areas of Britain there were small "seasonal" steads used by the herders - these were called shielings, booley houses or hafodydd. A good adventure seed would be for PCs to be sent to clear out the shielings after the winter and get them ready for habitation again - only to find something else has taken up residence there...
Milking the herds would sometimes be done up on the high pasture, and the milk turned into cheese or butter up at the shielings.
Bear in mind that in Sartar, a high pasture might be in sight of the stead, but half a day's walk away, up on the mountainside.
Stephen
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