Re: Re: Household of Death

From: John Hughes <john.hughes_at_...>
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2003 12:17:01 +1100


David:

> >Given most Orlanthi are happy to delay initiation
>
>I don't remember anything like this -- I'm sure the teenagers are
>more than ready to be considered adults. (Or do you mean that the
>wise adults try to delay things as long as possible, so that the kids
>don't get more responsibility than they can handle?)

Yes, the adults - I was thinking the youngsters in Harmast's Saga, and the delays in initiation. The youngsters, naturally want it to happen *yesterday*: they get to see the universe from creation on, meet the gods, act like gods, fight in the greatest battle of all, and when they come back they can own cattle, choose their deity, learn new magics, join the fyrd, raid, boast and make songs, be listened to in the moot and legitimately have sex. Initiation may even promote or 'initiate' secondary sexual development like beard growth. That's quiet a package - after all that you'd want a nice hot cup of tea. :) (They can do some or all of these things beforehand, with greater or lesser degrees of secrecy and seriousness, but I think there's a key mile of difference between even the most talented Heortling initiand and a newly-made adult).

The adults know how much preparation counts for any heroquest, how precious adolescence is, and how dangerous initiation can be - they will also have experiences of agemates lost or driven insane by the rites. They also know about learning from mistakes; something that in my experience every young Orlanthi male seems to be genetically impervious too, perhaps due to the innate thickness of a Heortling skull. :)

Cheers

John


John Hughes
Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600

Phone (02) 6125 0649
Visit CAEPR on the web at http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/

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