Re: Fertility

From: Thom Baguley <t.s.baguley_at_...>
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 11:21:08 +0000

> From: "Mike Gibb" <m.gibb_at_...>
>Subject: Re: Fertility
>
> "Bryan Thexton" <bethexton_at_...>
>wrote
>
>> One interesting side effect of the magical approach is that you
>> wouldn't be confined to males. You could presumably de-sex a female
>> in much the same way. You couldn't totally eliminate the equipment,
>> but you could eliminate fertility, sex drive, and a large portion of
>> secondary sexual characteristics, one would presume.
>
>Certainly that is the impression that I get about Babeester Gor (and
>Vingan?) cultists. But in this case loss of fertility (thus sexuality?) is a

Vingans set aside/delay their fertility, but not sexuality. BG set aside their fertility and possibly also their sexuality. I think sexuality (in Glorantha) is a free will thing that has no direct connection to fertility (I could be wrong, though).

>sign of strength. Culturally male loss of fertility ("potency") tends to be
>viewed as weakness. Will this be the case for Nandanites? They give up their
>maleness (or certainly Nandan did) for the benefit of the tribe, cursed with
>lack of fertile women.

The sacrifice for BG is viewed as a literally "terrible" one. In the case of Nandan it may be viewed as a noble sacrifice, or more likely the appropriate way for certain men to contribute to the tribe.

Thom