Paul:
> My reason for this is that tattoos are a variable cultural
thing, not a
> religious-based magical thing. If it were magical, all Orlanth
worshippers
> would have them, not just Heortlings and some neighbours.
<mischievous>
So you think religion and magic isn't culturally based? :)
</mischievous>
Without getting too Digesty, for me it's all bricolage. In the realms of Gloranthan magic, myth and ritual, you do what you can with what's available. Cults, rituals and associated objects vary across history and culture, as do perceptions of the gods and the Other Side.
In myth and ritual (the two are one) Gloranthans forget things, emphasise different details, leave things out and make things up when they don't know the answer. If you haven't got a blood-tinged sword, then a stained carved stick will do, and if that *works*, then next time you tell the myth you may change the sword for a carved stick.
Perception of the Other Side is always shaped by (cultural) expectation. Orlanth is a man, a giant storm, and a giant boar. All of the above, depending on whether you're worshipping in Sartar, the northern lands, or Ralios.
And harking back to the Elmal thread, a Gloranthan is quite capable of appreciating two *contradictory* myths at the same time, for instance the dawn sky being Elmal's blood or Voria's blush. Its not simply one or the other, though a particular explanation may be more useful at a particular time, or be preferred for reasons of personal bias. Both myths point to an underlying truth about existence.
Mythology is the art of *meaning*, not some literalistic prescientific mechanics, (though granted, there's an axis of personal flexibility of interpretation just as there is in our world. It *was* Hedkoranth, damn it, it was *my* tula, and it *was* the sword my grandfather wore.).
Gloranthans have just as deep an appreciation of poetry and metaphor and the power of imagination as we do. It just links to reality on a deeper level. The world is made of story. :)
Soft sunlight and vibrant growing green. Summer comes to Canberra with a grin. Have a great weekend folks. :)
John
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