just cannibalism

From: plarsen_at_...
Date: Sat, 07 Apr 2001 17:06:30 -0500 (CDT)


I was thinking about Philippe's question about cannibalism and the Elder Races, and Tim Ellis's summary of the problem; there's an additional aspect -- OK, each eating humans isn't cannibalism (technically, although the term might be broadened for a world with more than one obviously sentient race). Do they eat their own kind, and why isn't it "cannibalism?" I think the question is one of spiritual pollution.

Tim Ellis dealt with Uz pretty well -- Uz eat things; it's what they do. No chance for "spiritual pollution" there. Although Drastic: Darkness had a good section of Uz vampires that's sort of applicable.

Mostali (again) as Tim Ellis pointed out, eat only processed food. What it was before processing is beside the point. We wouldn't consider people cannibals if they eat pork from a pig that ate a human body, after all. Well, probably not.... Furthermore, when you drink a glass of water you're not drinking urine, even though those molecules have probably been through a set of kidneys or two in their day.... The mostali are very efficient recyclers; there's no "spiritual pollution" in eating processed elements of one's coworkers. The spiritual pollution occurs when you start asking questions about the process.

Aldrayami do eat other Aldrayami, but it's another case "appropriate behavior." As plants break down other dead plants and use their materials as nutrients, so do Aldrayami feed on other Aldrayami. Besides, the "Song" makes all Aldrayami (at least of a single forest) united on a very basic level -- eating another part of the forest is no more cannibalism than chewing on your fingernails would be.

Individualist Mostali and Rootless Aldrayami are so spiritually polluted what worse thing can happen to them?

The Morocanth are a more interesting question. For them, cannibalism would be eating other Praxian Beast Riders, and it is something that depraved Morocanth might do in secret. I doubt they'd become Ogres, but they sure could call chaos down on their tribe for their sins. I bet there's also some ugly (although not necessarily chaotic) spirits that punish/feed on that kind of behavior, too. Prax, with its harsh conditions, is a place where you neighbors look "finger licking good" more often than is good for anyone.

Lastly, there are human cultures that eat other humans. The Cannibal Cult, those East Islanders, there might be some more. Mr. Stafford already indicated that the ritual nature of the East Islanders' cannibalism made it "spiritually acceptable." I assume that the same holds true for the Cannibal Cult (they are trouble, not chaos). Maybe the Aramites get the same deal, or maybe they are Uz-like enough to be "correct" in their eating. (Actually, do the Tusk Riders eat sentient people? I can't imagine that they'd be squeemish about it.) Have I forgotten anyone? Some of the Beastpeople (Mantichores, maybe) likely eat other Beastpeople.

Peter Larsen

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