In Glorantha magic is used for everything. In pre-industrial Earth cultures
magic was also used for everything, but many people today think it was only
ritual with no effect. In Glorantha the use of magic is assumed to produce
about the same effect as the rituals used on Earth. So, the farmer sows the
crops at a certain time, saying a prayer and doing some ritual stuff . Women
sing songs together while working, whether with fabric or foodstuffs. All
this is supposed to be similar in both the RW and in Glorantha. The results
of the magic done in Glorantha come out to about the same as the results in
the RW. So lots of hard work in the field and propitiating your god(s) gets
you enuf food for the winter, in both worlds. Gloranthans don't get more
from using magic than RW people. And the fighting spells are like psyching
yourself up for a fight. Talking big or dissing your opponent is a
demoralize spell, and so on. Birth control in pre-industrial Earth is
similar in effect to that in Glorantha. There'll be some herbs and stuff,
and a song and ritual at a certain time. There are assurances of
effectiveness from the persons teaching these things, but the effects are
not guaranteed in either world.
Daniel
Just my chip in here, but surely, in a world as infused & generally
stuffed full of magic, at all levels, as Glorantha, such basics as
reliable birth control are easy (& if not, why the hell not?). This
in itself will make sexual relations very different from any RW
historical analogue...
Dougie.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]