Todd Gardiner wrote:
> It is my belief that the cult of the Seven Mothers is only aiming at getting
> the barbarians to become laymembers. It isn't too concerned with achieving a
> collection of initiates from these hinterlands. Just so long as we get them
> out of their "incorrect" ways, they will eventually learn to accept full
> worship of Sedenya.
>
That makes quite a bit of sense. I do seem to recall some Hero Wars
stuff involving the cult having its own magic for initiates and
devotees, though.
> For those that do initiate to the "Seven Mothers" cult, they are actually
> initiating to the Red Goddess, and possibly also into one of the seven
> sub-cults of this cult.
>
*nod*
Whether lunar progression follows "initate/devotee" is debatable (even
without bringing up ILH2) but yes, at some point it seems getting deeper
means switching over to a more "properly Lunar" version.
It might make sense to view Seven Mothers as a specific path of
layperson that then dovetails into the "real" cults.
> Just as Barntar is worshiped as an independent god in some locations, but
> usually as a subcult of Orlanth, the Seven Mothers are (in this case) merely
> sub-cults of the overall cult, which sacrifices to the Red Goddess.
>
Well, yes. But there was a distinction made in previous works between
the individual cults of the seven mothers and the Provincial Church,
which taught worship of the seven mothers in a way for Barbarians to
understand.
LC