Spiritual Landscapes

From: Graydon <saundrsg_at_qlink.queensu.ca>
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 01:51:36 -0400 (EDT)


On the subject of indwelling spirits; I take the view that most of them don't come from elsewhere, most of them are inherent to the thing that they inhabit.

So the spirit in a rock is a little bit left over from when Stone was a living diety in the Godtime, and the spirits of trees and springs similarly - in Glorantha, almost nothing is 'dead' in a sense that includes 'disconnected'. (Even Humakt has connections to his innitiates, who are themselves living and connected to all sorts of natural processes; it's the perversion of death that severs all connections.)

So I'd say the place spirits (and house spirits, too; an inhabited house has considerable mystical significance) are the natural expression of the aliveness of the place; an old house that's been in continuous happy habitation for centuries is going to have stronger house spirits than someone's newly constructed homestead. (Which might well have significance in how a Gloranthan sees property values, too.)

You'll also probably get family spirit cults, and spirits that are pretty literally friends of the family, as well as the spirits who are cranky and need to be propiated, with offerings being made to the friends spirits in almost the same, well, spirit, as a family member gets a new pair of pants - they're part of the economic life of the family, and entitled to certain things as a result.

Good way to encourage player caution, too - is this one of the little old lady village witch huts that has a four century accumulation of attendant darkness-connected burial and passage to the next world spirits, or not? - is a *very* sobering question after the first time the answer is 'yes'.

saundrsg_at_qlink.queensu.ca | Monete me si non anglice loquobar.


Powered by hypermail