How do you appease a goddess whose powers are over the destruction of the Earth, no doubt targetted at those beings unworthy of setting foot on the blessed ground?
Well, it mentions in the Maran Gor cult write-up (in TOTRM), that the High Priestess is accompanied by cannibal acolytes. Do they eat the flesh of others? What is there to gain from such actions?
However, what if the flesh eaten was from a earth-blessed being, someone virtuous?
We are not talking about new borns, as they have not learnt to walk yet and cannot thus be blessed by Ernalda.
What then?
Well, if we look at the crop blessing rituals of the Esrolians, where they appoint a king (a May king) and after an allotted time sacrifice him. The blood that flows is used to fertilise the fields of Esrolia. If his blood was bad, then the crops will suffer. This seems to indicate the appointment of a virtuous king. What virtues would be necessary? A farmer?
With Maran Gor, virginal would be a desired virtue. So, would they then hold an equally important ritual and sacrifice a virgin male? Or, perhaps, if they looked for a willing sacrifice who fitted the necessary qualifications, then it would seem fit to sacrifice one of their own acolytes. They would be blessed, and willing.
Such a sacrifice would thus appease the goddess, and the remains being a corpus in the fullest sense in which the worshippers can receive their goddess's blessing and forgiveness for lack of certain virtues - sleeping with a man for example.
Of course, if they did not wish to lose one of their sisters, then they may well find a eunoch, who has been taught the ways of the goddess and would willingly die for her.
Thus, with the use of Sacrifices within the Esrolian culture, it would appear that such rituals would be used to appease any of their goddess's. Perhaps, even a slight variation on Humakt worship? Humakti, and Babeester Gor worshippers may well sacrifice one of their willing initiates who has been bred for such a cause,just before a battle, and the blood smeared over the worshippers as a blessing. A lucky mascot as it were.
Likewise, this sacrifice is again likely to be male, with a desire to serve a purpose - one they would be remembered for - within their society. This would also imbue the warriors with a courage for the battle ahead, knowing that one has made the ultimate sacrifice so that they will all be blessed and live through the battle. It is such thoughts that help save one in a battle.
Although, after all this discussion, it may well be a simple consumption of such things as menstrual blood, blood from male just turned into eunochs, or the sacrificing of a blessed animal.
Any comments?
Mosser,
aka Efis Crow and Maran Gor acolyte (and rather worried now.)
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