Shamanism in Sartar

From: Jesper Wahrner <jewahr_at_hts.calypso.net>
Date: 29 Apr 96 15:20:10 +0100


I'm very interested in hearing people's views on the role of shamanism in Orlanthi Sartar. Very little has been written on the subject. There are a few lines about the Kolating in KoS, and other things can be deducted from other sources. But very little is written about their role in society.

How do they get along with the traditional Orlanthi religion? It seems that there are very little place for them there. Are they even tolerated?

I have played a Kolating for about a year, and I have always treated him as part of a dying tradition. He is almost a total outsider. His origin is that he was marked for shamanhood as a child by the local spirits of the otherworld acting through the shaman who later became his teacher. His parents who didn't want their son to suffer that horrible fate tried to hide him away, something that led to an almost fatal disaster when the time came for his initiation into the Orlanth religion. During the initiation he was possessed by a powerful spirit, and consequently flunked horribly. But the above-mentioned shaman saved him and explained to him that his life wasn't his but belonged to the spiritworld.

Not being initiated into any cult puts him well outside society. Noone comes to learn magic from him so he is often halfstarving. He is barely tolerated when he makes an appearance partly because he HAS performed services to society in the past (ie exorcised possessed people), and partly because people fear him and spiritual repercussions if they don't treat him with some kind of formal respect.

His job as a shaman is largely concerned with keeping up spiritual harmony in the area. This includes seeking out and speaking to certain spirits at certain times that otherwise might turn against the land, causing spiritual disorder, making sure that no hostile spirits are ravaging the area and so on. This spiritual service is largely unknown by the general populace and he is seriously worried what will happen when the tradition dies out and noone will be able to carry out these vitally important tasks.

Now, while this outlook on shamanism from the point of society makes my character cool and fun to play, I'm not really sure that this really IS the way Orlanthi culture treats shamanism. (It might be something specific to the Culbrea-tribe.) And I would really appreciate other people's views and experiences in this matter.

... Quodcumque incedis sequitur mors corporis umbra. - --- Blue Wave/386 v2.21 [NR]

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