Another sidethought: In KoS, certain craftsmen are said to be counted as "thanes", while the discussion of status according to occupation places craftsmen below farmers and other providers. Now, is this a question of _which_ craftsmen are thanes. Among certain Celts (no, I don't remember which), those who practiced certain crafts (such as jewelcraft and weaponsmithing) were counted as "aes dana", "skilled people(?)" right along with druids n' their ilk. Is that the case here - some crafts are thaneish, others not?
Or is it a case of skill? Olaf the Boatwright is counted as a thane by his clansmen, since he is a famous boatbuilder (makes damn good oars, as well), but Wigfus Upcreek, who isn't that good and does more fishing on the side to support himself, is a mere carl or cottar?
Or is the answer any one of the above factors, combined with the fact that a mere crafter is always less than a farmer (all other things aside)?
Now, lets do some more theorizing. In any case, I suspect that certain crafts will be the province of cottars. They will take up basketweaving or woodcarving since they have less land and cattle (or smaller fishing equipment). A blacksmith, on the other hand, will need more resources but earn a better living as a result. I agree with the general agreement that they will either be living with a rich employer (not necessarily a chieftain), travelling a circuit or live in a city. While travelling, I suspect it might be a good idea to turn up on certain days when there are markets, religious festivals etc.
Disclaimer 1: I'm fully aware that most craftsmen probably follows in their parents' footsteps.
Disclaimer 2: I'm just as fully aware of most people having some skill in many common crafts (carpentry, tinkering, brewing, weaving) even if they are farmers and herders. I'm talking about the professionals.
Re: The troubles of the guy who wants a Lunar-slaying weapon (or magic
broom, or whatever)
I realise I've sounded remarkably grouchy concerning Michaels idea of
the need for strange materials to work with. With some pondering, I
also realise it's because I associate it with the old D&D-cliche
(archetype?) of "Oh yeah, you want a dragon-slaying sword? Then you
must have a dragon's tooh as a Magical Ingredient." This is grossly
unfair, of course. I agree that for some smithing magics strange
materials (or normal materials accquired during strange circumstances
- - there is much old Swedish folklore about amulets made of lead from
church windows, for instance, not to mention all those things you have
to do under a certain moon).
> Remember, with pantheon initiation you don't belong to a specific cult -
> you may have a patron deity but you revere the whole pantheon.
Minor quibbles: A, But my Gloranthans have ALWAYS revered the whole
pantheon. They have ALWAYS made sacrifices to Issaries before making
a long journey, or prayed to Heler to "stop this damn rain". They
didn't get any mystical insights of practical value (ie, spells) or
exploitable special social relations with the cult leaders (ie,
ransom, skill training), but they still worshipped most of the
deities at some time. Am I very different from my fellow
Gloranthaphiles in that?
B, But isn't there still "cults", special initiation into cults beyond the pantheon initiation, wherein you learn the deeper secrets of a certain god? (Just wanna check - I don't know more about the "pantheon initiation" than that it has been "yessed" by Greg.)
Erik Sieurin, who fortunately have had no more strange dreams
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #43
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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