Gotta be a different one for every culture, no? Hmm. One thing to consider is how often a Gloranthan woman menstruates. No "months" to time it by, after all. I suppose 4 weeks could be considered the standard period (nyuk).
It's not timed to the moon, which cuts out a major cool mythic connection (unless someone proves that Pelorian women menstruate weekly. No wonder there's so many Pelorians.) The only obvious magic connections are with sex and blood.
THE GLORANTHAN SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION FOR MENSTRUATION (believed in by at least one group of Lhankor Mhys or Westerners)
Every four weeks a woman has emissions from her womb. When she is pregnant, these emissions cease. Obviously, the male's purpose during sex is to inject a sort of glue to wall up the female's womb, so the emissions are kept within her body. There, they collect and grow and solidify until a tiny person is formed.
THE GLORANTHA MAGICAL EXPLANATION FOR MENSTRUATION Ernalda was injured in her womb in the Gods War. All women still bleed in sympathy with her, except when they are young, representing the time before the Darkness; when they are pregnant, when both the woman and Ernalda are rejoicing, so there is no need for sympathy; and when they are old and infertile, thus becoming representative of the Crones who were not so injured.
How are those for starters?
THE DORADDI EXPLANATION FOR MENSTRUATION The First People were dry. No liquids escaped them. After the First Water passed through their bodies, they became moist and fertile. We still constantly recycle water through our bodies, and this cycle must be maintained constantly or we turn dry and dead again. For new water to enter our bodies, the old water has to leave. There are three types of water necessary for life.
OASIS WATER: this is the most obvious water. It can fall from the sky, or be in a river, or well up in an oasis. It is drunk physically in through the mouth, and leaves through many places -- our breath, our saliva, and a tiny hole in our privates.
HAPPINESS WATER: this water floats in the sky as beautiful clouds. It enters through our eyes, by the act of seeing the clouds. Sometimes clouds collect Oasis Water, too, but the real benefit is the Water of Happiness. When we drink this in through our eyes, our minds are made glad. When we see no clouds for many days, our minds droop with sorrow. This water leaves us in the form of tears. If we do not weep for a long time, the Happiness Water can not pass through our bodies, and our minds wither.
SOUL WATER: this water enters our spirits directly from the Land of Shadows (the spirit world). There are two types of spirit water, one which men absorb, and the other which women absorb. It passes periodically out through our genitals, and appears as semen or menses. When a woman is pregnant, the soul water still passes out of her, but instead of leaving her body, it is used to create another soul within her womb. A child does not yet attract the Soul Water, so does not emit it.
Sometimes a woman ceases to emit the Soul Water though she is not pregnant. This is a sign of power, but it is one of the Woman Secrets, and so it cannot be told aloud. A man might be listening.
Sandy P.
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