Childbirth

From: ian (i.) gorlick <"ian>
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 1996 17:47:00 -0400

Human childbirth is difficult because human babies have huge heads and human women have small pelvises. That is true on Earth and I see no reason why it would be different in Glorantha. On Earth, various cultures have come up with different myths to explain the pain of childbirth. In Glorantha, people would also develop explanations of why it was so, and because of the interaction of the mundane and god planes, these myths would become real. Or conversely, all the damage inflicted on the Earth during the God's Wars has greatly reduced the fertility of all the land, and human difficulty in childbirth is a reflection of that mythic truth.

My impression of Glorantha is that you can't say what comes first, the myth or the reality. The two are intertwined too tightly.

Should we decide to make birth easy and painless in Glorantha. I would oppose that. Not because I want to make things difficult for female characters, but because I see no benefit in making this change from our RW experience. Glorantha's myth and magic make the world very different from the RW. I want to keep as much in common with the RW as is compatible with the magical nature of Glorantha. I find that this makes it easier for a player to feel that they are in a real world.

Historically childbirth has been one of the greatest, if not the greatest, causes of death among adult females. This makes childbirth a time of great concern for players. It means that people will enact lots of rituals and call together family resources to ensure a safe delivery. It is a time rich with gaming possibilities. To make it safe and easy would eliminate all that believable human drama and, in my opinion, would add nothing.  

---