During the discussion of Menstrual Cramps et al, Ian Gorlick sugested
>
>This leads me to suspect that Control Pain Spirit is probably one of the most
>common spells learned by female shamans. (They are more likely to believe this
>is important than male shamans.) Which in turn suggests that bound pain spirits
>are a very common weapon among female shamans.
>
Which brought to mind the Irish tail of Macha's Curse - Macha's husband
Crunnchu boasted to King Conchobar that his wife was faster than the
King's horses. King Conchobar insisted that she ran against them, even
though she was heavily pregnant at the time. She did, and won giving
birth to twins and dying in agony before the horses reached the
finishing line. With her dying breath she cursed the King, and all the
men of Ulster (none of whom had shown any pity for her when she was
ordered to run) that for nine generations, when ever Ulster was in
danger, all the men would be as weak and helpless as a woman in labour -
This is why Chuchulain (still only a boy, and so not affected) had to
face the Cattle raiders at Cooley alone.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tim Ellis EMail tim_at_timellis.demon.co.uk |
| What happened to Digest 187? I just got an empty header? |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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End of Glorantha Digest V3 #198
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html