Praxian Marriage

From: Andrew Young <ayoung_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 09:36:29 -0800 (PST)

Greetings,

I'm just starting up my first RQ/Glorantha game, and it takes place within a bison-nomad clan. I currently have several questions that I hope you learned Gloranthaphiles can help me out with; I'm only hitting one of them right now.

The reading I have done (primarily Glorantha:CotHW, GoG and RoC) have made a several things about the Praxian nomads quite clear:

1. At age 10, boys are taken away from the women and spend their time with their dads, returning to full tribe interactions after their 18th birthday (and corresponding manhood ceremony).
2. At puberty, girls participate in a ceremony that indicates their passing into girl-women status, where they stay until they bear their first child. Upon bearing their first child they become women and are able to own herdbeast.

Item #2 above strikes me as having some definite impacts on courtship, marriage and childbirth. Since females can't own herdbeast until they bear their first child, marriage wouldn't happen until *after* a healthy child is born to a couple. I imagine that there is some kind of "engagement" ritual, so that all in the tribe know who is mating with who, to prevent paternity problems.

Okay with that said (comments?), I lead into my question: Who provides the (or does anyone?) dowry to start the couple's new herd? I imagine someone must, as I get the impression that intra-tribal raiding is uncommon. Perhaps the husband must first successfully raid another tribe's herd to prove his worth to the wife's family, who then provide a dowry? Perhaps upon birth of the first child and subsequent marriage, gifts are given? Any insights?

Thanks,

Andy

| Andy Young "A good thing not to be is a plant because someone |
| ayoung_at_pacifier.com might think you are a weed and pull you up by the |
| Vancouver, WA USA roots" - Ruth Krauss, _Open House for Butterflies_ |

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