My own take on this is that the write-up describes the cult of Maran Gor as it exists in places where Ernalda is head of the Earth pantheon, and Maran Gor is much less favoured. In Tarsh at this time, Maran Gor heads the Earth pantheon, and Ernalda is the soft and wimpy exception to the rule. Thus, the restrictions as listed would not apply. Sorana Tor is an Earth priestess: therefore, her normal role is as a Maran Gor priestess. If she wants kids, she can slide over to the Ernalda aspect for a bit. The whole point about this priestess marrying the king idea is that that's how the king gets chosen. The High Priestess, as representative of the Earth (all aspects), picks a pretty bloke, uses him to bring fertility to the land, then has him ritually executed after the appropriate number of years. For Arim to stay alive, he must have been quite a guy: looks like she actually respected him as a (near) equal.
Alternative/compromise: in Tarsh, priestesses must be unmarried *at the time they are appointed*, so as to be free to make a ritual marriage. And they must be celibate *unless in ritual*. The same rules apply in other places, but there's a lot less interest in sacred marriages to Maran Gor priestesses, so it doesn't get mentioned.
Women warriors and babies: I should probably be getting all liberated
about this and ranting about equality. Sorry, but no. A good point was
made by Philip Hibbs:
> >Ax "Maidens" aren't necessarily celibate
> butthey are necessarily homicidal, and likely to get themselves very
>killed. Not that I can talk, being Humakti, but that's the whole problem.
"Warrior" is no profession for someone with dependants, of
either gender. Don't over-do the clan idea: children are the
responsibility of the parents. It's entirely possible that the father of
the hypothetical kids isn't married to the mother, and as such is not
responsible (or even aware) of them. If so, the mother is only likely to
go charging around getting herself killed if she either has no other
means of supporting the kids (no other skills, and no clan to support
her while she learns them), or has no interest in the kid's welfare. If
the father is still around, is he likely to look after the kids while
his wife goes off hitting things? Maybe: and if so, all is well. But I
don't see too many Orlanthi males taking to the idea. A male warrior in
the same situation would have an easier time convincing his wife to mind
the baby. And the number of men left solely responsible for kids must be
quite low: they don't give birth to them, so this would really only be
in cases where the wife has died. I think in any cases where one partner
has died, the clan support system would come in, but even then it would
be accepted that the surviving parent went off fighting only if that was
their only means of support
There's a tendency to compare this situation with the modern super-woman who has a career and kids. In fact I don't think the comparison holds: said career woman is generally home most evenings. The warrior will be away for a season at a time. By then the grandparents or other baby-sitters would have had about enough. If she's really got no other means of supporting them, that's another matter: but in that case, why produce them?
Also, in our world, child-rearing is on a similar status level with the typing pool and digging ditches: you don't do that if you can get a real job. (OK, this is changing. But not fast). In Orlanthi areas of Glorantha, it's respected and thought of as important. A woman with kids who goes off fighting isn't escaping mindless drudgery to be as good as a man, she's escaping a responsible job to go out playing. If she'd chosen a different career and stuck to it, fine, but treating a serious responsibility as lightly as letting someone else wash the dishes is no way to gain friends among those who *do* treat it seriously. LIke the family she's relying on for support, for instance.
Of course, there are exceptions to this. If the woman doesn't mind being regarded as a complete social drop-out, she can leave the kid on the nearest doorstep and ride off into the sunset. If she can convince some authority that it is more important to the group that she carries on fighting than that she looks after the kid, they will provide the support (though they may wonder why she produced it!). Any fanatical cults, like Babs Gor, Humakt, Storm Bull etc would come in this category. And if she's so good, in any skill, that the clan/tribe/whatever wants her to continue in her profession, support will be found.
The distinction between full-time warrior and non-warrior may be an artificial one in any case: a female non-warrior isn't necessarily a non-combatant. If the clan (and her kids!) is attacked, she can defend as well as the next person, and perhaps take part in occasional raids where the risk is low. But starting a fight, seeking it, is a job for the expendable, and she isn't that.
What I absolutely don't see happening is the woman who produces kids, gets bored, and wanders up to the nearest combat-oriented temple and asks to be initiated, leaving the kids with granny. If she's that willing to take on a responsibility and then drop it, would you want her guarding your back?
Sorry: this is a bit long. End of rant.
Jane Williams jane_at_williams.nildram.co.uk
http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~janewill/
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #225
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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