Blokes only

From: Erik Sieurin <BV9521_at_utb.hb.se>
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 20:09:44 +0100

Jane Williams:
> But speaking of blokes, how about a bit of role-reversal here? We started
> off with a comparison with modern cloning techniques. Given that, we
> don't need women to produce babies, either. In fact, if you simply want
> genetic diversity, men are a better source (sperm count v. egg count).
> So, how about a society of *men* only? And some myths about how they get
> sons? Now there's a challenge!

Well, the thing that happens mundanely is easy. You have this society of all males, from boys to old men. It is pretty small, say on one of the East Isles or some small Fonritan city-state. They have this temple to the Great Mother Goddess, preferrably in a great cave somewhere. Every year or so, in spring, they hold this great contest about who is the worthiest guy in the whole nation. (What worthiest means ? Beats me. Strong, noble, wise, handsome, whatever.) Very similar to this Earth King stuff you find in many places all over Glorantha. And then the guy goes into the Really Holy Place in the deepest reaches of the temple, and has literal intercourse with the Great Mother Goddess. Perhaps the same day animals and plants can be seen wandering into the temple as well.

And in the autumn, hordes of little boys - about old enough to walk and talk - comes whooping and running out of the cave. If you can catch one of them, you are now a Father.

What happens to the yearly husband? Well, he may die (from exhaustion? sacrifice?) or return with a silly grin on his face, ready to take the part next year. Perhaps he is the ruler until next year.

Perhaps all those tests take place within the temple: you must find your Mother (do you remember the way there since you were a squaling babe?), impress her, and beat off contenders in an efficient and Mythically Correct way.

The general attitude of this culture can be both violent (all boyz) or peaceful (mama has told me not to fight).

Think of it: all the people of your tribe born on the same year as you are your brothers. They might even bear a resemblance to you, and to the father of you all. And everyone else within the society, including your father, is your literal brother as well.

Cults and stuff? Well, they obviously worship Mommy. Remember that the Year Father can talk to her once a year, literally. They might also worship really Great Fathers. They might find multiplicity in maleness and singularity in femaleness. Intercourse with anyone but the Great Mother is, of course, sacrilege. Perhaps all Fathers gain a magical gift from the Mother (he may ask one thing after the intercourse, you know during the pillow-talk afterwards), and for him that is really strong (say, cause it to rain by the wave of a hand) but all his kids get a weaker version (say, to cause small cloudbursts) and that is all the magic there is in the society. If the Year Father asks not for the gift of an ability for himself but something great to be done, then his kids get no literal magic, but they might get some similar bonus instead, like great luck in the area of life in which their father gained a miracle.

Perhaps they find that having intercourse with your mother is incest as well. So they choose a foreigner as the Year Father ("You can become King and Demi-God of our people for as long as you can handle the competition, plus one day of the year you get to have _GREAT_ sex.") in some way.

Well, those are incoherent thoughts on the matter. Go figure.

Mythical background: Weird idea, this could be a society of untainted broos (which, of course, is just a short for "brothers"); the Mother is a shard of Thed before she was violated. So these are Pure and Noble Beastmen, dissimilar to Satyrs to the expert only. "The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea, in a beautiful pea-green boat..."
>From "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear

Erik Sieurin
bv9521_at_utb.hb.se
Bodagatan 39, 2 tr
50742 Boras
Sweden
033/141731

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