death & fertility

From: Mystic Musk Ox <mab_at_sdc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 1997 18:23:22 GMT


Jane Williams:

>Death v. Fertility

>I think this is something that again, will vary from one Glorantha to
>another: in the "new age" Glorantha, it does make sense to me that
>Humakti, Babs Gori etc are infertile, despite what any cult write-ups may
>say on the matter. One point I always try to remember is that in
>Genertela, Genert is dead. The well-spring of life and fertility just
>isn't there, and as a result, making things grow is *hard*.

Presumably this *could* be taken to mean that as Genert is dead, the default is that things are infertile unless the correct rituals are performed. Or is that too much? I rather like the idea of fertility cults grimly performing their rituals to ensure continued fertility, else things will fade away, never to be reborn - of course, even if it isn't "true" they probably see it that way anyway. I don't know how this would leave Humakt/Bab Gor though. Perhaps the "voluntary" extra sacrifices that they perform in some way move the scale back towards fertility? A sort of "Life in Death" philosophy? Or helping the things whose time has come to make way for those yet to come?

cheers,

Mark B.


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