> During the perennial Humakt conversation, David Hall added the testimony
> of (presumably) Nick Brooke:
Nope, that was my mate Nota Bene speaking. I like my initials, but they can cause confusion from time to time. FWIW, I think the Humakt infertility thing is often taken arse-backwards: because Humakti are often cold, scary, obsessive warrior types, they tend not to settle down and raise kids. Celibacy, maybe (an 'honourable' approach to life), but I knew one Sword who could only get it up after a good battle...
BTW, we aren't *that* "grim" in Lismelder lands today (it might have been different when Great Great Grandpappy Indrodar was around); only one of the regular Greydog characters was a Humakti, and the rest of us thought him rather impressive but different. (We were off worshipping the Great Newt, Odayla the Hunter, the Old Grey Hare, Umath Breath-Father, and other such awe-inspiring deities).
But the Goodsword clan are still very "Humaktish": not good company down the Greydog Inn. They do most of the work repelling Delecti's insinuations and invasions from the Upland Marsh, IIRC; we Greydogs tend to stir things up more...
But that ain't the "norm" (or the perceived norm) in Sartar, where most Humakti join together in "temple" warbands, either under tribal Kings as part of their household, or else setting up on their own. (Maybe like the gaesetae, Gallic mercenary bands; or the Fianna of the Red Branch? Or, of course, those wonderful Jomsvikings).
> Arthur doubts Argan Argar is an acceptable husband for Ernalda:
The most extensive/intensive Earth-worshipping culture of Genertela is undoubtedly the land of Esrolia, where Argan Argar was the dominant husband-protector from before the Dawning until the coming of the Pharaoh: that's more than two Ages of Gloranthan history! Esrolia was ruled by the Only Old One, son of Argan Argar and the local Earth Goddess, Esrola.
This makes Argan Argar look like an eminently suitable husband for the Earth Goddess, particularly in a backward troll-influenced fringe region of the Holy Country like the Troll Woods where the Old Ways are still strong.
The ruling Earth Goddess of Esrolia is known to foreigners under three different names:
Esrola as "Grain Goddess"
Ernalda as "Mother Goddess"
Asrelia as "Old, Rich Earth Goddess"
God Learnerish types call her "Esrola" if they're being local or parochial, "Ernalda" if they're being functional, and "Asrelia" when they have a grasp of the antiquity of the local Earth religion (or a sense of how important the temple granaries and treasuries are to that land).
IMG, the locals know their Great Goddess as "Esra". She is (monomythically) "Asrelia as the Earth Mother", an earlier stage of the evolution of the Six Earth Goddesses, still preserved in the local (archaic) Earth Mythology. Her daughter, Ketha (after whom Kethaela is named), is the local Grain Goddess -cum- Land Goddess. Her dark twin, Ty Kora Tek, is Queen of the Dead. Esra has many husbands and protectors, but the jealousy between them caused the War of the Gods; only through her mediation was this brought to an end.
> Her husband is killed by some other clan and weregeld is paid in
retribution.
> But she doesn't want it. What she really wants is to kill the offending
clan
> entirely, by every subterfuge she can muster.
Several aspects of Eurmal would certainly help. (So would the missionaries of the Red Moon -- by helping her come to terms with her grief, of course! :-)
But the question of where her social/spiritual guidance comes from when she is acting *outside* society's norms (by refusing weregeld and protracting a feud) is an unusual one. If her kin and clan are pressing her to accept but she refuses, she could be seen as starting or protracting a Kinstrife (a Gagarth role?). Whatever she may say or think, her clan are likely to interpret her behaviour as being driven by something antisocial - perhaps possession, or communion with some hungry, thirsty, vengeful goddesses.
Maran Gor (the "Mother-in-Law Goddess") would be a good choice, especially if she's from Tarsh or Far Point: less direct and more manipulative/scheming than Babs, less overtly evil and deathly than TKT. And we all know that the Goddesses can shade into one another, young to old, light to dark side: she needn't formally "visit the Shakers Temple" or sacrifice a point of POW for initiation if her own inner nature is developing from fertile/Ernaldan to barren/Maran Gor (i.e. following the same course as Maran Herself during Godtime).
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #282
Powered by hypermail