Belief; marriage; cults

From: David Dunham <dunham_at_pensee.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 1997 18:01:39 -0700


Jane Williams wrote

> This is Glorantha. If [Basmoli] all believe, wholeheartedly, that they look
> like lions, and keep that belief up, then they will look like lions.

Not necessarily. I was discussing something similar with Greg Stafford recently, something about how people could reinvent their past, and he took great pains to point out that Glorantha doesn't work like that. You can do "creative remembering," but this doesn't change what was. I extrapolate this to apply to the Basmoli. If they look like lions, it's because of their ancestry or practices, not just because they think they look like lions.

Joseph Troxell wondered

> who decides on who gets married?

Depends on the culture, of course. I've been mostly playing with Orlanthi, and I use the Icelandic model from several sagas. The young man asks the girl's father (often with the backing of some important men). The father agrees if it's a good match, subject the daughter's approval. Sometimes the young man has to impress the girl first (e.g. Olaf the Peacock).

And it depends on your social rank. I suspect a couple of cottars can marry and nobody cares much. If you're a king's daughter, you're going to have a lot more social pressure to find a good match that will benefit your tribe.

Alex Ferguson

> would think that in an existence
> as marginal as his campaign reports indicate, that the Adventurous
> aspect would simply not be present yet

Jeff doesn't like the "Adventerous" label, but the subcult definitely exists. Jeff calls it Orlanth the Warrior. The subcult has many regional variations. For example, the Varmandi worship Vingkot the Victorious. (This will all be detailed in our piece for Enclosure.)

> Do (m)any other of you good people think the separate priesthoods of
> Orlanth are traceable back to actual separate cults (of actual separate
> gods?), all the way to the Dawn?

Before the Dawn, actually.

> Chalana Arroy and
> Lhankor Mhy both seem very likely to be merged

I'm not sure if being such a tiny cult means Chalana Arroy is more or less likely to have been merged. More, since there would be lots of isolated, small cults. Less, since there wouldn't be to large powerful cults to be reconciled.

David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_pensee.com> Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein


End of Glorantha Digest V4 #350


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