>I've reread the hunter cult write-up in Questlines and have therefore
>some questions :
>1. Is it true that hunter cultist aren't allowed to kill their pray in
>order to use their Peaceful Cut to kill them instead ?
>2. The Peaceful Cut is a ceremony where the hunter kills the animal and
>sends its soul to the beastmother, right ?
>3. Hunters aren't allowed to use traps because the animals would be dead
>before he could use his Peaceful Cut ?
>4. Hunter gods dislike/hate cultists who let animals unnecessary feel
>pain ?
>5. There are no hunters who hunt for fur alone because the meat musn't
>be wasted ?
Hmm, interesting questions. The pervasiveness of the Peaceful Cut (PC) =
ceremony and who does and who doesn't use it came up before so you can check=
=
back issues of the Digest for more info.
I was thinking about PC during lunchtime and wondering how it works from an=
=
ecological viewpoint. The purpose of the spell (if I remember correctly) is=
=
to free the spirit of the animal from the flesh so it can return to the =
Spirit Plane where it can wait to be reborn. If this isn't the correct =
purpose I suggest it should be because then the spell can be used on dead =
animals to free their trapped spirit. You'd have to be a pretty damn good =
hunter to always wound your prey. I think you have to use the PC if you're =
=
a hunter to free the animal's spirit not that the animal necessarily needs =
to still be alive. I don't imagine that this would be possible in the real =
=
world.
This begs the question as to what happens when animals die but not at the =
hand of humanoid hunters. If they die of old age or disease I would =
imagine the spirit is automatically freed to go on to the Spirit Plane. (I =
=
think this automatically occurs because old age and disease act to weaken =
the linkages between the body and the spirit). This may even automatically =
=
occur when one animal kills another animal. (The other possibility that =
occurred to me is that the spirit is trapped in the carcass for as long as
even the smallest bit of the carcass remains intact. Once the carcass is =
gone off it goes. If this is the case PC just speeds the up process). =
Maybe carnivore devour the spirit of their prey as well and add it's =
"energy" to their own. This seems kind of self-defeating in an ecological =
long-term so I don't think this is the case.
But what happens when an animal dies by accident? Does the spirit have to=
=
hang around the carcass until it rots away? I've come out before in favor =
=
of a more "magical" Glorantha and I think I like the feel of this. Here's =
my take on this spirit question:
All bets are off when magic and sentient beings are involved though. A =
magic spell can be used to bind spirits thus preventing them from going on =
to the Spirit Plane or Sever Spirit can send your spirit on early without =
your body having to die. IMO in many cultures the spirits of sentient =
beings can stay on the material plane through willpower alone. This would =
include people who died slowly through torture and who may not feel ready =
yet to leave before completing their unfinished business (ala your favorite =
=
ghost story). Sentient beings may not have the sense to return to the =
spirit plane when their dead unless they get the right send off in the form =
=
of a ceremony. And then again in some societies who don't believe this they=
=
may go straight to the afterworld because that's what you do
when your dead if your a [insert culture here].
To answer Thomas' questions (all IMO)
Hope this answers your questions.
Oliver D. Bernuetz
bernuetz.oliver_at_cbsc.ic.gc.ca
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