Hunter Cult and the Peaceful Cut

From: Bernuetz, Oliver: WPG <Bernuetz.Oliver_at_cbsc.ic.gc.ca>
Date: Mon, 02 Jun 1997 16:35:29 -0400


Thomas Gottschall

>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:

  1. All living things have some sort of spirit.
  2. When anything with a spirit dies due to illness or old age the ties = between the spirit and the flesh break due to the weakening process.
  3. When something with a spirit dies suddenly its spirit is imprisoned in = the carcass or vegetable matter until it rots.
  4. PC and Food Song (FS) can be used on carcasses to free imprisoned spirit= s = early and is considered to be a "good thing" by beings like elves and = hunters who care. (I'd argue that their usage is quite widespread in all = parts of Glorantha).

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)

  1. False. Hunters and others can use PC or FS on a carcass because I don't= = think the alternative is possible or practical.
  2. True.
  3. False because of the same reason as one.
  4. True. Then why can they use traps you ask? Because no matter what pain= = the animals feel in the long run dead is dead. As long as the spirit is = properly freed traps are okay. A trap is not unnecessarily cruel it gets = the job done. Torture is.
  5. False. Again, proper respect is more important than reason the animal i= s = killed. They probably have some sense of not going overboard on the killing= = though.

Hope this answers your questions.

Oliver D. Bernuetz
bernuetz.oliver_at_cbsc.ic.gc.ca


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