Peaceful Cut.

From: s.lucek_at_ic.ac.uk
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 97 15:55:36 +0100


 Peaceful Cut

I do not imagine hunters using peaceful cut. I prefer to think that they have many rituals which they perform before the hunt to ensure success. Thus there is probably much propitiating of the animal spirits but this probably happens the night before the hunt, not at the kill. If you bungle the ritual then the animal spirits are not happy with you and you probably catch nothing. Also after a kill there is likely to be a ritual 'thank you' to the spirits, perhaps a libation of choicest parts of the beast at a big feast (or a little feast if all you came back with was a rabbit)

In general, I would say that rituals for placating individual animals or plant spirits (peaceful cut or food song) is limited to a few cultures. More general are mass rituals performed before hunting / planting (such as bless crops) to ensure success, which might have some aspect of propitiating spirits about them. 'Civilised' herders probably have rituals to ensure the fertility of their beasts which would (I think) include the propitiating the spirits then, since any offspring is bound to either a short life before butchering or a life of toil, so you want a blessing for such a life for the beast at its conception really. Also there is likely to be a big celebration of the bounty of the earth, like a harvest festival, after the harvests and butchering of the beasts for winter. Again I would imagine this to be a mass ceremony, to the bounty of the earth in general, not a ritual over each beast.

Praxians have a very different outlook on their herds. Unlike an Orlnathi who sees a beast as part of the great bounty of the earth, over which they have natural right, for a Praxian a beast once was their equal. The Praxian does not recognise that it is the natural order of things is for the herd animals to be butchered or to be used a beasts of burden, rather it is part of the great compromise. It is a deal between humans / morokanth and the beasts. So the peaceful cut almost represents a burial custom. It emphasises the difference of the Praxian way of life. If everywhere has similar rituals, it takes something away from the 'specialness' of Praxian life, for me at least. Similarly with the food song of the elves.

I am probably in a minority of one in my views, but there you go.

Stephen Lucek.


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