I've always viewed spell spirits as "game" on the spirit plane. The = shaman will hunt the game and bring it back alive to the material plane = were it is "consumed" by the student. The nature of the game would = depend on the spell and it's cultural context eg Swordfish would be = Bladesharp...
I'm torn between the spirit just re-appearing on the spirit plane after = it's "released" or the spirits actually breeding in some fashion. = Breeding sounds better because of predators (disease spirits?). I've = always presumed that each God has a small plot on the spirit plane to = keep his spell herds for temple use. I've never had shamans directly = involved in play so this has never been tested.
This raises several interesting questions which I would love to hear comments on. Firstly, can any spirit combat result in the victor taking spirit spells from the vanquished?=20
Why not after all ZZ pinched divine abilities etc so there's plenty of = precedence. Is this how Death spread? On the other hand maybe the Shaman = has a way of preparing/presenting the spirit so that the spell can be = taken which isn't usually an option when attacked by old Berts spirit in = the caves=20
(My feeling is yes, perhaps
limited to one spell) and secondly, where do spirits go to get their
spells replenished? Can any spirit go there? Can shamans go there? If
ghosts can not, does this mean weaker ghosts will be stripped of their
spirit spells over time?
In my assumption Shamans are Hunters on the spirit plane that eat of a = different "flesh", this seems to sit easily with the primitive hunter = gatherer background. A warrior of the Bison riders needs power of = striking for his mount so visits the tribal shaman with offerings- a new = spear, berries, a carving knife among other things, The shaman agrees. = Smearing himself with the berry juices to disguise his scent he sets of = to a sacred place. From there he travels to the spirit plane since he = knows were he will travel to from that spot. On the spirit plane the = great herds run free and the bison are as far as the eye can see. The = shaman hunts a strong bull and "kills" it with the spear taking the hoof = as trophy. Later the shaman returns to the camp with the spectral hoof. = The warrior appeases the spirit of the bison and asserts his right of = power. Later when he fights he is able to fill his mount with the power = of the ancestor bison as though it was with him in battle. ( Ironhand = 4?)
In this view the Shaman knows his tribal territory and from were within = that territory he can relocate to the hunting grounds on the spirit = plane. If he "goes" from somewhere else within his territory or from a = foreign land then he could end up lost. This ties shamans to set = physical land area with specific spots along the way which are sacred to = his tribe and have been handed down for generations. The loss of a = shaman may mean that they can't get hold of certain spells because the = shamans left don't know of a particular sacred spot. I believe it would = also mean that spells would be seasonal in so much as from the skull = hill he can get hold of demoralise spirits but they only pass near there = in early fire season. The work of a shamans apprentice would obviously = involve learning about the sacred places.
If you extend the roles a bit then ancestors could be guarding these = spiritual hunting grounds. The Shamans other duties would be to protect = them from poachers and predators. A shamanic heroquest would be to add = additional land to the territory (add additional spells to those = available to a tribe).
I hope this prompt a few thoughts.....
Dave.
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