Glorantha Seasons

From: Paul.Harmaty_at_aig.com
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 15:13:20 -0400


This past Saturday's digest contained a Stephen Martin post with comments on menstrual cycles & the length of a Gloranthan year.

 > Sandy suggests that perhaps the menstruation cycle in Glorantha is tied
> to the eight week seasons.
> ...8 weeks is not all that long, true, but this would lead to
> only 5 1/4 menstrual cycles in a Gloranthan year, as opposed to 12 or 13
> in the RW.

> On this subject, and the subject of time, I recently realized that if
> Greg, Steve, and co. had made each season 10 weeks long at the start of
> time (i.e., 1977) instead of 8 weeks long, the Gloranthan year would be
> 364 days long instead of 294. Oh, for a time machine....

I know that I've been criticized in the past for suggesting that birthing on Glorantha need not be as painful as it is in the RW. The tenacity with which people supported painful birth was staggering to me. Essentially, birthing is rarely an in-game activity (there is no "push" skill) so the details are unimportant in nearly all cases. I just thought a fresh approach to the whole issue was a good idea. Well here I go again...

I've often wondered whether the length of the Gloranthan year was intentionally nearly exactly as long as the gestation period for a human. I thought this must have some deep significance, but I've never seen anyone comment on it.

Given that the gestation period is nearly equal to a year in length, I wonder if Gloranthan women have only one (random) "season" each year in which they can conceive a child. I don't see why there would have to be a regular cycle of any predictable length. A sort of cosmic symmetry - one opportunity for one child each year.

I haven't thought it through, but I kind of like it.

Barring the radical approach stated above, I'd support the concept of one menses each Gloranthan season (excepting Sacred Time). But again, I don't see the rational for the cycle being a consistent number of days, unless menses begins each season. After all Menses in Latin means months. So following the RW model. . . one per season.

Comments?

Paul Harmaty

Powered by hypermail