> Did the Finger Goddesses have a cult in the 3rd age before Valare Addi
> rediscovered them?
Probably not by themselves. They MAY have been a small mystery of the native Pelandan earth cults, still worshipped by the peasants of what is now Eastern Carmania. Or they may have been entirely forgotten.
> What role do the Finger Goddesses play in lunar theology,
Nothing much in particular. They are part of the ancient mileu of earth goddesses, all of which are, and are not, part of the Red Goddess. See?
>and am i right in thinking that they are seen in mystical and
> symbolic terms nowadays?
You betcha. The discription in Entekosiad is both vague and grandiose, which means you can pretty much ascribe any mystical significance to them that is MGF in your campaign.
For example, ancient figurines of the finger goddesses are popping up in my Alkoth campaign. One was passed off from the hand of a murdered woman, while another was used as the focus of a sacred ankus that controls gazzam.... and who knows where else they might appear? But you can be sure that A) the PC's will come across them, and B) every NPC and their dog is after them for one reason or another... perhaps even the talking horse!
> ------------------------------
Ernalda/Babeester Gor/Voria
> We assumed that in general, career initiates of Babeester Gor
> were not common, but that each clan steading would have at
> least an Ernalda shrine. So who would guard them?
Does every clan Ernalda shrine need a guard? Just who is going to defile it - - certainly not the clan members! And it is the resposibility of the chief (ie, Orlanth) to protect Ernalda now. In Varmandi lands, the clan warriors protect the Ernalda shrine. Except of course for the secret Kero Finn shrine, the women's sacred place, which is guarded by the Homicidal Pig from Hell. But that's another story.
>The conclusion was that the bulk of Babeester Gor initiates
> would be bored teenage girls with axes who are there as
> much to get them personally out of the way for a while,
> either as punishment or due to general ineptitude in
> other tasks;
Are we talking about an agrarian society here? Do Orlanthi really have the luxury to allow their teenagers to lounge about aimlessly with weapons? I would think the teenage girls (and boys) would be quite busy plowing, hoeing, planting, weeding, harvesting, tending livestock, cooking, caring for siblings, caring for aged adults, and making clothes, tools, and shelter. And they would be quite good at it, considering they'd been at since the age of eight or so.
> The worship of Ty Kora Tek would also fill a social niche;
> with each clan having at least one Corpse Woman, giving some
> usefulness for old and widowed women without near surviving
> relatives.
The Ty Kora Tek priestess or gyda is important. She can protect the clan from the dead, and can curse enemies. She oversees the proper funeral and ancestral rites for women. Her spirit can live on and protect the borders of hte clan tula as well.
And, surely, you don't mean to imply that old or widowed women are otherwise useless? Are old men useless, too? They must be more so, because there is no male TKT equivalent.
I rather think the Orlanthi venerate and respect their elders, for the elders know the stories best, and stories are magic, and magic is survival in Glorantha.
> The Voria devotee will serve as a "professional aunt" within
> her tribe, providing the sort of assistance with child
> rearing expected from the extended family.
I think that the Voria role would be filled by a promising child, and no more. It is not a role for an adult. No one stays in Voria or Voriof; they simple aspects of larger gods, and are worshipped as part of certain life stages. The religious education of children/young adults would be undertaken by the Ernalda and Orlanth clerics.
In short, Barbeester Gori are VERY rare, and all the more scary because they are. They are more common in Tarsh and Esrolia than in Sartar. A BG PC is likely to be a desperate woman who has lost everything, who has decided to devote the rest of her life to prtoecting Ernalda and exacting vengeance on those who wronged her. Not very playable in most campaigns. If you are after more of a mercenary type, you may want to have the character be from Esrolia.
Sorry, but I just don't see the RQ3 cult descriptions of earth deities giving rise to any culture that would have existed on earth - or in Glorantha, given all the other info we have about it. RQ3 was written for "adventurers" in an "adventure campaign" setting, so it does not lend itself to extrapolating about the cultures. RQ's great weakness was that it did a poor job describing how Gloranthan religions fit in with their cultures. Greg has mentioned this at several cons.
This is all in my opinion - or rather, part of the Heortling scheme evolved by the SFC - the Seattle Farmer's Cooperative (we share beer) - and many other Gloranthophiles. But it may not be MGF for your campaign, so do what you like.
Pam
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