>What is it that downgrades the shepherd vis a vis
>the ploughman? Admittedly we didn't explore the agriculture
>of Sartar in detail, but would have expected Barntar and
>Voriof to be of roughly equally worth overall, with the
>precise location - and hence the balance between arable and
>pastoral farming - determining which is the more important
>of the two. In the hilly, nigh mountainous areas in central
>Sartar, then sheep would seem to be the likely mainstay of
>agriculture, and Barntar the lesser.
Given that the Orlanthi started out as shepherds rather than farmers (or so I gather), the lack of importance of Voriof does seem strange. I think this is a cultural reflection of the myths about Varnaval, the original Shepherd God from whom Voriof learned his ways.
My guess is that Varnaval was the original agrarian deity of some group of Orlanthi, probably in "The Golden Age". Voriof would thus be a hero and/or son of Orlanth who rediscovers or is taught some of these secrets during the Grey Age. Thus, Orlanthi are herders, but even at the Dawn their farming is much more important than their herding.
Voriof might have more power in some areas where sheep herding is more important, and as I have said before he would also be the generic herder deity for the pigs of Esrolia and the cattle in Ralios. But he is definitely a weaker deity than Barntar, no matter where you live.
Stephen Martin
ilium_at_juno.com
- -----------------------------------------------The Book of Drastic Resolutions
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