dogs and Ernaldans, Wolves and Cougars from Pam Carlson on 1997-11-26 (Glorantha Digest Vol 05)

From: Pam Carlson <carlsonp_at_wolfenet.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 12:34:20 -0800

DOGS AND ERNALDANS
I would like to point out that as a card-carrying member of the SFC, I think dogs are even BETTER than sliced bread, and think the Sartarites are foolish if they don't keep them. But hey, if Greg is certain of it, then we'll deal with the ramifications.

I think that MOST Orlanthi/Theyalans are NOT opposed to dogs. Indeed, they are popular among the Balazaring Thyealans. So why don't the Sartarites like them?

IMO because Sartar is next to Kero Fin, the sacred birthplace of Orlanth and his brother, Yinkin. I think the Yinkin cult is strongest in Sartar. Perhaps in Sartar Alynxes ARE more versatile than earth cats - they are a fantasy animal, after all. The Bad Dog myth is reinacted in Sartar, but probably not in other places.

BUT - Orlanth is only half the culture. Ernaldans have different virtues and values. (Last night in the ToDP campaign we had a big row over
"honor". The men didn't want to violoate it, while many of the women
thought that vengeance was clearly more important than honor.) This is likely a common tension in Orlanthi societies.

GoG (for what it's worth) lists dogs as animals of Asrelia. Therefore, I think that women may have far less reason to be mythically prejudiced against dogs. And if alynxes are closely tied to Orlanth and don't interact with women much, (which may or may not be true in your Glorantha), you can bet that women will keep a domestic pet/helper of their own, and these might well be dogs. (Or perhaps pigs! Imagine a 200 pound guard sow...). Dogs are probably quite common in Esrolia and Tarsh.

The "Bad Dogs" could well be a reference to an ancient conflict between the interests of earth and storm. One of the themes of Jeff's ToDP campaign is political power struggles between the Earth Priestesses and the Storm Voices in several tribes. Perhaps in Sartar, the Storm Voices have triumphed more than in other Orlanthi lands. (Making Sartar to the Orlanthi as Dara Happa is to the Pelorians... but that's another ball of wax!)

Frex, how many people in the RW remember that the traditional kiddie's song
"Frog went a Coutin'" is actually a political protest song from Scotland in
the 1500-1600's?

I also like Michael's ideas about cottars keeping dogs, a low class animal. Do what's MGF for your Glorantha.

- --------------------

WOLVES AND COUGARS A bit of real world biology - recent field studies in Montana and Idaho have observed wolves harassing cougars (also called pumas). Packs of wolves have been seen stealing kills from the big cats, chasing them into trees apparently for fun, and even killing adults to eat them. The biologists concluded that this is the first opportunity modern biologists have had to observe these interactions, because only in the 90's have both predators been protected enough to expand their ranges into overlapping areas. Furthermore, human pressre had confined them to the same areas, which might not happen with unlimited space. They think that naturally, wolves live in more open or lightly forested country where they can chase effectively, whereas cougars like rocky highlands and dense forests where they can wait and pounce.

Maybe in our next Northwest con we can take a group in to the Cascades to hear some wolves!

Pam