>In what way is he enslaved? The cats are free to come and go, but they
>can also be trained to guard the stead and herd.
If they're free to come and go they're not much use as a guard or herd
animal. It's the dumb loyalty dogs provide that makes them valuable
herd/guard animals. An aloof cat wouldn't make as good a guard. I
won't say it's impossible to have a herd cat (Glorantha's more fun with
them) but I think they'd be pretty rare. It's just not in the nature of a
cat
to be a herding animal. With dogs it's part of their pack hunting nature.
Stephen on why kitty won't come a courtin' with dogs around:
>I was exaggerating -- but if I kept dogs, do you think any wild alynxes
>would come along?
Why? If they expect to be treated well and the dogs are trained not to bark at them why wouldn't they come around? They probably feel a great deal of contempt for dogs and little fear.
Stephen again:
>And I deny that it takes an allied spirit alynx to be
>trained -- does a dog have to be an allied spirit to be trained?
Have you ever trained a cat? I won't say it's impossible but there are a
hell of a lot more trained dogs in this world than cats. Cats don't hunt
animals
like dogs do. Herding instinct is built into dogs because they're used to
chasing animals when hunting in packs. The training just keeps them from
trying to kill the herded animal. If you put an untrained dog in with a
flock of
sheep or cattle it'd probably chase them around. A cat (if big enough)
would
just jump on one and kill it.
Herding with a dog takes advantage of two aspects of animal nature:
The training keeps the dog from killing the chased animals. It's all
related.
Now if the analogy for alynxes is cheetahs rather than lynxes you might have
an argument. Cheetahs hunt more like dogs than most cats do and were
trained historically for hunting. However the terrain in Sartar doesn't
really
lend itself to cheetah like cats, not enough open plains. I can't buy that
the
Orlanthi will train sacred animals to perform tasks that are against their
basic nature.
Stephen again:
>I think alynxes are very common, as common as dogs or cats are in our
>society. Certainly they are not just for Rune Lords and Storm Voices.
>So now a dumb animal is going to choose who to bond with on the basis of
>their social status? And Orlanth won't send a sacred and mysterious beast
>to be the aid of a lowly, pious, hard-working cottar? They all go to the
>vain and boastful Wind Lords?
>How boring.
Here I agree with Stephen. (Other than that as fairly large predators
Alynxes
shouldn't be as common as dogs and cats-unless your suggesting the
Orlanthi are feeding them all. Perhaps that's a way they tithe?)
I would think that Alynxes decide for themselves who they hang around with.
A rude cottar might have an Alynx buddy while some great Wind Lord can't get them to come anywhere near him. MGF.
I just don't think the alynxes do much in Orlanthi society than hang around collecting their goodies, just like cats in the RW.
Michael Raaterova:
>I don't think anyone has said that orlanthings have to *like* dogs, which
>should be evident from appellations like 'lowly', 'unclean' and 'stupid and
>ignorant' dogs to take a few examples.
>I'm not arguing that orlanthings are dog-people as opposed to cat-people, i
>merely argue that they keep dogs for 'stupid and ignorant' tasks, like
>herding sheep.
>Going from *dislike* of dogs to a *complete ban* on dogs in the Dragon Pass
>area is rather rash. Even in Prax, where the horse is an extremely taboo
>animal, you find a praxian *horse* tribe, the Pol Joni. Of course, they are
>despised by the other beast riders. But hey, sheep and goat herders in
>Dragon Pass are despised by the cattle herders.
I couldn't agree more. Islam considers dogs to be unclean animals but I'd
be suprised if they didn't use dogs as herding animals. (Wish I knew if
they
did). You don't have to love dogs to use them. Sentimentality has nothing
to do
with expedience.
I can swallow hunting cats, I just can't accept herding cats. (Now pigs
that's
another story!)
Oliver D. Bernuetz
bernuetz.oliver_at_cbsc.ic.gc.ca
www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/realm/5545
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #242
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