Chaos Goats

From: TTrotsky_at_aol.com
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 1997 15:24:11 -0500 (EST)


Sergio:

<< The connection between broos and goats would be seen as an infestation
 and a sickness. If orlanthings noticed broo activity onthe surroundings, they would certainly protect more carefuly their goat stocks.>>

    In practical terms, I think that would be rather difficult. It would be a lot easier to do without the goats. While goats are good for milk, meat and sometimes wool, these are all things you can get from other animals. So you don't actually *need* to keep goats if they are more trouble than they're worth - as they will be if they have the habit of dropping little baby broos around after them.

<< If they suspected that broos had already infested the goats they would
kill them. But the best way to avoid the problem is by killing the broos first. >>

      No, the best way to avoid the problem is to kill the goats. It's much easier to kill a goat than a broo. While it doesn't prevent you from being marauded by sheep-broo and cattle-broo, there will be less of them overall which is a big help for what is (in the long term) relatively little effort on your part.

     Given the loathing that broos/chaos incite in Orlanthi culture, it seems difficult to believe that anything which obviously helps their numbers increase would be treated at all generously. Given that Orlanthi do keep goats, and Odayla even has a Command Goat spell, I suspect that any link between broo and caprines must be weak enough that the advantages a goat has over cattle and sheep (mostly their ability to survive on much rougher terrain) outweighs it.

      I agree with Nick that there is a mythical or folklore link, but that this is not sufficient to give Orlanthi anything to worry about. Some clans may refuse to keep goats, but those in the highlands will be pragmatic enough to keep their herds when they don't face any increased broo predation as a result.

Nick:

<<IMG, there is a connection between broos, goats and chaos -- though this may be more a "scapegoating" thing (whereby, say, the Orlanthi *make* certain goats represent chaos in their rituals, rather than all goats anywhere being Chaotic) than a universal Truth.>>

     If it *is* a universal truth then those Zarkosite goat-herding nomads from eastern Peloria were obviously a dodgy lot...

Forward the glorious Red Army!

     Trotsky (who grew up on a goat farm...)


End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #246


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