Now, now Peter, Humakt is definitely viewed as "evil" by the Orlanthi. The Orlanthi are well-known for their ability to separate "destructive" or "death-bringing" from "evil". I still suspect that in the rural hills of the Provinces, there will be those who view the Seven Mothers and the Red Goddess as a "bad thing" and a "bringer of bad things". Then again, there are those in Dara Happa who still view the Red Goddess as a "bad thing" and a "bringer of bad things".
>>I think this is mostly right, although it is possible that most of the
>>soldiers of the Bagnot militia are not initiated by Orlanth's rites.
They
>>know of Orlanth, they might even worship Orlanth, but their primary
>>devotion is elsewhere. Does this make any sense?
>The concept you are probably struggling for is 'lay member'. I
>do feel that such a religious tie is a lot stronger than implied
>in the RQ2 roolz and it comes from traditional blessings conferred
>upon them by a village initiate. Whether this village initiate
>undergoes Heort's initiation or is simply a Barntar flunky is a
>seperate question altogether.
Maybe. But I will avoid terms like "lay member" like the plague in part because they don't work with the new Hero Wars system. I doubt there is a specialized village Orlanth god-talker in these Lunarized areas, more likely the village god-talker or priest simple makes traditional blessings and sacrifices on Orlanth's sacred days. What, pray tell, is a Barntar "flunky"? All Orlanthi farmers worship Barntar and know his rites - otherwise they can't farm. This by the way is one of the chief reasons that Orlanth is not forgotten even in those places that his "cult" has largely been abandoned - Barntar, in a very real way is Orlanth. Barntar has been interpreted as showing how Orlanth's path (that panoply of mythic events associated with Orlanth) applies to the techniques of farming. If the chieftains' version of those mythic events view it as Orlanth obtaining the right to rule over the Middle Air, then the farmers see it as Barntar showing them how these mythic events define agricultural life.
In Holay, Saird and Tarsh, the provincial farmers both in the hinterland and in the civilized core are certainly aware of Orlanth and are familiar with his myths. However, this does not mean that they can wield his powers or understand his deeper mysteries.
I think that the various provincial militias (as opposed to the clan-based units) are blessed by Humakt or the Seven Mothers and invoke their war-making powers. I bet that individual members of the militia probably call on Orlanth personally in a pinch!
Jeff
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #40
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