Re. Pregnant Death Lords

From: Simon Hibbs <simonh_at_msi-uk.com>
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 11:58:39 +0100


James Frusetta :

>Philip Hibbs wrote:
>> The average Sartarite is going to have no idea what Trolls call their
Zorak
>> Zorani tough guys, so no-one is going to say "You can't call him a
Death
>> Lord, the ZZ use that term!" Different areas are going to use
different
>> terms...
>
>Actually, I'd think the Sartarites are probably going to have a better
>knowledge of this than many other hoomanz -- after all, there's trolls
to
>the north and south (so contact is more common than in some other
areas),
>lotsa Storm Bulls who occasionally pal around with Zorak Zorani, and,
of
>course, knowledge gained from torturing trollish captives...

Maybe. maybe not. You're also assuming that there is a direct traslation between the troll term and the human phrase 'Death Lord'. Persoanly I do prefer the idea that Humakti cult leaders are called Swords. It seems mythicaly appropriate for the Orlanthi to do so, bearign in mind that Humakt is Orlanth's sword.

>From their POV, it's a service to the children, too. Male-born children

>have no ancestress, since all Uz know you can't trace lineage through
the
>father. Plus, since Mr. Mom isn't calling upon Kyger Litor and
Korasting,
>but some weird Orlanthi pervert god (because all the females just
_know_
>that KL wouldn't put up with this kind of freaky stuff), how can the
>children be trolls? They're just some horrible monster children in
troll
>bodies, yuk.

Perhaps. I don't think trolls would think about it that far. If the females did object to males takign on the female role, I think it would be based on power and status in the clan rather than on theology.

>Heck, for that matter, how important do trolls think sexual activity is
to
>reproduction?

Very important. The power to controll access to the females for sexual purposes is the basis of female domination over male trolls. It is also the source of friction between ZZ and Kaarg worshiping male trolls.

>Along those lines, IMG there's a troll trickster figure with a
sex-change
>spell. The horror! Just think, if males could become females! Or vice
>versa: society would crumble!

I on't think trolls have a concept of society in this sense. They know how powerfull they are within troll culture and they want to be more powerfull as individuals. The rest of troll culture seeems to flow directly from that. If a troll matriarch had a chance to make some of her male sons into daughters, capable of bearing her grandchildren, I think she'd grab it with both hands.

Simon Hibbs


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