In my understanding of the gradual changes that have been occurring in
Glorantha, (not really changes so much as the 'discovery' of new material,
from "King of Sartar" to the "Entekosiad"), the roles of women have been
expanded from "sure, they can carry a sword and fight like any guy" to
"what are their roles and powers in society?". This expansion from
adventuring to society has occurred in all aspects of Glorantha.
I think the first discovery was that the earth cults, which had been represented in old RQ merely by a few supportive battle magic spells (Vigor, Heal), by terrifying evil witch goddesses who seemingly suffered from terrible penis-envy (Babs and Maran Gor), or by prostitutes (Uleria), have blossomed into the real foundation of the world. As Sandy Peterson once wrote, all Gloranthan cultures are earth cultures. Whether they have a solar veneer, or a storm veneer, or a water veneer, they all boil down to what sort of arrangement the male deities have made with the original and still sovereign earth dieties. (It even seems that darkness, the most ancient element, is also female, according to the Uz.)
Therefore, Glorantha as a whole is hardly sexist, at least in the sense that it empasizes the positive value of female forces. As in RW mythology, gender is often emphasized in Gloranthan mythology, often because it is highly symbolic. Put another way, is the Yin/Yang concept sexist because Yin can't be Yang?
Gender wars seems to be an ongoing theme in Greg's Glorantha, as they are in Earth. (Both ancient Greek plays and modern sitcoms use differences in gender roles and attitudes as a common source of humor or drama.) In the literary world, women seem to succeed and triumph more than they do in the real world, (where they still are denied education and freedom in many places, and are paid less and taken advantage of by car dealers in others). Fortunately, Glorantha is a literary world.
Pelorian mythology is a giant gender battleground, with Entekos and her host of female soverign dieties locked in subtle conflict with Brightface, the Opressor, who in turn has big problems with the unpredictability (Storm) released by his transgressions against the ancient utopia brought by the Goddesses. The Red Moon Goddess is a sort of "Goddesses Strike Back" figure in many ways.
Theyalan mythology is more storm oriented, and storm is decidedly male in the Big Symbolic Picture, just as Earth is female. But the rivalry between Orlanth and Ernalda is more personal - as prepresented in the old "Orlanth Wooing Ernalda" poem in the Wyrms Footnotes reprint. Orlanth continually rages at Ernalda for his own inability to sustain life, and she patiently helps him cope with deficiencies, placating his simple mind as she would a child's. As a result Orlanth matures, and together they form the basis for Theyalan society and fertility.
When you look at the Big Mythological Picture in Glorantha, Earth runs the show. The women win.
Translating this to game play:
So, does this mean that all female characters have to do traditional female things? (Hang out in the background, manipulating people and running the show?) No, because there are some active female deities: Vinga, Hwarin Dalthippa, Naveria, etc, There are also a lot of secondary, gender neutral dieties (Chalana Arroy, Pavis, Issaries, Donandar, Yinkin, Lankor Mhy, Dormal, etc.) that women may follow to enrich their adventuring lives. Additionally, any woman can journey to the Other Side and perhaps walk a non-traditional path, and so become a Vingan with storm powers or a Dendaran with salamanders. It's just that they, like all 'adventurers", would be rare.
And, don't forget: as Theya Two Mothers, most Feared Person in Quiviniland from 1350 to 1370 proved, Ernalda rocks.
Who plays what?
Ok, I admit it. Sometimes a woman has had a tough week, and we just need to thrawk some imaginary monsters (or men) with a big weapon. We want blood and guts and veins in our teeth. What to do in Glorantha? We can play something wierd culture where women fight nastily, like an Uz, a Telmori or a wandering Wachaza pirate, or just stick around Sartar and play a male Uroxi. I know lots of women who play male characters, and a lot of men who play female characters. It's roleplaying, after all.
In the old RQ diety-system, your main choices for female deities/characters
were:
healer (Chalana Arroy)
witch (Maran Gor)
man-hater (Babeester-Gor)
slut (Uleria)
be just like a man (Orlanth, Vinga)
While these are all ok and can be fun role-playing options, it seems a bit sexist and limiting to have them be the only female options. What was missing was a powerful, well adjusted character that was distinctly female in her outlook - which is a tall order a roleplaying game, especially if you stop to think about the stereotypical RPG hobbyist.
That's one reason behind the effort to lay out the complex Ernalda
mythology, and to explore the underlying role of Gloranthan women in
society. Hopefully now a female character can start out as "child of the
world", and add "farmer", "mother", "sister", "diplomat", "warrior",
"magician/priestess/shamaness" and "leader" to the list of adventuring
choices. The old "be just like a man" option might be battered a bit, but
hopefully refs and players can salvage what they like of it and still have
a Glorantha that makes sense for them.
I hope I've succeeded in making my long and complex arguement understandable and inoffensive...
Pam
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