Re: Orlanthi Law

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_yeats.ucc.ie>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 02:04:16 GMT


Jeff self-critiques:
> I seem to be continuing my rambling lecture on Orlanthi society and law.

Nothing wrong with a good ol' ramble. If you keep on agreeing with me, though, I'll run out of material to set you off! (As vices go, I find that one hard to denounce, I must admit.) I particularly applaud your on-going themes of "Different clans disgree on that one." and "Feuds can arise easily.", which are two my personal mantras in conceptualising Orlanthi social interactions.

> Let's divide the Lunars into two groups shall we? The actual Lunar
> Provincial Government, based in Orlanthi Saird, is run by Lunarized
> Orlanthi.

Oops, yes, I was very much meaning the "lowland" Pelorian Lunars here; pardon my terminological floppitude. While it looks like the Lunarising process is making some of the 'subordinate' social units less important (the clans, and especially the tribes, and I don't know if say Tarsh even has any tribal federations at all), they still have them, of course.

> The best book I've found dealing
> with Brehon law and how it worked is "Clansmen and Cattle Lords" by Nerys
> Patterson. It's not available in the UK, although you can order it from
> Borders' Books.

Or even amazon.co.uk, if one is opposed to leaving's one's computer chair.

While I'm woefully ignorant about both Irish and Norse law, I think you can't go far wrong by stealing inspiration (at least) from either. The cultures that brought you, the consumer! (sorry, too much tea) the customs of "lose a copyright dispute; start a war about it; on losing that too, start a religious movement" and "kill someone, and then go directly to the nearest household to report the fact" are very effective counterweight to Inappropriate images of modern western ("Zzzzzzzz...") or ancient eastern (state-ordained slice'n'dice) legalisms, which might otherwise pop into one's head when the L-Word is mentioned.

Sl\'{a}n libh,
Alex.


End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #410


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