Re: Troll Love

From: aelarsen_at_facstaff.wisc.edu
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 09:27:03 -0600


>Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 04:30:16 +0200
>From: "Topi" <popi_at_freenet.hut.fi>
>Subject: Uz & LUV...
>
>In a campaing I¥m running one of my players has a great troll character
>and I¥ve been thinking about developing
>the characters future in the lines of Conan the barbarian (The Arnold
>Swartsch%# what ever movie).The movie presents
> a perfect example of the "revenge" theme in story telling, where the hero
>of the story loses his family and loved ones to
>to the all powerful evil villain of the story and wants revenge.This
>revenge drives the hero¥s quest to better himself.Etc...
> Well... In order to want revenge for someone killing his loved ones he
>has to have strong emotional ties to his loved ones.
>In my understanding trolls have a very different social and emotional life
>compared to humans.If troll society is matriarchal
>and the relationships between female and male trolls are not equal (ie.
>female is dominant.).How can emotional ties strong enough
>to sacrifice your self for your mate to live develop?

        Keep in mind that throughout earth's history, gender relations have not been equal. Most women were definitely the inferior partner in marriage. This did not prevent many women from developing strong ties of love to their husbands (and vice versa). Granted, there aren't a lot of stories of women avenging their murdered husbands, but there are a few stories like that.

        One reason that this bonding happened is that women were educated to serve and please men, and taught that it was their duty to love their husbands, while men were taught that it was their duty to love and cherish their wives, and that it was their duty to protect the 'weaker sex'. In such an atmosphere, cohabitation and procreation, as well as shared hardship, frequently results in deep emotional bonds.

        Obviously, you can't simply invert this pattern, because troll society is rather different on many points, but I think there are a lot of parallels that you could draw off. Male trolls are taught that it's their duty to love, serve, and even worship their wives, while female trolls are taught that it's their duty to love and cherish (frightening thought) and protect their inferior husbands. The failure of trolls to breed true most be the fault of the husband, rather than the wife. Etc, etc.

Andrew E. Larsen


End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #167


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