Dave Dunham:-
>Yes, but think about a likely side-effect of losing your masculine
fertility...
>And for an Orlanthi male not to have a son to instruct, to run his
>farm when he gets too old to, and more importantly, who can avenge
>him, is not at all the same as modern guys with 401k retirement plans
>deciding it's too expensive to raise a kid.
Certainly having children would be more important for a Orlanthi than for a 20/21st C Western European male (on average!)
The Guy who doesnt have a kid 'cause its to expensive today might well have a few sons and daughters to 'look after him in his old age'.
But a lot of people just 'dont want kids', then and now. And more of them are male than female. Again sweeping generalisation I know.
And of course a Man can 'Love' and leave whereas a woman often cannot.....or are we postulating a world where there is widespread magical/herbal contraceptive/abortificant usage? (I cant see that in Orlanthi lands meself.....children are the tribes future...Orlanth/Ernalda/Tribal Elders would come down on that like a ton of bricks....for much the same reasons as the Jewish faith did in our world.)
As to Humankti losing their fertility.......that might not be much of a issue to a professional soldier such as a roman Legionary (in for 15 years plus, and if his legion is campaigning having a barracks wife might not be practical) or a Professional Sword Thane...losing the ability would be more of a issue though!! But then Humakti are allmost as wierd as Christian Monks!
DomT
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