>>Since Voria is the goddess of young girls, it's logical that her
>>cult trains young girls in the skills they will use as women, namely
>>sewing, etc. Where else do young Orlanthi girls learn these skills if not
>>from the main cult devoted to them.
>
>From their mothers, not from the Vorian Temple. Voria has
>nothing to do with household skills.
>
>>I also wanted to contrast her to Voria as much as possible. Where
>>Voria stays home and is peaceful, BG leaves home and is a warrior.
>
>Voria does not "stay home and is peaceful". She is born in Hell
>and dances the rights of spring with High King Elf. She is
>closer to the pagan Easter Goddess than the Goddess of Needlework
>and Embroidery.
So what function does Voria play in Orlanthi culture? What exactly does one worship the Goddess of Spring for? Surely not just the start of Spring, because that has nothing to do with children. In a culture where social functions are expressed through cults, a cult of children must play some social function associated with children. I'm hardly suggesting that Voria is 'the Goddess of Needlework and Embroidery', only that if she takes children under her tutelege, such tutelege would involve the socially useful function of teaching them basic skills.
>>I was unaware of this facet of Esrolian culture. Is it documented
>>somewhere that the cult has no male worshippers in Esrolia?
>
>It's a fact that only women join Babeester Gor. Esrolia is
>not likely to be an exception to this because they are more
>feverent believers in the divide in sex-related tasks than
>most Orlanthi are.
You're making a circular argument here. According to your previous response, "Yet there are no male worshippers in Esrolia and it seems the best explanation is that Babeester admits none." Now you're saying that it's a fact that only women join Babeester Gor, and Esrolia is not likely to be an exception. What I was asking was whether there was established information that there are no male worshippers of Babeester Gor in Esrolia, which would support your contention that BG accepts no male worshippers under any circumstances. Now you're asserting that point as simple fact, without offering any support for that contention.
>>>This seems rather extravagant given that initiates of both Maran Gor
>>>and Ernalda are not automatically initiates of Babeester Gor. What
>>>about Voria, Asrelia or Ty Kora Tek?
>
>> IMG, the 6 earth cults have a certain overlap. Initiating into
>>Ernalda is the adulthood rite for girls, so initiates of BG are in most
>>cases already initiates of Ernalda.
>
>The initiation of a woman into Babeester Gor is different than
>the general adulthood initiation of a women into Ernalda.
My point exactly. Babeester Gor initiates are almost by default Ernalda initiates. Where's the problem?
>>For Maran Gor, I admit that I have less justification. Since the 6
>>cults overlap, the crucial initiation points should correspond to
>>biological changes.
>
>If true, should women expect to join Babeester Gor and Maran Gor
>in their lifetime? I don't think so hence I feel it is a bit
>much to impose such identifications on the respective cult.
I'm sorry, but I don't follow you here. As I admitted before, the biological change model of initiation works better for the 'light' earth cults than the dark earth ones. My sense of it is that the two 'paths' ought to be parallel, but I don't see a good way to make that work. The initation in MG is not a particularly major issue, and easily removed from the write-up.
So then, the 'dark' earth cults perhaps represent alternatives to the 'traditional' woman's role at each stage of life. Maran Gor, who has to destroy her children represents a strong contrast to Ernalda, who nurtures them.
>>The dark earth cults renounce fertility, which ought to involve a
>>cessation of menstration. Since BG doesn't menstrate, I couldn't
>>think of an obvious point where a BG might transit into Maran Gor.
>
>Since Maran Gor acolytes can be fertile, it seems strong to suggest
>Babeester Gor initiates have renounced fertility.
Given all the debate on the list recently about Humakti fertility, why does it seem so probable that the 'dark' earth cults are fertile without difficulty? All three possess Death runes (although not the doubled Death rune of Humakt), which means they can't hold the Fertility rune. All the 'light' earth cults have the Fertility rune, so for the 'dark' cults to hold the Death rune strongly suggests a giving up of Fertility. What can the sacrifice of Fertility by an earth goddess mean except that her worshippers (at least ideally) renounce childbirth?
Furthermore, Vorian priestesses have to be virgins. If Voria and BG are parallels somehow, childlessness seems appropriate.
Overall, my biggest concern is to avoid a BG whose cult is nothing but a group of stereotypical man-hating bitches. Such an image feels too much like a teenage boy's vision of what a strong female warrior is like for my taste. Surely there must be women (and the occasional man) who have a sincere desire to defend and serve the earth without hating everything male and non-earth?
Andrew E. Larsen
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