Re: The Glorantha Digest V7 #450

From: Robert Stancliff <stancliff_at_ccgnv.net>
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 09:07:44 -0500


> Subject: Thanatari HQ?
> Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to have a Thanatari try
> some sort of perverted form of the LBQ using heads taken from
Lightbringer
> priests (with a mad head for Flesh Man). He's obviously trying for
> something insidious, but I'm not quite sure what would be really
> interesting/evil. Any suggestions about how the LBQ could be
intentionally
> misused?
> Andrew E. Larsen

        He would probably want to bring back Osentalka, the Bright/Shining One, or Gbaji.
> ------------------------------

> On Cattle as Sacrifices:
> I just finished an interesting book, "Courtesans & Fishcakes: The
> Concuming Passions of Classical Athens" by James Davidson
> (ISBN 0-06-097766-3) where the author makes the point that all
> domestic animals (beef, pork and mutton) were butchered after
> sacrifice in a manner to ensure that all the participants received
> equal portions, with no effort to distinguish between various cuts.
> That meant that some portions were mostly fat and bone while
> some were mostly rump or fillet, so that lots had to be drawn to
> give everyone an equal chance at a good bit.

        In the Hebrew law, the large sacrifices might burn the fat and entrails, but the meat was briefly seared and removed to be divided or simply given to the priest for his family.

        Some portion of the blood might be used on the altar, but most of it drained away.
> ------------------------------

> Subject: The Runes of Genert
> But I'm very interested in opinions of the old-style RuneQuest Runes that
> people think are attached to the worship of Genert when such existed
> any thoughts?

        Genert is the direct analog for Pamalt, on the northern continent. He should have a similar runic alliance, possibly with another unique rune or Pamalt's 'Leadership' rune. He wouldn't need as many runes as you suggest since his sphere of influence is more one of leadership and cooperation. You might give him Mastery and Harmony since he lead the gods to cooperative efforts.
> - -------------------------

> >most historians generally agree that in many way the
> >peasant diet varied little between the 9/10th century and the the
17/18th.

        HMM, except that they got to keep less and less of it.  

> Apart from the introduction of the potato, little has changed for the
> available food. However, 17/18th century peasants were different from
> 9/10th century peasants in social status by a huge margin. From the late
> middle ages on, peasant rights for foraging, fishing, hunting, etc. had
been
> diminished, while at the same time the tithes and taxes went up. The 9th
> century farmer was a franklin even owning his own (utility, i.e.
including
> hunting) weaponry, the 17th century farmer was basically a serf owing
> everything to his liege lord.

        IMO, I consider this a telling point. By the time peasants became serfs, the lord was regularly taxing to the subsistence level and keeping everything else for his household and his soldiers. This amassing of the peasant's wealth to the lord allowed many excesses, but also funded advances in metal armor.

        In the very early periods, the farmer kept most of his production and only rendered up perhaps 20% for the support of priests and thanes, all IMO.

> > By analyzing the food rations of retired peasants, as
stipulated
> >in support contracts signed by those who took over their farms,

        The simple fact that the contract was for a retired, elderly person, proves that it was intended to only be a subsistence diet. From the farmer's viewpoint, the retired person was 'deadweight'. Stancliff


End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #451


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