Re: Misc. stuff

From: Jonas Schiött <jonas.schiott_at_hem.utfors.se>
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 00:35:00 +0200


Andrew Larsen:

> A couple of questions about Orlanth:
>
> 1) What is his relationship with the Water Gods? He fights Magasta, and

During the Storm Age, Orlanth and his brothers fought the Sea Gods because... well, because they were there, basically. Heck, they fought anyone who'd stand up and face them. Even after Orlanth mellowed out, there were probably some sore feelings left from the injured parties. I'm not sure if the bit were the Sea tries to invade the Sky somehow pissed the Storm Gods off as well...
A more instrumental way of looking at it is that if Orlanth is going to be a Great God, one who provides his worshippers with everything necessary for their livelihood, he certainly needs to tame Water. So there have to be myths (lika Aroka and Heler) explaining how he came to have this particular power.

> 2) What is the Orlanthi attitude to adultery and concubinage? Orlanth
>has a wife who is clearly his equal, but he also has a concubine, Huraya,
>and he woos Inora as well. He may also have other women that I'm

He does? I'm sure you're right, I just don't recall these particular myths. But there are other instances, like Odayla being his kid by the Lady of the Wild, and I'm sure that not all the Thunder Brothers (if any) are Ernalda's kids. The question regarding adultery is _when_ the O guy was fooling around, and Time is a tricky concept when it comes to the Mythic Age. But roughly speaking, Orlanth and Ernalda don't get hitched until after the death of the sun, i.e. during the Lesser Darkness. That leaves the whole Storm Age for him to sow his wild oats, so to speak. I do have a feeling, though, that sometimes someone being a "son of Orlanth" isn't meant literally, it only means they're in the direct line of descent. Just a hunch.
Anyway, regarding contemporary Heortling mores: "Since marriage is sanctified by divine oath, adultery is frowned upon and sometimes dangerous." King of Sartar, page 243. Since the Godtime, Orlanth's people have been 'civilized' (i.e. their social system has been refined) at least twice: first by Vingkot, then by Heort. So you can't take the fact that Orlanth did something once as an excuse for mere mortals doing it in the present day.



Jonas Schiött

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