>he has asked me if he can disavow them and leave the
>clan. What's the standard Orlanthi view on this? Can
>he? Does he have to do something weird and
>mythological? (I know about the Humakt rituals: he's
>an Orlanthi...)
Well "No one can make you do anything" so it should be perfectly possible to leave your clan ties. The question is where do you go. Without kin or kindred you are no better off than an outlaw, there are none to support you legally or emotionally. The answer would be to find a group who could replace the clan ties, either a new clan who were willing to adopt you or in HW terms a Hero Band (perhaps your temple? a mercenary band?).
Note how in KoDP a number of the episodes have refugees from the conflict in Herotland arriving in your clan lands and you have to decide whether to adopt them as a weaponthane, a cottar or whatever. The mixed benefits presented there - new blood for the clan but possible jealousy of existing clan members would apply.
Gifts would obviously help smooth the path.
Dont' forget that Orlanthi marriages are exogamous. It is likely that anyone has maternal/paternal relatives in allied clans that migh take him in (in Germanic and Celtic cultures there were stong bonds between maternal uncles and nephews, in addition in Anglo Saxon cultures to your god-parents [your spiritual kin]).
There might well be some sort of adoption right into the new clan or bloodline.
An Orlanthi might well be able to use a Hunakti ritual to sever ties with his kin if he felt badly enough - it is part of the same mythology. HW emphasises your relationship to your pantheon more than RQ did.
As for thralls being the method of absoption of others into clans KoDP definitely sugests attitudes are mythical. In the darkness - some clans absorbed those falling on hard times others took them in as thralls.
Also in KoDP there are episodes where members of the clan who have been absorbed quarrell with those who claim descent of kindred (I think they have names maybe David can illuminate this one).
IMHO KoDP is a good source for how an Orlanthi clan 'works'.
Ian
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #810
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