> Surely, if the clans are exogamous, there will be members of
> your bloodline that are part of other clans? I presume that you can
> be part of only one clan, but are part of the bloodline of both
> parents.
> Even if they are part of another clan, marryin' your cousins
> still ain't right.
[Once again, I'm using the shorthand of the base Heortling patrilineal, patrilocal model: "Most Orlanthi clans are patriarchal clans, and trace their bloodlines through the male side."]
'Part of' as in living with, yes, 'part of' as in members, no. Except in exceptional circumstances, bloodline and clan membership doesn't change, and it certainly doesn't change automatically on marriage. Heortlings distinguish between 'family' and 'bloodline'. This is what ROTO says about families:
"Family is an informal (non-legal, but practical) term which includes the immediate relatives of an individual. It always includes his wife, parents, siblings, and children. It often includes any uncles, aunts, or first cousins who live within the same stead. Families have no official legal standing, and are a matter of biology and affection rather than law and custom."
However, your married sisters will certainly be living with husbands on other tulas, and their children will be members of their father's bloodline.
If bloodline membership is patrilineal, its passed from father to son, and wives retain their original clan and bloodline membership. If ego is of clan A, and we're using the 'base' Heortling patrilineal model, then M[um] is clan B, MM (Mother's Mother) may be clan C, and FM (Father's Mother.. ... you get the picture) may be of clan D. Do this for a few generations and you can see why women can be so effective as peaceweavers - they maintain the bonds between different clans. By contrast, the cooperative and enduring patrilineal and patrilocal bonds between brothers are emphasised, and this is the strength of a Heortling bloodline across the generations.
In most RW patrilineal clans, lineage (bloodline) membership is normatively patrilineal - you are of your Father's bloodline. The variations in Heortling marriage patterns mean that some variation *must* exist, depending on the marriage contract. The clan (and bloodline) identity of children will be contracted before birth, or in the case of out-of-wedlock birth, belong to the mother's bloodline. And yes, I agree there will prescriptions on marrying close affinal kin.
As I've said in other postings, they will certainly be some flexibility in bloodline eligibility, but if there is too much flexibility, then in several generations the well defined patrilineal clan gets replaced by a rather amorphous blob where everyone can claim bloodline membership with everyone else, and location rather than descent becomes the prime indicator of indentity. Since well-defined clan structures are central to most recent writings, I have to assume that this doesn't happen, and despite the plethora of variants listed in ROTO, these remain a minority in 'real-life'.
This discussion may seem to be getting esoteric, and the way ROTO presents the many variations on Heortling kinship makes it seem somewhat daunting. There are variants on everything! However, if we concentrate on understanding the 'base model' of patrilocal, patrilineal clans, I think we can gain insight into the Orlanthi worldview in ways that make for stronger and more creatively challenging game play. Some of us (quite legitimately) get our kicks from exploring the complexities of Glorantha for its own sake, but the end result always has to be something that can be translated into enjoyable game play. I think that to do that properly for kinship we have to stop talking in the theoretical abstract and provide some concrete descriptions of a number of different clans and steads in detail. TOTRM made a good start! In so far that this is a fairly compelling project for me personally and something I'd like to build on cooperatively, I can only say stay tuned for future announcements/calls for help.
Cheers
John
nysalor_at_primus.com.au John Hughesjohnp.hughes_at_dva.gov.au
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