Re: More on marriage

From: Andrew Larsen <aelarsen_at_facstaff.wisc.edu>
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 10:52:03 -0500

>
> Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 14:32:07 +0100 (BST)
> From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_cs.ucc.ie>
> Subject: LBQ.
>
> Andrew Larsen on why to LBQ:
>> Reconcile a hostile political power or personal enemy.
>
> But it obviously works best of all to reconcile oneself with an
> enemy who just happens (OK, better yet if _you_ killed him!) to be
> dead at the time. ;-)
>

    I thought that killing your opponent was a way to reconcile, or at least resolve the dispute.

> From: "Bender the Robot" <bendertherobot_at_earthlink.net>
> Subject: Re: More on Marriage

>
> Thomas McVey wrote
>> If women always marry outside the clan, wouldn't there then be a=20
>> disincentive for the clan to put a bunch of resources into educating=20
>> them or training them?
>
> Only if the men control the educational and training resources, and not =
> necessarily even then. Since women don't have the low status we would =
> expect from low training/education, we can infer that women control some =
> of those resources, or there are reasons why men want their daughters to =
> be educated/trained. Both men and women would want daughters to be well =
> prepared a) to maximize their value in wedding contracts* and b) to =
> reflect well on their clans while serving as ambassadors/wives. Then =
> there's c) the chance that the woman will stay with her clan or return =
> to it.

    I can see a couple of other factors here as well. 1) Ernalda may require the clan to educate its women. 2) Having women educated in various magics and skills, particularly healing and combat, strengthens the Orlanthi in general in the fight against chaos (in other words, a consideration that rises above the needs of the clan). 3) Many initiates probably receive marks of divine favor while young. If Chalana Arroy or Vinga or whoever obviously wants a particular girl to be taught her mysteries, who is seriously going to oppose it? (I took that sort of line in my Sartar campaign. Once the players each chose their primary cult, each of them received a sign of divine favor from one of the gods during the opening session.)

Andrew E. Larsen

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