At 11:45 AM 1/31/2001 -0800, The Glorantha Digest wrote:
>Subject: Lhankor Mhy and literacy
>
>Greg wrote
>> >Only if literacy is the norm in the culture, which I doubt is the case
>>Reading and writing is MUCH MUCH more rare in Glorantha than among
>>us. Among the Heortlings it is the sole provence of the Lhankor Mhy
>>cult, who tend to mistrust anyone else (even among Heortlings) who
>>has acquired the skill. That is, they do NOT teach it to anyone else.
>
> Are other lawspeakers (such as Heort cultists?) literate, or
>are they all purely oral in their learnings? I tend to think that
Some are, most are not. Those that are tend to also be in the LM cults.
Most lawspeakers hate written laws because they tend to be interpreted as
being fixed, when everyone knows that Orlanth's judgement is flexible.
>they are also literate - if nothing else, they would want to compete
>with the Lhankor Mhy lawspeakers by also being able to learn from
>ancient precedents and such, so it would at least be a common skill.
If you wish. However, they do not need literacy to know (through religious
experience) the laws and events that made the laws.
> Also, I would presume that the Issaries cult teaches at least
>minimal Tradetalk literacy, enough for simple record keeping and
>contracts. Of course, many Issaries cultists might travel far enough
>afield to pick up other languages as well.
They have a tradition of literature as well. This is part of the cuase of
the friction between the two cults. But they also tend to make it a cult
secret type of knowledge. They will sell their lessons, I suppose.
>Its just there may be some areas where that caste is
>quite concentrated.
Yes.
- --------
Greg Stafford
Issaries, Inc. 900 Murmansk St., Suite 5; Oakland, CA 94607
Phone: (510) 452 1648 Fax: (510) 302 0385
Publisher of Hero Wars, Roleplaying in Glorantha See our site at:
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