>tendentious
Good heavens, what a word!
>so imagine what an irate Uleria could do to a tribe that
>offended her.
I suspect this would be one reason why the Heortlings would see Uleria as a demon. After all, Malia can cause havoc to a tribe as well and, although she is propitiated, it is a shameful thing to do and dangerous to the clan (or stead or tribe) if discovered.
>Since Uleria is a goddess of community, she
>seems like a natural patron for the creation of new communities. Perhaps
>her worship helps bind urban communities together. Perhaps she can also
>bind a disperate community of ancestors together.
Far be it from me to interpret Mr. Metcalfe (he can do that for himself), but I think the point here is that Uleria is not (or is not seen by the Heortlings to be) a force of community. She is harmony, but that's within one person or perhaps between two people, not on the level of community. Remember, Heortling women are supposed to be cool headed and chose their mates based on the objective (well, somewhat) qualities of the suitors, not according to some stormy passion. Uleria, I think, is an essentially selfish force at odds with the Heortling model of community. I suspect that good Heortlings would rather get their regular healing from followers of Ernalda the Healer; Chalana Arroy is a little weird and disturbing to them, although useful. "Well, they saved Bernan's leg that's true, but no way is my son running off to become some pacifist White Healer." Imagine how much more disturbing Uleria is, who does not offer a "useful" power.
It occurs to me that some Ulerians may be mystics -- maybe they were more common under the EWF.
Peter Larsen
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