Yes: and also animist. Her spirit possesses people and makes them do crazy things; and her worship can fairly be described as "ecstatic"...
Osentalka_at_aol.com
>The bad thing in it that it is mentioned in the rules part of TR that Uleria
>is a lust demon, not in the cultural part.
>I still belive that this comment is local colour, not a fact.
To quote Mr Stafford, "I have never written anything about Glorantha that is not subjective." (in Questlines 2) ;-)
I'm inclined to think that Uleria will be blamed - or used as an excuse - whenever two (or more <g>) people get involved in an unsanctioned relationship. "Uleria's power possessed us and we couldn't help ourselves!" So yes, she will be regarded as a disorder-tainted threat to the social order. That's because the position of goddess of _marriage_ has been taken over by Ernalda, leaving Uleria with illicit sex. In a culture that didn't recognise Ernalda, Uleria might have a broader role and be more accepted.
However, even among the Heortlings I think there's a big difference between Uleria and, say, Malia. Very few people are ever tempted to go around town spreading plague and disease. However, (an Orlanthi) _everybody_ is tempted by lustful thoughts for an inappropriate person from time to time. So however much people may condemn Uleria's influence, they will also pragmatically recognise that it's real, it happens to us all, and it's best to turn a blind eye unless things get really out of hand.
As for the role of Uleria temples in Heortling society, I admit I have problems with the idea of a theistic cult of sacred prostitutes in a rural, clan-based culture. However, it may work if becoming "a devotee of Uleria" was a temporary status: two people might visit the "temple" (more of a sacred site than an actual building with priests and acolytes), take the cult vows, lose their formal and legal identity as Orlanthi and Ernaldans, have sex with each other or anyone else there that took their fancy, then leave the temple and resume their old identity and position in society. In short, just as sacred marriage in a ritual is allowed to take place even if marriage and kinship laws would normally prohibit it, so is sex under the auspices of Uleria. Of course, while the husband/wife of one of these temporary Uleria cultists would have no formal or legal grounds for claiming adultery, they're unlikely to be very happy about the situation if it becomes regular... As for the implications of losing their formal identity, and problems with spirits of reprisal, etc: Uleria isn't a theistic god, nor a spirit, nor a saint; she's a Form of the Celestial Court and so not bound by rules that were invented long after her birth...
Joerg Baumgartner
>IMG there will be a Lunar All of Sartarite Heortling clans which are
>strictly (Yelmic sense) exogamous.
I'm getting confused here...
I know an Orlanthi All is 85%.
I'm guessing that a Yelmic all is 99.9%, or "100% because we refuse to
acknowledge the existence of any dissenters".
But what's a Lunar all? 50%? Between 100% and none, depending on the
day of the week? Either 100% or none, depending on your point of
view? Both 100% *and* none, at the same time?
Stephen
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