> True, the Ulerians practice the art, not the trade. And Lunar army
> units contain some female elements.
I assume there are establishments for them, too. Which may be more interesting than all this puffing and blowing about Uleria. What is the effect on Lunar controlled areas where some women have considerably more power than women in the 20th C West, and most women enjoy (an at least theoretical) equality virtually unimaginable in the ancient RW? To continue this thread, there are probably brothels that cater to women as well as men (not to mention various same-sex arrangements), but what are the other impacts? Is there more equality in inheritance laws, have the Carmanian and Dara Happan institututional barriars begun to break under the overwhelming example of the Goddess? How do the men in the Empire feel about this? Have the Lunars in Tarsh and other Orlanthi lands suppressed Orlanth just because he's an opponent of the Goddess or because Ernalda is easier to work with, woman to woman (after all the Empire didn't conquer Tarsh, HonEel "romanced" them (and I mean the Earth Goddesses, not the kings))? I don't think there's a "female dominance" conspiracy in the Empire, but I think the Lunars, as one of the only Goddess-led and woman-affirming cultures in Glorantha, might have an easier time with Earth and Darkness groups than Air and Fire.
Mikko Rintasaari tactfully suggests:
>Uleria, shut up about "prostitutes" already
When Uleria has appeared in rules and scenarios, it's been (mostly) in conjunction with prostitution. Thus the connection. Further, if there aren't native Heortling prostitutes (as I contend), there aren't any native Heortling Ulerian prostitutes (or Vingan or Ernaldan or Maran Goran prostitutes)either.
I've said over and over again in these posts that I think Uleria is more than the Goddess of Prostitutes, although many cultures (rightly or wrongly) associate Her with prostitution. Sex is a major part of what She's about, and sex, like it or not, raises the spectre of prostitution. Personally, I think Uleria is a trancendental force whose worship is very different from the bulk of Gloranthan theism. I also think that Her worship should be dangerous in some way - -- look at the limitations on (and weirdness surrounding) the followers of Larnste. It should be hard to find Her true worshippers and easy to go astray. She's a primal force, after all, not some Hallmark (or Penthouse) sentiment in flesh. Besides, don't you think prostitutes deserve a goddess? Bureaucrats have at least one in Dara Happa....
I've also said over and over again that there's no need for Uleria in the Storm Pantheon -- there are plenty of deities that serve Her functions, and serve them in ways that are actually in tune with the culture; why add another one? Sure, there's an Orlanthi myth that deals with her, so what? There's a Judeo-Christian story that refers to the god Baal, who is otherwise not evident in Christian theology. The bulk of the published Uleria references are, as far as I know, in the Entekosiad and have to do with Pelanda, not Maniria or any other Orlanthi stronghold. If Uleria was worshipped in numbers in Maniria, I'd say it was in the EWF (immense weird fertility magics would have been useful to the Stiched Zoo and Pavis needs to be explained somehow. Ugh, maybe Delecti is a Ulerian Disciple gone horribly astray....) So why the insistance that Uleria has to be somehow central to Heortling life? Why are you upset that one culture's deity is demonized by another culture? Why does this irk you so much that you want to get personal over it?
Nick Eden says:
> The Dara Happan's strike me as being the ultimate prudes, willing to
> engage in sexual congress so long as it's for reproduction and in no
> sense 'fun', but even more terrified of the loss of control that comes
> with sexual passion than yer average Heortling.
So who needs it more? Given that the Dara Happa are somewhat open to mysticism and similar philosophies, I think there's a place (probably frequently disputed and suppressed) for trancendant worship of Uleria in Dara Happa, especially with all those Darjinians running around. Of course, this would mean more half-trained or failed initiates running around playing up her "baser" qualities (from a Dara Happan point of view). If the true worship of Uleria can bring you cosmic understanding of Oneness (not too ureasonable, like a really good orgasm that never stops), false, debased, or misguided worship of Her should have some spectacular pitfalls. Even an open-minded Dara Happan (there has to be one...) might well be horrified by these visible errors and call for suppression. Goddess alone knows what happens to half-witted Lunars who equate Broo and Ulerian practices....
Peter Larsen
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