Uleria, still

    I was just able to locate a copy of the old Uleria cult write-up done by Greg Stafford and Sandy Peterson. (My thanks to "Osentalka" for his assistance with that.) I figured that it might help the recent debate to comment on a few of the things in that write-up.

    The following things occur in roughly the order written. I don't claim to summarize the write-up, only to mention things I thought interesting or had some bearing on the previous discussion.

"Uleria winds in and out of the other gods' lives, sometimes appearing in
person as a mother or wife, or simply as the central figure of a vast orgiastic frenzy."

    I'm not aware of any published myths that mention her as either a wife or mother (although my own "How Uleria Brought Flamal Back from the Underworld" identifies Flamal as her consort). To me, this quote suggests that there is a lot more about Uleria than any of us know, since she has spouses and children not yet identified.     

"So boundless was her ability to generate that she created a whole race like
herself, called Tilntae or love demons. They are often the mothers or fathers of races, nations, or demigods, and are often nameless, or their name is simply a feminized form of a husband's name."

    This would be a second quote associating Uleria with the concept of 'demon', although it doesn't seem to mean 'demon' the way TR means it.

"Love is the invisible Life Force energy which can fill and permeate
anything physical, spiritual, or magical. It always acts in two ways: first, it brings together; second, it seeks to reproduce itself. Bringing together is apparent in all of nature. When two bubbles of mercury spring together, that is caused by Love. When leaves fall to the ground, or anything at all falls to earth, that is because the Earth Mother's Love pulls us there. Water flows downhill to the sea because it seeks to come together with the ocean. Societies meet out of brotherly love, and everyone knows of how genders are attracted to each other. All these activities are motions of Love through the Life Force....To the Uleria philosophers, even the rote reproduction of the cheapest clay pot is a manifestation of Love, where water, clay, heat, and the hands of itinerant potters come together for a moment of creation."

    That's pretty big stuff. To me, it suggests an argument someone made during a previous discussion on the list a while ago. Orlanthi worship Uleria because she is a specialist at bringing people together, while Ernalda is a generalist. Thus, the same way that people worship Barntar or Lankhor Mhy because they do certain things better than Orlanth does, some may worship Uleria in preference to Ernalda.

"Everywhere that Uleria's cult exists, it is primarily concerned with its
own survival, and the spreading of Uleria's benefits to anyone who needs them, no matter what their cult or affiliations. It possesses little or no social power, but any attempt to suppress the cult would be heavily opposed by the majority of the people.
There are a few Uleria worshipers in nearly every culture in the world. It is likeliest to be an outright cult with formal temples in civilized areas."

    This cuts both ways on the Orlanthi debate. On the one hand, it suggests that the cult does exist within Sartarite society (it does say there are a few Ulerians in nearly _every_ culture). I suppose it's hard to suppress the cult of the Goddess of Love because too many people love her (the best defense is a good offense).

    On the other hand, it does suggest that the cult is primarily an urban phenomenon, as many on the list have been saying. Temples and shrine would be rare in the Sartarite countryside.

"THE WAYS OF LOVE

We recommend three ways to know love:
1. Through the Body: This is courtship and carnal sex, both of which communicate the Life Forces of Love through participants. 2. Through Company: Social integrity comes from the brotherly love of people for their community. Sharing and caring are routes to experience love. 3. Through Propagation: Incarnation of the Life Force can be accomplished by everything which seeks to reproduce itself. Responsible child rearing increases the Love and lovers in the world. Aiding orphans, mothers, herds, and gardens increases the Life Force.
All three methods seek the same end: To experience the Oneness of Love, the Eternal Moment of Allness which lies beyond harmony."

    This clearly indicates that prostitution is only one aspect of her cult.

"The three aspects of Uleria are often worshiped separately, sometimes at
neighboring shrines whose worshipers have no knowledge that the two shrines are for one deity. Thus each of the three cult spells can appear at different shrines. Shrines are often enclosed buildings larger than the number of initiates might warrant-the itincrant nature of the lay membership makes the size useful. Though all three aspects of the goddess may be worshiped at a shrine, only one of the specialty spells is renewable."

    This suggests that Uleria as worshipped is not always thought of as the goddess of prostitution. In some places, at least, she is primarily a goddess of community. Also, her shrines may survive in regions where they wouldn't be enough worshippers to support a normal shrine. Thus, a rural shrine is not impossible.

    That bit about the 'eternal moment of Allness' reminds me a bit of the Red Goddess' dictum, "we are all us".

"Many minor temples of Uleria are constructed similarly, even in different
parts of the world. They are square or rectangular, with a different ornately carved door in each side. One entry ; restricted to use by the priestesses and their servants, and is covered with warnings to stay away. Each other entry is devoted to one of the goddess' aspects, so that the priestess there will now what duty to perform for each person who enters. One entry opens on a sacred brothel, whose setting and variety of on-duty initiates varies with the wealth and popularity of the temple. The second door opens on a comfortable meeting room where strangers can engage in social conversation, play games, and eat together, stimulated by the temple Personnel. The last door leads into a quiet and still region, where spells and rites to guarantee fertility are performed."

    Again, only one 'third' of the cult involves prostitution. Just as important is the goddess' aspect as bringer together of strangers. This suggests to me a real value in founding a new community.

    I apologize if this seems like beating a dead horse. I figured that it would be a useful perspective on the whole debate.

Andrew E. Larsen