Re: Racoonity

From: Trotsky <TTrotsky_at_blueyonder.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 17:55:18 +0100


>
>
>>> True. But this seems to me to be a case of convergent cultures, rather
>>> than ones diverging from the same point or worshipping the same entity
>>> in different guises. Certainly, I've been told there's no relationship
>>> between them (beyond, as you say, the obvious physical/behavioural
>>> similarities) so unless something's been changed since last I heard (not
>>> impossible, I'll grant you), there must be *some* reason why this is so :-)
>>
>
>What I'm finding hard to see if what this "some reason" can be, though,
>if there's utterly no otherworldly connection, and utterly no historical
>connection. If it's not Mundane, and it's not Magical, what are we
>left with? Coincidence?
>

That, I can't answer :-(

Not that it's an unreasonable question, I grant you. I suppose its possible that the Vanchite god saw Lotara's racoons, and decided he wanted to make some of his own. That way there *is* a mythic link (even if its not openly acknowledged by the Vanchites) but the creatures and their creators are still quite separate as entities.

>What I'm trying to say here is that if the groups are in any sort of
>mythic contact, each will have stories about _the other_.
>

Oh yes, I'd be very surprised if they didn't..

>(The Racoon
>god and his No-Account Cousin, or whatever.) It's the traditional
>three sides to that story (what the Vanchites say, what the hsunchen
>say, and what an "objective" outsider says) which I'm saying may be
>mythically ambiguous (to some unknown degree -- obviously I'm speculating).
>

No, I wouldn't argue with that

>>> There are instances where this sort of thing doesn't apply, I'm sure. My
>>> understanding is that this ain't one of them. Bears are another one
>>> where it doesn't apply, apparently.
>>
>
>Very interesting. Wouldn't have occurred to me, that one.
>

I think I may have been unclear in my typing there (too many double negatives) - I mean to say that Rathor black bears and Ertelenari black bears are unrelated, and for the same reasons as Lotari and Vanchite racoons.

>It equally seems odd to me if "different systems" is a (near-)absolute,
>and "different gods" (within a (theist in that case) system) counts for
>very little -- though there are such cases too, right?
>

Sorry, you've lost me there...

-- 
Trotsky
Gamer and Skeptic

------------------------------------------------------
Trotsky's RPG website: http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/



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