Shamanism

From: Jerome Blondel <bwbfc_at_yahoo.fr>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 10:32:38 +0200


Peter Metcalfe:

[...]
> Hence to define Shamanhood in terms of having a fetch is wrong IMO.

[as well as to define it in terms of spirit world travel ability]

Leaving aside other special abilities, what's left is the practice of contacting the spirit world through ecstatic worship. Perhaps shamans are specialists of it. Either summoning the spirits (in the mundane world) or spirit travel (in the spirit world). It's their day to day job, so they are shamans.

> >A shamanic hero can travel to places of the Spirit World proper
> >if he is supported by a shaman
>
> But why _should_ an animistic (not Shamanic) hero need a shaman?
> Orlanthi heroquesters do not need to be God Talkers and Malkioni
> aren't required to be sorcerers. So I do not see why we should have
> to handicap animist heroes to be lousy heroquesters if they are not
> shamans.

I agree they should not need a shaman and being a shaman should not be a pre-requisite to travel in the spirit world. All animists should be able to travel to the spirit world even in animist societies which aren't used to spirit travel. But should an animist heroquest be the same thing as spirit travel like shamans do, using a set of special "otherworld" skills (spirit sight, spirit combat)?

Jerome



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