Well, I think there religious controversies among the Heortlings, but it's along the lines of "whose revelation is stronger/better/more appropriate" than "the philosophical implications of x are...". So maybe your ancestor proved that Hedkoranth performed a certain feat, and your young men all get +5 to Sling and you can sacrifice for Brutal Sling Volley as a unit skill and Ass-Whooping Stone as a personal feat at the Hedkoranth Shrine. Your neighbors, the Bad Apple Clan, think your myth of Hedkoranth is stupid and weak, and they take every chance to show that your sling magic is pitiful. This is not done by arguing whose approach to Hedkoranth allows for greater sling magic; they have contests with you where they try to sling further, harder, etc. If they always win, you may abandoned your "special magics" as not so special.
The lack of a well-developed philosophical basis for the religion handicaps the Heortlings against the Lunars. The Lunars have theoriticians who study myths and cuiltures and propose heroquests that exploit the features they uncover throuigh their speculation. Some of these quests are duds, of course, and some fail badly, but lots of them yield tangible benefits. A Heortling "experimental heroquester" (or one that has gotten lost) is in great danger, because he/she has no idea what to expect or how to react. Lunars in the same position will have better resources.
>I quite like the analogy between Byzantium
>and the Lunars here:
>
>"If you ask a Glamour shopkeeper how much bread costs, he will tell
>you that Sedenya is greater than Rashorana, and Rashorana subordinate
>to Her; and if you ask if your bath is ready, the answer comes that
>Rufelza was created from Nothing."
> - Gregorius of Nyssa
Ha, ha. Very good....
Peter Larsen
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End of Glorantha Digest
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