"Mark Galeotti" <mark_at_galeotti.fsbusiness.co.uk> writes:
>OK, this is just my own take, but I prefer my Heortlings to be rough-edged
>barbarians, cattle-raiding, unkempt, prejudiced and all! A man who wants to
>weave _ought_ to be derided and persecuted by his Heortling peers -- men and
>women alike
I've got no objection to this, really. The question is, is he derided
by his peers for "acting like a woman"? Or does he actually
_turn_into_ a woman if he initiates to Nandan? Likewise for Vingans:
I've no doubt they're regarded as mannish and butch, and lots of crude
jokes are made behind their backs... but that's not the same as them
actually becoming male.
(Incidentally, given Orlanthi respect for individualism and "no-one
can make you do anything/there is always another way", I suspect that
much of the mockery would die down if the person proved they could
make a success of their new role. And possibly beat up a few of the
worst culprits. :) )
Which is why I prefer the following, at least in My Glorantha:
- Both Nandan and Vinga are unusual and marginal deities. Initiation
to them is rare and worshippers are regarded as rather odd (although
joining the cult on a temporary basis in special situations is more
common).
- Because most gamers prefer action-orientated adventures,
membership of Vinga will be more common among PCs - Nandani are more
likely to be NPCs. But this doesn't reflect the overall numbers in
the population.
- The magic these deities give allows an individual to follow gender
roles normally restricted to the opposite sex.
- For certain specific magical rituals, a worshipper can "stand in
for" a member of the opposite sex. This has no particular mental or
physical effects on them, although (for example) a Vingan directly
taking the role of Orlanth on a heroquest _may_ appear male on the
Heroplane.
- Both Nandan and Vinga can provide magic that will allow their
worshippers to acquire the actual physical abilities of the opposite
sex, such as giving birth or fathering children. However, these are
unusual and rare, possibly being taught by a subcult or herocult, or
requiring a heroquest.
- A worshipper who succeeds at such a quest will be recognised by
their clan as having the legal status of their new gender. Simply
initiating to either Nandan or Vinga does _not_ have this effect.
- The descriptions of Vinga and Nandan in the published books
reflect our own 21st century prejudices - that women wanting to act
like men are making a rational choice, but men wanting to act like
women are strange and peculiar. Therefore the books concentrate on
the more extreme gender-bending results of worshipping Nandan, while
presenting Vinga as a straightforward adventurers' cult. However, in
my Glorantha that's a subjective view. :) - there's also an 'extreme'
version of Vinga and a 'lite' version of Nandan. We just haven't
heard about them yet...
Stephen