Re: Animist Question

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_...>
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 10:15:43 +1300


Wesley Quadros:

>Question: Can a shaman summon a spirit without a fetish if s/he wants
>to use that spirit immediately? An example would be a sending, I want
>to burn the neighbour's crops and summon a fire spirit, instead of
>binding it I command it to burn the field.

I don't see any problem with this. In nomad gods, shamans summon Great Spirits and they aren't bound.

>Taking this to another level, could a shaman summon many spirits, with
>no fetish, if he is using them immediately? An example would be for a
>battle. The shaman spends the night summoning spirits and sends them
>at the enemy line in the morning. Or, he spends the night summoning
>spirits and sending them at the enemy's camp harrying them all night.

Such as:

         The Pent Horsemen did not let something petty as raging
         waters deter them.  They called together every warrior
         and summoned their ancestors so they were like a storm
         cloud over their heads,
                         KoS p36

I assume that the shaman merely summons a spirit and instead of putting it in a fetish, he persuades it to wait around for one task. If he wants to move from the shamanic circle, then he would have to furnish a medicine bundle for the ancestors to hop on (as implied by Grazer Magic Keywords p109 HW:RiG).

--Peter Metcalfe

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