I think both cults deserve a wider range of characterisation than either of the above. :) The Vinga write-up in Storm Tribe spends half a page (171) detailing the problems Vingans continually face with acceptance. Vingans are often seen as weirdos too, even if the Goddess herself is loved. YG may of course vary.
I explored the humakti/vingan friendship in one of a series of Vinga articles for the now-probably-lost-forever Tales of the Reaching Moon #20. Here's a relevant paragraph.
"Surprisingly, Vinga also has a strong and seemingly paradoxical friendship with Humakt, a closeness that is reflected in both cultic traditions. Grim Humakt teaches severance, the casting aside of non-essentials to embrace Death, while Vinga epitomises a love of life and the spirit-spark of laughter. Yet both cults understand that both life and death serve sacred purpose. Vingans renounce fertility (often temporarily) to serve the greater good of the clan, while humakti gradually lose their attachment to the energies of life (including sexual desire, fertility and potency) as they align more deeply with the energy of death. Humakti, who consider both kinship and gender as non-essentials, are among the few fighting cultists who treat vingans as full and equal warriors, without the resistance and constant testing so evident in the myths."
To put this in proper context, not all vingans renounce fertility, and neither do all humakti lose their interest in sex.
Cheers
John
nysalor_at_... John HughesQuestlines: http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/
My kinsmen, my comrades, they budged not in battle Brought courage to combat, feat-strong and fierce. Like berries in harvest, bright red their bounty they made shame of armies, caused red moon to flee.
Until I am old and ailing,
waiting for the final journey,
I shall not be true to the winds
if I do not praise Kallyr.
KallyrKarla: The Song of the Betrayed.
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