> Nice question, but I think not necessarily so. I am reminded of our
own 'human' world where during past times it has been debated whether
certain groups of 'homo sapiens' were really human - africans
captured and enslaved by Europeans. Churches debated whether women
had souls, and Englishmen believed that men of Kent had tails.
If you take the term 'human' to mean 'people like us', I think a Heortling would consider other Heortlings and locals 'human' or an equivalent term, but would regard Lunars, westerners and hunschen (for example) as 'different', and regard them with great suspicion.
In Glorantha we are dealing with a non-industrial, mostly illiterate society with stong hierachies. The fastest most people travel is walking speed, so knowledge of the outside world comes slowly, or by rumour and fable. Even though we modern homo sapiens live in a far better informed and well travelled society (The global village) we would feel desparately out of place if we had to live a day in a society such as 1950's America, and as you go back further in time in our world, the more disoriented you would get. Drop a Humakti in London this evening, I think he would feel even more isolated, would he think the strange people around him human? Try putting him in Maoist China! Being human is more than walking upright and having the power of speech and opposable thumbs (Morokanth, take note}, it is about values and emotions, and the way these are expressed.
We also have many religions to deal with in Glorantha; there should be general argument and intolerance (even hatred!) between different beliefs, especially where pantheons clash. Thus Orlanthi Heortlings meeting a group of Lunars have immediate cause to draw their swords and little reason to feel bad if they slay their enemies to a, er, bipedal creature.
The important bit for roleplaying comes where the narrator forces a reason where cultures have to co-operate, and here 'peoples' find their commanality, Heortlings and Uz for instance combine to defeat Chaos. This is also where players can use their non-violent characters, healers, lawspeakers, scholars and the like to 'explore' the cultures they encounter. Thus we can find the 'humane' in the peoples of Glorantha, without having to be 'human'.
Some Gloranthans look human, but their attitudes vastly differ - their 'humanity' should not be assumed to be universal and adventurers should come to their own conclusions, and we as players should leave some of our 'real-world human' attitudes at home when we go to Glorantha.
Gavin
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