Re: How do the Orlanthi feel about suicide?

From: BEThexton <bethexton_at_...>
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 16:41:30 -0000

> Viktor wonders:
>
> >Under what conditions is accepted? Approved of? Reluctantly
understood?
>
> I suspect suicide is too passive to see much approval among the
Orlanthi. ......... .........
> Remember that one of the two pivotal rules for Orlanthi is "There's
always
> another way." You'd probably have to be backed into a corner for
suicide to
> be approved of.
>
I suspect that it is often viewed as "selfish," in that it denies the community of a scarce resource, in the case of someone able bodied or with specialized knowledge.

I would also suspect that, for men, the preferred method would be the suicidally difficult (aka heroic) task. Go to slay the dragon, the king of the other tribe, go hunting amidst a terrible winter storm, etc. Heroism, even stupid heroism, is worth something, and it is probably more seen as following a death wish than committing suicide. Some may do this more literally by initiating into Humakt, and then probably taking on grim tasks.

Amongst women there may be more opposition to it. After all, Ernalda dealt with a lot, but always perservered. I suspect that "there is always another way" combined with a 'this too shall pass' attitude strongly discourage suicide. For those who can't live with whatever, there is always the option of taking up the axe of a Gor, and using your passion to drive you for as long as you survive.

I think the various gods actually provide approved outlets for a lot of the emotions that tend to drive people to suicide, so I suspect that there is simply less of it in the "cut your wrists, jump off a cliff, hang yourself" style of blatant suicide.

--Bryan