Re: Dream walking?

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_...>
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 02:11:40 -0000

As to KoS, I agree with you. TR rather settles the matter though (and if that didn't, I think Greg just did).

Personally I read these as applying only to marriage. I don't think there's _any_ source that speaks to sex specifically (apart from the 'unwitting incest' line in KoS about proscribed clans). I'd suggest here that if by sufficiently advanced lawspeaking you can have it provoked it _isn't_ incestuous, however more precisely defined, you'll get away with it. And what is "incestuous"? I think within your lineage, or perhaps more specifically still, within say degrees of relatedness would be regarded as "blood incest", and anyone from your own stead, as "social incest". (Notice these may be subtly or grossly distinct, but they're Both Bad.)

I think intra-clan marriage is as much a redundancy as a hideous crime before man and god. (Which isn't to say it may not be both, at least if your clan gets all Solar about these things. Well, not that the Solars seem all that bothered about this particular instance, but you know what I mean...) If you look at the provisions of each form of marriage, they're pretty much 'void' if the participants were of the same clan: property, children, location, are non-issues, or at least "settle them ourselves" issues. As was commented, contraception is unlikely to be foolproof (other than via distinctly advanced magic), and foolish people are by definition not foolproof anyway, so children _are_ likely to occur. They might be raised on an "it takes a tula" basis, or there may be some sort of recognition of an informal union, I suppose depending very much on logical sensibilities.

I suppose this is simply a manifestation of the more general phenomenon: within a clan, 'law' smooshes into 'custom', which in turn blurs into 'your relatives giving out yards and telling you what to do the whole time'.

Cheers,
Alex.

Powered by hypermail