Re: Esrolia

From: John Hughes <nysalor_at_...>
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 13:32:40 +1100


Ian:

> Having been thinking a little about them. My GUESS would be that if a
> prime way in which the Esrolians differ from Heortlings is the stress
> they place on the Ernaldan philosophy of "There is another way", then
> the Exiles who worship Maran Gor would would differ by the stress
> they place on the philosophy - "Violence is always an option". Or in
> simple terms the Esrolians have a lot of peace clans, and the Exiles
> have a lot of war clans. Two polarities of 'Orlanthi' culture.

This may be one axis, but environment and demography also shape a people inexorably. And for Esrolia in particular, I think we need to explore the perspective of the women and men themselves. Esrolia has had a matriarchal (i use the term loosely, for shorthand) system in place for thousands of years.Do we intend to treat such a culture as simply an inversion of a patriarchal one, an Esrolia where women dominate and men are oppressed, 'castrated' and made to do all the tedious and repetitive work? Or do we try and build a real 'other way' and try and see how a system that tries to reject unnecessary violence might work. (Riane Eisler's 'The Chalice and the Blade', for all its dubious historicity, provides a possible schematic for sections of Ernaldan culture).

The way I've posed question should reveal what I think would be most interesting: to explore 'another way'.

Tribal folk don't think about 'relative status' or 'gender bias' - this is the domain of well-fed, educated and leisured modernists. They *do* think about how their system works, if it feeds and clothes them adequately, and whether it is just. Both Esrolian women *and* men must believe their system to be both fair and superior - it has been fairly stable for thousands of years.

I think we need to give voice to the beliefs and experience of ordinary Esrolian women and men - hear why, for instance, a male peasant believes his way is the better way, and what *he* thinks about foreign warrior gods, 'blade' societies like the Heortlings etc. I'm not volunteering mind you - too much on my plate right now - but I'd love to read a "What the hearthmistress told me for Esrolia". (And yes, this is a variation on my usual less top-down/more bottom-up plea.)

> >J Hughes suggested that violent aspects of male
> >gods would be rejected by the Ernaldans following their experience in
> >the Helm & Sword war.

Did I say Ernaldans? That was in the Esrolia post, right? I thought I said Esrolians. I sure *meant* Esrolians: It was the Esrolian Grandmothers who found another way in explicitly rejecting the violence and stupidity of men after the Sword and Helm war.

Cheers

John

(In the Digest's absence we seem to have colonised the HW list with digesty digressions. The difference between the two lists are becoming less and less. Should we take this over to the GD?)



nysalor_at_... John Hughes

For every thing that lives is holy, life delights in life; Because the soul of sweet delight can never be defil'd.

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