Re: Tattooing

From: Paul May <kax_at_...>
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 22:18:22 +1000

At 09:30 PM 27/10/04, Tim Ellis wrote:
>wrote:
> > But back to the original question: are tattoos always created in the
> real world? Are they sometimes the marks you bring back from heroquests?
>
>Ah, I'd originally read this as being the other way round - ie do
>the Heortlings make tattoos in the mundane way *as well as* getting
>< snip >
>your hair could turn white/drop out, or you could bring back
>physical evidence of wounds received, so why not tattoos?)

  I read it as almost all are a mundane (taking into account that magic will probably be used, possibly a tattoo daimon - the people doing this will probably not have access to Common magic) mark and record of ritual and achievement. Some heroquests, ones where the protagonist got a new tattoo, give you one without extra work.   My reason for this is that tattoos are a variable cultural thing, not a religious-based magical thing. If it were magical, all Orlanth worshippers would have them, not just Heortlings and some neighbours. And every unrelated god (ones not of Storm Tribe origin) that Orlanth attracted to his stead would have to have a myth explaining why they now do it, and a reason.
  Also, you can tell the tribe, clan and location of someone by their tatts - so it's more than religion involved, as Orlanth doesn't really care what tula you're from. ;)

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