My comment about Storm Tribe addressing perceived imbalance was about player choices, not the structure of the Heortling society itself.
This is turning into a bit of a rant. You've been warned :).
A lot of the debate about egalitarianism vs 'sexism' seems to be dependent on what your own conception of 'equality' means, and on where your roleplaying stands stand on the immersion/escapism continuum.
Given that second wave feminism has theorised and disssected around a dozen different and often contradictory paradigms over the last forty years - Different But Equal / Same And Equal / Biology Enslaves / Biology Liberates / Biology Is Irrelevant / Androgyny / Cyborg / Subdom / Different Realms / Mutually Unintelligible / Women Are Superior / Women Are Queer* / Any Label Suxxx** - and that several of these have gained popular currency only to be discarded in the course of a decade or so, we have to clearly spell out our assumptions about 'sexism'. In a society that is proclaimed 'post-feminist' and where varieties of white middle-class 'lipstick' feminism are marketed as *the answer*, it seems to me that we're as confused as ever, even if a bit further along the path.
In my post I stated my belief in the essential egalitarianism of Heortling society, but that this was achieved through struggle and challenge. I also stressed the energy that emerges from the constant interplay between Orlanthi and Ernaldan values. Roderick stressed the continuing 'gender imbalance' in Heortling society. He's dead right too. I think we're emphasising different aspects of the same vision.
Heortlings live for the most part in isolated steads - their world-view is cozy. They're as red-neck as the rest of us. If they encounter a vingan, they may react with resentment and anger, especially if she gets uppity (which is almost guaranteed, in my experience). A Nandan will be the butt of jokes from the women. Difference always gets singled out. Yet equally, there will be individuals who accept and encourage those who follow the path of their own wyrd. And despite resentment and opposition from some quarters, almost *anyone* in Heortling society can become *anything* they desire.
Warriors sneer at the farmers. Farmers complain about the warriors. Men believe they protect the women. Women believe they protect the men from themselves. The moot recognises status and heroic reputation, but heaven help it if it advocates a course the womens' circle disagrees with. A meeting of the Ring can be rowdy and even violent, but concensus is nearly always achieved.
This Orlanthi/Ernaldan axis of opposition and domination and violence vs cunning and concensus and partnership is the dynamo of both Heortling society and good roleplaying.
Talking about the relative abstract status of men and women is a very C20 occupation: folk in other societies are more concerned with questions of food, shelter, survival, procreation and especially HAPPINESS.
Are Heortling women tied to the domestic sphere? YES. Is this a valued and honoured occupation? YES. Do women control their own wealth and fortunes? YES ( as much as men do). Do they influence and participate fully in public life? ABSOLUTELY. Do real alternatives exist if their wyrd challenges them to another way? YES. Will these alternatives be difficult? YES. Are the ways of women superior? YES, there is always another way.
Are Heortling men tied to their fields? YES (They're primarily farmers, not warriors). Is this a valued and honoured occupation? YES. Do men control their own wealth and fortunes? YES. ( as much as women do). Do they influence and participate fully in public life? ABSOLUTELY. Do real alternatives exist if their wyrd challenges them to another way? YES. Will these alternatives be difficult? YES. Are the ways of men superior? YES, violence is always an option.
Is child-rearing valued and honoured? YES. Do men contribute in a significant way? YES. Do women exercise control over their own fertility? YES. Their own sexuality? YES.
Are Heortling men and women happy? NO - but that's because they've been invaded by a brain-sucking chaos empire. Heortling social relations are egalitarian, pleasureable, flexible and fulfilling.
This is what I mean when I say that Heortling society is egalitarian. Some other criteria to consider:
Social structure is egalitarian, and gender roles are not associated with superior or inferior status.
Men and women are perceived as equal but different, but not so different that understanding, common purpose or even role swapping are impossible. Males and females are valued equally: nurturance and non-violence contest openly with domination and violence as guiding values. Neither set has an absolute ascendancy. Each can be overturned. Men can find non-violent resolution; women can advocate violent and deadly revenge.
There is a high degree of violence, directed outward, and a relative high degree of social violence. However, violent abuse of others is *not* institutionalised, and in fact very rare due to the dynamics of communal living. All forms of violence have a strong ritual component that limits its effects and provides for alternative resolution. Mistakes can be made without fear of punishment, though responsibility must be taken for outcomes. 'Passion' may be used to justify violence.
Sexual coercion and prostitution are rare. Dominance and violence are not eroticised. Sex is about mutual pleasure and procreation, though the male identity in offspring is the more emphasised (dependent on marriage type).
Mutual respect and freedom of choice is characteristic of mate selection, balanced by an ideology that states marriage is as much about inter-clan relations as personal choice. A wide range of marriage types exist. Divorce is freely available.
The spiritual dimensions of both masculinity and feminity are emphasised and equally valued. Recognition is given to the destructive and creative aspects of both. Deities are recognised as both punitive and creative. Spirituality is linked to both empathy and equality.
All in all its a mixed bag: admirable qualities we don't have in our own society, violent and deadly qualities we've left behind. But its posited on the equality of men and women, and values and ideologies are *never* taken for granted and are always open to be overturned. This is what I mean by Heortling 'egalitarianism'.
The traditional hero tale is itself a very 'male' construct, emphasising domination and control. Roleplaying has inherited part of that tradition, but has absolute freedom to subvert those values in seeking other answers and other types of story. It comes down to your personal and group mythology - just what is your campaign *about*? Our politics and ideology can't be left at the door when we roleplay, for they inhabit the very structures of our imagination. For me, part of the appeal of roleplaying has been examining and consciously testing our own myths in a fun and creative way.
Rant over. I go bed now :)
John
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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