Re: Re: Heortling Mills

From: Jeffrey Zahari <jeff_zahari_at_...>
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 15:10:44 +1100


<(stuff about cost/benefit ratio snipped) Bryan makes some good points. The shift to central mills owned by the lord is associated with growing density of population in the Middle Ages. The Orlanthi are more dispersed, and their stead economies are more independent. I would suggest that Bryan is right, and that food redistribution is primarily in the form of grain, to be processed into flour, porridge and beer on the individual stead. In this form it keeps better and is more resistant to vermin.

I believe that the 'corn dole' of the Romans was in fact handed out as grain, to be ground at mills at the recipients' own cost. Orlanthi life is not as organised as life in a Roman city.

But the old Wind Temple IS hard to give up. It visibly demonstrates Orlanth's power, and perhaps helps to 'generate' magic in ceremonies. If it was the only one, however, or one of only a few, it would be all the more impressive. It would not need to be a working mill at all and may not even be thought of as such--a 'wind tower', perhaps, or a 'whirligig'.



Powered by hypermail