OTOH, I wonder whether making Humakti infertile
does make sense, in fact. Humakt had a son, and he was Arkat. If Humakt
cannot have children, how could he father Arkat? Or perhaps Arkat was a
son of Humath, not Humakt, like many have already argued, and this whole
story of severed kinship (and infertiliy) was introduced when Humath
became Humakt.
Mythic thinking. Do you really think the gods are people with organs and
DNA and lists of things to buy at the market?
The core nature of the hero system is emulation and incarnation. You try
to act like your deity, you do the stuff they did, you fight and struggle
with the same kinds of dudes unrighteous. The more closely you mimic, the
more powerful you become. The patterns of your soil, the mythemes of your
life story become more and more closely aligned with your idea of the
god. At some stage to the people around you, you 'become' the god, a
living avatar of Storm or Earth or Bargain Hunting: A disciple or
runelord or child of Orlanth, Ernalda or EeeBay . You become a son or
daughter of the god.
To say Arkat was Humakt's son conveys many powerful truths. That it
involves DNA and furtive bonking in the night is not one of them.
:)
Most Gloranthans understand what 'Humaktson means'. To some of them, it
may be a kind of literal statement. But as they grow in cultic knowledge
and mythic proficiency, they leave the child-like literalism
behind.
Mythic thinking. It always points beyond. :)
Cheers
John