>It was partly a question about how far does the cutting of kin of being a
>humakti go? And partly a screwy idea for working around the incest
>problem in the Skullpint scenario in Sartar Rising pt3. Of course,
>sidestepping problems in that sort of smart-aleck way usually gets you a
>big magical whack in the back of the head at some point.
>
>By the way, that scenario implies that incest is not something you should
>just let go by letting them share a hearth. My impression was not that
>the fate of the misquided love birds in that scenario was specific to
>them, but an example of what happens to all those who practie incest. So
>I'm not sure turning a blind eye would be all that smart.
>
>The skullpointers did allow intra-clan marriage - but see where it got
>them (sort of proves one of your points).
As I understand it the impression is deliberate because that is the way the Heortlings think. I don't believe there is anything in the scenario which objectively links incest to chaos.
Anyway the definition of incest varies in different societies. It usually causes social problems because the taboo is there to prevent those problems. In Heortling culture the problem is the interdependance of clans. A clan which allows significant intra-clan marrige will gradually lose it's relationship with neighbouring clans. So feuds are more difficult to resolve while gift exchange is less frequent. Worst of all if you get stuck you are reliant on strangers to help you out and they'll expect prompt payment, not a promise.
>But anyway, it was more a question of the nature of the kin-severing. If
>it would allow what previoulsy would have been incest then it is pretty
>total. Of course, there's still the point that marriage to someone from
>another clan is better for the clan, and personal choices are really
>secondary amongst the Orlanthi when it comes to marriage, but it was the
>most extreme exmaple I could think of to test the meaning of Humakti
>kin-severing.
I can think of one situation where a woman marrying a Humatki would be to the advantage of her clan. Where a barren woman marries a weaponthane in order to tie them to the clan. I can imagine kin-severing being the excuse to allow what would otherwise be incestuous. Of course any Humatki would be sworn to the clan chief but a wife would be seen by other clansfolk as an extra tie.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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