Or it, like Orlanth, Ernalda, or Eritha, it is a major way of life containing many specializations within its confines. Oakwoman, I suspect, is extremely complex but when I wrote Trader Princes I did my best to avoid the nity-grity-picky "Orlanth while he did this" cult style and kept to braoder generalizations. Given a 2-3 page writeup would reveal a lot of this.
> Well that doesn't come across in the book - only one of the six
> clans in the Wenelian league is headed by a woman. Indeed that
> one priestess of Wenela the Queen is the only indication of
> female authority in the section.
True enough - though its two female leaders, not just one (Too Clever Brea is woman). I suppose I could have made more attention to that but at the time, I was more concerned with writing something that would have the maxium game fun I could squeeze into the word count.
> I don't get the Balkan similarity either - the Balkans have been
> the battleground for three major groups (Roman Catholic Christians,
> Greek Orthodox Christians and Muslims) for several hundred years
> leaving a mixed but unintegrated population.
Hmm. Well, the Balkans is filled with numerous groups of people who are the last renmants of much greater peoples who have been driven into the hills and mountains by stronger neighbors for the past 2000 years or more. That, to me, sounded a lot like Wenelia.
> >Wenelia is filled with lots of little remnant cultures reduced to a
> >few clans and that one one last valley that is all that remains of
> >their once hugely important and self-evidently wonderful folk.
>
> The impression I get is that they are more similar than they think
> and lots of petty differences have been magnified by separation
> and feuds into a "We're the only true heirs of the glory that was
> Wenelia" mindset.
Perhaps, but YWMV. Again, this is the problem when you paint with broad strokes and avoid all that nitpicky naming of numerous individual gods and cults. Venn, for example, is short hand for a score or more of mutually hostile practices. (Sort of like the coalasence of the numerous Hindu avatars and variants of the main gods over the past few centuries). A book could be written about the different mutually exculsive and hostile folkways and cultures. The Aeteli are different from the Harandings who in turn are VERY different from the Entruli Beast Folk. And these all differ from the descendants of Slontos refugees and the remaining Heorting/Malioni of Samori who differ from the more "standard" Orlanthi found amoung the the Solanithi.
> >Personally, I think its a nasty place and needs some serious
> >Lightbringer action, a resurgence and rethinking of the Trader
> >Princes and their role, or some revival in kingship practices.
>
> Agreed. Though attempts to do so are likely to make things worse.
Well yes. Just as Mister Racoon. He can tell you ALL about it.
Jeff
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