Re: Questions about wyters

From: Tim Ellis <tim_at_4rqf-qJt_xHKbnukZeMYTe-I75eDxDG08npPW_xr-rKzKoDp_Qj53zBrX3jn38gsxOHNtl1o>
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:23:12 -0000

• In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, Gavain Sweetman <gavain.sweetman_at_...> wrote:

>>
>> Many wyters are linked to the people, nto a place. It may also be 
>> linked to a thing, an animal, etc. So, what is it?

>
>
> I presumed that because this is the main clan wyter that it would
> be linked to the place.
>

I think this will depend on the nature of the Clan and the Wyter (and the two are probably intertwined). So I would assume the Firebull clan are (in part) defined by their following the Firebull, so where ever he is, that is where you will find the clan. If the only members of the clan who still honour the wyter are outcasts, and they take the wyter with them then they will continue to enjoy the benefits (of course they may need to claim and mark out new tula boundaries to gain the full benefit). On the other hand if the Black Oaks are driven away from their current lands, they would lose access to the Black Oak, and would need to seek a new guardian.

As a rule of thumb, if the wyter lives in an object that can be moved then I would expect that it's tie is to the bloodline*, while a wyter in a non-mobile object is primarily tied to the land

*in the clan = extended family sense rather than necessarily the direct descendants of the clan founder.

>>> If this group want to join another clan, because there are too 
>>> few of them to have a viable existence.  Can they do so and 
>>> still keep their wyter?
>>
>> Possibly. It really depends on the entity that is the wyter. It 
>> could "become" a bloodline wyter, a hero band wyter, etc.

>
> Given the belligerent attitude I have imagined for the Firebull
> then I am sure it would be better as a warband wyter.

I don't think the wyter themselves think of themselves as a "clan wyter" or a "bloodline wyter". They have entered some sort of "magical" bargain where a group of people have agreed to worship it (whether by sacrifice, veneration or ecstatically) in return for its aid and protection. There may be "size" issues - the last remaining Firebull worshipper probably won't br getting the same level of support from the wyter that the full clan did at the height of it's power, but in principle, if the group have access to the wyter and continue to honour it in the traditional manner then they will continue to enjoy it's support. Thunder Rebels certainly gave me the impression that an Orlanthi may belong to several groups, each with their own wyter - The Warband are still protected by the Clan Wyter as well as the Warband Wyter, for instance - providing they continue to perform all the necessary worship ceremonies.