Re: An Observation About Yinkin

From: David Weihe <blerg2_at_IYlACFzWSFi-378HeXn2BI6tuSXi_jHZJNEvfhT8sYNOQPdV6rfbkftkIo6MZPz-vZl8d>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:48:38 -0800 (PST)


Ian Borchardt <iborchar_at_xZrCQo6yWcsJsOpbdCEhcp0tiQbCZVVlnP1IHfa5vp491w_-ujzuNL9aFli30JkyWyAkfMX9QJaI.yahoo.invalid> wrote:
> Donald Oddy writes:
>> In Heortling
>> society adultery it is a wrong done to the other party
>> in the marriage and should be compensated.
>
> And how exactly could they do that? There is no legal method
> of extracting compensation from kin in Orlanthi society and
> any form of marriage makes people kin.

Adultery is also a wrong done to the other party's bloodline by the adulterous party's bloodline (in the person of the adulterer), in that when the adulterer disgraces the marriage oath, said adulterer disgraces the other party to that oath, the wronged party's entire family and bloodline, and that bloodline can seek compensation even for non-violent insults like this.

The bloodline of the adulterer can, therefore, be forced to pay compensation, even though currently kin with the bloodline of the victim, because they are NOT the same bloodline.

Each bloodline will tend to police its original members to ensure that they do not cheat on their marriage vows, because of the expense of mollifying the spouse's family. OTOH, bloodlines will also police those who marry their members, because it can be quite lucrative to catch cheaters in flagrante (I mean police as in policing up a camp, not as in having a Morals Squad). Expect that even hanging about another woman will result in his brothers pounding him, and expect similar disapprobation by women if one of theirs starts sending signals.

To get back to the Yinkin Question, I seriously doubt that Yinkini are allowed (by their *own* families) to make more than bed-marriages, as the expense of the almost inevitable straying would cost the Yinkini's bloodline far too much. Definitely no Orlanth/Ernalda level of closeness.                   

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