Re: Subcult of Yinkin the Chief (or Yinkin the king)

From: jeffkyer <jakyer_at_Q-HpRRlYnn_f8TXUNSuc6Fl79w0M66Mh-NWvzBpZju9tCW6AiAFYkv7HV01Yan5Gyo37u>
Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:04:08 -0000

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> As for the point about someone joining a leadership sub-cult when they are already some kind of devotee, I thought that the recent Sartar book identified leadership cults as a bit of a special case in relation to multiple initiations.
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> Isn't it okay to become an initiate of a leadership sub-cult (Orlanth, Ernalda or Elmal-- or Odayla in Sylila?) whilst remaining a devotee in the other cult-- perhaps not least because the kind of people that qualify for leadership cults  will have had to prove themselves first.
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The problem is the devotion. It's not a trivial undertaking - it's a life long pursuit to exemplify that divine lifestyle.

That takes a lot of time and effort and commitment to a certain type of behavior. In most cases, that tends to conflict with the ordinary problems led by ordinary people. Toss in another commitment to a different divinity? Very difficult, if not impossible unless they are somehow compatible. Add in the trials and burdens of being chief? And all the decisions that you must make - often ones contrary to the behavior the devotee is supposed to emulate?

Just think of how some of the practical and pragmatic decisions required by a chief might cause for a Yinkini? (What do you mean "I'm NOT supposed to seduce the other chieftain's daughter? It's a peace conference..."). Or, the problems such a chief might cause for his unfortunate clan if he always followed the god's dictates (as he ought to be doing if he's truly devote). (War! Humakt demands it!)

> To me at least, it seems unremarkable that part of this process of proving oneself in the eyes of the community  should involve becoming (and staying) devoted to an aspect of a god-- possibly even if the god to whom the person is devoted isn't the same god as the  god of the leadership cult, (as long as they are in the same pantheon, like e.g. the Odaylan who becomes chief of an Orlanthi clan)
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> Richard Hayes
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Like everything else, it depends.

Jeff