> >An Esrolian perspective might fit better with our ideas of BG as
> >female PC warrior archetype.
>
> I hope so. My most generous reading of the HeroQuest write up
> would be that it represents only a Heortling view of the goddess, and
> represents BG as more or less an Esrolian cult not fully understood
> or accepted - that the constraint on love is an attempt to constrain
> the dangerous ecstatic passion at the heart of the cult into the
> narrowest possible role.
> If the Esrolians field entire battalions of Babeester Gor axe
> maidens*, I can't see them as ever finding enough people broken
> enough to give up all hope of even familial or other platonic love
> forever. And Esrolia seems even less likely than anywhere else to
> want to force their axe maidens not to love their mothers.
Babeester Gor could be an unintended consequence of Esrolian mother-daughter relationships. The culture encourages women to make decisions and take the lead yet expects decisions to be made by consensus. I can see some young women really hating their mothers and/or grandmothers.
It's clear Babeester Gor in Esrolia is rather different from in Sartar. In Sartar they are lone individuals whereas in Esrolia they are organised into military units. So I'd expect other differences - maybe they direct their affection to other members of the unit.
--
Donald Oddy
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