Geasa

From: jorganos <joe_at_9Xo1pOXIe2xRupagi9nhskk2F95ohBr2g4HwjGopLRVXxehNRwAKCcsOxY6TOmVO3jXznjs.>
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:10:14 -0000

Keith:
> I missed making the point I wanted to in my previous post. The Than geases often seem to be specifically anti-Orlanth anti Heortling culture, as if to say "We don't need no stinking Lightbringer religion - we like the Darkness"

> Eating sentient flesh seems to be Great Darkness behaviour.
> Not using coins rejects Issaries
> Never speaking - means the Greeting Ritual, for example, cannot be done. No boasting.
> Wear no head protection - excludes you from the Wapentake where you specifically need a hard hat.
> Never go in sunlight - clearly you are supposed to cower in darkness rather than stand up to the Sun. Not like Orlanth who wasn't scared of the Sun.
> Never eat the flesh of cloven hoof beast rules out cows and sheep as sources of food. It would be hard to survive in Orlanthi culture with this prohibition.
> Fight Lhankhor Mhy to the death - clearly rejecting him.
> Never harm undead - anti Humakt.
> Never attack with a weapon - violence is NOT an option.
> Never lie to fellow Thanatari - Eurmal is rejected. Thanatari are honest to each other.
> Always fight Storm Bull worshippers - they are NOT brothers.

Another way to look at this list of geasa is as a set of curses put on Than, and now shared with his followers. Some of the Yelmalio geasa (especially those about not wearing essential bits of hoplite armor) might be regarded in the same way. At some points, Yelmalio was stripped of (parts of) his armor, and so part of his worshippers have to face the same punishment. Others of his geasa are there to encourage appropriate behavior in the deity (and therefore the followers). The Humakti list of geasa sounds much like following the deity's voluntary renouncements of these activities.