[Glorantha] Worshiping specific ancestors

> Donald R. Oddy <
> > "Simon Hibbs" writes:
> >
> >However does this apply to specific ancestors contacted through ancestor
> >worship? Is it actualy possible for ancestors who are still part of the
> >cycle of birth and death to maintain individuality somehow? What happens if
> >they are reincarnated? This possibility seems very problematic, and I don't
> >see how it could work.
 

Thunder Rebels has a section on this topic. I don't have the page references to hand :(  

Essentially as I understand it. There are many grades of ancestor. There are the faceless masses that make the bulk of the anonymous ancestors. Then there seems to be a sliding scale of increasing power that retain their individuality. From the weakest that just maintain their individuality through diamnons (for theists) and Heroes that grant limited magic to gods that provide greater magic. I guess that there is a similar scale of things for the other otherworlds. Just that TR only talks about the heorting pov.  

>
> I don't think it does. I'd work on the basis that the only ancestors
> you can contact are those who have in some way become immortal. It
> may well be easier for animists to become immortal spirits than it
> is for theists and monotheists.
 

Not sure that this is the case - they just become diamons and essences I wouldn't have assumed that there was any increased difficulty for the different relms.

> The other possibility is that with cults like Daka Fal allows
> contact with a specific ancestor in the time between death and
> rebirth. One consequence of this would be to delay the ancestor
> being reborn. I suppose this could be how animists become
> immortal spirits - their descendants call on them so frequently
> that they get stuck in the spirit world.
 

That sounds like a good plausible method. Though ISTR mentions of Heroes making preparations for their death so that their followers and worshippers can contact them and keep them as separate entities. Perhaps the lack of specific worship condemns the move towards the faceless masses. So in a family only a couple of generations are likely to be regularly remembered and kept separate. For greater heroes the magnitude of their deeds will give some indication on the likely time span for the survival of their hero cult.  

Gavain Received on Thu 15 Feb 2007 - 12:42:44 EET