From: Erik Sieurin (BV9521@utb.hb.se)
Date: Tue 16 Jul 1996 - 19:41:35 EEST
Me:
Another sidethought: In KoS, certain craftsmen are said to be counted
Or is it a case of skill? Olaf the Boatwright is counted as a thane
Or is the answer any one of the above factors, combined with the fact
> >Hm, you earlier said that smiths either were wanderers or worked for
> >a chieftain.
And Michael:
> Yes, the _ordinary_ smiths that is. _Master_ Smiths are usually neither.
> And no, i don't have any nice and easy categorization of Master Smiths vs.
> ordinary smiths.
"90+% in all cult skills"? Nah, only kidding......
as "thanes", while the discussion of status according to occupation
places craftsmen below farmers and other providers.
Now, is this a question of _which_ craftsmen are thanes. Among
certain Celts (no, I don't remember which), those who practiced
certain crafts (such as jewelcraft and weaponsmithing) were counted
as "aes dana", "skilled people(?)" right along with druids n' their
ilk. Is that the case here - some crafts are thaneish, others not?
by his clansmen, since he is a famous boatbuilder (makes damn good
oars, as well), but Wigfus Upcreek, who isn't that good and does more
fishing on the side to support himself, is a mere carl or cottar?
that a mere crafter is always less than a farmer (all other things
aside)?
Now, lets do some more theorizing. In any case, I suspect that
certain crafts will be the province of cottars. They will take
up basketweaving or woodcarving since they have less land and cattle
(or smaller fishing equipment). A blacksmith, on the other hand, will
need more resources but earn a better living as a result.
I agree with the general agreement that they will either be living
with a rich employer (not necessarily a chieftain), travelling a
circuit or live in a city. While travelling, I suspect it might be a
good idea to turn up on certain days when there are markets,
religious festivals etc.
Disclaimer 1: I'm fully aware that most craftsmen probably follows in
their parents' footsteps.
Disclaimer 2: I'm just as fully aware of most people having some
skill in many common crafts (carpentry, tinkering, brewing, weaving)
even if they are farmers and herders. I'm talking about the
professionals.
Re: The troubles of the guy who wants a Lunar-slaying weapon (or magic
> Remember, with pantheon initiation you don't belong to a specific cult -
B, But isn't there still "cults", special initiation into cults
broom, or whatever)
I realise I've sounded remarkably grouchy concerning Michaels idea of
the need for strange materials to work with. With some pondering, I
also realise it's because I associate it with the old D&D-cliche
(archetype?) of "Oh yeah, you want a dragon-slaying sword? Then you
must have a dragon's tooh as a Magical Ingredient." This is grossly
unfair, of course. I agree that for some smithing magics strange
materials (or normal materials accquired during strange circumstances
- - there is much old Swedish folklore about amulets made of lead from
church windows, for instance, not to mention all those things you have
to do under a certain moon).
Minor quibbles: A, But my Gloranthans have ALWAYS revered the whole
pantheon. They have ALWAYS made sacrifices to Issaries before making
a long journey, or prayed to Heler to "stop this damn rain". They
didn't get any mystical insights of practical value (ie, spells) or
exploitable special social relations with the cult leaders (ie,
ransom, skill training), but they still worshipped most of the
deities at some time. Am I very different from my fellow
Gloranthaphiles in that?
beyond the pantheon initiation, wherein you learn the deeper secrets
of a certain god? (Just wanna check - I don't know more about the
"pantheon initiation" than that it has been "yessed" by Greg.)
Erik Sieurin, who fortunately have had no more strange dreams
------------------------------
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #43
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