From: David Cake (davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au)
Date: Mon 05 Aug 1996 - 19:36:12 EEST
I think that its important to understand that the Red Goddess Quest
pattern can be reenacted in slightly different ways, as can a Light
Bringers Quest. And I think there are different attitudes to different ways
of reenacting the quest.
For example, the Orlanthi LBQ can have different people playing the
part of the enemy (chaos in the original), and different people playing the
part of the defeated enemy (Yelm/The Emperor). And so it can have different
results - Harmast bringing back Arkat is the classic example. A short LBQ
is effectively a reenactment - I am sure the Red Goddess Quest equivalent
is similar, and as its primary purpose is personal experience and
strengthening the myth pattern, the Lunar authorities probably love people
to undertake it.
But when you do a 'full' reenactment of the Red Goddess Quest, then
you really doing a creative heroquest to a known pattern. You get to choose
who takes the parts of the various people. And according to certain
theories, the original Red Goddess Quest had as a major aim the overthrow/
subversion of the Emperor, by bringing forth his Other.... so I think a
bunch of White Moonies aiming to reenact the Red Goddess Quest would be
looked on very harshly indeed. If you perform the Red Goddess Quest keeping
strictly to the Red Goddess pattern, then you strengthen the existing Red
Emperors taking of the Yelmic throne, and your opposition would probably
include some representative of the old Yelmic order. But I imagine a real
hero status person undertaking the quest could with a different intent
could achieve very different things.
Now, if you accept the theory that the RGQ originally was a variant
of the LBQ, then Argraths second LBQ, where he goes to the secret Lunar
Hell of utmost suffering (probably the very same one visited in the RGQ)
starts to look very interesting from a Lunar (especially White Moon)
perspective. Of course, he brings back Sheng, who is the Other of the
Emperor, but it can't really be seen as a success in the other aspects of
the RGQ. Though if you accept the theory that the RGQ is a variant of the
LBQ (IMHO probably has some truth to it, but is a great oversimplification)
then you will be more inclined towards the view that the Empire keeps close
control over any reenactments of the Quest.
Cheers
Dave
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