From: ian (i.) gorlick (igorlick@nortel.ca)
Date: Thu 12 Sep 1996 - 00:47:00 EEST
Human childbirth is difficult because human babies have huge heads and human
women have small pelvises. That is true on Earth and I see no reason why it
would be different in Glorantha. On Earth, various cultures have come up with
different myths to explain the pain of childbirth. In Glorantha, people would
also develop explanations of why it was so, and because of the interaction of
the mundane and god planes, these myths would become real. Or conversely, all
the damage inflicted on the Earth during the God's Wars has greatly reduced the
fertility of all the land, and human difficulty in childbirth is a reflection of
that mythic truth.
My impression of Glorantha is that you can't say what comes first, the myth or
the reality. The two are intertwined too tightly.
Should we decide to make birth easy and painless in Glorantha. I would oppose
Historically childbirth has been one of the greatest, if not the greatest,
that. Not because I want to make things difficult for female characters, but
because I see no benefit in making this change from our RW experience.
Glorantha's myth and magic make the world very different from the RW. I want to
keep as much in common with the RW as is compatible with the magical nature of
Glorantha. I find that this makes it easier for a player to feel that they are
in a real world.
causes of death among adult females. This makes childbirth a time of great
concern for players. It means that people will enact lots of rituals and call
together family resources to ensure a safe delivery. It is a time rich with
gaming possibilities. To make it safe and easy would eliminate all that
believable human drama and, in my opinion, would add nothing.
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