From: Sandy Petersen (SPetersen@ensemble-studios.com)
Date: Mon 18 Aug 1997 - 21:59:32 EEST
Gloranthan menses & pregnancy:
With few exceptions I believe that Gloranthan menses are once a Theyalan
season & that a pregnancy lasts about a year. I do NOT believe that all
women menstruate on the same day in a given season. I could easily be
convinced that menses are twice a season.
I believe that Tolat personally visits every Amazon on The
Rapture, if they're (A) on Trowjang and (B) in bed, asleep. I also
believe that these visits _only_ result in pregnancies if the Amazon in
question desires it. It is certainly possible that part of the necessary
preparation for a pregnancy is ritual sex with a captured male, in MOB
fashion.
There are lots of strange pregnancy rules in Glorantha, and the
general rule is, I believe, that those cultures which retain the most
matriarchal ways also retain the most control over their pregnancies.
Example:
THE BIRTHING SONG: Note: this is a Doraddi secret. Amongst the
Doraddi, a woman _cannot_ become pregnant without performing the
Birthing song. To do this, before sex the woman must drink some water
and urinate, eating nothing more until after coitus, when she must chant
the birthing song. If she cannot sing it, a female friend or relative
can do so on her behalf, while she listens. Note: deaf-mute Doraddi
women cannot become pregnant, for they can neither sing nor hear the
song.
The birthing song is not 100% effective, and even when sung,
sometimes no child results. However, if the ritual is not carried out,
there is _no_ chance of pregnancy. This does not apply to magic
pregnancy, such as with spirits, broos, or ogres.
There are ribald stories in which a woman coincidentally drinks
and urinates before sex, and then hears _another_ women in a neighboring
tent singing the Birthing Song, to her horror (and pregnancy). There are
also tales in which a would-be grandmother connives to get her daughter
pregnant by such means. Despite such tales, obviously the occurrence of
unwanted pregnancies amongst the Doraddi is low.
Since the song is post-coital, if it is heard night after night
from a particular tent, the inhabitants often find themselves the brunt
of teasing. Couples who embarrass easily often sneak off into the night
to try for pregnancy. Of course, such sneaking off can also be a source
of fun at their expense.
Women who are very concerned about pregnancy usually eat a nut
or piece of fruit just before the act to ensure safe sex (since eating
between urination & sex prevents pregnancy).
Some lineages' women are reported to know special Birthing songs
that ensure the birth of a daughter.
Ability to become pregnant without the Birthing Song is evidence
that one of your ancestors was not truly human. (And yes, Fonritians &
Veldang each have at least one non-human ancestor.)
Herd Men
Herd folk are able to impregnate human folk, but the offspring
are non-intelligent. Herd men have beards, male-pattern baldness, and
go gray-haired with age. They are primarily, but not exclusively
vegetarian; i.e, they'll supplement their diet with grubs, ants, frogs,
etc. They can survive on grass alone, but not for too long. They prefer
roots, seeds, leaves, and berries.
They have vocal cords, but not true speech. Their "vocabulary"
is more limited than that of a (non-sapient) baboon.
They do not look very different from normal Praxians. Remember
that the Morocanth frequently upgrade their breeding stock with human
prisoners. Also remember that the Praxians themselves often take
captives from other tribes, and interbreed with them. One of the Praxian
laws, in fact, is that the child of a slave is not born into captivity,
but is a member of the tribe. Thus all the Praxian tribes interbreed to
some extent. There are exceptions, like the Impala folk, who rarely mate
with their prisoners, for obvious reasons (no one wants their kids to be
too big to ride their steeds).
> When you place an allied spirit into an animal what happens to
that
> animals spirit?
Pam Carlson answers:
Another interpretation of an "allied spirit" is "awakened
animal". Often
an animal ally is simply a real animal made aware by the deity,
and tied to
the worshipper by spiritual means.
I concur with Pam. This is actively supported even by
old RQ - one of the reasons Shadow cats made dandy Orlanthi allied
spirits is because they had a POW of 2d6+12!
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