From: Lemens, Chris (CLemens@exchange.webmd.net)
Date: Thu 20 Jul 2000 - 19:48:57 EEST
Nick Eden:
>In [Elder Secrets] it is said that all Aldryami worship Aldrya [check]
>but some worship other gods/traditions as well. One of the
>prominent traditions is 'Ancestor Worship'.
>
>Opinions? These days Aldrya seems to have an awful lot of
>Ancestor Worship about 'her', and the shamanic aspect was
>always part of how Aldrya was worshipped, but I'm finding
>myself greatly doubting the concept of Aldryami ancestors
>in the first place.
I'd say that all Aldryami engage in something that God Learners would
classify as a form of ancestor worship. From a rather abstract GL's
viewpoint, the Aldryami make offerings to forest spirits in exchange for
particular services. The Aldryami of a particular forest know about the
spirits that come from that particular forest. In this sense, they are an
"animist tradition that worships the spirits of a . . . people's ancestors"
in the sense of the Glorantha glossary entry on ancestor worship.
From an Aldryami view, they feel a connection to all of the spirits of the
forest. We know that when any denizen of the forest dies, its spirit is
collected by Bebester the Taker. Aldrya shelters the spirit in the forest
until its time to be reborn arrives. During that time, Aldrya may instruct
the spirit to help her peoples or the spirits may themselves respond to her
peoples' pleas. When it is reborn, Sanarana the Grower places the spirit in
a new body.
Yes.
>Can they trace individual 'saplines' back to the First Council and the
Dawn?
I'd say they could if they had to, but no right-hearted elf would think of
such a thing. I think when the House of Errinorou talks about lineages,
they are talking about who He was in a prior incarnation. (Vronkal or HKE,
most likely. That must have been a major quest to re-incarnate him.
Personally, I think Vronkal, since I think HKE was a white elf. My
rationale is that "High King" does not mean "King over all Elves"; it means
geographically higher up the slope of the Spike. Reincarnating HKE would
thus require a white elf body. Thus far, no one has succeeded in finding or
creating one. I think it is because they have forgotten that white elves
are related to cacti, probably because the only remaining cactus forest is
in the middle of the Praxian wastes.)
>Elder secrets puts forwards 250ish as a reasonable bet for an Aldryami
>lifespan, which suggests that some will have pretty potent ancestors, IF
>they have the concept.
The spirits are potent. For example, they can be used to animate war trees.
>I don't think [traditional human or troll ancestor worship] feels right.
It's too tied
>into families, and the idea of a mummy elf and a daddy elf who love each
other
>very much smacks of Tolkien.
Well, some sorts of elf don't have a mummy elf. They have dryads. Like the
trolls, elves seem to see daddy elf as expendable where he exists.
(Off topic note. Only last week did I notice the linguistic root of
Al-drya[d], Murth-drya[d], and Halam-drya[d]. Duh.)
Chris Lemens
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