[Glorantha] Cult distribution amongst the Colymar

[Donald R. Oddy]

In message <f91200f10512061032i79ed97cdj2fd16e722e809df1 at mail.gmail.com> Jeff Richard writes:
>Howdy all -
>
>I've been crunching some numbers to figure out how many people in
>Sartar belong to what cults.  This particular bit of number crunching
>involves just the Colymar tribe.
>
>Some interesting implications came from the exercise.
>
>For the purpose of this exercise I am assuming that folk are initiates
>of only one cult - that actually isn't true, but I haven't figured out
>how to allocate dual initiates.  I am also assuming the population
>numbers given are total population and not just adults.
>
>Prior to Starbrow's Rebellion (c 1610), there were 18,000 Colymar,
>distributed amongst 15 clans with approximately 1200 people per clan.
>Some clans are bigger, some smaller.  This population can be broken
>down approximately as follows:
>
>7000 children (under the age of 15)
>1500 initiands (15 -19 years old)
>8000 adults (20 to 60 years old)
>1500 elders (60 years and older)
>
>There are 9500 adults (including elders) who have been initiated into the t=
>ribe.
>
>8075 are initiated in Orlanth or Ernalda
>       4000 Orlanth initiates (average of 267 per clan)
>       4075 Ernalda initiates (average of 272 per clan)
>
>Let's look at those 4000 Orlanth initiates (average of 267 per
>clan).  I think Orlanth aspects are broken down approximately as
>follows:
>        2400 Allfather (average of 160 per clan)
>        1200 Adventurous (average of 80 per clan)
>        400 Thunderous (average of 27 per clan)
>
>Based on these numbers, it would seem that the Allfather cult and
>Adventurous cults are generally centered on the clan.  The Thunderous
>cult is probably tribal in nature.
>
>As for the 4075 Ernalda initiates (average of 272 per clan), let's
>make the following breakdown:
>         1699 Allmother (average of 113 per clan)
>         1019 Esrola (average of 68 per clan)
>          815 Healer (average of 54 per clan)
>          339 Ty Kora Tek/Asrelia (average of 23 per clan).
>
>It would appear that most Allmother and Esrola rituals are probably
>done at the clan level.  Healer cults probably are largely centered at
>the Clearwine Earth Temple and the Queen cult is centered at Clearwine
>Earth Temple.
>
>The Clearwine Earth Temple is the regional cultic center for about
>10,000 Ernalda cultists - including the Colymar, Locaem, Lismelder
>tribes, as well as the durulz and beasts, and possible even the
>Yelmalions of Sun Dome County.
>
>1425 are initiated to one of the minor Storm Tribe cults.  The
>distribution of the minor cults are approximately as follows:
>100 Chalana Arroy
>300 Elmal  (250 amongst the Runegate clans - the Enhyli are one of the
>two or three clans in Sartar where Elmal is dominant)
>25 Eurmal
>120 Heler
>120 Humakt
>100 Issaries
>100 Lhankhor Mhy
>120 Odayla
>100 Urox
>120 Vinga
>100 Yinkin
>120 Other minor deities
>
>The above numbers are rough approximations - and may change +/- 20 
>worshippers.
>
>Based on these numbers, virtually no clan will have enough to support
>its own cultic center for a minor cult, other that the Elmal cult at
>Runegate.  Most minor cults will have about 8 worshippers per clan
>(some clans will have more, some will have less) and will have to look
>outside the clan for priests and god-talkers.

Interesting analysis which raises a few points in my mind.

You're assuming that minor cult worshippers are evenly spread among
the clans. We know that's not the case with Elmal where 5/6ths are
in a single clan so I would expect the same to apply to many of the 
others. Indeed we see tribal concentrations such as Vingans among
the Kheldon. These concentrations are probably particularly true 
where there is a Orlanth subcult which performs a similar function 
so in one clan lawspeakers will mostly be Lhankor Mhy whereas in 
another they are mostly Andrin.

There's also a question of how big a variation there is in clan size
- is it +/-10%, +/-20% or +/-50%? I know Jane has a list of ten 
Kheldon clans for a tribe that's only 6,000 strong pre-1613. If
some of the Colymar clans are 2,000 - 2,500 strong those clans are
more likely to have priests and god-talkers for minor cults. A
small point is that KoS lists only twelve clans for the Colymar
which would give them an average size of 1,500.

One cult that seems missing from these figures is Erantha Gor,
the earth temple guardian. Now that's a cult I would expect
each clan to have at least a member or two with significant
numbers in the matriarchal clans.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/