[Glorantha] Fwd: Cult distribution

[Donald R. Oddy]

In message <f91200f10512070001x50113454o2e80fbffa7d8c910 at mail.gmail.com> Jeff Richard writes:
>Donald writes:

>>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.
>
>In my list, Erantha Gor is one of the minor minor goddesses.  Amongst
>the Colymar, they'd all be at the Clearwine Earth Temple.

So the vast majority of Ernaldan temples - those used by the
thousands of women who don't go the Clearwine regularly - don't
have any guardians?

Even if we assume clan temples catering to congregations of five 
to six hundred that's a couple of dozen assuming they are required 
purely for ritual purposes, with more at Clearwine.

I rather suspect there are more Earth temples than that with one
for every hundred or two initiates. Small groups of steads sharing 
a temple within easy travelling distance. Now there may not be
enough Erantha Gori to go round but I'd still expect there to be
more than there are Vingans. Simply because they represent an
essential part of Ernaldan society rather than a rebellous offshoot.

Incidently has anyone done much on the earth cults side of 
Heortling society? I've a few ideas but there's no point in
developing them completely independently of what others have
done.

>Part of the purpose of this exercise is to show how few cultists of
>particular gods there are.  Frex, in all of Sartar, I doubt there are
>more than 150 Rigsdal initiates.  Probably less.  

I agree, probably in small groups (say a devotee and a dozen initiates)
in a single clan.

>Some other
>interesting implications - assume that 1 in 10 initiates become
>devotees and 1 in 1000 become disciples.  You can begin figuring out
>how many devotees and disciples are in Sartar within the specific
>cults.

I'm surprised at one in ten becoming devotees, certainly in the
main subcults. I'd have put it at nearer one in a hundred, that
level of commitment is unusual and there are plenty of reasons,
even for those inclinded that way, not to do so.

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