[Glorantha] Ancestor Worship

[Greg Stafford]

> From: Simon Phipp <soltakss at yahoo.com>
seeks information about
> Subject: [Glorantha] Ancestor Worship

>   Now, putting the exact mechanisms aside, I have some fundamental
> difficulties understanding why ancestor worship precludes worshipping
> other deities.

It does not. I believe that most peopel engage in both types of woship, as
they did here on earth.
In general, the ancestors are largely private worship, with occasional
large public rituals, and the deities (or spirits) are worshipped publicly
(with some private rituals) Note that the Malkioni generally do NOT
worship ancestors.

>   Another question is about the ancestors themselves. Currently, people
> can only summon their direct ancestors

Where does it ay that? I thought that the rules book (which I can't access
immediately) indicated otherwise.
It is the kin group, not the bloodline, that can be accessed.

>   Perhaps we should call it "Extended Family Worship" rather than Ancestor
> Worship.

Ancesor worship is the common term used (among our terrestial
contemporaries) to descibe what you call Extended Family Worship.

>   Finally, although ultimately all ancestor worship derives from Daka Fal,

Not anymore. Except insofar as "Daka Fal" is taken to be the "human" rune,
a form upon which the many races weremodelled.

> how important is Daka Fal to ancestor worshippers generally? Prax has
> Daka Fal worshippers, but also worshippers of Grandfather Morokanth and
> Grandfather Baboon. Duke Raus is said to be an ancestor worshipper, but
> does House Rone have links to Daka Fal? What about trolls, they worship
> their clan ancestors, Mistress Sazdorf and so on, but do they
> particularly care about Daka Fal?

Daka Fal is a specifically Praxian form of the First Person. Other
cultures have different names.

>   I reckon that they see Daka Fal as an originator, if they see him at
> all. So, he would stand in the same kind of place as Umath as the Father
> of Storms, or Aether as Grandfather Sky. If they thought really hard
> about it, they would see that Daka Fal was the first, primal ancestor
> cult, but their House/Clan/Whatever worships its own ancestors through
> whichever clan founder they worship.

In general,correct.

>   OK, perhaps "worship" is the wrong term,

No, it is the right term. They offer sacifices or dances, etc. to their
ancestors. Not the same objects or things sacrificed, o course,ntr the
same dances, but worship is he right term.

> perhaps "honour" would be
> better. I suppose in HeroQuest terms, animists don't worship their
> ancestors and Theists worship their Founder rather than the ancestors
> themselves.

Some, but it varies betweeen cultures. Heck, even between families within
a culture.

=====
Sincerely,
Greg Stafford

Issaries, Inc.
2140 Shattuck Ave., pmb #2030,
Berkeley, CA 94704