[Glorantha] Re: Ernaldan initiation

[Nic Hughes]

donald at grove.demon.co.uk (Donald R. Oddy) wrote:

>
>
> They need both role models, the queen who leads and the heroine who
> they are to emulate. And while sweeping chaos out of the stockade
> may do for Orane and Mahome it is seriously askew for most Ernaldans 
> who are makers of things or life itself. I know the fertility aspects
> get only brief coverage in TR but they are going to be followed by
> a high percentage of heortling women. Perhaps the heroine is Hengal's
> mother who brings children into the world knowing that chaos is and
> will continue killing them.
>
>   
I think this would be true if Ernaldan women initiated into Ernalda the 
Mother but from what we know this is not usually the case, they initiate 
into Ernalda the Healer and switch to a more maternal form of the 
religion later in life. Looking at the subcults of the Healer aspect 
most seem pretty suitable for IFWW in their own way - which is to say 
that the challenges faced would look different for Ernaldans but the 
core challenge of carrying on beyond the point where all seems lost 
would remain.

It may or may not be significant that Greg's Esrolian initiation posted 
at http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/HeroQuest-RPG/message/30572?l=1 
has a similar element of continuing with the quest when isolated and 
alone. I have always thought that this was the core element of IFWW and 
that the way that each of the societies of Kerofinela expressed the core 
element could and would be different.


-- 
Nic