[Glorantha] Ancestor Worship

[Donald R. Oddy]

In message <E1FEQxZ-000Lk4-VJ at pr-webmail-2.demon.net> tim at timellis.demon.co.uk writes:
>Simon talks about Ancestor Worship & Daka Fal

>>Now, putting the exact mechanisms aside, I have some fundamental 
>>difficulties understanding why ancestor worship precludes 
>>worshipping other deities. 
>
>I think, at least in part this is a "game balance" decision.  From 
>a player perspective, choosing to worship one deity over another 
>gives you the ability to learn certain spells but cuts you off from 
>others.  The Ancestor Worshipper can (potentially) gain access to 
>any spell, if they can justify an ancestor having learned it and 
>then contact that ancestor, so to "balance" this, they can only 
>access spells this way
>
>For a more "in game" perspective, consider the amount of time/resource 
>spent dealing with/honouring all your ancestors precludes devoting any 
>appreciable amount of time to any other deity.  After all, you don't 
>want to summon up Great Aunt Agatha at a crucial juncture, only to 
>receive a lecture about how you only ever think of her when you want 
>something, and if you can't have the common decency to help her out 
>on occasion well, you'll just have to wait.  What's that? If she 
>doesn't help you now, you might die?  Well, maybe that will teach you 
>better manners in future!    

Well Greg has clearly stated on many occasions that the majority of
people in Glorantha do not concentrate their magic. Indeed the high
proportion of initiates in Heortling society is unusual. So for the
majority of people there is no reason to spend some time worshipping
ancestors as well as the gods. Indeed Great Aunt Agatha was an
Ernaldan so when you worship Ernalda you mention Agatha at the same
time.

>>Finally, although ultimately all ancestor worship derives from Daka Fal,
>
>I think that assertion is a bit "godlearner"-ish.  All Praxian ancestor 
>worship derives from Daka Fal, but since the Orlanthi are generally 
>theisits rather than spiritists, they are unlikely to be Daka Fal 
>worshippers at all 

I think Daka Fal should be considered in the context that Cults of
Prax was written when everything had to be fitted into a standard
cult writeup. Even then it makes it clear there is no formal structure,
just individual priests and their followers. We now know these are
shamen rather than priests.

So I would certainly expect all animist societies to have Daka Fal
shamen or an equivelent. Theistic societies like the Heortlings
won't - interaction between the living and the dead is done by
the cult of Asrelia/Ty Kora Tek as are the social functions of
mourning and correctly disposing of corpses. Nor will monothiestic
societies - any shaman trying to contact someone's ancestors will 
be regarded as an evil sorcerer. The dead are in solace or hell
and should stay there.

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