Re: Humakti outlaws
David Dunham (ddunham@radiomail.net)
Wed, 8 Mar 1995 10:58:44 -0800
David answering Greybeard:
>Do people agree that Humakti in Orlanthi society in Sartar are outlaws?
No, for a couple reasons.
1. I don't think all Sartarite Humakti go through the Greydog ritual of
kinship severance. I think the mainstream Sartarites in effect marry into
the Humakt temple (when you marry into a new clan, you become a member of
that clan, but still have ties to your original clan).
2. Although I agree with Peter Michaels that Humakti Honor isn't Sartarite
Honor, this doesn't mean Humakti are outlaws. Outlaws are people you can
kill if you see them. If you shelter them, you can get in trouble. They
will steal from people at will because, after all, they're outlaws, what
more can you do to them? They have to live outside society, often with the
unsavory company of other outlaws. [The saga of Grettir the Strong has the
best portrayal of outlawry I've read. It's very sad. Usually Icelandic
outlaws just sailed away somewhere else and joined Norwegian society.]
If you see a Humakti, would you look to the safety of your sheep, and
figure out how you could kill him? No. Would the King of Sartar keep a band
of outlaws? No, because he wouldn't be upholding the laws of the kingdom.
So I think most Sartarites treat most Humakti as black sheep members of
their family, who moved away and never write, and joined a weird cult
fixated on death. They'd be happy to throw a feast for them if they ever
showed up again.
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