HeroQuest
Glorantha
  Cultures
    Orlanthi
Issaries, Inc.
GTA
Market Place
Tribes
Library
News
Utilities

Orlanthi Clan and Tribal Rituals

Here is some information that we've put together, extracted from various correspondance, that we think may be of interest to other fans.

The clan is the basic operative social unit for the Heortlings, and it is the basic unit for Heortling religion as well. The clan god-talkers (godi) know how to perform the public sacrifices and ceremonies that make up the twenty-eight Holy Days and the fourteen Sacred Days of the Heortling religion. These clan rites affirm and protect the clan's sacred territory - its tula - as well as pray for rain, pray for protection against clan enemies, for health, for crops, and so on. Unfriendly clans often work at cross-purposes against each other, weakening their mutual borders, causing droughts, damaging their harvests, and so on.

Tribes provide the framework for inter-clan cooperation, especially in matters of justice, mutual defense, marriage issues, trade and specialized cults. When two or more clans work in conjunction in ceremonies and sacrifices, they mutually agree on their boundaries and thus strengthen each other. They can coordinate sacrifices for rain, protection, health, crops and other such blessings, mutually reinforcing each other. These coordinated rites typically occur at holy places at or near the tribal center and are called "tribal rites". The tribal king normally presides over these "tribal rites", just as a chieftain presides over the clan rites.

A tribe usually has enough wealth to support scores of full-time religious specialists - priests and devotees of obscure minor gods. Instead of having a herder stand in for Heler during the ceremonies, an actual initiate of Heler fulfills the role in a tribal rite. Ceremonial accoutrements such as masks, ritual garments and items, and other such objects are more likely to be found in tribal rites than in a clan ritual. Providing support for these priests and religious specialists is often an important duty of a tribal king.

Tribes often control access to important holy places of the gods, such as the Hill of Orlanth Victorious, the Four Holy Hills of the Killard Vale or the Clearwine Earth Temple. These holy places cannot be described as "tribal" except insofar as they are places where the tribe worships. People from multiple clans can show up, and even people from other tribes. They don't "belong" to the tribe, except by tradition. However, the tribe customarily gets gifts and sacrifices from local clans, other tribes, and distant strangers who seek to offer sacrifices at the holy place. Depending on the holy place, these holy places can be a lucrative source of income for the tribal kings.

Everyone within easy travel distance congregate at the tribal center for these "tribal rites". Heortlings think nothing of traveling ten miles or more to attend the ceremonies in leave. There are only a few strictly tribal ceremonies, rather most "tribal rites" are more elaborate versions of the clan rituals - more elaborate because the tribe has more disposable wealth and more specialists than any clan - with many more people present. For most "tribal rites", people from multiple clans can show up, even people from other tribes. On actual tribal rite days, such as Presentation Day or Lawstaff Day, people from even more far-flung clans would come to the tribal center.

As a result of all these factors, the tribal rites are more magically potent than the same rites performed by a lone clan. They are better at crossing over on holy days - in part because they are led by full time priests, but also because they have larger communities behind them and usually occur at powerful holy places. Despite the advantages associated with the tribal rites, some clans might continue to perform smaller clan rites, even though most folk go to the tribal rites.

Thus, farmers in the Nymie Vale and the Streamvale usually participate in the more potent Clearwine Earth Temple sacrifices and ceremonies rather than their local clan ceremonies. People from all around Sartar travel to the Hill of Orlanth Victorious for the Sacred Time rites or to Four Winds Hill for Thunder Day sacrifices.

Back when Good King Kallai ruled the Colymar, the king would preside over One Day and Sacred Time "tribal rites" performed by the tribal priests at Clearwine. Folk from across the Nymie Vale and beyond would travel to Clearwine to participate in the tribal rites. Nonetheless, there are always a few old god-talkers that insist on performing the sacrifices on the Starfire Ridge. The Runegate clans (Enhyli, Narri and Taraling) gather together to perform "tribal rites" as do the Tree Triarchy clans, even when those clans are later divided between two tribes. Some other clans are left to their own devices, like the Hiordings or the Varmandi whose clan godtalkers perform their own One Day sacrifices and Sacred Time ceremonies without support from other clans.