Re: The skin of God

On Wed, 28 Apr 1999, Nik Taylor wrote:

(really a conculture issue, and I'll try to be short; for the really
interested there's always my web page)

> Irina Rempt wrote:
> > Nuns (that is, priestesses of Naigha, who are celibate except on the
> > midwinter feast - don't ask) and religious knights (male and female).
>
> Hmm, interesting.  Okay, I know you said don't ask, but I just gotta
> ask,
That's why I said it :-)

> what's the deal with this midwinter feast?  Do the nuns have some
> fun on that day?
Depends on your definition of "fun" - some are in it *for* the
celibacy. There's no obligation to have sex in Valdyas, but it's
strongly encouraged for "normal" people. Priestesses of Naigha aren't
supposed to, except on the midwinter feast when they suddenly *must*
- not a good basis to start seducing someone. This is not too bad for
village priestesses, who are likely to have a lover anyway
(especially the younger ones), but if you're in a large temple in
town you're likely to run into problems. Married men are out (it's
Not Done in the culture) so they have only the unattached men who are
amenable to a one-night stand to choose from.

Eek, it sounds sordid, like some of the Dark Side discussions that we
had on the conculture list a while ago. It's a fact that most people
don't like it, not even those who become priestesses of Naigha by
choice, for instance because they want to learn medicine in a
secluded environment.

(and me only trying to explain why I can't translate something so
loaded with Christian cultural bias...)

   Irina


            Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastinay.
                     irina@rempt.xs4all.nl (myself)
     http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/frontpage.html (English)
    http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/backpage.html (Nederlands)