Re: Technological/societal levels in your conlangs/concultures

Am 01/13 08:45  Daniel Seriff yscrifef:
> For those of you that have concultures to go along with your languages,
> what is the relative level of technology/social advancement in your
> conculture? Try and give a year, at least within a half-century, that is
> equivalent to a time line of European history.
>
The Vokhomans know of iron which they call the black metal, melayoso.  I
conceive them as a near Asian culture, although in a world a little
unlike our own.  Since their alphabet is based on Aramaic I would say
that they're probably somewhere about sixth century common era.

> And another, slightly related question. I'm contemplating ideas for my
> "holy book". What kinds of holy books have you folks written or alluded
> to in your cultures?
>
Subjectively speaking the Vokhomans' holy book, the Oortra, is older
than their culture, which I have only recently started working on.  I
got fed up of reading fantasy novels where religion is used as a
scapegoat without any details for why it should be.  The Oortra means
roughly 'the means of invocation' and contains myths and texts to be
interpreted for religious rites and practices.  Many of the sections
appear to be long and meandering with no coherent beginning or end, and
for this reason most householders have an abridged version to be used
for household rites.  Only the temples are obliged to have complete
versions.  The smaller versions vary in their contents according to
traditions that their editors may belong to.  The Vokhoman religion
itself appears to be based on one or more primal religions that have
made the step to becoming an axial tradition.

- andrew.
--
Andrew Smith, Intheologus                       hobbit@earthlight.co.nz

                      "Piskie, Piskie, say Amen
                   Doon on your knees and up agen."

                    "Presbie, Presbie, dinna bend;
                   Sit ye doon on mon's chief end."
                               - Attributions unknown.