| From: | Ray & Tamara <macey@*******.COM.AU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Totems in General |
| Date: | Wed, 28 May 1997 10:36:41 +1000 |
> problem with the idea, so long as the creature acts significantly
> different from the general archetype of it's group. For instance, Gecko
> is special because of the various behoviors particular to him from other
> Lizards. I'll use Cat and Lion as an example, because I can't find enough
> on Gecko and there is no official Lizard totem that I know of. Cat is
> your basic, run-of-the-mill house cat-type of animal. Cat is fastidious,
> secretive, and arrogant. Cat is not a fighter so much as she is a
> stalker. Lion is, well, a lion. He is proud, fierce, powerful. His
> behaviour is different enough from Cat to warrant a separate totem. Wolf
> and Dog both represent different aspects of the canine stereotype, just
> Cat and Lion do, or Goose; Nene; Raven; Eagle; Phoenix; and others
> represent various representations of the avian archetype. There is not an
> archetypal representation of everything, especially when you begin
> talking about broad groups.
This is how I see it working. Magic works in different ways depending on
the way people think it works. It is possible to have a TV show as a
totem, or a religion, or God or anything. Therefore, if you are talking
about the animal totems, it depends on what the person/culture believe. If
they see all sharks as important in some way, then Shark is a valid totem
for them. If they see Tiger Sharks as different to other sharks for
whatever reason, then Tiger Shark is a valid totem. The shaman sees
himself as a Tiger Shark totem. Maybe, in the world of totems, he really
is a totem of Shark, but just follows a certain facet, but as far as I'm
concerned, if he wants to think of himself as a Tiger Shark shaman, he is
welcome to do it. Depending on the attributes of the different creatures,
they may have the same or different bonuses and penalties.
Does that make any sense?
Ray.
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