Hibernation

[Noita]

Do creatures hibernate in Glorantha? Came up in a game i'm in and got me wondering.

[David Scott]

Yes, hibernation is a thing. As to why it happen in Glorantha is up for speculation. My take is that the sleeping ones enter the spirit world and continue their life there - Like going back to the Green Age, but that didn't exist for the spirit world as separation hadn't yet happened. So it's the spirit world version of the Green Age had it existed. I believe it's somehow linked to the Goddesses Dream when all the Goddesses went to the Underworld with Yelm, sleeping not dead. In my Glorantha that's where they all go - the Goddesses Dream. Why they have to hibernate and go there is a matter for God Learner speculation of the intense kind only found in these forums. 

[Psullie]

1 hour ago, David Scott said:

 is a matter for God Learner speculation of the intense kind only found in these forums. 

brown elves hibernate... and trolls 

 

Edited August 28, 2017 by Psullie

[Joerg]

20 minutes ago, Psullie said:

brown elves hibernate... and trolls 

 

and Bear Hsunchen. Some of them for over a century, during the Ban.

[David Scott]

Rather than starting random animal listings, firstly there's two types of hibernating animals - obligates and facultative. Facultive is the easiest to start with as they do it as there isn't enough food to get through Dark season or it gets too cold to survive or both -  so it's prepare, hibernate or die. Obligate hibernators automatically do it regardless of food supply or temperature. These are likely linked to some preparatory event related to their progenitor before the Great Darkness who hid somewhere safe and missed the whole End of the World. Either way both types wake up after sacred time.  Perhaps some sleep through Storm season as well.

It's also normal animal types as well not just the intelligent sorts.

 

Edited August 28, 2017 by David Scott
obligate / Facultative confusion resolved :-)

[Richard S.]

56 minutes ago, David Scott said:

Facultive is the easiest to start with as they do it as there isn't enough food to get through Dark season or it gets too cold to survive or both -  so it's prepare, hibernate or die. 

Aha! So there are practical reasons for doing things in Glorantha! 

[David Scott]

2 hours ago, Richard S. said:

Aha! So there are practical reasons for doing things in Glorantha! 

I agree it would seem so. However underlying this would be a strategy laid down in the mythology of the Great Darkness to survive. You have to have the ability (magical or not) to do it so there would be a mythological reason for it. Good try though 

[Byll]

Look, he's a squirrel, he spends three seasons running around gathering food and cussing lumbering humans who've put big piles of stone around his  territory, he needs his rest, alright?

[Mankcam]

18 hours ago, David Scott said:

... is a matter for God Learner speculation of the intense kind only found in these forums. 

I spluttered so much I almost dropped my evening coffee when I read this, heh heh

lol 

[m0n0cular]

What about bound spirits in the bodies of hibernating animals? The binder can't stray too far from from their spirit or the bond is broken, so they pin themselves down to a tight geographical area during the periods of hibernation. What mythological precedents might there be for taking on such a restriction?

[Psullie]

21 minutes ago, m0n0cular said:

What about bound spirits in the bodies of hibernating animals? The binder can't stray too far from from their spirit or the bond is broken, so they pin themselves down to a tight geographical area during the periods of hibernation. What mythological precedents might there be for taking on such a restriction?

If the spirit is bound to the animal then it's bound wether it's sleeping or awake, in fact binding a watchful spirit during hibernation would be tremendously useful, rather like dryads keeping watch over winter. With regard the binders spirit wandering during long hibernation, the accompanying spirit could either travel with the dreamer or remain watching over the corporal body. 

[Joerg]

17 hours ago, David Scott said:

Rather than starting random animal listings, firstly there's two types of hibernating animals - obligates and facultative. Facultive is the easiest to start with as they do it as there isn't enough food to get through Dark season or it gets too cold to survive or both -  so it's prepare, hibernate or die.

Going into hibernation unprepared means death, probably slightly postponed by premature awakening and desperate search for some sustenance.

In German, zoology has different terms for full hibernation and a much less deep sleep with occasional periods of activity like e.g. squirrels perform, looking up their hidden nuts and acorns under the snow.

Quote

Obligate hibernators automatically do it regardless of food supply or temperature. These are likely linked to some preparatory event related to their progenitor before the Great Darkness who hid somewhere safe and missed the whole End of the World. Either way both types wake up after sacred time.  Perhaps some sleep through Storm season as well.

It is Dark Season -> Storm Season -> Sacred Time -> Sea Season.

Going to sleep in Dark Season and waking up for Sacred Season would necessarily mean sleeping through Storm Season.

Meteorolicically, waking up in late Storm Season would make sense for short sleepers. Mythically, the seasons do map on the Ages (as per the God Learner Maps plus Green Age), but in inverted sequence:

Green Age - Earth Season
Golden Age - Fire Season
Flood Age - Sea Season
(no equivalent) - Sacred Season
Storm Age - Storm Season
Darkness Age - Dark Season

This doesn't offer easy "went to sleep in the Lesser Darkness, awoke at Dawn" conversions.

 

Hibernating beasts or plants would gather as much energy as possible during Earth Season. Plants will have grown their fruit, but might collect some starting capital for next spring. Herbivores will gorge themselves on the fruits (nuts, grains), thinning out the seeds for next growth season. Few warm-blooded carnivores will hibernate as winter offers plenty victims to the cold to scavenge on.

Mammals may enter hibernation pregnant.

 

I wonder how the Earth Shakers deal with the cold season. Before we learned that most dinos were basically primitive birds, we would cheerfully have them go into a similar cold apathy as other reptiles, but those covered in fluffy downs might instead huddle like penguins.

Some seasonal migration might still go on. Ormsgone Valley might have hot springs thanks to the closeness of Krisa Yar, offering some external source of heat against total shutdown.

 

 

Edited August 29, 2017 by Joerg