Sir_Godspeed Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 The institutionalized necromancy is another interesting factor we could play with. What if it's not only used for the greenwater-navy's galleys? Is it a fate reserved for prisoners of war, or executed criminals - or do you have some weird system whereby descendants can send a recently deceased ancestor into "indentured servitude" to pay off debts or some minor stipend, with the corpse being disenchanted and returned to its crypt at the end of the service? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius West Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 19 hours ago, Sir_Godspeed said: The institutionalized necromancy is another interesting factor we could play with. What if it's not only used for the greenwater-navy's galleys? Is it a fate reserved for prisoners of war, or executed criminals - or do you have some weird system whereby descendants can send a recently deceased ancestor into "indentured servitude" to pay off debts or some minor stipend, with the corpse being disenchanted and returned to its crypt at the end of the service? Of course, this necromancy is also used when people die away from their home province. This allows undertakers to get them to go home again. Of course if the appropriate seals are broken, the corpses become animated, and turn into hopping vampires. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangshi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 I'm not a big fan of having jiāngshī (a Qīng-era monster) in a Bronze Age setting... 1 Quote 「天朝大國」，https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Godspeed Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, GianniVacca said: I'm not a big fan of having jiāngshī (a Qīng-era monster) in a Bronze Age setting... While I get your point, Hippgriffs were straight up invented by artists and poets in the 16-1700s, yet are an integral part of pseudo-Babylonian Dara Happa, so it's not unprecedented. Edited December 31, 2018 by Sir_Godspeed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leingod Posted December 31, 2018 Author Share Posted December 31, 2018 On the other hand, the jiangshi is at least rooted in older Chinese ideas of a dualistic soul: an ethereal soul called a hun that leaves the body after death and a corporeal soul called the po that remains in the body. This idea dates back possibly as far as the 6th century BC. The idea that you have to appease your ancestors with sacrifice or else they'll come back as "hungry ghosts" stems from this idea that there is a soul that remains behind even when the body has died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanPospisil Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 BTW, if someone isn't a fan of the hopping vampires, because they're so goofy, I encourage you to watch "Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters" and the more recent "Rigor Mortis". Hopping vampires can be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianniVacca Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 On 12/31/2018 at 1:54 AM, Leingod said: On the other hand, the jiangshi is at least rooted in older Chinese ideas of a dualistic soul: an ethereal soul called a hun that leaves the body after death and a corporeal soul called the po that remains in the body. This idea dates back possibly as far as the 6th century BC. The idea that you have to appease your ancestors with sacrifice or else they'll come back as "hungry ghosts" stems from this idea that there is a soul that remains behind even when the body has died. Yes but I don't picture the hungry ghosts as being hopping vampires either. Quote 「天朝大國」，https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/92874/celestial-empire 很有意思: http://celestialempire.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akhôrahil Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) On 12/20/2018 at 1:03 AM, Sir_Godspeed said: If the Chinese Confusian system was anything like the Japanese idea of The Four Professions, farmers would actually be ranked above merchants and craftsmen. Theoretically, at least. Famously, Aristotle thought that banditry was a more honourable profession than being a merchant.No-one likes merchants. Edited January 10, 2019 by Akhôrahil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byll Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 47 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said: Famously, Aristotle thought that banditry was a more honourable profession than being a merchant.No-one likes merchants. Is that why Merchant Bankers are the least popular variety of bankers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Godspeed Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 1 hour ago, Akhôrahil said: Famously, Aristotle thought that banditry was a more honourable profession than being a merchant.No-one likes merchants. Except Mercantilist-Capitalist Europe from 1600s onwards, I suppose. Although that too is debatable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius West Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Akhôrahil said: Famously, Aristotle thought that banditry was a more honourable profession than being a merchant.No-one likes merchants. Aristotle was also famously wrong about everything. https://forbiddencomma.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/aristotle-wrong-about-everything/ Personally I have never liked Aristotle, while I like merchants as they offer prosperity and class mobility without the prospect of having to murder loads of people to achieve it. On the other hand, the threat that merchants pose to military types is daunting and immense as it undermines everything their lives are based on. Edited January 10, 2019 by Darius West 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Godspeed Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 I don't think anyone here seriously considers Aristotle's social philosophy to be a genuine ideal. It was more of a historical observation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g33k Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 On 12/30/2018 at 12:53 PM, Sir_Godspeed said: While I get your point, Hippgriffs were straight up invented by artists and poets in the 16-1700s, yet are an integral part of pseudo-Babylonian Dara Happa, so it's not unprecedented. FWIW... while the term does indeed seem to be a Renaissance-era neologism, the concept is much older. The "Griffon X Horse" cross was famously used to portray "True Love" (love despite being natural enemies) and an improbable mating -- Love Overcomes All. The cross is attested at least as far back as Virgil, and used in art at least as far back as Augustus. I stronly suspect that only our incomplete records prevent us from tracing it as rather more extensive than that; Virgil's usage seems to be in a short list of well-known / obvious exemplars. Quote C'es ne pas un .sig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.