[Horror] [Low-Tech] Hearthfires going cold and other Low-Tech spookiness

The Colonel · 11-30-2016, 05:27 AM

Interesting then that the Romans - for whom infant exposure was very much a institution (although how commonly performed may be up for debate) didn't have a cultural artefact associated with it. Presumably, given that the children to be exposed were either deformed or otherwise rejected by the paterfamilias (e.g. because their legitimacy was in doubt) you could expect your lares and penates to deal with any spiritual fallout.

Likewise, presumably, the Spartans who were famous for their exposure of "unfit" babies (but again, who knows how frequently this actually happened?) considered that the spirit of a weakling was no threat to them.

I suspect you also need a culture with a concept of personhood in infancy before the undead baby becomes truly established - if every birth means a person who needs to be baptised and ushered into the church (as in clericalist Christian tradition), leaving one out to die without benefit of clergy would seem a much worse act than if your culture holds that personhood is something that develops over time.

11-30-2016, 05:27 AM	#11
The Colonel Join Date: Jul 2006	Re: [Horror] [Low-Tech] Hearthfires going cold and other Low-Tech spookiness Interesting then that the Romans - for whom infant exposure was very much a institution (although how commonly performed may be up for debate) didn't have a cultural artefact associated with it. Presumably, given that the children to be exposed were either deformed or otherwise rejected by the paterfamilias (e.g. because their legitimacy was in doubt) you could expect your lares and penates to deal with any spiritual fallout. Likewise, presumably, the Spartans who were famous for their exposure of "unfit" babies (but again, who knows how frequently this actually happened?) considered that the spirit of a weakling was no threat to them. I suspect you also need a culture with a concept of personhood in infancy before the undead baby becomes truly established - if every birth means a person who needs to be baptised and ushered into the church (as in clericalist Christian tradition), leaving one out to die without benefit of clergy would seem a much worse act than if your culture holds that personhood is something that develops over time.