'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

[rust]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

What was the normal treatment for that at the time, anyone?

At this time there was a change from either no treatment at all or exorcism
(sometimes even execution) to locking people away in asylums without any
treatment. Psychiatric medicine did not exist in the west between the time
of the Romans and the early 19th century, and what was done to the psy-
chiatric patients during the 19th century can hardly be called medicine.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

That may be. They don't sound like anything I have experienced or witnessed.

I have experienced epilepsy and I have seen people in what everyone believed were sacred trances. The later were neither epileptic nor insane; I suppose the best material explanation if one doesn't believe in such things generally or in a given instance is to chalk it up to emotional excitement. And of course other religions describe similar things. Delphians for instance, though they were reportedly high. I suppose as a non-medieval I have learned to hedge bets.

Be that as it may, maybe spacers do want the protection of someone who has had a peculiar life(one way or another) when they go into jump space?

Or maybe the spacers are not all a bunch of vulgar materialists?

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by rust

At this time there was a change from either no treatment at all or exorcism
(sometimes even execution) to locking people away in asylums without any
treatment. Psychiatric medicine did not exist in the west between the time
of the Romans and the early 19th century, and what was done to the psy-
chiatric patients during the 19th century can hardly be called medicine.

Thought it was something like that. Well then it is as well he lived in a monastery; he was probably as happy as he could be.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Or maybe the spacers are not all a bunch of vulgar materialists?

Which presumption I already assumed IMTU. But he did admittedly seem an odd saint for spacers, despite that. You would expect someone a little more adventurous, or technological or something, kind of like Maurice does well for soldiers being a legionary if I recall. Now my saint, should I swim the Tiber would be Aquinas for whatever that is worth. As he WAS in fact a nerd, it makes sense that he would be the patron saint of nerds.

[rust]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Or maybe the spacers are not all a bunch of vulgar materialists?

He became the patron saint of spacers because he could fly, up to 60 meters
high according to some reports. His contemplations have nothing to do with
his status as the patron saint of spacers.

Edit.:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..._engraving.jpg

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by rust

He became the patron saint of spacers because he could fly, up to 60 meters
high according to some reports. His contemplations have nothing to do with
his status as the patron saint of spacers.

Well I guess that makes sense as a reason. Sure why not?

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

IN Space Cadet Heinlein makes Saint Barbara, the patron saint of all who deal with high explosives, the patron saint of spacers because of the rockets they ride in.


Hans

[jason taylor]

Maybe Barbara is Starship Engineers and Joseph is spacers in general.

Was there a real patron of spacers in Heinlein's time?

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by rust

He became the patron saint of spacers because he could fly, up to 60 meters
high according to some reports. His contemplations have nothing to do with
his status as the patron saint of spacers.

Edit.:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..._engraving.jpg

Flying certainly fits.

[jason taylor]

Oathtaking: A Sword Worlder rite-of-passage in which an individual is accepted as an adult "citizen".

Sword Worlder's are uncomfortable with institutional loyalties and with unchosen loyalties outside the family. A replacement for this is patronage webs, real or fictive depending on the local culture. They have little civic instinct but much for the complexities of patronage. This is one reason for the political instability and for the rarity of democratic systems of government in the Sword Worlds. This also is one reason for the observed "militarism" in the Sword Worlds(aside from the historical one of being colonized by soldiers). The needs of a large civilization make institutional mechanization necessary. The most reliable format for this in Sword Worlder eyes is the military, depending as it does on oaths usually taken to a person. Because of this, mercantile and civil governmental structures often borrow the forms and rituals of a military. When there is no specific entity to swear to, rather then make contract with a fictive personage that exists only as a legal fiction, Sword Worlders will make a mythic figure to swear oath to. Examples of this will be the founder of a corporation, but also popular are Aesirist deities and heroes, Christian saints, heroes from sagas or other such. In places where there is ideological controversy there might be more then one mythic figure to act as Oathholder.

In the Oathtaking, held somewhere between 13-18, but commonly at age 16 the new Oathbound swears to the Thane, Jarl, Hertug, or in a democratic state like Tizon, or Hrunting the mythic patron. After this he or she has the rights of a "citizen" including marriage, bringing petition and suit, ownership of property, and such like as well as obligations such as military service(in men) or military-auxiliary service(in traditional women) such as medical assistance, and in some places the duty to sit in judgement in a Lawthing(jury). Rights and obligations vary from place to place.

After the Oathtaking there is a celebration. This usually includes both a public one for the thrope and a private one for the family. Customs of the celebration vary from place to place.