Polygamy and Golarion

[Arcaian]

The NPC wrote:

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

I don't have any cultural details but right off the bat, but the three prominent goddesses, Sarenrae, Desna, and Shelyn, are in a committed polyamorous relationship, so at the very least I would expect followers of those faiths and nations where they are common to celebrate the merits of plural marriages and open relationships.

I know James Jacobs, has said that they in some form poly relationship, but was that ever put in print?

They have put it to print, yes! I believe the first time reference to their relationship was in Planar Adventures:

Planar Adventures p164 wrote:

While some call Shelyn the Eternal Maiden, she has in fact had many lovers throughout the millennia, most recently and significantly a polyamorous on-again, off-again relationship with Desna and Sarenrae.

I'd expect it to have come up again in Gods and Magic, given the Friends in High Places blog made in the run-up to its release featured art of the three of them, made them a pantheon, and described them as lovers.

[The NPC]

Arcaian wrote:

The NPC wrote:

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

I don't have any cultural details but right off the bat, but the three prominent goddesses, Sarenrae, Desna, and Shelyn, are in a committed polyamorous relationship, so at the very least I would expect followers of those faiths and nations where they are common to celebrate the merits of plural marriages and open relationships.

I know James Jacobs, has said that they in some form poly relationship, but was that ever put in print?

They have put it to print, yes! I believe the first time reference to their relationship was in Planar Adventures:

Planar Adventures p164 wrote:

While some call Shelyn the Eternal Maiden, she has in fact had many lovers throughout the millennia, most recently and significantly a polyamorous on-again, off-again relationship with Desna and Sarenrae.

I'd expect it to have come up again in Gods and Magic, given the Friends in High Places blog made in the run-up to its release featured art of the three of them, made them a pantheon, and described them as lovers.

Right. Yes that is coming back to me. Its Sibelious' description of it as committed that threw me off.

[Sibelius Eos Owm]

The NPC wrote:

Right. Yes that is coming back to me. Its Sibelious' description of it as committed that threw me off.

Would you look at that? It appears I was a little over-enthusiastic about that bit of embellishment. Perhaps 'committed' was not the best term to use there; I was not thinking through the implications it could have in this context XD

[The NPC]

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

The NPC wrote:

Right. Yes that is coming back to me. Its Sibelious' description of it as committed that threw me off.

Would you look at that? It appears I was a little over-enthusiastic about that bit of embellishment. Perhaps 'committed' was not the best term to use there; I was not thinking through the implications it could have in this context XD

I'm going to be honest. I can't tell if you're jesting or taking a jab at me. Your word usage legitimately threw me off and made think that I had missed something. However, if I came off as aggressive or condescending I apologize.

[Sibelius Eos Owm]

The NPC wrote:

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

The NPC wrote:

Right. Yes that is coming back to me. Its Sibelious' description of it as committed that threw me off.

Would you look at that? It appears I was a little over-enthusiastic about that bit of embellishment. Perhaps 'committed' was not the best term to use there; I was not thinking through the implications it could have in this context XD

I'm going to be honest. I can't tell if you're jesting or taking a jab at me. Your word usage legitimately threw me off and made think that I had missed something. However, if I came off as aggressive or condescending I apologize.

Oh no, you're fine. I was poking fun at myself for being unintentionally misleading, I appreciate accuracy--I actually didn't realize the nature of their relationship was not quite as I thought and I legitimately chose the wrong adjective in my original description :3

[The NPC]

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

The NPC wrote:

Sibelius Eos Owm wrote:

The NPC wrote:

Right. Yes that is coming back to me. Its Sibelious' description of it as committed that threw me off.

Would you look at that? It appears I was a little over-enthusiastic about that bit of embellishment. Perhaps 'committed' was not the best term to use there; I was not thinking through the implications it could have in this context XD

I'm going to be honest. I can't tell if you're jesting or taking a jab at me. Your word usage legitimately threw me off and made think that I had missed something. However, if I came off as aggressive or condescending I apologize.

Oh no, you're fine. I was poking fun at myself for being unintentionally misleading, I appreciate accuracy--I actually didn't realize the nature of their relationship was not quite as I thought and I legitimately chose the wrong adjective in my original description :3

Okie dokie. All is well then. This would be the perfect time for a gif, but alas. No gif function... At least none that doesn't lead awa from the site. Its nearly 1:30am and I am rambling now.

[Evil Paul]

In terms of Polygamy, there is both "is it common practice?" and "is it legal?"

I would suggest that it is legal in much of the Inner Sea region. Specifically: Absalom, as a melting pot of cultures that with fairly lax social laws, likely to be legal there, and the whole of the Golden Road region, given the cultural wellspring it is drawing from.

It may well be legal across the whole of the Inner Sea region. We haven't heard of any other specific social laws, such as homosexuality being illegal, and in most places women are free to obtain any social rank (knight, business owner, land owner) etc as men.

I would suggest that on the whole, the Inner Sea region is vastly more "socialy liberal" when it comes to the powers that the state exercises over individual's in their private lives.

Attitudes and cultural norms though are very different to social laws.

[PossibleCabbage]

Probably the big difference is that in most parts of Golarion the state has no official notion of "marriage" and unions are simply left in the purview of whatever church.

So if you and A Bewildering Procession of Companions, Lovers, Suitors, and Paramours are married in the eyes of Shelyn, that's all that really matters to anyone.

[Ixal]

PossibleCabbage wrote:

Probably the big difference is that in most parts of Golarion the state has no official notion of "marriage" and unions are simply left in the purview of whatever church.

So if you and A Bewildering Procession of Companions, Lovers, Suitors, and Paramours are married in the eyes of Shelyn, that's all that really matters to anyone.

For common people maybe. But for nobility it probably matters a lot more who is married to whom and which child is eligible for inheritance (and for what amount).

The more complex that question is, the higher the risk of civil war.
So Polygamy is probably more common in democracies and less in monarchies.

[thejeff]

Ixal wrote:

PossibleCabbage wrote:

Probably the big difference is that in most parts of Golarion the state has no official notion of "marriage" and unions are simply left in the purview of whatever church.

So if you and A Bewildering Procession of Companions, Lovers, Suitors, and Paramours are married in the eyes of Shelyn, that's all that really matters to anyone.

For common people maybe. But for nobility it probably matters a lot more who is married to whom and which child is eligible for inheritance (and for what amount).

The more complex that question is, the higher the risk of civil war.
So Polygamy is probably more common in democracies and less in monarchies.

Historically, elites were more likely to have multiple wives, concubines and the like. And thus more children and more inheritance conflict.

It may matter more, but it certainly doesn't rule out polygamy, you just have to formalize things. And then fight it out among the kids anyway.

[Ixal]

thejeff wrote:

Ixal wrote:

PossibleCabbage wrote:

Probably the big difference is that in most parts of Golarion the state has no official notion of "marriage" and unions are simply left in the purview of whatever church.

So if you and A Bewildering Procession of Companions, Lovers, Suitors, and Paramours are married in the eyes of Shelyn, that's all that really matters to anyone.

For common people maybe. But for nobility it probably matters a lot more who is married to whom and which child is eligible for inheritance (and for what amount).

The more complex that question is, the higher the risk of civil war.
So Polygamy is probably more common in democracies and less in monarchies.

Historically, elites were more likely to have multiple wives, concubines and the like. And thus more children and more inheritance conflict.

It may matter more, but it certainly doesn't rule out polygamy, you just have to formalize things. And then fight it out among the kids anyway.

Fight it out is the correct word (See for example the succession in the Osman empire. Rally enough support to become crowned, then murder all your brothers and half-brothers). Not the kind of succession system I can imagine is being used in most nations on Golarion except places like Cheliax.