message 0021

• The Mahendo'sat

>From: Lesley Grant <lgrant>
>Subject: cherryhlist
>Date: Wed, 21 Oct 92 10:00:50 BST

Jo has asked me to clarify a theory about charismatic leadership
in regard to the Mahendo'sat. [First, let me say I'm a postgrad
studying the ancient Near East, esp. ancient Israel, which is where
the examples will come from].
	Basically, charismatic leadership is personal, and not catered
for by legal structures. The leader's charisma (in the case of Israel,
and, I would suspect mahen culture described as the favour/spirit of God)
allows them to act in ways ordinary mortals cannot -- they can lead armies,
prophesy, inspire others, etc. This charisma is purely personal -- it CANNOT
be passed on to a successor. If a successor does become a charismatic leader
themself, this is normally at the expense of the first leader. In ancient
Israel, the 'judges' were local charismatic leaders who arose in times of
local difficulty, solved it, and then sank back into obscurity. Due to the
later editing of the texts, this is somewhat obscured, as the editors are
concerned to give a pan-Israel feel to the whole thing. Now Saul also started
as a local charismatic leader, freeing the city of Jabesh-Gilead from its
Ammonite besiegers. However, he didn't sink back into comfortable middle class
obscurity, but was made king -- in effect his charisma didn't go away. This
can be traced to a threat that was long lasting and affecting a lot of people
-- the Philistine expansion into the hill country. Eventually, Saul's star
sank, and David's rose -- this is explicity portrayed as the charisma going
from one to the other. As long as the leader can successfully carry out actions
this is a sign they still have charisma. Shouls a leader start losing, however,
it will be taken for a sign of divine displeasure/loss of charisma (which must
needs go elsewhere).
	Well, fine and dandy, but what about our mahen pals? First and
foremost, they very obviously have a system of leadership that is intensely
personal. They are also (a lot of them) filled with a religious fervour that
can only be described as fanatical (How about a book set on Iji, hey?). The
Personages rule absolutely, but only in their own areas -- there are Persnages
for each station, each world (and presumably for each religious faction). The
Personages have some quality, only once explicity described ("the Personage
at Iji whose serenity is undisturbed") but is referred to implicitly -- the
Personage at the end of _Chanur's Homecoming_ sees Pyanfar has "the Personage-
thing". Personages can apparently recognise this quality in others and it is
from her charisma being recognised that Pyanfar _becomes_ a Personage (at the
expense of Sikkukkukt, whose charisma has passed to her). We are given no clues
as to what leads to the rise of a Personage normally -- it doesn't seem to be
a crisis, although a crisis would probably lead to a number of Personages
rising and falling. All Personages seem to have a sense of their charisma being
temporary, which is presumably why they pursue opposing solutions to every
problem -- one solution must be right, therefore proving they still have 
charisma! There is also the idea of "Momentum" -- either a Personage is going
up or down -- and while they're going up, people won't get in their way. 
	When it comes to Pa-hasma-to or whatever her name is (I can't spell
mahen either :-), she seems to be aggressively on the rise. Specifically, she
wants *Pyanfar's* charisma. If Pyanfar fails at something or can be embarrassed,
her charisma will leave her, and go elsewhere. By fouling up Hilfy, Pa-hasma-to
will also foul up Pyanfar, who would therefore be discredited as Personage of 
the Compact. As charisma seems to abhor a vacuum, Pa-hasma-to presumably wanted
to step in and become Compact Personage herself. This is why she was working so
diligently to make links with other races, and why she had her agent run off
his feet. Sadly, (for her) it would seem she was fairly inexperienced at the
Personage game -- Hasi (sp?) certainly didn't seem to hack it as a secret 
agent. By losing her Momentum, Pa-hasma-to effectively wrote herself out of the
race. (Of course, the activities of that most cosmopolitan of Kif, _Ambassador_
Vikktakkht an'mukku, who could see past his own sfik,  were a great help...)
	Are we all confused yet? I'll refrain from discussing cultural 
similarities between sfik and personageness, so...:-)

			Lesley