Comment on NO ONE GOES ANYWHERE UNTIL THE GODS GET AN ANSWER
tomiant@piefed.social 2 weeks agoReminds me of the Siege of Malta, in which a bunch of aristocrat youth refused to fight on any longer because it was hopeless, and were shamed into staying by allowing them to leave. Under shameful verbiage of course. They didn’t.
Shame is a powerful force, but I guess this is a recurring theme with young nobility throughout history. They want the glory without the blood.
PugJesus@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Romans also took oaths very seriously - while there was no formal/community punishment for violating oaths, it was believed that the gods would take their own revenge (not to mention the damage to one’s reputation). Scipio made them swear that if they broke the oath to Jupiter, that ruin would come to themselves and their entire family.
Even if you don’t believe in the wrath of the gods, becoming known as someone who’d throw his own family under the bus was nothing less than social suicide in the extremely family-oriented society of Rome!