> Hobb's "Viking" world did not mention guards, and in any case, how
> would a few older men past their use-by for a-viking stand up to ship
> full of hoons just back from three months of loot, rape, and pillage?

Who in their right mind would go pillaging without leaving guards? Sounds
like a recipe for disaster. Besides, Viking men did their best to die in
battle, since they would otherwise go to Hel.

> The idea of a Helga-type woman giving Hagar the Horrible a hit over
> the head goes well in a comic strip, but not in the real world. I

You need to meet more women. At least Norwegian ones. We're not talking
about every common household maid here, anyway. There are Alpha women out
there too, you know ;)

And it doesn't take much to knock someone out. How often do you see men
striking out at women anyway?

> admit that there are a few cases of domestic violence where the woman
> is the aggressor, but there are a few cases of mice attacking cats (I
> suppose). It doesn't men that mice dominate cats.

Recent studies indicate that domestic violence is balanced between the
genders. The women is the agressor as often as the man, but men don't
report it as often. Also, women are overrepresented amongst perpetrators of
sexual homicide.

> My complaint was that Hobbs did not create a realistic Matricarchy.
> If such a matriarchy can exist, it will take a bit more work than
> Hobbs put in to convince me.

I was not trying to defend Hobb. I was just saying that such societies are
possible. It just requires special circumstances, or stronger women.

> Yes... and that works for the first trip. Then they come home with
> the loot, havign raped and pillaged their way through ten counties,
> feeling horny... so who stops them now?

Are you married?

Y.T.,
Marius

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