Much of Ontolosna is a realm of womens’ power. Early in Ontolosnan history, it was women who first mastered the flow of Gi through their bodies, gaining control over fertility, magic, and pleasure. It was women who developed effective contraception, who performed the horse sacrifice, who mastered martial arts and tantra. The forces of history, myth and culture have produced a largely matristic and matrifocal world where the technologies of the state, of society, and of religion often favour the female, and where women lead and teach and guide in every realm. For is not the bright high ever-changing sun female, the impulse of emotion and energy, while the dark hard mountain is male, matter and fixity? In the union of sun and mountain comes life, seed, snow and rain. In all things, the impulse of emotion gives birth to matter, and only in matter can emotion find full expression. It is women who hold the power to birth children and gods.

One highly visible sign of women’s power is that only they may ride horses. Men are often limited in education and religious training. In many of the great cities, mens’ mobility is restricted and curfews control when they might venture into public.