Moirais Vev
| English name | The Weave of Moirai |
|---|---|
| Tagline | Et Skjebnespill i det mytiske Trakia |
| Techniques | |
| Website | fate |
| Information | |
| Date | July 24–27, 1997 |
| Duration | 4 days |
| Location | Nesodden, Norway |
| Participants | 20 |
| Credits | |
| Designed by | |
Moirais Vev was an early and highly influential experimental larp, with characters and narrative arcs drawn from Greek mythology and techniques inspired by Greek tragedy.
Description
Moirais Vev, "the web of the fates", was designed as a proof-of-concept for the Fateplay method and a more theatrical approach to larping, and as a substitute for a more ambitious project to depict the Illiad in larping.
Players dramatized the Greek myth of Orpheus & Eurydice, in a three-act dramaturgy. The first act featured the wedding of Orpheus & Eurydice - turning from celebration to tragedy as the bride dies from a snake bite. The second act saw most players take on the roles of spirits of the dead, as Orpheus ventured to Hades to beg for and ultimately fail at fulfilling Eurydice's rebirth. The third act returned to the overworld, as the fates of minor characters were resolved and Orpheus died at the hands of the Mænads. The minor characters - guests at Orpheus & Eurydice's wedding - incorporated several other myths into the story : the Oedipus myth, the Narcissus myth, and elements of Euripedes play Bachae. The opening and closing scenes were framed by dialogue between the Klotho, Lachesis and Athropos; collectively known as the Moirai, goddesses of fate.
Players had limited agency - all main events of the larp (deaths, murders, weddings, journeys) were pre-scripted, while players were asked to "fill in the blanks" and build tension towards the main events. For the characters, this was the inevitable draw of Fate, while for the players it was a technique to ensure that they would experience the main trajectories of the source myths.
Themes
The larp alternated between "dionysian" and "apollonic" scenes. Dionysian scenes were characterised by impulsiveness, revelry, strong emotions, energy, the irrational. Apollonic scenes were formal, poetic, rational, aesthetic, calm. Players rehearsed these styles of play in pre-larp drama workshops. The underlying myths came with themes of their own, such as death-and-rebirth, the crime of hybris, and the impossibility of challenging fate.
Scenography
The larp took place in a Norwegian forest, with tents and sunscreens forming the "wedding pavilion" of Orpheus & Eurydice. A nearby marsh, littered with the bones of large animals, star-lit from above yet shrouded in naturally occurring mist, was used to represent the kingdom of Hades.
