[Glorantha] Norse gods and Gloranthan

From: Nils Weinander <nils>
Date: Thu Feb 23 08:00:37 2006

Hmm, not sure I'm going to manage to get this relevant to Glorantha. I apologize if not.

>>>The nearest analogue to Odin in Glorantha is
>>
>>probablyHumakt, true.
>>
>>I'd go for Orlanth Allfather as the analogue myself
>>but the Valkyries do belong to Humakt.

> 
> 
> Odin is a complex figure. Both analogues apply,
> overall, but in this specific case I think we're
> looking at his Humakt side.

This view of Odin come from the eddas, poetic works which were written when the norse gods were no longer worshipped. They say about as much of how they were regarded when worshipped, as the homeric eipcs say about the greek gods. I.e. good stories, but probably a bit misleading.

Before becoming the allfather figure and the god of victory, Odin was a god of death, berserkers and black magic. His host was not nice blonde valkyries chosing the worthy dead, but the wild hunt of undead, carrion birds and demons (valkyries) who took off the dead.

So, I wonder if the least distant Gloranthan analogue would rather be Shargash?

But, to steer this somewhat back to Gloranthan relevance, even though the gods themselves don't change, people's views of them do. The cults change. In the first age, a Zorak Zorani (Kwaratch Kwang) could be warlord of the Unity Council (or whatever it was called). Today, the cult of Zorak Zoran is IMO not capable of producing a leader who could be accepted in such a position.

Even more, where people have changed religion, the stories of the old gods will be distorted.

---

Nils Weinander
We sail on a ship made of dreams Received on Thu 23 Feb 2006 - 07:53:57 EET