[Glorantha] Re: Glorantha Digest, Vol 12, Issue 333

I saw this come through the other day and only just got to replying to it...

> From: "Simon Hibbs" <simon.hibbs@gmail.com>
> > You keep saying that, and I just still don't get it.
> > The rest of what we hear about Glorantha seems to say
> > that rituals and mythologies shape the reality of
> > Glorantha and if you can get into the myth and change
> > it, you change reality. It's what experimental
> > heroquesters do.
>
> Not quite. What experimental heroquesters do is discover new ways to
> effectively and beneficialy engage with the world at a mythic level.

See, this had me stunned. One of the big insights into Glorantha that occurred to me some time ago is that "If you change the myths you can change reality". I'd always figured this is how the big-time Heroquesters did it. They realised that you can change reality by changing the Heroplane.

For me, it even fits neatly with the concept that Illumination is the process of realising that your own will is the supreme power in the universe and that taking that far enough allows you to transcend even Chaos or Order. That realisation about your own willpower combined with being able to bend reality by changing the mythology leads to incredible power.

This may still be the way things are in my Glorantha (YGMV). It was going to be a background theme in the campaign that I never get around to running -

If anything, it is interesting to see such a completely different take on it. I may have to think about this further.

> The God Learners started off by applying the insights from their
> religion to understand other religions. Their initial experiments were
> designed to test their theories and find the best ways to engage with
> other culture's myths positively, within their own philosophical
> framework and view of the world. later they carried out intrusive
> experiments that tried to change the mythic landscape to suit their
> political purposes. They were able to get away with a fair bit because
> their knowledge and power was very great, but in the end they were
> utterly destroyed because they went too far.

So you can change the mythology/heroplane, it's just incredibly dangerous to do so? Or is it actually impossible to change?

Harry. Received on Wed 02 Aug 2006 - 13:41:08 EEST