[Glorantha] Thinobutans

Joerg:

>I've been trying to explore where that sculpture magic (with human
>sacrifice) may have come from.

My own belief is that it came from the common Thinobutan practice of Idolatry but the Kimotans have made a science out of it after several centuries of harsh warfare against the Gorgers.

>Sculpture magic alone
>is not too different from early Pelorian painting magics as portrayed in
>the Entekosiad - an idolic representation gets awakened through dance,
>song and ecstasy (through these activities, in case of doubt helped by
>incense or drink).

There is also the concrete reality magics of the Kadeniti not to mention animistic charms and fetishes.

However I think there must be a big difference between the embedded higher reality of the Pelorians and the Malkioni and the sculpture magics of the Kimotans (and for that matter, the idols of their relatives). The main reason is that we are told that such magics for the Kimotans are unique (Elder Secrets p7). Even allowing for their relatives to have similar magics, there should be a big difference between their magic and that of normal people.

But what that might be, I don't know yet...

For what it's worth, there's a possible pattern about the Thinobutans:

Flanch: Hate Elves
Elmale: Love Elves

Thinokos:       Love Blues?
Kumanku:        Hate Blues??
Kimos:  Hate Monsters
Loral:          Love Monsters

Although there's no humans on Loral now according to the sources, I've always felt there should be some savage tribe of Monster worshippers like those in King Kong.

>When the Thinobutans were conquered and enslaved, their conquerors
>may well have directed them to create sculptures for their purposes, and
>empower them by (human) sacrifices rather than pretty dances.

That's the aztec motif and is used in Bliss in Ignorance as well as among the Trolls. I think the Thinobutan Idolatry should have a dark secret that can't be divorced from the practice whereas human sacrifice can be done without. I'm not disputing that the Thinobutans did practice human sacrifice to their idols and that some still do (and that everybody else uses this against them) but that it distracts outsiders from realizing the real bad thing about their Idolatry.

>While this can mean a demonic origin like for the Andins (which I admit is
>a very likely hypothesis for the Gorgers as well), Vithelan myth
>classifies the Dozaki Uz just the same way.

Which doesn't stop the Andins from being demons. The Kraloris call non-Kralori humans devils from time to time but that doesn't preclude the Andins from being real devils.

>(Come to think of it, the first wave of demons might even have been
>Moorgarki's Hot Trolls wandering through.)

She went to the west (probably to the Tarmo) and would have avoided the Thinobutans. From there, her trolls would have raided the Veldt and been driven off and wounded by Pamalt into the northeast.

>I am a bit puzzled about the specific memory of an island (coral reef etc)
>in a region that should have been yellow elf forest before the First
>Torrential War, and probably afterwards as well.

Why "should have been"? If you look at the God Learner reconstruction (noting the usual caveats) on p50, the original yellow elf presence did not cover everything north of the Fensi but was restricted to the Kovano Jungle on the slopes of the Spike. There's plenty of room for other countries north of the Fensi.

--Peter Metcalfe Received on Mon 14 Aug 2006 - 12:57:24 EEST