From: David Cake (davidc@cs.uwa.edu.au)
Date: Mon 03 Jun 1996 - 05:42:24 EEST
The goddess of the calm air, Molanni, is only very little mentioned
in the recent Pelorian myth stuff (about two lines in GRAY), and then she
is said to be a foreign deity. But in modern Glorantha, and in previous
Gloranthan writings, to be a fairly prominent deity, being mentioned in the
Yelm cult writeup as an associate deity of Yelm, for example. In Orlanthi
mythology she is linked with Yelm, as the parents of Daga.
I think she is also mentioned as a religion encouraged by the
Lunars, so that the Orlanthi may join her cult and become less rebellious.
So where does Molanni fit in? Is she originally an Orlanthi
goddess? If she is, did they ever worship her directly? If she was
originally an Orlanthi goddess, why is she now linked so strongly with the
Yelm cult?
My theory is that she was an originally an Orlanthi goddess, of
relatively minor importance, but at the time of the meeting of the two
cultures and the intermingling of their myth in the time of Emperor
Khorzanelm, Molanni was understood by the Dara Happans to be an Orlanthi
view of their goddess Entekos, goddess of the right air. The status of both
in Dara Happan religion is equally lowly, despite the major status of
Entekos to the the Pelandans. Actually, less anyone think that I demean
Entekos by identifying her with such a minor goddess, note that the
Pelandan Entekos is split into two by the Dara Happans, and I am
identifying Molanni only with the lesser part (the greater part being
Dendara to the Dara Happans).
This neatly explains why a seemingly Orlanthi religious figure
(though a minor one) is encouraged by the Lunars, and has a cult associated
with Yelm despite being almost unknown in Yelmic myth. It also allows us to
make the Yelm cult writeup fit in a little better with what we now know of
Yelmic myth.
Exaactly what the Dara Happans make of the Orlanthi claims that
Yelm and Molanni had a child together is unknown, but it was always a
pretty unlikely myth by Dara Happan standards anyway. I imagine the Dara
Happans don't acknowledge the Orlanthi drought deity Daga, and instead have
some completely different myth about how drought results from Entekos and
Yelm (probably her dutifully waiting for his return, or dutifully punishing
the people, or some similar such subservient role).
Cheers
David
PS I have a practical interest here - an NPC in my game is a priestess of
Molanni. Identifying her with the Entekos cult would allow me to give her
religious beliefs a good deal more depth, and give me a better idea how she
is able to fit in to the Yelmic scheme of things.
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