From: Bryan (MALONEY@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU)
Date: Fri 18 Jan 1991 - 09:56:33 EET
The Written Rune
Using Runes for Writing in Glorantha
Copr. 1990 Bryan Maloney
(RuneQuest and Glorantha are copyright the Avalon Hill Game Company.--I wish
it could be Chaosium.)
[Actually, I believe the Copyrights are still held by Chaosium -- Avalon Hill just owns the distribution rights --Ed]
The Runes of Glorantha embody certain elements key to all inner workings. In a way, they can be considered a "Periodic Chart" to the world, defining the basic blocks upon which all other things are built. Runes are assumed to be basic to all magical manipulations, required for the enchantment of foci and powered objects. Some go so far as to associate skills with Runes. However, no runic usages for Glorantha address, so far as I know, a basic use of Runes: Writing.
Runes can be used for alphabetic writing. The following is a proposed system for using the runes of Glorantha as a writing method. I welcome any suggestions (please post to the list for discussion continuity).
Some may argue that the Gloranthan runes are too sacred to be used for something as crass as writing, however, all writings are reputed to have sacred origin. Furthermore, many cultures used alphabets in which each letter was reputed to have sacred significance. Yes, this has led to difficulties. For example, Hebrew represented numbers with alphabetic characters. However, their numeral for 10 turned out to be YH, which is the first two letters in YHWH, a word too sacred to be even begun, much less written. Therefore, they created a new symbol for 10.
The following is a proposal. I do not consider it the word of the Gods, nor do I consider its design perfect. If it were perfect, I'd not be asking for suggestions.
May Arachne Solara bless this work.
The Gloranthan alphabet presented below utilizes the runes of Glorantha. It is unique to the continent of Genertela. Pamaltela utilizes syllabaric writing forms which have been provided by Pamalt to his children. Some Genertelan realms also do not use the runic system. Most notably, Kralorela uses an ideographic system of great complexity.
The alphabet traces its existence to the Godstime, when the Celestial Court would dance with the Runes and leave them about as signs of their presence. Eventually, the Court came upon the conventions of leaving certain combinations of Runes to represent what they had been doing. This practice was passed to their children, the Burtae.
After the Great Compromise, the Gods discovered that the Runes would not speak of their own accord while within Time's web. <Insert culturally appropriate deity> inspired Thondril Runecarver to Heroquest to the Godtime and bring back the secret of the speaking Runes.
The Runes fall into two categories: Fixed and Flowing
Fixed Runes represent the same sound values, regardless of what culture uses them. Their sound values still reflect the names of the original owning deities.
Flowing Runes vary in value from culture to culture, although most remain constant.
Why some Runes should be fixed while others flow is a mystery. Some conjecture that the fixed Runes still maintain some sort of link to the original owning deity of the Celestial Court. How this is possible is highly disputed.
The writing system is entirely consonantal, with vowels added as diacritic marks above the preceding or following letter. Which method is chosen depends upon local custom.
(I apologize for only giving the Runes' names, but ASCII has its limits.)
Fixed Runes
Rune Value Beast h Darkness n Death k Disorder r Earth g Fertility y (consonantal) Illusion t Man d Motion l Plant f Water z
Notes: There is some logic to the assignment of Runes to this category. All appear to be constants in the great chain of life for mortals on Glorantha. However, the presence of Disorder, Illusion, and Motion disconcerts many scholars.
Followers of Eurmal and claim that disorder and illusion are the true basis of reality, therefore they are the only true constants. Whether or not this is a practical joke is debated.
No one has yet come forth with an explanation for the presence of Motion among the fixed Runes.
Flowing Runes (The values given are those most commonly used in the Dragon Pass area. These will differ from region to region.)
Rune Value Air m Dragonewt v Fire th (unvoiced) Healing ch Infinity j Law b Magic zh Mastery th (voiced) Spirit sh Stasis s Truth ng
Notes: Mostali maintain that the Stasis Rune belongs in the fixed group and was wrongfully displaced by the Motion rune.
The use of the Dragonewt Rune is exclusive to the Dragon Pass area, and is unknown elsewhere.
The Lunar Empire is the only culture which makes use of the Moon Rune, giving it a fixed status (unrecognized by others).
Some scholars have begun using some of the flowing Runes as vowels, abandoning the use of diacritics.
No sane culture uses the Chaos Rune for any sort of writing.
Diacritic Marks
The vowel marks vary from culture to culture, but the following is accepted over a wide band of peoples. Remember that a mark goes over the preceding or following consonant depending on local custom. These values are not strictly phonetic, as a mark can have the phonemic value of a set of related sounds, determined by context. Many more diacritics exist in great profusion. Some languages use a set of five or six to represent all vowels, diacritics doing multiple duty. Others have evolved marks for each vowel sound in the language.
Mark Value
' u " a ^ o - e = i ~ ae ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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