From: Joerg Baumgartner (joe@sartar.toppoint.de)
Date: Sat 23 Apr 1994 - 23:03:59 EEST
Bryan Maloney in X-RQ-ID: 3772
> I must take the person who stated that the worship of all storm gods
> is really just the worship of Orlanth or Umath. This is preposterous
> nonsense. Tell me this:
> Is the worship of Zeus identical to the worship of Tiwaz?
> Is the worship of Jupiter identical to the non-worship of Dyaus?
I might be the one whose text might have led to this response, so I feel compelled to reply.
If you ask me, the worship of Orlanth Adventurous isn't identical to the worship of Orlanth Adventurous (sic!), less identical to that of Orlanth Thunderous/Rex/Lightbringer, even less identical to the worship of Worlath, and yet less to the worship of West King Wind, not to speak about Kolat, Umath, Storm Bull, Keraun, Valind, Gagarth, Sikkanos...
> You are basically claiming that all deities of a particular aspect are
> just one deity. This is obviously a God-Learner lie! You might as well
> say that Aldrya and Ernalda are the same goddess. You might as well say
> that Bolongo and Eurmal are the same god. You might as well say that
> Yanafal Tarnils and Humakt are the same god!
The Lunars tell us that Yanafal Tarnils is Humakt Healed, and that Arkat and Gbaji are just two aspects of one deity.
Of course we enlightened Orlanthi know this to be a lie, yet even we attribute the air rune, the source of all Air magic and reality, to all the gods I mentioned above.
> Let me put it another way: I seriously doubt that Indra and Zeus are really
> "just the same god" simply because they share aspects as lords of storm and
> sky and King of Gods. Why should this be any different in Glorantha.
I would go further: You won't find the same worship of one deity traveling from one realm to the next. The Renekoti are quite different from Sartarite Orlanthi, and the Brolian or the Lankst Orlanthi are yet different. This will show in worship as well, I am pretty sure. (Maybe the God Learners were the ones to unify Orlanth worship somewhat?)
> Now, I will grant that it is highly likely that the Godlearners were beginning
> to fuse various deities together into a single being, and it would have been
> easier to first conglomerate those of similar aspects.
They are "credited" with the creation of several new deities, e.g. Kolat, Tanian, and even Jogrampur.
On the other hand, they threw together several deities if it suited their purposes. Look at the conglomerate called Issaries cult - you'll find at least five originally independent deities (or as likely human heroes) thrown together.
> However, you might as well say that Orlanth is really Yelm and both are really
> the Red Goddess who is really Kigor Lytor.
At least Orlanth is the one who really is inheritor of the office both Yelm
and the Red Goddess try/tried to usurp, that of the ruler of the world.
Kyger Litor doesn't fit into this scheme, though. <g>
--
-- Joerg Baumgartner joe@sartar.toppoint.de
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