From: b hillesland (gec127@cent1.lancs.ac.uk)
Date: Sun 05 Jun 1994 - 00:28:55 EEST
Speaking of Gata, Umath, and the elemental powers:
I read somewhere (Elder Secrets?) that the beast men of Beast Valley
worship Arachne Solara. Does anybody have something more on this?
does she offer any kind of magical benefits to her worshippers?
(I really can't imagine).
and Speaking of Carmania/Arachne Solara- There's a savage Hermit in my Glorantha who lurks on the outskirts of Carmania, and identifies himself as the Great Prophet. He is probably 50 years old, wears very simple clothing and these days spends most of his time trying to get away from a big gang of folk from different regions who wish to become his disciples. The only company he keeps is that of his familiars, a serpent and a hawk. No one is sure where he comes from, though many guess he is simply a Carmanian who has studied much.
The Great Prophet is an atheist sorcerer, who believes that the Invisible God is dead, killed through the actions of the God Learners. Furthermore, he claims to have heroquested many times, and to have defeated a great foe whom he calls the Spirit of Gravity. He even claims to have spoken with Arachne Solara, who confirmed a horrible truth: that the compromise was the most chaotic event in the history of the world. In the great compromise, he claims, man accepted his smallness against Chaos and Darkness, and decided to hold hands with his neighbor rather than help himself out and fight. Man invented and continues to invent a definition of chaos which he can use to destroy chaotic and non- chaotic enemies out of petty revenge. The Hatred Orlanth has for the Red Moon is the perfect example- Orlanth claims to hate her because she is chaotic, but obviously he is only jealous that she controls the Middle sky, and he doesn't. The truth of this Prophecy has only been revealed in the creation of Nysalor/Gbaji, he says. Nysalor is the perfect symbol of who we all are: deceivers.
What are we to do? Nothing, for most of us, because we are too weak, though we must try. None of us can fully realize the horror that we live in, that is something only the Greater Man can accomplish. The Greater Man is the man of the future, our only possibility, but we must create him or her, and this may not even be possible. We must get beyond our current laws, break away from our ridiculous compromise, and create our own individual definitions of law and chaos. Finally, the Greater Man will live one great heroquest and save himself. Only then will we live in a world of order and truth.
More information in Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra (I'm just kidding of course. All that stuff on the Carmanian Heresy being like Zorastrianism made me think of how Nietzsche's Zarathustra might translate in Gloranthan terms. It's no easy translation- any philo majors/profs out there?).
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