From: Peter Metcalfe, CAPE Canty (CHEN190@csc.canterbury.ac.nz)
Date: Mon 08 Aug 1994 - 13:51:54 EEST
Steve Harmsworth: Freebie Enchantments.
Joerg said
>Not necessarily. The God Learners of Umathela just chose a number of false
>gods and imposed them on an unsuspecting poplace.
I prefer to think the the Jrusteli being the first to systematically worship the False Gods in time imported the cults to Umathela and Fonrit. I do believe the Theyalans of Umatheala worship Orlanth, they being cheap labour from slontos or wherever. It is just that Orlanth with his Cult of Freedom would be a subversive influence in the Ompalami worshipping cities of Fonrit, at worst he would be thought of as Sikkanos. The Fonritians desiring a air god to achieve the cosmic balance chose Worlath for being more easily slotted into the Ompalami social order.
>At least some of these myths were made retrospectively; or they identified two
>different myths as 'being one really'.
The God Learners wouldn't have adopted such a view in their quest for the monomyth. I would in some cases (like where was Arkat born: Trolls say Restone caves wheras Westerners say Brithos), but the sources are based on Western and God Learner documents which would attempt to find the ultimate truth. I do not think that the God Learners would attempt to prove they were the only source of civilization in the world invented the False God mythos to prove every god of note was driven from the western lands. IMO they would leave the birthplaces of the Gods they encountered where they were and leave the Kingdom of logic unsullied by these fripperies. (but it is a good theory mind you).
>[of Ehilm], Yes, IMO, the Ralian God of the Sun.
Your idea of the wizard who discovered Solar powers is what I would belive was the case with Ehilm. He refused to share his secrets and was expelled from Brithos with the upshot that brithini can't cast fireballs. IMO he was a blazing orb to the Galanini in much the same way as Elmal was to the Orlanthi or Kargzant (golden bow?) to the Horse nomads during the Grey Age but not the real sun, Yelm. I am still trying to suss out the Gods wall in the GRAoY as I only had it three weeks. Ehilm is mentioned in Elder Secrets as also partcipating in the False Gods Reveolt. Alas, I don't have breakout #34 >:-(
Who is this Only Old One Bloke anyway?
The Only Old One could have been a troll demigod who ruled Kethaela for his father. He would have sent Charmilla as his representative to the first council prefering to remain secure in the obsidian council. Xiola Umbar would have been the acceptable face of Trolls whereas Argan Argar was a ruling God of Kethaela in much the same way as Basko was the ruling God of Bliss in Ignorance. Later when Xiola Umbar lost her power and Zorak Zoran came to fore in the second council, the Only Old One may have been engaging in adventures (military) to expand his power in Wenelia. For that he developed the mercantile face of Argan Argar as a means of softening up the opposition.
>(On Issaries) Into Prax, Pent, northern and western Peloria? into Seshnela?
> I doubt it.
I would have said Ralios, Southern Peloria (which in the early years of the Red Moon was barbarian not solar). The Serpent Kings pratcied paganism so I imagine Issaries was worshipped there.
Malkioni Power Politics
I used to think that if anybody violated their caste strictures or refused to obey the talar, they would break their brithini compact and die by old age automatically. For support of this theory, there is the spell forbidden by Uriosto in G:CotHW and the effects of what happens when it is cast. I must say on the reverse side of the coin that in the Glorantha book of G:CotHW Arkat was reprimanded and finally excommunicated for an interest in magic.
I treat the whole thing as being an issue like the Nidan decamony deals with apostacy and heresy. They condemn the latter despite its practioners remaining immortal but they do not bother to condemn the former because the apostates grow old and die thus disproving their actions. For the Brithini, the Talar run a very xenophobic closed society so they are able to keep the social order static. Thus nobody seeks to undermine the caste strictures.
The only people who could undermine the Brithini Way of Life are the Vadeli whose merchants, sailors and warriors practice magic and are immortal. As to why the Vadeli remain immortal is something I've been thinking about for the past six motnhs or so and I haven't got a satisfactory answer.
So long: The Blue Wizard of Nikosdros
c/o P.Metcalfe@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
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