From: Alex Ferguson (alex@dcs.gla.ac.uk)
Date: Fri 02 Sep 1994 - 22:17:50 EEST
Devin's Homonculus:
> Alex writes:
> "Nope. Isn't the idea of non-derivative mythology somewhat like the old
> Rolf Harris line, "Here's an old English folk song which I've just written"?"
> True enough...and I don't want to turn this into a major debate since I am
> not THAt upset with it....but that particular myth seemed a bit TOO
> derivative.
If that's a derivative myth, what, I wonder, is to pluck a couple of examples which happen to wander into my forebrain, the reputed properties of the Styx, or the name of Teshnan sun or... those with a higher product or Gloranthan Mythology Lore and Terran Mythology Lore will be able to provide more examples.
If there's a problem with the flood myth, it might be that the Terran analogue is very familiar, if not overly so, to all us (lapsed or otherwise) Judeo-Christian tradition types.
> Avivath seems rather Jesus-like to me....but I would have only been cheesed
> out if Greg had had him nailed to a Death Rune.
Should I mention that Greg conspicuously Failed to Refute Nick's theory that Hrestol was crucified? (I don't much like that one myself, though.)
> [...] Therefore, I am still perplexed why Yelm
> would choose to cleanse the world with an impure element (Water), using a
> Rebellus Terminus vehicle (Rain) to cause to flood a Lower and therefore
> unclean deity (Oslira).
I don't think the Dara Happans, and certainly not Pelentonius, would agree with these characterisations. Just because the Theyalans are keen on rain doesn't mean the Dara Happans (necessarily) dislike it (under all circumstances). I think their attitude towards Water is essentially like that towards Earth: it's a Good Thing, pragmatically, though without the Purity of the Sky Realm. The fact than rain originates from the sky is probably taken by the DHns as a sign that it's subject to the rule of the sky powers.
> One would think that, considering all of these impure elements have ganged up
> on Darra Happa, that rather than a cleansing action, this would have been
> regarded as an invasion.
When one gets Truly Seriously Hosed by some adverse occurrence, in order to explain it you'd either have to say: our God did it, he was mightily peeved at us; or some other god did it, ours wasn't able to protect us from it.
Alex.
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