From: Joerg Baumgartner (joe@sartar.toppoint.de)
Date: Mon 07 Nov 1994 - 11:40:22 EET
The Elmal/Yelmalio problem has reopened the gods' identity discussion.
Fine with me. <g>
Boris mentions different myths for the Colymar and the Lismelder, so that a Colymar heroquester would have difficulties to change not only his own tribe's myths, but the neighbouring tribe's myths as well.
My answer is both yes and no. Sartar is a very complicated region, because it has been colonialized quite recently (about 300 years ago) by a mixture of clans. Those of the settlers who came for religious or political reasons came because they wanted to change their life from that accepted at home. Unless there was a period of force-converting Orlanthi to Western ways or not-so-subtle undermining of Orlanthi custom by western influences when Belintar had come to power, I believe most fled because they resisted the dominance of the city-dwellers, and to escape the taxes introduced by the Pharaoh.
The Colymar are even more complicated with their mixture of Esrolian, first wave Heortlander and second wave Heortlander clans. The mythical identity of the Sartarites seems to be the clan rather than the tribe, since the Lunars managed to transfer clans from the Colymar to the Malani without serious trouble, as much as the Colymar had little mythical problems to adopt other clans or even tribes after the Zarran etc. wars. There is the short passage in KoS about wyters...
Gods as not so personal forces on Glorantha are a well known phenomenon. Between Nomad Gods and Cults of Prax we find that each Praxian tribe has its own version of Waha/Storm Bull (the Founder) and Eiritha (the Protectress, e.g. Sable-Eiritha), which are quite different from the next tribe's versions. Yet in both cases they recognize a common form of these deities as a spirit residing at the Paps (Waha can even be summoned).
I find it likely that each Orlanthi clan has its own common picture of the main deities. In the case of Ernalda this can lead to confusion with the goddess of the land (like in David Dunham's East Ralios).
Great Temples to Orlanth still get the support from all neighbouring clans, tribes and temples, again like the Paps in Prax. Maybe this is the reason why the common spells are available only at such holy places - the god becomes unpersonal enough to be identified with such primordial powers.
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-- Joerg Baumgartner joe@sartar.toppoint.de
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