If...

From: Colin Watson <watson_at_csd.abdn.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 14:56:11 GMT

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Sandy:
> If acknowledgment = worship, then I guess Fazzur Wideread and
> the Wild Healer of the Rockwoods are worshiped, too, right?

Sure. Worship doesn't automatically bestow god-status, but I'd say it provides potential for it. Given time, who knows, maybe a cult of the Wild Healer might emerge.

Put it this way: I think if Fazzur or the Wild Healer had been doing their stuff a few millenia ago and people were *still* talking about it today (copying their methods, philosophy etc) then they would, very likely, be acknowledged as gods (their actions would have a mark in the godplane; and you could get magic by following them). And perhaps Chalana Arroy would have a very different countenance; maybe a different name, even. And maybe the Orlanthi would be called the Fuzzari.

But, they would be gods, not because of what they did; but because of what others did after them (ie. following/worshipping them).

>	There is no cult of Kolat [... Daga... Kajabor... Vadrus...

> Arachne Solara... Zaramaka... Glorantha... Urrquong...]. All of
> these entities are easily distinguishable from what they do. All of
> them retain personal names.

Uh-huh. I was talking about Orlanth.
You'd said Orlanth was like this benevolent Thane working on behalf of his minions. I'm asking:
 If Orlanth didn't have his minions

• would he still be this Orlanthi-Thane-type character?
• or would he just be like the wind?
• would people call this wind Orlanth?
• what place would he have in the godplane?
• would he have the Mastery rune?
• would he have been born at all?

> I bet there's unknown gods who are doing important, even essential
> things that nobody knows about.

• and would he be one of these unknown gods?

Back to your point.
What makes these cult-less gods (Kolat, Daga, uncle-Tom-Cobbly et al) Gods? I mean why are they considered to be gods?

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CW.

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