Sea Heler and other stuff.

From: Lord Julian <113742.1247_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Sun, 3 May 1998 05:44:59 -0400


>From Julian Lord

Peter Metcalfe :

>Richard Develyn:

>>A Scientist and a Theist meet on top of a mountain far away from any
>>Orlanthi temples. The Scientists meteorological measurements tell him
>>there should be a strong wind blowing here, the Theist expects there to=

>>be very little wind here. What do they experience?

>A strong wind. Temples to Orlanth are only found in the Genertelan
>Barbarian Belt. There are plenty of mountain tops where strong winds
>can be found all over glorantha.

If the Scientist were *actually* a scientist, and not a rhetorical =

figment, surely he would be in ignorance until the phenomenon =

*actually occurred* ? =

A Gloranthan scientist (Lhankor Mhy, anyone?) might even discover tangible _evidence_ of the physical _existence_ of Orlanth.

Scientists, IMHO, _observe_ rather than predict?

Still, Glorantha *does* have room for Dark Ages Science, so why not?

Dark Ages Science still being part of RW too, sad to say ... =

>Peter Metcalfe :

>ME>If not, how do westerners do Resurrection?

>With great difficulty.

I agree that it must be difficult, yes, but this still doesn't tell us how they do it. I think you *can* actually do the trick in RQ3 by =

multispelling some healing magics with a long duration illusion spell and a Summon Ghost ritual, etc ... But this would be a =

pseudo-resurrection only, and could be *dispelled*, unless the sorceror put all of the spells into enchantments at the cost =

of mucho POW. Definitely Black Magic.

Also westerners can get DI from God, apparently.

My original question obviously assumes that westerners _do_ have =

a Raise Dead ritual of some kind, 'cos I'm not so sure about only =

Theists being able to do the trick. Perhaps this is how things are intended to be?

I was thinking of some kind of exotic Dr Frankenstein Call Life ritual, =

actually. =

I suppose that orthodox westerners have immortality, and orthodox theists=  =

have Resurrection, and orthodox primitives have shamans who keep it all t= o =

themselves, and fairness be hanged ...

>ME>Has anyone had any bright ideas about Sea Heler, other than mine abou=
t =

>ME>him being the merman Horned God? Input would be *really* nice!

>It seems to me that since Heler is one of a triad in which the other
>two represent some quality of the water (Triolina for Life and Nelat
>for Purity), Heler would represent fluidity or liquidity or even
>motion.

Hmmm OK, Motion seems good to me because of the Storm connection, =

but I think I'm looking for something a bit less abstract... One abstractish idea, though: does Heler govern the spray from the waves?=

And who is the god of waterspouts? A son of Heler? Heler himself?

But I *may* really be wondering what mermen might need rain water for. Do they drink the stuff? Is their some kind of ecological link between rain and sea in Glorantha which I might be missing as a =

non-sailor and non-fish? =

With Heler as a War god, do the mermen gain some kind of military advantage versus land men, and which one? It would appear to permit campaigns versus dry land?


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