Wow. I can't see this. It is contrary to human psychology (let alone Aldryami) to recognize any person's culture as better than your own, absent forcible proof. Frex, I think the Yellow Elves would tell any Somash or Yelm worshippers that Halamalao is the sun and if you don't like it, you can eat arrow. The proof then becomes a military matter.
When you do prove it, it tends to create enormous power behind explanation or expiation. E.g., the "proof" that European culture of the 19th century was "superior" to Chinese culture by way of gunpowder, warships, and mass production leading to [dredges through clouded memory of Chinese history class] the Boxers and white lotus rebellions [?].
> Worshipping Yelm leads to greater solar powers than
> any other god simply because Yelm is the theistic
> sun. That many cultures do worship lesser sun gods
> is not because they have an inferior method of
> worshipping Yelm but because they are actually
> worshipping a lesser sun god with an independent
> existence from Yelm.
>
> The Orlanthi do not worship Yelm because Yelm's
> worship requires modes of thought and behaviour
> that are contrary to Orlanth's virtues, the basis
> of their society. The worship of Elmal requires
> modes of thought and behaviour that are compatible
> with Orlanthi society and thus the Orlanthi have no
> problem in worshipping him.
>
> If there was another Lesser Sun God capable of
> existing within Orlanthi society then they could
> also worship him.
This I agree with. But I would not agree that it is a good example (not that Peter was using it as one) of the principle that people worshipping lesser gods of a rune will acknowledge that they are lesser gods. With Elmal, you have a myth about how Elmal used to serve the Evil Emperor. A servant is always inferior in some sense.
As an alternative example (one that helps prove my point, of course), consider Orlanth and Storm Bull for a Praxian. No Praxian is going to agree that Storm Bull has a lesser storm compared to his Little Brother. (And yes, I do recognize that you are arguing that the great gods are the ultimate _theistic_ expression of the runes they hold and the Praxians are _animists_, but I do not (yet?) see how that makes a difference.)
Chris Lemens
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