So Heler never has two elemental runes because he is either approached through the Storm rune as a sub-cult in the Storm Tribes, or he is in his own god in the Blue Tribes, where he has the Water rune instead.
In Heortling, does "Makt" mean Death (as in Humakt, Helamakt), and/or is it borrowed from the German "Macht" (as in Wehrmacht) , to mean "strength" or "force" (apologies in advance to the gentlemen of the Chaosgesellschaft, if my translation is inadequate). Does this then make Helamakt, whoever he is, either "Death by rain" or "the force of rain"?
As for the mystery of Heler/Helamakt, is it possible that Helamakt is flexible like Rigsdal? (iirc Rigsdal can be found as a sub-cult or Orlanth, Elmal or Humakt, or in rare cases on his own as a main cult). By way of a further linguistic digression, is Rigsdal a composite of Heimdall (the nightwatchman of the Norse gods) and his alias Rig? (Carrying on the Norse theme, does Rigsdal have a special anitpathy towards Tricksters, or is this not possible, given the antipathy everyone has towards Tricksters?)
This mulitiplicity of forms (which seems very Helering in some ways), would allow Helamakt to be an aspect of Orlanth amongst the Heortlings (or Thunder Brother? I thought Storm Tribes saw Helamakt like this, by making Orlanth's blue sidekick his shield-bearer, but later revisions of Sartar may have revised this). Whereas in the blue tribes where Heler is worshipped as a main god Helamakt can exist instead as a martial sub-cult of Heler instead. Unless Heler should have no martial sub-cult -- and, fittingly for any discussion of Heler, this too is an argument whoch could go either way.
Possibly the only hard case on the 'two elemental runes' problem is in Wenelia/Umathela, where Heler is his own god, with the Water rune. If Helamakt (or something like him) exists as a sub-cult in these places, does the cult get its Storm-like powers from the Water rune alone?
Or is this a good reason for Helamakt never being a sub-cult of Heler?
Richard Hayes
- On Tue, 4/8/09, Jeff Richard <richaje_at_GDKE7JTu9hr-NddgYm5Y2GZgH4-v14JQFHQHTjJpQ5oSY9d4zC_lsC8YHcpqLdBgqCcMIed9hC8.yahoo.invalid> wrote:
From: Jeff Richard <richaje_at_GDKE7JTu9hr-NddgYm5Y2GZgH4-v14JQFHQHTjJpQ5oSY9d4zC_lsC8YHcpqLdBgqCcMIed9hC8.yahoo.invalid>
Subject: Re: Opposing runes and the circle of elements - Lodril
To: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, 4 August, 2009, 7:31 PM
> When wearing his 'Helemakt' hat, does Heler have access only to the Water rune, and not to Storm as well?
The Sartarites do not associate Heler with Helamakt (who is very clearly a title of Orlanth). In fact, his inclusion as a subcult of Heler was a complete mystery to me.
Jeff
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