Using earthly examples is no more than a useful trick to get players halfway there in their minds eye. Then the real talent of the presenter (GM) comes into play to take them the rest of the way to Glorantha. Not making this leap is just shoddy in my book.
Greg has every right to change Glorantha as many times as he likes with whatever caprice he chooses. This is first and foremost his world and those of us that actually create material for Glorantha (not just consume it) are practicing art based on and inspired by the original art of someone else and can never be wholly independent unless we choose to take the same leap Stafford made and do the hard work of creating our own world. People seem to forget that Gregs work is an art form that might have the trappings of scholarship about it in the same way Nabokov or Calvino is fiction that has the trappings of literary criticism about it. It would be inconcievable or at least highly embarrassing to get caught criticizing an artist's work in any other field simply because he chose to change things up. Greg's work is art and not commodity. I for one like being challenged and forced to see things in ever new ways.
I have spent a lot of time outside of the US. It might surprise some here to know that there are some blonde and/or blue eyed people throughout the middle east also in Armenia, Greece, Lebanon etc. and it is NOT because they have a Norwegian or Germanic ancestors. I have no trouble whatsoever making that first step before the leap in imagining ethnic groups other than the two mentioned above that have some blond members.
For me Darra Happans look like ancient Persians or Assyrians in dress and hair style and I use modern Iran and Turkey for this first step toward their faces. I only have the elite nobility as blonde and blue eyed and they certainly do not look Scandinavian.
My Orlanthi look like a mixture of Armenians, Serbs and Pashtuns. Check out this link, there is not a more lovely folks on the planet than the Pashtuns. Almost Archetypal. Look into these eyes and tell me you do not see swift Odaylans and fierce Vingkoti, hardy Issaries travelers and and wise Llankor Mhy scholars, not to mention the bright sky drawn wells of fir clad Orlanthi, and death dealing Humakti swordsman, all these of the Heortling ilk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rFOgR0sIiE
That's my version when I run a game.
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