Stephen Tempest :
>
> This is related to the mysticism discussion:
>
> Back in the days of 'Hero Wars' and 'Revealed Mythologies', we were
> taught that the Middle World of Glorantha was formed by the collision
> of four Otherworlds. Each one came from a different direction, which
> is why the West of Glorantha is predominantly sorcerous, the North
> theist, the East mystic and the South animist.
>
> Now, though, everyone talks of just three Otherworlds. So what
> happened to the fourth one?
>
> * It doesn't exist. It has never existed. Oceania has always been at
> war with Eastasia. Nothing to see here, citizen, move along.
>
> * The fourth Otherworld doesn't exist, but the idea was invented and
> circulated by the people of Vithela, who felt hard done by because
> every other cardinal direction of Glorantha has its own Otherworld and
> they don't.
>
> * The fourth Otherworld doesn't exist, but the idea was invented and
> circulated by the God Learners, because they liked symmetry and felt
> uncomfortable with one cardinal direction not having its own magic
> system.
>
> * The fourth Otherworld exists, but because mystic magic doesn't work
> well in a role playing game, its existence is being ignored in
> published materials, purely for game purposes.
>
> * The fourth Otherworld exists, but because it's mystical it cannot be
> perceived, explained or discussed in terms that a normal person can
> understand. So, unless you're Enlightened, you may as well ignore its
> existence, since it will ignore yours.
>
> And while I'm on the subject, how does the idea of the colliding
> worlds mesh with the 'traditional' Gloranthan account of Creation?
> Because from one perspective, the Gods' War and the Lesser Darkness
> seem to match the description of incompatible worldviews suddenly
> coming into contact and then conflict. But that would mean, would it
> not, that myths of the Golden Age and Green Age (or their equivalent
> in other belief systems) would have to come from the Otherworlds
> before they intermingled to form Glorantha, wouldn't they?
>
> Or is it better to assume that the worlds already merged in the
> unknowable moment before the Green Age, but for some reason they
> didn't conflict with each other at first, until the Spike exploded and
> there was nothing to keep them in harmony any more?
The current cosmology is very robust, and these are all perfectly good examples of cosmogonic myths to explain the current state of the world. :)
Julian Lord