On 12/02/2013, at 3:18 AM, David Scott <sciencefish_at_...> wrote:
> On 11 Feb 2013, at 16:35, zonork <zonork_at_...> wrote:
>
>> At the dawn; Genertela was the land of theism Danmalastan that sorcery Pamaltela that animism >> The East is the land of mysticism, divided the islands and orients more Kralora mysticism which is the land of draconism. >> Oceans embody the mutability of four; the underworld is the realm primitive. (The three magic are mixed, the transcendent realm is a kind of refinement of the Sky) >> Of course, the magic won and lost territory, but animism and theism are close and theists or animist cultures have their own origin while all are vaguely malkionis sorcery. Why? >> A cons-example? and I know that there is sorcery in the East, how it related to Malkionis?
There are plenty of other forms of magic that don't neatly fit into these categories, too - some relatively common, such as the power of Primal Chaos (which can manifest in ways independent of all three main systems of magic like chaos features, as well as via conventional magic means), some claimed to be minor (like dream magic), some limited to specific peoples or races (eg Jelmre emotion magic). And Lunar magic appears outwardly similar to other forms, but many claim it isn't. And yes, there are traditions that mix multiple forms of magic. Some seem to have been that way for a long time, some we understand as having arisen in the historical era through mixing of magics of evolution.
> The overlaps are not always equal either. I don't believe that mysticism is a (separate) magic system, insomuch as those who are practitioners of it aren't interested in the magic it may have as a byproduct.
While it is often claimed that this is the case, there is ample evidence that many practitioners of mysticism are interested in the magic it has as a byproduct, including some of those that are revered by mystics - eg the heroes of the Austerity War. It may well be that they shouldn't be so interested, but that is a subtly different question.
> I think within those 6 "types" of magic it's possible to find a mystical path. Look at real world religions round us, most have a tiny mystical part. They are often considered heretical and persecuted, the same goes in Glorantha. Most mysticism in Glorantha is Draconic, and look what happened when it was abu
> sed.
There seem to be a few different main strains of mysticism in Glorantha. Notably, at least three that could be called mysticism - Eastern mysticism (which seems to be a 'pure' form), Draconic magic (a complex issue itself), and Nysaloran mysticism (which in practice often seems be a mixture of mysticism with other magic forms, especially theism, and seems to be an ancestor of Lunar mysticism). I do think that while 'pure mysticism' is definitely a form of magic that is practiced in Glorantha (in a few different variants), that combining mysticism with other forms of magic is also both possible, and practiced. Widely known First Age cults allied to Nysalor like Tarumath and Daysenarus would seem to be an example of mysticism combined with theism, for example.
> I would view the different cultures of Glorantha as having 4 magical aspects that together come to 100%. Few are pure in their magical expression, most are mixtures with varying degrees of 4 aspects.
I agree. Maybe magic was pure in the Golden Age, but the Golden Age was a LONG time ago, and most modern Gloranthan cultures have encountered, and often deeply interacted with, practitioners of other forms of magic over the last few thousand years.
Cheers
David
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