Grain Goddesses (again and again and again)

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_sartar.toppoint.de>
Date: Thu Mar 20 10:05:14 1997


I am still not too happy about the term "Grain Goddesses" as defined in GoG (and expanded in the Dorasta write-up). "Land Goddesses" captures their function better, IMO, that they have a favourite grain seems like a by-effect.

WRT Hon-eel, Pela and Pelora: Here we have a good example that the land goddess (Pelora) can change her favoured grain, as she did when Hon-eel offered her maize, which was superior to her wheat. Pela is mentioned only in KoS, as the goddess of wheat, (and Esra as goddess of barley, whereas Esrola primarily is goddess of her land, which most likely produces more wheat than oats as GoG will have us believe) probably much like the Rice Mother in Kralorela.

Most of the trouble certainly comes from the unwillingness of the God Learners to accept the changing faces of the Earth Mother - to make her fit into their monomyth, they fragmented her, thereby failing to understand her. A male problem, similar to the one Pam recounted in her "Broken Council" report? (had me chuckling for a while, especially the bit about the "useless appendage")

End of Glorantha Digest V1 #149


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