Re: Runes

From: Sandy Petersen <sandyp_at_idgecko.idsoftware.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 95 16:40:14 -0500


Hans
>Now there are two names which are rather similar: Sheng Seleris
and >Shang Hsa (mhnbc). The second might name well be the Kralorelan
>version of the first. The three main explanations are:
> 1) Pure coincidence.
> 2) Yes, these this is one and the same guy and the dating of
>Emperors should be heavily revised.
> 3) Yes, these this is one and the same guy. The dating of
Emperors >is correct. Argrath's retrieval was the second one. Somebody already >did it once before. But who and why?

>So, tell me which explanation I should choose.

        My belief is that Sheng Seleris and Shang Hsa May-His-Name-Be-Cursed are two different folks from two different ages. However, the names Sheng/Shang are too similar to be coincidence. I believe that the term "Shang" is a title, an honorific if you will, that is given to badasses in Kralorela. Perhaps the equivalent of the Earth Cult particle "Gor".

Dave Dunham re: Dara Happan and Malkioni Law Rune
>The fact that both use a triangle is surely a coincidence. How
many >regular three-sided shapes are there?

        Both cultures also know of the Spike (one of the "universal Gloranthan truths" along with the death of the Sun -- sure everyone interprets it differently, but it still existed), and what better way to symbolize it than a triangle? I suspect that the Pamaltelan Power Rune is not so much a "spear" as it is yet another attempt to symbolize the Spike.

Scott Haney
>Krarsht has the 'hunger' rune, which is obstensibly also the rune
of >the undead. lo! it suddenly seemed to me that the hunger rune looked >very much like the death rune imposed upon the life rune.

        There is another version of the Hunger/Undeath Rune in which it looks a lot like a null sign (a circle with a slash through it and jutting out beyond the sides). Sort of like a computer's version of the number zero (with the stupid diagonal hashmark). 0000000

>So I started to wonder if perhaps it was not a coincidence that
>there are six types of chaos and six pairs of power runes. (I'm
>assuming that the communications rune has an opposite of some
>sort...silence, maybe?)

        I'm sure that Pamaltela has a Silence Rune, given the prevalence of the cult of Silence there until very recently. Or maybe it's the Introspection Rune or something. I doubt it's considered an opposite of anything.


End of Glorantha Digest V1 #330


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