>Many members of the list have discussed the use and historic
>origins of the Runes in the Western, Dara Happan and Theyalan
>societies but are there "secular" or low-magic runes which could
>be a kind of international "alphabet", by example in the West ?
I'm of the opinion that really all scripts have a high form (ie hieroglyphs) to use in public works ('Office of the Imperial Auditor') and a low form which most literai use in day-to-day communication (ie hieratic). The R/W skill covers both these scripts.
>It's almost a RQ-rules question, because I've always had a problem
>with the Read/Write Skill. If there is a common "alphabetic" or
>"syllabary" runes in one area, we could use one Read&Write Skill
>which would be averaged with the Speak Loskalmi or Seshnegi and
>so on to understand or transmit a message in that language.
>( After all, my many English written mistakes are due to my low
>score in Speak English not in Read/Write/Type Latin Alphabet)
It is known that the Westerners can communicate clearly and only need read/write Western. I have heard it stated on Henk's digest that this is actually alphabetical/syllabic in scope rather than ideogrammic. My guess is that the Western Script concentrates strongly on the consonantal roots of the language leaving vowels and inflections largely unspoken (ie 'I say Po-tah-to, you say Po-Tay-to'). I furthermore think that the spoken languages of the western family might differ in things like verb order: Seshnegi might say "I kicked the Ball" whereas Loskalmi might say "I the Ball Kicked". This doesn't show up in the western script, IMO, because it's hideously bound with archaic rules of writing things down. The script probably includes things like suffixs to indicate subject or object etc. Think English Latin School Teachers (Sadism and Birch Canes Optional) and let your imagination run riot. Because everybody in the West adheres to these rules (with some regional variations that might show through), the West has a universal script.
>Issaries
>could have created a simple syllabary for Tradetalk and Write Tradetalk
>may be used as a substitute to write any Theyalan languages.
I suspect the Tradetalk script is a much simplified version of the Western Script being developed and exported by the God-learners who invented Tradetalk. Any language could be written down in the tradetalk script, I suppose, but most people for nationalistic reasons choose not to. For example, imagine Saudi Arabia shifting from the Arabic script to the Roman Script.
>The Dara Happan may use hieroglyphs..
The Dara Happans have an _alphabet_ given in the Fortunate Succession, much to my disgust (I was hoping for a syllabary). However I feel the alphabet follows strict rules in spelling making it a partial syllabary. This explains how Orlanth becomes known as Oralanatus by the Dara Happans.
>The Theyalans could have universal Lhankor Mhy cuneiforms.
With respect to the Theyalans, I do think Cuneiform was know to them, but I don't think the Cuneiforms was from Lhankor Mhy in origin. The Grey Sages were originally orators. My guess is that Cuneiform originates from Esrolia, the home of Earthspeech, which is stated to be easy to inscribe on clay (in Shadows on the Borderlands). However I think that since the God Learner conquest of Esrolia, Cuneiform has fallen from use in favour of the standard tradetalk alphabet and only extremely traditional places (like Earth Temples) use the cuneiform any more.
The Heortlings also had a set of runes in the ancient days, which used like the Futhark runes. However, IMO, these were heavily modified during the reign of the EWF. All modern writing systems of the Orlanthi, IMO, derive from the Old Wyrmish alphabet. The scripts around the Holy Country may have been standardized by the Only Old One while he lived, whereas the Pelorian Theyalan tongues would have a more direct descent. The Godis and other folk who care will use the pre-EWF runes out of tradition. An example of the EWF runes can be found in KoS.
Andrew Behan:
Peter Metcalfe sez:
>> If the Sky Storm (the phenomenon) is actually connected to the Sun Storm
>> (the God), then I would expect to see his cult elsewhere in the World.
>> It would be somewhat unusal for a recognition and worship of a physical
>> phenomenon to be confined _solely_ to one locale.
> We are talking about the -Northern- Lights here.
No, we aren't. The Sky Storm comes out of the Top of the Sky Dome. The Pole of the Sky Dome orbits the Centre of the World where the Spike used to be. Not above Valind's glacier. I've no objection to a Gloranthan equivalent of the Northern Lights above Valind's glacier.
>> Thus Priests of the Sun Storm in Ignorance, being normal
>> peaceful types...
>Normal? Peaceful?! These guys are from the Kingdom of Ignorance, have you
>read the Black Sun write-up?
I have. I'm going by the Black Sun writeup which states that Sun Storm had his third (blinded) eye reopened by the Emperor Shavaya thus attaining peaceful enlightenment. I do believe that the Peaceful Mystics of the Sun Storm fail miserably by Kralori Standards (perhaps they're drug crazed loons?). After that, the Ignorami turn to the worship of the Blood Sun and Basko who are the less than pleasant dieties.
> I'm not sure I understand the present attempt to divorce mainstream
>Malkionism and Runes. The Malkioni are the most scientific and rational
>People in Glorantha and the Runic system look to me like the kind of
>qualitative taxonomy that preceeded quantative mathematical methods in
>most areas of scientific endevour in our own world. Aristotle rather than
>Newton.
The split really comes from the Malkioni perception of God and the universe. The God Learners saw the Runes as natural extensions of the Creator and found them acceptable to become involved with on the spiritual level. When their Middle Sea Empire gets smashed to pieces, the Malkioni recoil from this belief and adopt the view that Runes being a material manifestation should not be messed with because it harms ones ability to attain Solace. The World after all has been corrupted by the Devil. Think of Temptations of the Flesh...
Powered by hypermail