DC>Think about who Orlanth was to the Dara Happans - basically, someone DC>whose main mythic act is to murder the Emperor, and be a rebel and outlaw.
>This is a topic that has been under much discussion out here in the
>Seattle-Victoria-Auckland triangle. We've been playing around with trying
>to make each culture's myths work without introducing conflict from an
>foreign pantheon.
A bit of a futile dream IMO. The cultures have now come into contact with each other and are aware of each other. Plus 500 years ago, the God Learners did a good job of screwing the original myths to such an extent nobody is sure what they were. What was true then, is no longer mythically true now.
>In short, why does the Evil Emperor of the Orlanthi myths
>always have to be some Solar furriner?
Because said Solar furriner happens to have a better army than the Orlanthi do and has conquered the Orlanthi's pitiful excuse of an civilized country with one hand tied behind its back and is now taxing it without mercy. Elsewhere, I'm sure that the Evil Emperor will seen to be of some other tradition than the Sun worshippers. I suppose some Ralian Barbarians, for example, have tales about the Evil Emperor Malkion who was killed and thus his cult sucks because his worshippers can do no true magic (only false sorcery). Of course they would then have to explain why Orlanth went into Hell and brought back the Sun.
>And does the Murderer of Yelm (if
>that myth is even believed) always have to be an unwashed Orlanthi
>barbarian?
The Seventh Wane is fast approaching and the Moon is no Whiter than she was six-and-a-half wanes ago. There is nobody else to kick around save for unrepentant unwashed savages in the South. Clearly they must be worshippers of the Last Rebel! If we kill their Loathsome God of Murderers, then the Moon will turn White.
>In GROY, the barbarian storm god is referred to as "Oralantus", "Umatum",
>and "Lanatum", but the murderer of Yelm/Murharzarm is "Rebellius Terminus".
And Plentonius, in describing the Wars of Dara Happa against the Monster Army (ie the World Council of Friends), makes reference to the humans being 'all followers of Rebellus Terminus, who they called Oralanatus' on p52. Although you are right in saying that the Last Rebel is not necessarily a Storm God, you're still stuck with the fact that fact that the Dara Happans think so, having 1400 years of precedent.
>Among the Orlanthi/Yelmalians, Yelmalio was wounded by Zorak Zoran, Chaos,
>Inora, etc. In DH the analagous deity, Antirius, was repeatedly wounded
>not by enemies, but by his own people when they let him down again and
>again. (Then there's this other myth where he is wounded by the Cruel God -
>must be from Saird!)
The last two wounding errors are compatible with Antirius going to the Hills of Gold. The Princes of the Ten Tests thought that Antirius did so, for they did the Quest then and won back the Orb of the Eye which Antirius with Vanyoramet and later Vergustus failed to do.
>From an Orlanthi POV, why should a Heortling carl think of his Elmali
>brother-in-law as the Evil Emperor, when the Hendriki thane up the valley
>keeps insisting on another cow every year?
Well put.
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