Eric Rowe wrote:
>>Many, if not most, Gloranthan myths are not based upon the historical
>>actions of the gods, but are explanations of why things are the way they
>>are. If people die, there must be a reason, so a myth is created by the
>>priests. If people get sick, there must be a reason, so a myth is created
>>by the priests, etc.
Not always priests, but your point is well taken.
Jeff Richard responded:
>Hip hip hurrah! Eric has summed up my view on Gloranthan Myth and
>Culture precisely.
Lucky you.
>Of course in Glorantha, myth does not mean "falsehood" but instead must
>mean "fundamental truth". The mythic rationale that interprets the world
>is subjectively (and, in many cases, demonstrably) TRUE to the initiate and
>not something that can be dismissed as mere folklore.
How can it be otherwise? Why is this in question?
>Making things more complicated (and hence more interesting) is that
>each culture has its own mythic truth and that there is no reason that
these
>mythic truths have to be related. The Heortling mythos does not and
>should not correlate with the Raibanth Dara Happan mythos, however that
does
>not mean objectively that the Dara Happans are right and the Heortlings
are
>wrong. Both are demonstrably true to their respective culture.
At last!! The variety of myths that have appeared throughout human history on Earth bears this theory out. In our history there are as many myths to explain the sun, for example, as there are cultures. African, Aztec, Inca, Arabian, Japanese, Phoenician, Algonquin, Assyro-Babylonian, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, Hindu, Roman, Finno-Ugric, you name it and I bet that they have cult/god/or myth that explains the sun. Although some may be related and seemingly may hold aspects in common with others, none are right and none are wrong. But they sure were REAL to those who believed them. ALL of them.
>The monomyth was/is an attempt to determine the commonality between the
>myriad of mythic truths. As such, it is helpful for gamemasters, God
Learners and
> Digest dilettantes. It is not the way most Gloranthan's view the world or
their mythos.
I'm in full agreement. The idea of the monomyth is an out for lazy gamemasters and would hold no appeal to a real culture anywhere. As far as any of our cultures on Glorantha go, their individual myths ARE monomyths. They can only view other cultures' myths through their own. They must make correlations and draw parallels not because there is one myth (please!) but because their gods are the only gods and their myths are the only myths. I'm sorry, but every culture on Glorantha has a rich and varried mythic history that shouldn't be wiped away with one overriding monomyth. Make them interact, make them live!
>Again, hip hip hurrah! Let the stalwart and honest carls of the land and of
the herds
> gather the arms and set fire to the insidious scrolls of these blasphemous
God
> Learners and their debasing runes!
And their little dogs too.
Erik
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