Odaylan Campfire Wisdom

From: Argrath_at_aol.com
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 1996 17:00:25 -0500


I was intrigued and, simultaneously, a bit disappointed with the Odaylan sayings. My first impression was that they were way too New-Agey, like a cross between Carlos Castaneda and monotheistic neo-paganism. I think that, with some judicious pruning and editing, they can be made to be less jarringly anachronistic.

One category that seems to be missing is the concrete-saying-with- metaphorical-application, such as the following:

Breathe through your mouth when you gut a deer. The smell will make you sick.

Of John's sayings, I liked the following best:

>A hunter must have hungry eyes - eyes that get hungry before the stomach.
>A man's soul can only travel as fast as his feet can carry him.
>The Goddess made time, and she made plenty of it.
>The hunter never makes excuses for death.
>...Two bears live in your stomach. ....

(The last of these I think could lose the first sentence, instead starting where I've started the quote above.)

Of the Hearth Wisdom, I liked the following best:

>[To an Orlanthi,] mistakes are *sacred*.

I'd lose the part I've bracketed, though.

I don't think the Odaylans would have a view of the Oneness of the Divine and its corrollary of Love with a capital L. ("All the tribes are one." "in the gors, you must love one another or die." "Survival is the second law. /The first is that we are all one.") Rather, I'd think they'd be immersed in Its multiplicity (not to say multifariousness). A belief in Oneness, in Glorantha, is the province of the Malkioni and their offshoots, who are pretty far (geographically and religiously) from the Far Point Odaylans. For this reason, I much prefer sayings like "The mountains circle their sacred arms around me. ... The Four Winds provide." and ""The plants, rocks, fire and water all are alive. ..."

I don't think the Odaylans would directly state things like "Things belong to the universe." Metaphor and parable are much better ways to express such sentiments. The mind has to work at a metaphor or parable, so when it gets the answer, it is more likely to accept the answer--the principle of "what you have to work for is more valuable than what is given to you." Also, metaphor and parable are more memorable than bald statements. And metaphor and parable pack a lot of meaning into a small space, more tightly even than aphorism.

Another saying that could use a pithier, less Girl-Scoutish presentation is "We can never dominate this land. We can participate in its bounty if we revere and respect it." Anybody want some toasted marshmallows?

Paradox is a good way to convey wisdom, too, but I saw little of this. The one "How do you see a power animal? By not seeing it" sounds like a direct quote from Castaneda. (I should admit here that I'm prejudiced against Castaneda because he presents his fiction as non-fiction. The guy's basically a fraud.) "The hunter is always the hunted" is a bit flat.

Though this criticism may sound harsh, I make it because I feel the project is worth it. Authentic-sounding Gloranthan sayings are one major reason I participate in the Gloranthan community.

Hey, John, how about some Far Point riddles? Don't make 'em as hard as the Doraddi ones, though, Jeez.

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