Three cheers for Martin! Language, or more precisely the construction =
of the world through symbols=20
(myths, rituals, paradoxical riddles, etc.), is the very touchstone of =
Glorantha. One might say that=20
there is little difference between Glorantha and the world that we all =
live in, except the Gloranthans=20
construct the world according to the rules of a language-game different =
from our own. What makes it=20
interesting is that, contrary to our normal arrogant presumption of the =
innate superiority of our own=20
language-game, we actually give the Gloranthans the benefit of the =
doubt. That "benefit of the doubt" is=20
magic. To the Gloranthans, it is simply another element of the =
construction of the world.
>Note that a precise boundary cannot be placed between "magic" and =
"society."
Or between language and society. Is the 1996 US Presidential Primary =
and General Election simply an=20
exercise in power and money or is it an elaborate magical ritual similar =
to the Orlanthi "crown test" that=20
publicly sanctifies a politician with the mantle of electoral legitimacy =
and forces the followers of the Cult=20
of American Democracy to acquiesce in his demand of tribute and =
executive decrees? How would a=20
Gloranthan interpret our social rituals?
>Malkioni magic is intimately bound up in its beliefs, which in turn =
strongly influence society. Society, >in turn, sets the framework for =
the language, so as to form a feedback loop.
Full agreement here. The Hsunchen have been in a long decline because =
for the past fourteen=20
centuries or so, the material underpinnings of their framework for =
constructive the world (the Hsunchen=20
myth-language) has been undermined by other cultures and myth-languages. =
See David Dunham's=20
homepage on the Ralian Bemuri ("Moo-Quest") for a first hand account. =20
Yours truly,
Jeff Richard
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