SP>Foolishly, I thought that Glorantha was a magical place where the gods existed before Time and did many deeds there, only to be bound into relative inactivity by the Compromise.
I think this too. And I believe in the Green Age, when humans and gods were closer together, and the Golden Age, when they began to separate. And the Storm Age (basically now), when they are being torn apart. I think Brightface may have been a person; he may have been Yelm; he was probably both. Ditto for Vingkot/Vadrus - and whatever avatar you want to pick.
SP>However, it becomes obvious to me that in Glorantha, the gods are nothing more than glorified people or extensions of cultural conciousness.
I have decided that the deities are divine entities with discrete personalities, but their local powers can be modified by the unique worship of local cultures. Their avatars can become the god walking-on-earth.
SP>However, once you begin to argue that the Spike did not appear in Dara Happan myths or that the Great Compromise was not known, then things get a little silly.
I think you have to look for analogs between myths. The Theyalans have the Compromise. The DH's have "Justice" - deities have to act the way they always have - patterns have to be followed - to Maintain the World. Same effect, similar idea, different cultural context. Thus Orlanth is "bound" by his personal honor, while Yelm is "bound" by his duty to to the world . These attitutes are reflections of their cultures. IMO, these differences add to the richness of Glorantha far more than if the DH's said "The gods can't interefere? Quite right. We've got a copy of that there Compromise Document right here in our Great Library of Raibanth...." The Spike - the Footstool - the Tower of Light - the Great Tree... all sound pretty similar to me. They don't equate one-for-one, God Learner style, but they have similar significance.
SP>The Dara Happans are a very inward-looking people who do not like ideas from outside.... The Dara Happans are so arrogant and self-centered that their mythologies cannot always be taken as completely accurate.
This is very true. But the same can be said for every culture in Genertela. Boltho, thane of the Orgovaltes, can expound for hours on how Orlanth, King of the Gods, rules the world through the Laws of Heort, which define all civilized society. A Telmori shaman will tell you how all the Fallen People have lost touch with their ancestors, and are thus no longer truely alive.
For a parallel of Reality in Glorantha, watch Akira Kurasawa's "Rashoman". It is the tale of a bandit who is on trial for killing a traveller, raping his wife, and then running away. The judges are confounded by three or four different versions of the exact same story. All the witnesses presents the "truth" in a way that makes themselves look good - even if it hurts. Is there really one true event? If so, is that event any more significant that the four witness' versions? Check it out!
Pam
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