Vinga/Elmal/Barntar menage a tois:
The relationships of these deities likely vary between Orlanthi tribes.
Historic local heroquests or important folk from the past may switch
these roles locally.
>I _love_ the idea of Elma(le), the wife of Barntar. Quite how I'd fit it
into my Glorantha I don't know, but I'm going to try: it's too good to
lose.
Elamle could be a daughter of the Fire Tribe who fled, or was captured,
or won away from them. Or she may have felt pity for the Folk of Storm
and brought them the Hearthfire - after much heroic stealing of it, or
something cool like that.
oddesses: Hippoi in Sartar, La-Ungariant among the Grazers, and Gamara
in the north, maybe Ga-Xamara in Pent.
> And another person suggesting calling back the ghost to ask it
questions: is this a more "normal" procedure than I'd been thinking?
Has to be be a pretty big crime. But among the Orlanthi secret murder is an outlawing offence, so it probably would be used.
> Must make murder trials easy to solve, if all you have to do is call
back the
victim and ask them! Or am I missing something?
Heh, heh. Watch "Rashoman". It was tried there, and it didn't help much! Ghosts can lie, or misremember, or no longer care...
Solar Geasa
> how many more of those Yelmalian geases and
rules are reactions to something the Orlanthi do?
Good reason - probably a few. Helps establish a seperate identity for the culture.
>Can we, for instance, explain the "never wash" one this way?
Sounds more like a penance to me - serves to partially cast one out of society. Or it may tie into some sacred aspect of water for a desert people. Perhaps it appropriates the Spirit of Springs, who frowns on people taking her sacred, life giving water to smear all over their unclean bodies?
You could also view some of those geasa as temporary - maybe until a term is served or a goal achieved.
>Oh, and I'd always assumed that Yelmalian geases are derived from Humakti
geases (Monrogh trying to invent a warrior cult from a non-combatant
one),
but lost the ability to pick a chosen geas on the way? Any thoughts?
I think the Yelmalian/Humakti geas similarity is a reflection of game mechanics rather than anything inherent to Gloranthan clutures.
IMHO, geasa are really overlooked in Glorantha. _Lots_ of cultures have
them.
Humakt has a very straight forward, contractual system. "Prove your
courage by wearing no armor on your head, and I'll make your sword
strike harder there".
Yelmalians have a complex system of geasa to ensure proper behavior, to distinguish themselves from others, and to propriate various local spirits. Yelmalians elsewhere would have a different list. A Yelmalion would explain his geas as: "Be kind to horses - this pleases God."
David Dunham's East Ralian Orlanthi have the old celtic tradition of seers forcasting individual doom situations at one's birth. Frex: "Never talk to a healer from Keanos while boating in Kilwin."
>Yelm doesn't have the geas system, does he?
Not one written down in game mechanic terms, but solar cultures do tend to have similar values, which they combined with their cultures to make geasa of various extremes. Frex, Grazers can only herd and ride horses, but they gain social strength and a connection with the Sky and its magic. Yelmalians are inspired to learn better spear tactics or to become tougher if they constantly remind themselves of Yelamio's efforts by following his geasa. Dara Happan nobles likely have to obey hundreds of geasa and obligations, but in return the Almighty Godfather rises every day. This blesses them with the right/justice to rule the human world. A Dara Happan would say: "Yelm will not hear your prayers if you have any stain on your spirit or body", and " An act of injustice weakens the world."
Examples of their geasa would be:
Always get up to greet the sun. Never sleep on the ground. Never go barefoot on the earth. Never lie. Never speak to a troll. Never go naked. Never have sex outside of marriage, (this can be accepted for men for several reasons.) Never have sex with the lights on. Never eat food cooked over an unclean (dung) fire. Never eat scorpions. Never eat spiders. Never eat snakes. Eat only fish-meat while the Young God is in the River. Never harm a raptor. Never harm a horse. Never harm a hedgehog. Always aid an Erissa priestess. (And 220 more.) And, if you're the emperor, never eat rabbit.
Every Yelmie has them all. (They don't get out much.) Of course, if they break one, they aren't immediately zapped with a spirit of reprisal, but (they believe) their magic doesn't work quite as well, and the proverbial handcart tolls an inch closer to hell.
Pam
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