Re: Glorantha Digest V3 #129

From: Russ Massey <Russ_at_wriding.demon.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 07:24:14 +0100

>
>Mike Cule, on Greg at Convulsion
>
>>I got to thinking: there are six elements known in Glorantha. Darkness,
>>Water, Earth, Fire/Sky, Storm and Moon. Shouldn't there be a seventh?
>>Is there a seventh, hidden element?
>>
>Isn't Chaos an Elemental Rune (God Learnerism....)
>This would fit in with the Red goddess'pro balance/chaos leanings
>(delete as applicable), she became a goddess by discovering the power of
>Chaos?

This seems to fit with the circle of relationships:

        Darkness defeats Chaos
        Fire/Light defeats Darkness
        Water defeats Fire/Light
        Storm defeats Water
        Earth defeats Storm
        Chaos defeats Earth

I'm pretty certain about the mythological validity of the first three, but less sure about the rest. Certainly the Storm Gods seem to have kicked the crap out of quite a few water-related dieties in the God's War, but then they fought just about everyone.

And is the 'Earth defeats Storm' relationship symbolised by the peaceful taming effect of Ernalda on her husband rather than out and out violent overthrow? I suspect so.

Chaos defeats Earth is symbolised best by the destruction of Genert, but then it seems not to fit that the Devil was actually rendered hors de combat by a Storm God rather than a Darkness God. Perhaps the intervention of the Block changed the outcome (umpires are even now using a video reply to check, after protests of match rigging by the Chaos team).
>+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| Tim Ellis EMail tim_at_timellis.demon.co.uk |
>| Everything I tell You Three times is true |
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Russ Massey

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