Russ Massey
>I'm still not too convinced by Sandy's reply that had Darkness
>dominant over Earth. Are there any specific mythic reasons for this
>claim?
Yes.
- When the Dark Gods came to the Earth's Surface, they
kicked ass on the Earth pantheon. They killed Aldrya, Ernalda, and
all the land goddesses. They invaded Pamaltela and defeated the
native Gods up until Pamalt achieved what is perceived as a
miraculous victory.
- Even today, the creatures of darkness display domination
over the Earth. Crops are eaten by insects. Fungus growths devour
seeds and grain. Earth goddesses require specific protectors to
survive through the Winter -- such as Yelm (Dendara), Orlanth
(Ernalda), Waha (Eiritha), or Dragons (Rice Mother).
- The most obvious feature of the Darkness is that the gods
of Light were vastly weakened at the outset, with Yelm murdered. We
know that Fire > Dark, so this explains why Dark was so strong during
this period. Of course, all the remaining gods of Earth, Storm, and
Sea fought back vs. the Dark. But look what happened -- the Storm and
Sea gods managed to get through the Darkness, and still rule vast
parts of the world. But the Earth goddesses were so crippled that
practically none of Genertela is still "ruled" by Earth deities.
Esrolia is the only sizable exception, and that state manages by
balancing off several different "protector" gods against one another,
so the largest remaining pantheon is still the Earth. It's different
in Pamaltela, but that continent was not overrun by the Dark, so
Earth element managed to survive.
Plus any schoolboy knows that a shade can beat a gnome.
Sandy P.