What is a Myth?

From: Martin Laurie <102541.3423_at_CompuServe.COM>
Date: 13 Nov 96 14:38:33 EST


The whole point of a myth is that it defines an aspect of social behaviour - myths being stories which have a point in relation to the good and bad ways of functioning within society.

All the "pre-time" myths are just that - myths. They didn't happen as the myths describe them.

Look a the King Arthur Myth. He probably existed as a warlord after the Romans left Britain but his myth symbolises the perils of treachery to even a great and good King. Its just a Myth though.

Look at the myth that Hollywood created over El Cid. Since seeing that film I've met a number of otherwise well read folk who insist that El Cid was a hero. In reality he was a mercenary warlord who carved out his own kingdom for his own reason. Personally I prefer the Charlton Heston view but its not _real_. If Hollywood can make a myth about someone within the last thirty years when there is lots of _documented_ evidence to the contrary it seems bizarre to think that the Orlanthi and other cultural Myths aren't just that - Myths and fables.

If you work on that premise it seems obvious that the Gods weren't wandering about and doing things, at least not as some huge D&D type deity with a sword and a mean disposition. It becomes even more obvious when you start to look at the different versions of Orlanth kicking around.

In Imther Orlanth is the Trickster God! In Brolia he represents the evil ways of Lokamayadon! In Heortland he is a Saint and in Seshnela he is a demon-spirit - - nothing more.

Until the First Council met up with Dara Happa - Yelm was not the original foe of Orlanth - just the Emperor which makes one believe that the proto-Orlanthi had been dominated by Empire in the past and were anti-imperial. It was only after the meeting of the two powers that the Dara Happans put Orlanth as Rebellus Terminus and the Orlanthi had Yelm as Emperor. Doesn't sound very fixed to me.

Also magic has changed massively over the years. Before the God Learners the differences between the magic types weren't really that defined. Before theGLs things were even stranger.

Frex in the past magics were power songs and rune magic really didn't exist. Instead big rituals had to be used to summon even a minute amount of power from a "god".

My own view is simple - the Gods don't exist as personalities or actual walk around entities. There is no actual evidence to support their existance as "Gods" as such. I think that powers exist that are created by those who worship them.

Frex Orlanth:

Orlanth probably existed as a guy back in the ice age or earlier. (I think Loren postulated this). He died and was heroworshipped. He became a worshipped ancestoral spirit. As more people worshipped him so they became "better" at drawing his powers from him. Over the decades the priests also defined those powers more completely. Sometimes there were schisms in the priesthood and powers may be lost or repuduated and myths and stories evolved to explain how those powers weren't the "correct" ones.

Time passes and history exacts its toll - nations are split, wars are fought and Orlanth spreads becoming many things to many people. Even the name evolves and changes according to dialect and accent or even language. Myths are "found" by the priests through "divination" that reinforce the ways the religion and the society function. Myths that say - "this is right, here's why".

Basically I think the God Learners had a realisation - that Gods don't really exist as anything other than powers and powers can be tapped. This is what they did. They even tapped Orlanth and stopped the winds in Keathela. However, their big mistake was not realising how much _depth_ of worship and _control_ these cults had built up over their power and when that cultural depth and strength was rigorously applied to the breaking of the restraint the God Learners had created. The same happened in Kralorela when the New Dragon Ring was smashed after the society spent many years preparing their magics. Even Sartar showed what enduring strength a society has magically and ripped away the magics of the Empire.

Martin Laurie


End of Glorantha Digest V3 #281


WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html

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