Yelm cult stages:
Both David Cake and Peter M have offered good interpretations of the place of Murharzarm and Shargash in the Dara Happan Yelm cult. I agree with David that since the release of GRoY and FS, the previous Yelm cult descriptions need to be interpreted with care.
I have only to add that, IM Glorantha, the similarity between the Yelm cult and the Kargzant descriptions has a lot to do with the fact that a whole lot of Kargzant worshipping horsemen lorded it over the Oslir basin for several generations. Other impressions left on the Yelm cult & Dara Happa are the veneration of horses, a distinct set of genes (according to Greg at the SanFran con, Yelmies traditionally look different than the Lodrilli), and the noble sport of polo. These are of course glorious aspects of Yelm, and have nothing at all to do with those savage horse barbarians.
I use Murharzarm as a sort of a "Mohammed" figure for the Dara Happans. He does not have his own cult, but he is revered. Many ancient families proudly trace ancestry to him. Variants of his name are popular for boys - particularly for first sons: Murhartas, Muhaza, Hazarum, etc.
Cult Workings:
IMO, Antirius is the part of Yelm which is the Voice of Justice. He is
invoked as protector/part of the Emperor. He is also an important legal
deity (he inspired the Antirius Precepts, the DH code of law), and the
divinity that binds/controls Shargash. I don't know if there is a
priesthood of Antirius or not - I suspect not. Instead, there are
probably certain bodies of Antirian knowledge and rituals than Yelmies
must learn if they are to become judges.
Yelm the "Youth/Warrior" is probably the most common type of initiate. This is guide for the life path of most Yelmic men, and is the cult stage a man must master before advancing to SunLord. Appropriate myths/lessons here are the actions of the Young god in the sky. Important values are courage, grace, humility, perserverance. The skills & spells in GoG seem appropriate.
IMO, SunLord is a relatively common cult rank for higher military officers political figures. Sunlords are eligible to compete in the tests to fill the relatively few Imperatur positions - heads of clans, sub-clans, large families, or other significant groups. (You gotta love a cult that considers "Human Lore" to be an important skill!)
"Yelm the Elder" might actually be Buserian priests, whom, as they age, enter the contemplation of Dayzatar.
This is a bit awkward, because cult descriptions are written in terms of RuneQuest, and GRoY and FS aren't. Therefore, GRoy never really tells us whether Avivath was a sunlord, priest, or really just some street thug, or whether the historical contestants for emperor are already sunlords. Indeed, historically, Dara Happans didn't seem to have individual runespells in the same way the Theyalans did. It's a puzzlement. Does anyone else have any ideas on how the Yelm cult would appear now?
Pam
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