This would explain why Umath mysteriously retires in mythology. Humakt is Humath-Arkat. It follows that a portion of the mythology about Humath was subsumed into that of Humakt. If Humath and Umath are cognate then presumably they have the same cosmological role: Primal Air violently dividing Earth and Sky. However, the references to Swords of Humath in "Broken Council" suggest that he had an active role in later mythology as well.
The World Council missionaries interpreted Humath as being a heretofore unknown brother of Orlanth (who had already assumed Umath's role as King Storm.) Acknowledging him as Umath, Orlanth's father, would have made their own god look like an upstart and was therefore intolerable.
Humath-Arkat incorporated Humath/Umath's warlike attributes (now tempered with honour) but not his cosmological role. The continued prosperity of Humakt and the decline of Humath and Umath suggests that he fulfilled this specialized warrior role rather better than his predeccesors whose political importance was also decimated by the ascendancy of Orlanth.
It's not clear if the Ralians had their own LBQ before they came into contact with missionaries from Dragon Pass. If they did then the obvious candidate for leader is Humath, standing in for Humakt and Orlanth. IMHO he killed his father, the Sky so that he could sleep with his mother, the Earth. Chaos fell through the hole where the Sky should be. The trials by which Storm must prove himself to Sky take on a different tone when there is a direct father-son relationship. Especially with Arachne Solara looking on, and of course Arachne Solara=Glorantha=Ga=(H)umath's mother.
On a seperate issue, I'm puzzled by the Carmanian LBQ. The orthodoxy seems to that Humakt leads the LBQ, which is a nice idea. After all the Carmanians are a fairly grim bunch. However who was the murderer? Orlanth or Humakt? Also who was the Emperor? IdoVan, Yelm or none of the above. Even if Hero War era Carmanians say Yelm I doubt very much that it was him in the Bad Old Days.
Any ideas.
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