yelmalio

From: Peter Metcalfe <P.Metcalfe_at_student.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Wed, 08 Jan 1997 00:02:23 +1200


Stephen P Martin:

>For example,
>what is the word for "Sun" in TT? I think it is "Yelm", which means both
>Sun and Sun God. Both "Storm" and "Storm God" are indicated by the word
>Orlanth. No wonder the Monomyth was spread so quickly and successfully!

I disagree slightly. IMO Tradetalk uses the names of the False Gods. Thus they would use Ehilm to denote the Sun (and sun god), Death by Humct, Zrethus for Truth and Worlath for Storm for example. Now River of Cradles does mention dialects of Tradetalk so I assume that the above names are to be found in western dialects and were formerly the universal standard. Now the tradetalk speakers in Central Genertela use Orlanth and Yelm.

NB>>Thought for the Day: is Yelmalio Lightfore?

>After contact with the Dara Happans, this problem became settled for
>some. Since the Big Sun was actually Yelm, sure, Lightfore was obviously
>Elmal. I think that this belief was much more universal than either of
>the beliefs before.

Those Elmali who are friendly to the Dara Happans may believe this. Those who dwelt in the highlands and hate the Dara Happans would have rather believed (IMO) that their god's influence on earth was weak because the false worshippers of Yelm had stolen by riddle magics much of the blessings that were rightfully theirs. Yelm in their opinion is not the Sun but a evil cult designed to bleed the Sun white. The God the Yelmites sacrifice to is not the Sun but the Ghost of the Emperor who fuels the cult.

Of course with the Lunar Conquest of Dragon Pass and Prax, combined with their belief that Yelm really is the Sun, the shit has been stirred and will not settle down in our lifetimes.

>And of course, [the Yelmalions?] claimed that the Little Sun was
>in fact their god, the Cold Sun.

Um, I think that Monrogh originally said that Yelmalio was the Sun. Those who live in South Peloria will now believe that Monrogh was actually referring to Lightfore. These people will also believe that the Elmali actually worship Lightfore as well (regardless of the fact that some don't).

The Highlander Yelmalio worshippers used to believe that Yelmalio was the Big Sun. They knew that in Peloria, they worshipped Yelm who was said Yelmalio's father. They rationalized this by saying that Yelm was the Old Sun who had been killed and was now visible as the Planet Lightfore whereas Yelmalio was the New Sun who had risen to bless the world at the Dawn.

The viewpoint of the Highlander Yelmalio was an artefact of their distance from the Pelorian Sun Worshippers. But now that Sartar and Prax has been conquered by the Lunars, their cosmology has been turned upside down by lunar missionaries. Hence the current notion of Yelmalio as the God of the Sky Dome.

I don't believe that the Highlander Yelmalio will ever come to grips with Yelmalio as Lightfore. IMO they will be more likely to try and grow into Yelm Worshippers (which suits the Lunars just fine) or reject the Lunar Belief as lies (which will probably happen when the Lunars get kicked out of Dragon Pass) and reaffirm the old belief that Yelmalio is the Sun.

>I think that nowadays, some of the Elmali and/or Yelmalions, those
>interested in peace between their two religions, are starting to preach
>that the Sun is Elmal, and that the Little Sun is Yelmalio.

Me>>Which merely raises the question of why [Sun Dome] temples were not
>>constructed at the HoG in the Second Age.

>Because Antirius was killed there, and the Orb of the Eye lost. Since the
>Orb had already been recovered by the Ten Princes, and Antirius was no
>longer dead, and indeed was no longer regarded as the same deity. Dara
>Happans don't seem the type to me to build temples at places where their
>deities have died.

Plausible. That just leaves the Sun Dome Cult of the EWF who established the Sun Dome Temple in Prax. I've noticed the status of Vanch during the reign of the EWF is obscure. The Fortunate Succession does not state explicitly that it has been conquered although the Dragon Sun upon the Golden Dragon picture on p39 is stated to be from a wall freize in Vanch.

Me>>What is with the mercenary regiments? Yelmalio [is] the god of
>>the people not mercenaries. A Sun Dome Temple can be Great
>>without its Count having hired out any of his Templars as
>>mercenaries.

>I tend to agree with Joerg here. The Yelmalio cult is very much a martial
>one. Its "civilization" trappings are more holdovers from its Elmal roots
>than indicators of the cult's priorities, IMO. If a Yelmalio temple
>doesn't have a Sun Dome Templar contingent, IMO it is doomed to
>obscurity. A true Sun Dome Temple by definition ought to have a regiment
>or three of Sun Dome Templars. Otherwise, it is just a Great Temple to
>Yelmalio, at best.

I'm not denying that a True Sun Dome Temple has Templar regiments. I'm arguing against the idea that these regiments must be mercenary in nature.

End of Glorantha Digest V4 #52


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