Even in Glorantha (which IMO has the best potential for fully realizing the figure of Trickster in any RPG), he is apparently considered (as evidenced by
the comments on the Digest) to primarily be a figure of humor who pulls pranks of one sort or another.
Unfortunately, I find this conception of Trickster to be limited. Trickster is much more than sly and cunning tricks and jokes! He is a creator and a destroyer at least as much as he is a clown and a thief. He is also a liminal figure, something "betwixt and between." Trickster has a dual nature, being half animal and half divine. As Carl Jung (1) writes, "He is both subhuman and superhuman, a bestial and divine being..." And these aren't even his fundamental attributes! According to Jung, Trickster's "chief and most alarming characteristic is his unconsciousness." He is not evil, but rather "does the most atrocious things from sheer unconsciousness and unrelatedness." Jung also sees in him "an approximation to the figure of a savior." The folklorist Stith Thompson called him not just "a creature of greed, lust, and stupidity," but also "a beneficent being, bringing culture and light to his people."
In his essay on the Trickster, Karl Kerenyi writes that we all "seek to understand this phenomenon [of the arch-trickster] in human terms." This is naturally done through one of the most human things of all - laughter. In his classic "An Essay on Comedy," George Merideth writes about how comedy grasps the essence of humanity by serving an important moral and social function: "it redeems us from our posturings, stripping away pride, arrogance, complacency, and other sins." Humor can also create social bonds.
As the saying goes, "laughter makes us human," and so, I suppose it's not surprising that most RPG presentations focus so much on the jester aspect of Trickster.
But my whole point in considering this for Glorantha is that the Elder Races are NOT human, and so I think tricksters are understood in a fundamentally different way and assume a fundamentally different form for the Elder Races.
As an exercise (and because Stephen Martin requested it), lets consider who the Uz trickster might be. (Actually, since the Uz stuff written so far primarily describes the Dagori Inkarth trolls, this excercise is more accurately a consideration of the Dagori Inkarth Uz trickster!)
Whatever or whoever the trickster might be, I think the trolls would understand him through one of the most trollish things of all - cruelty. It is my contention that cruelty is to uz as humor is to humans: something that entertains, that creates social bonds. Cruelty plays as important a part in the uz society and psyche as comedy does in human society and psyche. Thus the Uz trickster would be renown for performing acts of cruelty, as would his followers.
(Please note that I'm NOT saying that trolls don't have a sense of humor or laugh. I just think that laughter is a personal thing for Uz, and does not have the same social effects or importance as it does for humans.)
Just as other Tricksters, the Uz trickster would be an unconscious figure. Given this, he likely performs acts of extreme violence without thought or consideration. (This would also be a reflection of his "subuz" nature.)
He would be a liminal figure, someone who both protects and destroys trollish culture. He would probably be seen as sly and cunning as well as stupid and rash. Since trolls are "of the Darkness," he (as Trickster) might also be a creature of (or at least control) Light or Fire. (This would probably also be a reflection of his "superuz" nature.)
He might even be described in similar ways to, or doing similar things as, other Gloranthan tricksters.
The official Chaosium Trickster cult description in Questlines states that Eurmal's "most critical actions" --the most important things he did-- "were to facilitate the discovery, use, and continued reuse of Death." In King of Sartar it says that "Eurmal was the cause of all the trouble anyway..." and "Since the broken world was of his [Eurmal's] making..." This implies that perhaps Eurmal was responsible for Chaos entering the world.
<Might this be similar to saying that, "Chaos entered into the cosmos
along the same route of jealousy, fear, and death which was pioneered
by [him]."?>
The same cult description says that tricksters "are not well liked, and tolerated only when necessary." and "Even his friends only grudgingly acknowledge his actions to save the world."
<Is this like saying, "The cult is often disliked or feared, but its
powers are always recognized."?>
Eurmal is also known for being one of the Seven Lightbringers, those who saved the world, and as such is a necessary part of Life. He is described as
"always there" and "universal."
<How close is this to, "As much as the rest of the world might regret
it, this entity is one which helped save the world and whose powers
may be needed again. He is part of the Cosmic Balance."?>
So, does this sound like any Trollish deity we know about?
Peace,
Peter
(1) Carl Jung's _On the Psychology of the Trickster Figure_, along with Karl Kerenyi's _The Trickster in Relation to Greek Mythology_, were written as commentaries to Paul Radin's _The Trickster_ (which they are now often published with), and were seminal works in creating the very idea of "The Trickster" as a category and figure for study.
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #60
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