Re: linguistics from David Dunham on 1997-01-13 (Glorantha Digest Vol 04)

From: David Dunham <dunham_at_pensee.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 09:41:42 -0800

As for the term "hsunchen," I remember one of Greg's notes saying something about a "hsunchari" or totem of an Orlanthi clan. So "hsunchen" may may something like "totem-people." Where term comes from, I couldn't guess. (BTW, are "tula" and "wyter" real-world words, or something Greg made up?)

Scott Atkins asked

> if
> anyone out there had some ideas or examples of "Flowery Orlanthi Language"
> that I could incorporate into my DI

"Flowery language" is quite often poetry, and in our games, we use an Icelandic inspiration, so I'd refer to the Edda.

The only poem I've actually composed for my character (Korol Sure-Strike) is

	Malan's son planted his battle-leek in my garden of thought;
	That battle-rooting dirt-treader will guest at my bronze-harvest.

He had just had a long fight with Erland Malansson, a Humakti, who of course used a sword to deal a serious wound to the chest (to the Viking poets at least, the head was not the seat of thought). A dirt-treader is a pig, an allusion to Malan's totem (and a recurring theme in Korol's poems). A bronze-harvest is a battle. Korol is boasting that he'll do in Erland (i.e. he'll be the guest of honor) next time they fight.

David Dunham <mailto:dunham_at_pensee.com> Glorantha/RQ page: <http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html> Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein

End of Glorantha Digest V4 #72

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