>A more extreme version of this is if the typical clan member
has no special link with any one god, but just worships the god
appropriate
to the task in hand, though of course you get the (rather rare, unless
they are
PCs) fanatic who ties themselves to one god. This form of pantheon
worship is
very much the way I think that many real world multi-deity religions
might have
worked.
This might be a good model for the RW, but in Glorantha, the gods actually do things for you, give you real power and help live your life.
A Gloranthan who didn't have strong ties to a culture god would be at a serious disadvantage when it came time to engage in life's important rituals and activities; puberty, marriage, farming, dying. These are all associted w/ great magic in Glorantha. To be an initiate to a greater god is to be able to walk the paths of that god to live your life.
That's why all the main culture gods (Orlanth, Lodril, Ernalda, Oria, Waha, Eritha, Yelmalio, Pamalt, Yu-Kargzant), have multiple aspects and myths associated with them. Each aspect & myth is a potential ritual path for its worshippers.
Now, all these deities have their own panthon of deities that their worshippers turn to if they have a specialized need: Lankor Mhy for memorizing and speaking truth, Storm Bull for chaos killing, Buserian for stargazing, Issaries for pathfinding and trading, Barntar for farming, etc. But in Glorantha, I think you need a close tie to a deity to be able to wield that god's magic. And prudent people make a first link with a general, powerful god - the one that (they think) all others are subservient to.
You could play that becoming an initiate to the panthon allows you full access to the paths of every diety in it, but I think this is a bit of overload for the average Gloranthan. Few people have time obtain the learning and to follow the daily obsevances required to walk the path of every diety in the pantheon - especially if they have to spend 16 hours a day scratching out a living.
All IMO -
Pam
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