Objective deities

From: Schmidt, Erich <SchmidtE_at_NLP01.RENSSELAER.basf-corp.com>
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 01:23:08 -0400


Carl Fink said:

>It still makes no sense to me that one can ask Yelmalio
>questions ("Are you the god worshipped by the Aldryami as "Yelmalio"?
>and "Are you the god called "Elmal"?) and get different answers,
>depending on *one's own opinion at the time*.

I have a problem with this as well. I have no problems with there being different or conflicting myths, but when I run my game I want to know what the real story is. And, having the real story be "it depends" is unsatisfactory. So when new and contradictory material comes out I just adapt it to my version of Glorantha. Some people/cultures are mostly right in their myths. Others are mistaken or deluded. Determining which myths are "right" becomes my humble prerogative. :)

I thought the introduction of Elmal was great. Not because the Orlanthi need a sun-god in their pantheon (they already do, he's called Yelm) but it explained an unanswered question for me: What happened to the spear and armor that he plundered from Yelmalio? If Orlanth had kept it, we would have the Five Weapons subcult. He didn't, so he must have given/lost it to someone else. Enter Elmal. Elmal was an adventurous son of Genert, terribly influenced by those Storm ruffians, who lost his earth powers at the hands of Chaos but was able to escape. Making his way west, he encountered Orlanth at a bridge, won Orlanth's respect, and was gifted with the armor and spear. So, Elmal has Fire and Light powers, but no access to Sunspear or the deeper sky mysteries.

The Pentan nomads who are Storm worshippers send their prayers to Orlanth.  They do not use that name, calling him West King Wind instead. They are ignorant of his Lightbringer aspects because those aren't the myths they have heard about him. They know he rules the storm and they pay homage to his Thunderous aspect. The myths they know of him are from Orlanth's time during the late Sky Age when he and his brothers were out stirring up trouble. They are not contradictory with what the Sartari know of him, but they know far more about his Storm aspect then they do. A traveler might recognize that West King Wind and Orlanth are really the same entity if he was able to be initiated in the deep mysteries of both cults as then he would know enough of the two culture's mythologies to be able to make the connection.

Erich Schmidt
Chemist Smurf


End of Glorantha Digest V4 #402


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