Thoroughly Modern Elmal

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_interzone.ucc.ie>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:13:23 +0100 (BST)


Owen Jones suggests that:
> Any Orlanthi still worshiping Elmal
> (as an Orlanth subcult) will be doing so only out of very strong family
> tradition or similar.

That's true, I think. But if you live in a whole clan (or even a tribe) of Elmal worshippers, that's a pretty strong tradition...

> Presumably they must get something out of this, if
> only access to a family spirit or some such, as they still cop a lot of
> stick for their troubles.

I think Elmal is still worshipped as an Actual Cult (TM). In some cases, yes, he'll just be an "associate" of Orlanth, but if I recall KoS correctly, one of the Runegate (former) triaty is alleged to be "the Elmal clan", so my money is on them having an honest-to-god Elmal temple there.

Jeff Richard makes a number of observations about the resettlement-era pattern of Elmal worship, which I'd basically agree with. Whether there are "three Elmal cults", or "an Elmal cult with broadly three types of worship site" is a matter of definition, degree, and hairsplitting.

How much this pattern has changed since the Unpleasant Yelmalio Incident is, I suspect, Official Sources will continue to be constructively vague about. Defining any given fixed presence of either of the two is bound to (further) annoy at least one large group of people, so I reckon it'll remain a matter of taste and judgement. The pattern I personally believe in is essentially one where Yelmalio is the exclusive "spark god" in Sun County and the Sun Dome area, and nearly (and increasingly) so in the Farpoint region, while Old Sartar is still predominantly Elmali, insofaras sun worship remains popular there at all.

> On the other hand, Yelmish cults must hate Elmal with a passion, seeing
> him as a traitor. Would this mean the Dragon Pass Yelmalians are still
> viewed with a great deal of suspicion, due to their irregular origins?

I think their feelings are more on the lines of "Elmal - unreconstructedly unwashed barbarian oaf"; "Yelmalio - semi-reconstructed, and semi-washed partial oaf". David Hall had a piece in a Convulsion booklet suggesting that official Lunar policy was to regard Yelmalio as a son of Yelm, while die-hard Dara Happan conservatives (note the multiple redundancy) regard this a Politcial Decision (gasp!), and not Theologically Correct.

> Regards who was in hell, Yelm or something else. I think it has to be
> Yelm, as this explains why he has to return to the underworld every night.

Various bits of Yelm, according to the Pelorians. What the pre-1st-Council Orlanthi believed on the subject isn't very clear -- see previous (unclear) discussion of this area...

Sunnily,
Alex.


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