> Who is [right]? To say that no myth is correct means that all
> Gloranthan Myth is a lie.
It's a non sequitur to say that because we accept that Gloranthan myths must contain some truth, insight or value, that ALL the myths of ONE (favourite) culture must be "Correct", and that no other culture's mythology can possess an equivalent level of accuracy. (Or, taking the argument to extremes, that all other cultures' myths are "Incorrect").
(Note also that one of the oldest Gloranthan myths of the Celestial Court=
explains that there is a multiplicity of Truths in the world: cf. "Wyrms Footprints" for more in this vein).
Chris's was, in fact, an Orlanthi-subjective argument. I have no problem with it, as the kind of in-character thing an Orlanthi might say in-game,=
but it seems daft (and, on this list, provocative) to use this as a touchstone for GMing or writing about Glorantha, from any other than an explicitly Orlanthi POV.
> In order for Glorantha to be an internally consistent gaming and
> literary universe, certain facts and truths have to be decided,
> even if one of those 'truths' is that the Gods are simply sources
> of energy with names, and have no free will, or that no myth is
> truly correct.
Bizarre. We know (and have known for years) that there are four correct a=
nd
mutually-inconsistent ways of viewing Glorantha: Cults of Terror called
these the "Humanist" (Monotheist/Atheist), Theist, Mystic and "Naturist"
(Shamanic/Animist) perspectives. This gives the world internal consistenc=
y:
the core beliefs of the four 'perspectives' are contradictory and true, a=
nd
are non-disproveable w.r.t. each other, as far as any Gloranthan observer=
(including deities, cosmic powers and Keepers of Arcane Secrets) could ev=
er
hope to attempt such a proof or disproof.
Now, if Chris can define one world-system which encompasses the Monotheis=
t,
Theist, Animist and Mystic perceptions (doing violence to none of them)
while avoiding the evils of giving one culture preferential treatment ("A=
ll
the Pamaltelans, Malkioni, Easterners, Pelorians, Tarshites, and
non-Quivini are hopelessly deluded!"), he's doing better than any of the
rest of us.
If, OTOH, his attempts to do so result in something incompatible with the=
known (CoT) behaviour of the Gloranthan Cosmos -- equally valid when view=
ed
by any of the four perceptions -- then he's probably got something wrong.=
BTW, proto-flamers, beware! I'm using "Objective" and "Subjective" to ref=
er
to whether an argument is external (obj.) or internal (subj.) to Gloranth=
a,
*NOT* in the rather fallacious ("Subjectivists believe all myth is made u=
p
by worshippers and that gods aren't real") sense that has been foisted on=
my chosen camp (an outpost of HVOism) by people who can't be bothered to read arguments. Zero tolerance starts here!
> Chaos Gods are worshipped, and most are antagonist deities in various
> nearby pantheons.
Yes, and Orlanth (identified as "Rebellus Terminus") is worshipped by a people near to and antagonistic to the Pelorians. But this doesn't mean Pelorians worship Orlanth, any more than Orlanthi worship Wakboth!
> In the Genertela Box, in the section of "What the Priestess of the Red
> Moon tells me", Molanni is named as the 'healed Air'.
No, she isn't! The published source you're referring to is "Talking to th=
e
Moon Woman", from the "Gods of Glorantha" box, which makes no mention of
Molanni. I think you're actually remembering a rather odd article on Luna=
r
Cults by Steve somebody, which Loren has placed on his web page. (This
tears strips off all the Evils of RQ3ishness in its opening remarks, then=
obsesses about what the Lunar cults were Healed from for the rest of its length). Cite sources, please, but check them too!
::::
Nick
::::
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