> What would be the Pelorian take on [Sacred Time], given that the Red
> Goddess, not being part of the Compromise, is not bound into the LB
> myth cycle until after the advent of time?
It's hard to be sure. While Sacred Time worldwide is the end of Winter,
beginning of Spring, Vernal Equinox, etc., and while our old RQ sources
suggested that everyone, everywhere is performing their holiest rituals (=
or
most fundamental HeroQuests) at this time, we can't know for certain.
Greg's been working (on and off) on the Dara Happan calendar in recent
years, and for a lot of the time it's been based on four seasons and no
Sacred Time. I also recall hints that Sacred Time was added to the year
during the time of Nysalor, perhaps, as a sign of integration.
We have a description of the Lunar New Year Ritual from "Heroes" magazine=
V1#6 (the one with the griffin-throttling Monster Coliseum cover), which begins,
: Throughout all Glorantha the Rebirth ceremony of the Sacred Time is : of utmost importance. During the week-long ceremony most god-worship- : ping peoples act out their most sacred myths of death and rebirth. : Across the whole world everyone summons their spirits and gods, and : the physical plane trembles with their presences. Even the cynicism : of the God Learners never tainted these critically important rites.
Of course, this may no longer be true, but it's a good starting point.
Let's assume the Lunars do follow a rite similar to the one described the=
re
(celebrated with public rituals and sacrifices); it's easier than throwin=
g
out this lengthy description of a Lunar ceremony. (NB: I'd assume this
"Rebirth" week is the second week of Sacred Time, commencing with the
equinox).
> On that point what would the relationship be for any non-LB aligned
> cult for that matter?
If the Praxians, like "most god-worshipping peoples", are acting out the=
ir
"rebirth myths", these would probably include Waha's heroic exploits, Dak=
a
Fal separating the living from the dead, Ernalda tricking Death, the Stor=
m
Bull crushing the Devil beneath the Block, and so on.
I note that Waha's High Holy Day in Dark Season is a celebration of his
birth: it's entirely possible that his accomplishments are preserved in
ritual at a different time of the year. These might include e.g. the Tami=
ng
of Oakfed, the Great Covenant ("making the world the way it is today afte=
r
the disasters of Godtime", which is what Sacred Time is all about), and
sundry others. Read the full cult writeup (in CoP or Tales #15) for more
inspiration.
The Broken Council Guidebook is an excellent publication, as I have said here before, packed with information useful to anyone who wants to know about First Age Genertelan geography and history. Some copies are still available from the Megacorp, price 8.00 UK pounds.
I am of course delighted to acknowledge that the Megacorp's published Malkioni, Orlanthi, Lunar, etc. material has benefitted from access to Greg's unpublished notes, and we are proud to be able to bring such material to the light of day (at last!), for the benefit of all our readers.
::::
Nick
::::
Powered by hypermail