Vadrus-Shargash

From: Martin Laurie <MLaurie_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 14:08:17 -0400


Me:
>> Check out Enclosure for more details but basically Shargash is
>> the source of the Vadrus myths and you know what a kick ass
>> storm god HE was so think along those lines.

Andrew Joelson:
> Shargash=3DVadrus is untrue. Vadrus, like Genert, is gone. Not
>dead (like Basmol, who can still be contacted), _gone_. He was destroye=
d
>during the Greater Darkness.

So say the Orlanthi. You're assuming that their view is entirely accurat= e
and
not vulnerable to cultural bias. Shargash-Vadrus is just a typical reaction by
a people to a raiding deity that displays similar powers to their ruling deity.

Before the Dawn and after Alkoth raided into Saird and even beyond. =

Shargash
was the enemy deity, the enemy storm god, the violent storm god and was called
Vadrus, the Bad Wind by the Orlanthi and ever after all bad deities of storm are
associated with Vadrus. Nothing weird or cosmic about it - simple human association through cultural experience.

Now lets assume an Olranthi heroquester decides to prove the existance of=  =

Vadrus, all he'd have to do would be to worship in Alkoth (no easy matter= ,
they
would probably notice a barbarian swanning into the place....) and show t= he

connection between the Big S and the Big V.

Your comment on Basmol being dead but still worshipped while Vadrus is GONE is an interesting one but highlights quite clearly for me the proble= ms
of taking cult descriptions at face value. Basmol is still worshipped an= d =

still gives magic - the worshippers say he's dead to explain their relati= ve

lack of power and their defeat in their empire bulding days. Remnant people do this. Its like the cargo cult or the defeat of "waha" by Pavis= =2E

 In Olranthi culture Vadrus is GONE because noone wants him worshipped nor is their any rituals to do so therefore he is =

GONE, just like Genert.

>> Regarding the use of such magics agaisnt the Orlanthi, I'd say it
>> is limited. Shargashi are _not_ popular in the Lunar army....

> No doubt true, but my original point was, "Look at how usefull
>it would be to have Fly, Teleport, and Sylphs. Why haven't the Lunars
>availed themselves of these tools?" If the Lunars can utilize Chaos,
>this stuff about namby-pamby Yelmies not liking Air magic is a bunch
>of hooey

You can't just pick and chose. Cultural bias, views and predelictions =

tend to stop this kind of thing. The Lunars don't use such magics because its not their way and frankly goes against much of their own belief system which is a self-defeating concept and one they wouldn't persue. Specialised groups or individuals within the Empire undoubtedly =

have storm powers and they are a shock when encountered but the mass off Lunars don't nor ever would.

"Namby-pamby Yelmies"?!? The reasons why Dara Happans don't use storm powers are fairly obvious really. Form creates form. Look at Dara=

Happa - rich river valley, mostly light on wind, light on heavy storms of=

the =

cold, nasty type. Then look at Tarsh, DP, Talastar - mountains, wind, nasty
storms, sun obscured by cloud for most of the year, rough terrain. Who a= re

they going to worship? Most Yelmies see Shargash as a demonic storm =

god who you pay off rather than annoy. Storm to them is inconvenient and=  =

nasty - it ruins the crops, it floods the river, its bad - hence Shargash=

is bad, =

hence Orlanthi are bad. Yelmies are bad to Orlanthi _because_ they stop =

the winds, they control the land and the people - not the Orlanthi way at=

all.

Martin Laurie


Powered by hypermail