Re: Theyalan Galanini?

From: Shannon Appel <appel_at_erzo.org>
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 18:38:01 -0800


Just a few comments on this thread...

If you look at _The Broken Council Guidebook_ it's pretty clear that the Theyalans had a very definite effect on the Ralians (meaning the humans mainly, Galanini or Enerali as you prefer -- the Hsunchen were the demonized enemies of the late first age). Before the Theyalans came the Ralians had the Dangan Confederation, which was a loose religious affiliation. They worshiped hundreds or thousands of gods, which they called The Many. There was the god of Lake Nalar, the god of the wheat fields, the god of ravens, the god of giving birth, the god of death, and many others: every aspect of life had its god. One of these gods was Humath, the God of the North Wind, if I recall. A minor god, just like all these others.

Then the Theyalans came in... missionaries from the First Council. They showed that they were stronger than the Ralians because they worshiped just a few gods and got real power from them. The Ralians were impressed, but didn't want to give up their own gods. Thinking quick the Theyalans said, "Look, you worship our god already... there that's him... Humath... that's really Orlanth's... uh... brother, that's it." And so some of the Ralians started worshiping Humath, and pretty soon they started worshiping Orlanth too, and they called them The Twin Storms.

Now the Ralians were really a LOT less part of the Councils then all those people in central Genertela. In fact, after Dari came around, they backed off quite a bit but still those Theyalan ideas had become a big part of their society... ever growing, I think, because they offered power. And the Ralians did eventually come back to help the Council. That was the Second Dari Alliance, and they beat up the Hsunchen of the highlands at the Council's bequest.

Shannon

PS: Watch for Tradetalk #3 - when it comes out it has a few First Age myths I wrote about the central Ralians, talking about the four Galanini tribes, the Twin Storms, and a few other things...


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