A quick re-read of the Genertela book tells me that the barbarians over there (most of whom seem to be Hsunchen) "acknowledge" the Orlanth pantheon, but I wouldn't mind betting it looks very different to the pantheon us Sartarites are familiar with. Just look at how the Praxians think of Orlanth: and they're a lot closer to us than Fronela.
I'm a litle wary of deducing anything about Valkyries from Gunda, who is obviously an exception to the norm (at least, I hope she is!), but Sandy's stats for her give her no links to any cult at all that I could see. If her mum is a cult hero spirit, and her father (the rapist) had little effect on her upbringing, this seems surprising.
I would suggest (rather sadly) that if Valkyries have links with Vinga, these links are not apparent in the DP area. I would also suggest that if Vinga is known at all in Fronela, she is probably so different from the DP version as to be unrecognisable. Given that we are told that the hsunchen over there have large numbers of female warriors, I wouldn't mind betting that they have their own deity for them, with whom the Valkyries are probably associated. After all, much though it pains me to admit it, there are warrior goddesses other than Vinga.
What are Valkyries like, anyway? The Wagnerian version seems to make them "warrior maidens" who fly around on horses (so the horses have the power of flight, not them?) and after each battle, take the spirits of the slain to Odin's hall. OK, so we make that Orlanth's Hall, but are there really enough Orlanthi around in Fronela to keep the Valkyries occupied? Probably not, I'd have thought. Perhaps what they've really doing is going for the spirits of the dead of other cults (inc. sorcerers) and kidnapping them, to be taken to Orlanth's Hall as prisoners? Gunda's dad, being somewhat annoyed by this, overcame one by playing dead?
This makes for a somewhat less civilised Orlanth than we have over here, which sounds fine to me. It also makes the Valkyries far more closely associated with the dead than is Vinga: they seem to have taken over TKT's role to some extent. It looks as if they have the Death Rune, which I don't think Vinga does. Looks to me like there's a fun and exciting cult waiting for someone to discover it: but it isn't Vinga. And really, wouldn't it be boring if it was?
(Just to get my own back, I'd point out that we know of one meeting between a Valkyrie rep. and a Vingan. When Kallyr killed Gunda. So there!)
Jane Williams jane_at_williams.nildram.co.uk http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~janewill/gloranth/
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