Daka Fal and Resurrection from Pam Carlson on 1998-04-24 (Glorantha Digest Vol 05)

From: Pam Carlson <carlsonp_at_wolfenet.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 13:56:17 -0700

> Umm, I suggest that you have a look at WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE in KoS.
> According to this, the soul hangs around the body for an entire week
> changing slowly into a pure spirit before doing a double patented
> backflip thorough its own skull and onto the Plain of the Dead to join
> the long shuffle off to the halls of Daka Fal.

Yup - I thought of this as I wrote about searching for the dead w/ the resurrection. To be honest, I am not happy with the idea that this little scrap of KOS psycopomp info applies to all of Glorantha. I can't see Carmanians, Seshnelans, Pelorians, Kralorelans, or Pentans wating patiently to be routed in hell by some Praxian uber-spirit. Heck - I'm not sure it even applies to Heortlings, Esrolians, or Tarshites. Why should Daka Fal, a Praxian shaman's deity, have power or every dead Glorantha, everywhere? And if DF is so ubiquitous in the underworld, why is he given only a quick mention in KOS? Why does he fail to appear in other underworld myths?

Perhaps all Gloranths have some sort of post-death limbo, but my guess is that these limbos have very different characteristics for Heortlings, Carmanians, Alkothi, and Kralorelans, not to mention Uz and Aldryami.

Besides, I feel that it is much more MGF to make resurrection rare, difficult and deeply magical. It is also likely that the ritual varies considerably across the losenge, and draws heavily on the local underworld/Psycopomp myths. Frex, why not have it necessary to have an Issaries along on a resurrection, to locate the soul?

Pam