Ging Na Shar (a.k.a. Comb and Braid)
God of Barbers and the Island of Rathmorasomangron
Before all else was Nothing. Nothing realized, "I am Glorantha".
>From this realization, a Thing, Glorantha, was born from Nothing.
Like all good newborns, Glorantha was hairless. Glorantha realized that it was wrong to remain so. From this realization, hair began to sprout all over Glorantha.
Glorantha's hair was not like ours. Glorantha's hair was Darkness. Glorantha realized that her Darkness hair was good, but that something was missing. From this realization, more hair came.
The new hair was Sea hair. Glorantha realized that her Darkness hair and her Sea hair were both good, but that there was still something missing. From this realization, still more hair came.
This time, it was Earth hair. Glorantha realized that her Darkness hair, her Sea hair, and her Earth hair were all good, but that even with all of these fine types of hair, she was still lacking something. From this realization, hair sprouted one more time.
The fourth type of hair was Sky hair. Glorantha realized that her Darkness hair, her Sea hair, her Earth hair and her Sky hair were all good, but that they were good individually, not as a whole. From this realization, nothing happened.
This troubled Glorantha, for it was the first time that a realization did not lead to a solution. She then realized that she did not have a solution, but perhaps someone else would. From this realization, the gods were born.
First was born Acos. Acos saw Glorantha's hair, and, addressing her, said, "This is the way your hair is, and always shall be." Glorantha knew that Acos was wrong.
Next was born Larnste. Larnste noticed that Glorantha's individual hairs moved slightly among their neighboring hairs, but that they were each rooted to their own specific individual place on Glorantha. "It is good that your hairs move," Larnste said, "but they do not move enough. They should be uprooted so that they can move more freely." Glorantha knew that Larnste was wrong.
Next was born Uleria. Uleria lovingly caressed Glorantha's hair, and sweetly said, "Your hair is so beautiful! Why would you ever want to change it? In fact, you should grow more hair." Gazing seductively at Glorantha, she continued, "I can help you to grow more hair." As tempting as Uleria's offer was, Glorantha knew that Uleria was wrong.
Next was born Kargan Tor. In a disgusted rage, he said, "Your hair is repulsive. It should all be chopped off. Your hair is more repulsive than anything but Uleria." Uleria smiled and winked at Kargan Tor, who then stomped off furiously. Glorantha knew that Kargan Tor was wrong.
Next was born Orenoar. "There is something that needs to be done about your hair," she said. Glorantha knew that Orenoar was right, but her comment did not help very much.
Next was born Tylenea. She saw Glorantha's Darkness hair, Sea hair, Earth hair, and Sky hair. "The problem," she told Glorantha, "is that it's too easy to tell what hair is what. Some of each type of hair should look like each other type of hair." Glorantha knew that Tylenea was wrong.
Next was born Harana Ilor. "Your hair," she said, "is fine. If you keep it the way it is, it will be fine. If you change it in any way, it will be fine. Whatever you want to do is fine." Glorantha knew that Harana Ilor was wrong.
Next was born Ratslaff. When Ratslaff looked at Glorantha's hair, his eyes popped out of their sockets and grew ten times in size. He jumped up and down, then rocketed in random directions, bouncing off of whatever got in his way. The entire time, he sang, "Hair, hair, hair, hair, woobelywoobelywoobely hair!" Glorantha knew that whatever Ratslaff was talking about, he was wrong.
Next was born Nakala. "You do not have enough Darkness hair, and you have too much of the other hairs," she said. Glorantha knew that Nakala was wrong.
Next was born Zaramaka. "You do not have enough Sea hair, and you have too much of the other hairs," he said. Glorantha knew that Zaramaka was wrong.
Next was born Ga. "You do not have enough Earth hair, and you have too much of the other hairs," she said. Glorantha knew that Ga was wrong.
Next was born Aether. "You do not have enough Sky hair, and you have too much of the other hairs," he said. Glorantha knew that Aether was wrong.
Next was born Ging Na Shar. "You need a layered look," he said. Holding his Mirror to Glorantha, he said, "imagine how you'd look if your Darkness hair was really short, and your Sea hair grew through it a little longer, and your Earth hair was a little longer than that in some places, and your Sky hair was the longest of all." Looking into the Mirror, Glorantha knew that Ging Na Shar was right. Ging Na Shar used his Scissors, his Brush, and his Comb to give Glorantha a new hairstyle. When he was finished, he once again held his Mirror to Glorantha, who agreed that Ging Na Shar had found the proper solution.
Ging Na Shar then took the greatest thread of Darkness hair, the greatest thread of Sea hair, the greatest thread of Earth hair, and the greatest thread of Sky hair, and braided them together to form a home for the gods. The home was called the Spike, and it stood straight, proud and tall on the center of Glorantha's head.
Other gods, some great and some small, were soon born, and then were born plants, animals, and people. By the time people were born, the Spike had grown crowded with gods. Some of the gods decided to move away from the Spike, to places where there was more room. Ging Na Shar was one of those who left the Spike. He went to the island of Rathmorasomangron, and gathered his people to him. There he taught his people the sacred art of Hair Styling.
Once, without warning, a new type of hair sprouted on Glorantha. It grew between the Earth hair and the Sky hair, and it was known as the Air hair. Ging Na Shar's people were distraught, for their hairstyles were now attacked and perverted by the Winds. Ging Na Shar came to his people, and calmed their fears by announcing, "I can work with this." Ging Na Shar then showed his people how to style hair in the "blown" fashion. The people of Rathmorasomangron rejoiced, and praised their creative god.
Having overcome this dilemma, Ging Na Shar was faced with another. The Winds became so strong that they blew the Sun from the Sky. Ging Na Shar and his people watched the Sun blown Westward and downward, until finally it disappeared completely. Ging Na Shar's people were frightened, for they could no longer see their beautiful hairstyles. Ging Na Shar considered the situation, and then showed his people how to create hairstyles which were aesthetically pleasing to the sense of touch. The people of Rathmorasomangron again rejoiced and praised their god.
The Winds were not satisfied with what they had done already. They now sought to add Air hair to the braid of the Spike, to gain credence with the other gods. Had they properly gone to Ging Na Shar asking for aid, it would have been a simple thing for the Hair Master to add Air hair to the braid. But the Winds were too proud, and sought to gain admittance on their own. Not knowing how to add Air hair to the braid, they resorted to their violent nature, and brutally buffetted the Spike. Instead of adding Air hair to the braid, this caused the Spike to be torn to shreds, and scattered across the world.
Ging Na Shar wept when he saw his masterpiece violently destroyed, but he soon saw that something even worse was happening: out of the hole where the Spike had been rooted, Chaos began pouring into Glorantha. Chaos was far worse than even the Winds. It threatened to destroy all, all people, all beasts, all plants, all gods, and even Darkness hair, Sea hair, Earth hair, Air hair, and Sky hair. Ging Na Shar desperately strove to stave off the Chaos, using his Scissors to great effect. He destroyed many foul Chaos creatures, but knew that he could not hold the Chaos from his people forever. He knew that for the sake of Rathmorasomangron, and indeed for the sake of the entire world, he had to petition the help of the cause of all these troubles: the King of the Winds.
Ging Na Shar travelled far Westward, across the ocean, to the land of the Wind Tribe. He found there the King of the Winds. "Great King," he said, "you have blown the Sun from the Sky. What will you do about this injustice?" The King of the Winds laughed at Ging Na Shar, and said, "The injustice was that the Sun denied me my rightful place. I blew him from the Sky, and I'd do it again."
"Great King, you have destroyed the Spike. What will you do about this injustice?"
The King of the Winds belched at Ging Na Shar, and said, "The injustice was that the Spike was braided without Air hair. I destroyed it, and I'd do it again."
"Great King, you have released Chaos upon the world. What will you do about this injustice?"
The King of the Winds loosed his Nether Wind at Ging Na Shar, and said, "The injustice was that before Chaos, there was nobody fun to fight against, because none of you wimps stood a chance against me. I released Chaos, and I'd do it again."
Ging Na Shar knew then that words would not help, so he raised his Mirror before the King of the Winds' face. When he looked in the Mirror, he saw himself as he truly was: a loud, violent, obnoxious, repulsive, and rude god, with unkempt hair. The King of the Winds then realized all the harm that he had brought to the world, and was remorseful of it. Through one look in Ging Na Shar's Mirror, he gained the regality rightful of his status as a king.
The King of the Winds begged Ging Na Shar's forgiveness, which was freely given. "We shall gather companions to us," said King of the Winds, "and we shall right the wrongs which I have brought upon the world." The King summoned the Knower, the Talker, the Healer, the Fool, and the Mortal. Together, the seven companions took an oath to restore the Sun to the Sky. For this, they are called the Lightbringers.
Ging Na Shar knew that in order for their quest to be a success, all of them would have to be in harmony with their hair. Thus, the first step on the Lightbringer's journey was the Sacred Hair Styling, administered by Ging Na Shar to each of the other six.
The King of the Winds was wild and free, so Ging Na Shar caused his his hair to grow long and curly. But, the King of the Winds also needed to show restraint in order to be a wise ruler, so Ging Na Shar bound the King's hair into a pony tail.
The Knower was wise. His head was wise, his legs were wise, his spleen was wise. All parts of him were wise, except one: his chin. Ging Na Shar caused a beard to sprout out proud and long, covering the Knower's unwise chin.
The Talker was a businessman. Ging Na Shar cut his hair short, proper and tidy, so that the Talker would be recognized as a businessman everywhere.
The Healer was fertile, so Ging Na Shar made her hair grow straight and long like rows of grain. He then bound it neatly with pins, so that its great length would not interfere with her as she tended to the wounded.
Ging Na Shar puzzled a moment as to what to do about the Fool, but ultimately knew the proper thing to do: he cut the Fool's hair off, and gave the locks to the Fool, who promptly ate them.
Ging Na Shar then turned to the Mortal, and caused his hair to grow grey and thin.
Thus prepared by the Sacred Hair Styling, the Lightbringers travelled Westward, along the path that the Sun had taken on his descent from the Sky. They travelled far across Glorantha's head, and into her mouth, which leads into her innards, the Innerworld. Along the way they struggled through many obstacles and hardships, some great, some small. Thanks to the Sacred Hair Styling undertaken at the beginning of their quest, they persevered, and ultimately reached their destination: the Castle of the Dead, deep inside Glorantha's intestines, where reigned the Sun.
The King of the Winds petitioned the Sun to come back to the Outerworld, but the Sun would not listen to his murderer. When the King of the Winds spoke of the troubles in the Outerworld, the Sun would merely turn his head away and ignore the King.
The King of the Winds did not know what to do in order to make the Sun listen, so he asked his companions for help. Ging Na Shar knew what was necessary. He raised his Mirror before the Sun's dead, rotting eyes, and the Sun saw himself as he truly was: a petty, vain god who would let a small thing like his murder hold him from saving the world.
The Sun looked from the Mirror to the King of the Winds, and said, "I will listen." The King of the Winds made his case again, and the Sun saw that it was just and true. "I know that I should return to the Outerworld," said the Sun, "but how can this be? I am dead."
At that moment a new goddess, Arachne Solara, appeared. She told the Sun that she knew how this could be, and that the gods would have to swear a great oath for it to happen. The gods heard the truth in her words, and all swore the oath which she requested, known as the Compromise. From the Compromise, Time was born, and all gods were bound by it. The gods lived beyond Time, and no longer had the right to interfere directly with the world unless their existence was threatened.
The first act of Time was the Movement. Glorantha purged the gods from her bowels, and the Sun rose into the Sky, marking the first Dawn. A new era had begun.
Bob Vesterman.
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This is the coolest of all sig files.
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #570
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