Boy did I open a can of worms with this one. Doh! OK, in the future, those of you with Orlanthi questions for me, please ask a nice succinct SINGLE question. No fair making me do all the work.
>Ian Thomson asks -
>I would love to know in more detail about the different aspects of
>Orlanth, specifically who worships them (which social group of
>Orlanthi)
>We've got Rex, Adventurous, Thunderous, Youth ...?
Good question. Basically Orlanth is a really complex cultural diety who also happens to be the premier god of storm. As a result he is worshipped by leaders, warriors, "god-talkers" and farmers. For more detailed information, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of Enclosure #1. It is still the most accurate description of the cult of Orlanth in publication.
Leaders worship Orlanth because he was Chieftain of the Storm Tribe and King of the Gods. If a leader passes Orlanth's rites of leadership, he can use Orlanth's leadership magic to lead his community in peace and war. This "aspect" of Orlanth is commonly called Orlanth Rex or Orlanth the King.
Warriors worship Orlanth because he is a one of the sons of Umath and a very powerful war god in his own right. A warrior can call upon Orlanth to use Orlanth's feats in combat to defeat his foes, use the magics of gods' defeated by Orlanth or to fly upon the winds. This "aspect" of Orlanth is commonly called Orlanth the Warrior, or in a few locales where Orlanthi society is very disrupted (basically New Pavis) it is occasionally called Orlanth Adventurous.
"God-Talkers" worship Orlanth because he is the great Storm God and a Lightbringer. Storm Voices can call upon Orlanth to throw Orlanth's terrible thunderbolt at his foes, to summon powerful storms and winds, to master the spirits of the air and to enter the Other Side. This "aspect" of Orlanth is commonly called Orlanth Thunderous or Orlanth the Thunderer.
Farmers worship Orlanth because he is the god of men who taught his son Barntar the secrets of farming. Farmers can call upon Orlanth to give them strength and endurance, to tame their oxen and plough their fields. This "aspect" of Orlanth is commonly called Orlanth the Farmer or Barntar.
Only adult men are privy to Orlanth's mysteries and can wield his magics.
This is meant only as a generic description of Orlanth's main aspects. Individual tribes are known to worship still more aspects, including Orlanth Greybeard, Orlanth Trickster, Orlanth Goodvoice, etc.
>and then we've got Orlanthi in Aggar, Ralios, Sartar, Prax ... with
>different definitions of worship, I presume
Yes, although the generic "aspects" of Orlanth remain roughly the same in all the old Heortling lands (Heortland, Sartar, Tarsh, Aggar, and Holay), and the lands colonized by them (Talastar, Brolia and Vanch) although in the civilized lands of the Lunar Provinces, worship of Orlanth (except Orlanth the Farmer who is called Barntar) is discouraged and supplanted by newer cults. I'm not so certain about Orlanth worship in Ralios or Fronela.
Look a lot of the conclusions that the God Learners made about the nature of gods and goddesses were not and are not accepted by the cultures in questions. For instance, the God Learners seem to have viewed Oria and Ernalda as essentially the same universal "Earth Mother" they called "Ernalda". The Orlanthi do not view Ernalda as the "Earth Mother", instead Esrola fits that title better. However, Ernalda, as the goddess of ceremonies, communication, etc. can draw upon Esrola's magic. The God Learners essentially considered Esrola superfluous and ignored her. The Orlanthi certainly don't accept that view.
It should be emphasized that the Dragon Pass and Peloria Orlanthi were not, I repeat, were not under the rule or domination of the God Learners. Their worship and understanding of Orlanth was not altered by the God Learners, and the Heortlings give the God Learners a relatively minor role in their history of the Second Age.
Jeff
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