Certainly.
> Is it part of reality itself, or (as in our world) merely one way of
looking
> at, understanding and digesting parts of the natural and supernatural
> order.
Where's the difference?
(From now on, remember I love durulz)
> Is the central importance of the HERO likewise an artefact of our bias
> and observation, or is it integral part of Gloranthan reality?
I opt by the first alternative. There's nothing more boring than being 'condemned' to be an hero. I really love ordinary characters that manage to outdo themselves. And since Glorantha is game oriented, this is more faithful to how most games develop.
> In our fascination with the hero and the heroquest, are we ignoring
> other, less glamourous but equally important methods for changing
> and maintaining Gloranthan reality?
Certainly. What mantains Gloranthan reality are not the heroes. It's all the unknown soldiers / farmers / merchants / parias, etc. For instance, think about the impact of the lunars on the Orlanthi peoples they conquer. Why would someone change allegiance form Orlanth to the Red Godess? Try to roleplay this. Try to roleplay all the conflicts (both inner and external conflicts) that such a change may generate. (Annd there's plenty of RW inspiration. Just think about the peoples conquered by the Nazis; the south vietnamese under American rule; the ongoing conflicts in the Balkans, central Africa, etc.)
> What sort of myths AREN'T we exploring?
History. Superstructures. Let me provide you with a quote that highlights what I have in mind:
'The time and effort expended by rice farmers on their land made it difficult to recruit them as soldiers and they themselves were not prone to military careers. The professional soldiers and the military chiefs held the terrible weapon of mass starvation in the easy destruction of the infrastructure of rice land. It is a historical fact that village communities in areas of dry farming could spare men who readily enlisted in the army and the villages were often self-policed and self-defended.' K. N. Chaudhuri, Asia Before Europe, ppp. 256-7.
Do you see? This is the type of explanation I would like to have to understand why people in Dragon Pass behave in a way, the lunars in a different way, the easterners in yet a different way, etc.
In a recent interview to the Financial Times, Terry Pratchett said that he worked bottom up (from the small facts of live to the big picture) ratter than top down. I'm like him. That's something we seldom find about Glorantha.
> How can we use basic tools of myth analysis in creating our own myths,
> stories and scenarios?
To me it's all a game, it's all for fun. Using 'basic tools' seems so serious...
> Can we identify unique features of Gloranthan stories?
I doubt. Most features of Gloranthan stories were inspired by other stories.
Sergio
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