Yelmic heroquests - Storm or Earth?

From: Pam Carlson <carlsonp_at_wolfenet.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 23:49:06 -0700


Imagine my surprise when, reading my first digest after a long hiatus (bad computer), I find a question on Yelmic heroquests and whether or not they use Orlanthi.

When they use a storm/death deity:

IMHO, an Orlanthi could work, but they do wierd things. Orlanthi never play by the rules, and that just isn't very sporting. Most sane Yelmies would use a trusty Shargashi in the "apologetic rebel" spot. After all, originally it was Shargash that killed Yelm, long before the Dara Happans ran into the First Council and came up with a joint Orlanth&Yelm myth.

When the Yelmic Emperor goes bad, he becomes in some part Kazkurtem, the Empty Emperor. As Shargash slays Kazkurtum when the world is rotten, Shargash also slays Yelm when the Emperor needs his worldview adjusted. Once humbled and made to see how the world really works, Yelm returns to life and Shargash is his happy buddy again.

(Astute Digesters will notice that this entirely Dara Happan myth is very
like the Orlanth/Evil Emperor myth. Why should a Yelmie use a barbarian version of one of his own myths?)

The Evil Emperor isn't *always* Yelm, and the Last Rebel isn't *always* Orlanth.

As for Earth clobbering Yelm:

I was thinking about this a few weeks ago, as we are currently playing frst age Talastari and Dara Happans in Jeff's Seattle game. I think the original source for Yelm's "Die and Return" schtick is from his former role as year king.

Think about it: A male fertiliy god, fertilizing the earth and dieing every year. That's defiantely year king material. So (according to Pelandan mythology), we have pre-solar Peloria cooking along, with priestesses whacking male gods over the head every year to make the crops grow better.
(this isn't really mentioned in the Entekosiad, but it makes sense.)
According to the Wendarian mythology, males are really not much good for anything else, except possibly driving off violent strangers (who, not surprisingly, are also male).

Then Brightface, "the best of the male gods" according to the Entekosiad, gets tired of taking the fall every year and devises a cunning plan to take over. He does, (cleverly wresting soverignity, or Earth's approval to rule, in the process), and winds up making the earth goddesses subservient to him. But because of this error (more or less) the world goes to hell in a handcart, and Brightface (now Yelm) winds up being killed anyway by Nasty Storm Thug. Fortunately Yelm/Brightface has a lot of experience clawing his way up out of the Underworld, and does so. But he is forced to accept some of his old pattern - he is still obliged to die every year to keep the world perking along. In Glorantha, ya just can't escape your idiom.

So, the point to all this, is that Yelmies might reinact their big sacrificial journey in several ways. If a Yelmie wanted to become a major landowner/fertility fellah, he would very likely perform an annual ritual where he is slain by an earth priestess in the fall, (or at least ritually hacked on a bit), lies or wanders about in misery for a while, jumps in the river, and finally comes wading out whole. (The part where he gets the girl is always glossed over in proper Dara Happan sources.)

Note how much this sounds like the story of Naveria slaying and renewing her husband/father, the Red King!

Pam


Powered by hypermail