Re: The Glorantha Digest V7 #556

From: aelarsen_at_facstaff.wisc.edu
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 15:12:36 -0500

>From: Michael Cule <mikec_at_room3b.demon.co.uk>
>Subject: Mother Language
>
>> The following is a small attempt to flesh out the mythology of
>>Issaries just a bit.
>
>And a very nice one too. I'd say a couple of things:
>
>1) If languages are 'children' of Mother Language then that implies that
>there's a lot of hanky-panky going on between her and the visiting gods
>(pause to insert obligatory double-entendre about 'tongues' here) and
>it's a bit peculiar that neither LM nor Issaries comment on this.
>Perhaps you might change the image to her being a gardener and the
>languages being grown as flowers.

        I hadn't actually thought of the Languages as her children, more her inventions. Although I do imagine that the story varies a lot depending on who tells it. The Eurmali version tends to depict Issaries as a love-addled fool, LM as a jealous and lecherous old father, and Mother Language as a sex-starved young woman, with Eurmal being the brave hero, of course. The Issarion and Lankhor Mhyte versions emphasize the more sober and serious ideas.

        The flowers idea works well, too.

>2) It really adds a lot to the relationship between LM and Issaries to
>make them father and son -in-law. Accounts for a lot that does.

        I can't really take credit for that one. The Issaries write-up in River of Cradles specifies that he had a child by Mother Language, a Lankhor Mhy spirit, and I seem to remember somewhere else a reference to LM as Issaries's father in law.

        Does anyone else out there have myths for some of the other Orlanthi gods, suitable for heroquesting?

Andrew E. Larsen

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