>Me>I don't think it helpful to view runes as its holder's
> >property and that everybody else with that rune must
> >have explicitly obtained it from the holder.
> >For example: the Hunter Gods have the runes of death and harmony.
> >In all the myths of the Hunting Gods that we have (Foundchild,
> >Zong, Orogeria and Kenstrata), there is not one mention of them
> >obtaining their killing powers from Humakt or their Harmony
> >powers from Chalana Arroy.
>But most other Death-rune holders got their association with it by
>borrowing or using Death at some point, according to their myths.
The sword story is specifically an _Orlanthi_ explanation of how death came to everybody in the Gods War. The dwarves, elves and trolls will all have different interpretations of how they came to be wielding Death and even what Death is. Hence their stories will not match the Orlanthi version.
Furthermore the Sword Story does not explain how Yelm, Storm Bull, Waha, Babeester Gor and Odayla (all Gods known specifically by the Orlanthi to be death associated) achieved such status and there is no myth of them getting death from Humakt or even Kargan Tor.
>It seems
>improbably that Death was the only rune passed around this way (indeed, the
>Trade rune gets passed around a bit). So in some cases at least, it is
>helpful to use this approach.
But when one have to shoehorn the known myths of gods just so the pattern fits, one has to question the appropriateness of doing so.
> >I think that Chalana would get her powers
> >because she is the daughter of Glorantha and not because she
> >has borrowed, begged or stolen from Uleria or Harana Ilor.
>While the
>idea that 'current' owners pass on their runes to others isn't very
>meaningful, I think that there is a stronger meaning in the idea that
>Uleria as the source of the Life rune must somehow pass on her rune to
>others who now have it.
She may be the ultimate source of the rune but she need not pass her rune onto each and every god directly.
> Plus, I like the idea of a quest to drink from Uleria's cup.
In the known mythology of Uleria (Uleria Cult writeup, Entekosiad and Wyrms' Footprints), she does not use a cup to bestow her blessings.
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