<< The West of Glorantha seems to be a study of the monotheistic myths of
Islam, Judaism and perhaps Christianity. >>
Certainly including Christianity, IMO. I found Christian mythology very helpful when writing SK, although Islam and Judaism were not forgotten, either.
<< With all of this I'm rather baffled at the multitude of North American
creatures that I find in the Hero Wars books.
In the lands of the Orlanthi (Dragon Pass) the example snake is listed as a cottonmouth. Isn't that an American rattlesnake? >>
An American pit viper actually. Much the same, admittedly, except that they don't rattle. The rattlesnake is a Pelorian beast.
<<Also the big forestcat in the Malkioni lands is listed as a bobcat, and not a lynx. Both seem immensely wrong and out of mythical context to me (and really irk some of my players who have seen such references).
Can somebody give me the reasoning behind this, or is this just an attempt to make the setting feel more familiar to american gamers?>>
Beyond keeping consistent with previously published material (all written by Americans, AFAIK), my aim with the creatures was to have the American beasts in Fronela and the Lunar Empire, and European ones in Seshnela and Maniria - all in the interests of variety. The Gloranthan bobcat, for instance, dwells in Fronela (and Peloria), not Seshnela or Ralios.
Or take deer. Wapiti/elk had to be in Seshnela and Ralios, because we know the Pralori live there. But otherwise, we find red deer, roe deer and fallow deer down in the south, and the ubiquitous white-tailed deer of the US up in the north. You'll note that the Kralorelan and Teshnan creatures are genuinely Asian, BTW, and hence shouldn't feel out of place - their forest cat for instance, is the clouded leopard, a RW beast from SE Asia.
But there is some variation, which is why the cottonmouth moved to Maniria; I wanted something really venomous to scare the Heortlings with! ;-)
Forward the glorious Red Army!
Trotsky
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