I imagine Gloranthan dragons not as lithe, flight creatures, but as Leviathans out of legend.
These are creatures that challenge the gods in Glorantha, beings so powerful that they can devour entire armies. These are monsters so magnificent and so frightening, that they blot out the sun as they pass, and people literally die from fright. The cream of the Lunar Empire, at the height of their power and about to destroy their greatest enemy, couldn't even stand against *one* of these creatures. The mightiest army that the solar empire could assemble marched into Dragon Pass, and was devoured, every last one.
I see Gloranthan Dragons as epic beings on the scale or Moorcock's dragons, but taken one step further. So large that they mate with mountains, so wise that their mysteries bring utter transcendance, so powerful that they bring down and break the falseness of the moon. And so subtle that their thoughts and natures can be as subtle and delicate as you describe.
Far, far out thought. Thunder Rebels mentions that Orlanth's second dragon slaying was to stop a Dragon from mating with Kero Fin. All well and good, but think about what this implies.
Dragons in Glorantha are also often physical features of the terrain while they sleep.
Like mountains. Really, really big mountains. Like Kero Fin.
Mountains are often worshipped as Gods by the Orlanthi. Orlanthi gods are often mountains.
Ergo, perhaps Kero Fin herself is a sleeping dragon. A Dragon so powerful and magnificent, she's never revealed herself.
Thus, her son, Orlanth, is also essentially Draconic.
Orlanth was born in Dragon pass. Dragon pass is the great ancestral breeding ground for Dragons.
The EWF was perhaps the logical extension of Orlanth's worship, the worship of his transcendic, Draconic character.
"But wait!" You say. "What about Alakoring?"
Orlanth is also air. As HW states, worship enables a deity to provide more and deeper secrets to it's worshippers. Because of the disaster of the EWF, and the priests own misunderstanding of Orlanth's Draconic nature, Orlanth himself decided that the worship of his own draconic nature must be suppressed, and that humans, at least for that time, should only know his more understandable, non-transcendant aspects, such as Allfather, Adventurous, and Thunderous, and Lightbringer (which in it's own way is transcendant.) Perhaps Alakoring's secret was not to prove that Orlanth is not a Dragon, but to conceal Orlanth's Draconic nature, as it was at that time perhaps a temptation as great as Nysalor's Illumination.
Argrath performs the Utuma rite for the Red Goddess. 6 Dragons and one Invisible, 6 Lightbringers and Ginna Jar. The Nysaloran mysteries of Taratala struggle with the left-handed wisdom of the king of storms.
Draw your own conclusions, while I recover from my Terra Incognita moment :)
Best,
"Leaders Get Power From Followers."
>From the opening speech at all
Orlanthi Moots.
End of The Glorantha Digest V8 #428
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