Re: The Glorantha Digest V8 #500

From: Peter Larsen <plarsen_at_mail.utexas.edu>
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 17:27:13 -0500


Peter Metcalfe says:

>Humakt does not chose to oppose Orlanth's return, he _shows_
>Orlanth how to return. Thus there's little difference between
>Shargash's resurrection of the world and Humakt's.

        I think you're reading more into the word "let" ("and let his brother rise again") than I do.

>It's not so much the hair-splitting that concerns me but that
>you are overly eager to point out minute differences as being
>a difference in kind (Humakt's and Shargash's revival of the
>world) whereas major differences are merely represented as being
>differences in degree (Shargash's purification ritual becomes
>another fertility ritual). Warping definitions in this way
>robs them of their meaning IMO.

        Well, I don't think Humakt renews; he ends things. Shargash, in my opinion, does more than clear away the rubble. Humakt has never had renewal associations; if you get a new life through Humakt, it's by cutting away the old one. Humakt's followers are _less_ than other people, despite their greater powers in some areas. Shargash's followers, even the berserks, are not limited in the same way. Again, in my opinion; I suppose we'll have to see when the Dara Happa book comes out....

>>Even if Alkor is the only fertile part of Shargash worship, he's still
>>part of the great god, in the same way that Harst, Yavor, and Matakos
>>are part of Orlanth the great god.
>
>Harst, Yavor and Mastakos are not part of Orlanth the Great
>God. They are Thunder Brothers and other gods whose worship
>is _compatible_ with an aspect of Orlanth (whether it be
>Allfather for Harst, Adventuros for Mastakos and Thunderous
>for Yavor).

        Now _you're_ splitting hairs; their worship is tied up in the worship of Orlanth the Great God. Disciples, exclusively devoted to an Aspect of Orlanth, gain access to the magic of all the subcults of their aspect, even those who aren't literally Orlanth. This suggests to me that those sub cults are Orlanth, at least in some ways.

        I think this discussion has just about reached the "is not/is too" level of discourse. Want to call it a day?

Peter Larsen


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