Random Thoughts on Orlanthi Philosophy

From: John Hughes <nysalor_at_primus.com.au>
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 11:55:18 +1000


Heys folks

Abstraction does not come easily to the Orlanthi mind. Action rather than speculation is the Orlanthi way. A lack of abstraction however, does not mean a lack of sophisticated thinking, or a failure to grapple with great or weighty issues. Orlanthi society supports a relatively large subclass of men and women whose lives are devoted to constant and *practical* philosophising. They are called priestesses, priests, godar, devotees... and the vehicles of their philosophising are myths, rituals, stories and heroquests.

(And yes, 'Orlanthi Philosophy' is a keyword for priests and priestesses in Thunder Rebels. Every Heortling adult also has a philosophy skill: its called 'Heortling Mythology').

Mythology is central to Heortling culture, indeed to most theistic Gloranthan societies. And to quote Greg quoting Lhankor Mhy, 'mythology is the art of meaning'. Such a society rejects the artificial and distorting distinction sometimes made in our own culture between mythos and logos, between religion, philosophy and mythology. Mythic though encompasses all these, and through the manifestations of magic, many of the technological and scientific poles as well. Art too - for the accessibility of the Godplane means that the artist's ideal expressed by Blake can be achieved; 'Vision or Imagination is a Representation of what Eternally Exists, Really and Unchangeably'.

Not that our own world doesn't understand the power of myth. Even a cursory glance at the writings of Victor Turner, Claude Levi-Strauss or any of a dozen other social theorists and anthropologists will demonstrate how powerful myth can be in living, oral cultures. It's a powerful conceptual, psychological and philosophical tool.

The power and accessibility of the Other Side in Heortling culture multiplies this power a hundred fold. Heortlings have much better tools than language or debate to test their ideas about reality: they have ritual and heroquest.

Among the many things myth and ritual achieve in Heortling society:

A lack of abstraction is no bar to a powerful, evolving and insightful cosmology and ritual technology: in fact, because the myth and ritual work together, thought and concrete action are always closely linked to the Orlanthi.

We know that Devotees spend a good portion of their time attending to their god, in prayer, in myth and in ritual. Equally important, though unstated is the fact that in doing this, devotees are attending to the good of their communities.

Why would anyone spend years of their life on a apparently simple story like 'The Making of the Storm Tribe' or, 'Vinga's Big Fight with Elmal'? [Insert favourite myth of choice]. Because a devotee understands that the myth is a key and a doorway to deeper and deeper meaning, increasingly subtle, profound, and powerful. Guided by practice and tradition, she journeys deeper and deeper into the myth, into the god, and into the power. In this philosophising, there is always room for new truth and new magic, a particularly powerful aspect of Heortling religion because of its respect for the individual and the fact that myths *often vary* between clans! These understandings become translated back into story and ritual, to be shared with the community and to become embodied in sacred action and heroquest.

In a sense, all adult Heortlings are philosopher-kings, living their lives in balance with an ideal: they just would rather dance it out or tell you about Elmal and the Great Dun Cow than mutter about alienation or existence or eternal reccurance. Life is for *living* - especially for raiding, raising children, dancing and drinking mead - not for thinking about. The eternal mysteries are profound, but they're to be solved by taking a walk in the Godtiome, not by some Mhyish cat scratching. Truth is something lived - its not an idea. Beauty is to be found in planted fields and laughing children. Paradox is something to be solved in ritual. Not that riddles can't be good - just be sure the answer makes sense!

(There are some striking parallels here to Zarathrustra on the mountain and coming down from the mountain (or is that a bit too humakti? :)).

Greg is well worth quoting in full on this:

'A fact of mythology is that every meaningful tidbit has more than one meaning. Lhankor Mhy says, "Mythology is the art of Meaning." The spiritual being sees the meaning, and the devotee sees then beyond that to a new meaning. Every answer is a clue to the next meaning. The devotee is not lost, for his practice defines his selected true meaning, and he need only hold to it as the stable point in an otherwise shifting set of ideals.'

(This quote was expurged from the 'Storm Tribe' introduction, it will make an appearance in Tales 20.)

Oo 'eck, did I write all that? I was gonna go watch Buffy :(.

Cheers

John



nysalor_at_primus.com.au John Hughes

May God us keep
>From Single vision and Newton's sleep!

End of The Glorantha Digest V8 #528


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