Continents from Greg Stafford on 2001-09-17 (Glorantha Digest Vol 08)

From: Greg Stafford <greg_at_glorantha.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 10:18:16 -0700

At 11:45 AM 9/14/2001 -0700, you wrote:

>Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:04:05 -0500
>From: Peter Larsen <plarsen_at_mail.utexas.edu>
>Subject: Continents
>There's sort of a general "directionality" to the four worldviews. We have
>animism to the south, represented by the Great Spirit Pamalt in Pamaltela.
>We have mysticism to the east, represented by the mystic-ish Vith in
>Vithela (I suppose it ought to be Mashunasanela, but I suppose he can't be
>bothered). We have sorcery in the west, represented by the Great Sorceror
>Zzabur and the Great Prophet Malkion (of Brithos or Danmalastan, go
>figure). In the north, we have theism, represented by the Great Spirit
>Genert in Genertela.
> So what is Genert doing there, anyway? I mean, I realize that it's
>a way to have the Praxians be animists (a good thing), but why does the
>world have 2 greatest spirits (although one of them is dead)? And why is
>the northern continent, home of theism, named after a spirit?

The naming of Genertela is, I think, a matter of historical accident. I see this as similar to the continent tha I live upon being called Amerigoland instead of Columbia or Liefsland.
Clearly the proper name would have been Lodrilela, if the proposed naming procedure was one of logic and choice. I imagine that in the Golden Age it was called Yelmela.
But in fact when the worlds of the Animists and the Theists began ot infringe upon each other Genert's Garden was one of the big interfaces for the tribes that were in the early interaction. Because it was one of the early places of awakening consciousness for those peoples Genert's Garden was widely known and remembered. Some equate this with Orogosia (Ent. p 23).

Origosia. The First Garden of the Green Age. It was made by the women of the Ethjennan Tribe to bring their alienated peoples back to awareness of beauty and the immaterial world.

Genert's Garden was the site of many such awakenings, and the Great Spirit's name was attached to many places and events. The associations stuck.

-------- Greg Stafford, greg_at_glorantha.com Issaries, Inc. 900 Murmansk St., Suite 5; Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: (510) 452 1648 Fax: (510) 302 0385 Publisher of Hero Wars, Roleplaying in Glorantha See our site at: <www.glorantha.com>

End of The Glorantha Digest V8 #536