>Greg Stafford:
>> Note that may people don't really know anything about most of the stars.
>> They can make up whatever they want, but they don't worship them or get any
>> power from them.
>> Sometimes a people can say, "Let's worship that one as the Berry gatherer
>> (or whatever) and start worship. They might get some berry-gathering power,
>> but only through esoteric rituals would they be able to discover what the
>> constellation REALLY is.
>> However, for those stars that they do know, they can get real magic.
>
>Which isn't to say that the same celestial object can't have (apparently)
>_different_ magically powerful meanings (witness, Uleria/Mastakos --
The key word here is "apparantly."
The fact that you cannot easily see the relationshsip between them is a
measure of the complexity of the being.
This is not to say that Uleria = Mastakos, becasue they are different
Beings. But rather, that both of those entities have something which is
shared by the planet.
>to say nothing of the 57 different varieties of sun...).
Great example to illustrate my point.
The sun exists. Look at it there. Everyone agrees on that. Our suns share
some commonalities: hot, bright, moves regularly across the sky.
The meaning of the sun beyond the obvious varies: your sun is kind,
friendly to you and loving. My sun is an evil emperor who has been put into
his place. Yours retired to the Underworld becasue he'd been insulted by my
god. Mine sat still int he misty dark sky because he's been insulted by
your gods.
Who is right? We both are agreeable on some counts, especially the physical
reality and phsyical effects. We argue about the meaning of the sun.
Divine beings are complex enough to have different (even seemingly
opposite) meanings withn themselves.
Is one right and one wrong? Possibly. One of us might have assingned the
meaning to it rather than discovered it.
HeroQuesting presents a way to settle this forever. We each get the totall
100%commited backing of our entire world community of believers, engage in
HeroQuest challenge and pit our belief systems as a stake in the struggle.
Whoever loses the HQ Challenge loses their stake forever. One combatants
thereby proves his way is right, everyone in the contest (ie-the entire
beleif community) loses their belief and the matter is setttled.
This is what the Hero Wars are about. People pitting belief against belief.
Elmal or Yelmalio is the barbarian sun god? Elmal or Yelm is the Ultimate
Sun God? Orlanth or Yelm is the Leader? Sedenya or Orlanth is the Middle
Being?
Meet me at the Redrock with your people in a bag and we will see.
Come on! Let's fight about it! This s the Hero Wars!!
(Oh yea, there is always another way.)
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