I believe that I have said that there is a 'common horseness' - i.e. that are certain properties that horses have regardless of origin. Their shape, for example. That's why there is a certain similarity between the Lotari and Vanchites *even though* they are unrelated. I don't know where this horseness comes from, if that's your next question.
>>> To put it another way, I'm not saying that if two similar looking
>>> animals have their origins in the *same* otherworld, that they're
>>> necessarily the same species, just that if their origins are in
>>> different otherworlds, then they *can't* be the same. Unless one wants
>>> to force the issue through creative heroquesting, or something.
>>
>
>That seems to me to be putting it much the same way, sadly.
>
>You're telling me flat out that for any _single_ animal, it can only
>be "correctly explained" in one magical system. If it's an "animist
>animal", then the theists need hardly bother having a myth for it at all,
>since they'll ipso facto be "wrong", or at the very least, "less correct".
>
That's my understanding, yes. (Barring strange cases like things
originating in the underworld, I'd imagine).
>
>It doesn't bother me that this would sometimes, or even generally be the
>case, but as a (purported) universal truth it disturbs me greatly.
>
>But why isn't this true of everything in the Inner World? (Please don't
>tell me that it _is_ now true of everything in the Inner World...)
>
Hey, I've only written about animals, so that's all I know for sure.
Although I'm pretty sure its true of plants and geographic features,
too. But where, say, the sun fits into this I couldn't tell you - not my
remit, guv'nor. Note that many animals (and plants and geographic
features) are just animals (or plants or...) without any particular link.
>>>>>> >>> It IS TRUE for humans as well. Different human peoples come from different
>>>>>> >>> Otherworlds. I thought that was clear, too.
>>>>>
>>>> >
>>>> >I do hope you're not about to tell me that Warerans and Kralori are
>>>> >different species... Even people whose origin myths come from the _same_
>>>> >otherworld, can in many cases have very different mythic origins, come
>>>> >to that. But it doesn't seem to make them terribly "inherently" different,
>>>> >on all evidence to date.
>>>
>>> It might if you wanted to explore their creation myths.
>>
>
>Well, that's tautologous: having different origins means that they have
>different origins, granted. But is that sufficient to make them different
>"species"?
>
If one's definition of "species" is "having a specific origin", sure. Yes, I know that's tautologous, too, but it *is* the definition being used here, so I'm not sure what else I can say :-(
>Or ignoring the s-word, which may be a red herring (though
>a fish of long standing, if it is...) -- what are these differences?
>
The physical differences between Doraddi and Heortlings are, I trust, fairly obvious. The differences between ethnic Malkioni and ethnic central Genertelans, I'll readily admit I'm not so sure about. Perhaps there aren't any beyond the different origin...
>>>> >Basically it strikes me as more than a little cheesy that differences
>>>> >in system are being given such primacy, and common or garden differences
>>>> >in _myth_ seem to be playing second fiddle, at best.
>>>> >
>>>
>>> Oh, I don't know, I think they're both equally important. But if the
>>> origins are in different otherworlds, it stands to reason that they're
>>> mythically different as well.
>>
>
>Far from making them equally important, that seems to be precisely what
>I characterised it as being: making the "details" of mythology explicitly
>subordinate to the "macrocosmic" split. Myth can say what it likes, so
>long as it agrees with GL magical taxonomy...
>
OK, I see what you mean now. Not that its agreeing with GL taxonomy _per se_, though, but rather that the GLs happened to be correct about this particular fundamental truth of the universe. However, with that proviso, yes, that would seem to be the case, in 'baseline' Glorantha at least Doesn't have to be so in yours, and quite probably isn't in mine, come to that. But its baseline Glorantha I write for, so...
-- Trotsky Gamer and Skeptic ------------------------------------------------------ Trotsky's RPG website: http://www.ttrotsky.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ --__--__--
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