>Mythology applied to Metallurgy.
>Pagan theist worshippers of the Storm pantheon believe that brass can be
>obtained by mixing tin and copper because Umath was born of Earth and Sky
>(Lesson 5).
Actually Bronze. Brass is something different. Both here and, I suspect, in Glorantha.
>- Is this a mundane operation or a theistic ritual ? (1/2 scroll)
It's "mundane". Magical counterparts to this fusion exist in all three otherworlds.
>- What would be the explanation of this phenomenon given by a pagan theist
>worshipper of the pelorian Solar pantheon ? (1 scroll)
The Pelorians would speak of how Lodril descended from Heaven and immersed himself in the Earth and explain the widespread prevalence of _Brass_ in their lands as the results of his couplings. Since Yelm's Element was gold and Dayzatar's (or Lux's) element apparently Tin, I think it plausible to suggest a third sky god element for Lodril corresponding to terrestrial Zinc. This associates Brass with subterranean fires and other attributes of Lodril rather than the dead storm gods found in Orlanthi lands.
Where the Pelorians are aware of Bronze, they would associate it with Storm and the South. I think they believe it to be a product of the Unstable Land, a corruption caused by the Orlanthi rebellion against the Emperor.
>- What would be the explanation of this phenomenon given by the different
>kinds of pagan animists (Pent, the Waste, Left Hand path, Right Hand path,
>Hunschen) (Lesson 6 ) ? (5 scrolls)
Like the Pelorians, the Pentans are also aware of both metals AFAIK. As part of the Solar tradition, they would know Brass while recent barbarians would know Bronze from the Bronze-Sworded Prophet.
The Praxians are aware of Copper (from the Copper Warriors), Gold (from Jaldon's teeth) and Iron (from Storm Bull's horns) but otherwise ignorant of metallurgy (they use bones from their beasts as weapons). I don't think know anything about the origins of bronze or brass and would not care either way.
Left Hand Path: Dragonewts don't use metals. The Kralori would know much of their metal lore from the teachings of Emperor Thalurzni whose statues are made from mixed metals. I think their account of the origins of bronze and brass is likely to be formulated in abtruse alchemical jargon.
Right Hand Path: I'm not sure who you mean here. Do you mean the Doraddi Right Footpath? They don't use metals either. They do know Balumbasta and Sikkanos and so would attribute bronze and brass to these entities respectively.
Of the Hsunchen, only the Uncolings (Reindeer) and the Qa-ying (Eagle folk) have any familiarity with metals. The Uncolings get their metals from the Third Eye Blue and hence I suppose they have some myth about the Mountain of Metals that holds the world together. The Qaying get their metals from beating up storm gods and so attribute the origins of bronze to them. But they wouldn't be able to give you a meaningful answer on how bronze or brass is made.
>- What would be the explanation of this phenomenon given by a pagan mystic
>from the East (Lesson 7) ? (2 scrolls)
Mashunasan tells us some things are not worth worrying about. Standard Vithelan mythology blames metals on Babadi, the antigod leader of metal beings.
>- What is the true explanation (Lesson 4) ? (1/2 scroll)
Apart from the mostali account, I suppose the Malkioni reckon it in terms similar to the Zzaburite descent of the animals.
First there was the pure metal (Adamant) which devolved into Three Perfect Metals, the Seven Primal Metals (although i can only count six in the original text), the Eight Power Metals and so forth.
One step of this devolution is the formation of the five material metals: Lead (Darkness), Quicksilver (Sea), Copper (Earth), Gold (Fire) and so forth. Bronze and Brass would be thought to be corruptions of these metals.
>- If this phenomenon is reversible, give an operating method, otherwise
>give an explanation of the blocking mechanism. (1 scroll)
I think copper and tin (or zinc) are too strongly bound together to be reversed in glorantha by normal means.
--Peter Metcalfe
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End of Glorantha Digest
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