>So what's the current spread of thinking on [rune] metals and their
>affiliations? I must admit I'm tired of trying to keep track of the seeming
>constant changes and contradictions. Tin seems to be the big problem, being
>more or less ignored in Storm Tribe. Is there any reason it shouldn't be
>associated with Storm/Air? And isn't silver also an Air metal?
AFAIK Tin is associated with the high fires, such as the lightning bolts that Orlanth wields (Although Yavor Lightning is said to have silver armour). I'm not why Storm Tribe should mention it but Enchant Tin is mentioned as a feat by the Conquering Wind subcult of Orlanth Thudnerous.
>Copper = Earth (earth deities accross the board)
>Gold = Fire/Sky (Yelm and the other proper solar guys)
There are three fires - the high fires (Dayzatar/Zrethus etc), the Middle Fires (Yelm/Ehilm) and the Low Fires (Lodril. Tin is associated with the first, gold the second and (IMO) lo-metal the third. Although Lo-metal is confused with the aluminium/quicksilver in the sources, I think it actually a similar looking metal (i.e. Zinc) that is added to copper to make Brass. Thus Bronze is found in Storm areas and Brass is found in Solar areas.
>Silver = Lesser celestial realm, stars and moons. (Yelorna, Red Goddess)
Silver is difficult because its relationship isn't explained. Orlanth uses it, the Goddess uses it and Uleria uses it. As for the lesser celestial realm, Dendara doesn't use it but Yelorna does. Since the conception of Dendara changed afterwards, this can be treated as an omission. Nor is it known why it burns Telmori.
Elder Secets does link it to the primal twin mythology (Maker and Grower later becoming Mostal and Uleria), which suggests the metal is non-elemental.
I'm inclined to have Silver as the primal metal of the Shining Sky with Tin being formed by Lorian's conquest. Since the Storm Tribe uses lightning, Silver is also associated with them but the Red Goddess, Yelorna and the Stars also have Silver through their association with the High Fires.
>Tin = Primal storm/lightning (Umath)
Lightning is not a primal storm power but originally came from the Sky. In the myth of Lightning Boy, we are told that he "was originally a fire son captured by Air Demons during the War of the Gods and married into their hierarchy" Nomad Gods p26. Yavor Lightning has a similar history (being from the fire tribe, now belongs to Storm).
Umath's association with bronze is so well-known that the Seshnegi call bronze after Umath.
>Quicksilver = Sea (Magasta and the rest)
>Lead = Darkness (Kyger Litor and the rest)
>to which I'd add Aluminium (properly pronounced :)), the Water element,
Aluminium is the solid form of Quicksilver in glorantha. The only reason why it isn't mentioned more often is that in this day and age, it sounds too modern and mentions of it in a bronze age context sound just as silly to us as Napoleon III dining from Aluminium plates to flaunt his wealth (it being a expensive metal then).
--Peter Metcalfe
--__--__--
Powered by hypermail