> Was this indigenous god chained by Argan Argar from the Caladralanders'
> viewpoint, or is this myth only held by the Trolls? Or was it some form of
> Lodril chained by Argan Argar, and it is only through Lodril's later
> identification with the volcano god that we think this indigenous volcano
> god was subdued?
Well, the Stone Forest is there and can be visited and seen, the Castle of Black Glass used to be there, although it is not now. This implies that a Volcano God was bound by Argan Argar and why not Lodril? After all, there are myths that identify him - the battle with Krarsht, the freeing of the Lowfires.
I don't think that Lodril is the indigenous volcano god of Caladraland, though, but his children are. We hear that Caladra raised the Vent and Aurelion raised the Breakwater cliffs, but we don't hear about the other volcanoes in Caladraland.
I've always had the idea that each volcano has its own god or goddess who lives within the volcano. The volcanos were raised as fortresses to protect the inhabitants. Most are the descendants of Lodril and Esrola, Lodril and Gata or some other combination of Lodril and some Earh goddess. Some could have sprung direct from Lodril's fires.
> The Volcano Twins are Caladra [female], who takes elements from the older
> indigenous god, and is twinned with Aurelion [male*], a Jrusteli earth god.
The Fiery warlike female, Earthy peaceful male is one of the interesting things about the C&A cult, in my opinion. It breaks the stereotypes quite nicely.
> Caladra's sex is changed to fit into the newer ethos, as Peter says. As
> people have also pointed out, this new situation is useful as by promoting
> the Volcano Twins you attempt to break any mystic ties over the land the
> trolls might have by holding [insert here] volcano god prisoner.
The sex of the deity of a volcano isn't important when dealing with the most urgent matter - stopping the volcano erupting and killing the good people and making the volcano erupt and destroying the bad people. It is important when dealing with other things in the mythos, but most of the C&A mythos has been shoe-horned into place, so that doesn't really matter.
> CALADRALAND (post-God Learner):
> Following the Closing, even Moray and Telerio's efforts started to fail.
Because the cult was shattered by the waters and was broken by the earth turning against them.
> The
> older worship of an older Caladra [male] as volcano god became increasingly
> more prevalent, eventually dominating the region. But, ironically, Lodril
> is
> still accepted as his father.
In the same way that Umath is recognised as Orlanth's father, even though Orlanth is King of the Storm Gods.
> I know the idea that Belintar resurrected the
> more peaceful Volcano Twins cult was dropped from Glorantha: Intro for
> brevity, but we can assume it had a little renaissance. Whatever the
> situation, after the Pharaoh's disappearance, the cult further faded.
In my opinion, those who worship Lodril to stop volcanoes from erupting do it with massive human sacrifices - throwing them into the volcano, burning them alive and so on. C&A is a far more gentle form of worship and fits in well with Belintar's methods.
> Presently, Caladra [male] is the dominant god of the Vent region, and
> worship is also occasionally given to Lodril, his father. The Volcano Twins
> (Caladra [female] and Aurelion [male]) are still worshipped around the Low
> Temple and in Porthomeka.
Perhaps the inhabitants wanted a single volcano god to worship everywhere, but I doubt it.
Lodril is worshipped throughout Caladraland, but as the Source, the First Volcano. Nobody in their right mind would want such a violent god as the main volcano cult, unless in times of war. I would rather have shrines to Lodril at the craters and perhaps the base of each volcano, but more worship being given to the local volcano god or goddess.
Having Caladril as the god of all the volcanoes in Caladraland does have the advantage of one cult being in control, but this is something that Belintar would not have particularly wanted. To draw a parallel, we don't have a single god being the god of all rivers, each river has its own deity with its own worshippers and mythos, the same should apply to volcanoes.
> HEORTLINGS (in general):
> In Orlanthi mythology, references in Thunder Rebels and Storm Tribe seem to
> imply that they effectively view Lodril and any Caladran volcano God as the
> same. Elements of Lodrili and Caladran myth seem to combine in the
> Vestkarthen stories. That's understandable, as the finer points of
> volcano-worship are probably not high on the agrarian and pastoral
> Heortling
> agenda, and you can't see them over-detailing this myth.
Locally, things would be different. Those who lived in the Holy Country would probably have more knowledge and would at least know who to ask to stop the volcano from exploding. But these myyths would be peripheral to their main myths.
> For the Orlanthi Heortlings, Vestkarthen was ko'd by Urox, Maran and then
> the trolls.
>
> What's with everyone picking on this poor guy...
He is the Slave. He originally had the Surface World but exchanged it for the Underworld at Yelm's request. He has then been the worker, peasant and slave ever since.
> TROLLS (of the Shadow Plateau):
> Do you think the Trolls would see the situation as followed in the majority
> of Caladraland, but view Lodril as imprisoned, and his son Caladra acting
> in
> his stead? Or do they just see one volcano god, who they've imprisoned and
> whose writhing causes the eruptions to the south?
They would see Lodril as the god that Argan Argar imprisoned and who built the Castle of Black Glass. He provides their smiths with exotic magics and allows them to craft obsidian. The volcanoes in Caladraland are a long way away and are foreign, so what do they care? Argan Argari would know that the other volcanoes can be conquered using their rites and would probably recognise them as being Lodril's relatives.
> IS LODRIL/CALADRIL/[INDIGENOUS VOLCANO GOD] FREE (dependent on
> mythocentricity...)?
> Sources vary... but was Lodril actually released from his chains? Or is he
> still chained... or have the Lowfires just been released? Or is he being
> gradually released? Feel free to give a different answer for different
> regions/races/cultures!
Since the Shadow Plateau is not an active volcano, I would say he is still bound, as the volcano god. As the Earth King, he is free and rules the Underworld.
Simon
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