From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer) To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest) Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily) Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 24 Sep 1994, part 2 Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM Content-Return: Prohibited Precedence: junk --------------------- From: SMITHH@A1.MGH.HARVARD.EDU (Harald Smith 617 724-9843) Subject: a hunter god story Message-ID: <01HHG7YIO10GS5WRMT@MR.MGH.HARVARD.EDU> Date: 23 Sep 94 06:33:00 GMT X-RQ-ID: 6353 (An Imtherian tale of the hunter) Gordaval and the Yurmali by Harald Smith There was a time when Yurmalio was wandering through the wilds of Imther and spied a lovely vixen. Using the great luck which he had at that time, Yurmalio seduced the vixen. Of course, the vixen became pregnant and soon gave birth to four hungry fox pups. Yurmalio had used up his luck seducing the vixen and she left him and the pups to find a better mate. Yurmalio was left to care for the pups on his own. Yurmalio went hunting to find food for his offspring, but he had no luck of his own left. As he sat miserably upon a rock beside a stream, wondering how he could feed his pups, he saw Mother Bear downstream. She stood in the midst of the river and with her great paws, calmly scooped fish after fish out of the river. Yurmalio realized that he could do this, too. He called out to Mother Bear, who naturally looked up to see who was calling. As their eyes met, Yurmalio cast his great magic, exchanging his worthless luck for hers. She dismissed Yurmalio from her mind and returned to her task, but without success. Yurmalio now stood in the river himself and quickly caught plenty of fish. Soon, in fact, Yurmalio had caught every last fish in the stream so that none were left. As he departed, he passed by Mother Bear, and stole those fish she had set aside earlier. With his great catch, he trotted back to his den and fed his pups. But the pups were soon hungry again, having quickly devoured all the fish. They wanted more, so Yurmalio went back to the stream to find more food for his offspring. The fish were gone, though, and the luck he had gained had since worn off. As he sat miserably by the stream, his back against a tree, wondering how he could feed his pups, he looked up into the sky and saw Homeward Owl pass overhead with many rodents in his claws. Yurmalio realized that he could do this, too. He called out to Homeward Owl, who naturally looked down to see who was calling. As their eyes met, Yurmalio cast his great magic, exchanging his worthless luck for Homeward Owl's. Homeward Owl was so startled that he promptly dropped the many rodents he carried and flew off. Yurmalio gathered up the dropped rodents and then went racing through the woods himself to swoop down upon the rodents still living. Soon he had caught every last rodent in the woods so that none were left. With his great catch, he trotted back to his den and fed his pups. But once again, the pups grew hungry, having quickly devoured all the rodents. They wanted more, so Yurmalio went back to the woods to find more food for his offspring. Not only were the fish gone, but so were all the rodents. The luck he had gained had also since worn off. As he wandered miserably in the woods, he came to a rocky clearing. He sat down amidst the boulders wondering how he could feed his pups. While sitting he saw Alaczar the Toad hopping along, quickly snatching up all the bugs and lizards he could find with his fine long tongue. Yurmalio realized he could do this, too. He called out to Alaczar, who naturally turned to see if he could snatch up the caller. As their eyes met, Yurmalio cast his great magic, exchanging his worthless luck for Alaczar's. Alaczar was so startled that he promptly tripped over his own feet and fell upon his stomach. He disgorged all the bugs and lizards he had gulped down and Yurmalio promptly snatched those up. Then Yurmalio went hopping through all the rocky outcrops, catching all the bugs and lizards still living. Soon he had caught every last bug and lizard so that none were left. With his great catch, he hopped back to his den and fed his pups. After all this effort, Yurmalio grew tired and fell asleep. Not even his hungry pups could wake him, though they wanted more. It chanced that at this same time, the people sent Gordaval into the woods for they were hungry, too. Gordaval was a great hunter, but as he passed the stream and looked for fish, he could find none. Beside the stream sat Mother Bear, a beast so scrawny that Gordaval didn't even bother to catch her. Instead, he called out and asked her where the fish had gone. Mother Bear replied, "Yurmalio came here and stole them all for himself. Now I have none and you can see the results yourself." Gordaval was disturbed by this for in the past all creatures had shared equally in the bounty of the stream. Since there were no fish, though, Gordaval moved into the woods to look there for small game. He looked and looked, but he could find none. When he stopped, he saw Homeward Owl standing on the ground, a bird so bedraggled that it couldn't even fly. Gordaval didn't even bother to catch him, he looked so pitiful. Instead, he called out and asked Homeward Owl where all the game had gone. Homeward Owl replied, "Yurmalio came here and stole them all for himself. Now I have none and you can see the results yourself." Gordaval was disturbed by this for in the past all creatures had shared equally in the bounty of the woods. Since there was no game, though, Gordaval moved into the rock lands to look for the bugs and lizards that lived there. He looked and looked, but he could find none. Instead, he saw Alaczar flattened against a rock, his long tongue hanging limply from his mouth. Gordaval didn't even bother to pick him up since Alaczar looked like nothing more than a bag of skin and bones. Instead, he called out and asked Alaczar where all the bugs and lizards had gone. Alaczar replied, "Yurmalio came here and stole them all for himself. Now I have none and you can see the results yourself." Gordaval was disturbed by this for all the creatures had shared equally in the bounty of the rocks. Gordaval had found no food, though, and he realized there was nothing for him to bring home to the people. So Gordaval hunted until he found Yurmalio's tracks and followed those tracks to Yurmalio's den. Gordaval could hear the hungry pups inside, so he called in, "Yurmalio, I demand that you come out and release the food you have hoarded within!" There was no answer but the hungry whining of the pups. So Gordaval shouted again, louder this time. Still there was no answer. Finally, Gordaval shouted so loud he thought his lungs would burst. But he heard a groan and then an answer. "Who disturbs my sleep now?" inquired the voice from within the den. "It is I, Gordaval, hunter for the people. We are hungry and you have taken all the food for yourself. We demand that you give some of it up so that we may live, too." "Go away. I've got enough disturbance from these mewling whelps. I don't need your shouts added to it," responded Yurmalio. Though Gordaval continued making demands for some time, Yurmalio staunchly refused to come out or to give up any food. Gordaval returned emptyhanded to the people and they were greatly worried that he had found no food. But Gordaval had a plan. He went first to Ralaska and borrowed a torch from her. Then he went to the Goat Mother and borrowed a cheese from her. He went next to Orlantio and asked for a sack of wind. Though, Orlantio was reluctant, he did give up an old, smelly windbag that he had no more use for. Finally, Gordaval took all the rope which the people had and made a large net, tied with strange knots. With these items, he returned to the woods. When he reached the den of Yurmalio, Gordaval hung the net up over the front door. Gordaval then hunted around the hill until he found the back door to the den. He gathered up all the brush and branches nearby and stuffed these into the back door. Taking up the torch of Ralaska, he then set the brush afire. Finally, he took out the cheese and placed it before the front door. With everything in place, Gordaval took the old, smelly windbag to the back door and released it. Though it was but a poor wind that Orlantio had given him, the wind was sufficient for Gordaval's task. It blew smoke from the burning brush right into the den of Yurmalio and set Yurmalio to coughing. Yurmalio gathered up his pups and fled out the front door. But as they left, the pups spied the cheese and demanded to eat. Yurmalio was hungry, too, and they all stopped to eat it. But Yurmalio's luck was just his own. Gordaval pulled a rope and the net dropped onto Yurmalio and his pups. Yurmalio could not undo the knots that Gordaval had tied. So Gordaval gathered up Yurmalio and his pups and carried them off to the people. There the people beat Yurmalio until he had disgorged all the food he had gathered. When there was plenty again for all to eat, Yurmalio and his pups were released. Since then Gordaval has always received a choice piece whenever he brings food to the people. And the fox children of Yurmalio ever slink around the edges of the villages, waiting to steal back the food they had to give up. ---------------------