Re: Re: Zorak Zoran Draft Write-up

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_...>
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2000 23:23:37 +1300


Sarah Newton wrote:

>I did notice that Glorantha:Introduction to the Hero
>Wars shifted ZZ slightly by referring to him as a Demon rather than
>as a God - which threw me completely, as I've no clear idea how
>Demons are worshipped...

Being responsible for that passage, I didn't intend to imply anything radical in the way he was worshipped. He had been described as "Lord God of the Demons of Death" since Cults of Prax so it didn't look to me like a big leap when I wrote it (although feedback on the draft indicated that I was wrong).

>That said, all the ZZ trolls in _my_
>Glorantha certainly _think_ they're worshipping ZZ as a deity...;-)

Basically all troll gods were originally going to be listed under the header of "Demons of Hell" so there's no real distinction IMO. I find demon to be more appropriate to describe a troll deity than AR's usage of daimone for lesser gods.

>2.) ZZ's Secret: Here's a slightly modified take - in ZZ's
>activities in the Godtime he accomplishes something Major, in that
>Fire, which hitherto (and since) has always been synonymous with
>Death and the Great Enemy for trolls, suddenly is a power which ZZ
>steals, overcomes, and - to some degree - learns to enslave/control.
>So, it's beginning to seem to me that ZZ's secret is _not_
>necessarily the Affinity gained from Amanstan, but rather a power
>(still maybe an Affinity) gained as a _result_ of ZZ's theft of
>fire.

Y'mean as a result of stealing a firebrand from heaven and studying it (drooling at it might be more appropriate), he learns _the_ secret of Fire as opposed to the firebrand he stole? No problem with that.

>Almost something Promethean... I'm
>still a bit vague on where this is going, but d'you get my idea?

Zorak being the troll Prometheus had occurred to me before.

>Incidentally, Ian, I'd like to hear your thoughts on ZZ being
>animist: do you mean _exclusively_ animist (ie he's a Great Spirit
>and only worshipped as one),

I'm not sure he meant this. The description of Kyger Litor on p24 of the NB implies that troll gods can be worshipped as spirits, deities etc.

--Peter Metcalfe

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