I have to disagree with both of your contentions. If you look at
the history of the Lunar empire
(http://www.glorantha.com/library/history/hle-0wane.html) it is
clear that the the lunar goddess is indeed an ancient goddess,
albeit not in her current incarnation. This opens up much fertile
HQ oppourtunities for lunar HQers. They can integrate and use the
myths of Gerra, Natha, etc as they are all parts of the goddess'
journey. (This is even without going into the "deeper sources" and
hence digest territory)
Furthurmore, "we are all us" is more than an empty slogan. It is the magical and mythical underpinning of the empire. As can be seen in the ILH all the constituent cultures are well integrated, not suppressed, into the patchwork that is the empire. Indeed, many of the constituent cultures are undergoing a rennaissance to their ancient ways, for eg the Rinliddi and the Pelandans.
Indeed it is possibly the inability of the Empire to extend the "We are all us" to include Orlanth that ultimately dooms them.
I think it cheapens the sheer richness and diversity of the empire to ignore these two basic "facts".
Yak
> What makes the Lunars very fascinating to me, is that the Lunar
Empire strikes several
> chords with real world themes and issues.
>
> Two major ones to look at:
>
> -Christianity
>
> You have a figure elevated to divinity within recorded history, a
religion that is open
> to anyone to join, a shift from a variety of small cults and
groups to increasingly
> structured heirarchies. You also have a link to historical
Christianity in co-opting and
> redefining older religious beliefs and taking them as their own.
> -Cultural Imperialism
>
> The biggest point of "We are All Us", is, is it really? I mean,
do the groups really keep
> their individual identities as cultures, or is it lost under the
Lunar influence? What
> does it mean when the Lunar view of Ernalda replaces that of the
Orlanthi view of
> Ernalda? What does it mean when a Lunar citizen can "study the
mysteries" of Ernalda
> for a month in some Lunar approved cult and is "granted" the same
status as an
> initiate, or even devottee who's spent their entire life at
Ernalda's breast?
>
> The ideas of cultural imperialism and appropriation all play a big
role in this.
>
> :)
>
> Chris
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