Re: Re: Humakt Myth

From: Greg Stafford <Greg_at_...>
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 07:36:48 -0800


At 11:30 PM 1/28/2001 -0000, you wrote:
>Thanks for the clarification, David. I think I remember reading in
>the Lightbringers' Quest that they found Humakt in Hell with Yelm. If
>he wasn't resurrected, how did he get out? If he was resurrected, how
>does he justify it? How did he get there in the first place?

In fact, he made the underworld!
You need to remember that what you have read is only the Orlanthi point of view, and not even the ocmplete one of his. Thunder REbels is getting into our warehouse this week an will be sent out too, so at least the Orlanthi point of view will be apparant soon.

In the meantime, here is the current version of the Humakt myth from Storm Tribe.



Humakt is a child of Umath, hence one of Orlanth's brothers. He was at first just one of many of the Thunder Brothers. Like the others, he sought his own true power during the mythic era. He went to the Cosmic Mountain and learned how to fight from Kargan Tor, but he was not satisfied with this. He went to places where no one had been before, and therein he discovered his ultimate power. He showed it to another god, who we call Grandfather Mortal and when he saw its power he resolved to use it cautiously and wisely.

But Eurmal stole the power of Death for Orlanth, who used it incautiously and unwisely. This released the power called Old Death into the world. It traveled rapidly from hand to hand and people and deities began to be killed, to expire, and to die.

Theft between the Storm kin was forbidden, and since Orlanth broke that bond Humakt severed their brotherhood forever. He set out across the world alone to recover Death. It had spread everywhere and the world was full of those poor creatures who were its victims, for they had no place to go. The living and the dead mingled and caused uproar and terror everyplace. Humakt separated the living from the dead and collected the latter into his special place, which is now called the Underworld. With each entity he recaptured Humakt regained more of the Old Death and put it under his control, creating Death. The smaller entities were easy, the moderately powerful ones more difficult, but he got them all. At last Humakt confronted his greatest foe: his own former brother who had robbed him of Death and begun this disaster. Orlanth resisted, insisting upon obedience but Humakt enforced his own Justice which was stronger, and so killed Orlanth too. But Humakt showed the secret of his honor and justice and let his brother arise again through the Lightbringer's Quest. Afterwards Orlanth acknowledged Humakt's proper place among the gods of the Pantheon.

Humakt has, since then, been the ultimate power of Death. Outsiders all fear him. Storm Tribe members acknowledge him and gain protection thereby. His initiates serve him by obeying his rules of Justice. He encourages honor and courage, and disdains pointless slaughter. He keeps the road to Hell well-populated by honorable warriors.



Greg Stafford
Issaries, Inc. 900 Murmansk St., Suite 5; Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: (510) 452 1648 Fax: (510) 302 0385 Publisher of Hero Wars, Roleplaying in Glorantha See our site at: <www.glorantha.com>

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