Re: Issaries and Humakt

From: gjr_at_...
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 10:40:28 +0100 (BST)


On Mon, 18 Jun 2001, Charles Corrigan wrote:

<Snip speculation on Hu, Issaries enemy, and Hu, aspect of Humakt - no comment to make other than it makes too much sense for the connection to not be at least partly real...>

> Also, the Humakti believe that Humakt killed Orlanth (for his abuse
> of the Old Death) at the start of the Lightbringers' Quest. Issaries
> was the guide (through the Underworld only?) on the LBQ according to
> some versions of the myth. Is this how Issaries got his alternate
> role as psychopomp/guide of the dead or was there some relationship
> with death beforehand?

Whether the Humakt version is true or not, entry into the Underworld (at least in Orlanthi terms) requires dying. Issaries guiding the (dead) Lightbringers through the Underworld is certainly the only mythic connection to his psychopomp aspect I know of. Given the prevelance of dieties the Heortlings have that can guide the dead to 'proper' places, I suspect Issaries only gets his connection when there is a strong need to guide the dead by unusual routes. Whether he has stronger psychopomp connections in other cultures, I leave to others...

I suspect, modern Heortlings mainly (only?) know the psychopomp role through the Lightbringers myths, but I do wonder about the fragments Harmast used to build that myth. If there are/were other myths, I'd guess that is where to find them.

Cheers,
Graham

-- 
Graham Robinson			The Stableyard - Internet Solutions
gjr_at_...		http://www.thestableyard.net

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