They wouldn't be the first HQers in the world to reckon they could pick apart what to more cautious eyes looks like cosmicly inevitable cause and effect...
> Of course, if we want to be really really really devious, the
> Emperor knows that the Kill Orlanth project will fail (as Shargash
> ultimately did) and the Orlanthi will (as a result) destroy the
> current Empire and the Red Moon. And that is what he wants, so that
> he can bring upon the White Moon.....
>
> But I don't think that we should be that devious. At least in our
> main storyline.
I don't think the RE wants that at all. OTOH there are White Moonie elements that do (or would in some vague sense, if they were in a position to plot such things), but that's another kettle of Red Fish entirely.
Mind you, the degree to which it's actually a 'death' myth that's being enacted is dubious. The magical effect on Valindi is exactly the same, and it's not characterised as "killing" Valind. The mythic basis may actually be pretty shallow for something that's in effect a Sufficiently Big Magic Spell. (Granted it must have _some_ mythic basis, but not necessarily one corresponding to the banner propaganda headlines.)
> > I don't imagine there's a a myth about killing Orlanth in an way
> that's
> > any more monomythically identifiable as Big O as such. After all,
> in
> > Orlanthi myth he never 'dies'...
>
> No, but there are plenty of Orlanth substitutes who die. Vingkot?
> Shoot, I wish I had GRoY handy.
Good point about Vingkot, since he's heir to O's kingship aspect in particular, which is what's most offensive to Imperial eyes.
What Chris says about multiple viewpoints is likely very true. The dominant take on this must surely be a (Lunarised) Dara Happan one though. But as well as inadvertant multiplicity, there may be deliberate such as well. "We'll borrow that part of the Umath myth, that seemed to work out well for us, *this* part of the Vingkot death myth, add in a few elements specifically related to Orlanth, and see what we get..."
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