Re:Thella: White Moon, Glassless Mirror, Net Weaver?

From: Nils Weinander <nils_at_b7TwGmJtJYLa3SX5GDwoOAaQNOWcVDCzlcMw4T2gPRMm40mcNYG5V9o6XQ5EeWP-ifLD01N>
Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2007 22:10:11 +0200


Santo:
>
>
> I've been referencing "Revealed Mythologies" and "Tales of Reaching
> Moon #17" as my primary sources on this important Dream Goddess. Some
> version portray Thella as the White Moon, who only exists in dreams.
> She is venerated as Oren Parond, the emanated power, or Shakti, of the
> Greatest Mystic. Others have her being a Goddess - The White, or
> Glassless, Mirror, who can penetrate the veil of nightmares to reveal
> the dream truth. And some have her filling a very Arachne
> Solara-esque role of holding together the entire cosmos with her net
> of dreams. (Which reminds me a great deal of Indra's Net of Jewels..)
>
> My nouveau God-Learner hypothesis: Thella is a Lunar power!

Interesting, but here my Glorantha varies.

> Let's look at the facts.
> * Oren Parond is Sorcerous Veneration
> * White Mirror is Theistic Sacrifice
> * Net Weaver could be Animism.

IMG, Thella is a mystic entity who has delayed her own liberation (bodhisattva style) in order to bind together the islands which shattered when Avanapdur falls and to protect the land of dreams from the Nightmare. This binding of the islands is often

Oren Parond is the "pure" mystic expression, which cannot be worshipped in any meaningful way. But, as I think that "everyday mysticism", "mystic cults" or whatever we choose to call the cults which rise from the misunderstandings of lesser mortals, it is quite possible that the cult of Thella has both theist and animist magic, like the Teshnan cults.

The image of capturing dreams like spirits is tempting.

> And Dreams have a natural cyclicism of their own - all of existence
> rotates between Waking, Sleeping, and Dreaming.

But those who go for the deeper understanding seek to be both waking and dreaming, thus breaking the cycle.

> I'm interesting in hearing what people think, and what roles, if any,
> Dream Magic and Thella have played in your Gloranthas.

Well, I'm one of the inventors of Thella, but I haven't played a game and explored this more practically since before Revealed Mythologies, when we had a very different understanding of both mystics and Thella.



Nils Weinander We sail on a ship made of dreams            

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