Re: Beren the Rider in the Lunar Provinces

From: bryan_thx <bethexton_at_inZZDsLgav3YNZsuFeAfc2FnS3ShywZjZ0y8pWMR8ms3t_MuuRx0kjrlZoX0OvwYr7>
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:36:04 -0000

• In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, "Nicholas Pagnucco" <npagnucco_at_...> wrote:
  >
  > I've been trying to find more information on Beren the Rider,
  > particularly as he may be worshipped in Vanch.
  >
  > Vachite religion is influenced by the Orlanthi but are not Orlanthi
  > per se. I can imagine a Darkness-Age hero like Beren having a place
  > there, especially since Beren came to the Orlanthi from the North. I
  > know he's strongly associated with Elmal among Heortlings and
  > Sartarites, but since Vanchites aren't even Orlanthi, they may not
  > associate Beren with Elmal.
  >
  > Anyhow, thanks ahead for the help & information.
  > YGWV expected and so on :)
  >
  I don't have any information, but I think that this could be very interesting.....
  • Who were his people? -Why did Beren leave wherever he came from and end up joining the Storm Tribe?
  • Did he come by riding/horse-ness 'honestly' by nature/descent, or did he 'steal' this from someone else? (If the latter, the same question applies to them)

So if you put this together with the location of Vanch, and Vanchite reputation for....borrowing, to be polite, I think it could be interesting.

For instance, and since your hero is looking for a Vanchite cult, what if Beren is originally from the original pantheon that the Vanchite's worshipped. Perhaps he gained his horse association through cleverness/trickery. Proud, he returned, and shared this with his kin. At least, he did until vengeful raiders came when he was gone, and killed most of his kin. He realized that to stay there would be to invite further woe to his people, so he left, looking for a stronger folk.

So he would still be 'the god who brought us horses and riding' but might also have associations with being cunning, and maybe some sense of exile. Or maybe it is one of his kin, who protected the last horses and re-built the herds in secret, and taught how to use them effectively in stealth, who gets the worship, while Beren is just a secondary character in that god's story.

Just some ideas.