John Galloway wrote:
>
> --- In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:WorldofGlorantha%40yahoogroups.com>, Kenrae <kenrae_at_...> wrote:
> >
> > Everything I have about Lodril is from Gods of Glorantha and Hero
> > Wars / HeroQuest basic books. The Gods' entry is quite small,
> > good for Dara Happa where he's a minor god for peasants
>
> 1) Is Lodril considered to be a minor god by the Dara Happans?
>
> 2) Is Lodril a minor god?
>
No. He is one of the most popular and most powerful gods in the world.
Yelm is the Ruler of the Gods, the Emperor of the Universe, the Keeper
of Order, God of the Nobles, etc.
In a parallel vein, Dayzatar is the God of Priests (Well, actually this
function is handled by Buserian, who intercedes and interprets what the
Unreachable God taught).
Lodril is for everyone else, the commoners--i.e. 95% of the populace. He
has many names and many forms. If you look on the Gods Wall diagram, all
of those gods with square heads are Lodril, or his sons. Lodril is the
god of farmers, builders, laborers, etc. He is also a soldier god, the
Spear God (opposed to Yelm, of the bow) though other more specialized
cults have largely superseded this function
He is the primary fertility god of Dara Happa--once again the "spear
god" of the phallus.
Esoterically, he is the God of Fire Below (where Dayzatar is the Purest
Fire, waaaaay up in/behind the sky, Yelm is the God of Sun Fire). In
this form he is the volcano god.
The cults that I have written are always written from the perspective of
the cultists. Thus in the Yelm cult, Yelm is glorified and Lodril demeaned.
Lodrilists absolutely do not consider themselves inferior. They enjoy
their material existence, take great pride that they support the world
with their labor, delight in drink, food and jovial company.
They know that Yelm is a sap, and have many stories of how Lodril
tricked his brother into taking all the odious and dangerous tasks of
the world like fighting, dealing with wierdo foreigners, making
judgements, etc.
Oria is his wife, and is the female equivalent. Together they are the
parents of a vast and sprawling family of the local goddesses and gods
of Peloria.
In Pelanda he holds a similar place, and has many names. There, since
Yelm is less powerful, Lodril is more so.
So powerful is Lodril that he is even known, and worshiped, outside of
Peloria, best-known to us as Veskarthan, the Volcano God of the Vent.
--
Greg Stafford
President, Issaries. Inc.
Love without reserve,
Enjoy without restraint,
Live without dead time.
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