Re: Red Goddess and Compromise

From: David Cake <dave_at_cWzRXea4Rl0NC7dVPUb2CCpRzR9eF2UAfJ5mzbF-cg9P9AVensAavpoxAF9wRLHrgDzCd5p>
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2011 19:32:13 +0800

On 09/12/2011, at 1:43 PM, Jeff wrote:

>> 	They aren't named as being there. That means nothing. Passing mention of deities like Magasta and Subere and Flamal who are part of neither Heortling nor Yelmic myth makes it clear the Orlanthi believe the Ritual of the Net included all deities, not just the Orlanthi or Yelmic ones who have larger roles in the story. 

>
> Magasta, Subere, and Flamal are all known to the Orlanthi of Dragon Pass and Kethaela, and play (minor) roles in Orlanthi mythology (usually as enemies - although Flamal is an early husband of Ernalda).

        Yes. The Orlanthi claim the Ritual of the Net included all deities, but they only mention the ones they have a name for by name. They know the names of Magasta, Subere and Flamal, even though they are foreign deities, so they get a mention.

>> 
>> 	This doesn't mean the Orlanthi are right, of course. But I think if you asked an Orlanthi sage " Is <weird foreign deity> bound by the Great Compromise?" (say, Seshna or Basko} their answer would be something along the lines of "of course! All deities are."

>
> Except those awful new deities that showed up inside Time, did things that can't be done, use Chaos, and try to break the Compromise by killing the gods of the Compromise. You know who I speak of: Gbaji, Zistor, and Shepelkirt (who the Lunars call their Red Goddess).
        

        Exactly. If a deity apparently existed at the Dawn, I think the Orlanthi believe they were part of the Ritual of the Net, and bound by the Compromise. But deities created in time, who try to break the rules? Yeah, that is a different story entirely.         

	I don't disagree with Peters conclusion (that the Red Goddess is not considered to be part of the Compromise). I just disagree with the argument that the Orlanthi know that because they checked the guest list at the Ritual of the Net and she wasn't on it. 
	To make it clear - I think the Orlanthi think that all (non-Chaotic) gods around at the Dawn were part of the Ritual of the Net, even if their own native mythology has no record of it. There are a bunch of good arguments for believing the Red Goddess was not part of the Ritual of the Net (such as her own mythology says she was elsewhere, the omens at Castle Blue, that she assumes her godhood within time, and so on), but none of them are in the Ritual of the Net myth itself, which says nothing either way.
	This "I agree with your conclusion, but not your argument" stuff may seem a bit pointless, but it has real implications for how Orlanthi regard foreign deities. 
	Cheers
		David