As I've been reading up on Shargash, I was struck by some remarkable similarities between him and Orlanth:
- Obviously, both are associated with thunder;
- Both are the principal gods of a willful and warlike proud people, imbued with a certain contempt for foreigners;
- Both are responsible for the death and re-birth of the world, if in different ways;
- Both are responsible for the death of Yelm, specifically (at least according to Enclosure #1 - where a secret of Shargash is that he killed Yelm to keep him safe; there he is even termed the Last Rebel);
- Orlanth fought Yelmalio, Shargash fought Elmalus (I know the connection between them is about as dubious as that between Orlanth and Shargash, but this sort of correspondence still strikes me as noteworthy).
Of course, there are considerable differences, the most important one (other than Orlanth being kept in check by other gods and values of the Storm Tribe) being that Shargash is Yelm's loyal servant whereas Orlanth rebelled against Yelm. But a connection certainly seems like something a God Learner might postulate. And indeed, it seems like a fine recipe for one of those dramatic, culture-shifting (not to say world-changing - as it likely wouldn't be) heroquests, where Orlanth is proved to be Shargash and made to obey the Emperor, or Shargash is proved to be Orlanth, and persuaded to rise up against him.
What do you think?