[Glorantha] Earth Tribe

[Jeff Richard]

Simon writes:

>Esrolia is by no means the be all and end all of the Earth Tribe.
>Tarsh has a strong Earth tradition - look at the deities of the Tarsh
Exiles. Very traditional,
>centred on the Earth Tribe.
>Various Pelorian cultures are also strong on the Earth Tribe -
Pelanda for one, if I recall
>correctly.
>Whether there was actually an Earth Tribe in the same way as the
Storm Tribe or the Sky >Tribe is debatable.

Aha, now I understand what you are getting at.  OK - terms like "Earth
Tribe", "Storm Tribe", "Fire Tribe" or whatever is an Orlanthi
conceit.  Such terms are relevant to Orlanthi mythology - not to Dara
Happan, Pelandan or other cultures (especially non-tribal cultures).

In some Orlanthi tribes, some gods or goddesses are particularly
important - often these are gods associated with the "Earth Tribe".
Certain gods or goddesses might have very important sacred places that
result in them being the predominant focus of worship in that area.
For example, around the Shaker Temple, Maran is particularly
important.  Around Heruvernalda, the goddesses of the "Earth Tribe"
are all important.  And so on.  This may change the importance of the
gods or goddesses in terms of their relevance to the local worshipers
but does not necessarily change the underlying mythology (in fact it
rarely does).  The priestesses of the Shaker Temple know that Orlanth
is the king of the gods, Ernalda's husband, etc.  However, he isn't
terribly relevant to them - in the Shakelands, Maran is the most
powerful divine entity - it is her place.

Esrolia is the "home" of several important Orlanthi goddesses -
Ernalda (who the Esrolians believe lives at the Great Ernalda Temple),
Asrelia-Ty Kora Tek (who lives at Necropolis) and Esrolia (who lives
in Esrolia).  Even if the Esrolian Grandmothers did not find Imaraja
and seize power "for their own protection", Esrolia would have had
strong and important "Earth Tribe" cults.  With the Esrolian
Grandmothers discouraging direct Orlanth worship within their clans,
Orlanth is a less socially and politically important cult (although
just as mythologically potent as he is amongst the Heortlings).

This ebbs and flows - for example, when Hendriking chiefs ruled much
of coastal and northern Esrolia at the end of the Second Age and the
beginning of the Third, Orlanth worship was just as important as it
was in Hendrikingland.  When the Grandmothers reestablished control
over all of Esrolia, Orlanth worship was deemphasized again (not
banned - just socially and politically deemphasized).

And that again brings me to the key difference between the Heortlings
and the Esrolians - the Esrolian kinship groups are absolutely ruled
by the Grandmothers.  An Esrolian Grandmother has far far far more
authority within her kinship group than any Orlanthi chief.  And
Esrolian Grandmothers are cold, rational, and long-sighted.  In
Esrolian stories, the authority of the Grandmothers is occasionally
challenged - but the Grandmothers always succeed in the end.  In
Heortling stories, the Grandmothers are always treacherous and
manipulative villains (although in the most famous Sartarite romance -
the Tragic Love of Sarotar and Arkillia - the Grandmother actually
gets what's coming to her).

Jeff