[Glorantha] Gunda

[Jane Williams]

> >Valkyrie = chooser of the slain, not carrier of the
> slain. 

Yep. Old Norse, valkyrja, Old English wælcyrge, if you
want to get fussy.

> The degree to 
> >which a Gloranthan Valkyrie is similar to a Norse
> Valkyrie is up for grabs, 

can't be *too* similar, of course, they need to fit, 

> but I assert that the minimum similarity is
> that the plain 
> >meaning of the word is retained, so choosing
> certainly but perhaps not carrying.

Agreed. Also I'd suggest the basic pop-culture image
of blonde woman on flying steed picking up nice
warriors and carting them off should stay. Fortunately
there's no real clash there, unles you have them
actually fighting (which they didn't). Alter the
course of battles, yes, hit people, no.

> >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie
> 
> So in Glorantha Valkyrie could just be a poetic way
> of saying 
> "female Humatki". I don't think it is mind you....

Nor me, quite.

There's a very good page here
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/valkyrie.shtml

which gives the text of the Eddas describing the
Valkyries (and a wonderful bit of poetry it is too!)

What we seem to have is hand-maidens of Odin/Wotan,
who inspect the dead warriors and choose the good ones
(for certain values of "good"), also linked to
weaving, the fates, and ravens.

The nearest analogue to Odin in Glorantha is probably
Humakt, true. We can have Valkyries as immortal beings
of some sort, serving Humakt. My guess would be that
they judge each dead warrior's honour and if he
passes, take him off to the appropriate place. Unless
you want major inter-deity arguments, they had better
stick to judging Humakti. And you don't normally see
them because they never come onto the mundane plane.

Gunda's dad must have set an interesting trap to
manage to rape one of these ladies. And she dropped
her resulting sprog in the mortal world, somehow...

That spear of Gunda's that we're told takes all the
sins of the person killed - what would that have done
in her mum's hands, used on a dying Humakti? Sounds to
me like a way for a Valkyrie trying to cheat the
selection process.

How one gets the Fates link into it I'm less sure.
"Spinning and weaving the Fates of men". Possibly we
don't?  Leaves the Gloranthan Valkyries as less deep
and powerful than Norse ones, which is a shame.







		
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