[Glorantha] Re: Glorantha Digest, Vol 12, Issue 332

[Simon Hibbs]

Tony Davis:

> You keep saying that, and I just still don't get it.
> The rest of what we hear about Glorantha seems to say
> that rituals and mythologies shape the reality of
> Glorantha and if you can get into the myth and change
> it, you change reality.  It's what experimental
> heroquesters do.

Not quite. What experimental heroquesters do is discover new ways to
effectively and beneficialy engage with the world at a mythic level.

Myths, rituals and magic work because they are based on accurate and
true insights into Gloranthan reality. This is what we mean when we
say that a heroquest 'proves' something. if the heroquest works, then
it means the insight that made it possible is a true insight (e.g.
"Solar power is the dominant (in some ways) power in the Universe" -
Proved true by the Dara Happans. "Violence is always an option" -
Proved true by the Heortlings. "The relationship between herds and men
benefits both" - Proved true by the Praxians. etc...). Because these
insights are true, they enable those who believe them to benefit by
living their lives in such a way as to benefit from it, and eprform
magical rituals that derive their power from the world, similarly to
the way that our true scientific insights into the nature of our world
allow us to take advantage of natural processes, to our benefit.

Novel heroquests discover new ways to beneficialy engage with the
world. Monrogh did not change the nature of reality when he
heroquested and discovered the worship of Yelmalio. The power of
Yelmalio - the Sun Dome - always existed, and Monrogh discovered how
to engage with it mythicaly, magicaly and practicaly. Similarly Arkat
did not create synergies between the myths of different religions, he
discovered and exploited them. He couldn't create entirely new myths,
or change the nature of the world even though he was arguably the
greatest heroquester Glorantha has ever seen.

The God Learners started off by applying the insights from their
religion to understand other religions. Their initial experiments were
designed to test their theories and find the best ways to engage with
other culture's myths positively, within their own philosophical
framework and view of the world. later they carried out intrusive
experiments that tried to change the mythic landscape to suit their
political purposes. They were able to get away with a fair bit because
their knowledge and power was very great, but in the end they were
utterly destroyed because they went too far.

Best regards,


Simon Hibbs