Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

Arkatism

Posted on April 27, 2022

Early Malkionism is thought to have been composed of sacrificial rituals, sorceries techniques and spells, legal proscriptions and philosophical speculations. Later Hrestolism preserved the rationalism and philosophical elements of early Malkionism and developed new philosophical schools, the most text being Rokarism and New Hrestolism.

But parallel to this exist uncomfortably Arkatism. With its emphasis on deities, heroquesting, and a respect for traditional practices despite their contradictions, Arkatism is the Shadow of Malkionism’s rationality.

And we can see plenty of traces of Arkatism in Second and Third Age Orlanthi thought – particularly in Ketharla and Dragon Pass.

Arkatism is seeded throughout the Cults book. For the modern “Arkat cults” of Ralios we will wait for a better vehicle. Needless to say the modern Arkat cults are not what influenced other religions.

More than anything it was seeing the same event on several different threads which made Arkatism. After that revelation it became necessary to open the mind to the possibilities- and to use whatever it takes to get it open!

The Orlanthi may well have been the biggest beneficiaries of this approach, an Arkatism without Arkat.

When we think of Arkatism, remember that it consists of many elements:

  • A monomyth with heavy focus on Air and Darkness (think that presented in Cults of Terror and Trollpak)
  • Heroquesting techniques including Ranging, Joining, Identify, Awaken, and Change – all are presented in song and story and are the focus of meditation, prayer, and other approaches to understanding.
  • An acceptance of Darkness and Death as necessary counterparts to Light and Life.
  • Extreme uses of Power Runes often in conjunction with their opposites

You can see many elements of this in the Proximate Holy Realm of the Second Age and with the Tournament of the Masters of Luck and Death, as well as more rationalised elements with the God Learners.

  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • March 2018
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • November 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • May 2011
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009

Sections

  • Search Tips
  • Current RuneQuest Glorantha Publications
  • RuneQuest Glorantha Corrections and Q&A
  • Catalogue
  • References for Glorantha
    • Gloranthan Canon
  • Gloranthan Documents
  • RPG Systems & Versions
  • Gallery
  • Role-playing in Glorantha
  • About This Site
  • Get involved!

Latest Posts

  • Boldhome Embassies

    In general, Gloranthan kingdoms and empires send representatives to each …
  • Yanioth the Red-Haired Huntress

    Yanioth Two-Sight was born in 1577, the daughter of Arene …
  • The Founding of the Colymar Tribe

    Colymar was the son of a farmer of the Orshanti …
  • Chaos and The Great Compromise

    The Spike held Glorantha together in the Gods Time. The …
  • Notes on The Red Goddess and Chaos

    In 1220 ST, great stirrings in the world centered in …

Links

  • Chaosium
  • Glorantha on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest Glorantha on MeWe
  • Glorantha Wiki on Fandom
  • Prince of Sartar Webcomic
  • Glorantha G+ Archives on Tapatalk
  • Search mailing list archive

Latest from BRP Central

  • Timeline Please
  • Out now in hardcover: The Meints Index to Glorantha, 3rd Edition
  • Hyalor Cult?
  • Active sorcery spells
  • Request for info: The "taming" of the Telmori
  • Looking for artist
  • Why would a Golden Bow shaman be adventuring in Sartar? (Alternate question: How old should a shaman be to have an assistant?)
  • help with heroquest idea?
  • Monster Empire
  • Kallyr was busy

Popular Tags

2007 Avalon Hill Boldhome Chaosium Chaos pantheon Cult demographics Cults of Runequest (preview) Ernalda Esrolia (homeland) FR G+ post Greg Stafford Guide to Glorantha (preview) Humakt Issaries Jar-eel Kralorelan pantheon Lunar Empire Lunar Pantheon Magazine Malkioni pantheon Map Maps Michael O’Brien Mongoose Nochet (metropolis) Nomad Gods Oriflam Orlanth Orlanthi pantheon Photo reference Population demographics Prax (homeland) Praxian pantheon RQ3 RQG Sandy Petersen Sartar (homeland) Spirit Cult Subcult Tales of the Reaching Moon Troll Pantheon Yelm Yelmalio Yelm Pantheon

Recently added or updated

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 13 Rune Magic Q&A

  • Boldhome Embassies

  • Yanioth the Red-Haired Huntress

  • The Founding of the Colymar Tribe

  • Chaos and The Great Compromise

  • CHA4032 RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary – Q&A

  • Protected: CHA4042 – The Prosopaedia (2023)

  • Zaytenera

  • Zotulla

  • Zong the hunter

  • Zzabur

  • Zorak Zoran

  • Zaktirra

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 16 Sorcery Spells Q&A

  • CHA4034 Red Book of Magic – Chapter 02 Rune Magic Spells Q&A (A-M)

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 04 Homelands Q&A

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 07 Combat Q&A pages 206-225

  • London Calling… A wonderful presentation on the Guide to Glorantha project (2013)

  • CHA4035 RQ Starter Set – Book 1 Rules – Q&A

  • CHA4039 The Smoking Ruin and other Stories – Q&A

©2023 The Well of Daliath | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme