Several Gloranthan cultures claim continuity with the Golden Age – Dara Happa, Kralorela, Teshnos, and East Isles. They claim that their lands were settled by gods and men during the Golden Age and that their societies retain a Golden Age perspective, even if they had to introduce new elements to survive the Gods War. All of these cultures claim an unbroken history dating back to the Golden Age.
Now this is radically alien to the Orlanthi and Malkioni perspective. For both of these cultures, things really begin in the Lesser Darkness. The Orlanthi, for example, claim to have been founded in the Lesser Darkness, with the god Orlanth creating most of their social mores and institutions. Same thing with the Malkioni – Malkion was the son of a minor Air god and a triolini, and was born in the Lesser Darkness. Both of these deities present a radical criticism of the so-called Golden Age. They provide ideologies by which mortals can survive in the turbulent cosmos marked by the Gods War.
The Golden Age cultures all have elements of solar worship. The Kralorelans and Teshnites are well know for their Fire/Sky cults – and as previously observed, the Kingdom of Splendor was even known as the Eastern Dynasty of Light in God Learner sources.
Yelmalio is an interesting exception. He did not appear until the Lesser Darkness, and although some “Golden Age cultures” (in particular Peloria) had historical Yelmalio worship, this only lasted until the “Golden Age culture” was reestablished. So far I am only aware of this among the Pelorians.
The Doraddi are an interesting variant to this, as they represent a survival of an Earth-dominated Golden Age culture. Pamalt was the Golden Age ruler of the South, and unlike Genert and Vith, he survived the Gods War and remained in the world.