Submitted by Jeff on Fri, 20/04/2012 – 08:29
People tend to underestimate the extent to which cults “travel”. In Glorantha, the god Orlanth can be found from Prax to the outskirts of Loskalm, and even on the southern continent of Pamaltela. In the forthcoming Guide to Glorantha, the cult is referred as that of “Orlanth” even if the locals call it something entirely different.
But rather than talk about Gloranthan cults, I’d like to just show the movement of one god we probably all know as he traveled from Greece to Japan.
Heracles was perhaps the most popular hero god of the Greeks. In the Greek colonies in Bactria and India, the club wielding lion killer, Heracles became Vajrapani a protector of Buddha. Still recognizable as a bearded Greek with a weird club-thingee (which became the diamond thunderbolt).
From there he traveled a bit further. In Tibet he took on a few more features:
But Heracles’ journeys weren’t over! He kept going east, into China where he became the patron of the Shaolin monastery(!):
And Heracles’ journeys kept going until he reached Japan, where he split into two muscular guardians of the Buddha known as Kongōrikishi and Nio. You can still find Heracles today guarding the Buddha in Japan.
Comments
Submitted by Rungard on Mon, 23/04/2012 – 17:20.What are your sources for this? Sounds interesting.
Submitted by Markmohrfield on Fri, 20/04/2012 – 22:58
The first picture looks as though Heracles/Vajrapani is about to wack the Buddha on the head. “If you met the Buddha on your path, kill him!”
Submitted by soltakss on Sat, 21/04/2012 – 18:54.
I didn’t have a clue what this was about until I read a post on the World of Glorantha yahoo site.http://moondesignpublications.com/blog/jeff/heracles-another-name
Submitted by Jeff on Sat, 21/04/2012 – 00:42.
It does, doesn’t it!
Editor-in-Chief, Moon Design Publications
Wouldn’t be out of character
Submitted by Nils on Sat, 21/04/2012 – 13:48.
Whacking the wrong person on the head is entirely in character for Heracles. He killed a lot of people he didn’t intend to when enraged.