Let’s talk a moment about myth in Glorantha. Now we have an entire book on it, but let’s start with Greg’s own words:
“Myths are sacred tales that directly address our contact with the Divine Mystery. They explain why the world is the way that it is, granting an intuitive grasp of our mortal situation, and provide us with experiences of the deepest sort.
Their characters are the deities who inhabit the fabric of our cosmos, their settings are the universe at large, and their results were the creation of the greater universe, the one which we humans cannot ever hope to change.
Ceremonies for the gods are religious re-enactments, revelations, and other rites whose purpose is to immerse (or at least expose) the individual to direct contact with the ancient powers. They may be public, familial, or personal.
Myths of this type do not generally require rationalization or explanation to its worshippers. The apparent illogic of its parts is irrelevant in the face of personal experience. But whenever these tales are told to an outsider (which is the source of most of the tales in these volumes), some of the meaning is lost. Furthermore, the inexperienced receiver of the tale almost inevitably interprets the information without understanding the esoteric meaning.
The results of this may be correct or incorrect (i.e., in line with the original nature of the meaning) or good or bad (i.e., for continuing the original meaning).”
Gloranthan myths are far less susceptible to sophist manipulation than are our modern scientism or dogmas, as they are rooted in personal experience with the divine. They are true if they enable direct contact with the ancient powers of the cosmos. An initiate’s experience of the mysteries is deeper truth – even if it contracts itself and other deeper truths. That does not mean it is fictional (at least within the context of the assumptions of a fictional fantasy setting), very much the opposite!
See also:
“Gloranthan myths are far less susceptible to sophist manipulation than are our modern scientism or dogmas” Greg then proceeded to write a history which is almost entirely sophist manipulation of myth. Who do I believe, Greg or Greg? This is most definitely not Greg’s take on Glorantha’s history. Glorantha’s history of mythic exploration has many seeming dead-ends (e.g., the EWF) but pretty much all were initiated in good faith. Even the God Learners, EWF, and the Seven Mothers. None were what I would call “sophist manipulations.” Although the cults change in history, thecults generally change in response to new revelatory experiences (of course these revelations were often sought by heroquesters seeking power, weapons, etc., but they were always real divine experiences regardless of motivation) and not to serve immediate political agendas.
Illuminates have a genuine mind-shattering mythic illumination, the God Learners genuinely did seek to understand how all the myths fit together to form a whole, and the EWF really did undertake the Grand Ritual in conjunction with the True Dragons. The power gained from these experiences and knowledge were often abused and misused, but the underlying experience and knowledge were always something key to understanding the cosmos, and not mere word games.