Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

Notes on the Black Sun

Posted on February 11, 2023

The Black Sun is a strange one. Its origins are quite old, as I have found handwritten versions of the Basko story from around 1979. It then got infused with Sandy’s love of Herschell Gordon Lewis, with the Wizards of Gore and Blood Feast. Greg added to it alchemical ideas, and what we now have is certainly something at the very edge of Gloranthan cosmology.

But the Black Sun is an important mystical concept – the Shadow of Yelm. The trolls found him on the Fields of Doubt, and those led by Dozaki decided to follow the Black Sun, who became a powerful ally of the trolls. At the Glory of the Black Sun, the Black Sun’s forces crushed Chaos and dismembered Tien. At Winter Win, the Black Sun aided Himile and the Blue Moon trolls to destroy Chaos.

The Black Sun is often associated with strange prophets of the struggles to come. He was later associated with the Solar Storm, sometimes identified with the anti-god Sekever. The Solar Storm came into conflict with Shavaya, the Emperor of Splendor, who finally opened the blinded inner eye of the Solar Storm and brought him to peaceful enlightment.

After this, many strange cults arose in the wake of the Solar Storm, including the Shadow of the Storm, the Suns to Come, the Blood Sun, and more, until the Black Sun returned with a horde of trolls from the Underworld.

The Black Sun last appeared during the Sunstop, when he eclipsed the Sun and then disappeared.

All of the Black Sun stories are garbled, strange, and esoteric. No wonder the land is known as the Kingdom of Ignorance. But still there are some fascinating insights and secrets held by the Black Sun.

MOB says

My proudest (and earliest) moment of Gloranthan scholarship, as later recorded in Tales of the Reaching Moon:

Inspiration? 

The Black Sun can be thought of as the Dark Night of the Soul – spiritual doubt and dryness before greater liberation. The genius is that the trolls actually worship that as a god.

Of course there is a Red Moon / Blood Sun connection there. But interestingly the Blood Sun is not Chaotic. Then again, human-sacrifice loving Hon-eel was not Chaotic.

Jeff Richard

Next
Previous
Black Sun, Sekever, Tien, Yelm

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

  • The Lunar Empire Spy Agency

    The Empire maintains multiple internal security and spy networks, including …
  • Interacting with the Divine

    Whenever we interact with the divine – the God Time, …
  • Culture Precedes Cults

    It is fascinating how hard it is for us post-modern …
  • Anaxos the Horali

    When Tarlyra – a Humakt initiate – goes into combat, …
  • One Great Community of Gods

    I was recently reading Weavers, Scribes, and Kings by Amanda …

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

  • In re: Zola Fel in Pavis: City on the Edge of Forever
  • Humakti Duel Advice and Tactics
  • Volsaxi in 1625-1629 ST
  • Out Now in PDF: Old Pavis - The City that Time Forgot!
  • Newish GM with questions on a proposed set of sorcerer spells
  • List of Personalities in New Pavis and the Rubble?
  • Urvagal
  • Why does Argrath wipe out the Telmori?
  • Discord Guide to Glorantha read through
  • Into the Wasps Nest

Popular Tags

2007 Avalon Hill Boldhome Chaosium Chaos pantheon Cult demographics Cults of Runequest (preview) Doraddi pantheon Ernalda Esrolia (homeland) FR G+ post Greg Stafford Guide to Glorantha Guide to Glorantha (preview) Humakt HW Issaries Jar-eel Lunar Empire Lunar Pantheon Magazine Map Maps Michael O’Brien Mongoose Nochet Nomad Gods Oriflam Orlanth Orlanthi pantheon Prax (homeland) RQ2 RQ3 RQG Sandy Petersen Sartar (homeland) Solar pantheon Spirit Cult Subcult Tales of the Reaching Moon Tatou Troll / Uz pantheon Yelm Yelmalio

Recently added or updated

  • 2021-03 Jeff on Facebook

  • Hrestol

  • Reinforcing the Scale

  • Kethaela – The Third Age

  • Notes on The Holy Country

  • The Esrolian Monomyth

  • Merngala the Great Queen

  • Panaxles the Architect

  • Cults of RuneQuest Cover One

  • Cults of RuneQuest Cover Two

  • Deezola

  • CHA4034 Red Book of Magic – Chapter 02 Rune Magic Spells Q&A

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

  • CHA4036 RuneQuest Weapons and Equipment Q&A

  • CHA4038 The Pegasus Plateau & Other Stories – Q&A

  • CHA4032 RuneQuest Glorantha Bestiary – Q&A

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 07 Combat Q&A pages 191-206

  • CHA4028 RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha – Chapter 12 Rune Cults The Cults Q&A

  • What is White Bear & Red Moon?

  • CHA1001 White Bear & Red Moon / Dragon Pass (1975-1988)

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