Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

Pamaltelan Equivalencies

Posted on September 5, 2022

The Pamalting or Doraddi pantheon offer us a different perspective of Glorantha’s mythology. Pamaltela was not as badly damaged by the Gods War and Greater Darkness as Genertela, and the Earth King Pamalt was never supplanted by Yelm or Orlanth (let alone destroyed by Chaos). The God Learners intensely studied these deities as an opportunity to understand the early Earth religion.

The God Learners proved numerous equivalencies between Pamaltelan and Genertelan deities. Here are some of the most important:

Pamaltelan Deity/Genertelan Deity

  • Pamalt = Genert
  • Aleshmara = Asrelia
  • Faranar = Ernalda
  • Balambasta = Lodril
  • Noruma = Horned Man
  • Varama = Ehilm
  • Veldara = Annilla
  • Cronisper = Aether
  • Yanmorla = Gata

The God Learners further speculated that the Pamaltelan goddess Keraun was equivalent to Molanni, and Nyanka to Seolinthur, but were unable to prove this true or false before the fall of the Lord of the World’s Knowledge put an end to such explorations. Sikkanos was thought to be a Vadruding, a hot and dusty equivalent of Valind in the north.

Other gods had no specific Genertelan equivalency. Rasout was dismissed as a “god of Men and Hunting,” and Vangono as an “uncategorized War God” and thought to be a localized entity analogous to Tada.

The God Learners identified Varama with Ehilm, rather than the Orlanthi-Dara Happan Yelm. Ehilm is an impersonal and abstract god with few initiates – the Sun Disk. Similarly, Varama is the returned Sun, shackled to his daily journey through the Sky and the Underworld.

Now something that some people don’t seem to get is that the God Learners were perfectly fine with there being localized entities. Some scholars had whole categories of local entities that anomalies could be dumped into! What they were concerned about was the overall mythical structure.

The God Learners identified Orlanth’s presence in Pamaltela, but found it was largely centered on Umathela, in the northwest. That area has a more temperate climate, and even snow.

Sikkanos is the God of the Bad Wind, who blows off the Nargan Desert, carrying hot, stinging dust (and never rain). As I said above, the God Learners believed he was a Vadruding, analogous to Valind.

Keraun is the Goddess of Rain and Wind. She brings the monsoon rains across the plains, coming from the east and blowing to the west.

Bolongo is the source of Death. The first thing that he did when Pamalt awakened him was to pick up a knife and kill the Creator. The Creator went to the Spirit World, and everything has been divided between the material world and the spirit world ever since.

The God Learners of course identified Bolongo with Eurmal.

Sandy Petersen, said that the flow of time was “backwards” on Pamaltela, compared to Genertela. Could it be said that the Artmali Empire, at the beginning of Pamaltela’s history, is the equivalent of the Lunar Empire, which arrives at the “end” of Genertela’s history? I don’t find that particularly true. The Doraddi (which is what we are talking about here) “seem” timeless and unchanging, but that’s only because we aren’t really looking carefully at them. The Six-Legged Empire, the Kresh, Hon Hoolbiktu – all made major changes that do not have “reverse Genertela” analogies.

Jeff Richard

Next
Previous
Aether, Aleshmara, Annilla, Asrelia, Balambasta, Bolongo, Cronisper, Ehilm, Ernalda, Faranar, Gata, Genert, God Learners, Horned Man, Keraun, Lodril, Molanni, Noruma, Nyanka, Pamalt, Pamaltela, Rasout, Seolinthur, Sikkanos, Tada, Valind, Vangono, Varama, Veldara, Yanmorla

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 Jrusteli Pattern

    The Jrusteli Pattern is a city plan found mainly in …
  • Wilmskirk II

    Boldhome is a big city, at some 10,000 people it …
  • Clothing of Southern Genertela

    Here’s a great video on making Minoan Clothing, which is …
  • Shadowcats

    At some point in the Golden Age, the humans of …
  • The Butchers Guild

    The Butchers Guild is found throughout Dragon Pass – these …

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

  • Werebear & Spells
  • Does the PC have to continue to "control" an animal ally or elemental?
  • Timeline Please
  • Out now in hardcover: The Meints Index to Glorantha, 3rd Edition
  • Hyalor Cult?
  • Exile Island
  • Maidstone Archer Lifespan?
  • The God Learners Episode 24: Villains and Heroes of the Gbaji War
  • HeroQuest and QuestWorlds: Actual Play?
  • Looking for artist

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

  • Historical Atlas Glorantha, Part III

  • The Jrusteli Pattern

  • Wilmskirk II

  • Wilmskirk I

  • Clothing of Southern Genertela

  • Shadowcats

  • The Butchers Guild

  • Quivin Mountains Map WiP Preview II

  • Quivin Mountains Map WiP Preview I

  • Quivin Mountains III

  • Quivin Mountains II

  • Quivin Mountains I

  • 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

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