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What is "Greenstone"?


claycle

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In describing a certain sleeping stone goddess in a recent game, I alluded to the walls of Greenstone temple. Then I had one of my players ask, innocently, "Is it what we would call jade?"

 

Frankly, I was stumped for a moment. I didn't think so. In my mind, I had always imagined "greenstone" as some kind of limestone-like rock with webs of green in it (perhaps oxidized copper). I, however, know diddly about rocks (or have forgotten pretty much everything I learned in college-level geology).

 

Could someone please elucidate?

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22 minutes ago, claycle said:

Could someone please elucidate?

I've always imagined was malachite - copper ore that can not only be smelted to make copper, but looks good polished. My Greenstone temple had a polished malachite entrance frame and then the secret inner lower levels were a glorious malachite cave. I only chose malachite as it looks good polished and underground deposits look good too. Google it.

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5 hours ago, Snugz said:

Broad category including many more kinds of stone than jade; but jade could do just fine in theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenstone_(archaeology)

 

Looking through the stuff that can be classified as "greenstone," I think serpentinite is probably the most apropos, given the name, and it's also been used in art and architecture from ancient times. Though really, it doesn't even necessarily have to be all of one kind of stone.

EDIT: It might, in fact, be verd antique, broken fragments of serpentinite mixed with other rocks that gives it a marble-like polish, like that used to form columns in the Hagia Sophia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verd_antique

Istanbul.Hagia_Sophia048.jpg

Edited by Leingod
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1 hour ago, Leingod said:

Looking through the stuff that can be classified as "greenstone," I think serpentinite is probably the most apropos...

From geological perspective, this the one I was going to point to. Though, as you mention, names like "greenstone" are awfully colloquial and can vary depending on what side of the ridge you live on.  "Soapstone" was word that leapt to mind when I first read the thread title.

Of course, Glorantha differing from Earth as it does, who knows if "greenstone" means the same thing in both places? (c.f., runic metals)

!i!

carbon copy logo smallest.jpg  ...developer of White Rabbit Green

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33 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

From geological perspective, this the one I was going to point to. Though, as you mention, names like "greenstone" are awfully colloquial and can vary depending on what side of the ridge you live on.  "Soapstone" was word that leapt to mind when I first read the thread title.

Of course, Glorantha differing from Earth as it does, who knows if "greenstone" means the same thing in both places? (c.f., runic metals)

!i!

Well, it really just depends on what you think makes the best worldbuilding sense as what they would have used for it. I lean towards vert antique because it's a suitably fine and impressive architectural material to make it no surprise they'd name the temple after its building material that also doesn't beggar believe for a Sartarite tribe to be able to collect enough to build a temple, and since it really has no other use than decoration (since I'd imagine copper isn't so plentiful and cheap that they can just make their biggest buildings out of material they'd get more value from extracting copper from and making it into enchanted axes for their temple defenders and such) and the word brings to mind Ernalda's connection with serpents on top of it all.

Plus, mythically, serpentinite fits well with how in Glorantha Earth arises directly out of Water, given its properties and where it tends to form. Even if people in Glorantha won't necessarily know any of that, it's rather elegant from a meta standpoint.

Edited by Leingod
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1 hour ago, g33k said:

and -- just maybe -- "greenstone" is no more unified a term in Glorantha than it is on Earth....

Blasphemy.  It wouldn't have been mentioned in the canon without clear intent of a deeper meaning.  You relativists sicken me.

!i!

Edited by Ian Absentia
"relativitists"?
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carbon copy logo smallest.jpg  ...developer of White Rabbit Green

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3 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Blasphemy.  It wouldn't have been mentioned in the canon without clear intent of a deeper meaning.  You relativitists sicken me.

Ian, Ian, Ian...  just how green is your greenstone, man?  Is it green enough?  Is it the right green?

 

Is it True Gloranthan Green?  Or is it some adulterated and anachronistic  real world  green... hmmm?

Is it some "forest" green (and what does that say about your aldryami, eh?  eh?    eh!!?! (*))

Is it a "spring" green -- go ahead, show me "Spring" on the Gloranthan calendar... go on... I'll wait...

 

Yeah, I thought as much.  Just wait here... the Canon Police will be along shortly...

 

 

 

(*) apologies to the Barbarian, eh?

 

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Sartar KoH describes the Greenstone temple so:

Quote

Greenstone Temple itself is carved into the rock of the hillside. From the outside, it appears to be a green, square building set flush against the hill and facing east. Shrines and altars to numerous goddesses stand at the porch of the building. The temple is a place of obviously powerful Earth and Life magic. The male heroes will be permitted to wait in the antechamber; an ornate room carved out of green stone covered with carvings of naked goddesses and a few gods, and with a single empty chair in the middle of the room. A corridor leads further into the hill, but the priestesses will forbid men from entering further, saying “Beyond here is Her womb, and you have not yet been invited.”

 

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Search the Glorantha Resource Site: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com. Search the Glorantha mailing list archives: https://glorantha.steff.in/digests/

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1 hour ago, g33k said:

Yeah, I thought as much.  Just wait here... the Canon Police will be along shortly...

Hi. We appreciate your deliberate omission of "snake" green. As we all know, Erlanda never participated in the dragon mysteries and the green of Orlanth's ring is just coincidence. Keep up the good work, citizen!

singer sing me a given

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13 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Even at face value, who better to play the Canon Police than the Mostali?

All hail the Canon Cult of Dwarf Run.

Obviously they are Broken.

They are missing a part.

Cannon -- Canon -- That is halfway to "Caon" -- the long-suspected elementary particle of Chaos.

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