Xamalki Chaos monsters - what do they look like

[hkokko]

There is a mention of Xamalki in the Forgotten Secrets and Wf#15 "two thumbs & eight fngers per hand, the size of shovels. Some of the fingers have claws. Xamalki are huge burrowing chaos things. "

What do the rest of the Xamalki look like - could not find any source. How big would they relatively to something else be? 

 

[Noita]

Where are they to be found?

[Joerg]

They are the remnants of the Chaos invasion into the Underworld. Chaos didn't do too well there since the defenders knew many of its tricks. But wherever you have a hellhole, Xamalki might emerge.

[hkokko]

It is mentioned that Dwarves of Slon fight against them. The only two sources I could find is the WF#15 with the quote I found. They are there part of circus exhibit and then in Forgotten Secrets (the new Sandy book) which is even shorter. 

[hkokko]

Very soon now RQ Encounter Generator...

[M Helsdon]

Xamalk may be the same entity as the East Isles antigod Bodastu in Revealed Mythologies, whose followers were named the Slavering Horde who drooled and spat acid. In Sandy's version of East Isles mythology:

In the confusion, Xamalk and Uralog, Beater and Eater, came to ruin the universe. Xamalk's First Blow had been the death of the Sun. Xamalk's Second Blow despatched the Golden Emperor, who joined his father in Hell.
        Xamalk's Third blow shattered Vithela into ten thousand realities, and the Golden Empire was no more. The ten thousand realities became the Islands of Dawn, and those which found some inward strength, some principle of identity, managed to stay above thd waves. Then came Uralog, Mouth of the Deep, and he began to swallow down the fragments of Vithela one by one. No island could resist him.
        Theya built the Gates of Dawn, and stationed herself at the east of the world as beacon, to summon back a Sun. She was tempted many times to abandon her post -- if she had, the Sun could never have returned. But though she was necessary to preserve Hope and to enable the Dawn, she was not sufficient in herself. Staying at her place, she wove a net from the threads of fate and the lingering strands of Vithela's voice. This net, given wings by the keets, who abandoned their power of flight in service to Vithela and the dead
Emperor, spread throughout the ten thousand realities, and wove them together into a whole.
        Uralog found that he could not devour the isles any more -- as a unified whole, they were too great for his heretofore insatiable maw. Xamalk came and delivered his final blow, but he could not shatter the Isles of Dawn again -- for they were already shattered. So Xamalk and Uralog were thwarted.

[Source: http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd2/1996.06/4150.html]

This is a very different tradition to that given in Revealed Mythologies, and doesn't give any detail of what Xamalk and the Xamalki looked like, but given that Xamalk is known as the Beater, the huge hands described in WF#15 and the possible connection with the acid dripping followers of Bodastu, a certain appearance comes to mind...

Edited November 28, 2015 by M Helsdon

[jajagappa]

Xamalk is mentioned in Book of Drastic Resolutions: Vol. Chaos, however in that case it was the Lord of Terror that attempted to invade Luathela and was defeated by the Luathelans.  Given it's a non-canonical source, I'd ignore it.  I like the association that Martin makes much better.

[hkokko]

Thank you all...

[M Helsdon]

17 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

Xamalk is mentioned in Book of Drastic Resolutions: Vol. Chaos, however in that case it was the Lord of Terror that attempted to invade Luathela and was defeated by the Luathelans.  Given it's a non-canonical source, I'd ignore it.

Xamalk was defeated in Luathela (Guide to Glorantha, page 702), but according to Sandy, after attempting to destroy the East Isles.

Xamalk_ = "Beater", the savage Nightmare Wind of Chaos -- a  chaotic god. The Three Blows of Xamalk figure big in East Isles mythology. The First Blow was the murder of the Sun. The Second Blow  was the murder of the Golden Emperor (who ruled Vithela). The Third Blow shattered Vithela itself. There was an abortive Fourth Blow, but it failed. Later Xamalk went to Luathela, where he was beaten badly.
http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd3/1996.08/0987.html

I don't know if the Petersen text is canonical.

Edited November 28, 2015 by M Helsdon

[jajagappa]

Quote

Xamalk was defeated in Luathela (Guide to Glorantha, page 702)

Ok, so still canonical after all! (Should have confirmed first in the Guide, I guess.)

[metcalph]

Xamalk's invasion of Luatha actually comes from Greg's notes about chaos which were printed in Tales of the Reaching Moon #8.  The notes survive in some form as part of Appendix F in the Guide (Baldrus the Black Reader of Nochet now Belstos!).  Xamalk was explicitly mentioned in an early draft of the Guide as destroying the land of Rombotongo (which in the published version is now Herespur).

Given Xamalk's lack of mention in Revealed Mythologies, I do not believe he has any important role to play in Vithelan mythology.  Any reference to Xamalk is I think a God Learnerism caused not by their explicit identification of Herespur as Xamalk or whatever (Attacking Vithela after being defeated on the other side of the world doesn't sound right to me mythically - it's like Storm Bull defeating Vovisibor beneath the block).  Rather the God Learners attempted to create a mythical Xamalki invasion of Vithela in order to wreck havoc on the Eastern Seas Empire and integrate the Parloth into the Monomyth.

[M Helsdon]

16 minutes ago, metcalph said:

Xamalk was explicitly mentioned in an early draft of the Guide as destroying the land of Rombotongo (which in the published version is now Herespur).

An early version had one of Xamalk's storm giants do this in the Nightmare; obviously utilizing a corrupt God Learner source.