The Seven Stars

[Martin]

Are the Seven Stars featured on the lunar coin in the GtG related to the seven stars of the Broken Ring and the Seven Star Birds that fly over Orlanth's head in his hall ?

[Joerg]

That's a question quite close to "Are the Seven Mothers reinterpretations of the Seven Lightbringers?" - with a couple of obvious connections and a couple of jarring differences. She Who Waits maps well onto Ginna Jar, Deezola on Chalana, Irrippi on Lhankor, and Teelo on Flesh Man. The other three are a bit problematic.

I have seen some correspondence between the stars of Orlanth's Ring and the Lightbringers. Similar local shapes of deities sharing a stellar body is a fairly common occurrance in Glorantha. Sometimes the deities are identified as one another by godlearning mythographers, at other times such an identification brings more trouble than insight. (Take for instance the big red Southpath planet. Identifying Shargash with Tolat might work, but identifying Shargash with Balumbasta doesn't really give us any insight on either entity.)

Ownership (whether total or partial) of a star is a sign of divinity in Glorantha - major heroes get their own star, and most deities have star or other sky associations. The Seven Mothers are apotheosized humans (with the possible exception of She Who Waits, and maybe a bit of species insecurity about Jakaleel), so assigining a heavenly representation is rather normal business.

[metcalph]

There are considerably more than seven stars in the Broken Ring.  There are currently seven orange stars plus the green Dragon's Head.  The Guide says there are between one and three additional stars (two disappeared during the Sunstop and returned when Gbaji was killed while a third vanished during the Battle for Castle Blue - Guide p651).  After the Dragonrise there will be ten orange stars and one green one.

The ten stars brings to mind the constellation of Yelm, Entekos and the Eight Sons on the Copper Tablets.  So it's really IMO another variation of the original Celestial Court rather than the Lightbringers.  Among the Orlanthi, the Broken Ring would be identified as Orlanth, Ernalda, Elmal, Humakt etc with Flesh Man and Ginna Jar not counted among them.

The current Lunar belief about the Broken Ring is that it is to be mended Fortunate Succesion p63.

 

 

 

 

[Joerg]

In the time between the Battle of Castle Blue and the Dragonrise there are 7 orange stars associated with deities from Orlanth's (clan or tribal) Ring of one kind or another.

 

That line in Fortunate Succession is more of a bit of propaganda than a prophecy - the Dragonrise was an event that was not prophecied. The appearance of the three missing lights did mend it, though...

[jajagappa]

Or... the seven cities of DH which were reinvoked by the Red Emperor (with their celestial protectors)

Or... the seven granddaughters of the Red Moon

Or... the seven wanes of the Lunar Empire

Or... the seven servants who wait upon the Emperor

Or... the seven phases of the Moon

Or... the seven government monopolies begun by Artifex

Or... the seven daughters of Militaris

Or... the seven High Gods (Jernotians) of Pelanda