The Great Literature of Glorantha

[Darius West]

We know a fair bit about the history of Glorantha, but it is all religious and military history, which is unsurprising, as it is a troubled history.  On the other hand, we also know that there are a great many books and scrolls out there too.  What is hard to find is whether "the novel" as a concept has been invented yet.  Is "the novel" even possible in Glorantha, given the mythic nature of the place?  I mean, if you go around making stuff up what happens to the myths?  Is the novel the work of Tricksters perhaps? Or some sort of Thanatari junk food ?  So the question is this... What do literate Gloranthans read?  

We know for example that Fazzur was Wide-Read, so what did he read?  Who are the heroes of civilization, the great writers, scholars, historians, philosophers, artists, and playwrights of the civilizations that have existed? We need to know before the reign of Harshax descends.

We do know a few titles, but what would a Genertelan Library have on its shelves?  Loads of reports from scholars?  If so, which are the ones considered seminal works?  Who are the big names?  What is canon literature to a Gloranthan Scholar?  Once we have a list of the texts we know from the source material, perhaps we can invent some others? 

I propose the following title headings:

Name of Text: (e.g. The Light of Action)

Author: (when possible)

Year:  (when it was first written, if that is known, otherwise, what decade, century, or age)

Documentary Source: (e.g. one of the publications it appears in, perhaps with a page reference)

Subject of Text: (e.g. for the Light of Action, it would be military science)

Known Quotes: (If you can be bothered)

There those headings are so you can cut/paste them if you want...

Name of Text: 

Author: 

Year:

Documentary Source: 

Subject of Text: 

Known Quotes:

Edited November 30, 2016 by Darius West

[scott-martin]

Many core Gloranthan cultures acknowledge that not all dreams are authentic otherworld contacts so by analogy secular "fiction" is theoretically possible. Impossible Landscapes (from Middle Sea Empire, 8th century or earlier) is the central grimoire there. Author: unknown. Historical impact: immeasurable.
 

Edited November 30, 2016 by scott-martin
added detail

[Nel]

Title: Letters of Love and Hate

Authors: Gray Sage Tella and Sword Sage Hojiv

Year: 1616

Subject: Letters of Love and Hate  is a compilation of the 15 letters sent by Hojiv and Tella, two Lhankor Mhy initiates, while travelling together from Esrolia to the Janube River States. None of them eventually returned.
- Tella was a Gray Sage from the Jelenkev library. Her mission was reporting about the doctrinal source of the Ulerian cult raised in the city of free love, Zoria, which was recently freed from the Ban. She successfully arrived to Zoria and managed to send 3 letters from there, each one more confusing than the previous one.
- Hojiv was a Sword Sage from the Hevduran Dege library. His mission was learning about the combat techniques used in the Kingdom of War, recently appeared from the Ban. His last letter was sent from the Cursed City.

- Route: Nochet, Handra, Noloswal, Southpoint, Sog City, Iron Gate, Semple, Heisinoket, Mouse Tower, Halkomelem, Perfe, (Hojiv: Cursed City) (Tella: Riverjoin, Zoria)
In blue the places reached by ship
Places where a letter was sent from are underlined

- Ships:
- From Nochet to Noloswal via Handra: Trireme "Over towers"
Cargo: Parchment and wine from Clearwine (to Sog City); cloth, metalworking, water from the Allspring river and wine from Clearwine (to Drocholinn in Jrustela via Noloswal).
- From Noloswal to Sog City via Southpoint: Longship "Pewr's granddaughter"
Cargo: Iron, parchment and wine from Clearwine (to Sog City)

Quotes:

- Hojiv's 6th letter.
 

Quote

Clayday, Harmony, Fire 1615. Cursed City.
Two days ago Qolle, Ngafang's son, shared the bodies of his two recently captured enemies. That youngster ate the first bite of flesh and drank the first gulp of blood, but no more, for his predating partners and their relatives devoured every piece of meat without thanking him for the feast. Anyway, Qolle looked to be satisfied. Later on, the usual dogs' brawl for the bones was the excuse for some betting, joking and drinking. Everybody left the celebration after hurrahing the young warrior when he nailed the enemies' skulls onto the pike next to the door of his house.
I haven't had yet the chance to watch my host Riymow fighting, but he taught me a few more words. I'll list now some of the several words they have to say "Enemy". I'm told there are many more.
- Enemy (Generic meaning): Tayçeq
- Personal enemy: Gelling
- Community's enemy: Çuqer
- Current enemy: Dorgi
- Previously defeated enemy by the speaker: Muyay
- Enemy who previously defeated the speaker: Powom

 

- Tella's 9th letter.
 

Quote

Fireday, Fertility, Earth 1615. Zoria.
Overmorrow Outer Pleasure shall be celebrated. Sorry. My mind confused. Let me try again. Since I was penetrated by the Zorian dialect I can't reason properly. In two days, another of the orgiastic festivals is going to be hosted in the Arched Square. My blisser explained something about an "outer pleasure", but I wasn't able to understand what she meant. She contrasted the experience as the opposite of an orgasm. Anyway, this time I'll try to watch that festiival without getting involved. But this difficult. Since me welcomed by Ulerian priestesses I feel myself less me, more empathically others. Feelings. Zoria is a city ruled by feelings. Pleasant.

 

Edited December 1, 2016 by Nel

[jajagappa]

On 11/30/2016 at 1:17 PM, Darius West said:

What is hard to find is whether "the novel" as a concept has been invented yet.  Is "the novel" even possible in Glorantha, given the mythic nature of the place?

I would say no novels.  They really don't exist in our world until 18th cen. and don't seem to be a style that would fit a Bronze Age world.

What should exist that are not just mythic tales:  folktales/folklore, epics, ballads, chronicles, sagas, histories.  Both written and oral traditions should occur.

Harmasts saga and Arkats saga and all their varied pieces should exist in many forms.  The Harrekssaga and Argraths saga will eventually fit into this as well.

My Saird material centers on the Verenmars Saga, but there will be small local sagas as well (some noted in the recently released The Coming Storm).

The Glorious ReAscent of Yelm and the Fortunate Succession are good examples of chronicles, as are the sections of History of the Heortling Peoples.  But chronicles of kings will exist for Sartar, Tarsh, Holay, Imther, Sylila, Vanch, ...

The History of the Black Horse Troop by Ethilrist seems to be the ultimate history work.

The story of Arkilia the Sad Lady is a popular ballad, perhaps even a short epic, in Esrolia.

Edited December 1, 2016 by jajagappa

[M Helsdon]

23 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

I would say no novels.  They really don't exist in our world until 18th cen. and don't seem to be a style that would fit a Bronze Age world.

It's more that few survived. The Metamorphoses of Apuleius is the only Roman novel to have survived; there were others (such as the fragmentary Satyricon), but we know little more than the names of the authors. Of course much of the Metamorphoses is based in myth and legend to a greater or lesser degree.

In the sophisticated urban cultures of the Lunar Empire (especially), and Nochet similar works might exist.

Edited December 1, 2016 by M Helsdon

[Lord High Munchkin]

There are quite a few Hellenistic novels extant (I even have a collected "best of").

[M Helsdon]

And if we want to go back further than Roman and Hellenistic fiction, then there's Story of Sinuhe, dating back to the Bronze Age.

[Darius West]

14 hours ago, jajagappa said:

I would say no novels.  They really don't exist in our world until 18th cen. and don't seem to be a style that would fit a Bronze Age world.

I think it is pretty obvious that, as M Heldson says, Apuleius was before the Tale of Genji, and I don't know why his comedic story "Metamorphosis", (obviously read for pleasure, which is how I define a novel), isn't considered a novel, and which Lit Crit panjandrum decided the point and gave it to Murasaki Shikibu.  Also, aren't we forgetting the God Learner Empire?  The first novels in English, Spanish and French all appear around the early imperial period, and the Jrusteli Empire went a long way past that in terms of knowledge, magic and technology.  That being said, we don't know much about Jrusteli written culture, and the notion of reading for pleasure might have eluded them.  Perhaps an obscure Vormaini court lady has already written the first novel in Glorantha in the First Age?  Or perhaps none of the literature has survived?  Simply put, we just don't know...  And as you say jajagappa, maybe it has yet to be?  Also I think it is fair to say that some parts of Glorantha are a lot more bronze age (a la Earth's bronze age) than others.

On 12/1/2016 at 7:20 AM, scott-martin said:

Many core Gloranthan cultures acknowledge that not all dreams are authentic otherworld contacts so by analogy secular "fiction" is theoretically possible.

I think I agree with scott-martin, and the point is well made.  To be certain, many Gloranthan societies will not have novels, and where novels do exist they will be a luxury of a literate elite. 

Edited December 2, 2016 by Darius West

[jajagappa]

35 minutes ago, Darius West said:

I think it is pretty obvious that, as M Heldson says, Apuleius was before her, and I don't know why his comedic story "Metamorphosis", (obviously read for pleasure, which is how I define a novel), isn't considered a novel

I think you and Martin have made the case for their existence.  I think your point on existence within an urban literate elite makes sense.  That suggests Glamour/Lunar Empire, Kralorela, Vormain, possibly Fonrit, maybe something in Middle Sea Empire as likely places to occur. 

[Yelm's Light]

I cold easily see something like The Dream of the Red Chamber being written by some enterprising Kralorelan, especially with its many mystical references.  I think the issue would be more in terms of reproduction, enough for it to be more than a curiosity occupying shelf space in a Lankhor Mhy library or that of a friend of the author.