The Earth Twins

[Martin]

Argrath has a unit of warlocks who use the powers of the Earth twins: two young women: one corpse blue and garlanded with skulls; the other rosy and angelic.

Does anyone have any ides on who these demi-god Earth Twins are?

Are they connected to Varstapoor and his sister Vestenbora,  the children of Arim by an incarnation of Sorana Tor, of the Third Wane who displayed the awesome power of their cult in the Battle of Falling Hills? or is the name just a coincidence?

Edited April 25, 2018 by Martin

[Psullie]

Ty Kora Tek & Asrelia ???? 

[metcalph]

37 minutes ago, Martin said:

Are they connected to Varstapoor and his sister Vestenbora,  the children of Arim by an incarnation of Sorana Tor, of the Third Wane who displayed the awesome power of their cult in the Battle of Falling Hills? or is the namne just a coincidence?

There was doubt that the Earth Twins were these people?

[Joerg]

2 minutes ago, metcalph said:

There was doubt that the Earth Twins were these people?

If so, they get represented thrice:

There's the Tarsh Exile hero unit, which is the twin children of Arim somehow returned (or re-incarnated/heroformed). The "Falling Hills" exotic ability has been assigned to the Earth Shakers unit rather than the hero unit. The Sartar Magical Union unit is a band of magicians with very weak bodyguards and a standard spirit without any exotic magic.

But then there might be a tradition of Earth Twins born to the avatar of the Earth Mother and her King lover that predates Arim's wooing of Sorana Tor. The Cult of Caladra and Aurelion may have taken its "twins" theme from the fact that the God Learner project leaders were twins, but their success might be tied to resonance with older instances of Earth Twins. Like e.g. the children of Norinel and Kimantor. Thus, this unit's wyter needn't be exactly Arim's twins.

 

Interestingly, the old (I would thing WBRM, from the typeface) army listing used as an illustration on 

http://www.glorantha.com/on-magical-battalions-in-the-hero-wars/

has marked the Sartar MU Earth Twins unit with a (T) which indicates that they (and the Warm Sisters, the Snake Pipe Dancers and the skirmish units Scouts and Bush Rangers as well as one each horse and foot city militia, but not the Thieves Arm) may join the Tarsh army.

 

Still, there is some leeway for the Sartar Magical Union magicians using a different instance, or just the principle, as their wyter.

[M Helsdon]

3 hours ago, Martin said:

Argrath has a unit of warlocks who use the powers of the Earth twins: two young women: one corpse blue and garlanded with skulls; the other rosy and angelic.

Does anyone have any ides on who these demi-god Earth Twins are?

Are they connected to Varstapoor and his sister Vestenbora,  the children of Arim by an incarnation of Sorana Tor, of the Third Wane who displayed the awesome power of their cult in the Battle of Falling Hills? or is the namne just a coincidence?

Probably not, as the Earth Twins originated in Esrolia and were founded by the Old Earth queen performing a joint ritual with Argrath.

[Martin]

As i though we seem to agree they are not connected to Varstapoor and his sister Vestenbora

,...so who are these twin female demi gods?

[jeffjerwin]

Babeester and her sister Voria? They are opposites/a pair and both born from the Dead Earth/Ernalda, without an (acknowledged) father.

 

Edit: I think Voria has a much more important ritual role for the Earth cult than she appears to among the Heortlings, where she's the virgin goddess of spring. She is also resurrection, rebirth, dawn (Theya is born at the same moment as she) and hope. Paired with fury, sacrifice, and madness I think you have the mystery cult of the rejuvenating world.

Edited April 25, 2018 by jeffjerwin

[Joerg]

If you look at Voria's accoutrements, you will find innocent readiness for sex everywhere. Like her darker sister she is adorned by  severed genitals, in her case of flowering plants. Where she has stepped, the bees and blossoms do it. Voria is all about the promise of fertility. Keep the trickstes chained and a good eye on the alynxes...

[David Scott]

On 25/04/2018 at 10:22 AM, Martin said:

Argrath has a unit of warlocks who use the powers of the Earth twins: two young women: one corpse blue and garlanded with skulls; the other rosy and angelic.

Does anyone have any ides on who these demi-god Earth Twins are?

There's a unit in WBRM/Dragon Pass called the Earth Twins, part of the Sartar magical union. The image on the counter is: 

 

The first is from the original counter art so you can see it clearer. Where does your description come from?

[M Helsdon]

17 minutes ago, David Scott said:

Where does your description come from?

I believe it's from the Glorantha Sourcebook.

[David Scott]

1 hour ago, M Helsdon said:

I believe it's from the Glorantha Sourcebook.

Got it - page 212 including your reference to how they were formed in Esrolia. 

[soltakss]

I always assumed that these were the Shaker Twins. The fact that the unit originates in Esrolia not Tarsh doesn't mean that it isn't them.

It would be interesting to find out who they are, if not the Shaker Twins.

[jajagappa]

6 hours ago, soltakss said:

I always assumed that these were the Shaker Twins. The fact that the unit originates in Esrolia not Tarsh doesn't mean that it isn't them.

It would be interesting to find out who they are, if not the Shaker Twins.

They are not the Shaker Twins - those are the Old Tarsh hero unit.

As noted in the Glorantha Sourcebook:

The Earth Twins originated in Esrolia and were founded by the Old Earth queen after she performed a joint ritual with Argrath. The warlocks of this unit use Argrath’s techniques to wield powerful Earth magic, both malevolent and benevolent. The Earth is so receptive to their pleas that they can even create fords and bridges across rivers and causeways across lakes. Their rituals combine blood sacrifice and fertility dances, and their wyter takes the form of two young women: one corpse blue and garlanded with skulls; the other rosy and angelic.

My guess is an ancient pair of ancestral or demigod Earth women, otherwise unnamed.