Greg Sez: Myth of the Month

ALDRYA'S OWN STORY

Greg's Introduction
Here's an excerpt from Belintar's Book, most or all of
whose content will be included in the first Issaries, Inc.
release, tentatively title

The Hero Wars, Introduction to Glorantha.

Belintar's Introduction

Elves, which are walking plants, are not really like humans, even
though both types of creatures are truly People. The similarities
between elves and humans are due entirely to their being copies
of the primal Person rune. In fact, all the humanoid races are
copies of this primal rune; their deep differences stem from the
different interpretations and materials of their creators.

Elves do not have gods. When we humans interact directly with the
spiritual power of the Aldryami, however, they might as well be.
We can't do any better than to treat them as deities. The Gods of
the Elves are not recognized as separate or divine entities by
the Aldryami. Rather, these "deities" are parts of the Group Mind
which all plants share, and with which the elves may commune and
of which they expect to become a part.
Recognizing the elven Gods as distinct individuals is at least
partially a human approach. I can only remember them as gods now,
from the time I was an elf. I know that I felt otherwise then,
but now, as a human again, I can not remember them except as
gods. So as gods, I tell you of them.

<H3>The First Plantings</H3>

In the beginning, there was the one, all-encompassing, the primal
entity of which all else has been born. Although the original
being was all things, he was also no things, and thus we name him
It. When the time was right, It became the twins, Grower and
Taker. It became all life, and all death, all that was and all
that was not.

As Grower, It bore the life force of the universe. It was the

spark of creation, the drive of expansion, the originator of
life. From itself, Grower made the world. It became Eron, the
nurturing water, Gata, the protecting earth and Halamalao, the
warming sun. Finally, It became The Seed.

When Grower became the world, it made Eron, who we call the
healing waters, the nurturing provider, and the first father. In
the new world, Eron was the sea encircled the world and the rain
which fell down upon the forests. Eron provided Seed with
nourishment.

The second of the Deities of Life who came from Grower was Gata,
who we call the All-mother, the Enclosed, and the beautiful. In
the new world, Gata was the earth that sat at the middle of the
world, the rich field where life was first born. Gata provided
Seed with sanctuary.

The third born entity of Grower was Halamalao, who we call the
unfailing light, the enveloping warmth, the wise father. In the
new world Halamalao was the great sun rooted in the middle of the
sky, the light that shone upon the whole world. Halamalao
provided Seed with life.

After Grower had become the sea, the land and the sun, It became
Seed. Seed lay within Gata's protective embrace, nurtured by Eron
and Halamalao, and it became Falamal.
We know Falamal by many names. He is the father of all, the
bearer of the life force, the unifier of spirit. As Falamal,
Grower was reborn within the world. Falamal was The Great Tree,
planted at the center of the universe, encircled by land, sea and
light. From Falamal, there came many seeds, which spread
throughout the world. The first seed fell upon the earth, and
that was Aldrya. The second seed fell upon the sea, and that was
Murthdrya. Finally, a seed was lifted up to the sun, and that was
Halamdrya.

Aldrya is the Eldest Sister, the first daughter of Falamal born

in the world. She is the mother of all plants grown upon the
land, and is also the all-encompassing mind which includes all
born upon Gata, both those growing and those taken. The Brown
Elves, the Green Elves and the Yellow Elves are all part of
Aldrya.

The second daughter born of Falamal was Murthdrya. She was

nourished by healing Eron. Murthdrya is the mother of all plants
grown in the sea, and is also their communal consciousness. The
Blue Elves are a part of Murthdrya.

The third seed of Falamal's seeds was lifted up to Halamalao,

Halamdrya was born. Halamdrya is the mother of all plants grown
upon the Sun, as well as their collective soul. The White Elves
are still a part of Halamdrya though they are now gone from the
world.

All grew, and the whole of Glorantha was covered with lush
growth. Upon the top of the spike were the great and pure White
Forests. Upon its slopes were the Yellow, and lower down were the
vast expanses of green covering the hills and flatlands. They
grew some more.

At the end of the Age of the Grower, the entirety of creation was
filled with life. But, since the Taker had not yet come into the
world, the Growth continued, straining at the fabric of the
universe. A tiny crack appeared into the universe, and a bit of
Oblivion seeped into the world of Potential.
The elves, the mobile vegetables in the shapes of people, were
the first to recognize another force which came to exist from
overabundance. They call it Oblivion, which opposes the
It-Potential. The Potential includes the powers of both growth
and death, the eternal cycle of life and rebirth. Oblivion,
however, takes things away without ever returning them. Chaos is
a part of Oblivion.

When Oblivion came into the world the first of the elves were
broken from Aldrya's group mind, which had previously encompassed
the whole world. They experienced self consciousness, and were
shattered to be torn from the embrace of the forest mind. Their
own religious ceremonies today still all act to link them with
the annual cycles of vegetation. Any of them who are not
distressed by their separation are considered to be Rootless, and
pitied by all Aldryami.

The Second Plantings

As Taker, It became the embodiment of entropy. It was

destruction, dissolution and extinction. In all ways, Taker was
equivalent to Grower, yet opposite. In truth, though, they were
one and the same. A common elf truism states
"There is no life without death; there is no death without
life."

When Grower grew the world, Taker took only itself; thus for a
long time, only the power of growth surged in the world.
When Falamal's presence in the world had been fulfilled, Seed
appeared once more in the world. The Seed which had been Taker
was buried in Stone, hidden by Darkness and burned by Fire. All
good things became bad. Water turned to fire, earth turned to
stone and light turned to darkness.

Where nothing had ever grown, a new creature came forth, and that
was Zazakzor, who was Taker reborn within the world. Zazakzor
began to move across the world, taking all he saw. Halamalao fell
first, and only Darkness was left. Beautiful Gata could not
protect herself, and so she was destroyed, leaving sterile Stone
before. Finally, Zazakzor turned upon Eron, and so the healer
fell, his mending waters becoming hurtful Harakakara. Then,
Zazakzor turned to Falamal, and he took him into himself.

When the world began to darken, Eron's nurturing waters ruptured

and became the devouring flames of Harakakara. They burned the
forests and scorched the land.

As the power of Taker rose, Gata began to harden. She became

unyielding, infertile and sterile. Nothing living could grow in
Akem (Stone) and so life began to disappear.

Finally, Halamalao began to dim, and only the cold of Darkness

was left. The freezing cold crept between fibers and organs and
shattered Falamal's tender children, leaving only cold ice and
lifelessness.

In the Darkness, Halamdrya's (White Elf) children could not

survive, and instead of the Growing race a new race of Takers
came into existence. These creatures were the trolls, and the
first among them was Kygor. The children of Kygor seek to consume
all, enclosing the world in their darkness.

Nothing could grow upon the sterile earth, and thus Akem made his
children from himself. Thus did Mostal come into the world, and
his descendants, the dwarves. The Mostali are as sterile and
lifeless as the god that birthed them.

Harakakara burned everything that it touched, leaving nothing

living in it's wake, but still it brought forth new life. Promalt
was the first of the flame men, who marched through the world,
trying to increase the domains of flame. The burning flame men
sought to reduce the world to charred ash, but they only
succeeding in destroying themselves, for now they are seen no
more in the world.

In the Age of the Taker, there was one perfect moment where the
Grower and the Taker were in balance. Many new being came into
the universe, combining the aspects of the twins. Thus were born
the black elves, who lived off the death of others, the red
elves, who lived off their own dead, and finally men and beasts.
But, the moment was quickly gone. The Taker continued to grow;
the Grower continued to be taken.

As the Age of the Taker progressed, Zazakzor moved across the

world slaying all that he saw. Even the Gods fell, first
Halamalao, then Gata and Eron, finally Falamal itself. Only the
Gods of darkness, stone and water were left behind.

It soon became obvious that the excesses of the Taker were as bad
as the excesses of the Grower. The universe of Potential grew
weaker and weaker, and Oblivion once more seeped in, this time as
Chaos. The entire world was dying, but not the good death of the
Taker, rather the bad death of Oblivion. It would never be reborn
again.

Many elf heroes fought valiantly during the Age of the Taker, all
trying to preserve the sacred growth. These heroes included High
King Elf, Vronkal and Chalaneron. But these protectors all fell.
Eventually, all creatures of the Grower were dead, and the takers
began to take themselves.

The Third Planting

The Seeds, which had been buried deep, opened once again. Grower
and the Taker were reborn again in the world. In the past, the
Grower and Taker had been discoordinate, working disharmoniously
rather than working together. As a result, the universe was
nearly destroyed. This time, new beings rose.
Bebester was the Taker reborn, but her aspect was slightly
changed. Part of the Grower was within her, and so she took that
which was unrecoverable, so that new Growth could occur. Bebester
destroyed all of that was left of the world, so that it could
begin anew.

Sanarana was the Grower reborn, but she too was changed, now
containing a bit of the Taker. She accepted Bebester's death,
knowing that it would bring better life. When all was gone, the
spark of Potential in the sea of Oblivion nearly extinguished,
Sanarana recreated the world.

When Sanarana recreated the world, the flowers bloomed, life

coursed, buds opened ot be leaves.

In the new world, neither Grower or Taker was all-powerful. They

both controlled equal parts of the world, and thus, at last, the
Universe was
at harmony.

In the annual cycle of flowering spring to falling autumn, the

aspects of the world remained in harmony. For five centuries the
forests rested easy and thick, content with their interactions
with the other races.

The Grafting Experiment

One group of elves was very friendly to other races. In the place
where Dragons Live the Elf Lord called Fwalfa Oakheart had
cooperated in a great battle against an army of Chaos. Many races
and peoples cooperated in that fight, and it is called the Unity
Battle because they fought as one against chaos. Ever since then
the creatures that had fought shoulder to shoulder remained
friends in the areas around Dragon Pass. Under the leadership of
the Only Old One they formed the Unity Council, and brought their
civilization to the shattered survivors of the Darkness.

Over the centuries the Unity Council met more and more other
peoples, some of them only clans, while others were stronger
tribes. They found the Empire of Dara Happa, too. The wise among
them decided that they needed to reform the unity of all beings
in their world.

The wise among them decided to create a new deity of harmony and
peace. Saratin Seomale was the speaker for Talastar Forest. He
was impressed with the plans. They saw the new deity as being the
reconciliation between Potential and Oblivion, just as the Grower
and Taker had been brought back together and redefined the nature
of the plant world.

However, this effort clearly failed. Most of the elves in the

world at that time thought it was misguided. Most elves today
still think it was misguided.