Pamaltelan Mythology &Map

<<About Pamaltelan Mythology and Map>>


Nick Eden:

I am completely mystified by the point of the Pamaltaelan Myth Maps recently spotlighted on the Glorantha.com site. Can anyone explain?


Peter Metcalph:
Well the mythology is available although not in one unified place. It's also from the Agimori perspective. It shows the Thinobutans pretty well but does not show Fonrit.

Creation Age:

Thinobuto is the ancient homeland of the Thinobutans, now the modern Elf Coasts (described briefly in the Glorantha Intro p233-235) and whose mythology is up at:

http://www.glorantha.com/new/myth-old.html


The Mountains of Balumbasta are the same mountain range in the middle of Pamaltela that Balumbasta (previously Lodril) raised.

Bankadu is probably the Spike, although the Agimori remember it as a mountain made by Bolongo in imitation of Um and from whence came the monsters of the world. Selvukku is the ancient primeval forest of the north (of which Enkloso, Vralos, Laskal and the Errinoru Jungle are pallid remnants). The Tree War is probably modern Dolorofey (between Laskal and Jolar).

The myth of the making of the Agi is giving in Missing Lands p102-103. Sakum is now the land of fire (Glorantha Intro p238-239), while Um is the holy mountain of the Agi. There's other mountains around it known as the Enmal but they aren't depicted here.

Keets is the land of Keetela where the ducks are (unfortunately). Early in the Gods War, this gets wasted which only shows that not all of the deeds of the Gods War are bad.

Early Artmali Period:

The seas has invaded. Thinobuto is sinking and most of its people have left and become slaves of the Suralavu in Fozeranto.

The Churkenos is an Ocean current that is somewhat important in Western Mythology about the Flood.

The Artmali have arrived upon "their Indigo Cloud Fleet out of the Blue Fire Sea". Other sources claim they came from the Blue Moon. Anyway their first colony is now southeast of Zamokil and although it's not stated on the map, they ranged along the coasts of Pamaltela, settling in Fozeranto and in what is now Fonrit. Artmal makes a big migration among the interior and settles somewhere in the south of Tarien (probably that which is now the Nargan Desert). I don't know why he does what he did.

Artmali Period:

Alarlarverir, Ulrana, Sharzu, Elamle and Dakaputlo are names in Thinobutan myth. I don't know if Durba is part of this or not.

Oabil in the other side is the original Vadeli Empire in Pamaltela (cf Glorantha: Intro p236 where the post-Opening Vadeli Empire was called New Oabil). The Red Line looks like the destruction of the Artmali Empire but nothing has been published on who destroyed it.

The Green Line is Qualyorni and her minions seeking to conquer Pamaltela. They are defeated in Jolar after Pamalt maims her with the spear of Balumbasta.

Tishamto is a urban Agimori nation although most Agimori still follow traditional ways outside it. Presumably Tishamto is infused with Artmali customs (considering that Zamokil is part of it). As with the Artmali Empire, Tishamto gets destroyed but I don't know who by (I do have names but too many).


Demon Period:

The Square patch at the west is the dwarf nation of Slon. Vovisibor runs amok in this period before he is defeated by Pamalt at Jaranpur and by the Mostali elsewhere. Pamalt then goes north and destroys Bankadu.


Nick Eden:

<< Would they make more sense if they were Genertelan, where we at least know the mythology? >>

TTrotsky:
Probably. I am rather puzzled at why the Pamaltelan and Vithelan map sets were the first ones to be done for general release, though. Greg has hand-drawn myth maps for central Genertela and the Malkioni, and presumably these will be converted at some point - when they are, hopefully the two obscure sets that they chose to do first will make a lot more sense!

Steve Lieb (Drawer of the Beautiful Mythology Official Maps of Issaries Site):
Then again, staring reality square in the face, I could suggest:

1) when I first discussed the mapping work with Greg (as most projects, starting at an almost entirely different context, but drifting to what was needed) the next reasonable synchronicity we could find with the Myth of the Month schedule was that Vithela and the Eastern Myths were to be the next featured, so that's what I worked on. I thought Pamaltela would be the next, so that was the next set (after an admittedly too long hiatus - blame real life for interfering).

2) IMO the focus of HW/RQ 1-3 were of course Genertela. Therefore, I personally guess that it's needful that the mythmaps for that cultural region be the 'tightest' with the in- and out-of-print material out there, neccessitating a little longer to get the line drawings finalized. The least integrated would be the East and South, so those were the ones I got first.

I just hope they look ok!
:)

My $.02.


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