Prosopaedia

Who's Who Among Gloranthan Gods and Goddesses

originally published in Gods of Glorantha

This document is Copyright © 1998 Issaries, Inc. It may be freely linked to, and one copy may be printed for personal use, but any other reproduction by photographic, electronic, or other methods of retrieval, is prohibited.

Previous Letter

RRRR

Table of Contents

Ragnaglar Rasout Ratslaff Rebel Gods Red Goddess
the Red Moon Rice Mother River Deities

Ragnaglar [rag-NAG-lahr]

Chaos pantheon -- the Mad God, leader of the Unholy Trio

Ragnaglar is sometimes called the kinsman of Storm Bull, driven to hatred and dishonorable acts by jealousy. His spouse was Thed, his mistress was Malia. Together the three formed the Unholy Trio. As proof of Ragnaglar's madness they brought chaos, the final catastrophe, into the world.

In recent times Ragnaglar survives as only a nursery tale, for he was slain by Storm Bull. Thed and Malia survive, but since the demise of their horrid master their outrages have not risen to such a magnitude as to threaten the existence of the universe.

In many troll and barbarian ceremonies a surrogate Ragnaglar is created for ritual combat. Ragnaglar's stand-in wears a mask with four different horns and two mouths, and the legs of many different animals are draped from his neck.

Rasout [rass-OUT]

Pamalt pantheon -- the plains hunter

see also
Hunter

Rasout is the hunter god of the Pamaltelan veldt. Each of his worshipers will, at least once in their life, see the Runthing -- the prey which can never be caught.

His carved image is that of a young man with runes carved upon his chest and arms. He carries a bow or spear.

Ratslaff [RATS-laff]

Yelm pantheons -- Celestial Court god of disorder

Ratslaff was the buffoon of the Celestial Court and the Cosmic Dupe before the coming of Time. As the primal trickster many of his pranks were extremely crude, and they often backfired on him. Such was the case when he once flatulated with a tremendous roar and out popped the boggles, cosmic mice which made little poo-poos all across the vault of heaven, which nibbled upon the Veil of Mystery, and which once so frightened a pregnant Mother Mammal that she gave premature birth to that utterly unbelievable creature called Camel. Uleria befriended these creatures and, with the destruction of the Spike, the Disorderly nature of the boggles allowed them to stand against the initial onrush of chaos (even though the boggles themselves were nearly eliminated) so that the remaining gods could better prepare themselves to defend the world.

Ratslaff is not now worshiped. Legends imply that he died as he lived -- he disappeared when particularly cruel prank of his backfired, and he winked out of existence with a hilarious look of astonishment plastered across his face. His memory lives on in the ugly faces which parents make at their children and in the minor deformities or blemishes suffered by some people which cause them to be subjects of ridicule (such as wall eyes, warts, stammering, buck teeth, mottled skin, etc.)

Rebel Gods

Yelm pantheon -- destroyers and upstarts

Yelm ruled the world harmoniously until these deities became dissatisfied and overthrew his divine empire. Their leader is Orlanth, and the others include Death, Trickster, Grandfather Mortal, and the chaos gods.

Red Goddess

Lunar pantheon -- goddess of the Red Moon

Moon Goddess, Mistress of Time, Sister of Chaos, and Lurker Upon the Veil are some other titles given to this unique goddess. She was born in the Gods Age but was broken and scattered during prehistoric wars -- not quite dead but not quite alive either. After the world was renewed by the Seven Lightbringers and Time was begun, this goddess was reassembled and reborn after centuries of planning and trying by a band of secret worshipers. Although she was born inside of time, and therefore was mortal, she quickly developed her natural abilities and set off upon a dread Godquest which ended with her apotheosis only 27 years after her birth.

The Red Goddess founded the Lunar cult, a religion which is a strange mixture of mysticism and practical magic, of barbaric cruelty and dignified beauty, of freedom and of tyranny. Its philosophies are unique and complex. The Red Goddess worked, danced, and fought her way into the fabric of the world. She has taken for her domain the Middle Air, and so earned the eternal enmity of Orlanth and other air gods. Her cult spreads far beyond the bounds of her Empire and is very powerful, including many lesser deities within it.

She is often portrayed with red skin, sitting cross legged, draped in a white gown with a neckline which plunges in a V to her navel. Her hands are formed in the signs of welcome and of peace.

the Red Moon

see Red Goddess

Rice Mother

Eastern pantheon -- the generous one

The Rice Mother was discovered by the daughter of Shavaya, an early emperor of Kralorela. She provides her people with everything necessary for their culture, their cooking, and the worship of rice, their most important food.

She is usually illustrated as a short, extremely fat, grinning oriental woman sitting with her legs wrapped around a large jar of grain. A sacred centipede coils around one of her arms and she and her jar are mounted atop a divine eel-turtle.

River Deities

Universal

Most rivers are each inhabited by powerful spirit which rules the waterway from headwaters to mouth. River dwellers worship him or her. Those spirits which inhabit tributary rivers, streams, and creeks are usually the children of the main river deities.

The three greatest rivers of Glorantha are all in Genertela. They are the Janube in Fronela, the Oslir in Peloria, and the Tanier in Ralios and Arolanit.

For an example of a River Deity, see the Cult of Zola Fel.


Next Letter


[ New Here? | Greg Sez! | Main Page | Product Listing | Coming Events | Cool Links ]