Glorantha: Tales of the Wastes 
Tales of the Wastes
Wisdom From The Tribal Shaman
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.
Table of Contents
  Where did the world come from? 
  Can you tell me the truth about...? 
  Nomad Gods 
Where did the world come from?
The Dead Gods made the world so long back no one remembers. They were strong and 
made the golden age. Rabbits came freely to the eating. If you dropped a seed 
you had to jump back when the tree sprang up with much fruit. But the Dead Gods 
failed at last-they tried to deal fairly with Chaos. Then the Great Darkness 
came. Chaos monsters melted the trees and turned the earth to stone. Only Storm 
Bull and his friends fought
Waha is Storm Bull's son. He came out of the soil into a world of darkness and 
chaos haunts. People still walked the blasted land, dazed and dying of 
stupidness. But Waha the Tracker gathered us and showed new ways to live. Waha 
Khan-of-khans freed the Daughters of Eiritha from evil spirits so we could have 
herds. Waha Father-of-khans founded many families of his own blood. Waha 
Killer-of-chaos cleansed the land to make it safe.
Where did I come from?
At first, everything starved alike: bison, impala, high llama, and human. There 
was too little food. Then Waha made the Survival Covenant. Some became animals 
able to eat thornbushes, weeds, and roots of the earth. Others, who became 
people, ate the plant-eaters. We drew lots to see who would eat and who would be 
eaten. In every case but the morocanth, who cheated, we humans won and became 
people. That is why we ride and eat the herd animals, and why morocanth are 
people also.
Why am I here?
You are a relic from the Golden Age -- you hold the holy life force. Your 
fathers and mothers lived through the Great Darkness and so, through them, did 
you. They lived, and you live, to fight chaos and to spread life.
Why do we die?
Before Waha came, everything was dead or dying, and that is the way of the 
world. Waha taught us death's secrets; how to use it for life. He taught us the 
Peaceful Cut to return our sister-animals to bliss within the womb of Eiritha, 
supplying our tribe with food from the goddess. And Waha taught us the warlike 
blows, whereby we send our foes to dark hells.
What happens after we die?
Our souls go to the gloomy, silent Land of the Dead. Eiritha is there, with 
endless ghost herds, and Waha is there, too.
How do I do magic?
The Horned Man came many years ago and taught our shamans how to talk to spirits 
from lost ages. These spirits do mighty magic, but the mightiest magic is done 
by our khan, who can call the Founder of our tribe to war.
I have heard of other powers. Can you tell me the truth about ...
...Aldrya?
Once the world was covered with lush plants, all of which stemmed from this 
goddess. She failed her people because she did not see what chaos would do to 
her.
...Chaos?
Everything bad, painful, and ugly in this world came because of Chaos. Chaos is 
evil and should be killed by every living soul. Bless Storm Bull who fights so 
ferociously.
...Ernalda?
Once this goddess was everything's mother. She did not fight chaos, thinking her 
peace would save her. It did not. Now only Eiritha, her best daughter, stays to 
aid us.
...Kyger Litor?
The Mother of Darkness is our friend and our foe. She helps us against chaos, 
for she hates it as we do. But she also wields the forces of shadow which 
plunder our herds and make our women barren.
...the Lunar Goddess
The Red Goddess is evil, brought by bad men to destroy us and our kind. She was 
born at the edge of the world, but reaches everyplace, even into our hearts, 
with temptation, lies, and fear.
...Magasta?
The sea khan was a mighty god before the Great Darkness. He tried to fight chaos 
through cunning and tricks but, like everyone else, failed. Now he is a shadow, 
pierced forever by the invisible spear of the evil gods.
...Monotheists?
These dupes are under the full sway of chaos, for their god teaches them no true 
god magic. They curse the name of Storm Bull who scours the world of chaos. They 
are fools and are without souls.
...Mostal?
This old god lost because he tried to fight chaos with tools instead of with his 
whole soul and body. Like the other gods of old, he is now dead and an empty 
hulk.
...Orlanth?
This god is dangerous. His tricks allowed evil into the world. He did great 
wrongs, but when he tried to fix them he made more mistakes which made the world 
even worse.
...Spirits?
All the world was hurt by the darkness of chaos. We escaped because of Storm 
Bull and his son. Others were unlucky and now only exist as bodiless spirits, 
neither living nor dead. Some are old companions, and some our ancient foes.
...Yelm?
This old god tried to fight chaos with high rules and distant powers. Like all 
the rest who did not fight the evil with their whole selves, he died and is now 
but a hollow glowing shell.
Nomad Gods
Daka Fal, guide to the ancestors
When the world was cursed by chaos, the people who survived were hard-pressed. 
They were beset by spirits and demons, and the living and dead mingled in a 
communal horror of confusion and fear. Then Daka Fal walked the world and 
separated the living from the dead, setting each in his place, telling all their 
duties and affairs. This established order in the world, and was the first 
successful worship.
Eiritha, herd mother
Eiritha is our cow-mother. She sends us calves and helps cows and women make 
rich milk for our tribe. All of the people and herd beasts of Prax are her 
children. We love her and spend our lives to protect her.
Foundchild, the huntsman
Waha brought Foundchild when we were all starving and fighting each other. 
Foundchild taught us how to use the tools of war-spears, bows, and throwing 
sticks -- to kill food animals instead of each other.
Gagarth, the wild hunter
The fierce winds which follow Gagarth sting like red-hot hail. He rides a devil 
steed which gallops upon air, land, or smoke, and he holds a long-reaching 
barbed spear. His friends are drooling spirit wolves and a howling horde of the 
dead. Gagarth rides in all the worlds, seeking food for his hunt. No one is safe 
from him.
Genert, the dead god
Genert ruled in the golden age, when our lands were a moist garden. Food was 
everywhere and chaos had not yet come. When chaos came, Genert mustered his 
clans: the golden people, the copper warriors, the sky-spears, the white elves, 
and our ancestors. And he fought as hard as he could and as well as he could. 
But he and his armies were destroyed and his garden turned into an acid bog. Now 
the old ways are gone forever.
Storm Bull, chaos-killer
Storm Bull is the best god of the universe, for he alone stopped chaos when he 
killed the bad devil. When everything else was dead and sick unto death, he 
bellowed his war-cry and charged across the universe to meet chaos with his 
strength. Now he rules the sky, and his storms forever scour the world. He lives 
in the ruins of the Dead Gods' palace and sends his winds in all directions, 
seeking chaos.
Waha the Butcher, Founder
Waha is the son of Eiritha and the Storm Bull, and all life must be grateful and 
give him respect. He saved us and made the world livable. His deeds are many - 
every one in our tribe knows them. Waha Flamebringer tamed Oakfed, the corrupt 
god of wildfire, and turned him into the friendly campfire. Waha the Wise taught 
us our sign language, and he taught us our knot language. Waha Father-of-khans 
is the father of all our chieftains. Waha the Restrainer made the earth be 
still. Waha Khan-of-khans freed the herd beasts' Protectresses and liberated the 
Founders of our tribes. Waha the Provider taught men the Peaceful Cut, which 
sends our beasts' souls back to the Mother of Beasts when they are butchered. 
Waha the Warrior taught us weapons work, so we can protect our herds. Waha the 
Protector dug a great canal and he ordered it to digest the foul body of the 
Devil which lay there. Waha the Teacher taught us to ride our animals.


See also:
Pantheons of Glorantha: The Praxian Pantheon
A Personal View of Praxian Culture
Cult of Waha
Cult of Eiritha
Cult of the Storm Bull
Cult of Daka Fal
Spirit Cults in Glorantha
A Prax-centric History


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