Glorantha: The Dragon PantheonThe Dragon Pantheon
by Greg Stafford
originally published in Wyrms Footnotes #14

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
  Author's Note 
  A Dragon Poem 
  Ouroboros and the Cosmic Dragon 
  The Ancestral Dragons 
  The True Dragons 
  Hykim -- King of Animals 
  Origins of the Dragonewts 
  Dragonewt Motivations 
  Dragonewt Code of Ethics 
  Personality Traits and Advancement to Dragonhood 
  The Dragon Religion 
Author's Note
The dragonewt race is unusual and mysterious to most people in Glorantha. In my 
own campaign I have always treated them as odd beings who are never understood 
by outsiders (player-characters) who meet them. Even the same dragonewt met 
twice is likely to appear as two different creatures. Their behavior is 
unpredictable and often seems irrational.
I enjoy having them for this role, and have tried to use it constructively as a 
persistent and non-understandable source of some of the mysteries in life. I 
generally don't allow players to have dragonewts as characters, insisting that 
they don't really understand how to play them properly. On those occasions where 
I have allowed player-character dragonewts it is always with the understanding 
that the player is playing non-normal, aberrant dragonewts who are attracted to 
non-draconic ways and are considered perverse by their peers. I also insist that 
such player character dragonewts have, by their actions, outlawed themselves 
from their natural way of life and have, thereby, broken the cycle of natural 
resurrection into a new body grown by their eggs. Thus player-character 
dragonewts have usually been played as if they were humans with the same 
motivations as a normal player character.
A Dragon Poem
      ........Silence, The Infinite.
      O ........Zero, or an exclamation.
      OU ........A cry of pain; Ego.
      OUR ........Collectiveness, plurality.
      OURO ........Collective emptiness.
      OUROB ........Creation (Collective with an end-stop 'b').
      OUROBO ........Closed Infinity, or Being.
      OUROBOR ........Birth.
      OUROBORO ........Nothing, emptiness.
      OUROBOROS ........S = 'Voice' (i.e. the sound a serpent makes).

This immortal poem is a dragonewt chant and prayer which relates the creation of 
the world. The right-hand explanation are glosses to a human version of the poem 
made by a western scholar (probably a god-learner, hence a worshipper of Lankhor 
Mhy). They contain hints and explanations to elucidate the symbolic imagery of 
the inhuman magic. They are, of course, incapable of containing all the nuances 
and secrets of the poem in the dragontongue, but are helpful in indicating the 
lofty realms which the dragonewt philosophy begins in. In general, the poem 
shows a gradual internalization of something to bring about the formation of the 
concept of 'self.'
This poem was also repeated backwards at dragonewt rituals and transported the 
chanters and the universe into mystical bliss which was ordinarily impossible to 
reach.
The Dragon Pantheon
Ouroboros and the Cosmic Dragon
Ouroboros has no personality or character, nor even interacts with anything 
other than itself. It is a philosophical concept which is occasionally 
personalized in a symbolic manner. Because of the general disability of 
perception this symbol is often mistaken for a living being.
The image is the shape of a dragon devouring its own tail. This is intended to 
make someone wonder what will happen when it reaches the end and swallows its 
own head. There are no answers for this, only a realization. It is also 
sometimes shown as a  shape.
Popular interpretation says that the Cosmic Dragon is the 'S' shape and the end 
of the Ouroboros poem. This is both a sound and the shape of the broken infinity 
symbol. Thus, instead of the Infinite, our perceptions are confronted with some 
other image which we are capable of comprehending: the Cosmic Dragon.
The Cosmic Dragon is hardly more understandable then its mystical predecessor, 
but at least it is often clothed in understandable imagery. It interacts with 
other things and is accorded its own beliefs and actions, though not much 
personality. Yet, its actions are the reasons for creation and it is also the 
philosophical model towards which all dragonewts strive.
In the degenerate forms of the Kralori and Empire of the Wyrms Friends worship, 
the Cosmic Dragon is held to be the greatest of all immortal deities, solely 
responsible for the creations of the worlds. The god-learners gave it a more 
masculine bent to complement the world-wide goddess Glorantha who was, quite 
unmysteriously, without consort or mate in her own realm. These comparisons are 
interesting and useful but they modify and demean the original image 
significantly.
The primary action of the Cosmic Dragon is his conflict with the monster called 
Orxili. Later generations associated Orxili with chaos, or perhaps as the 
philosophy of the many forms of chaos and how they all fit together. If you have 
ever tried to reason why all of the forms of chaos work as one or are thought of 
as one thing then you will understand this better.
In the ancient myth the monster had six limbs but no head. These limbs each had 
varying numbers of hands, fingers, or appendages. It attacked and grappled with 
the Cosmic Dragon as it meditated, trying to interfere with its composure. For a 
moment the Cosmic Dragon was disturbed, but the dragon power is as unchangeable 
as the Void and Orxili was doomed. The Cosmic Dragon set forth the Six 
Principles and with each recitation one of the monster's limbs was torn off and 
cast into emptiness. These limbs later returned but were countered by other 
defenders.
The body of Orxili was placed in the center of the world and the Cosmic Dragon 
set it spinning and wrapped itself about the body, cutting it off from the 
outer, more mystical realms. The body inside changed and grew, and was called 
the Cosmic Egg.
The Ancestral Dragons
The Cosmic Egg hatched and from it came the Grand Ancestral Dragon. It sat and 
meditated in the Silent Void, treasuring the secrets of the universe. The halves 
of the eggshell were made into the servants of the Grand Ancestral Dragon and 
were called the Inside and the Outside.
The Grand Ancestral Dragon is invisible and omnipresent, as are all the dragons 
greater than him. He is responsible for the created world, and he is the first 
who shows character and actual, rather than philosophical, interaction. He 
represents the wholeness of Being. He is shown as hostile or benevolent, when 
personalized, though his worshippers claim that his acts are totally neutral no 
matter how they appear to the observers caught within the effect.
The Grand Ancestral Dragon was committed to six actions which it voluntarily 
undertook. Each of these resulted in the creation of one of the Ancestral 
Dragons. The Ancestral Dragons were born of the entanglements which their 
creator committed itself to, and the entanglements, in turn, were created from 
the birth of the Ancestral Dragons. This paradoxical creation is typical of 
dragonewt explanations. Whatever the understanding of it may be, this brought 
about the creation of a recognizable pantheon of Dragon Gods. The six Ancestral 
Dragons are: Guardian of Silence, Guardian of Secrets, Guardian of Being, 
Guardian of Experience, Guardian of Thought, and Guardian of Spirit.
Either during or shortly after this time the Grand Ancestral Dragon was assailed 
by powerful enemies. Some of the limbs torn from Orxili had returned. The mild 
waves of Disorder lapped back from the Void and the Oozing Chaos was born, 
returning now to thwart creation and reclaim its own to the void. The first 
sluggish waves of chaos burbled at the feet of the meditating dragon, 
interrupting perfect plans. To combat the distraction the Grand Ancestral Dragon 
took the Disorder power and used it upon the chaos which in turn made a new 
power which drove off the chaos and held it at bay, This was the race of 
Darkness, formed from the feet of the Dragon.
When the meditations were complete the Grand Ancestral Dragon cut open its loins 
and from the blood that ran forth was born the power of the Oceans, seas, and 
all liquid things.
From its belly the Dragon created the power of the Earth and all things which 
lay within it.
From the head of the Dragon came the fiery beings which are the Sky and the 
Aetheric powers, and each of the Dragon's eyes became a noble god of that realm.
The brains of the Grand Ancestral Dragon, hidden deep inside and outside the 
worlds, hatched secretly among the fledgling races of immortals. These were the 
Ancestral Dragons, wise teachers of deities, who met once for a mating dance in 
the place now called Dragon Pass. They completed their mysterious dance, laid 
the first dragon eggs, and disappeared from the world.
This dismemberment, called utuma in dragonewt philosophy, is the result of the 
Grand Ancestral Dragon's willingness to accept the duty of entanglements which 
his actions had brought about and resulted in his full integration into the 
world. By dying he re-entered the world to fulfil his duties. To have done 
otherwise would have resulted in a fatal weakness which would have destroyed the 
basis for draconic existence. This is often equated, or confused, with the 
dragonewt sense of 'honor.'
The Ancestral Dragons are believed to have form and essence, and also complete 
control over any part of the world. Each of them is alike and has access to the 
others' secrets. They are not elementally oriented, and they are acceptable as 
objects of worship since they are both real and reachable. Dragonewt worship 
consists of meditation upon the pure principles of these entities in an attempt 
to reach, merge, and thereby experience and understand them.
These universal creatures are inaccessible to most beings. When they intrude 
into the mythology of other races they are always objects of respect and fear. 
The dragonslaying myths of those religions do not ever reach these immortals. 
Even so, they are believed to have favored homes upon the world, some staying in 
one element or another as a note of personal preference rather than any 
obligation.
The True Dragons
The Ancestral Dragons are known to have laid eggs of their own, just as the 
Cosmic Dragon had laid the Cosmic Egg. The favored nesting place for them was 
the place of their mystic mating dance, Dragon Pass, although some came from 
other parts of the world.
The True Dragons are immensely powerful beings in their own right, and they 
often appear in the mythologies of other races. Sometimes they are benevolent 
helpers, sometimes hostile enemies who are either slain or are victorious. There 
are True Dragons who are primarily associated with the elements (thus there is 
Helldragon, also called Nightdragon; and the Earth Dragon, who protected the 
goddess Asrelia and was called her friend). Sometimes True Dragons were given 
titles instead of descriptive names. Thus one dragon is known only as the 
Emperor of Wisdom, another as the Imperial Fountain of Peace. Some do have true 
names, like Sh'kaharzeel (also called the Mover of Heavens) who was slain by 
Orlanth.
The True Dragons were said to be capable of actions and magics which could be 
duplicated by none of the gods, whether from the Celestial Court, the Elemental 
Council, or the Burtae Renegades.
The True Dragons are also recorded as having had many epic struggles in the dawn 
of creation. Their foes are sometimes called chaos things, but most mythical 
hints indicate some sort of titanic struggle between the True Dragons and one or 
more races of giants. Though no one knows for sure, and the dragons aren't 
talking, popular belief is that the dragons were the victors in all their 
battles.
These True Dragons were, then, creatures of immense power from myth, generally 
most active in the era before Time. However, they are still capable of 
participating in the world of History. The best-known case was the massive 
intervention of the dragons, including the True Dragons, during the Dragonkill 
War of 1120.
The True Dragons are the ancestors of the dragons which are more common and 
better known throughout Gloranthan history. They were apparently hermaphroditic 
but required mates for fertilization. They were, in varying pairs, the ancestors 
of other dragons and of the dragonewt race. If mythology is to be believed they 
are also occasionally mated with other gods and beings and brought about new 
entities, such as Hykim and/or Mikyh.
The True Dragons are believed to have been unaffected by the coming of Time, nor 
were they overwhelmed by it. In any case, they rarely stir in these ages, even 
at the promptings of devout worshippers. They are said to be asleep and 
sometimes ranges of hills are pointed out as their resting places, covered by 
earth, trees, and time. An entire range of mountains was proven to be thus 
during the Dragonkill Wars, and ever since that time the geography of Dragon 
Pass has been different.
There is always a difficulty in separating dragons from their philosophies and 
magics. This is true even in history, for although the True Dragons sleep they 
still dream, and their dreams are almost as terrible as themselves. Fortunately 
many dreams are whimsical or fanciful rather than greedy and vicious, and some 
dragons dream of teaching mortals their secrets or of things which do not harm 
men.
Thus are born the Dream Dragons, a handicapped and limited species of creature 
which is grossly incomplete in its being, and whose whole existence caused by 
the sleeping mind of another being. These are the dragons most often seen by 
men.
Hykim - King of Animals
One world-wide myth refers to the First Animal, or the Beast Rune, being a 
dragon or at least having the form of a dragon. Some people claim that this is 
the result of a True Dragon either mating with a fertility deity; that the soul 
of the Grand Ancestral Dragon went into the essence of the world as the races of 
animals; or that it was the whim of creation when so many deities collectively 
made something to serve them. Others claim that it was created by two creatures, 
one of which was masculine (called Hykim) and the other feminine (called Mikyh). 
The god-learners of Jrustela pointed out that these two never appear together 
and are likely to be one hermaphroditic creature in the normal draconic manner.
The genealogy of this deity represents a taxonomic classification of many 
animals of Glorantha. There is, for instance, a Mammal Mother whose child are 
the cat-god, bear-god, deer-god, sheep-god, elephant-god, and so on. Then the 
cat-god is the father of the lion-spirit, the tiger-spirit, the lynx-spirit, and 
so on. This pseudo-scientific explanation is called an Aetological Myth, and 
explains how things came into being and how they are related.
Some animals are either missing from the generalized taxonomy of Hykim or are 
accounted another origin elsewhere. An example of this is the parentage of 
Vrimak, who is said to be the paramount bird-ancestor but is also said to have 
been created by Dayzatar, the sky god.
Some animals are shared jointly by another god and use Hykim or Mikyh as a 
convenient explanation. For instance, Mikyh is the mother of King Griffin by 
Yelm, and of Storm Bull by Umath. Hykim was the father of the Terrible Lizards 
by the Earth, and of sea animals by Triolina.
Origins of the Dragonewts
The origins of the dragonewt race lies in the childhood of the True Dragons. 
This was before the coming of plants, animals, or humans; and some say even 
before the coming of mountains, rivers, and sky. They lived and grew in 
innocence for different lengths of time, and during that time they were 
immature. Sometimes these immature dragons clutched in innocent bliss and left 
behind them eggs which were, like the parents, immature. In that era when there 
was no limit to the creativity of the world, the eggs hatched and brought forth 
the race of dragonewts.
Because there were several matings, there were several 'tribes' of dragonewts. 
Several of these tribes were joined by common parentage through the dragon known 
as the Wonderous Mother of Many.
The dragonewts which hatched from those eggs were young and innocent too and 
many of them simply grew from hatchling to dragonhood, setting an example for 
their slower kin to follow. However, each of the dragonewts followed its own 
pace, working together in instruction and inspiration. They grew and flourished 
during the times when the world was overgrown and called the Green Age. They 
watched and taught animals during the Age of Beasts. They helped arrange the 
mysterious and powerful stones across the world during the Golden Age of the 
gods, and they waxed in power across the War of the gods, often benefiting 
greatly from the errors of the other races. Through all these ages other 
immature dragons, including some which had been dragonewts, mated and produced 
new tribes. In this way the dragonewts produced a widespread and populous 
civilization across Glorantha. They built elaborate cities and created 
sophisticated magics which brought many beings, both mortal and divine, to study 
at their feet. It is said that Genert, ruler of the northern continent, was 
advised by a True Dragon, called All Eyes Open But One, who had once been a 
dragonewt. The many legends and tales of dragons or their kin teaching 
human-kind are from this period.
When the gods of Disorder and Chaos began infringing upon the world the dragons 
and their kin did nothing. They were populous and powerful but did not move when 
their friends and surroundings were destroyed, nor did they seem to be affected 
when vast portions of their own, lesser kin were wiped out by the invasions of 
Chaos. In fact, it seemed as if the entire dragonewt race was willing to let 
itself be passively slain.
Two places did resist, one in strength and one in weakness. The stronger was 
eastern Genertelan area known as the Kralori Lands. There were many powerful 
people there who all believed in the same ideals and who were aided by neighbors 
who were willing to lay themselves at the mercy and control of leaders capable 
of rescuing their existence. Most of them were simpler creatures related only to 
animal gods. The Inner Circle of Wisdom in the Kralori Lands was able to 
withstand the universal changes by maintaining their particular net of existence 
which held their world relatively intact. Thus the Hykimi civilization survived 
the Darkness but at a cost of its later activity in Time.
The Resistance in Weakness came from Dragon Pass, and its legends focus upon a 
being called Heart of Weakness, a dragonewt from that region. He was aware of 
the destruction of the world about him and strove to brave the entanglements of 
aiding his friends, many of whom had helped him or his kin earlier. The 
dragonewts were only one of many races in the region and Heart of Weakness was 
attempting to maintain himself as a part of the whole. This made the dragonewts 
one of the races represented in the I Fought We Won battle, granting them 
equality with the other races there when the Dawn came. Thus did the Age of 
History begin.
Dragonewt Motivations
Before attempting to understand what motivates a dragonewt it is necessary to 
first clear your mind of all previous notions you may have. Try to accept 
apparent paradoxes in their philosophy. Begin your understanding of them anew.
Dragonewt thinkers consider their species to be an accident of creation, but a 
fortunate one which was inevitable. Both the strength and weakness of the 
dragonewt race is their fragile bodies and the finite experiences they can learn 
each lifetime.
Dragonewt existence consists of a many-life struggle to acquire and then master 
a number of physical, emotional, and magical characteristics. Doing so will make 
the individual one with a dragon or, in more mundane terms, into a dragon 
itself. A side effect of this spiritual growth is the accumulation of magical 
powers. These can be viewed as being Rune spells, though they are acquired 
differently.
The progression of dragonewts through each body stage is gained by allowing the 
consciousness and experiences of the spirit to pass from body to body. When the 
mind and current body have acquired sufficient development the next hatching 
will be of the next body stage.
There are often minor body changes in each lifetime. This occurs because the 
unhatched, and soulless, body developing in the egg will adjust itself to house 
the powers being developed by the body living elsewhere. Thus all dragonewts of 
a single type may present different characteristics within their subtype.
The dragonewts believe that the object of this life series is for them to pass 
on to become great and infinite dragons (as hinted in the Dragon Myths section 
of this writeup). This fact is undeniable to them and proven every passing day. 
As they pass from stage to stage they become increasingly more powerful.
A seeming irony of their life is that the dragonewt regresses, become weaker and 
less suited for advancement every time that they use their powers. Each use of 
their immense magics gets the dragonewt more and more enmeshed in the problems 
of existence by creating debts which must be paid before passing onto perfect 
draconic being.
The dragonewt concept of honor is critical to understanding them. Honor to a 
dragonewt implies the right way to live, as determined by his personal 
understanding of the universe at that time. Each stage of dragonewt existence is 
expected to experience and participate in certain thought modes and thereby gain 
responsibility for their actions in that realm. When certain categories have 
been fulfilled the individual passes on to the next plateau of development.
If a dragonewt dies dishonorably then he will remain dead a number of days 
before rebirth. When he is reborn, his physical and magical abilities will have 
diminished. Shamed dragonewts are thus stuck with stunted personalities and 
abilities which mark their failures until worked out over several lifetimes.
Dragonewt honor is determined by whether or not the dragonewt is responsible for 
his actions in that range of emotional experience and whether or not he failed 
to control himself. If he did control himself (i.e. thought and decided properly 
on the right action) then it was an honorable thing. However, if he reacted 
emotionally then his actions were not honorable even if the results of his 
actions were correct. Dishonorable (emotional) reactions are likely to result in 
more entanglements, so lifetimes are spent in clearing up the mistakes of a 
century ago.
Dragonewt Code of Ethics
Dragonewts strive to purify their mundane bodies and souls through Right Action 
and thereby reunite themselves with the limitless spirit of Ouroboros, the 
Infinite Dragon, who is ever devouring his own tail and who is the origin of all 
the universe. Right Action is defined by several simple requirements, 
Interpretations of these vary and are still open to redefinition.
Duty to the Ancestors: Since all dragonewts are descendants of Dragons this is 
really the worship of Dragons: their religion. However, during the Golden Age 
there were actual families and tribes of dragonewts. Most of those ancestors are 
long dead but may be sought as spirits upon occasion.
Duty to One's Lord: Lordship is dependent upon certain physical and personal 
traits being present in an individual. When these shapes manifest themselves 
mature has proven the person's qualifications and thus that person is obviously 
worthy of respect and obedience. To differentiate between persons of equal rank 
the dragonewts also have temporal lords who they report directly to and whose 
orders take precedence over others.
Duty to Repay Favors: If someone does a favor for a dragonewt then the dragonewt 
will owe some return favor of equal or greater value. These owed favors are 
considered to be a great burden on a dragonewt's development since he must 
attempt to fulfil them through lifetimes, if possible. These are not relevant in 
terms of friendship or agreement but must be returned even if it impedes their 
own development. The dragon religion urges that dragonewts avoid these owed 
favors but their duties and orders often prevent it, thus entanglements enter 
into their lives.
Personality Traits and Advancement to Dragonhood
The life of a dragonewt consists of always bettering himself, mastering his 
emotions and reactions to events so that he may advance to the next stage of 
being. Each stage of dragonewt development requires that the dragonewt 
constantly strive to master specific emotions and personality traits. The goal 
of every dragonewt is to react with conscious deliberation at all times.
Crested Dragonewts: The crested dragonewt must master his Aggressive-Passive, 
Brave-Cowardly, Energetic-Lazy, Stubborn-Docile, and Unreliable-Dependable 
personality traits. These are the most primitive traits and emotions that the 
dragonewts must master.
Beaked Dragonewts: To advance to the tailed priest stage the beaked dragonewt 
must have mastered his Curious-Apathetic, Leader-Follower, Impulsive-Cautious, 
Nervous-Calm, and Suspicious-Trusting traits.
Tailed Priest: The goal of the tailed priest is to become a full priest of the 
dragon religion. To do this he must be able to take the form of a dragon, and 
have mastered these personality traits that allow him to deal with the outside 
world: Honorable-Dishonorable, Greedy-Generous, Impatient-Patient, and 
Extrovert-Introvert.
Full Priest: The full priest strives to complete the mastering of his 
personality traits so that he may begin to learn to master the world around him. 
The traits that he must master include: Clever-Dull, Innovative-Conservative, 
Optimist-Pessimist, and Constructive-Destructive.
The Dragon Religion
The dragon religion preaches and proves that existence is a web of illusion. The 
illusion is maintained by immersion into the five elements, each of which is 
associated with one of the five perceptions. Through practise of Right Action 
the dragonewts can cleanse themselves of the webs of illusion which restrict 
their spiritual growth and eventually liberate their psyches to join the eternal 
Dance of Pure Being which is the thought of Ouroboros.
Because they shun the elements they do not use any magics which are elementally 
oriented, including the worship of gods which have such connections. They do not 
deny the existence or power of such gods, but they do not support them even 
through propitiatory worship. Instead, the dragonewts may choose to purify their 
minds through the discipline of thought and deed. They perform spiritual 
exercises practised in the mundane world which free them from opposite powers. A 
by-product of this is that they gain certain magics which are comparable to Rune 
magics.


See also:
Non-Human Races: Dragonewts


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