Season, Week, Day
Dramatis Personae
Nala
and then
Berra
Suuraki
Valseena
NPC
Gods
Demons
A dead Lunar orphan
A whole bunch of spirits
A dead shaman
A panicked assistant shaman
Some healers
Events
"Let us continue our examination of the Crocodile cycle. There may be a spot quiz at the end, where you explain how this ties into our rather long lecture cycle.1"
"Salt and Teeth lay in the water. And a beast came down to drink. She lunged at it, but it was Storm Bull. And Salt and Teeth was slain, and slept in the darkness, eternal."2
"Storm Bull, or Urox, is the Berserker God of Ancient Sartar. A drunken violent fanatic. A mythical football fan of the recent past, if you will."
"Salt and Teeth lay in the water. Beasts came down to the water to drink. She ate, for she was hungry. But Grandfather Mortal and Father Mortal were wrathful, for their beasts were dead. And they called upon Foundchild, to save them from the beast.
Foundchild tracked it. And identified where it was. And laid down a decoy beast, tethered so Salt and Teeth could neither swallow it all the way down, nor sick it all the way up, but instead she was trapped, and with arrows and spears, Foundchild slew her. And she laid in the darkness, eternal."3
"This is more interesting, to my mind. This is the victory of civilisation and intelligent man over raw brute animal power."
"Salt and Teeth lay in the water. Beasts came down to the water to drink. She ate, and all was well, for she was hungry. But Grandfather Mortal and Father Mortal were sad, for they had loved their beasts, and they were dead. And they wept, and Yinkin heard their tears, and said, “I can rid you of this beast, for I will find it amusing. But there will be a cost.”
And they said, “What cost, little God?”
And Yinkin replied, “Oh, only that you shall give me worship, for all your days.”
And it was agreed.
Yinkin strolled down to the waters edge, and he called out, “Oh great Queen, let me show you where more food is, for you are so magnificent.”
And Salt and Teeth agreed. And Yinkin led her out of the main water, and into a lagoon, where there was great food supplies. And she feasted, but then she was too large to get out of the lagoon. And Yinkin laughed, and waited as the water dried up. And then leapt onto her back, and ate her, for he had tricked her."4
"This is another interesting interpolation. I think the debt to Loki or Brer Rabbit are also clear. A trickster solution to the problem o power and violence. Some versions of this have Eurmal as the trickster, but I think the point is clear. Further versions involve Yinkin/Eurmal bribing Mostal, who as we recall had no love for the crocodile, to build a dam, to complete the entrapment of the crocodile goddess. There are as many versions of these myths as there were storytellers… or so we may assume. Much is lost to us, but the underlying message is clear-ties between ancestors, their Glorantha varied."
"And Salt and Teeth lay in the water, and men gathered around. And they took their beasts to the water. And she ate, and was happy. But then her Mother complained to her Husband, and said, “My love, my daughter will not listen to me, and eats all. Will you allow this?”
And Yelmalio bound on his golden armour, and took his mighty spear. And walked down to the river. And Salt and Teeth watched. And then he strode into the waters, and she ate him entire. And from her innards, he pierced his way out with spear and dagger. And so Salt and Teeth died. But Yelmalio did not notice a small chip was taken from his spear, and at this weak point, his spear would shatter, when he needed it most."5
"This, in contrast to our previous experiences of Eurmal and Foundchild, is the heroic solution to the problem of the raw animal power. So many solutions to the same issue. Naturally, we know not all of them can be the case. The last little addition, naturally, ties it into the Yelmalio 'Hill of Gold' myth. This may be a later addition- not least because Yelmalio may well have taken inspiration from some of the Pendraken cycle of myths."
"In the Great Darkness, oh my children, and children of my children, all suffered.
Some lost all, but all lost some.
Without the heat of his lust upon her fertility, Salt and Teeth could not lay eggs, nor could she raise again those dead eggs to life.
Monsters beset all sides, and her mother, Ernalda, came to her saying, “Oh my fierce daughter, I am beset upon all sides by horrors! I feel my life draining, and I shall die!”
Salt and Teeth smiled, showing all of her teeth, and said to her mother, “Well, I shall share with you my Secret.”
And with that, she buried Ernalda in the earth, where the hot sun would shine on her, and exhausted, collapsed."
"Here we see the links between Salt and Teeth and rebirth, and the link between the crocodile eggs hiding in the earth and the seeds doing the same."
"And Salt and Teeth slept in the Dark coolness. And a woman came up to her, and said, “Tell me, great one, how do you die, and live again?” And Salt and Teeth told her of the Eggs, and how Yelm's heat warmed them, and she lived again. And the woman nodded, thoughtfully, naked and helpless though she was, and picked up an egg, and said “Thank you.” And her eyes were like unto those of a crocodile, but the colours were different."6
"And this last piece appears to have different grammar and styling. A later solution myth, I think, and it draws the attention to the moon shape and the shape of crocodile eyes."