Pela is the Hyaloring goddess of barley and the land, and one of Nyalda's daughters. The Yeleni, a formerly Dara Happan people, used to worship Pela as well, but lost that connection after fleeing the destruction of their city.
Ride Like the Wind[]
Pela first appears in Ride Like the Wind. Her blessing is one of the most vital to a clan's survival and every newly cleared field is dedicated to her as well as Nyalda.
Worship[]
You can build a shrine to Pela, and the Obsidian Sickle treasure allows you to maintain it with fewer resources.
She has one blessing:
- Bless Barley: Improves crop yield.
If, during Ride Like the Wind's clan creation, you chose for your clan's Famous Event to be "The Grain Contest of Erkonus, where the barley goddess Pela prevailed over millet and beezil," then you will start the game already knowing Pela's Bless Barley blessing. Your leaders' Food skills will also be better and some ventures will be easier.
On the Circle[]
You cannot have a worshiper of Pela on the Clan Circle.
Lore[]
Your clan circle can say this about Pela:
- "Pela said we would honor her not only by feeding our people, but by exploring her land."
- "The food goddesses ringed themselves around the Earth Mother. Busenari gave milk as a sacrifice. Pela gave barley."
- "A Pure Horse clan has no need for Pela."
- "“We sing of Pela’s ripe wealth!“”
- "“Elmal kissed the fields, kissed green Pela’s head, kissed her head to gold.”"
- "“They came across a barley-wife, a-sowing of her seed.”"
- "“Pela sleeps, in the deeps, where her treasured seed she keeps.”"
Myths & Rituals[]
Pela appears only briefly in Ekarna's Four Trades and is rarely mentioned in dialogue.
Lights Going Out[]
Pela is mentioned in Lights Going Out. Your clan's worship of her continued through its transition into becoming Rams between games. However, with her mother, Nyalda, now syncretized with the Orlanthi earth goddess, Ernalda, Pela is now considered one of Ernalda's daughters or granddaughters.
Both Pela and Ernalda—as well as other grain and earth goddesses—died about the same time, at the onset of the Great Darkness. Before then, your clan maintained a shrine to Pela, which was maintained for years after her death until it was eventually allowed to fall into disrepair. However, newly cleared fields are still consecrated to the memory of both of her and Ernalda. It is said that the clan "known for still growing acceptable barley" preserves some of Pela's secrets, even past her death.
In Lights Going Out, if you chose to assist Pela in the Grain Contest of Erkonus during clan creation, then your leaders' Food skills will be better, some ventures will be easier, and your ancestors' Famous Event blessing will help them increase their Food skills even faster.
Lore[]
Your clan ring has the following to say about Pela:
- "Grain goddesses such as Pela Barley, Usara Oat, and Fresala Wheat became ghosts when Ernalda died."
- "We maintained shrines to Ernalda’s daughter Pela Barley Mother and Elmal’s son Zarlen the Wanderer for years after their deaths, but eventually had to let them fall into disrepair."
- "At the wedding of Ernalda and Orlanth, Issaries negotiated a trade deal between Pela and Heler."
- "Most of us produce sickly barley these days, but the <Clan Known For Acceptable Barley> preserve the secrets of its patron goddess, Pela."
- "Pela Barley-Seed is Ernalda's granddaughter. She married Porridge and Baker before her third husband taught her to be wild."
Other Stories[]
See also her article on the Glorantha wiki. In her role as the local land goddess, see also Pelora.