So, storytellers like coming up with gods for their tales. Entire pantheons that do battle with each other, along alignment tracks, like classic D&D campaigns.
Some are pretty generic, some are interesting spins on a classic concept. And some are just batshit coocoo pants.
What are some of your favorite gods from the various movies/shows/stories you've read? Any reason is fine, either because you think they are awesomely cool, or just goofy as hell and they amuse you to no end.
For me, two that come to mind are:
Kelemvor, God of Death. When I first read the story where Kelemvor becomes the god of death, I was pleasantly surprised. The stereotypical god of death, in just about every other fantasy setting, was always depicted as this embodiment of evil, who lived (haha! pun!) only to cause as much death as possible. This stereotype has bled over into pop culture as well, just look at how Hades is usually depicted in entertainment, despite the fact that he was one of the gods of that pantheon, who got up to the least amount of mischief.
In fact, in the story that involves Kelemvor, the antagonist of the trilogy was the god of death. Who they kill....and Kelemvor takes his place. And then the author did something really neat with him I thought. He made him a neutral god, who was just about shepherding the souls of the dead to the afterlife, and defending them from any who would try and use them for personal gains (necromancers). He, in fact, hates the undead, and all of his priests/paladins are tasked with destroying the undead whenever they encounter them, and any who would use that kind of magic. His priests are depicted as being somber, quiet people, who when traveling, will perform final rites for the dead, and make sure they are buried properly. They eventually became very welcome in most communities, as they were seen as a sign of solace and comfort during a time of grief. And I really loved that depiction of them.
And then my other favorite god, from a book by Drew Hayes called NPCs (which seriously, if you like D&D, you REALLY need to read that book):
Grumble, the god of minions.
He is the patron of all underlings and minions in this world. For every kobold who works for an evil overlord, just trying to make ends meet, Grumble helps them. Prayers to him are for things like "Dear Grumble, please let the Master be too drunk to kick me in the butt tonight, for failing to accomplish his insane plan that was never going to work anyway." "Oh Lord Grumble, please don't let the Master find my stash of copper coins from his horde, as I plan on buying a new broom with them later." etc etc.
He is depicted as a kobold, who was elevated to godhood due to deeds he did in the past. And when he gets access to his first potential paladin, the conversation they have is most amusing.
So what gods do you find amusing/cool/fun? What about them makes you enjoy them?
Some are pretty generic, some are interesting spins on a classic concept. And some are just batshit coocoo pants.
What are some of your favorite gods from the various movies/shows/stories you've read? Any reason is fine, either because you think they are awesomely cool, or just goofy as hell and they amuse you to no end.
For me, two that come to mind are:
Kelemvor, God of Death. When I first read the story where Kelemvor becomes the god of death, I was pleasantly surprised. The stereotypical god of death, in just about every other fantasy setting, was always depicted as this embodiment of evil, who lived (haha! pun!) only to cause as much death as possible. This stereotype has bled over into pop culture as well, just look at how Hades is usually depicted in entertainment, despite the fact that he was one of the gods of that pantheon, who got up to the least amount of mischief.
In fact, in the story that involves Kelemvor, the antagonist of the trilogy was the god of death. Who they kill....and Kelemvor takes his place. And then the author did something really neat with him I thought. He made him a neutral god, who was just about shepherding the souls of the dead to the afterlife, and defending them from any who would try and use them for personal gains (necromancers). He, in fact, hates the undead, and all of his priests/paladins are tasked with destroying the undead whenever they encounter them, and any who would use that kind of magic. His priests are depicted as being somber, quiet people, who when traveling, will perform final rites for the dead, and make sure they are buried properly. They eventually became very welcome in most communities, as they were seen as a sign of solace and comfort during a time of grief. And I really loved that depiction of them.
And then my other favorite god, from a book by Drew Hayes called NPCs (which seriously, if you like D&D, you REALLY need to read that book):
Grumble, the god of minions.
He is the patron of all underlings and minions in this world. For every kobold who works for an evil overlord, just trying to make ends meet, Grumble helps them. Prayers to him are for things like "Dear Grumble, please let the Master be too drunk to kick me in the butt tonight, for failing to accomplish his insane plan that was never going to work anyway." "Oh Lord Grumble, please don't let the Master find my stash of copper coins from his horde, as I plan on buying a new broom with them later." etc etc.
He is depicted as a kobold, who was elevated to godhood due to deeds he did in the past. And when he gets access to his first potential paladin, the conversation they have is most amusing.
So what gods do you find amusing/cool/fun? What about them makes you enjoy them?
