| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Synthalus |
Posted - 21 Dec 2010 : 13:41:33
What is your favorite pantheon of gods to use in your own personal D&D worlds? |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Synthalus |
Posted - 20 Aug 2011 : 18:36:13
Cthulhu could even be more powerful then asmdues himself. i would love to see a war between the cthulhu mythos and the ninehells. it would be epic to say the least. |
| Synthalus |
Posted - 19 Aug 2011 : 16:34:40
Chosen of asmodeus is a man after my own heart. Cthulhu is a dark mistress, and few understand the depth of her character. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 12 Aug 2011 : 23:57:13
quote:
Originally posted by Synthalus
its a close one between norse and greek gods. what odd is that there so similar in many ways. celtic is a close third. i wonder if this reflects the amount of influence these cultures have had on forgotten realms readers and the choice they make well playing the game?
A lot of FR readers are in the US, and it's been my experience that in the US, Greco-Roman, Norse, and Egyptian are the mythologies most are familiar with -- particularly Greco-Roman. We even cover it in school, though not in depth. |
| Chosen of Asmodeus |
Posted - 12 Aug 2011 : 20:22:40
At first I was torn between Greek and Norse as I tend to use both, though with more Roman elements for the greek-bits. I also use some Celtic, but I'm less versed in that than either Greco-Roman myth or Norse.
In the end, I went with Cthulhu. Always needs me some eldritch abominations. |
| Synthalus |
Posted - 12 Aug 2011 : 11:50:25
its a close one between norse and greek gods. what odd is that there so similar in many ways. celtic is a close third. i wonder if this reflects the amount of influence these cultures have had on forgotten realms readers and the choice they make well playing the game? |
| froglegg |
Posted - 30 Dec 2010 : 02:39:22
I voted Norse but I like the Greek and Celtic as well.
John |
| Brimstone |
Posted - 27 Dec 2010 : 10:06:42
quote:
Originally posted by Arik
Only freaks and psychos would want to worship any of the Cthulhu gods ... seriously, who worships a 50' tall glob of tentacles so incomprehensibly alien and repulsive that the merest glimpse would irrevocably drive one into madness?
Like me! Candlekeep 2.0 needs a Cthulhu smilie. I would abuse the heck out of it! |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 27 Dec 2010 : 08:19:02
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I have used the Melnibonea' Cosmology (and gods) extensively, although not the Newhon. If you read Ed's Dragon article about the gods, you will see he borrowed heavily from Moorcock as well (there are several good series that deal with a 'multiverse' of alternate worlds, and Narnia would even be lumped into that - another source Ed dipped into). There are at least two 'main' characters (advisors) in the Lankhmar books, that come from 'other worlds', so I would surmise the same holds true there (and there is a Newwhon Ghoul in the Realms, canonically). I have only read one of the Fafhrd/Mouser books, so I can't give opinion beyond that (nor ever felt inclined to use any of that lore... yet).
quote:
Originally posted by Arik
Only freaks and psychos would want to worship any of the Cthulhu gods ... seriously, who worships a 50' tall glob of tentacles so incomprehensibly alien and repulsive that the merest glimpse would irrevocably drive one into madness?
You just answered your own question.
You see it, you go mad, you worship it. End of story.
"What is that thi- Oh, my GOD!!! Hmm... All hail C'thulu!!" |
| BARDOBARBAROS |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 23:51:45
Greek OR Egyptian |
| Markustay |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 21:05:00
I have used the Melnibonea' Cosmology (and gods) extensively, although not the Newhon. If you read Ed's Dragon article about the gods, you will see he borrowed heavily from Moorcock as well (there are several good series that deal with a 'multiverse' of alternate worlds, and Narnia would even be lumped into that - another source Ed dipped into). There are at least two 'main' characters (advisors) in the Lankhmar books, that come from 'other worlds', so I would surmise the same holds true there (and there is a Newwhon Ghoul in the Realms, canonically). I have only read one of the Fafhrd/Mouser books, so I can't give opinion beyond that (nor ever felt inclined to use any of that lore... yet).
quote:
Originally posted by Arik
Only freaks and psychos would want to worship any of the Cthulhu gods ... seriously, who worships a 50' tall glob of tentacles so incomprehensibly alien and repulsive that the merest glimpse would irrevocably drive one into madness?
You just answered your own question.
You see it, you go mad, you worship it. End of story. |
| Therise |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 21:01:57
Just a side tangent because I can't resist: the Newhon pantheon is just fascinating. It's so very different than what we'd tend to think of as "gods in a pantheon" that it's just a really interesting concept.
Anyway, I'd say at least one of the current designers has a deep and abiding love for Yog-Sothothery.
Whether or not it fits with the Realms, well... that's up to each DM I guess.
|
| Ayrik |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 20:52:53
The Melnibonéan and Nehwon pantheons never appealed to me much, even though I read some of the novels from which they're based. I've met people who liked the Arthurian, Egyptian, and Norse pantheons a lot but disagreed with the D&D presentation, because the D&D sources were based on different books of mythology - strangely, most people seem more content to use "canon" they hate than to actually study and stat out some mythology at a library.
Only freaks and psychos would want to worship any of the Cthulhu gods ... seriously, who worships a 50' tall glob of tentacles so incomprehensibly alien and repulsive that the merest glimpse would irrevocably drive one into madness? |
| Markustay |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 20:51:23
I wasn't going to participate in this thread, simply because the answer I would give is not listed as an option. However, Sage sums it up for me-quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
There should also be an "All of the above" option for those who, like me, have a passion for all-things-deity. 
In my old Grayhawk setting, I had a smallish-city called Gwarch (which is now part of FR canon, albeit in a greatly changed form), and it had temples to Loki, Anubis, and Hermes... none of which are GH canon.
I pick and choose my deities, but I never limit my players choices by what is canon - ANY deity should be a viable option ANYWHERE, because anything above a demi-power is multi-spheric in nature. When a god hears its 'name' being spoken (which they apparently all can do), they are not really hearing the term itself (they could have over a thousand names), but rather, the intent behind it (as in, they know when its about them).
That's somewhat different then the official ruling on such matters, but the official ruling makes little sense (do you have any idea how many people in the Realms are called 'Helm', not to mention the actual piece of armor itself?)
What that mean is that if someone were to refer to Selûne as "that damn moon-b**ch!", she would hear it, because despite not saying her name, the intent of whom they were discussing is still broadcast loudly over the astral-net (and as we know, thoughts do not have a 'language', they are universal, which is why this situation HAS TO work the way I say, and not how others have explained it - Gods hear thoughts). On the other hand, an Exarch (like a Chosen), or some other mortal being of immense power who has figured out this trick (like Larloch), can probably only 'tune-in' to specific mentions of their name (since they are still primarily 'corporeal', they do not have the mental capacity to filter-out 'intent'). I'd prefer it not work that way in the case of those low-lev powers, but it must, otherwise saying things like "He who must not be named" would be completely pointless. Using such tactics when discussing more powerful beings, however, would be laughable.
Not precisely on-topic, but I just wanted to make the point that all gods (greater then an Exarch) have multiple names, and just because you use the name 'Thor' for some Northmen god, doesn't mean it has to actually be the same Thor. On the other hand, you could easily 'borrow' the god Hermes from the Greek pantheon and re-name him for your Realms, and he would answer to that new name and your players may never realize who they are really dealing with.
Pantheons are little more then 'local clubs' - gods who have grouped-together for whatever reason in a particular sphere/plane. The same gods could be at-odds on other worlds - having the ability to divide your mind allows for such Cosmic incongruities.
The pantheons are an illusion, fostered by mortal religions; every god has it's own, specific agenda. Use what you want, where you want, and if the real-world names bother you, just change them. Its that simple.
And BTW, like always, that was IMHO, and not precisely how things are in Planescape canon (although I think 4e leans more toward my own way of thinking). |
| MrHedgehog |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 20:14:34
I voted for Greek because I find them the most fascinating. Possibly because i've been exposed to them the most and understand them the most.
I don't understand some of the mythologies very well so its hard to be fascinated by them. |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 04:10:00
Somehow, I doubt it, lol!! |
| Lady Kazandra |
Posted - 26 Dec 2010 : 02:26:02
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Synthalus
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Most of those weren't in the DDG, which seems to be what we're limited to, in this thread.
Thank you for clearifying this point to everyone. I did leave some of them out because you can only make a poll with 12 points. So i tried to put the ones that seemed to have the most influence on the FR game setting. BTW morrigan is awesome and crazy like a fox
Well, I'm not aware of any American Indian or Melnibonéan deities in the Realms... And though we have aberrations and the Far Realm (clearly inspired by the Cthulhu mythos), I'm pretty sure nothing in the listed Cthulhu mythos is present in the Realms.
The possibility for American Indian gods at least being mentioned in the Realms is always a possibility, so long as viable portal links back to Earth, like those that have been suggested in previous lore, still exist. And I'd imagine El's at least familiar with the pantheon, given the fact that his Holdout in Realmspace has a portal to Ed's study and library at his home and to Yellowstone in 1894.
I wonder though, whether Elminster would be willing to share such info with the greater Realms populace? The introduction of new gods often complicates just about everything related to the divine sphere. |
| Alisttair |
Posted - 24 Dec 2010 : 16:51:00
My brainis stuck in FR, but I like the greek pantheon. |
| Therise |
Posted - 24 Dec 2010 : 16:33:55
I voted Norse. 
They're so much fun, I just love them.
|
| Synthalus |
Posted - 24 Dec 2010 : 13:00:04
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Arik
The same truth probably holds in Asian cultures; they must have language elements drawn from all sorts of "lost" local religions, perhaps even moreso since (from what I understand) their languages/cultures are generally more metaphorical and weren't as strongly influenced by a centralized monotheistic church. I could be wrong.
Your actually very close to the truth arik! Having lived in japan for 3 yrs i learned a lot about asian culture and i even married one. They have words and phrases that cannot be translated into english. They only way you can learn them is by learning fluent japanese and even then there hard to understand. The japanese mythos is a very under rated mythos. it has a lot of potential and i use much of it in my homebrew worlds but it does have one down side. that being that in order to have this mythos you have to allow all of the japanes cultural character classes and societal structre into your world which is difficult for most people because of the exotic nature of the society and cultre. |
| Quale |
Posted - 23 Dec 2010 : 10:57:39
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Well, I'm not aware of any American Indian or Melnibonéan deities in the Realms...
The elemental gods (changed names, e.g. Grome to Grumbar) and some of the beastlords in Dragon 54 are Melnibonéan. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 23 Dec 2010 : 06:59:41
The same truth probably holds in Asian cultures; they must have language elements drawn from all sorts of "lost" local religions, perhaps even moreso since (from what I understand) their languages/cultures are generally more metaphorical and weren't as strongly influenced by a centralized monotheistic church. I could be wrong. |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 23 Dec 2010 : 05:57:07
The same could be said of the Roman and Greek gods, too. Saturday is named for the Roman god Saturnus, who is of course the Roman equivalent of Chronus, the father of Zeus. All of our planets bear the names of Roman gods, and Greek gods find their way into our language in many places- hermaphrodite, Athens, Herculean, the Illiad and Odessey, narcissistic, and others. Even Christmas was originally the Roman solstice holiday of Saturnalia. The Norse aren't the ONLY ones whose mythology has strongly influenced us!! |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 23 Dec 2010 : 05:27:54
Most of the English days of the week are derived from names of pagan Norse/Germanic deities, although in French and Spanish they're instead derived from classic Roman/Latin deities.
A sad truth is that a lot of references to Norse mythology were destroyed in our century, due to the (perceived) association between Hitler's Nazis and Norse beliefs ... (a popular myth which has been proven untrue over time, although the Nazis of course used Thor's swastikas and other Norse symbolism; still, nobody wants to be associated with those monsters).
Just sayin' the Norse pantheons (of which we primarily only have partial reconstructions, drawn from a handful of authoritative sources, which are separated enough by time and tribes to conflict with each other) have had a profound impact on our culture, having invaded our daily lives in little ways. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 23 Dec 2010 : 05:04:11
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
Yet having to vote, I tend to gravitate towards the Norse Gods.
I agree... and not just because both of my grandmothers were Scandinavian in ancestry. I'm a big fan of the Norse mythos, partly because I've always been biased toward fighter- and ranger-types in my own character creation. Maybe that should be vice-versa, but either way, Óðinn (Odin) and Þórr (Thor) have always been two of my favourite deities, regardless of pantheon. I've integrated the whole Norse pantheon into my Realms, using them to link the Northmen of the Moonshaes, Ruathym, etc. with the Uthgardt (the link is already there in canon; I've just made it more concrete by giving each Uthgardt tribe a patron deity, whether that deity is worshipped by the Uthgardt or not; as stated in canon, they are a very shamanist culture, but even if they have forgotten their gods, their gods have not forgotten them).
Edit: I should also mention that I'm rather fascinated by all of the pantheons mentioned, but the only ones that exist in my Realms are the Norse, Finnish, and Cthulhu pantheons. (If the Ruathym knew the truth, they wouldn't be so eager for Ragnarok, because any self-respecting Lovecraftian knows that the madness always wins eventually...)  |
| Dennis |
Posted - 23 Dec 2010 : 01:12:56
I voted "Greek."
There's a reason why a lot of novels "utilize" Greeky mythology... |
| The Sage |
Posted - 22 Dec 2010 : 23:31:31
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Synthalus
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Most of those weren't in the DDG, which seems to be what we're limited to, in this thread.
Thank you for clearifying this point to everyone. I did leave some of them out because you can only make a poll with 12 points. So i tried to put the ones that seemed to have the most influence on the FR game setting. BTW morrigan is awesome and crazy like a fox
Well, I'm not aware of any American Indian or Melnibonéan deities in the Realms... And though we have aberrations and the Far Realm (clearly inspired by the Cthulhu mythos), I'm pretty sure nothing in the listed Cthulhu mythos is present in the Realms.
The possibility for American Indian gods at least being mentioned in the Realms is always a possibility, so long as viable portal links back to Earth, like those that have been suggested in previous lore, still exist. And I'd imagine El's at least familiar with the pantheon, given the fact that his Holdout in Realmspace has a portal to Ed's study and library at his home and to Yellowstone in 1894.
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Dec 2010 : 18:33:48
quote:
Originally posted by Synthalus
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Most of those weren't in the DDG, which seems to be what we're limited to, in this thread.
Thank you for clearifying this point to everyone. I did leave some of them out because you can only make a poll with 12 points. So i tried to put the ones that seemed to have the most influence on the FR game setting. BTW morrigan is awesome and crazy like a fox
Well, I'm not aware of any American Indian or Melnibonéan deities in the Realms... And though we have aberrations and the Far Realm (clearly inspired by the Cthulhu mythos), I'm pretty sure nothing in the listed Cthulhu mythos is present in the Realms. |
| Synthalus |
Posted - 22 Dec 2010 : 17:21:34
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Most of those weren't in the DDG, which seems to be what we're limited to, in this thread.
Thank you for clearifying this point to everyone. I did leave some of them out because you can only make a poll with 12 points. So i tried to put the ones that seemed to have the most influence on the FR game setting. BTW morrigan is awesome and crazy like a fox |
| Abenabin Gimblescrew |
Posted - 22 Dec 2010 : 15:04:43
I know I'm one of the rare few, but I like all of the above. However, if I must choose, I went with Egyptian Mythology as something I take a lot from. My two favorite gods in it are Isis and Osiris due to the fact they are eternal lovers and for the fact they had probably the most impact in the mythology due to their representations in the society. And who doesn't know about Horus-Re and Ra, as well as that sinister Set, and Anubis that judged the dead. Plus who doesn't like Stargate on the brief occasion. :p
Norse and Greek are a tie for second with me. Both have equally intriguing stories of creation and destruction, but I just like the Greek pantheon mostly for all the goddesses I can not lie. ;)
You got Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, Tyche, Persephone, Demeter, etc.
I must attest my knowledge of the other mythologies is limited, but what I have heard of them they are intriguing and as having Native American ancestors I've taken some inspiration for some of my homebrew gods from their mythologies usually when pertaining to Druidic/Shamanistic cultures/deities I create. In any case, I find inspiration in all types of mythologies and current religions of the day as well as cultures past and present to making anything in my worlds. |
| GRYPHON |
Posted - 22 Dec 2010 : 14:57:21
Greek... |
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