Gods: Filing off the Serial Numbers (Worldbuilding 1)

Prefer video? See the original version here.

Greetings. I'm Jack Kellum, @JackGogsbane over on Twitter. This is the first installment of a series on worldbuilding, from my particular point of view.

From my perspective, one of the most important foundations of a world, whether for fiction or gaming, is its religion. In settings where such things are unknown and unknowable, the religion tells us a lot about what the people of that setting find important. In settings where the gods are objectively, provably real...the religion can tell us a lot about the world itself. What kind of world would those gods make, and administer?

So starting with the gods, in a setting where they are worshiped, and especially a setting where they truly exist, can be a great first step. But devising a whole pantheon of gods, with their own personalities, mythology, and interactions, can be daunting. It can be difficult to make gods that feel real, that inspire, that are gripping. But there's an easy solution to that.

In short, use gods that already exist. I'm not talking about the gods people invented for their worlds. I'm talking about gods humans really worshiped at one point. They come with complicated backstories, interpersonal relationships, and stories that illustrate those. Sadly, they also come with baggage, unintended implications etc. So what do we do?

We file off the serial numbers. Find mythological gods that resonate with you. That feel like how people might actually see their purviews in the world you envision. They don't even have to be from the same pantheon. Imagine, for instance, how Thor as a storm god might interact with, say, Nergal, as a sun god, or Amaterasu. An important part here, though, is changing the names. (Sometimes. If you want a straight up Viking game or setting, use the Aesir as is.) But for a lot of fictional and game worlds, you want consistent naming conventions between the gods (though they might have different names in different places), because you really only need one pantheon. If the gods are real, it can mess with suspension of disbelief to have two or more sun gods. Which one is really in charge?

So. Assume we have one pantheon, made up of your favorite gods. We might use the following, say, Thor for the storm god and god of strength, Nergal as the sun god, Geb as the earth god. If we have a male earth god, let's make the ocean and the sky female, giving us Tethys and Asherah, respectively. Throw in Brigit as a goddess of fire, craft, and healing. We'll need a moon or night deity, we could go a bit further afield here from the Sumerian, Egyptian, Norse, Greek, and Egyptian, to say, Japanese. Genderbend the moon god Tsuki-Yomi to a female or nonbinary (not a huge stretch, because accounts differ on the god already), and you have a somewhat uncivilized unpredictable moon. Grab Inari for another nonbinary, and you have a marvelous fox/rabbit/shapeshifter/trickster god.

What kind of a world does that give us? Well, Thor and Asherah would probably be married. People would call on An to sooth his temper, but in general the sky gods would be beneficent protectors, especially from otherworldly threats. Geb might be paired with Tethys, and both would be worshipped for fertility and prosperity. Tethys would be the feared one of that pair. Not everyone is married, though. Let's say Nergal and Brigit are siblings. Also, since Nergal is a god of disease and harsh sun, he and his sister, the goddess of healing and fire, would be generally opposed. Tsuki-yomi is mysterious, and becomes a patron of magic, while Inari is beloved, a trickster who brings food and fertility. Only Nergal is possibly 'evil', although even he may actually only be a harsh judge. Mostly folks don't worship gods they see as evil. But those gods are in the religion. So Nergal if is harsh but not evil...what god do we have representing evil, then? You'll note that while Thor is a warrior's god...he isn't a god of war. Maybe, like the Greeks, the people of our setting see war as inherently evil. In that case, we could do worse than grabbing Ares as the BBEG of the religion.

Nergal, as the harsh male sun god, suggests a land where the sun is shining often enough, and warmly enough, that it is considered one of the trials of life. Tsuki-Yomi as the moon god suggests night as a time of mystery when anything can happen, but not evil by nature.

At any rate, with the above set of gods, I see a predominantly agricultural culture, probably more southerly than Northern Europe or Japan, because of the harshness of the sun. Maybe something vaguely Mediterranean. But we can get to that later.

So, let's assume we're building a pantheon like this for D&D 5e. We have nine gods, and we can figure out what their domains and alignments are. They don't actually have to cover all the alignments, but you do want them to provide all the domains. And in this same process we can chisel the nameplates off.

Let's use a Mediterranean sounding naming convention. The names of the gods might have been established, for instance, by a fallen Romanesque empire. All these are actually lightly butchered Latin.

Saevios, “He Who Rages” King of the gods, god of storm, protector of the world. Defeated the ancient demon-dragon. (Referential to Thor and Jormungandr as well as Marduk and Tiamat).His domains would be Tempest, and maybe War. He's probably Chaotic Good.

Caela “She Who is Heaven”, Queen of the Gods, soother of tempers, intercessor for mortals.Her domains would be Knowledge and Peace. (Sky gods are often associated with wisdom) She's Neutral Good.

Tellus “Lord of Earth”, master of green growing things. His domains are Nature and Life.His alignment is Neutral.

Marea, “Lady of the Sea” Mistress of waves and all that lives below them. She carrieds the dead to the afterlife. Her domains are Tempest and Grave. Her alignment is Chaotic Neutral.

Lunos, “Deity of the Moon” They are unpredictable and obscured. Their domains are Twilight and Light. Their alignment is Chaotic Good.

Vulpos, “The Trickster” Shapeshifting fox deity who lives with Lunos in the Moon Palace.Their domains are Trickery and Arcana. Their alignment is Chaotic Good.

Solis, “The Angry Sun”. God of the sun, and of disease, and of the afterlife itself. His domains are Light, and Death.His alignment is Lawful Neutral.

Ignia, “Mistress Fire” Goddess of fire, healing, and crafting. Her domains are Forge, Light, and Life. Her alignment is Lawful Good.

Finally, we have Interitus, “God of War and Destruction”. His chosen animal is snakes, and his domains are War and Death. His alignment is Chaotic Evil.

Next time we can talk about the world and society such individuals might have crafted, and some of their mythology.