A Few Thoughts On Pantheons
So youâre creating a fictional world and youâre ready for a pantheon. SWEET! Letâs go!
Where to start? Everybody is different, but I found that searching for already existing gods and goddesses helped to get a good feel of the type of pantheon I wanted to go with. Think about all the pantheons youâve learned about. What role will yours play in this world youâve created? Whatâs their motif?
What kind of characteristics do your gods have? Are your gods vengeful and easily angered, or are they wise and just? It doesnât hurt to think of ways for their themes to tie into your story.Â
I have a goal for the pantheon Iâve created and itâs similar to a common theme in my WIP - each of the Eight Divine Immortals have stories that highlight human nature. In the creation myth, The Goddess gave humans the same characteristics as The Eight. Good and bad, the humans of this world are a reflection of their demigods and demigoddesses. (And they are spoiled, naughty, rotten children. Every last one of them!) These characteristics tend to be on the more extreme side, and thatâs because their moods are INTENSELY GODLIKE. âLike, youâre kinda mad about something and Kezzaâs like âwow BIG MOODâ and by that she means, âLast time someone made me âkinda madâ, I burned a few fields down and put a curse on their entire family.âÂ
How does the existence of these gods affect day-to-day culture? Do your gods like to meddle with humans and their petty affairs, or do they prefer a hands-off relationship with mortals?
In my WIP, some people believe that humans can be blessed by one of The Eight. These may be signified by birthmarks (ex. a child born with an owl-shaped birthmark has been blessed by Rian) or other physical characteristics (ex. pale skin and hair with bright blue eyes has been blessed by Droh). In these cases, it is quite common for parents to give their child a name that is similar to the name of that demigod or demigoddess. It is bad luck to give a child the exact name of one of The Eight. (Ex. a child with a mischievous look may be named Pux, like the trickster Demigod, Pyx.) And, just like that, I have a unique naming structure to use for some of my characters.
Having trouble coming up with some personality traits? Why not have a character who is really blasphemous when they curse? I can see a mom character saying, âI swear by Pyx and all of the Eight Divine Immortals, if you do not get back in this house I will END YOU.â or âWise Rian, give me patience, child if you do that one more time I will END YOU.â
How can your gods tie into the physical aspect of the world youâve created? Natural phenomena (like northern lights or unique stone structures) are a great place to start! In my WIP, the world has two moons, called The Eyes of Droh, and they are named after the Demigod of love. With something like this, the possibilities are endless, giving the world a more authentic feel.
How do the devout show their devotion? Do they build altars? Do they leave tiny trinkets? Do they fight wars all in the name of their gods? Do they build monuments or carve sculptures? What about rituals and ceremonies?Â
Donât forget the non-believers too!
If you have a pantheon, why not write up a creation myth? This was actually something that surprised me. I started with the creation myth and the rest took a life of its own. It also made for a fun writing exercise, and a productive way to stretch my creativity as well.Â
All in all, making a pantheon can help to enrich your story, give depth to the worlds you create, and even help with character development! Happy writing!