Pantheon

“What? Another one?”

If I don’t write I’ll be driven insane.

Gods have always played a large part in my writing, whether it is fantasy or less fantastical writing. Even my creative non-fiction writing makes references to the various gods and goddesses of the pantheons I created over the past decade or so. Keeping in line with my writing style, some of these gods and entire pantheons get recycled and retooled depending on the various works they appear in. This article is separated into pantheons and then loose-leaf deities.

Artoran Pantheon

The Artoran Pantheon is shaped like itself: a collection of nine to eleven deities that rule the natural world. They made their first appearance in a really old writing project of mine based in the Kingdom of Artora and, like the titular kingdom itself, they get recycled and reused and referenced in my other, more private works as well as another project I’m working on. Below are the most common and recurring deities of the pantheon.

The Celestial Gods

Brin, God of the Sun/Sunlight:

The chief deity, the Father of the Gods, the lord of light. Brin embodies the sun and is the source of all life and energy in all its forms. He rules over the sky and heavens and is arbitrator of justice, often associated with trial by fire and divine conflagration. His symbol is the yellow sun and is often associated with the phoenix and the falcon.

Galaxia, Goddess of Stars:

The divine wife of Brin who sprung fully formed from the celestial milk that created the universe. Embodies the stars and plays mother to wisdom and knowledge in all its forms. She often grants her favor to nomads and wayfarers, those who travel by starlight and rely on the position of stars to make their way through the world. Her symbol is an eight pointed star and is often associated with feathers and writing.

Aorohna, Goddess of Moons:

Brin’s First Born and the fairest of them all, Aorohna was killed by the God of Death. Her carcass became the moon and her spirit was plunged down into the underworld. She embodies change and the end of all things, often associated with destructive tides and foreboding weather. Her symbol is the moon, orbited by a smaller moon, and the sickle.

The Terrestrial Gods

Hyrdaxion, God of Storms:

Brin’s second born, ruler of rain and lightning, father to thunder. He embodies the change and the renewal that often comes with it, be it a long rain after a drought or a torrential downpour during an uncontrollable wildfire. He did battle with the God of Death on numerous occasions in order to reclaim the spirit of his sister and failed every time. His cosmic floods act as a “reset button” for civilization. His symbol is the lightning bolt and is associated with thunder birds and griffons.

Gladexion, the Winds of Fortune:

Unlike the God of Storms and the Goddess of Moons, Gladexion is purely good weather: the trade winds, a summer breeze, a cloud of pollen sweeping through a flowered meadow, and dominion over song birds. Unlike their siblings, Gladexion is genderless and is depicted as a literal breeze in pictures and sculptures. Their symbol is a cloud and is associated with all songbirds, excluding ravens.

Empyreax, Goddess of Flames:

Goddess of Flames, Dichotomy, and Hypocrisy, all things that fire encompasses. Empyreax gives life as a nurturing flame; as the crackling hearth in the home and the smoking campfire in the woods, as the gentle candle light at night and signal fire that guides the wayward home. Inversely Empyreax is a destructive inferno; as the raging wildfires that sweep through the brush and forest, as the errant candle gone awry, as the fire bombs launched during a siege. Her symbol is a pillar of flames and is associated with ants.

Terraxia, the Earth Renewed:

Despite the name and title, Terraxia is not the God of Earth, but the God of Nature. The only deity to hold a constant physical form in the mortal realm, Terraxia takes the shape of a giant sequoia, the largest tree in existence, and spreads their roots to create an ever-growing forest of redwood trees that houses the Wood Elves. Their symbol is the giant seqouia and is associated with all wildlife, even those associated with the other gods.

Aureanas, the Sun’s Last Born:

The last born son of Brin, Aureanas is not a god but a mortal blessed with divinity. He claimed to rule over all mortal life as the one and true master, waging eternal war to that pursuit for thousands of years. On the cusp of his total victory, he was struck down by the God of Death and his body annihilated. Aureanas’s spirit did not ascend to godhood as he had thought, nor did he descend to the underworld as the God of Death had hoped, but was split into three distinct entities: Pallid Athiis, the Spirit of Victory; Mortahl Janus, the Spirit of Justice; and Ardent Peridiax, the Spirit of Vengeance.

The Underworld

Errant Rysbain, the God of Death:

When Brin first came into being, Rysbain was created at the exact same time as the opposite half of their coin. As Brin grew in strength, so to did Rysbain in order to better fit his purpose as the sun’s equal and opposite; Brin created life and lorded over it as supreme being, whereas Rysbain ended life and set them free from the Tyranny of the Sun. His infatuation with Aorohna, as the embodiment of the end of all things, lead to many clashes with the gods. Only when he struck down Aureanas did Rysbain face the wrath of Brin, permanently crippled and forced to flee to his underworld. As his equal and opposite, Brin was crippled in turn and forced to stay in the heavens, detached from the world he created.

The Black Sun:

Apotheosis, Antithesis, Annihilation.

Suthron Pantheon

The newest pantheon I created for my current writing project, it exists in tandem with the Artoran Pantheon and directly competes with it, although it is highly concentrated in Suthron lands.

The Pack

The Great Wolf Ara, the All Mother, the Eater of Rage:

The All Mother who drank the celestial milk that created the universe and gave birth to three children. While pregnant with her litter Ara ate the rage in the hearts of mortals, freeing their minds and earning their undying devotion. The rage coalesced inside the unborn Arrakei, who became the Dread-wolf and ate rage from then on. Ara shaped the Suthron lands with her powerful paws and her followers safe beneath her belly.

Arrakas the Green Paw:

Arrakas, born from the Great Wolf and the celestial milk, sprang from his mother’s womb fully grown and left lush undergrowth in his wake. His forests are sacred and remain closely cared for by the Suthron people, who evoke his name during times of abundance. Arrakas can be felt in the trees and provides shelter for the followers ahead and behind the Great Wolf.

Arraket, the Mother of Wolves:

The runt of the litter, Arraket became the mother of the first wolves to roam the wilderness. All wolves head her call and are noble beasts, quiet and wary of mortals but ultimately their allies in the Suthron lands. To kill a wolf is to sin against her and invites a swift death.

The Dread-wolf Arrakei, the Eater of Death:

The Dread-wolf, born from the celestial milk and the rage in the hearts of mortal men. Father of the Black Fire, an artifact of extreme power that holds dominion over magic and obliteration. Arrakei fathered two human sons, the Red Berserker and the Black Berserker, both of whom could take the form of wolves but only the Red Berserker could control his rage. Ate the God of Death.

Shared Gods

The Suthron and Artoran pantheons share one god.

Rysbain Blackfire, the God of Death:

The Artoran God of Death who stole the Black Fire from Arrakei in order to strike down Aureanas. The Artoran myth states that he was smote by Brin while the Suthron myth states that he was eaten by Arrakei. In either case, his remains fled to the underworld.

The Outer Gods

The Outer Gods, in Lovecraft fashion, hail from beyond the stars and crossed over from another dimension. They travel through a space between spaces known as the Narrow. Cursed with hunger unending, they know only how to fill the bottomless void of their appetite.

Ro’thagg-mal, the Eater of Dreams:

The one most cooperative with humanity, for without them there are no dreams to feed itself with. Gifts supernaturally powers willingly and freely, no strings attached, and can even be convinced to fight other Outer Gods if it suits its purposes. Notoriously condescending and difficult to communicate with, but Ro’thagg-mal is the only one that even acknowledges humanity as something other than food. Takes the form of a singular eye on a long stalk connected to an equine body with elongated legs and no hooves.

Erlub’Grix, the Poisoned Earth:

Erlub’Grix spreads decay and disease, leaving behind a slimy trail that renders the soil barren and useless for all time. Breeds swarms of Marrow Eaters to suck the bone marrow from any living thing and feed it, also dines on the pituitary gland. Takes the shape of a tall, spindly mushroom colony with crab-like legs.

Amalgamatron, the Flesh that Hates:

Amalgamatron fancies itself a sculptor and flesh as clay, creating and twisting life into amalgamations unfit for existence whose very presence instills fear and drives creatures insane. Eats the left femurs and seventh rib bones of all creatures, as well as the right cerebellum of the brain. Takes the form of a four dimensional tetrahedron orbited by eight smaller four dimensional tetrahedrons.

Unsorted Gods

Miscellaneous gods and deities that don’t fit into the above pantheons.

The Salt God:

God of Salt and Sea, patron of sailors and wayfarers, ironically takes the form of a horned slug. The Salt God longs for salt and bestows its blessing to those who bring it the seasoning. “Salt for the Salt God.” Has a long standing feud with the Blood Wolf.

The Blood Wolf:

Not to be confused with the Pack listed above, the Blood Wolf longs for blood. Favored by raiders, it’s call is known throughout the land and is met with fear. “Blood for the Blood Wolf.” Every kill must have a dedicated portion of blood sacrificed to the Blood Wolf, else it manifests in your home and devours your flesh. Has a long standing feud with the Salt God.

The Deer God:

An entity that upholds the Laws of the Hunt. Read more about it here.