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Author Topic: Pseudo-Pantheon  (Read 3026 times)

EllieDriver

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Pseudo-Pantheon
« on: January 28, 2017, 06:14:57 am »
Has anyone used chaos magick to create their own pantheon?  How did you do it?  What was the result of your creation.

I am thinking about creating my own Pantheon since I haven't found a pagan religion I truly connect to.

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Altair

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Re: Pseudo-Pantheon
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2017, 09:17:02 am »
Quote from: EllieDriver;201975
Has anyone used chaos magick to create their own pantheon?  How did you do it?  What was the result of your creation.

I am thinking about creating my own Pantheon since I haven't found a pagan religion I truly connect to.



I had the same problem. I didn't use chaos magic, but I did find my own pantheon. The result is here:

http://songsofthemetamythos.com/home.html

How did I do it? At first, by accident; for a science-fiction novel I'd been tinkering with in my head for years, I tried to imagine what the religion of a humanity in the distant future might look like. Eventually I ditched the SF novel as a derivative piece of crap...but I kept returning to that religion. It turns out, in trying to imagine humanity's future religion, I'd ended up inadvertently mapping my own beliefs.

This is important: A pantheon is not enough. Fancy names and roles are great, but the gods won't really take shape until you start writing their myths.
(Think about it: Most of the gods of ancient pantheons didn't exist just as gods, but in the context of stories that showed who they really were, what they really cared about, and defined their relationships and history with the other gods in the pantheon.)

My pantheon started by accident, but the choice to write their stories was deliberate, and it completely altered and deepened my understanding of them. It stopped being just a pantheon, and became a mythos.

That's my two cents.
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

EllieDriver

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Re: Pseudo-Pantheon
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2017, 12:11:34 pm »
Quote from: Altair;201979
I had the same problem. I didn't use chaos magic, but I did find my own pantheon. The result is here:

http://songsofthemetamythos.com/home.html

How did I do it? At first, by accident; for a science-fiction novel I'd been tinkering with in my head for years, I tried to imagine what the religion of a humanity in the distant future might look like. Eventually I ditched the SF novel as a derivative piece of crap...but I kept returning to that religion. It turns out, in trying to imagine humanity's future religion, I'd ended up inadvertently mapping my own beliefs.

This is important: A pantheon is not enough. Fancy names and roles are great, but the gods won't really take shape until you start writing their myths.
(Think about it: Most of the gods of ancient pantheons didn't exist just as gods, but in the context of stories that showed who they really were, what they really cared about, and defined their relationships and history with the other gods in the pantheon.)

My pantheon started by accident, but the choice to write their stories was deliberate, and it completely altered and deepened my understanding of them. It stopped being just a pantheon, and became a mythos.

That's my two cents.

 
This is exactly what I'm doing now with the exception that I am used a pantheon generator to give me some ideas This is what I have written so far.

Maerarra, the Goddess of Wisdom and Truth, is almost plain-looking, with copper skin, waist length, swirling pale red hair, and eyes the color of polished oak. She is very tall and of hearty build, and rarely laughs. She usually wears simple robes dyed bronze and dark green.
She is also associated with arrogance. She is often worshipped by nobles. Her surprisingly numerous followers can be primarily distinguished by the rites they perform. There are a small number of altars dedicated to her near rivers. There are many myths involving her illicit relationship with Thainc. She is the sister of Kairel. She is known to occasionally mislead mortals with quests. Use tiger eye gemstones, pine cones and river water to summon her.

Other Deities:

Badi, the Goddess of Sex, Dawn and Mountains, has skin that is bright red, long, flowing golden hair, and eyes the color of summer sky. She usually wears armor and a helmet dyed brown and bright scarlet.
She is also associated with holidays. She is often worshipped by city dwellers. Her large numbers of followers can be primarily distinguished by their ear gauges. There are a large number of altars dedicated to her in mountains. There are many myths involving her mercurial relationship with Thainc. She is the mother of Maerarra. She is known to challenge great mortal heroes.

Oruchurah, the Goddess of Chaos and Fear, she is 10 feet tall with closed eyes going up and down her body. She has hair the color of a clear blue sky. Her skin is the color of onyx and the eyes on her head are blood red. She usually wears light and airy robes dyed pale orange to cover her eyes.
She is also associated with medicine, rivers and abundance. She is often worshipped by the wealthy. Her surprisingly few followers can be primarily distinguished by the holidays they observe. There are widespread shrines to her on lonely roads. There are many myths involving her enduring friendship with Thaesseru. She is the daughter of Badi. She is known to help great mortal warriors.

Thainc, the Goddess of Justice and Jesters,she is 5'4 with ivory skin, shoulder length, patchy dark grey hair, and eyes the color of the night sky. She is surprisingly short and willowy, and is usually Always cackling. She usually wears elegant clothing dyed dark red.
She is also associated with mishaps and astronomy. She is often worshipped by the poor. Her surprisingly few followers can be primarily distinguished by the way they conduct themselves. There are a small number of shrines to her in cities. There are many myths involving her affectionate relationship with certain mortals. She is the sister of Kairel. She is known to give some help to mortal villians.

Kairel, the Goddess of Keys has tanned skin, shoulder length, flowing black hair, and eyes the color of deep pits. She is very short and very muscular, and looks somewhat malicious. She usually wears chain mail made of gold and has a million keys hanging off of each link.
She is also associated with wrath and the sun. She is often worshipped by magic-users. Her many followers can be primarily distinguished by their top bun hairstyle. There are more than a few altars dedicated to her in the alleyways of large cities. There are many myths involving her constant scheming with Thaesseru. She is the wife of Kra. She is known to give help to great mortal leaders.

Thaesseru, the Goddess of Alchemy, Mountains and Graves, is quite beautiful, with pale skin, long, wavy russet hair, and eyes the color of green leaves. She is tall and broad-shouldered, and generally appears mischievious. She usually wears armor and a helmet dyed medium yellow.
She is also associated with solstices. She is often worshipped by city dwellers. Her almost fanatical followers can be primarily distinguished by the symbols they wear. There are numerous temples to her in military outposts. There are many myths involving her constant scheming with certain mortals. She is the sister of Kra. She is known to sometimes place obstacles in the way of mortal magic-users.

Kra, the God of Celebration, Travel and Snow, is surprisingly plain, with ashen skin, shoulder length, dark grey hair, and eyes the color of shimmering crystals. He is medium height and of hearty build, and is usually smiling. He usually wears a cloak dyed tan and pale brown.
He is also associated with inspiration. He is often worshipped by the elderly. His large numbers of followers can be primarily distinguished by the holidays they observe. There are a small number of temples to him in large cities. There are many myths involving his happy relationship with Thainc. He is the son of Kairel. He is known to appear to virtuous mortals.


I am currently writing origin stories for each deity.

Altair

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Re: Pseudo-Pantheon
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2017, 12:44:28 am »
Quote from: EllieDriver;202037
This is what I have written so far.



No lack of imagination in what you've written, and that's great.

A few things to think about:

1) You have some very detailed descriptions of your goddesses and gods; for example, Oruchurah's body is covered in closed eyes. Is there a deliberate reason for the things you describe for your deities? Or did you arrive at their appearance intuitively? If it's intuitive, try to tease out why you made those choices; the answers can be very illuminating and help you understand your gods better.

EXAMPLE: One myth I wrote involved the entry gate to the underworld's palace of thoughts, and intuitively I put two giant snakes there to guard the entrance. But when I considered what I'd done, I realized this was no accident; these snakes had specific significance that my subconscious was already starting to figure out, and when I realized what these snakes were, that understanding decided everything from the names of those snakes to how certain parts of the myth had to unfold.

Question what you're doing to get at the deeper levels of why you're doing it that way.

2) How real for you are these deities? Or are they fantasy?

Several times you write that "X goddess has a lot of worshippers," or "Y god has very few followers"...but you're inventing this, so right now, at most the number of worshippers is 1: you. So that confused me.

If, on the other hand, you're constructing this as a religion for a fantasy world, and not for the here and now, you can say there are as many worshippers as you want.

EXAMPLE: My mythos started as fantasy--part of the world-building for a work of science fiction--but outgrew that shell and became something in its own right, in the here and now. When it did, all the clutter (like who in the SF novel followed which gods) dropped away.

Which leads to my final question for the moment...

3) What's the context for these gods and their myths?

All pantheons are inextricably linked to the culture they spring from, in everything from the names of the gods ("Thor" and "Odin" are distinctly Norse, and are unlikely to coexist with a god named "Tsuki-Yomi" [Japanese]) to what roles the gods play (for example, rain gods are more likely to be important in agricultural societies). What culture do your gods spring from?

This also goes back to #2 above; are you writing for a real culture that exists today (hopefully your own), or a fantasy world with a created social structure? There are hints in the descriptions of the gods that it's the latter, a made-up society. In which case, how real can your gods be?


Two final notes:
Quote
I used a pantheon generator to give me some ideas

--I am extremely wary of deity by pantheon generator. What you get out can't possibly reflect the rich experiences of human existence, the nuances of culture and time/place; you might as well grab Scrabble tiles at random and see what you get.

Quote

I am currently writing origin stories for each deity.

--Good...but don't just write origin stories. Once these gods came into being, whatever their origin, they can't have just sat around all this time. What did they do, relative to each other and us mortals, that sheds light on some aspect of our existence?
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

EllieDriver

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Re: Pseudo-Pantheon
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2017, 07:45:05 am »
Quote from: Altair;202075
No lack of imagination in what you've written, and that's great.

A few things to think about:

1) You have some very detailed descriptions of your goddesses and gods; for example, Oruchurah's body is covered in closed eyes. Is there a deliberate reason for the things you describe for your deities? Or did you arrive at their appearance intuitively? If it's intuitive, try to tease out why you made those choices; the answers can be very illuminating and help you understand your gods better.

EXAMPLE: One myth I wrote involved the entry gate to the underworld's palace of thoughts, and intuitively I put two giant snakes there to guard the entrance. But when I considered what I'd done, I realized this was no accident; these snakes had specific significance that my subconscious was already starting to figure out, and when I realized what these snakes were, that understanding decided everything from the names of those snakes to how certain parts of the myth had to unfold.

Question what you're doing to get at the deeper levels of why you're doing it that way.

2) How real for you are these deities? Or are they fantasy?

Several times you write that "X goddess has a lot of worshippers," or "Y god has very few followers"...but you're inventing this, so right now, at most the number of worshippers is 1: you. So that confused me.

If, on the other hand, you're constructing this as a religion for a fantasy world, and not for the here and now, you can say there are as many worshippers as you want.

EXAMPLE: My mythos started as fantasy--part of the world-building for a work of science fiction--but outgrew that shell and became something in its own right, in the here and now. When it did, all the clutter (like who in the SF novel followed which gods) dropped away.

Which leads to my final question for the moment...

3) What's the context for these gods and their myths?

All pantheons are inextricably linked to the culture they spring from, in everything from the names of the gods ("Thor" and "Odin" are distinctly Norse, and are unlikely to coexist with a god named "Tsuki-Yomi" [Japanese]) to what roles the gods play (for example, rain gods are more likely to be important in agricultural societies). What culture do your gods spring from?

This also goes back to #2 above; are you writing for a real culture that exists today (hopefully your own), or a fantasy world with a created social structure? There are hints in the descriptions of the gods that it's the latter, a made-up society. In which case, how real can your gods be?


Two final notes:

--I am extremely wary of deity by pantheon generator. What you get out can't possibly reflect the rich experiences of human existence, the nuances of culture and time/place; you might as well grab Scrabble tiles at random and see what you get.


--Good...but don't just write origin stories. Once these gods came into being, whatever their origin, they can't have just sat around all this time. What did they do, relative to each other and us mortals, that sheds light on some aspect of our existence?

 
I writing an entire mythos centered around these Deities. Really this is just a preview of something larger I am trying to build within my pantheon, which I am sure will take quite a lot of time. So far I have the origin's of Maerarra and Oruchura written out. I'll be using this thread to chronicle the myths as I create it.

As far as culture being apart of the pantheon, well I don't feel too comfortable doing that as it might be appropriation. That is the main reason why I did not feel comfortable being part of an established religion as I did not identify with the culture nor am I from an ancestry that practiced said religions. I do take inspiration from some of the darker deities from the Lovecraftian Mythos. To me, my pantheon represents the struggle between chaos and order, specifically on how it effects the lives of human beings who are caught in the middle of that eternal struggle. If there is a culture attached to it then it would be that of the gridcore/anarcho-punk/crust punk subcultures.

Also with chaos magick you need belief as a tool to make things manifest.  You don't necessarily need culture attached. However what it does need is a lot of energy to be put into it for the god forms to manifest.

Altair

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Re: Pseudo-Pantheon
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2017, 08:57:16 pm »
Quote from: EllieDriver;202122

As far as culture being apart of the pantheon, well I don't feel too comfortable doing that as it might be appropriation. That is the main reason why I did not feel comfortable being part of an established religion as I did not identify with the culture nor am I from an ancestry that practiced said religions.

 
I feel the same way, and that's a big part of why ended up with my own mythos.

But I don't think you can have a real mythos that doesn't reflect a culture, just as you can't have a language that isn't rooted in a culture--the common experiences and viewpoints of a group of people. I rooted my mythos in my own (since it's my belief system) modern Western culture.

Even fictional religions and languages (the works of Tolkien, the Klingon language of Star Trek) reflect the made-up societies they inhabit. And even what you posted here earlier suggested a (fictional) culture in very rough form, with class divisions ("the rich worship this deity, the poor worship this other deity").

Otherwise, what ideas/perspectives is a mythos going to address?
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

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