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What is a god to you?

Legal Rose

Scribe
It depends on a setting.

One of my settings that I liked was composed of countless pocket dimensions that people can teleport between using various techniques. Each of these worlds is ruled over by a single god who originally designed that world. And because of this, the worlds often reflect the personality of the god that created them.

These gods are basically based on classical paganism. Their have a human form, and their biggest distinguishing feature is their immortality. They can either appear on their world or withdraw to their ethereal home where they can observe the goings-on from a distance. They have a variety of specific powers although it's unclear exactly how powerful they are. Some gods are really apathetic and disinterested in humans, and others demand constant tribute and worship, etc. etc.
 

Creed

Sage
In my first Volume a god is a traditional sort of thing. The people worship three main deities- the main one being the Bright-God.
In my second Volume there is one main god. And then there are the cults- a growing nuisance to the Church. But when these heretics reach a certain point, and when blood becomes involved, the mortals begin making gods. There is power in belief, and power in blood. Now that's one little part that forms the plot. What happens when the wrong person becomes a god, and what happens when you use the blood of a god as a weapon?
In my third Volune the gods have been overthrown, and in their place rule three brothers- the GodKings. The old gods live among humans, suffering as we do and living with love and prejudice and all the little tragedies humans might have to deal with.
 

shangrila

Inkling
Gods, in my current world, are just supremely powerful beings. They're stars that have fallen to the planet, typically because too much use of their dimensions power dislodges them. They're not omnipotent, though their powers tend to vary. There was one, for example, who decided to lord over a kingdom but couldn't take all the prayers offered up to him, which have since driven him to depression and a never ending bottle of whiskey. He seems to be the only one affected by prayers, though.
 

mjmonarch

Dreamer
I think it depends on how central they are to the story. The underlying battle may be simply a proxy between the forces of good vs. evil. Very prevalent in contemporary western religions today.

However, if the world you're creating requires them to have/be/control part of the story then they have to be somewhat defined.

Considering the genre we are talking about, I think many readers bring their own definitions to the table, but it's up to you to enable/empower the gods in your world.
 

Holland

Dreamer
wow there are alot of different interpretations of what a god is and how they or it interact with the world.

But for me it really depends on the story and there purpose in the world their in.

other then that I would define a god or deity in the much of the same way as it is stated in Wikipedia.
 

mbartelsm

Troubadour
I've updated my definition of gods a bit since my last post.

There are the Titans which you could call the original gods, they are the creators of the known universe and are omnipotent/scient/present.

There are the Gods which were created by the titans along with the universe, each god has full control over one of the elements of nature.

And there are daemons or lesser gods which control small natural regions on the planet, not very powerful though.
 

Gurkhal

Auror
For me a god is more or less a way to describe a thing's relation with someone else. For example a dragon could be the god of a tribe or a mighty rider of clouds could be a god for another tribe. This is of course not very deep theology but for me there isn't any concrete attributes or characteristics that must be fullfilled for something to qualify as a god.
 

WyrdMystic

Inkling
The gods in my current work were normal people who stole magic from nature. They used that magic to subvert humanity which then split into several distinct races. As the races evolved the emotional traits of their 'parent' manifested in changes to physiology. I don't write it in as a religion, but as history. They are not referrred to as Gods, but as mothers and fathers.
 
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