Favorite Mythological Pantheon

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2004-10-15 10:16am

Of all of the mythological pantheons which one do you find the most intriguing from a fictional standpoint?

Personally, I'm very fond of the primordial deities mentioned in Hesiod's Theogony - the gods that predated the Olympians and the Titans. Khaos, his two children Erebus(Darkness) and Nyx(Night) and their children, Aether(Quintessence/Light) and Hemera(Day), and Nyx's subsequent offspring Moros(Doom), Thanatos(Death), Hypnos(Sleep), Eris(Strife), Nemesis, Ker(Destiny), Momus(fault finding) and other divine personifications of nature.

I'm also a big fan of the Celtic gods who seem a lot more transcendent and otherworldy than their Norse and Olympian counterparts.

Besides Western Mythology, I find the Hindu pantheon of Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma to be impressive on the cosmic scale of things.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-10-15 10:20am

Greek mythology because they had so many heroes and their heroes were closer to the ideal I've always found most interesting to me. Plus the gods were almost like humans save with awesome powers. They were jealous, angry, spiteful.

TIED with

Norse mythology. Thor, Odin, Loki, fate, and the greatest end time ever in any mythology - Ragnarok.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-10-15 10:21am

Greek, because they were human with a lot of power. They had so many problem that you had to love and hate them.

Norse is the same arena...especially the fact they had a ending

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-10-15 10:23am

GR it would be nice if you didn'y copy off my posts.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2004-10-15 10:27am

I've always been somewhat fascinated with Aztec mythology, especially because the Aztecs foretold that their civilization would end in tragedy - and it did. The conquests of Cortez and the way in which his expedition ties into Aztec myth humanizes the whole thing greatly and brings it somewhat into the realm of reality.

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2004-10-15 10:32am

The Olympians' humanness and pettiness is the reason I don't consider them to be a favorite pantheon of mine even though the it was those elements that made their stories the most entertaining.

I mean, Diomedes(empowered by Athena) impaled Ares with a spear and cut Aphrodite during a battle at Troy and both of them scampered away from the battle boo-hooing to Zeus.

The Asgardians were impressive in a godly way but just a little crazy.

The Morrigan · Post by **The Morrigan** » 2004-10-15 10:56am

Ancient Irish, with special reference to the Morrigan (obviously) an Manannan mac Lir.

Also, not really a pantheon but I love the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. The relationship between Fionn mac Cuill & Goll mac Morna fascinates me. Well, I love Irish mythology in general, but particulary those characters.

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2004-10-15 11:16am

Gotta give this one to the Norse. Nobody beats the Norse for pure kick-assness.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-10-15 11:30am

gotta go with norse myself. Several of the gods in norse myth were men who achieved godhood, rather than simply being gods from the start. Plus they had all the same passions, desires, drives, etc. as regular humans, except far more intense. Gotta have respect for a guy that's willing to cut out his own eyeball and hang upside down from a tree for days in order to gain unparalleled wisdom and knowledge with no guarantees of success from the attempt.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2004-10-15 11:40am

Stravo wrote:GR it would be nice if you didn'y copy off my posts.

Pfft you wish

aten_vs_ra · Post by **aten_vs_ra** » 2004-10-15 12:20pm

I fancy the loas from the Vodun religion. Dambala the serpent spirit, Baron Samedi the grave guardian, and Papa Legba the speaker for the loas. Ogoun is the violent warrior. I love his description from here.

His possessions can sometimes be violent. Those mounted by him are known to wash their hands in flaming rum without suffering from it later. They dress up in red wave a sabre or machete, chew a cigar and demand rum in an old phrase Gren mwe fret (my testicles are cold).

Post by **Kuja** » 2004-10-15 12:27pm

You don't know the power of the Norse.

Olympians come in second, I think. They had some pretty cool throwdowns.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2004-10-15 01:54pm

Stravo wrote:GR it would be nice if you didn'y copy off my posts.

I'm not trying to copy either, but yeah, I'm also tied between Greek and Norse.

Bob the Gunslinger · Post by **Bob the Gunslinger** » 2004-10-15 02:20pm

I gotta give props to the Vedic and Hindu mythologies for the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. That's what an epic throwdown looks like.

I'm also a big fan of the Greek and Norse mythologies, but I really like Middle Eastern mythologies (Sumerian and Babylonian), too.

Of course, the most fun can be had with the Judeo-Christian-Muslim mythologies. Leviathon, Lilith, Kherubim, Nephilim, and saying the name of your God will kill or subdue any mortal man or immortal monster. Plus the Occult has some cool shit in it, what with the Keys of Solomon and all that.

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2004-10-15 04:36pm

Bob the Gunslinger wrote:... but I really like Middle Eastern mythologies (Sumerian and Babylonian), too.

Yeah. Tiamat, Marduk. Even just the names are cool.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-10-15 06:50pm

My Big Three: Celtic, Norse, Greek.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-10-16 07:18am

Gita and Ramayana kick ass

after that the Greek and Norse.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2004-10-16 12:34pm

Greek myth got me into myth scene. You have to love the Germanic myths too, to include the Norse.

But I just have a thing for early Jewish Angelic myth, mostly all the good stuff they ripped off of Babyalon and Arcaidian myth.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2004-10-16 12:36pm

Judeo-Christian.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-10-16 02:33pm

Bob the Gunslinger wrote:I gotta give props to the Vedic and Hindu mythologies for the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. That's what an epic throwdown looks like.

I'm also a big fan of the Greek and Norse mythologies, but I really like Middle Eastern mythologies (Sumerian and Babylonian), too.

Of course, the most fun can be had with the Judeo-Christian-Muslim mythologies. Leviathon, Lilith, Kherubim, Nephilim, and saying the name of your God will kill or subdue any mortal man or immortal monster. Plus the Occult has some cool shit in it, what with the Keys of Solomon and all that.

keys of solomon is an aspect of kabbalism, which is a branch of judaism, iirc. or maybe it's apart of the rosicrucian order, i forget which. either way it's derivitive from christian mythos. simply saying 'occult' isn't anywhere specific enough.

ArmorPierce · Post by **ArmorPierce** » 2004-10-16 03:03pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Judeo-Christian.

I think that myth is pretty boring.

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2004-10-16 03:05pm

ArmorPierce wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Judeo-Christian.
I think that myth is pretty boring.

Then you have obviously never read the Old Testament.

Luzifer's right hand · Post by **Luzifer's right hand** » 2004-10-16 03:11pm

Captain_Cyran wrote:
ArmorPierce wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Judeo-Christian.
I think that myth is pretty boring.
Then you have obviously never read the Old Testament.

Parts the OT are pretty boring imho.

This is the genealogy of men in the day in which God made Adam; in the image of God He made him:
male and female He made them, and blessed them; and He called his name Adam, in the day in which He made them.
And Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son after his own form, and after his own image, and he called his name Seth.
And the days of Adam, which he lived after his begetting Seth, were seven hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.
And all the days of Adam which he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
Now Seth lived two hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.
And Seth lived seven hundred and seven years after his begetting of Enosh, and he begot sons and daughters.
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
...

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2004-10-16 03:15pm

Luzifer's right hand wrote:
Captain_Cyran wrote:
ArmorPierce wrote: I think that myth is pretty boring.
Then you have obviously never read the Old Testament.
Parts the OT are pretty boring imho.

This is the genealogy of men in the day in which God made Adam; in the image of God He made him:
male and female He made them, and blessed them; and He called his name Adam, in the day in which He made them.
And Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son after his own form, and after his own image, and he called his name Seth.
And the days of Adam, which he lived after his begetting Seth, were seven hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.
And all the days of Adam which he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
Now Seth lived two hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.
And Seth lived seven hundred and seven years after his begetting of Enosh, and he begot sons and daughters.
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
...

Well, besides the boring "And ... begat ... who lived to ... and begat ..., ..., and ... ." The incest, wars, murders, assassinations. It's really cool.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2004-10-16 04:13pm

By Judeo-Christian mythology, I'm actually refering to sources outside of the Old and New Testaments, particularly folklore and legends. Judaism, early Christianity, and Roman Catholicism have huge plethoras of what's essentially non-existant in the post-Reformation Christian denominations.