Of course, but when I'm being opinionated I think it goes down sweeter if I make it clear that I'm not trying to invalidate other possibilities, just express my preference. So I preface it with of course you should do what you want.
Quote:
-Ah, but for that, the notation (using Istus as an example) is something like "BC." I didn't check, but I think Incabulous is just "C." (IIRC).
My reading is that deities with a specific ethnic origin as well as "common" were originally associated exclusively with that pantheon, but have since become known in most areas, while those that say only "common" were always known in most areas. They might not always be ancient, but at least some of them definitely predate the Great Migrations - Joramy, for example (since she's partly responsible for Ehlissa's Nightingale) and Olidammara (since his symbol appears in an ancient Flan ruin in The Scarlet Brotherhood) are canonically more ancient, and I'd say that Boccob, Incabulos, Cyndor, Bleredd, Lirr, Myrhiss, Ralishaz, and Trithereon all predate the Migrations and are equally members of several different pantheons. Your mileage may vary with some of these, but in general I'd assume that most of them were known to at least the Oeridians and Flan, and probably several nonhuman cultures as well. Incabulos is definitely known to the Baklunish and I'd argue he's universal, except perhaps among the Touv and Olmans (who have their own gods of disease), and I assume Trithereon was known to the Zahindi, Oeridians, Suloise, Flan, and elves. I assume Boccob is universal except among the Suel (who have Wee Jas instead). So the Oeridians, Baklunish, and Flan have always worshiped Boccob as their god of magic, the dragons think of Boccob as a dragon, the giants think of Boccob as a giant, the beholders think of Boccob as a beholder, the elves think of Boccob as an elf, and maybe the Touv and Olmans worship someone else because they're isolated and weird.
St. Cuthbert and Zagyg are both newer gods. One could argue that some of the others were - perhaps Trithereon, Cyndor, Bleredd, Lirr, and Myrhiss could have achieved apotheosis more recently. Honestly, it's hard to imagine that non-Suel humans didn't have a goddess of love or a goddess of art or a god of the forge or a god of time until after the Great Migrations, and I think of Trithereon as an ancient hero rather than as a migrations-era hero. Maybe there are a bunch of dead, banished, or forgotten gods with those portfolios, and the common gods rose to replace them.
But if a deity both predates the mixing of peoples in the Great Migrations and is common in most areas, I don't see an alternative to assuming they're part of multiple pantheons. That said, I don't think a pantheon is necessarily a big deal; it doesn't necessarily mean a divine family, just a collection of deities worshiped by a specific ethnic group.
If Incabulos first came to Oerth in the Baklunish territories during the Invoked Devastation, he should arguably be listed as BC, or perhaps SC since the Suel summoned him. If he's been known to many peoples since records began and has no specific geographic origin, C is more appropriate.
A caveat to that interpretation is that From the Ashes states that Beory is only one (Flan) aspect of a universal Oerth mother; probably almost everyone on Oerth recognizes some version of Beory. Later canon that the Oeridians worshiped Pelor as Sol implies that this sort of thing may be true for more than one of the gods with specific ethnic backgrounds. So while Pelor, Beory, and Nerull are listed as Flan, that only pertains to the Flan aspects of more universal gods. So, for example, the specific appearance and name associated with Beory originated among the Flan people and has since become common in most areas, but there are local aspects of Beory that originated among other pantheons and are less common.
...Maybe there are a bunch of dead, banished, or forgotten gods with those portfolios, and the common gods rose to replace them...
-I was thinking that all the pantheons had them in the pre-catyclism era, but the holders may have been junior ranking deities (demi-gods or hero-gods) that haven't been listed yet. Whether you assume the power structure is like a ladder (same number of greater and intermediate deities as lesser, etc deities) or, more likely a pyramid (a few greater gods on top, more intermediaes, even more lesser, and a lot of hero- and demi-gods on the base) there should be a lot more demi-deities and hero-deities. Living Greyhawk Journal #3 adds a few, but they're all "newcomers" (except for Azor 'Alq).
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Canonfire! is a production of the Thursday Group in assocation with GREYtalk and Canonfire! Enterprises
