1. IrgendwieIrgendwo

    IrgendwieIrgendwo New Member

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    Deicide in Folklore, Literature, Mythology, etc.

    Discussion in 'Research' started by IrgendwieIrgendwo, Nov 25, 2022.

    What are some (or very prominent) examples of deicide? There are only a few texts and mythologies that I can think of that have a god's death be part of their story. Some of these include Set killing Osiris, the entirety of Ragnarok, some of the gods in Frazer's The Golden Bough, etc.. I'm curious if there are other epic poems/literary works/mythologies that explored forms of deicide or as a motif.
     
  2. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

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    Deicide by humans, or by other gods?

    The Japanese creation myth has the mother goddess, Izanami, dying while giving birth to the fire god Ho-Musubi. The angry father, Izanagi, then kills the child, giving rise to many more gods.
     
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  3. IrgendwieIrgendwo

    IrgendwieIrgendwo New Member

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    Both is fine, almost any form of deicide which involves the actual death or attempt to kill a God. Like Odin trying to hang himself from a tree.
     
  4. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    In Mesopotamian mythology the mother of the gods was Tiamat and one of her children was Marduk, who would become the king of the gods. They fought a great battle, with Tiamat in the form of a dragon I think, and he killed her and tore her body in half. He placed one half of it overhead to create the sky and the other half underfoot to create the ground.
     
  5. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Well, the Bible. (re: Good Friday/Easter) I don't know if you count gods returning. There are myths where Zeus is killed every year. I believe he is ripped apart by a boar. He keeps coming back to life though.

    Baldr is a good one. That death always struck me as funny. Loki is such a class clown.
     
  6. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    In fact it's pretty common in the myths of agricultural societies for a fertility god to get torn to pieces so their blood soaks into the earth, or their flesh gets stomped into it like Dionysus', to ensure the fertility of the earth. It's re-enacted as a ritual every year at a harvest ceremony. Interestingly Dionysus' flesh is stomped into the ground the same way grapes are mashed to become wine.

    Another variation is the ancient poem, which has been turned into a folk song, about a figure called John Barleycorn. Apparently he's related to or a version of some ancient fertility god of the harvest, which are often associated with some form of alcoholic beverage. Like Dionysus, god of drunken revelry and wine as well as fertility.
     
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  7. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Here's a basic overview of what's known as the Dying and Resurrecting God motif. Jesus and Dionysus are examples.
     
  8. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

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    The Japanese god of storms, Susano-o, asked the goddess of food Ogetsuhime to produce some food. She did so from her mouth, nose and arse, which disgusted Susano-o so much that he killed her.
     
  9. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Sounds like a typical Chipotle customer service complaint.
     
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  10. Louanne Learning

    Louanne Learning Happy Wonderer Contributor Contest Winner 2023 Contest Winner 2022

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    You may be interested in Sky Woman, from the The Haudenosaunee Creation Story

    Soon after her arrival, Sky Woman gave birth to twins. The first born became known as the Good Spirit. The other twin caused his mother so much pain that she died during his birth. He was to be known as the Evil Spirit.

    The Good Spirit took his mother’s head and hung it in the sky, and it became the sun. The Good Spirit also fashioned the stars and moon from his mother’s body. He buried the remaining parts of Sky Woman under the earth. Thus, living things may always find nourishment from the soil for it springs from Mother Earth.

    While the Good Spirit provided light, the Evil Spirit created the darkness. The Good Spirit created many things, but each time his brother would attempt to undo his good work.
     
  11. Beloved of Assur

    Beloved of Assur Active Member

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    The Baal Cycle has at least two gods dying. Anath slice and dice Mot, the god of death if I recall, and Baal kills Yam, a kind of god/monster of the sea. And I think that, if I recall, Anath gets a quite a bit of a body count with various underlings to Yam and Mot.

    Not to mention that Greek, Hittite and Sumerian mythology has a progression of ruler gods that are being killed by their offspring in order to finally reach the part where Zeus, Teshub or Enlill gets to be the boss.
     

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