1. Reilley

    Reilley New Member

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    Gods and goddesses that could be combined from different mythologies?

    Discussion in 'Research' started by Reilley, Sep 26, 2015.

    Hi guys! I actually just made an account to ask this question, so bare with me if I ramble a bit.

    So I'm in the process of world building for a project that I may or may not get serious about. It's an urban fantasy with what I hope is a twist on Sidhe (Fairy) legends. All the various polytheistic gods were just powerful and vain Sidhe who took on various identities to be worshipped by many people in many places all over the world. I want certain recognizable and similar gods to be the same Sidhe. For example, it's easy to say that one Sidhe was both Aphrodite and Venus, but what if she was also Branwen and Freyja, maybe even Hecate and Trivia too? Unfortunately my knowledge of various mythology extends to mostly Greek and Roman with bits of Norse and Celtic mixed in. I'm having a hard time collecting similar gods, and I also worry that I'll offend people combining what I perceive as similar figures together that other people would think were too different.
    Any suggestions? Odin and Zeus seem to match up nicely, but I'd also like a few more identities for him. I'd also like another powerful female Sidhe, possibly Athena and Isis, but who else?
     
  2. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    Well for starters, you seem aware that Greek and Roman are pretty much interchangeable. That should definitely help you get started.

    Next, I don't think Zeus and Odin are a good pair. Zeus is technically a sky god, so his powers are vastly different from Odin. I'd say Zeus and Thor work better together, both bring lightning bearers.

    Odin can pair well with the Dagda. In various stories, the Dagda is seen as a brute -- an old warrior that does nothing but fight. But in others, he's a great leader. Old and wise -- very wizard like. He and Odin both have powers of healing, death, and battle, so they seem much more similar. Amun-Ra is also a father-type god so he may fit in there as well.

    The Morrigan and Athena could work well together. They are both Goddesses of war, though the Morrigan is much more intense than Athena. Kali, the Goddess of Revolution, or Durga, a warrior goddess, could also work in there.

    I wouldn't be too terribly worried about offending people. As long as the pairings make sense (and I feel some might get upset about Zeus/Odin just because of how different they are), people won't be bothered by them.

    I'll have to do more research later.. Ran out of time. :p


    Edited to add: Perhaps you should just use Zeus, Odin, the Dagda, and Amun-Ra. They're all considered father gods, so I don't think people will look much deeper than that.
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2015
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  3. Reilley

    Reilley New Member

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    Thanks for the thorough reply! I was thinking of Zeus and Odin because of the fact that they're both so powerful, but I guess in powers they're very different. Athena as Morrigan and the others is a great idea! I'll have to do more research on them, but your suggestions help a lot!
     
  4. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    Yes, I agree. Zeus would fit nicely. I was just thinking more along the lines of their actual abilities. But since they are all father types, I'd stick with that.

    More that I thought of... Isis is often seen as a goddess of magic, same as Hecate (pronounced hek-uh-tee), so if you pair Isis with anyone, do Hecate.

    Further reading, Astarte, Ishtar, Inanna, and the Morrigan are all very similar. Since Athena is also a goddess of war, she could still be thrown in there, though honestly Enyo might be a better fit. Kali and Bellona (who is the Roman equivalent of Enyo) are also goddesses of war. Sekhmet and Bast are both Egyptian goddesses of war.

    So hopefully that helps. :p
     
  5. KhalieLa

    KhalieLa It's not a lie, it's fiction. Contributor

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    In proto-celtic Dagda literally translates into good-give. He is the good-god; father and protector of the tribe. Not much of a brute if you ask me. Though it works well with Odin because he is the "All Father."

    I use this for quick reference:

    The Germanic/Celtic/Gothic gods can be easily matched because they have similar origins and their people have similar traditions, though there was a linguistic distinction between proto-Celtic and proto-German as early as 500 BCE. Mathching these gods to those of the Thracians and Etruscans would be harder. Even more so if you were going to attempt to include early Scythians and Iranian tribal gods.

    The question is, what time period do you care about? Much of the Celtic Gods are already matched with the Roman gods, thus many statues are dedicated to Mars-(Some Celtic God). The book above actually list a lot of those. Also--are you working between 500 CE and 1000 CE? If so then much of the mythology has already been heavily Christianized on continental Europe. This will make it near impossible to match them with Scandinavian Gods because that region of the word was not Christianized until the 12th or 13th century.
     
  6. KhalieLa

    KhalieLa It's not a lie, it's fiction. Contributor

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    Davidson, Hilda Ellis. The lost beliefs of northern Europe. Routledge, Inc. London. 1993.
    This book does a great job of matching Celtic, Germanic, and Norse Religion. It also includes bibliographical references and an index. It also divides them by cult; battle gods, gods of the dead/veneration of ancestors, goddess cults, etc.
     

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