What would the modern-day be like if Gods from different myths never left or went into hiding? Everybody knows they exist and they live with the mortals. What do you think?
They would occasionally fight against each other and it would have devastating effects on us the common mortals. Something like in Terry Pratchett's "Pyramids", only worse.
Welcome back to the show. Today on "Gods among us" we have: Zeus starring as Keith Richards Thor starring as Jeff Bezos Gaia starring as Greta Thunberg Durga starring as Jacinda Ardern Hades starring as Vladimir Putin
I love this song: What if God were one of us. It seems to fit with what the OP is asking. I'm an atheist. My point is that maybe the DC and Marvel comics aren't the only sources of fictional gods, maybe like South Park's version.
When that first came out, I thought it was ripping off The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams. I haven't finished American Gods (or even properly started it yet), but so far I like Adams' execution better.
Very interesting observation, I hadn't thought of that. Of course, it's a completely different approach to the problem, but perhaps a good example for newer writers agonizing over "Ohmygod, my idea's been done!" On a related note, you might enjoy comparing the movies The Fifth Element and Immortel: Ad Vitam (that second one has a lot of different titles, but I think I noticed it on a certain tube site you might be familiar with.)
Found out the hard way I was thinking of the wrong tube site. --- Ahem. Didn't the Percy Jackson novels do this?
Don't know much about urban fantasy, but fantasy in general seem to follow the premise that gods aren't able to meddle much at all, because of some esoteric "rules" from the original maker god. I guess it would be impossible to write much at all in such a setting if gods could intervene left and right. Also it's kind of relatable to our own eternal questions why a (good) god could let this or that happen.
Beelzebub starring as Jeff Goldblum *crickets* Because of the "lord of the flies", hint, hint, nudge, nudge. *crickets* Meh, my talent is wasted here
If we mortals knew there were gods, there would still have to be some sort of dealing with them, some sort of giving them, offering them. What would a politician have to offer to a god as gratitude for winning an election? Hopefully they would displease the gods, and be stranded in a never ending flight in the Bermudas... end up in Antarctica... stay there! Common people too would have to deal with the gods. Also, gods sometimes take human form, and walk like mortals. So, you might see yourself walking around, and think "what the heck of a trickery of what god is this??!" Mainly, I guess, the thing is not to displease the gods. If possible, to gain their favour, though there is no formula for this... Also, there would be heroes (that is half gods)... And maybe weird creatures, furies, chimaerae, ogres... Also great challenges. And as for natural catastrophes, one could say that some things might be happening because one god was displeased, and sent his vengeance upon that people, place, because of one (or more) person... Anyway, I'm doing nothing beyond thinking about the myths, mainly the Greek ones. It's an interesting thought though. However, in order to put these other gods now, you'd have to think what to do with all this Christian craziness we see around. I don't know how to make them coexist. Also with Islam and Buddhism. How do all these conceptions interact? If there is war, maybe you can say that there's war among these different sorts of belief. Which is real. Roman polytheists persecuted Christians, then sudenly Roman Christians persecuted and extinguished ancient polytheism. In the fourth century the temple of Vesta was closed, and the last Vestal dismissed of her duty. Do you imagine what it means to end the sacred fire of the Empire? We can think of this as a playful thing, but belief systems clashed as this happened. And Christianity took the West, and Islam took the south Mediterranean and Spain, and finished the Persian ancient beliefs as Christianity extinguished ancient polytheism... It was war. Interesting question though... A lot to think about.
There would definitely be a debate on whether they deserve any worship or special treatment. Some would just say that they are creatures with more power than normal. There would be scientific explanations for their origin and power. How the gods would deal with that defiance is another question.
I'd imagine it would be similar to how some ancient civilizations lived; actively worshipping, offering, sacrificing and fearing. Possibly always warring.
Well, it isn't wise to defy a god really... There would be punshment. Scientists emprisoned in the underworld. Or put chained to mountains for their liver to be eaten by eagles, and the like. (For those that went too much into trying to understand the nature of the gods.)
If that happened, we'd be getting into dystopian fiction territory, and definitely still questions about their legitimacy (if not even more, just unspoken).
