Unlike the Forgotten Realms gods, the gods of Greyhawk have very little mythology about them in official sources. The most info on them anywhere is the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, which reveals some family relationships, but not many.
I think that's a good thing. It leaves room for the fans to move things around. Different churches and nations might believe entirely different things, and maybe all of them are right.
Looking through the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, here are some relationships. Like I said, different cults and churches might believe other things:
Al'Akbar is an ascended mortal.
Allitur is often considered to be the younger brother of Rao.
The wind goddess Atroa is a daughter of Procan, god of sea and storms.
Berei may be an aspect of Beory.
Bleredd is married to Ulaa, who is a dwarven and gnomish goddess of hills and mountains.
Celestian and Fharlanghn are brothers.
Cyndor works for Lendor.
Dalt and Vatun are brothers.
Delleb is seen as a mentor to Daern.
Erythnul probably predates Hextor; perhaps he is Hextor's father?
Fharlanghn is tied to Atroa; perhaps they're married?
Fortubo, though Suel in origin, is essentially a member of the dwarven pantheon now.
Heironeous and Hextor are half-brothers.
Istus has a prince of the Plane of Time as a companion.
Iuz is the son of Graz'zt and Iggwilv.
Jascar is the brother of Fortubo.
Joramy, goddess of wrath, is the estranged lover of Zodal, god of mercy.
Kord is the grandson of Lendor and the son of Phaulkon and Syrul.
Kurrell spurned Atroa to pursue her sister Sotillion, and lost the love of both.
Lendor is the progenitor of the Suel pantheon.
Mayaheine is an ascended mortal, raised to divine status by Pelor.
Merikka works for Cyndor, who works for Lendor. The four gods of the seasons (Atroa, Sotillion, Wenta, and Telchur) are her cousins.
Wee Jas and Norebo are occasional lovers.
Osprem is the estranged wife and occasional companion of Xerbo.
Phaulkon is the father of Kord.
Procan is the father of Atroa, Sotillion, Telchur, Wenta, and Velnius.
Raxivort was once a general of Graz'zt's.
Rudd is an ascended mortal who was lifted to divinity by Olidammara, although Dragon #265 said she was Norebo's daughter. Both could be true.
Sehanine Moonbow is the wife of Corellon Larethian.
Sotillion is the wife of Zilchus.
Velnius is the oldest of his siblings.
Xan Yae is a companion of the Cat Lord; the one from the Epic Level Handbook, not the female one.
Ye'Cind is an ascended mortal, uplifted by Corellon Larethian.
Zagyg was sponsored in his bid for godhood by Boccob.
Zilchus, god of wealth, is the brother of Kurrell, god of thieves.
Zuoken is an ascended mortal. He serves Xan Yae.
Len Lakofka's Suel theogony went like this:
Lendor, father and mother, created two pairs of children: Phaulkon and Syrul, Norebo and Wee Jas.
Phaulkon and Syrul begat Kord. Syrul and Norebo begat Phyton and Bralm. Norebo and Wee Jas begat Llerg and Lydia. Lendor then had two more children, Xerbo and Osprem. This was the middle generation.
Xerbo and Osprem, gods of the sea, begat Akwammon, he of the groan-inducing name and completely unofficial status. Osprem and Kord begat Jascar and Fortubo. Bralm and Llerg begat Beltar and Pyremius. This was the last generation.
It's not clear how Dalt and Vatun fit in, since they're new gods not invented by Lakofka. Probably they're brothers of Jascar and Fortubo.
Pelor, Nerull, and Obad-hai are usually assumed to be brothers, all descended from the same greater goddess of the earth, rain, and soil (Beory) in the ancient druidic religion of the Flannae.
The brothers and sisters of Wee Jas are the other gods and goddess of the Suel pantheon; all of them are descended from Lendor, god of time.
The other elven gods are sometimes called Corellon Larethian's brothers and sisters, although some seem to be his children instead.
Of course, Bahamut and Tiamat are siblings, both of them children of the draconic creator-god Io.
Garl Glittergold has a brother, Gelf Darkhearth from Races of Stone. Yondalla has a sister, Dallah Thaun, but perhaps she is more accurately named her other half.
Either Laduguer or Abbathor, or both, may be the brother of Moradin.
I wrote a dwarven creation myth and posted it here. It mentions Fortubo - I have him married into the dwarven pantheon, and the father of the derro gods Diirinka and Diinkarazan (explaining in part why the derro seem half-human; the Suel experimentation on the slaves who Diirinka would adopt as his people is the other explanation). I don't think I got around to mentioning Ulaa - elsewhere I have her as the mother of both Garl Glittergold and Moradin with a previous husband, but that particular myth is from the dwarven (either duergar or duergar-sympathizing) point of view; they probably believe Ulaa is Moradin's creation.
Different churches and nations might believe entirely different things, and maybe all of them are right.
Very true. In LG Onnwal, we suggested that there was a local belief that Procan took Osprem to wife and that her intervention soothed the Stormlord's wrath (very relevant for a mixed Suel/Oeridian people who make their living on the stormy Sea of Gearnat). So while Procan is feared and appeased, Osprem has a protective aspect for the Onnwalons.
Erythnul probably predates Hextor; perhaps he is Hextor's father?
My thought on this is that Erythnul was the predominant war god of the Oerids when they were plains nomads in the West before the Migrations. When they came east and began to civilise, his cult began to be overtaken by those of Heironeous and Hextor - both of whom emphasise a more ordered and disciplined way of making war. There might therefore be an Oeridian myth (in the style of Oedipus and various other Greek myths where sons are fated to overthrow their fathers) where Erythnul is cast down by his sons (or son and foster son as the case may be), who then obviously fall out over their inheritance (while Heironeous obviously wants a fair and just split, Hextor wants it all (being after all, Erythnul's true heir) and tries to kill his half-brother, sparking the undying enmity between the two).
Merikka works for Cyndor, who works for Lendor. The four gods of the seasons (Atroa, Sotillion, Wenta, and Telchur) are her cousins.
This odd mix of Suel and Oerid makes me think that Merikka arose and is worshiped mainly in Keoland. In LG, the main Oeridian agricultural gods seem to be Velnius, Atroa, Sotillion, Wenta, and Telchur. In Onnwal and most of old Aerdy, we've grouped these under a collective term: The Velaeri (the gods of wind and sky). The Velaeri are generally worshipped together in Chapels of Wind and Sky - with four shrines for each of the winds (which usually have a post or pillar decked with prayer flags as their focus, surrounding a central shrine to Velnius, which at it's most basic is an open mirror pool of water that catches rain water and reflects the sky above.
I'm of the opinion that the Velaeri date from before the Migrations, when the Oerids were on the plains of the east. At this time, Procan may have been more of a Storm God (in the mould of Zeus or Indra) than a god of the sea (a portfolio he might have gained once the Oerids encountered the sea when they came east; given the fact that they are mentioned as having been indifferent sailors and that it's likely they had some problems adapting to sea going tech esp. on the stormy Solnor it makes a certain amount of sense that they'd link their old storm god with the sea).
Merikka on the other hand feels a lot more recent - with her mix of Suel and Oerid influences and her (IIRC) demi-goddess status. It's likely to my mind she arose among the Keogh Oerids when they began to settle and mingle with the Suel in the Sheldomar, forming a useful cultural bridge between the two pantheons.
Just some random noodlings of a Friday.
P.
This odd mix of Suel and Oerid makes me think that Merikka arose and is worshiped mainly in Keoland.
Another possibility is that Cyndor is the new Keoish deity. After all, Merikka is explicitly Oeridian and Lendor is explicitly Suel, but Cyndor is a common deity, worshipped equally by most cultures.
As Fortubo was doing well, becoming wealthy with prayers and owning many mines in the land of the gods, he decided to take a wife. After courting many of the greater goddesses he became convince that his love would never be found in such lofty places...
Now he has turned away. His wife is dead and he's turned away.
And that's all the fragments we have. The antiquity of this myth is not in doubt: some of the primal pre-Imperial cities of Suel are mentioned, which places the text in the early days of the Empire, before the complex charts compling the thousands of minions of the Courts of Inner Stone were compiled in an attempt to fill the void left by the god's departure from the pantheon. The story thus post-dates the revolts of the derro, but are still well within the First Mythological Period. The following is a another myth which picks up in the gap in the earliest fragments.
And so Fortubo approached the gods favored by those-who-will-not-relent, the hammer-folk. Moradin was a powerful spirit of the Court of Inner Stone, but still outside Fortubo's rule. To gain access to his mines in the godlands, Fortubo courted a daughter of Moradin's. Her name was Sharindlar, the Shining Dancer, and she was as joyful and outgoing as Fortubo was stoic and withdrawn. For a time it was Sharindlar who led the dance and Fortubo who was wooed. Ultimately they came together, and a great celebration was held in the kingdoms of dwarves and men. Sharindlar moved her Merciful Court intno Fortubo's lands and began laboring on behalf of her worshippers from there. Fortubo made his wife a dress of flame, so cleverly woven that it burns itself for fuel instead of her flesh. In turn, Sharindlar made her husband a metal man who could mine for precious stones. In time, the two gods had twin sons who took after both their parents, bearing the features of both humans and dwarves. Their names were Diirinka and Diinkarazan.
This story is more of a romantic fairy tale, written during the dynasty of the Lydia-worshipping House Rhola. It does not dwell on the myth's tragic ending, if the compilers were even aware of that dwarven secret. For that part of the tale, we draw upon a lament said to be written by a dwarven skald a mere 420 years ago.
LAMENT FOR FORTUBO
Matricide splitting his son's mind and his family
Weep, God, turn your head away.
Madness forged both by the brain-god and grief
Weep, God, turn your head away
Forget the kinslayer and the slaves who he championed
Weep, God, turn your head away.
"The slaves who he championed" must refer to the derro, who were created by Suel lifeshapers from dwarven and human slaves. Diirinka, the matricide of the lament, must have sensed a kinship with their strange, half-human shape when he gifted some with the savant powers that helped them defeat their erstwhile masters. Fortubo abandoned the Suel over the issue of the dwarves they enslaved, so we can imagine it was hard for these particular slaves to be enslaved again by his own son, who derro myths call the Tormentor.
The son whose mind was split by madness is probably Diinkarazan, who in myth was betrayed by his brother and left to the mercies of Ilsensine, the illithid god.
Merikka works for Cyndor, who works for Lendor. The four gods of the seasons (Atroa, Sotillion, Wenta, and Telchur) are her cousins.
This is interesting. If Merikka is a cousin of the Velaeri, she must be the daughter of some sibling of Procan's. Who could this be?
We could postulate an earth goddess, sister of Procan. Let's call her Oeridia. In the simplest possible model, Velnius and Procan entered into an incestuous union and parented all the other Oeridian gods, who would all be both siblings and cousins. That obviously isn't what the Living Greyhawk Gazetter intended, but it could work.
Going outside the Oeridian pantheon, we could say that Merikka is the daughter of Cyndor and Beory and that Cyndor is Procan's brother. This makes sense, and allows us not to create new deities if we don't want to. We could also say she's the daughter of Procan and Beory and say our "Oeridia" is just another aspect of the earth-goddess known to the Flannae.
If Merikka is the daughter of Cyndor, I also suggest that Fharlanghn and Celestian are her brothers. After all, part of Cyndor's portfolio is infinity, which fits the Far-Wanderers well.
Merikka might also be the daughter of Erythnul, which would be in keeping with that god's supposedly ancient nature. Whether it's Erythnul who is the brother of Procan or our theoretical oerth mother is a matter of conjecture.
Who, then, is the mother of the Velaeri? We might just invent a feminine form of Procan - this is common in real-world myths (for example, Nun and Naunet in Egyptian mythology, and Dione, mother of Aphrodite, is apparently a feminine form of Zeus). So, Procan and Procana, identical except for gender and probably aspects of one another. We could also pick a more obscure sea or wind goddess, such as Osprem of the Suel or Syranita of the aarakokras.
Len Lakofka produced a family tree for the Suel gods at some point in the dim past; IIRC it's in MS Excel format. I can go digging if no one else has it handy....
I described it above, at the bottom of post #2 of this thread. That's Len's tree, directly from MS Works to you. There's no way I would have repeated that blasted thing if it wasn't Len's.
Thanks guys. Good stuff.
Keep it comin'.
. If Merikka is a cousin of the Velaeri, she must be the daughter of some sibling of Procan's. Who could this be?
Perhaps Sol and Procan are brothers? Sol is the ancient sun god of the Oeridians identified with Pelor--the Solnor ocean was named after him, as was the holy Pelorian artifact known as the Orb of Sol. Sol was so important to Oeridians, in fact, that the Aerdy incorporated his sun disk into their coat of arms.
say our "Oeridia" is just another aspect of the earth-goddess known to the Flannae.
It's quite feasible for there to be an Oeridian earth goddess, just as there is (or was) an Oeridian sun god. It's possible that they could be different gods, the same god, or different aspects of the same god. If the same god, one could even say that they were once different gods who became as one, or if they're different gods, one could say that they were once different parts of the same deity. Such speculation wouldlikely make for lively debate among Greyhawk theologians.
Different churches and nations might believe entirely different things, and maybe all of them are right.
IMC, the gods are viewed differently by different cultures. IMC, Rover religion is quite different from the LGG:
Pelor is depicted as a strong, vibrant warrior, rather than an old man. He fathered the moons, Celene & Luna (who are seen as the goddeses of seasons & magic, respectively), upon Beory.
Joramy is seen chiefly as goddess of fire & quarrels (no volcanos in the Barrens, of course). She gained those portfolios long ago when Ralishaz, the trickster, tried to woo her by stealing fire from Pelor. Instead, he startled her and accidentally burnt all her hair off, angering her to no end. The flame, being from the eternal sun, continued to burn and remained upon her crown like a cloak of fire.
Sol is a sun god in both Nordic (Aesir goddess) and Roman myth. In Roman lore Sol was found on coins as a radiant image circa 200 b.c. Nero had a statue made of himself after Sol's image and Emperor Aurelian elevated Sol to supreme deity in the Roman pantheon, calling him Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun). Some even speculate the deification of Jesus was based in part on Sol.
I'm curious where Sol crept into GH lore?
I think the first official place was the Death Knight articles Gary Holian wrote for Dragon Magazine.
The first unofficial place I saw was the "demon lord Pelor" articles Roland Lammoreaux posted to the Greytalk list.
If the moons of Oerth are Luna and Celene, Sol is an appropriate name for the sun (better than Liga). One thing I'm having trouble with, though, is naming the planets. Giving them names derived from Earth mythology like the sun and moons have (for example, calling the Five Wanderers Jove, Xronos, Nereus, Iapetus, and Orcus) seems crass. Although a Planet Orcus would be pretty cool. I'm thinking of calling them Velnius, Nerull, Procan, Hextor, and Erythnul, at least as the Oeridians know them (the Suel would call them Kord, Beltar, Xerbo, Syrul, and Gruumsh, while the dragons would call them Io, Chronepsis, Bahamut, Tiamat, and Falazure). The two "invisible" Wanderers beyond would be Boccob and Vecna. Instead of the Spelljammer names, I mean.
Solan sounds like a better bet for the father of Merikka/brother of Procan. Again going back to the ancestral Oeridian gods and looking at parallels with the Vedic gods of the Hindus/Aryans (who like the Oerids, were nomads who settled and became civilised), if Procan is the Indra (the storm god) equivalent, Solan could be analgous to Surya, the sun god (who with Indra and Agni, the fire god, forms the trinity of major Vedic gods). As the sun is important to agriculture - it would make sense that Merikka be Solan's daughter.
Of course - if Solan is Pelor, then what's the interaction between Merikka and Mayaheine? Equally, given Merikka is a demi-goddess (IIRC), then is she an ascended mortal who is figureatively Solan's daughter or is she half-immortal (as in born of a mortal woman in the style of many of the Greek mortal heroes)?
As for the mother of the Velaeri - don't know. It's possible, given that they're gods, that they might have only one parent (like Pallas Athena). Perhaps Procan smote the Oerth and, from the ruin of the thunder bolts, the Velaeri arose?
P.
Saint Cuthbert is celibate, and has no family other than his two brothers Trowbane and Carmichael, who accompany him in some of the newer legends about his wanderings.
Olidammara is an old deity of equally uncertain genesis. He was known to some of the ancient Flan peoples, who held orgiastic rites in his honor. Traces of his influence have been found in many other cultures throughout history, defying chronology and good sense (and often good taste). His devotees see him in every grape and every stalk of barley, in the tumult of the ocean and the laughing of the storm.
Some obscure works (notably Igrid of Rel Astra’s long poem The Marriage of Demogorgon) claim Olidammara has two sisters: Myhriss, the goddess of love, and Scahrossar, the goddess of torture. Igrid’s epic did not mention Chaav, a god commonly associated with Myhriss in other sources.
Rallaster is the younger brother of Pyremius. Unlike his more professional sibling, Rallaster kills not for power but for the pure psychotic love of killing. He proved so uncontrollable that even Syrul and Pyremius couldn’t stand his presence, and they banished him to the realm of Charnelhome in the Abyss, where he founded the unholy Council of Madmen. He gathered rogue bladelings and kytons, introducing them to wild sensations that their regimented cultures could not conceive of. The realm of Charnelhome turned out to be ruled by a demon called Shax who took Rallaster and his Council under his wing and helped them explore still further delights.
Incabulos was an overgrown nightmare spilled out of the fevered dreams of an ancient Flan tribe dying of plague. The tribe, a rival to the people of Rao north and west of the Nyr Dyv, was notorious for its vile practices and its despoilment of everything they came across. When their own vices finally consumed them, only Incabulos survived, fleeing to the Lower Planes where he pursued the affections of the hag-queen Cegilune.
Boccob. There is no evidence of a cult dedicated to Boccob before the Cataclysms. The Flan revered magic as Mok'slyk, a serpentine entity; the Suel had their Wee Jas, and the Baklunish attributed most things to Istus. Still, there is no suggestion from any quarter that Boccob is recently born or an ascended mortal; Boccob is clearly as basic to Oerth’s reality as any god there is. It is thought that he has existed since the beginning of creation, but only rarely lets himself be known to mortals. The common assumption is that magic is waning since the Twin Cataclysms, and Boccob has become more active to combat that trend. Even now, his only servant apart from his small priesthood is the demigod Zagyg, who apparently went completely mad from exposure to Boccob’s direct presence.
Boccob has, nonetheless, a small amount of allies. Wee Jas respects him, and he has allowed the composite god known as the Xammux into his court. Mellifleur, the Lich Lord, fears Boccob and forbids his followers from having anything to do with him. Perhaps something of Mellifleur’s power is stolen from Boccob, power stolen perhaps from Nerull as well.
Celestian and Fharlanghn are brothers, twin sons of Velnius and the nature goddess Oeridia, who died during the great wars fought in prehistory between the gods of Law and Chaos. Celestian left the world shepherd her soul to the Astral Plane, while Fharlanghn elected to stay to guide mortals on Oerth.
Panzuriel was once the god of the sky, they say, before he was murdered by his son Nerull with the unwitting help of the elven god Sashelas. Panzuriel’s other son, Pelor, chased his brother from the sky, only to be chased from it in turn. The two brothers struggle over the sky-throne to this day; when Nerull rules it is night, and when Pelor rules it is day.
Though Panzuriel was banished to the underworld, his left foot (which Sashelas had severed) fell into the ocean, allowing a channel through which Panzuriel could coninue to influence the mortal plane. As more and more evil sea-creatures began joining the dark god’s cult, Sashelas created the sea-elves in an attempt to counter his old nemesis’ influence.
Ehlonna is the goddess of forests, sylvan creatures, hunting, and the moon Luna. She is considered to be the daughter of Corellon Larethian and Beory. She is also known as the Horse Mother and the Horned Goddess. As queen of the woods, the fey courts must answer to her when they’re in her domain, which includes all mortal forests as well as the eternal woods of the Beastlands. She is on good terms with her half-sister Sehenine Moonbow (goddess of the moon Celene), but she has a fierce rivalry with her half-brother Obad-hai. She is deeply opposed to unseelie fey and the daughters of the hag goddess Cegilune, and urges her followers to remain vigilant against them.
Ehlonna is served by the celestial kings of unicorns and lions, Eachthighern and Metteron.
Ulaa is the mother of mountains, worshipped by all the peoples who live there. Some claim she was forged by Moradin at the beginning of the world, while others claim Moradin is her son. She has taken a human god as her consort, the latest of several. Her previous husbands have died protecting her from the Fire-Snake that lives in the heart of the planet; only Bleredd, her current husband, managed to defeat it.
Procan is the oldest of the Oeridian gods; he represents the primal storm, untamed and untamable. His children are the gods of Chaos who slew the land during the first godswar. He also spawned the earliest slaadi.
Ayailla, the Light Bearer, is an angel of Pelor in charge of watching over his vessels of celestial light.
Chaav, the Smiling God, is the brother of Myrhiss. Scharossar, and Olidammara. He is god of joy. Despite his large family, he is perhaps closest to Ehlonna and the sylvan gods.
Zodal, the Tortured God, is perhaps Scharossar’s greatest foe.
In ancient times the Five Guardians protected the Flannae against the depredations of Tharizdun from the Beyond. Tall, forminable divine warriors covered in protective tattoos and sigils, they stood against the barrier and let no baneful influences through.
It was the scythe of Nerull that eventually cut them down, in a titanic battle that left a scar on the Mother that bore us all (Rift Canyon). They say that Nerull himself was wounded in that battle; that his left arm hung limp for a day and a night and none could die (immortals walk still, refugees from that night who Nerull has not yet tracked down). The Guardians were cut into pieces and disposed of in the Oljatt sea, and the power of Tharizdun began to grow.
Beory's spirit walked the shorelines, collecting pieces of the Guardians in a basket. When she found them all (after 500 seasons) she swallowed them, and 500 seasons later she bore a child with bright eyes like a hawk's.
Zodal, who is the hope of the universe.
In Elysium is the Realm of Pain, where the plane absorbs all the suffering in the muliverse into itself. Those rare heroes who have witnessed the region come back traumatized, broken, unable to think or feel. It is the rarest of champions who penetrate to the center, the Cradle of Hope, where Zodal bears the universe's agony and transforms it into mercy and understanding. Those who have witnessed that come back ennobled and accepting, and become great boons to their people.
Zodal is prayed to to intercede with his mother Beory when the people feel she is being too harsh or unmerciful. Sometimes he can get the rain to come or the blight to end. Sometimes he can end the plague and bring life to the desert.
Myrhiss is the goddess of perfect love on both the macrocosmic and microcosmic scales. She represents the perfect beauty of the Realm of Ideals, which her followers hope to bring to the mortal world. She is the lover of Lirr, Queen of Stories. Most people know her simply as the goddess of love and beauty.
But Myhriss has a dark side, a blasphemous side named Scharossar, the cruel goddess of torture. Some claim Scharossar is Myrhiss’ twin, while others say she is Scharossar’s own denied hungers given form by the power of her own refusal to confront them. Druidic groups like the Restorers of the Triune Mother are especially likely to advocate this position.
Perhaps it is the priests of Zodal who have the most to say about Myrhiss with their theology of Eros, the primal force that existed before all else. When Beory was born through Eros’ attractive force, it was Myrhiss who shaped the goddess into form, and Olidammara who caused her to bloom. Chaav, the third child of Eros, came into being from Eros’ pure delight at what he and his children had made.
Xan Yae has many domains. She lives in Shadow, in the Cadence of the Planes, and in the Universal Mind. She has a sacred monastery in the center of the universe, but the Perfect Mistress is everywhere.
Absalom is the celestial patron of rebels. He first became popular among the Baklunish after they saw the heart of their empire reduced to barren plains, their fabulous cities melting into nothingness, and blamed the Lady of Our Fate. Absalom, Chief of the Asuras, answered and offered an alternative to predestination. Many answered, although they were contemptuously named Paynims by the new nations growing in the north, far from the empire’s old heart.
Istus is the Weaver at the Loom of Fate, most powerful and enigmatic of the Baklunish gods. Some say she is not a deity at all, but a greater force to whom even gods must bow. Still, she certainly has a mortal cult, and her clerics are granted spells. The Lady of Our Fate is often said to be the mother of the other Baklunish deities, though it is probably more correct to say she created them than actually birthing them from her flesh and blood. Istus is allied with (some even say an aspect of) the naga goddess Shekinester.
Karaan, also known as Gorellik and Daragor, is the dark lord of beasts and hunters, full of fury and murderous bestial impulse. He is worshipped by some among the Wolf and Tiger Nomads, and by gnolls, bugbears, and werewolves. He taught gnolls how to dominate dire lions and hyaenadons, and he taught the art of battle-frenzy to the Flan barbarians.
"Erythnul lay with a weasel, and then a wolf, and then a plains-cat. When they were all with child, he ate them all. There was a rumbling in his belly, and then burst out KARAAN! All hail Karaan, son of the Many!"
Although said by those of the Flanaess to be a child of Erythnul, Karaan was actually sired by Meyanok, the Touv serpent-god of darkness and pain. He is the brother of Damaran, god of vermin, and the twin brother of Eshebala the Clever Beast, his counterpart who dwells on the opposite side of the moons. Eshebala and Karaan have also incestuously spawned many dark and currently unknown shapeshifting-totems sought by the most insane of totemic warriors.
Karaan is a god in decline. In pre-history, he was at least a lesser god, but many of his people have turned to Erythnul and Yeenoghu, among others. He is now little more than a mad, thoughtless beast roaming the planes.
Mellifleur, whose sweet tongue was full of guile and cunning, more than any other mortal. Alone of all mortals, he mastered the Dark Speech, the language of the pure primal Evil. With his sweet tongue he shaped those words with such eloquence that he charmed the secrets of lichdom from the Lords of Evil themselves, 'till the secret was his and his alone. The ones who would follow him - Skall, and Vecna, Acererak and Velsharoon - they gained their powers only as Mellifleur saw fit.
The Lords of Evil hate Mellifleur for what he has stolen from them, but his arts are such that he keeps their wrath at bay - for now. It is said that even Boccob the Uncaring is wrathful towards Mellifleur.
Blibdoolpoolp was once a neutral sea goddess, uncaring as the ocean that spawned her but not malevolent. Texts differ as to when this changed: the quaggoths claim she didn't begin delving into the forbidden secrets of the Far Realm until after her chosen races, the kuo-toas and the chuul, had been banished into the underworld. The elves counter that her corruption, and that of her peoples, had begun long before, and their war against them was thus necessary for the preservation of the universe. It is apparent that the goddess is now one of the greatest experts among the divine hosts of Far Realm matters, second only to Boccob among those who are not native to the alien dimension. Her shrines are fascinating sources of knowledge for those alienists who are able to explore them. Perhaps, some whisper, she is trying to free the Elder Eye to be her instrument of vengence.
Afflux is the Blood-Learner, the god of knowledge through torture. His realm in Cathrys, in Carceri, is filled with the screams of the damned under the tools of undead torturers. Afflux moves between houses of pain, supervising the inquisitions. Other servants of Afflux work in his vast library, filing away all information the tormentors might gain. Still others raid other parts of Carceri and the planes beyond, bringing back any who seem to know things worth discovering. Afflux is served by sentient undead of all kinds. Afflux is especially envious of gods of dark knowledge like Vecna, Wee Jas, Blibdoolpoolp, and the Xammux. He will ally himself with them when he can, and attempt to steal away their servants when he cannot. He is particularly bitter about Boccob, who knows so much but has never considered an alliance with the Blood-Learner. Afflux's greatest enemies, however, are the good-aligned gods who pretend to authority over knowledge. Particularly he despises Delleb, working always to corrupt his followers and slay the god himself. Delleb, in turn, considers Afflux his own greatest foe. Though the two are not relatives and have no master/rebellious apprentice relationship, there have seldom been two gods more identified with one another in the popular consciousness. Afflux represents everything Delleb seeks to avoid in his own quest for learning, while Delleb represents all the hesitation and taboos that Afflux seeks to overcome.
Koriel is a god of learning, protection, and vigilance against evil. He is the patron of the ki-rin and the steed of Pelor, who rides on his back as he travels across the sky raining blessings on the good and showering punishment on the wicked. When the elvish god Erevan Ilesere stole the Crown of Good from Pelor, he distracted Koriel by turning into a female ki-rin (a t'uen-rin, technically) in heat. Nine months later, Erevan Ilesere bore Eachthighern, the unicorn god, and gifted him to the Seelie Court.
I don't particularly think the Flanaess needs any more deities either. It's more a thought experiment than anything else - how many of the generic gods can I cram in?
There aren't any actual new gods there. Most of them not from the Greyhawk campaign as such are from Monster Mythology, the Book of Vile Darkness, the Book of Exalted Deeds, or Libris Mortis.
I don't particularly think the Flanaess needs any more deities either. It's more a thought experiment than anything else - how many of the generic gods can I cram in?
aha that explains it. i love the BoVD, but I don't as of yet own the other books. Keep up the good work. :D
I described it above, at the bottom of post #2 of this thread. That's Len's tree, directly from MS Works to you. There's no way I would have repeated that blasted thing if it wasn't Len's.
Thanks for the poke RVW, I should have read more closely
The next most ancient are the four elemental powers: Grumbar, Istishia, Akadi, and Kossuth.
Al'Zarad is god of magic and learning. He is the direct creation of Istus, and is seldom worshipped.
Tharoth the Reaper is seen as a servant of Istus, in charge of ending a mortal’s life when Istus decrees it.
Al-Asran is the sun. Like Al-Zarad and Tharoth, he is a creation of Istus.
From the souls of seven martyrs, Istus created seven angels, known as the Seven Lords of Good, to guide the seven planets. When humanity was created, one of the angels refused to bow to them as Istus had requested; this proud angel, Iblis, was banished to the the infernal planes as punishment, and his rulership over his planet was given to another, though Istus decreed that Iblis was not to be destroyed.
Dorgha Torgu is a forgotten god; before his fall he ruled all the elements in the name of the three mothers.
Mouqol is the son of Geshtai and Dorgha Torgu. He is an old god, preceding the War of Light and Darkness and the Hegira, but he is not as primal as the elements or the three mothers of the Ideals.
The Wars of Light and Darkness began when the angel Absalom took it upon himself to destroy the wicked god Iblis in defiance of the neutral gods. The djinn and jann took Absalom’s side in this, while the efreet joined with the servants of Iblis the Fallen in opposing them. The Seven Lords were forced to take Absalom’s side in spite of themselves, lest the forces of Evil gain too much ground. The elemental courts were split between princes of good and evil, and even humanity took sides. Istus frowned on this, and she cursed those of her mortal children who had sided with Absalom to wander until she gave them a sign that they could stop. The Bakluni homelands were overrun by worshippers of Iblis and the Princes of Elemental Evil. In the heavens, Absalom was hung upside down for 1000 years, and the wars ended.
Since then, four new gods have emerged, each of them once heroes of the Bakluni people.
Azor’alq was a paladin who protected the Baklunish family during their wanderings. He was dedicated to the Seven Lords of Good, and they helped him reach apotheosis once his long task was done.
Zuoken was a monk of Xan Yae - some say his mother’s body was made perfect by Xan Yae herself, and that he had no father. He was one of the few D’ai Shaton who remained faithful when others defected. With the favor of Xan Yae, he reached immortality.
Al’Akbar was a priest of Al-Asran just after the Invoked Devastation; his patron granted him the Cup and Talisman in order to soothe the wounds of the Bakluni people.
Daoud, the last great Baklunish hero-god, was once pasha of Tusmit; he gave all this up to live as a begger, and so found Perpetual Harmony and Internal Peace, and was elevated by the Universal Mind.
Len Lakofka's theogony fits together well, but feels very arbitrary, with many gods not having much to do with their parents. Wee Jas doesn't feel like a grandmother; not just her youthful appearance, but she feels very sterile. It's hard to imagine several generations coming from the cold maiden of death. I've made her barren instead. Beltar, on the other hand, seems very maternal in an evil sort of way.
Lendor
Jascar, Fortubo, Beltar, Ranet, Xerbo, Osprem
Norebo, Wee Jas, Syrul, Phaulkon, Lydia, Phyton, Bralm
Llerg, Kord, Pyremius, Dalt, Vatun, Rudd
1. Lendor, father and mother, begat the twins Jascar and Fortubo, and his oldest daughters Beltar of the pits and Ranet of the flames. Later he begat Xerbo and Osprem.
2. Jascar and Beltar begat the twins Wee Jas and Bralm, the sisters of order. They also begat the twins Lydia and Syrul, truth and lies. Finally, they begat the twins Phaulkon and Phyton, wind and wood. Fortubo, god of the forge, married Ranet, goddess of the hearth. Xerbo and Osprem married one another.
3. Phaulkon married Lydia. Norebo and Wee Jas became lovers. Phyton married Bralm. Syrul disguised herself as Lydia and seduced Phaulkon; she later birthed her sons: Kord and Pyremius, Afflux and Rallaster. Kord was raised by Lydia as her own, while the other sons were reared among the fiends of the lower planes. Llerg, Dalt, and Vatun were the sons of Phyton and Bralm. Llerg and Vatun took after the wild aspect of their parents, while Dalt followed their civilized, industrious personalities.
4. Pyremius grew up and declared his parentage among the gods, secretly he murdered Ranet in order to increase his power. Fortubo later married Sharindlar of the dwarven pantheon and would no longer associate with any Suel gods but his twin, Jascar. Norebo eventually had a daughter, Rudd, with a mortal; with the aid of Olidammara, she would become a god in her own right.
From the elder gods of the elements, the greater gods were born: Sol the day and Null the night, Procan the storm and Incabulos the black rider, Beory the oerth and Boccob the uncaring, Rao the just, and Istus the weaver of fate.
Merikka was the daughter of Beory and Sol; Velnius, Telchur, Atroa, Wenta, and Sotillion were all born from Procan in his many aspects; some sages say Ralishaz the Unlooked For and Erythnul the Many were also born from Procan's evershifting currents and winds, though others reckon the last two as Incabulos' sons. The brothers Kurell and Zilchus and their sister Alia are said by the Canon of Veluna to be the children of Rao, but most reckon them belated children of the elder gods instead, children of the old gods of earth and order. It is said that Kurell should have inherited his father's blessing, but Zilchus won it instead; ever since then, Kurell has tried to steal what he believes he deserves. Pholtus the stern claims to have no parents, being born from the Blinding Light itself, though others count him as a son of Sol or Rao.
The brothers Fharlanghn and Celestian were sons of Merikka and far-wandering Velnius; Hextor was the product of Erythnul's **** of Alia, and was scorned by his mother because of it. His brother, Heironeous, was another son of Velnius, and more favored. The final child of Alia was Lirr, the poetess, Heironeous' full sibling.
The brothers Fharlanghn and Celestian were sons of Merikka and far-wandering Velnius
This doesn't work very well; Fharlanghn should belong to the same generation as Atroa, with whom he's romantically linked. I think the brothers of far journeys should be the sons of a god of the sky and a goddess of the earth, and I like my original origin for them: when their mother died, Celestian left to escort her soul to the afterworld, while Fharlanghn remained behind to guide his people on Oerth.
I suppose their father should be Procan, though it seems like he's being overused. In an earlier geneology, I had their father as Cyndor (as god of infinity).
I notice in the Oerid myth you use Flan deity names, such as Rao or Beory, whereas in the Baklunish myth you gave Flan deities Baklunish names, such as Tharoth for Nerull...As I assume the Oerid myth predates their entry into the Flanaess (and this may be a mistake on my part), why don't deities such as Beory have a more Oeridian name, like you did with Sol for Pelor?...Are you asserting that the Oeridians were influenced by the Flan before both groups entered the Flanaess?...The myths are fine work none-the-less...
Kwint
I did invent or appropriate a few Oeridian names for Flan deities - Pelor=Sol, Nerull=Null (I thought these worked well together).
My Oeridian name for Beory is Oeridia (mentioned in a previous post in this thread); I didn't use it in my last post because... well, I just decided not to.
The Oeridian name for Rao is Rao; knowledge of him does not precede the Oeridian entry into the Flanaess. He was adapted from the Flan by the Oeridian tribes who settled in Voll, and they used the Flannae name for him. He was not part of Oeridian myth until after the Great Migrations. The other gods were known by the Oeridians back in their homelands and were discovered independently of the Flan.
The brothers Fharlanghn and Celestian were sons of Merikka and far-wandering Velnius; Hextor was the product of Erythnul's **** of Alia, and was scorned by his mother because of it. His brother, Heironeous, was another son of Velnius, and more favored. The final child of Alia was Lirr, the poetess, Heironeous' full sibling.
What about Stratis?
What about Stratis?
Also the son of Velnius, if he's used.
I thought I could say Merikka was also the daughter of Alia and Erythnul in Oeridian myth, just to give Hextor some company. Then Merikka and Lirr would be half-sisters exactly parallel to Hextor and Herironeous, deities of culture rather than war.
Merikka, Celestian, and Fharlanghn were the children of Oerditi and Sol. The Velaeri were all born from Procan in his twin aspects. Wrathful Hextor and tempestuous Myrhiss were born from Alia and Erythnul, while noble Heironeous and gentle Lirr were born from Alia's tryst with the Valaeri Velnius.
Outside the palace of the Oerditi (built for them by Zilchus) the dark powers of Chaos brooded: Chaos himself on his ever-changing throne, his consort Night by his side, their children Rumor, Chance, Tumult, Confusion, and Discord at their feet; Ades and Demogorgon behind them; Incabulos and Ralishaz cackled among them.
Kurell lost the love of the Valaeri Sotillion to his brother, Zilchus; in his jealousy he stole the sun and the moons, which Zilchus had made for Sol and Null, and hid them in the court of Chaos. Then he told the other Oerditi that Ralishaz had stolen them.
The Oerditi prepared for war; Erythnul became hot with battle-fever and Alia struck her spear against her shield. Procan stormed and the Valaeri howled. Heironeous and Hextor displayed their weapons, standing back to back. Together, they invaded the court of Chaos.
The monsters of Chaos were strong; there were great dragons and serpents big enough to strangle worlds. There were all-devouring wolves, giants, orcs, goblins, and elves. Many gods were wounded, and Oerditya herself was killed. The Oerditi fell back.
Merikka mourned her mother, swearing that she would serve in her place as best she could. Celestian left the Oerth to shepherd his mother's soul to its place among the stars. Fharlanghn remained behind, to protect his people in their wanderings.
But without the sun and moons, the night and day were filled with darkness. Something needed to be done. At last the youngest among them spoke. He was the son of Celestian and the Valaeri Atroa, before Celestian left his bride forever to become the shepherd of souls. His name was Pholtus.
"I will reclaim the sun and moons," said Pholtus. "Chaos holds no power over me." He stepped out into the maelstrom, and the elements parted before him. He kept to a rigid, utterly straight path; unlike the other gods, he never deviated from his course to war or rage. Chaos could not touch him.
Pholtus found the sun and moons beneath Chaos' own throne. The moons had been tainted; where they had both been silver, now one had become green as the sea, while the other was tarnished and pitted. The sun, however, still shown bright. He brought them back to the palace of the Oerditi; Sol and Null bowed before him in gratitude.
Pholtus looked Kurell in the eyes. "It is you who started this foolish war," he said with certainty. "No more shall you be god of plenty; that title shall be your brother's; you shall be naught but the god of skulk-thieves forever more." Kurell scurried into the shadows, consumed with shame.
The rest of the Oerditi agreed that Pholtus should be chief among them. The sun and moons were made into his sceptre and crown; the light from within them shown from his own brow. All gods and creatures knelt before the Blinding Light.
Kwint "Not Ignoring You" Pendick
I think the first official place was the Death Knight articles Gary Holian wrote for Dragon Magazine.
I believe that's correct.
I'm thinking of calling them Velnius, Nerull, Procan, Hextor, and Erythnul, at least as the Oeridians know them (the Suel would call them Kord, Beltar, Xerbo, Syrul, and Gruumsh, while the dragons would call them Io, Chronepsis, Bahamut, Tiamat, and Falazure). The two "invisible" Wanderers beyond would be Boccob and Vecna.
As the planets would be visible to the most ancient beings, I would associate them with the more primal & older deities, such as gods of natural forces. Erythnul would be fine, as some theorize he once filled the role that Hextor now serves in. Rather than Hextor, I'd choose a different Oeridian god, perhaps Boccob (Nerull is Flan, BTW, but likely has an Oerid counterpart) or Cyndor. The 2 invisible wanderers could be Boccob, Cyndor, Ralishaz, Trithereon, Zilchus (discovered after commerce had become established among the Oeridians), Delleb (discovered after writing had become established), or Kurell (discovered after urbanization began to breed more crime)--as Vecna is Flan, I'd leave him out.
As for the Suel gods, Kord & Xerbo are fine, but I would associate Beltar more with the underworld, Syrul isn't a deity of natural forces, & Gruumsh isn't a human god at all. I'd use Lendor, Phaulkon, & perhaps Llerg. The invisible planets could be Wee Jas & Syrul, perhaps.
Something else to consider: Associating visible planets with sea deities may not me the best idea. In ancient times, sea gods were associated with specific bodies of water (Poseidon the Mediterranean, Oceanus the Atlantic)--the ancients would likely have not named Neptune "Neptune" had they been able to see it.
As the planets would be visible to the most ancient beings, I would associate them with the more primal & older deities, such as gods of natural forces.
Instead, I would assume that the most ancient beings had other names for them. Perhaps some of those other gods are dead, or merely forgotten.
Something else to consider: Associating visible planets with sea deities may not me the best idea.
Procan is as much a god of wind and storms as he is of the sea. As far as the Suel sea gods go, you're probably right.
Al'Zarad is god of magic and learning. He is the direct creation of Istus, and is seldom worshipped.
Tharoth the Reaper is seen as a servant of Istus, in charge of ending a mortal’s life when Istus decrees it.
Al-Asran is the sun. Like Al-Zarad and Tharoth, he is a creation of Istus.
When used in canon, these names are assumed to be cultural "masks" of Boccob, Nerull, and Pelor.
--Erik
When used in canon, these names are assumed to be cultural "masks" of Boccob, Nerull, and Pelor.
Yeah, I should have mentioned that, but couldn't find a place to in the in-character myth I was writing it as. The Baklunish themselves might refuse to acknowledge their glorious celestial lamp, Al'Asran, might be the same being as the filthy Flannae god Pelor.
http://www.ajs.com/ajswiki/Image:Greyhawk_Deities_Map.svg
I'll keep working on this and uploading new versions. I'll post here when I have substantially more in place.
Edit: note that the page contains a blobby little image. You have to click on the image to download the SVG that has the real info. If you use Firefox, this should render just fine.
I don't know the state of SVG support in IE or Safari....
I'm working on a mapping of the associations between the pantheons of Greyhawk. It's based on this thread and a few other sources. Right now, it's just started, and you may not find the format useful if your browser doesn't support SVG. Still, here it is:
http://www.ajs.com/ajswiki/Image:Greyhawk_Deities_Map.svg
I'll keep working on this and uploading new versions. I'll post here when I have substantially more in place.
I don't know the state of SVG support in IE or Safari....
Doesn't work too well in Opera, either. BUT. . .
Nice work. I'd like to point out that Istus, Al'Akbar, Xan Yae, Zuoken, Mouqol, & Geshtai are Baklunish. Velnius, Telchur, Atroa, Sotillion, & Wenta are all siblings--the children of Procan--& Merikka is their cousin (they're all Oeridian, too, BTW). Kurell is also Oeridian. Stern Alia is the mother of Heironeous & Hextor, & Wee Jas & Norebo are lovers. Rudd is a disciple of Olidammara. Zilchus & Kurell are brothers, I believe, & Sotillion is married to Zilchus. Kyuss was a servant of Nerull, & Mayaheine & St Bane both serve Pelor. It's rumored that St Cuthbert was at one time a servant of Rao, but I don't think anything definite has been published. Sorry if I've repeated anything previously posted, I was on a roll.
There are currently 200 entries on GH gods on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Greyhawk_deities