The Worldbuilder Diaries: Deities and Religions
By this point in my writing life, I’ve concocted a decent array of gods and goddesses for some of my worlds, while others are conspicuously devoid of any deity at all. I have just as much fun developing worlds that have a bit of religion as I do those that have none.
I’ve decided to break this post down by series/book title. I drew inspiration for the gods and religions of each world from different locations, and I think by breaking it down this way, it will be easier for the readers to follow my train of thought. (And I will admit, sometimes that train can be pretty damned chaotic.)
The Relics of War series and related stories
This was really the first world I created that incorporated any sort of gods or religion. I’d been reading a lot of Greek mythology at the time, and liked the idea of active deities—those that appear to their mortal subjects and make demands, issue threats, and generally sow their own brand of chaos.
While the pantheon of gods in The Relics of War series is nowhere near as extensive as the ancient Greeks had, I settled on thirteen deities. There are the main twelve, each in control of a unique aspect of their world and heavily involved in the oversight of mortals. The thirteenth, known for most of the series as the Nameless god, was imprisoned by his siblings ages ago—but he isn’t without his devout followers or a plan to break free. The sometimes subtle, sometimes overt actions of the gods were the catalyst for much of the storyline, though all of the main characters are completely mortal.
(Okay, one of them is half mortal, but he does not have a god’s lifespan or immortality, despite all his power. And yes, the gods dallying with mortals was another nod to the Greek myths that inspired me.)
Since the gods are active in this world, it made sense to include temples dedicated to each, staffed by their most devout followers. While the religious aspect of this world is present, the reader only sees glimpses of it through the eyes of the main characters (none of which are priests or priestesses.) There are ceremonies involved when dealing with this world’s gods, traditions that must be followed, and set expectations for those entering a god’s domain. I have more on this topic in my worldbuilding notebook than ever made it into the text.
The Caein Legacy and The Mage War Chronicles series
I intentionally created this world without a deity or religious group of any kind. I didn’t feel the story needed it, and sometimes I find it’s nice to read a book where none of that is present.
What did I do to make up for that “lack” in the world? As much as I hate to admit it, I added more politics, particularly in The Mage War Chronicles. In the real world, I despise politics. I will change the subject or walk away if it’s brought up. It is not my thing.
But in my fantasy worlds? Well…There are a lot of politics (I think I have this set as another topic for this series, so I’ll talk more about it at a later date.)
Wraith and the Revolution
The main character of this book isn’t religious and doesn’t once bring up the topic of a god in any form, but as a science fiction book set in humanity’s not-so-distant future, I’m sure the usual varieties were still present somewhere. I just didn’t include them (again, my personal preferences are bleeding into my stories a little.)
However, there is some mention of the ancient Botanaari worshipping the twin suns of their home world as gods long ago. I took inspiration for that bit of lore from the ancient Egyptians (specifically the religion practiced during Akhenaton’s reign.) It’s only mentioned in passing in the book, but it was fun to delve into the mythology as I researched. At the time of the book, the Botanaari have been an interstellar species for centuries and they no longer practice sun worship.
The Fontayne Company
This is another series (probably duology) with active deities and a large pantheon. I don’t even know how many gods there are yet—I keep adding them as the need arises. Some have more traditional roles, like the goddess of death, while others are more arbitrary, like the god of breweries. This is a cozy fantasy, so I’m having fun with it—and being a little silly along the way. (This project has been a nice break from the much more intense books of The Mage War Chronicles.)
There’s one god in particularly who is known for scheming and plotting long-term, and the main character is—fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective—tangled up in his plans (though he doesn’t know it at first.) This god is also a bit vengeful, and that comes into play too.
I’m not sure if there was any real inspiration for this set of deities, other than the world needed them as part of the storyline. The gods in this story rarely show themselves to mortals, but their influence is definitely present. When they do show up, however… Let’s just say things get really interesting.
This world is also much more modern than my other fantasy worlds, which added a few unique challenges. And now that I’m thinking about it, I probably should add a god of technology to the pantheon. There just might be a need for them somewhere.
Anyway, thanks for reading. If you’d like to see what else I have in this blog series, you can view the full list of posts here: The Worldbuilder Diaries