Making Gods & Religion > Part 2

Welcome back. Last time we set up our pantheons and gods. This time we’ll look at turning those gods into functional religion for your world.

Here’s the Gods & Religion Outline

How many major religions? (Earth has 5)
How many gods? (Philosophy, Monotheism, Dualism, Small Pantheon, Large Pantheon, Ancestor Worship/Animism)
God Aspects
God Spheres
Melding Spheres
God Adds: Commandment, Prayer/Sacrifice, Holiday/Rite/Ritual, Symbolism/Iconography
Religious Influence (World, Continent, Nation, Region)
Universal Myths
Organization (Hierarchy, Organization, Political Role)
Worship (Who leads it, how-to, where, how-often)
Major Holidays
Rites/Rituals
Sacrifices
Centers of Worship (Temples & Churches)
Priests (Dress, Lifestyle, Deference, Community Role)

In this post we’ll move through the next for points:

Melding the Spheres
God Adds
Religious Influence
Universal Myths

Melding Spheres

You have facets for each god, but what is the god really in charge of? What’s his/her thing? How do the god’s disparate facets line up? I like to meld the facets together to make a more interesting list. From there I can derive some key elements and a name/title.

Here’s an example using God #1 from Pantheon #1.

1. She Beast of…

Decay/Entropy (Death)
Harvest (Life)
Moon/Night (Sky)
Earth (Wilds)

How do Decay/Entropy and Harvest work together? This is a simple one. It’s a god focused on the life and death cycle. Not picking fruit causes it to rot on the vine. So this goddess is in charge of harvest and not spurning the bounty of the harvest. Harvest and Moon/Night. Easy, harvest moon. This goddess definitely has a harvest moon ritual/celebration. Moon/Night and Earth. Earth can be soil. So I decided to go with night soil. Night soil is human excrement used as fertilizer. This also works with the cyclical life/death theme as well as decay. There’s not much to add for Earth and Decay/Entropy. Fertilizer fills that role quite nicely and I’ve already used it. Let’s add some extra flavor, mold and fungi. This goddess is also a she beast. I decided on a swan. Swans in western tradition are often depicted as being female. So I’ll call her, The Night Swan.

I avoid giving my gods specific names. That makes them easy to reuse. Also, players are bad at remembering made-up names. Abbralin, difficult to remember. Night Swan? Easy to remember.

God Adds

Now you’ve fleshed out the deities a little more it’s time to expand on their influence in people’s lives. For each god add at least one of the following:

⦁ Commandment: Something people must/must not do.

⦁ Prayer/Sacrifice: How to worship the god.

⦁ Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Some important day or event tied to the god

⦁ Symbolism: What symbols and icons represent the deity.

Religious Influence

A major step to turning a pantheon into a religion is determining the influence of the religion. How widespread is the religion. If you need, roll 1d10 for each major religion.

1. Region

2-4. Nation

5-8. Continent

9-10. World

Universal Myths

After the people you will need to create a few basic myths that are common across religions. Most major religions share four common myths. If you want to learn more about mythology check out Crash Course World Mythology

Creation
- Creation from Chaos
- Earth Diver
- Emergence
- Ex Nihilo (From Nothing)
- World Parent
- World Corpse
Restart “Cataclysm” (This is usually a flood)
- Drought
- Famine
- Fire
- Flood
- Blizzard
- Tornado
- Meteor
- Plague
- Earthquake
- Rift Opening
- Sinkhole
- Volcanic Eruption
End of the World
- Apocalypse
- Final Judgment
- Ragnarok
- Reset
What Happens After Death
- Reincarnation/Freedom from Reincarnation
- Reward/Punishment Planes

Here are My Results

Pantheon #1

The Night Swan

Appreciation nature’s bounty
Harvest moon ritual/festival
Night Soil, compost
Fungi & Mold

Commandment: The last bite of food must be added to compost

Prayer/Sacrifice: Gather mushrooms, chop, and add to compost, prayer happens in moonlight

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Harvest moon bonfire and all night harvest

Symbolism: Moon, white swan, surrounded by fungi. Swan ornamentation common on outhouses and chamber pots

The Naiad

Love
Aphrodisiac Seafood (Oysters)
Fish/Sea Life (Sea)
Naval Warfare (Seashells/Conchs)
Defense/Protection (War)
Protection of loved ones, protection from heartbreak

Commandment: Must eat seafood to both celebrate new love and as the cure for heartbreak.

Prayer/Sacrifice: prayer made with bare feet in water. Wear/sacrifice bits of jewelry and makeup made from seashells & more

Holidays/Rites/Rituals: Spring equinox festival where single men and women share aphrodisiac seafood

Symbolism: Pearls, sea shells, sheer fabric

The Cat

Ignorance/Stupidity (Darkness)
Monster Myths, Untamed lands
Monsters (Wilds)

Commandment: Never stray from sight of the settlement/road

Prayer/Sacrifice: Leave an offering of milk or flesh at the edge of the wilds (woods, marsh, etc.). Make a prayer before traveling overland.

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Those looking to test their bravery paint their bodies in loud designs and stay a firelight vigil alone at the edge of the wilds.

Symbolism: Watching cat, Watching eye(s) on a dark background.

The Hierophant (Lich/Mummy)

Undeath (Death)
Secrets of the Afterlife
Arcana (Knowledge)
Strategy, Trivia, Combat Magic
Competition/Duels (War)
Eternal struggle of life

Commandment: Must not attempt to cheat death

Prayer/Sacrifice: Burning of incense and dried flowers

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Magic chants and talismans to guide the dead on their journey to the afterlife.

Symbolism: Skulls, arcane sigils, magic seals, rings

Cirrus (Female winged sandals and weather controlling whistle, Cloud)

Grave (Life)
Deaths at Sea
Seafaring/Voyages (Sea)
Favorable wind, weather, currents
Weather
Deaths from storms & natural disasters

Commandment: Ship work must be accompanied by song

Prayer/Sacrifice: Prayer at dawn. Spill blood into the sea for good sailing weather

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Special sacrifices and rituals after storms and natural disasters

Symbolism: Winged sandal, whistle, ship and cloud

Female Void Kraken/Cthulhu Aberration

Absence of Light (Darkness)
Eternal Void
Annihiliation/Exctinction (Death)
Tidal Waves
Tides (Sea)
Sea navigation & timing
Navigation/Stars (Sky)
Dark sky (cloud cover, too much ground light)

Commandment: Always keep a light burning on a cloudy night

Prayer/Sacrifice: Cast a coin into the deep ocean for guidance

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Winter celebration and ritual to ward off blight and famine

Symbolism: Black disc, female figure with arms spread and black interior

The Maker (M/F Duality)

Making things
Courage and willingness to do something

Commandment: Hands should never lay idle

Prayer/Sacrifice: Burning of daisy chains, woven bowls, other simple crafts

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Beginning of winter celebrates the beginning of craft season

Symbolism: Tools, loom, pottery

Religious Influence

Continental

Universal Myths

Creation: Ex Nihilo (From Nothing)

Restart Cataclysm: Ice Age (Blizzard)

End of the World: Reset

What Happens After Death: Reward/Punishment Planes

Pantheon #2

Wasted One (Thin, sallow)

Absence of Light (Darkness)
Mold/Rot/Scavengers
Decay/Entropy (Death)
Attrition, Fatigue, Breakdown
Competition/Duels (War)
Struggle against Weather
Precipitation (Weather)

Commandment: Stay in shelter against rain and snow

Prayer/Sacrifice: Leave something out to rot to appease the Wasted One

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Gather and burn any rotted stores before the new harvest

Symbolism: Sickly body, vermin, rain

The Bridge (stands between life/death, land/sea, raw/worked)

Mortality/Murder (Death)
People & Instruments of killing
Forge/Craft
Shipwright
Tides (Sea)
Fleeting ebb and flow of life
Moon/Night

Commandment: Stay inside at night

Prayer/Sacrifice: Prayer when the tide changes after sunset

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Burn irreparable items

Symbolism: Knife, rope around a stirrup, moon and cloud

Mother Hind (Hind & Suckling Young)

Growth
Medicine

Commandment: Aid the afflicted and injured

Prayer/Sacrifice: Bless your home’s threshold with dried herbs and flowers

Holiday/Rite/Ritual: Passing of healing arts knowledge from one generation to the next

Symbolism: Dried herbs, mortar and pestle, antelope head/horn

The Shrewd (Blindfolded, open 3rd eye, holding sword & laden sack)

Mysteries/Secrets/Trickster (Knowledge)
Mystery of what’s below the waves
Art of the Deal
Trade (Sea)
Law, Word Bond
Chivalry (War)

Commandment: Your word is your bond. Don’t give/take it lightly

Prayer/Sacrifice: Take inventory of your debts and promises.

Holiday/Ritual/Rite: A successful deal, contract, or treaty should be celebrated with oil, vinegar, salt, wine, and blood.

Symbolism: Sword, open tome, coin scale, shield

Shrouded Figure (Toga with cloth pulled over head)

Gloom/Obscurement (Darkness)
Kindness without acknowledgement
Charity (Love for all)
Respect and understanding for the dangers of the wilds
Monsters (Wilds)
The danger beyond civilization

Commandment: Give shelter and succor to those in need without acknowledgement

Prayer/Sacrifice: Gifts of service, money, and goods to the less fortunate

Holiday/Ritual/Rite: Those who receive good fortune should pay dividends to those in their lives. Leave a sacrifice to appease the monsters in the wild.

Symbolism: Shrouded figure, hand with a coin-sized hole in the palm, featureless smile

The Phoenix

Undeath
Undying love
Romance
Fickle nature of lust (rise and fall of sun)
Sun/Light (Sky)
Calendar, passage of equinox, and solstice
Seasons
Cycle of nature (birth, growth, seeding, death, rebirth)

Commandment: Fulfill your daily and seasonal chores

Prayer/Sacrifice: Burn note/property of person you want to be a lover. Bury the rotted with the seed, weed the crop, save the best fruit for planting, care the soil.

Holiday/Ritual/Rite: Release the burden of unfruitful love/lust

Symbolism: phoenix, fire feather, fiery sun, season wheel

Verdant Lady

Mountain & Valley, Hill & Dale

Commandment: Take from the verdant lady in moderation only

Prayer/Sacrifice: Place stands of woven sapling bough rods at the edge of settlement. Decorate with fronds, ribbons, ornamentation to please the Verdant Lady

Holiday/Ritual/Rite: Build a grand, decorated woven rod structure at the highest point visible from the settlement.

Symbolism: mountain next to valley (-^v-) or hill to dale, tree, bough, leaf

The Sea Nymph

Harvest
Fishing
Fish/Sea Life
Squalls/Hurricanes
Storms

Commandment: Do not eat bottom feeders (shellfish, catfish)

Prayer/Sacrifice: Cast wine and grain into the sea. Good fishing, protection from sea storms

Holiday/Ritual/Rite: Coming/going of sea ice, tropical storm seasons, monsoons

Symbolism: fish, waves, lightning clouds