Has anyone actually made up their own pantheon?

[GabrielWithoutWings]

Just what the title says.

Anyone done this?

Instead of going with some older god or goddess, just make up your own pantheon for things that have meaning in your life?

Maybe a goddess of the internet? Maybe your own sun god or goddess? Whatever you dream up.

It just sort of popped in my head.

[dragoncrone]

A couple of years ago I went on a road trip to the snow with a friend...and her two German Shepherds. We are both thrift-shop maniacs, so of course had to stop in a little podunk town and check out the local goodwill store. From across the room I saw what I thought was a Buddha, but on closer investigation proved to be a cream-colored statue of a woman in a flowing gown sitting cross-legged and holding a little bowl in her hands. Well, for $5 I couldn't go wrong. My friend promptly christened her the Road Trip Goddess.
The next day we had a huge convoluted problem involving road closures and wrong-size tire chains; we ended up swapping tire chains with a total stranger, in a little garage in the middle of nowhere. It all ended fine, so we call the statue the 'Road Trip Goddess, She Who Provides Tire Chains.' It goes with us on every trip we take.

[skilly-nilly]

Instead of going with some older god or goddess, just make up your own...Whatever you dream up.

It just sort of popped in my head.



we call the statue the 'Road Trip Goddess, She Who Provides Tire Chains.' It goes with us on every trip we take.

I felt there was a flaw in the op's statement, but didn't want to get all argumentative about it---maybe it's just a wording problem.

But dragoncrone's post epitomizes my problem, so I thought I'd chip in.

I believe that there are infinite Gods, and when we have a need a God can decide that They'd enjoy answering that need and so enter our lives.

So, no, I definitely don't think anyone can successfully "make up" Gods, but I do think that belief and need can call up Someone Who's not been around before.

As well, I'm a kind of Irish ReConstructionist, and that Path has a strongly Animist orientation that many places have very specific local Inhabiting Deities. So I have in my 'pantheon' the Front-Garden Spirit, the Back-Yard Spirit, the Magic Circle Spirit, the Local Park Spirit, the Being Who lives in the Hob-House in the kitchen, the God of the Traffic Lights on Hunt Club, the Supermarket Parking-Lot Goddess, the Tree-Spirits of the trees I've planted, The Tree-Spirits of the trees that I know but didn't plant..........to name a few.

[Evinmeer]

Kind of reminds me of the beginning of the PC game "Black & White", where there's a monologue about how gods are born from the prayers of a people in need. :-P I like that game. :-D

[David19]

I think it depends how you define the word "made up". IMO, I think, like skilly-nilly, that there are an infinite amount of Gods and that when you or a people have a need, a God that wasn't active in this realm before can come and answer that need, not in terms of being created by peoples belief, but the need creates a link to the divine realms and the God answers.

Not sure if that bit made any sense.

I don't see any reason why you can't have your own personal pantheon, if it's relevant to your life and you feel connected to it in some way and it helps you. For my personal pantheon, right now, it's not much, but there's the the God of traffic lights (or rather a specific traffic light, not all traffic lights), a God of exercise and fitness, etc. I think everything has a God and spirits in it.

You can also develop your own personal mythology. I think developing that is something related to Joseph Campbell and possibly Carl Jung (not sure about the last one?), just google "personal mythology", here are some good sites, IMO on it:

http://www.angelfire.com/hi/TheSeer/personal.html

Joseph Campbell Foundation forum (http://www.jcf.org/forum/index.php) - good place to ask about developing a personal mythology.

And here are some good sites on modern Gods:

Modern Pantheons on Barbelith (http://www.barbelith.com/topic/14008) - good post and forum, IMO.

There's also a good Yahoo group called Religio Americana (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/religio-americana/?yguid=217809376), which is aimed creating a religion out of U.S. symbols, sacred places, Gods (e.g. Liberty, etc).

Here are some other cool sites:

http://seconddrafts.wordpress.com/2007/10/11/american-pantheon-of-gods/

http://community-2.webtv.net/Ace-Detective/USAGODS/

And Ceisiwr Serith (http://www.ceisiwrserith.com/) has some good info on modern American Gods, particularly his prayers section (http://www.ceisiwrserith.com/):

American Deities:
Industry, you have made us strong.
Commerce, you have made us rich.
Agriculture, you have fed us well.
Commerce, you have joined us together.
War, you have defended our freedom.
Peace, you have given us something to defend.
Justice, you have enabled us to deserve all these.
Liberty: with these we have built a home for you,
and we ask you to come live with us,
continually reminding us of your gifts and your demands

And this site is good too, although it comes from a fundamentalist angle, but I think the deities he mentions sound quite cool:

http://www.crrange.com/usagods20.html#other

And, I believe Theres identified a few months ago in a thread about a modern Goddess called Distractia (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=157875).

So, I think having personal pantheons are possible.

Hope this helps and good luck :).

[GabrielWithoutWings]

Yeah, I see the threads in here stating that they may have a problem with the OP. Thats okay. It's up for discussion. Hence, it's on a discussion board. ;)

Perhaps what I meant was, have you assigned your own mythology, beliefs, and images about a possible (super)natural entity?

Ie, Sun God may exist under different names for different pantheons (Ra, Aten, Helios, etc), but in my mind, I believe he'll be Sol Invictus because thats a name that resonates with me.

I dunno. Just kinda throwing it out there. You know, just kinda tossing it, just throwing it around. I sound like Stewie. O.O

[Meadhbh]

I don't think you can make up new gods. Maybe older ones will answer to new names. If you want to think of that as making up new gods then yes you can. But I think gods are just like people they change with the times so Angus can now be the patron of internet dating, Dain-Cecht can help you when your under going chemo ect.

[Rick]

"Has anyone actually made up their own pantheon?"

Um, someone made up every pantheon...

[cesara]

Good topic.


I think it depends how you define the word "made up". IMO, I think, like skilly-nilly, that there are an infinite amount of Gods and that when you or a people have a need, a God that wasn't active in this realm before can come and answer that need, not in terms of being created by peoples belief, but the need creates a link to the divine realms and the God answers.

Not sure if that bit made any sense.

I don't see any reason why you can't have your own personal pantheon, if it's relevant to your life and you feel connected to it in some way and it helps you. For my personal pantheon, right now, it's not much, but there's the the God of traffic lights (or rather a specific traffic light, not all traffic lights), a God of exercise and fitness, etc. I think everything has a God and spirits in it.

You can also develop your own personal mythology. I think developing that is something related to Joseph Campbell and possibly Carl Jung (not sure about the last one?), just google "personal mythology", here are some good sites, IMO on it:

http://www.angelfire.com/hi/TheSeer/personal.html

Joseph Campbell Foundation forum (http://www.jcf.org/forum/index.php) - good place to ask about developing a personal mythology.

And here are some good sites on modern Gods:

Modern Pantheons on Barbelith (http://www.barbelith.com/topic/14008) - good post and forum, IMO.

There's also a good Yahoo group called Religio Americana (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/religio-americana/?yguid=217809376), which is aimed creating a religion out of U.S. symbols, sacred places, Gods (e.g. Liberty, etc).

Here are some other cool sites:

http://seconddrafts.wordpress.com/2007/10/11/american-pantheon-of-gods/

http://community-2.webtv.net/Ace-Detective/USAGODS/

And Ceisiwr Serith (http://www.ceisiwrserith.com/) has some good info on modern American Gods, particularly his prayers section (http://www.ceisiwrserith.com/):

American Deities:
Industry, you have made us strong.
Commerce, you have made us rich.
Agriculture, you have fed us well.
Commerce, you have joined us together.
War, you have defended our freedom.
Peace, you have given us something to defend.
Justice, you have enabled us to deserve all these.
Liberty: with these we have built a home for you,
and we ask you to come live with us,
continually reminding us of your gifts and your demands

And this site is good too, although it comes from a fundamentalist angle, but I think the deities he mentions sound quite cool:

http://www.crrange.com/usagods20.html#other

And, I believe Theres identified a few months ago in a thread about a modern Goddess called Distractia (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=157875).

So, I think having personal pantheons are possible.

Hope this helps and good luck :).

Some good links there, David19...thanks for posting those! :)

[David19]

Good topic.



Some good links there, David19...thanks for posting those! :)

Thanks :).

[hewhowatches]

I 'made up' about six gods/goddesses. But they were originally just for play. They were all referred to as Dragons. There was Solahn, King of the Dragons, the fire god. Then I had Luna, a she-wolf water goddess. Then there is Ezhura, a tiger god of wind. And finally Gaea, a lioness goddess of earth. Then I had the Gods of Balance, whose names were Kurai Yoru and Akarui Hi (japanese names - literal translation is 'dark night' and 'bright day'). One was the God of Chaos, the other the God of Order. When they are apart, eventually all hell breaks loose. But if they're together, things are easier for all the world to manage.


So, in short, I have made up gods, so to speak. I can't say I really worship them, but for all I know the time I've put in developing them could have given them a real spark of life. That'd be interesting. :)

[Lupabitch]

Ever heard of Storm Constantine? She's a UK-based sci-fi/dark fantasy authorl one of her most famous series is the Wraeththu series, composed of two complete trilogies. Storm is a Chaos magician, and she worked a lot of occult philosophy into the novels--including creating an entire pantheon in the second trilogy.

Well, a few years ago she came out with Grimoire Dehara: Kaimana, an occult nonfiction text of magic based on what she had created in her Wraeththu novels. It's the first of a trilogy of grimoires, though I'm not sure when the next one will be out. My husband, Taylor, was one of the folks who helped her flesh out the system, and he has had a lot of good results with it, as have other folks.

For myself, one of my primary deities is a god I call the Animal Father; he's based on the Sorcerer, a famous cave painting in Les Trois Freres. Whether he was an actual paleolithic deity, an opportunist, or simply a being that was created from the wonder and awe of that artwork, doesn't matter to me. My experiences, tempered with reality, are sufficient.

[Toby Stimpson]

I havnt created something I actually worship... I would tend to argue against that and say that knowing that such a thing is a creation unless it's based on a vision... well, that would destroy in my mind the essence of rligiosity.

I do however often think and look at my life and the people in them in terms of Mythology. I once created a mythology and Pantheon to represent my workplace... each of my coworkers being a Mythological figure. It turned out kinda cool.

[Philosophia]

"Has anyone actually made up their own pantheon?"

Um, someone made up every pantheon...

Exactly. I honestly don't see an issue in creating a pantheon.

[Toby Stimpson]

"Has anyone actually made up their own pantheon?"

Um, someone made up every pantheon...

I would disagree...

I think Pantheons evolved... and thats a major difference than being created. evolution would suggest there was something before. Whether or not someone created the most ancient prototype of a God in the world now... well we can't say for sure. Evolution is a lot different than activly being created

[Agaliha]

Here some previous threads about those sort of topic:

From the Gods & Goddesses Resource & Link Thread (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=113087):

Personal and/or Created and/or New Gods
Create your own gods? (http://www.mysticwicks.com/archive/index.php/t-155553.html)
Unknown gods (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=39014&highlight=unknown+deities)
New Gods/Goddesses (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=84058&highlight=unknown+deities)
Non-historic deities (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=44186&highlight=unknown+deities)
DIY Myths? (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=22446)
Personal dieties (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=25589)
Do we create the gods? (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=157408)
A new and VERY powerful goddess... (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=157875)

[David19]

Ever heard of Storm Constantine? She's a UK-based sci-fi/dark fantasy authorl one of her most famous series is the Wraeththu series, composed of two complete trilogies. Storm is a Chaos magician, and she worked a lot of occult philosophy into the novels--including creating an entire pantheon in the second trilogy.

Well, a few years ago she came out with Grimoire Dehara: Kaimana, an occult nonfiction text of magic based on what she had created in her Wraeththu novels. It's the first of a trilogy of grimoires, though I'm not sure when the next one will be out. My husband, Taylor, was one of the folks who helped her flesh out the system, and he has had a lot of good results with it, as have other folks.

For myself, one of my primary deities is a god I call the Animal Father; he's based on the Sorcerer, a famous cave painting in Les Trois Freres. Whether he was an actual paleolithic deity, an opportunist, or simply a being that was created from the wonder and awe of that artwork, doesn't matter to me. My experiences, tempered with reality, are sufficient.

I didn't know Storm Constantine was a Chaos magician, I haven't read her books yet, but they are like at the top of my list of books to read next, especially her Grigori trilogy, starting with 'Stalking Tender Prey' (http://www.amazon.com/Stalking-Tender-Constantine-Grigori-Trilogy/dp/0965834549), 'Scenting Hallowed Blood' (http://www.amazon.com/Scenting-Hallowed-Grigori-Trilogy-Constantine/dp/0965834557) and 'Stealing Sacred Fire' (http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Sacred-Fire-Storm-Constantine/dp/0965834565)', they really sound quite cool and I really love dark fantasy (the darker the better, IMO). I also heard that the angels in the Grigori trilogy are quite homoerotic (not sure if that's true). All her stuff sounds amazing.

I'll have to look out for her occult work.

Also, hasn't your husband got 'Pop Culture Magick' (http://www.amazon.com/Pop-Culture-Magick-Taylor-Ellwood/dp/1904853072) out, which is basically about working "making up" modern pantheons or workign with pop cultural entities.

IMO, I see nothing wrong with using "made up" pantheons, besides, IMO, I think divinities come into this realm in mysterious ways, and a good doorway can be through the human imagination (how do we know that various modern Gods don't just decide to use the human imagination as a doorway into this realm?). In Sufism, if I'm remembering the concept right, between heaven and this realm, lies the realm of the imagination, it brides the 2 together, so, IMO, using the imagination isn't using "false" images or entities.

No idea if that made any sense, but again, thankyou Lupa for talking about Storm Constantine, she seems very cool, again IMO.

[David19]

I would disagree...

I think Pantheons evolved... and thats a major difference than being created. evolution would suggest there was something before. Whether or not someone created the most ancient prototype of a God in the world now... well we can't say for sure. Evolution is a lot different than activly being created

Like I said before, how do you know these new modern Gods aren't just using the human imagination as a doorway into this realm/plane.

Besides, it could be argued that all Gods started off as someones imagination, or what's the difference between a vision of a God and the human imagination?.

For the record, as most know, I'm an "hard" polytheist who sees all Gods as seperate, unique and individuals (like everything really).

[patch]

I've heardof people doing this before.

If you're interested, why not try it out? You could at least end up with a decent deity shaped thoughtform.

Myself, I wouln't be into doing that. I see Gods as entirely seperate entities to everything else and eachother. And so it would be hard to just create one from scratch. Same way you can't create a baby without egg and sperm.

[Avalanche]

I made up an pantheon once. I did have some help from friends. I think we had over 50 deities. We even wrote stories to go with it.

I think what happened was that we'd always throw out bags on a table at lunch and we called it "baggage claim." For some reason, a group of us decided we needed to worship baggage claim, and then we ended up with the God of Baggage Claim. I named him Terminal because the train at the airport says, "Baggage claim and terminal." Then we figured, if we're going to make up one god, why not a few more?

Of course, we also decided that we needed followers, so we started "converting" people to our "religion." We actually advertised it as a fake religion and said we were trying to "upgrade" to cult.

For the most part, we forgot about them, although I do sometimes take the "characters" when I need one for a story. This actually was the first thing that helped me find my way to my current path.