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varyar
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95 Posts

Posted - 14 Sep 2008 :  18:23:30  Show Profile Send varyar a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
For my Deities and Demigods of the Realms netbook, I'm putting in a sidebar about the proto-pantheons that eventually merged to become the modern Faerunian pantheon. Drawing on canon and speculation here and the Wizards boards, this is what I've come up with so far:

Coramshite - Anachtyr, Azuth, Bhaelros, Gond, Kha'alid, Ibrandul, Ilmater, Sharess, Sune
Jhaamdathan - Auppenser, Borem, Eldath, Garagos, Ghaunadaur, Helm, Jergal, Lliira, Malyk, Melith, Murdane, Silvanus, Talona, Valigan Thirdborn, Waukeen
Netherese - Amaunator, Jannath, Jergal, Kozah, Moander, Mystryl, Selūne, Shar, Siamorphe, Targus and Tyche
Northern - Lathander, Lurue, Mielikki, Nobanion, Shialia, Tapann the Undying, Tree Ghost
Illuskan/Rus - Mask, Shaundakul
Talfiric - Tempus, Talos, Umberlee, Auril, Malar and Loviatar
Yuir - Elikarashae, Magnar, Relkath, the Simbul, Vanathor, Zandilar (and four others)

Does anybody have any corrections/suggestions, especially for the last three pantheons?

Lord Karsus
Great Reader

USA
3736 Posts

Posted - 14 Sep 2008 :  20:30:38  Show Profile Send Lord Karsus a Private Message  Reply with Quote
-Concerning the Yuir Pantheon, check out this thread: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1058663

-Some of that will, pending editing and revision and such, end up in Elves of Faerūn, as speculation on part of the author. Educated hypothesizes, all of it, but it's better than nothing.

(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)

Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  01:35:43  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Turns out Malyk doesn't belong to any proto-human pantheon. His worship appears to be recent and is linked to the drow. See this link here for the lowdown on Malyk:
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9496
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  02:19:55  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Azuth is an ascended human, he ascended circa 136 DR, after the Dawn Cataclysm, so I would not put him in a proto-human pantheon. It's possible for him to have been from the Calimshan region, not sure if he was, don't know of any lore that pins down his origin per se. His worship I think was adopted first in Halruaa, where he defeated Savraas and ascended to godhood, but his worship may have spread to Calimshan pretty quickly after that.

Ilmater is also an ascended human, lore seems to indicate he ascended sometime between -243 DR and -216 DR guestimating from dates in F&P. He has a lot of monasteries around the Amn region, so he might have been from there or at least most fervently revered in that area.

Not sure how early on Gond came to be worshipped in Calimshan, there is some lore to support that he was first worshiped around the Lake of Steam area, and seems geographically linked to Waukeen in origin, but may or may not have been part of the same religious tradition as her There is a theory that Gond is an aspect of Hephaestus/Vulcan who came to Toril from ancient Earth with the ancestors of the Chessentan people taken by the Imaskari as slaves from Greece and/or Rome. Some have speculated that his name changed to Gond over time as the Chessentan people were assimilated into Faerūnian culture, and migrated outward to the Lake of Steam and surrounding areas. This is just a theory, nothing to support it, really, except Ed said explicitly in Dragon #54 "Down to Earth Divinity" when describing how he chose his pantheon quote: "GOND Gond is Hephaestus (DDG, p. 70) renamed. He is an inventor and artisan, as well as a smith." You could take that to simply mean that he needed a Hephaestus-like god and he named his Gond. Or you could take that to mean Gond actually is Hephaestus going by a different name. Only Ed can say for sure...

Sharess is the Mulhorandi deity Bast, merged with the Beast Lord Felidae and also absorbed the Yuir god Zandilar the dancer. So her origins are Mulhorandi interloper, Beast Lord, and Yuir pantheon. Her current identity is fairly recent, though, so I wouldn't place Sharess, per se, in any proto-human pantheon.

I am not certain but, I have a strong feeling Sune belongs in the Talfiric pantheon. I suspect she is a daughter of Lathander and possibly Selune. There is another theory going around that Sune is actually Aphrodite-Venus. If so, she may have her origins in Chessenta as well, similar to Gond above. Evidence for this is slim but some have suggested that Venus spelled backwards is Sunev (not much of an argument, but something to ponder) and Ed in the same Dragon article said this about Sune "SUNE Aphrodite (DDG, p. 64) renamed; the ultimate in charisma." He may have only been citing Aphrodite as a source of inspiration, rather than stating she actually is Aphrodite renamed. But it is a theory to be considered nonetheless. At some point Selune gifted (or ceded) some of her portfolios that Selune held during Netherese times to Sune. She did this sometime after the fall of Netheril and before the Dawn Cataclysm. I can't find any mention of Sune before that time, so my personal theory is that Selune had a relationship with Lathander around that time and from that union birthed Sune. Selune then gave
Sune some of her portfolios and diminished somewhat, retreating into the background to "raise" her daughter and help establish Sune as a major player. But just speculation on my part.

Anachtyr, Bhaelros (an aspect or fragment of Talos), and Ibrandul all were canonically in the Calimshan pantheon.

The Calimshites worshipped "dark gods" too at one point, not sure who all was in that group.

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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  02:28:08  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
You may have already seen this thread here: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5845 for theories regarding the Jhaamdathan pantheon.

Only thing I can think of to add to that discussion is that one alternate origin for Melith (aka Milil) is that if the origins of Gond and Sune are as interlopers via Chessenta, then Milil/Melith could conceivably be an aspect of Apollo that came to Toril from earth the same way. Not sure if this is so. I am not really advocating this, just bringing it up as a point of discussion.
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varyar
Seeker

95 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  03:50:44  Show Profile Send varyar a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Thanks much, Dagnirion and Grey!

Interesting that most of the Talfiric gods (Tempus and reassigned Sune aside) we know about are evil. If one was inclined, one could say something about their culture. (Or, more likely, assume there were several unidentified good gods who didn't survive to the present)

And the Rus are so scanty that I'm hesitant to even include them in the sidebar. Are there any ideas for what other gods they might have worshipped?
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  04:38:59  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Siamorphe I do not believe was Netherese, they had specifically 10 gods in their pantheon, see the Netheril box set for all their details.

Siamorphe was a lady from Waterdeep who ascended to godhood in 1256 DR inheriting her godhood from the former god of nobility (not sure if that god was also named Siamorphe) who was from Baldur's Gate. Siamorphe would seem to be of Amnian or perhaps Tethyrian origin, but may even go back to Calimshan. This god, or succession of gods, may pass the divine portfolio of divinity down just as noble titles are passed from generation to generation, and as such probably has her/his origins going back to when the concept of nobility first came to prominence in human culture.
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  05:07:14  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Lathander was worshiped in Athalantar at least as far back as when Elminster was young. Athalantar was founded in 183 DR and was a Talfiric nation. This could suggest that Lathander was part of the Talfiric pantheon.

Lathander puzzles me because of his seemingly tri-partite nature. Eric Boyd intruduced the lore in several sources that Lathander, Amaunator, and Jergal/Myrkul, are locked in some sort of cycle where each in turn waxes into power, becomes ascendant and then wanes and "sets", just as dawn, day and dusk follow each in turn. Amaunator was at his height during Netheril, then Jergal rose to power (and then handed off the dusk portfolio to Myrkul) and then Lathander rose to prominence.

Now it is possible that Amaunator turned into Lathander, but Faiths & Pantheons says that Amaunator did not die of neglect until about 1000 years after the fall of Netheril, which would put his death around 661 DR (give or take). If Amaunator was still alive then Lathander should not have arisen yet, but Lathander was clearly being worshiped in Athalantar long before Amaunator's death date. I don't know what to make of that.

Here are 3 possibilities:
1) "Lathander" was merely the Talfiric name for Amaunator, and after the fall of Netheril, the Lathander name became more known and the Amaunator name was forgotten, and his rejuvenation was unrelated to the name change. Or
2) Lathander was a separate entity, the Talfiric god of the sun who had similar portfolios to Amaunator, who outcompeted Amaunator for worship, and as the Netherese and Talfiric pantheons merged, Lathander won out, and Amaunator was extinguished. Or
3) Amaunator did "die" and was reborn as Lathander, but it happened at different times, even different centuries in different geographic areas, in the same way that timezones work, where the sun can be at different places in the sky depending on whether you are in England, New York, Seattle or Alaska. Perhaps Amaunator was in his sunsetting phase in the Netherese geographic sphere until the late 600's, when his aspect might have already set in the Talfiric geographic sphere as early or earlier than the 100's with the Lathander aspect already in his risen stage.

I personally don't know which theory is correct, I see merit in all three. But the depending on which is true, it may be that Amaunator was multi-pantheonic (or multi-spheric if you use the term in the sense of different geographic sphere and not in the sense of crystal sphere).

Conclusion: Lathander was most probably from the Talfiric pantheon, unless he was multi-pantheonic, in which case he might have been from several pantheons.
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  05:21:09  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Lurue, Shiallia, and Tapann were definitely Northern, definitely strong in the High Forest and Silver Marches areas. Shiallia and her father Tapann and Lurue are fey gods who seem to have gained some human followers and worked their way into the human pantheon. I think it likely Lurue was the fey aspect of a god known to humans by a different name.

Lurue was Ed's original goddess of magic, but the goddess was recast in a human guise as Mystra at the bidding of TSR, and Lurue was deemphasized. But I think we can reconcile Ed's vision of Lurue, just as Mystra turns out to have had a previous incarnation as Mystryl, it strikes me that Lurue was likely also an aspect of Mystryl, perhaps that worshiped by the fey. Lurue was known to humans also in the North and when the Northern and Talfiric pantheons merged, Lurue was not absorbed into Mystryl/Mystra but became diminished and lost the portfolio of magic to her.

Even if one does not accept my proposition that Lurue was the fey aspect or fragment of Mystryl, the lore does still indicate that Lurue was a fey goddess, and she is still especially revered by equine magical beasts.
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  05:30:06  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Shandakul was definitely Rus. The only other entity that was definitely known to the Rus pantheon was Dendar the Night Serpent, known to them as Niddhogg (spelling?). I do not know if the Rus pantheon had ties to the Iluskan pantheon or not. The Rus were based in the Unapproachable East around where Rashemen is today. This seems pretty far from Ilusk, but perhaps there are links that I am not aware of.
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe

Germany
657 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  06:28:16  Show Profile  Visit Ayunken-vanzan's Homepage Send Ayunken-vanzan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson


Siamorphe was a lady from Waterdeep who ascended to godhood in 1256 DR inheriting her godhood from the former god of nobility (not sure if that god was also named Siamorphe) who was from Baldur's Gate.



Yes, he was also named Siamorphe, but the current goddess [!] is pronounced "SIGH-a-morf", whereas the previous god [sic!] was pronounced "SEE-a-morf" (P&P, p. 58).

"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail

"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl

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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  06:28:39  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Mask is another puzzle to me. I cannot find any lore that links him to any given proto-pantheon.

If we go by his temples, I see no pattern:
Telamuzhidah (Calimport)
The House of Spires and Shadows (Westgate)
The House of the Master’s Shadow (Telflamm)
The Rogue Redeemed (Proskur)
House of the Master’s Shadow (Uthmere)

Uthmere is in the Great Dale, and Telflamm is in Thesk, which puts them close to where the ancient Rus were, but not really that close. Aside from Calimport, his temples seem to be spread out around the shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars, which might indicate a Jhaamdathan or Chondathan origin.

If we refer back to Ed's original inspiration back in Dragon #54 Ed writes: "MASK The Lord of Shadows, sometimes called 'The Thieves’ God,' is a rewritten Hermes (DDG, p. 71) stripped of justice and caduceus." If Mask were actually a Faerunian aspect of Hermes, he could have been brought to Toril from Earth by the Chessentan slaves of Imaskar, and his religion might have been spread around the Sea of Fallen Stars from there. There is indication in one of the FR novels that Mask is worshiped in another world. It is very possible that Mask is an interloper god, whether he is a renamed Hermes or another unique divinity.

I think the origins are so vague for Mask that he cannot be placed in a human proto-pantheon without more info. If anyone knows of any obscure piece of lore that would help place Mask, I hope they will share it here.
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  06:43:20  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Nobanion is an interloper god. If I recall, I think in F&P it mentions his worship is only a few centuries old, a relatively recent god. He was not part of the Northern human proto-pantheon. He is venerated in the Vilhon Reach area, especially centered around Nathlekh, the Gulthmere forest, Shining Planes and Dragon Coast regions.

Interestingly Ed's inspiration for Nobanion was: "the Lion and Unicorn of nursery-rhyme fame. Details of Aslan can be gleaned from C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series".

Again, I don't know if Nobanion is merely inspired by Aslan or is meant to be the Faerunian aspect of the actual Aslan. But I think it would be very interesting if Nobanion were an interloped Aslan going by a different name.

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varyar
Seeker

95 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  14:25:27  Show Profile Send varyar a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Mmm, sweet, juicy lore...

Okay, a bit of fiddling (and inclusion of a couple non-canon deities who are in the netbook) gives me this:

PROTO-PANTHEONS

The modern Faerūnian pantheon is the result of a long and oft-violent melding of more than half a dozen earlier human pantheons. These proto-pantheons, as scholars call them, each held sway over a particular region of Faerūn. The loremasters of Candlekeep have identified six such proto-pantheons (although it is believed there were many more). Their names and their known deities are listed here.

Coramshite (Calimshan, Tethyr, Amn) - Anachtyr, Bhaelros, Glau, Gond, Kha'alid, Ibrandul
Jhaamdathan (Chessenta, Vilhon Reach) - Auppenser, Borem, Eldath, Garagos, Ghaunadaur, Helm, Jergal, Lliira, Melith, Murdane, Silvanus, Talona, Valigan Thirdborn, Waukeen
Netherese (the Moonsea, Netheril) - Amaunator, Jannath, Jergal, Kozah, Moander, Mystryl, Selūne, Shar, Targus and Tyche
Northern (High Forest, Sword Coast North) - Aline, Lurue, Mielikki, Shialia, Siamorphe, Tapann the Undying, Tree Ghost
Talfiric (Western Heartlands) - Auril, Bazin, Lathander, Loviator, Malar, Sune, Talos, Tempus, Umberlee
Yuir (Aglarond, Altumbel) - Elikarashae, Herne, Khalreshaar, Leraje, Magnar, Relkath, the Simbul, Tilvenar, Vanathor, Zandilar

***

Some notes for the non-canon deities

* Glau is a scorpion-goddess and patron of some evil rangers and druids in the South.
* Kha'alid is a brigand deity, formerly independent and now a minion of Mask.
* Aline is a river goddess of the ancient North.
* Bazin is a god of individual battle (as opposed to warfare)
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varyar
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95 Posts

Posted - 15 Sep 2008 :  14:31:08  Show Profile Send varyar a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Two more things

* The Northern Siamorphe of that era oversees a far more primitive concept of sacral kingship (or chieftainship) than the modern nobility of the Heartlands and Sword Coast.
* The Lathander worshiped by the Talfir is most likely a very ancient aspect of Amaunator, much like the Earthmother of the Moonshaes represents a more primal side of Chauntea. He wouldn't have the legal and time portfolios the Netherese god did.
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore

USA
1291 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2008 :  02:16:45  Show Profile  Visit Gray Richardson's Homepage Send Gray Richardson a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Note that Mielikki and Loviatar (along with Kiputytto) were originally interloper gods from the Finnish pantheon. It is thought that a population of Finns migrated through a portal or planar rift to the Realms in the distant past, bringing some of their gods with them. Kiputytto has since been slain by Talona in -33 DR at Asram. It my be these Finns brought more of their gods with them but if so those other gods have since died, absorbed into other gods, forgotten, or just didn't take for some reason.

Oghma and Silvanus are interlopers from Earth's Celtic pantheon, at least the original AD&D 1e Deities & Demigods listed them in the Celtic pantheon. Silvanus was originally Roman, possibly even Etruscan. And I note that Silvanus had a very strong following in the Chondalwood around the time of Jhaamdath. Which suggests (circumstantial evidence only) that Silvanus might possibly have emigrated (as above) with Chessentan slaves when they were brought from Earth by ancient Imaskar.

I should reiterate that I am not advocating that all these deities mentioned were definitively Greek or Roman interlopers brought over by Chessentan slaves, I am not even sure if I prefer that explanation for myself, but I do see the possibilities and am pointing out the lore that supports the theory in order for people to consider, discuss and decide for themselves. The only definitive Greek interloper I know of for sure is Tyche.

Although, while I am at it, I had once speculated that Auril might also be a Greek interloper, who may have come over with Tyche. I suspect that Auril may have been one of the Greek Horae "the Hours", a goddesses of the seasons. Specifically, I am thinking she might be Carpo, goddess of autumn/winter and the harvest. If so then she is much changed from her original incarnation. But the Evermeet novel has her active in Arvandor back before the war of the Seldarine. She seems to have possibly been more benign back then, before she sided with Araushnee and got banished with her co-conspirators, an event that may have hardened her, made her more bitter and cold. Although Brian James's forthcoming article in Dragon Magazine on the subject of Auril may present some intriguing new lore about her to ponder.

That brings us to Herne the Hunter. Herne appears to be a Brittanic deity that interloped to Toril before the Seldarine war. Malar slew Herne right before the Seldarine war in -30,000 DR. Any subsequent worship of Herne was actually just as an alias for Malar. I don't see a connection with the Yuir gods, but I haven't followed that thread closely, so I am not familiar with the arguments in favor of that theory.
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe

Germany
657 Posts

Posted - 16 Sep 2008 :  07:22:29  Show Profile  Visit Ayunken-vanzan's Homepage Send Ayunken-vanzan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by varyar

* The Lathander worshiped by the Talfir is most likely a very ancient aspect of Amaunator, much like the Earthmother of the Moonshaes represents a more primal side of Chauntea. He wouldn't have the legal and time portfolios the Netherese god did.



Of course, it is a little bit of ironic to make the god of youth and beginnings a very ancient aspect , but the idea sounds good.

"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail

"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl

FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 17 Sep 2008 :  05:01:46  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by varyar

* Glau is a scorpion-goddess and patron of some evil rangers and druids in the South.

Consider Making Glau an aspect of Tiamet.

In RW mythology, Tiamet created the Scorpionmen. Also, Set, another 'Serpent God', has ties to Scorpions. it would be a fairly easy thing for you to use one of these Mulhorandi deities as an interloper in the Calishite Pantheon under an assumed name. What would be a real kick-in-the-head is if Set and Tiamet were really two aspects of the same god! (Zehir?)

I've placed the Finnish Pantheon on the eastern shores of the Great Ice Sea (the Kalmyk people), for no particular reason other then wanting it in a northern location away from the Illusk, and also because of the tentative connections to the Rus (through the Raumathari, whom I assume are the decendents off the original Kalmyk peoples). I also go so far as to say the Gur still living in that region are the barbaric decendents of those same people, and the ancestors of the far-travelng Gur that eventually settled in the Anauroch region and became the Netherease (along with The Ride and Tunland barabraians).

I'm working on an 'early peoples' migrations project myself.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone


Edited by - Markustay on 17 Sep 2008 05:03:59
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varyar
Seeker

95 Posts

Posted - 17 Sep 2008 :  17:20:30  Show Profile Send varyar a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson

Note that Mielikki and Loviatar (along with Kiputytto) were originally interloper gods from the Finnish pantheon. It is thought that a population of Finns migrated through a portal or planar rift to the Realms in the distant past, bringing some of their gods with them. Kiputytto has since been slain by Talona in -33 DR at Asram. It my be these Finns brought more of their gods with them but if so those other gods have since died, absorbed into other gods, forgotten, or just didn't take for some reason.


Hm. Somewhere during my research on the net, I saw a post speculating that there was once a larger group of Finnish gods worshipped in the Realms. Mielikki, Loviator, Kiputytto and a pair of Chauntea analogues. I need to look that up and fold it into the proto-pantheon sidebar (esp. since I have a write-up for Kiputytto in the Dead Gods chapter).

quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson

Oghma and Silvanus are interlopers from Earth's Celtic pantheon, at least the original AD&D 1e Deities & Demigods listed them in the Celtic pantheon. Silvanus was originally Roman, possibly even Etruscan. And I note that Silvanus had a very strong following in the Chondalwood around the time of Jhaamdath. Which suggests (circumstantial evidence only) that Silvanus might possibly have emigrated (as above) with Chessentan slaves when they were brought from Earth by ancient Imaskar.


It's very tempting to make the Moonshaes the original home of the Celtic gods in Faerun, but your deduction is fairly reasonable to me.

quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson

I should reiterate that I am not advocating that all these deities mentioned were definitively Greek or Roman interlopers brought over by Chessentan slaves, I am not even sure if I prefer that explanation for myself, but I do see the possibilities and am pointing out the lore that supports the theory in order for people to consider, discuss and decide for themselves. The only definitive Greek interloper I know of for sure is Tyche.


::nod::

I might fit in a general "Aside from the native deities, many deities currently worshipped in Faerun are interlopers from other planes." mention, but that's fairly well mentioned in the various deity books to date. hm.

quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson

Although, while I am at it, I had once speculated that Auril might also be a Greek interloper, who may have come over with Tyche. I suspect that Auril may have been one of the Greek Horae "the Hours", a goddesses of the seasons. Specifically, I am thinking she might be Carpo, goddess of autumn/winter and the harvest. If so then she is much changed from her original incarnation. But the Evermeet novel has her active in Arvandor back before the war of the Seldarine. She seems to have possibly been more benign back then, before she sided with Araushnee and got banished with her co-conspirators, an event that may have hardened her, made her more bitter and cold. Although Brian James's forthcoming article in Dragon Magazine on the subject of Auril may present some intriguing new lore about her to ponder.


Pending that, I think I'm gonna keep her as a native Torilian deity (primarily out of an aesthetic disliking of the Greek pantheon, at least when it comes to fitting them into the Realms.)

quote:
Originally posted by Gray Richardson

That brings us to Herne the Hunter. Herne appears to be a Brittanic deity that interloped to Toril before the Seldarine war. Malar slew Herne right before the Seldarine war in -30,000 DR. Any subsequent worship of Herne was actually just as an alias for Malar. I don't see a connection with the Yuir gods, but I haven't followed that thread closely, so I am not familiar with the arguments in favor of that theory.



The idea comes from [url=http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=16330402&postcount=18]here[/url], but the gist of it is that the Herne slain in Evermeet was an avatar and that his worship continued in the Yuirwood area until the humans were supplanted by elves and their pantheon absorbed into the Seldarine.

quote:
Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan

Of course, it is a little bit of ironic to make the god of youth and beginnings a very ancient aspect , but the idea sounds good.



Thanks. Lathander embraces the idea of perpetual youth, clearly!

quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

quote:
Originally posted by varyar

* Glau is a scorpion-goddess and patron of some evil rangers and druids in the South.

Consider Making Glau an aspect of Tiamet.

In RW mythology, Tiamet created the Scorpionmen. Also, Set, another 'Serpent God', has ties to Scorpions. it would be a fairly easy thing for you to use one of these Mulhorandi deities as an interloper in the Calishite Pantheon under an assumed name. What would be a real kick-in-the-head is if Set and Tiamet were really two aspects of the same god! (Zehir?)


Tempting, tempting... Maybe Glau is a daughter of Tiamat and some Coramshite deity?

quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

I've placed the Finnish Pantheon on the eastern shores of the Great Ice Sea (the Kalmyk people), for no particular reason other then wanting it in a northern location away from the Illusk, and also because of the tentative connections to the Rus (through the Raumathari, whom I assume are the decendents off the original Kalmyk peoples). I also go so far as to say the Gur still living in that region are the barbaric decendents of those same people, and the ancestors of the far-travelng Gur that eventually settled in the Anauroch region and became the Netherease (along with The Ride and Tunland barabraians).


Oh, I like that. ::yoink::

quote:
Originally posted by Markustay

I'm working on an 'early peoples' migrations project myself.



Sweet! I'd love to see that.
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