Polytheism Series (near-repost from Dungeon Fantastic)
Peter Dell’Orto over at Dungeon Fantastic linked through to a four-article series on polytheism. I’ve started to read through the first article with Norðlond on my mind.
Here is the series on Polytheism I was hoping was out there when I wrote this post.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IVIt skewers some ideas I long disliked in gaming polytheism – automatic assumption of professional priesthoods, big powerful gods only (no “small” gods), all gods being automatically immortal and immaterial (even in belief systems that had mortal, very physically present gods), and the folly of atheism (you don’t believe in gods that are actual as real as breathable air?)
Great stuff.
As Peter says: great stuff.
Once I finish up my TFT work this weekend, I hope to revisit this more, maybe even formally (meaning a published book), because there’s a LOT here that makes for good gaming immersion.
You were GMing during one of the most annoying monotheistic-assumptions-in-polytheistic-religion moments in my gaming career. It’s that incident that sticks in my head the most as I think about gaming religion. It’s always simplified in this weird way that doesn’t actually reflect anything except a gamist construction based on a modern, monotheistic society looking back on polytheism and trying to make sense of it . . . without bothering to get any real details in the process.
I need to write more on this, but yeah, read that series. It’s the primer I always wanted.
That incident is always in my mind as well. It’s the reason for things like the points in the introduction of Hand of Asgard:
Intolerance (All Other Religions) is rare, but still crops up
among Norðlond’s priests. Someone who worships the God
of Law might have it in their head that all of the other gods
have transgressed. A devotee of the Trickster might feel the
other Aesir treat their patron unfairly. These fanatics get the
side-eye even from other members of their own holy order.
A priest of the Thunder God bad-mouths the other Aesir?
The Thunder God himself might decide to get offended on
his brethren’s behalf and personally smite the impious fool!
Sense of Duty (Coreligionists) is common as a Holy Vow
for any cleric or holy warrior. In Norðlond, interpret this
as other worshipers of the Aesir, even for priests who have
devoted themselves to a single god.