tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38413397.post505407747976503267..comments2023-12-19T15:10:02.866-08:00Comments on ex cathedra: Post-Christian polytheismUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38413397.post-48905425926722595672013-09-14T18:22:28.164-07:002013-09-14T18:22:28.164-07:00To take a stab at the goddesses, I suggest the ubi...To take a stab at the goddesses, I suggest the ubiquitous Maiden-Mother-Crone trio, Maiden representing Innocence and Youth, Mother representing Mercy and Comfort, and Crone representing Wisdom. The other two are a little tricky: off the top of my head, I can think of the Weaver and the Lover: perhaps the Weaver and the Lover could be counterpart siblings, with the Weaver being a sort of Superego deity of Knowledge and Logic, and the Lover being an Id deity of Emotion and Desire? In any case, wisdom seems to be a "goddess sphere": why else would the Greeks and Hebrews refer to Wisdom as a woman? <br /><br />The monotheism stint could be explained as people remembering that all the gods are manifestations of the One, but unlike Hinduism, Jews got really specific about the "Many-In-One" thing to the point that they disregarded the constituent gods for the Whole. Mohammed had the same experience. <br /><br />There would be theological issues to pin down: is Yahweh the Father-as-sole-god, or is He a masculinized form of the Many-as-One? Was Jesus an avatar of the Father? Is the Spirit another Father avatar, or an avatar of another god/goddess? Or is the Trinity a fabrication? Is there really a Devil, or is he just a metaphor, or is he one and the same as Death/The Stranger? Do physical forces have their own deities, a separate group (or two) for things like Time, Life, Madness, etc.? <br /><br />Interesting. Would love to continue this discussion with you. Theopoeia is an awesome hobby. :)<br /><br />-SeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38413397.post-35399343733985609992013-09-14T16:13:39.095-07:002013-09-14T16:13:39.095-07:00No egalitarian am I. In a naturally patriarchal pa...No egalitarian am I. In a naturally patriarchal pantheon, the males have the majority.OreamnosAmericanushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15602268350813211243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38413397.post-57359632864081470822013-09-14T14:11:04.382-07:002013-09-14T14:11:04.382-07:00The Gods being manifestations of the One. The Moda...The Gods being manifestations of the One. The Modalist interpretation has it's appeal, but I would cast the net wider to be more conciliatory of Christianity, Gnosticism, and Paganism, the West's chief religious traditions. <br /><br />Surprisingly, Tolkien did a very nice job of it. I'll summarize the pantheon: <br /><br />At the top is Eru, the One True God, from whom all things come. He's pretty explicitly the Christian God: Tolkien had notes that humans have a prophecy that he would one day enter the world to rid it of evil. And he's rather hands-off: he tells humans that they have to gain knowledge and wisdom on their own. <br /><br />The One in turn creates the Ainur, essentially angels who each have dominion over a specific concept in reality. Some of the Ainur, called the Valar, and their servants the Maiar created the universe at the One's behest, according to his design. Tolkien hypothesized that over time, as the distant-yet-observant One was forgotten, the more active and involved Valar came to be worshipped as gods in their own rights. <br /><br />Seven Kings and Seven Queens: Manwe, King of the Valar and the Sky, and his wife Varda Lady of the Stars and Light; Ulmo, Lord of Waters; Aule, Smith and Lord of Earth's materials, and his wife Yavanna the Giver of Fruits, Lady of Fruits and Living Things; Namo, Lord of Death and Prophecy, and his wife Vaire the Weaver, who weaves the history of the Universe into tapestries; Irmo, the Lord of Visions and Dreams, and his wife Este the Gentle, Lady of Healing and Comfort; Nienna, Lady of Sorrow, who teaches pity and hope; Tulkas, Lord of Bravery and and Strength, and his wife Nessa the Dancer, Lady of Joy; Orome, the Hunter, and his wife Vana, Lady of Youth and Flowers. Lesser gods, the Maiar, attend the Valar and represent subsidiary concepts. <br /><br />Melkor is the odd-man-out; a hybrid Lucifer-Abraxas figure, he marred the design of Creation before its commission out of pride and desire to make. However, not all of his alterations are bad: snow and clouds, for example, are of his creation due to introducing extreme temperatures. However, his pride caused him to turn to evil, becoming Morgoth the Dark Enemy, and he was eventually cast out of the universe by the Valar. <br /><br />At the end of time, Morgoth will return to the universe, and then all souls, good and bad, will take part in the Battle of Battles, and Morgoth will be vanquished for good. Then all souls will learn their role in the story of Time, and then will work with the Valar to create a new universe that combines the good things about the "original" universe and the "flawed" universe, but none of the "flawed" universe's bad aspects. <br /><br />In terms of reconciling disparate systems and faiths, it's impressive and extremely powerful. It's not the Modalism that G.R.R. Martin utilizes in Game of Thrones, or the "all-in-one" deal the Hindus have, but it does have a nice unifying element to it: there is One True God, who created lesser beings who receive the bulk of our prayers and intercessions and were responsible for the creation of a universe that was flawed before the first brick was laid; there is a grand struggle between Good and Evil, which all people play a role in; there will be an epic battle battle between Good and Evil, after which a new Creation is made featuring all of the "good" flaws of the old one. I could get behind something like that, especially since it would basically be Christianity cozied up with the best of Paganism and Gnosticism's more logical bits. <br /><br />P.S. I'm curious, why did you choose seven gods and five goddesses? <br /><br />-SeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com