Thanks for the example - I'll have to look up what actually happened there.Gugalanna, the sumerian Bull God, was slain by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Gilgamesh is described as a demigod, but Enkidu is fully mortal.
In general, there are few circumstances where a clearly-defined non-god has killed a clearly defined god, but much of that is because deific status is never as well defined in mythology as it is in D&D. Real-life figures from greco-roman and egyptian history have laid claim to godhood. On the opposite side of the spectrum, celtic mythology survives only through christian adaptaions, and the celtic dieties are described as mere historical figures.
I mainly asked in my previous post because I could only remember instances where demigods were involved.
Regarding your other examples: Now, killing someone claiming to be a god is something I'm completely comfortable with
Well, yes, epic characters can do some awesome stuff, even in 4E. Most of them seem to be especially good at returning from the dead. However, that's something that is the archetypical hero quest, so it's not really indicative of god-like power. So I'm not convinced by that particular reasoning.What leads to the "deities can be slain by mortals" reasoning isn't so much mythological precident of actual deicide, but the mythological descriptions of gods and their powers. Compare the abilities evidenced by a 30th-level Wizard to the abilities evidenced by the norse god Loki, and your Wizard ends up kicking ass. Or consider the story of divine exploits that begins the Volsunga saga: The dwarves Hreidmar, Fafnir, and Regin are enough of a threat to Odin, Loki, and Thor that they can compel the gods to pay a weregild.
Well, in D&D that would clearly have been an aspect of Ares. I'm fine with killing a god's aspect. It doesn't harm the god in any way. But actual killing, as in 'the god ceases to exist', doesn't happen in Greek mythology, as far as I remember. E.g. when the gods fought the titans, the titans were just eternally imprisoned.Diomedes 'kills' Ares before the walls of Troy. As the Greek gods are immortal, Ares respawns back on Olympus.
I'm fine with gods killing gods, too. I just think characters shouldn't be able to do so.Normally it's deity kills deity, eg Loki getting Hodur to kill Balder. Mortal killing deity is common in fantasy fiction, Moorcock's Eternal Champion does it a lot.
Well, Moorcock's novels aren't real world mythology (though I admit they're inspired by it to a certain degree). Which gods are killed by which incarnation of the eternal champion?
Would you consider Arioch, Elric's patron demon lord to be a god? I'd say it's an example of, well, a demon lord.
I remember Corum fighting against the Fhoi Myore (sp?) but those would just be Fomorian Giants in D&D, not even close to gods.
Does anyone have any other ideas or examples from real world mythology?
Last edited: