D&D 5E 2ThreadsMeet - What Norse-ish deities would you add to 5e... if copyright wasn't a thing?
Right. And they are already in the 5e PhB.
"So, whether copyright has expired and your favorite character is freed up or there is just someone in IRL Norse mythology or religion who was left out, who do you add to the pantheon in the PhB if you control the game?"
If it was me, I would go a Midgard route, such that all the gods are masks, and that there are only a few gods. This would allow me to go Bifrost Guardians books- such that the gods that survive Ragnarok become the gods of modern Earth.
Bifrost Guardians
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I liked the series.
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Ymir whose corpse you live on
Elli - the Giant Crone who wrestles and defeats Thor
Vidar - with the giant boot, who cant talk except on the day of Ragnarok
Gefion - who gave birth to four giant bulls and plowed Zealand
Njodur - god of the sea (he survives Ragnarok)
Lofn - the goddess of small comforts and nice things
personally though I like the Slavic gods better
Elli - the Giant Crone who wrestles and defeats Thor
Vidar - with the giant boot, who cant talk except on the day of Ragnarok
Gefion - who gave birth to four giant bulls and plowed Zealand
Njodur - god of the sea (he survives Ragnarok)
Lofn - the goddess of small comforts and nice things
personally though I like the Slavic gods better
Yaarel
He Mage
Heh, I still have no idea what is going on with Vidar − Víðarr.
His name probably derives from Proto-Norse, *widugaizaz, and literally means the "wide spear":
*wida "wide" (víð) + *gaizaz, *gaiRaR, "spear" (geirr), where *widugaiRaR can result in víðgeirr but as a single name contracted to víð’arr.
Meanwhile, he is known for "silence" and persistence. Possibly relates to "wide" open space.
He has a single heavy foot, that can transfix the cosmic threat by Fenrir. And is the only one that can kill the wolf, Fenrir, thus save the world. In the sense of killing farm animals, the wolf often personifies wildness and destructiveness against order.
The concept of a nominal single "spear" probably relates to the narrative concept of a single "foot".
Viðarr is the offspring of Óðinn and Gríðr. Presumably, he embodies a concept relating to these two aspects of nature.
Mainly, Óðinn is not any particular skyey feature, but represents the orderly way that celestial and atmospheric cycle thru the seasons. In other words, he is a manifestation of the astronomical calendar. He is inherently invisible and only discerned indirectly from the behavior of the skyey phenomena that can be seen. Thus, Óðinn comes to be understood as the one who inspires the behavior of other nature beings. In this sense, he is a kind of muse, inspiring everything from magical trances to popular songs to cunning military strategies. The name "óð -inn", literally "the fury", relates to his aspect as a muse. In the sense of a muse, his persona semiotically functions as a "jarl", a kind of elected local president, a mayor that is the executive in chief of an army, who thusly leads his extended family the Æsir.
Some scholars identify Víðarr with empty space itself. Which associates with the astronomy and meteorology of Óðinn. Others identify him with the mystical center while meditating in trances. Which associates the inspiring muse aspect of Óðinn. Ive read one scholar suggest Víðarr is the aspect of a silent tree, such as in the vast forests of Sweden, where one might meditate to commune with the nature beings. Which emphasizes the single foot being the tree trunk of a quiet mighty tree.
Personally, I cant help but associate Víðarr with the "cosmic axis", the north pole that the stars revolve around. In other words, he is the planetary axis around which planet Earth rotates. This concept combines the idea that he manifests as a "spear", with a single foot, that transfixes "wide" cosmos. This aspect of nature is inherently invisible, "silent", but discernible indirectly from the skyey phenomena revolving around it. Likewise, this concept is the "offspring" of the astronomical aspect of Óðinn.
Víðarr is also the offspring of Gríðr. Unfortunately, the aspect that manifests her remains unclear. The etymology of her name is uncertain. Scholars typically mention the possibility that her name gríðr means gríð: "impulsiveness" or enthusiasm, relating to greed, violence, vehemence, eagerness. If so, this might relate to the "persistence" of Víðarr, to keep on going, avenging the futurely death of Óðinn and surviving the cataclysms of Ragnarǫk unscathed.
The world keeps on turning.
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cbwjm
Seb-wejem
Another MCU god is Odin's older brother Cul, god of fear. He fed on the fear of mortals leading to Odin killing many of them to remove their memory if Cul and their fear of him. He also had a list of gods called his "worthy" which could be good additions for a darker side of the Norse pantheon.
Thinking more about Kelda, her main story arc was finding love with a mortal and then losing him. Many gods in mythology had different areas that were in their "portfolio" so in her case, though she was eventually reunited with her mortal lover, she could also look after those souls who have lost their loved ones.
Bill Zebub
“It’s probably Matt Mercer’s fault.”
Linus Torvalds.
Expanding to Finnish? (But from the Swedish speaking part?)
Anyway, I'm starting to imagine artificer things...
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