A Post-Zeus Greek Pantheon

[Samloyal23]

Note that he doesn't need to marry anybody to do that -- Homer has him escorting the souls of the dead to the underworld, and historically, people were invoking Hermes for magical purposes by at least the 4th century BCE.

Yes, he was the psychopomp already. I want some weddings and new gods, so Athena, Hermes, and some of the other younger Olympians need to hookup and get to begetting. Old gods need to be replaced and new positions that are more specialized need to be added to the pantheon.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, some may be loathe to betroth when you can beget without the benefit of wedlock.

Athena may even try to replicate the circumstances of her birth...and thus give rise to semi-divine Amazons.

 

[Starfox]

Well, some may be loathe to betroth when you can beget without the benefit of wedlock.

Athena may even try to replicate the circumstances of her birth...and thus give rise to semi-divine Amazons.

I like Athena remaining virginal. DnD has a decidedly medieval feel, and in medieval times virginity was considered magical and priests ordered to be celibate. She might create spirits or even gods by the same method she was born, perhaps in some kind of non-physical "astral union" with other gods. Gender would be meaningless in these circumstances, and Athena and Apollon as the two main gods might become asexual idealizations.

Looking at what happened historically, gods in the Hellenistic period (after Alexander, before Cesar) became less personal and more embodiments of specific ideas, such as change, departure, speed, beauty. These might be seen as the spiritual offspring of Athena. Overall, a third generation of the Greek pantheon would probably be less physical, more philosophical/metaphysical/philosopical, in tune with Plato's ideas of the world of ideal forms.

Speaking of Plato, the god he alludes to is definitely not Zeus, but a de-feminized Athena comes pretty close.

Demeter and Poseidon would take over the roles of the titans as the outcast ex-lords, but they would not be imprisoned and very powerful even if they act on the sidelines. Don't forget that one of Poseidon's roles is to be the father of monsters.

 

[Umbran]

Consider - if you are talking about Renaissance with steam engines, this indicates not the death of Hephaestus, but something more like his rise to power.

Moreover, if you look at some of the Greek dramas, especially Aeschylus, you find that the seed of Zeus' destruction is given to Prometheus, by Themis*. There is a marriage that will produce offspring that will bring down Zeus, and Prometheus knows who it is.

And an alliance between Hephaestus and Prometheus seems natural - Prometheus would like to pass some of Heph's secrets on to man, and Heph wants to earn a little gosh-darned respect around here!

Tie that into the usual godly struggles, and it sure looks like a source of a Renaissance, to me. Due to a prophecy of Themis, Heph, Prometheus, and Athena form a bit of a power block, and an "Age of Reason" begins? What's more appropriate than that?





*Who is in the play more like Gaia. So his mother or his aunt, depending on how you read it - as his aunt, she's another titan, who's purview was natural law and custom, and has the gift of prophecy.

 

[Samloyal23]

I think celibacy is a perverse Christian fetish, so, no. The Olympians are a tribe. Tribes form marriages to consolidate power. The gods with each generation became more specialized and more human, less elemental and crude. Artemis can stay a virgin, but Athena needs to beget new gods to express her power and fill the voids left by dead gods.

So I am looking at her and Apollo having twins, a boy and girl. I think Hermes will marry Hecate and take over the Underworld. Persephone will return to the world of the living with the death of Hades. Hephaistos is definitely on the side of Athena, they represent intelligence and skill used productively. Prometheus is one of the last Titans and an elder statesmen of the Olympians. He will be an advisor to Athena. Hermes and Hecate will beget gods of civil functions like the postal system and banking as well gods of magic and death. Hmm...

 

[Samloyal23]

Autolycus, son of Hermes, will be the new god of thieves and scoundrels. Herakles had twins by Hebe but there is little information about them. They could be promoted to godhood but for what domains I am not sure... http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexiares_and_Anicetus

 

[Samloyal23]

More information on Herakles' and Hebe's twin sons: http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/AniketosAlexiares.html

So the two of them protected cities and towns, they represented fortifications but were represented as being eternally childlike. Alexiares means he who wards off war. So I see him helping his father literally fight War in the person of Ares. Under the rule of Athena they would have a higher office as engineering and city planning become more important.

 

[Parmandur]

I think celibacy is a perverse Christian fetish, so, no. The Olympians are a tribe. Tribes form marriages to consolidate power. The gods with each generation became more specialized and more human, less elemental and crude. Artemis can stay a virgin, but Athena needs to beget new gods to express her power and fill the voids left by dead gods.



So I am looking at her and Apollo having twins, a boy and girl. I think Hermes will marry Hecate and take over the Underworld. Persephone will return to the world of the living with the death of Hades. Hephaistos is definitely on the side of Athena, they represent intelligence and skill used productively. Prometheus is one of the last Titans and an elder statesmen of the Olympians. He will be an advisor to Athena. Hermes and Hecate will beget gods of civil functions like the postal system and banking as well gods of magic and death. Hmm...

Read the Symposium lately?

Athena is the embodiment of wisdom, which is beyond such petty concerns.

 

[Samloyal23]

Read the Symposium lately?

Athena is the embodiment of wisdom, which is beyond such petty concerns.

So what would be the Wise course of action if not to rebuild the pantheon and establish a strong base of power?

 

[Parmandur]

So what would be the Wise course of action if not to rebuild the pantheon and establish a strong base of power?

Point being, the development under consideration means the Olympians are definitely not a tribe anymore. They are not the gods of heroic bronze age warriors at this point, bur of urbane renaissance hermeticists (as it were).



The concerns of the society are learning, science and art. Athena would be the Elizabethan Virgin Queen to Zeus's Henry VIII. A whole new world order, not necessarily concerned with tribal heroics or heredity politics of the bygone world.

If anything, maybe Athena has some sort of virgin birth associated with killing Zeus. Seems nice and Freudian. But a consort? Doesn't fit Athena, not her deal.