Please call female deities 'goddesses.'

[Aeolius]

Just to add to the debate, shouldn't female Warlocks be called Witches?

And spoil the chance of a Witch class showing up later on? Not a chance. Male and female warlocks. Female and male witches.

 

[mara]

edit: In retrospect, this post was a bit too grumpy. Frankly, I'm a bit hypersensitive to gender issues on ENworld after wandering over to the Circus one time and noticing how many of my fellow posters have major hate-ons for women. Let's just say I'd like WotC to use gender neutral but aware language and that the goddess thing is one of the least of their potential problems.

 

[Doug McCrae]

In 4e, we're taking things in a new direction. They're now called Wargods. Yes, even the gods of agriculture and doorways.

How about the god of wardoors and the god of warfields?

Gorehandle, god of wardoors.
Ragecorn, god of warfields.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Just to add to the debate, shouldn't female Warlocks be called Witches?

Warwitches.

 

[mara]

How about the god of wardoors and the god of warfields?

Gorehandle, god of wardoors.
Ragecorn, god of warfields.

Boo, god of warhamsters.

 

[AncientSpirits]

As an anthropologist and university professor, I find several things about this thread incredibly amusing. I offer these observations to provide some additional perspective, and do not intend anything personal by them.

-- Arguing "it's part of the sexist hierarchy" is a cultural artifact of the modern American university system circa 1975; specifically, Freud's theory of infantile projection as taught in various critical studies programs.

-- No one outside of the Anglo world cares; French and Italian women, for example, would be delighted to read about goddesses since their cultures view femininity as a wonderful boon to be celebrated, not as a potential liability to secreted away.

I am used to reading about gods (pantheon), god (single male deity) and goddesses (female deity). Gender (and sex!) are incredibly important in mythology and not arbitrary. Even gods that are ambiguous or changeable still have a reference gender. I had to re-read the elf sentence because it was confusing -- not because of any assumptions about gender and gods, but because the writers have decided to revise the English language to their taste.

I'd suggest, at the least, to use "deity", "patron deity" (2E style), or "divinity" rather than a neuter "god." But then, 4E now brings us "squares", "powers" and other "war-safe" jargon, so this step is no surprise.

 

[Blackwind]

I am used to reading about gods (pantheon), god (single male deity) and goddesses (female deity). Gender (and sex!) are incredibly important in mythology and not arbitrary. Even gods that are ambiguous or changeable still have a reference gender. I had to re-read the elf sentence because it was confusing -- not because of any assumptions about gender and gods, but because the writers have decided to revise the English language to their taste.

Emphasis mine. When I read the phrase, "Sehanine, the moon god," or whatever it was, I did a double take. As a student of comparative religions (not to mention world literature, mythology, and depth psychology), I am used to reading 'gods' (a group of male and female deities), god or God (male), and goddess or Goddess (female). This is the way it has been done in the English language for quite some time, AFAIK, and I have never seen it done WotC's way in any of the literature that I am familiar with.

The references upthread to actor/actress (et al.) are not really relevant, because we're talking about god/goddess here. They're different words, different cases, and there aren't any goddesses asking to be called gods (AFAIK). In fact, goddess worshippers seem to like the 'ess,' as do scholars of religion and mythology--and the vast majority of other writers in the English language.

 

[Relique du Madde]

?If they want to be gender neutral then why not say "the DEITY of X"

 

[howandwhy99]

Maybe they're trying to change common usage? I know D&D is patterned quite a bit after Tolkien who did the same. We still even use his terms: Dwarves and Elven for example. (vs. the correct dwarfs & elfin)

 

[Christian]

So, my recommendation to the editors of the 4E books would be to go through and make sure that female deities are referred to as 'goddesses.'

But how, then, shall I refer to my wife? I wish to avoid confusion! (Especially since my wife could kill me and Sehanine with a single glance, no save. )