? re Polytheistic Worlds

[Lonely Tylenol]

In the Forgotten Realms, while people pay homage to multiple gods, the god you dedicate yourself to as your patron decides where you end up after you die. This makes people choose carefully. Ever since the Time of Troubles, the gods' power has been directly tied into the number of worshippers they have, which means they need to do something to attract worshippers. Evil gods tend to provide power and good gods protection and a good afterlife.

I wouldn't be surprised if some of this bled over into other settings.

The other reason they compete for worshippers is the same reason ideologues compete for supporters when they don't necessarily have to. If you're an idealogue, you're right and everyone else is wrong. Therefore you must make sure nobody else has any support from the proles. You become a lobbyist, or go door-to-door, or whatever, trying to make people believe what you believe. Now, if you're not just an idealogue, but are an actual idea made manifest, this only becomes more intense. Gods don't like it when people believe in ideas that might be construed as not exactly in line with the god's portfolio. Gods are generally pretty single-minded. It comes of having a divine portfolio. Try talking St. Cuthbert into being lenient on a first offence, or convincing Kord to settle his differences by sitting down and talking about it. It's anathema to them. And they don't want any humans being lenient or talking stuff over, either. Not on their watch.

 

[Umbran]

Well, in the European traditions (Greek, Roman, Celt, and Norse pantheons as examples) the gods are rather much like human beings. These beings have family histories, rivalries, and goals all their own, wrapped up in the best and the worst of humanoid psychology. The European traditions make it out to be one big deific soap opera, and that means lots of conflict and competition, friendly and otherwise.

One possibility is just plain pride. You're talking about creatures with will and desires, and near limiltless power. Other than direct conflict, how do you expect them to establish a pecking order?

Others have mentioned the "power from worshippers" model, and that's a good one. Sure, the gods could all share, if they were all lawful, or all good. Otherwise, you've got a limited resource in high demand - of course there will be competition.

 

[Voadam]

Why not? You worship one for this and another for that, paying homage to each as needed. To each according to desire, from each according to domain.

"Hey here is a source of power! Why don't we share instead of me trying to maximize my personal share over yours to gain a power advantage."

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Scenario: town to be invaded by orcs

Solution: pray to gods

Problem: half the people pray to a god of war for fighting strength and half of them pray to a god of the town for defense

Outcome: The god of war gives the warriors bezerker rage and the god of the town enchants the walls and gates to stay permeantly locked and strengthened. So the warriors rage futitily, locked inside the city and the untrained commoners have to launch their own inneffective ranged attack. By the time the warriors calm down they've beaten each other up and the orcs have pounded the city with catapaults and have scaled one of the walls with ladders.


... of course the outcome could have gone the other way and the god of war and the god of the town could have compared notes and reached a mutually effective solution. But you never do know what's going to happen with gods, eh?

 

[Mallus]

Because warring religions supply a lot more interesting conflict than cooperating ones.

 

[Laman Stahros]

I think the main problem is that D&D does not model a true polytheistic society. I don't like the whole 'competing gods' model. It seems to be based on a more monotheistic model than a polytheistic one.

In my world, gods don't compete for worshippers. Only clerics or paladins or other extremely religious types focus on a single god. Most people worship the god who applies to the situation. This is (as far as anyone can tell today) how it was in ancient Greece and Rome.

 

[Umbran]

I think the main problem is that D&D does not model a true polytheistic society. I don't like the whole 'competing gods' model. It seems to be based on a more monotheistic model than a polytheistic one.

If you're working with a monotheistic model, there's no competition...

It doesn't matter what the gods compete over. Worshippers are only one option.

Recall, for a moment, the Trojan War - single most important event in Greek mythology as we know it. What created that war? A competition between three goddesses over who was the most fair. And what started that? All it took was one interaction - the Original Snub of Eris not being invited to wedding feast.

Get that - a thousand ships launched, and great deeds done, because someone wasn't invited to a party!

If your gods are "people", they'll interact, and competitions will arise.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Why would gods compete with each other over worshippers when they have so many differences in areas of interest etc.?

In the polytheistic campaigns I've run they don't. People will pray to whatever good is appropriate for their particular problem, be it luck, agriculture, war, love, craft, or whatever. There are different festival days for each, and most people celebrate every festival. They have stronger followings in some areas than others, but that's more a matter of human effort and politics than anything else.

I've never cared for the idea of worshippers powering their gods, probably because it's so alien to my RL beliefs. I've always preferred motivations of altruism/malice or simply agendas the gods have an interest in.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

While in Polytheistic mythologies the Gods do compete and take sides I think you'll rarely find mortals killing/converting whole groups of other mortals for worshiping a God they don't like. Where as in D&D they will.

One of the reasons for the greater of extend of conflict among D&D deities is that in the D&D universe the Gods don't form much of a Pantheon but seem more like individual Gods taken from different Mythologies (which indeed some of them are). Which happens in real life in a polytheistic religion but in real life the Gods get altered so that they fit into the mythology better.
Not only that but D&D Gods can have wildly different and varied idealologies (this could be do in part to the alignment system). Most Greek gods don't have an ideaology, they're just in charge of some stuff and pretty much do whatever they feel like.

Loki has been mentioned as being Thors antagonist. And while Loki has deific power you never hear much about worship of him when looking at Norse religion. Thor was the most popular of the Gods among the Norse but he is not their leader, Odin is. Therefore worship does not necessarily equate to power. Many creatures and beings in Norse mythology are not worshipped but are at least equal in power to the Gods who do have worshipers. Odin in Ragnarok will be slain by the Fenris wolf (one his sons immidiately afterwards rips Fenris in half by the Jaws). Tyr will kill the beast Garm but will die of wounds shortly afterward. Heimdall and Loki will fall simultaneously in battle while fighting each other. Thor will die as the World Serpeants poison works through him immidiatley after killing it. And Freyr will fall fighting the Fire Giant Surt after wounding him with an antler. And then Surt burns the cosmos.

I don't hear about any Norse worship of any of the beings in opposition to the Gods.
My point worship does not necessarily equal power (though it might in other cosmologies or D&D).

 

[fusangite]

Why would gods compete with each other over worshippers when they have so many differences in areas of interest etc.?

Gods don't compete for worshippers. Their cults compete for worshippers; or rather, their cults compete for initiates and priests. Why? Because cults are civic, community and political organizations; there is a finite number of relgiously dedicated people in a community; I'm sure every cult wants the best ones. As others have mentioned, in most polytheistic societies, everybody participates in major holidays of every cult.