Part One: On Gods and Mythical Reality

In order to discuss Gods, we have to make a distinction between mythical reality and historical/scientific reality.

Mythical reality is the universe as seen through a mythological lens. That is, a view of the universe that emphasizes the spiritual nature of mankind, and the connection between that spiritual nature and the surrounding universe. In mythical reality, YHVH speaks to a goat herder through a burning bush, Thor creates lightning when he battles giants, and Coyote teaches the rules of civilization by breaking them.

Mythical reality is not historical/scientific reality. Historical/scientific reality is that which can be found in real, physical measurements and analysis of the world around us. It has nothing to do with man's spiritual nature, any more than man's spiritual nature has to do with the number of atoms in a gram of carbon or the number of vibrations a piano wire makes when tuned to Middle C. Using one to measure - or define - the other is not only pointless, it's practically the definition of foolishness.

Gods are beings of mythical reality. They are created and sustained by our belief, and their reality and power is a consequence of that belief. That reality and power is what allows us to worship them, and allows us to experience them in return. Jesus of Nazareth is real, and has power, not because of any claimed historical existence, but because of the millions of people who have worshiped him over the last two thousand years, and who currently worship him. For the same reason, Odin, Wesir, Zeus, Shiva, Papa Legba and Amaterasu are real, and have power.

And then there are the new Gods. Because Gods are beings of mythical reality, and their existence is due to human belief, entirely new pantheons of Gods have appeared in recent years. For the most part, the belief in those Gods has been minor, even inconsequential, and usually dismissed as being a part of the "willing suspension of disbelief" that goes with a good book or movie.

The problem with that dismissal is that in mythical reality, belief always has consequences. Even when the belief is casual, for the purpose of enjoying an author's creation, or joining in a shared storytelling experience, the very nature of belief is that it creates what is believed in. The more belief is devoted to something, the more real that something becomes. Unfortunately, that means that, by now, Cthulhu is just as real as Oghma, and occupies his own corner of mythical reality, right next to all the other eldritch horrors mankind has dredged up over the last four million years.

This is where we come in. Kelemvor Lyonsbane, now known simply as Kelemvor, is the Lord of the Dead, in the Faerûnian pantheon of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons. He was introduced to the world in the "Avatar" books, a series of books that followed the effects of the "Time of Troubles" and its aftermath, both on the people and the Gods of Toril.

Kelemvor is one of three new Gods introduced in the "Avatar" books. Mystra, Goddess of Magic, and Cyric, God of Strife, were also elevated to Godhood as a result of the events of those books. Of the three, Mystra is unique in that the mortal who became Mystra chose to change her name to that of the previous holder of the title, rather than keep her own name. This turns out to be a good thing, because it means that the belief that had been associated with the name of Mystra now applies to the new holder of the office, as it did to the previous Mystra.

It turns out the right-wing Christian crusaders are at least partially right in their assessment of D&D. They just put the wrong emphasis on it, and take it in the wrong direction. D&D, like every other work of fantasy, from Star Wars to the Wheel of Time, opens its participants to the same mythical reality that Christian prayer or Pagan ritual does. This means that every time someone reads a book, or plays a game, in which Gods are an integral part of the story, their belief adds to the mythical currents that support those Gods, thereby adding to their reality and power.

Given that, historically and anthropologically, Gods are recognized as real with as few as a few dozen believers, consider the effect of thousands, if not millions, of people who subscribe, however briefly, to belief in a God, or several Gods. Just as people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter add to the power of Christianity, so people who only call on Mielikki when playing a ranger in their weekly D&D game add as much to Her power as did the average Finn of 1000 years ago.

There are those who protest that only God, the Creator of the Universe, is worthy of worship, and that all other Gods are false and evil. Obviously, there are some problems with this claim, right from the start:

• Which Creator of the Universe do you choose? There are several Gods who claim the title, from Amun to Odin to Kamui to Ao. Obviously, which Creator you choose depends on which religion you believe in.
• If there is only one God, and all other Gods are false and evil, how do you account for the good done by Gods other than your particular chosen "one God", and the power of those Gods?
• How do you account for the fact that the majority of Creator Gods are members of polytheistic pantheons, or are Gods of religions that believe that the Creator doesn't deal with mortals, instead leaving the day-to-day affairs of the universe to one or more lesser Gods or helper spirits?

We recognize that Gods - all Gods - are beings of the mythical reality, and so are all equally creatures of belief. Whether a God is worshiped is not a measure of its reality, as worship and belief are not the same. Worship is an expression of, and a means of focusing and amplifying belief, but it, of itself, is not belief. Throughout human history, there have been mythical beings that were not worshiped, but the belief in them was strong enough to ensure their existence in mythical reality. Some of those beings were, and are, placated, rather than being worshiped, and some are openly and actively cursed by those who worship Gods that are seen as their enemies. Even those curses are expressions of belief, and so add to the power and presence of those beings. Some of the beings that gain from the belief of those who curse them include Satan, Ahriman, Cyric, and Apep.

Whether light or dark, positive or negative, good or evil, the primary force in mythical reality is belief, and it is belief that gives us our Gods, as well as all the other beings that populate the mythical world.