"Fictional" deities.

[Chovexani]

So sorry I haven't been around lately, work's been killing me. Something's been on my mind lately, though, and I'd like to get you guys' thoughts on it.

Does anyone else work with so-called "fictional" deities? (Deities from literature/other forms of media.) I'm curious, because I've noticed even among Pagans it tends to be a taboo concept that gets one pegged as a loony. Which is really rather amusing when it comes from the "all goddesses are one goddess" crowd (something I don't believe in at all, but that's another post).

I used to think it was weird, myself, until I sort of got tapped on the shoulder by my goddess (well, okay, poked firmly!). I was skeptical, and did the whole, "if you're really, really real, prove it" thing and...well, needless to say, she's real, and working with her has been a real trip.

(If anyone is curious, her name is Eilistraee, and she's a Dark Elven goddess from the Forgotten Realms D&D setting. Yeah, I know. :crazy: If you really want the whole story, I'll elaborate.)

[icymist]

1. Hi Chovexani.

It's not that uncommon seeing others working with 'fictional deities'. The best example of this is the Cthulu Mythos from the Lovecraft books written around the turn of the 20th century. I knew someone who made an entire religion from this. Also, people have been using the pantheon of Tolkien for, like, forever. My roommate even knows somebody who had a 'personal relationship' with Spock (from Star Trek) and Spock even spoke! This was an intelligent, bright, and (for the most part) sane person.

My roommate, who is more familiar with D&D says:
People have created universes out of D&D and one hears a lot about 'psychological damage' that can come from too intimately involved with the (D&D) universe. But I see nothing wrong...the energy of Fandom can be very powerful and the power of belief can also be very powerful. If you yourself are sane and have done research, investigated all venues of this particular deity/manifestation, and if this deity don't require anything unhealthy from you....why not? I, instead of visualizing the Arch Angel Michael, visualize Wolverine (from the X-Men), both Warriors of The Light as household guardians.

Witchcraft works a lot with the imagination, whatever you can image-in you can work with. In other words, whatever works for you.

[Chovexani]

5. Then there's Lord of the RIngs

I know a number of old school Wiccans that invoke Celeborn and Galadriel as the Lord and Lady. I was witness to a big argument about it on Usenet years ago. :P I think it's kind of a silly argument. If you're a Jungian sort, then archetypes are archetypes. I was always taught that whatever works, works.

Your roommate brings up a very interesting point. In D&D "canon", Eilistraee is really a rather minor goddess. She's not mentioned very often in source materials, and out of the dozens and dozens of Forgotten Realms novels, her faith is only represented in about four or five, max. Most players, even those that game in that setting, don't really know who she is or what she's about. But the tiny handful that do display almost a religious devotion to her. It's really rather remarkable. I had the same sort of "love at first sight" with the concept of her. She's a moon goddess, associated with swordplay, hunting, song and dance. She accepts all races as her priestesses, and wants more than anything for her people to be delivered from evil and for them to live in harmony. She preaches tolerance, to feed the hungry, to fight evil where you see it, etc. It's a very ethical way of living.

I talked to her for the first time when I was still living at home, at the end of my rope. I felt her gently tugging at me but balked at the idea of her being real, so I made a bargain with her. If she was real, then she'd help me find my path, where I was supposed to be in life. Two months later, I moved to Arizona with some friends and am better off than I ever have been, in every respect.

[Lilith Velkor]

2. The Force is real

As a concept, it's been around forever, but most people our age associate it with Star Wars. At least I do.

It occurred to me some time ago that all deities are fictional, but on some level that means all deities are real, fictional or not. Perhaps I've just been reading too many comic books.

Good to see you back.

[Chovexani]

4. So true

My mentor in the Craft and I very much have a Master/Padawan type of relationship, and he explained magick to me in terms of the Force. It makes a hell of a lot more sense to me than most other things I've heard.

I'm so bummed that I can't spend time around here like I used to...I've been really busy with work and adjusting to Fremen life here in Arizona. :silly:

[chat_noir]

3. off topic...sorry to intrude, but there's a reason

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[icymist]

6. I'm not sure I understand your post.

Are you trying to say that what we discuss here is embarrassing to RW blogs? If so, So What! Do you really expect RW blogs to display, if they find this sub-group, such a topic as Pagan Spirituality fairly in comparison to RW Christianity? Your rush to try and stifle discussion here, in this forum, boggles my mind.

P.S. Thanks for all the pictures and such, I'm saving these!

[Chovexani]

7. Yeah.

I mean, dude, RWers are going to portray anything that doesn't jibe with their Nazi-tastic worldview as loony. If we spent our time worrying about what freeptard losers thought of us, we'd never post anything at all.

[Solon]

8. That's OK, I worship Oghma...

The God of Knowledge in the Forgotten Realms setting, then again, he is also an ancient Celtic Irish God of Knowledge and Writing, along with Eloquence, the inventor of the runic language known as Ogham. He is also known as Ogmios to the Continental Celts. AD&D has adopted a LOT of Gods and Goddesses from Mythology as part of their various Pantheons. Examples, in the Forgotten Realms includes the Dead Goddess Tyche, who was the Greek Goddess of luck, and is still honored to this day as "Lady Luck" IRL. The Old Kingdoms in the FR setting worship the Egyptian Pantheon, in fact, the background for why that is is because they actually left Earth and went to the Forgotten Realms where they can actually find worshippers.

Hey, it could be worst, you could be worshipping Lolth. :)

By the way, my Goddess is Brigit.

[roguevalley]

9. I take wisdom where I can get it. Lord of the Rings resonates for

me that way. Thoth is a bit remote as someone one said but I love him. I also love the Valar. Archetypes are good. Jesus stole Horus' story - or it was stolen for him - and that is that. ;)