Friday, July 24, 2020

Because the Gods of Theros are a Big Deal

Gods play a huge role in Theros - not only are they regularly visible in the sky (like, literally, you can just see your gods frequently out and about,) but they're also very active in their intervention (or meddling, if you will) in the mortal world. So who are these gods? What's their general deal?

For D&D players who don't know Magic, I'll mention mana colors only briefly. The Gods are built out of the five colors of Magic - there are 15 of them, with 5 representing each color, and the other ten representing each combination thereof. We'll start with the monochromatic ones, but all these Gods have their own important roles to play.

Also, to note: the book uses god as a gender-neutral term, as I will here. In Theros, the Gods are what the mortals have dreamt them to be, and so their gender identity, such as they have one, is really up to the peoples' beliefs.

The Gods of Theros are not a 1:1 translation of the Olympian Pantheon, but there are some obvious parallels, which I'll try to note.

Heliod: The Sun-God, Heliod is the self-proclaimed patriarch of the Theran pantheon. While he does stand for righteousness, justice, and honesty, he's also 100% full of himself and capricious (ok, as are they all.) It's here where D&D's alignment system lacks some of the subtlety and nuance of Magic's color wheel, but while Heliod represents Lawful Good, his actual behavior might not always swing that way. Heliod is similar to Zeus in personality, though associated more with sunlight than lightning.

Thassa: God of the Sea, Thassa takes the form of a Triton, and is strongly associated with the deep mysteries of the ocean depths. Slow to anger but not to be trifled with, Thassa has a hidden strength that lurks beneath the tides. Something of an equivalent to Poseidon, though firmly linked to the sea, and not to things like earthquakes.

Erebos: God of Death, Erebos resides within the deepest realm of the Underworld, and rules over the dead, ensuring that mortals do not escape their fate, but also helping them cope with loss and sorrow - again, while he's listed as "evil," Erebos is a bit more nuanced than that - he's implacable and cannot be reasoned with, but he's not malicious either. Erebos is a rather straightforward analogue for Hades, especially his dispassion.

Purphoros: God of the Forge, Purphoros is prone to bouts of passion. He is a creator and a destroyer, associated with fire and metal. As a Theran character, you might be Anvilwrought - a metallic construct built in Purphoros' forge, rather than born like a normal person. Purphoros is very clearly Hephaestus, though without the busted leg.

Nylea: God of the Hunt, Nylea protects nature, preserving the balance of natural life cycles and punishing those who would defile nature, such as by hunting only for sport or despoiling natural lands. Nylea is more or less Artemis.

Ephara: God of the Polis, Ephara is the patron of cities and civilization, blessing peaceful cooperation between peoples and the learning and philosophy that cities can provide. Ephara has some elements of Athena, especially being the primary patron of Meletis, which is Theros' Athens equivalent, though without the emphasis on warfare. She could also potentially be associated with Hera, if we were to follow the historical affiliation between civilization and femininity.

Athreos: God of the Passage, Athreos is the ferryman who takes the spirits of the dead from the mortal realm to the Underworld. He tasks himself and his followers with maintaining balance between the Mortal world, the Underworld, and Nyx, the realm of the Gods. Athreos is very clearly based on Charon, though upgraded to a full-on god, instead of a sort of important spirit.

Iroas: God of Victory, Iroas takes the form of an armored Centaur, and is the patron god of heroic warriors and heroes, using martial strength to protect the innocent and defeat evil. Iroas could be seen as either a male version of Athena in her more warfare-oriented aspects, or as the Roman god Mars (in contrast with the Greek Ares, who is his equivalent but with a very different personality.)

Karametra: God of the Harvest, Karametra blesses farmers and those who cultivate life to live in harmony and provide for one another. Karametra is more or less Demeter.

Phenax: God of Lies, Phenax was originally a mortal who escaped the Underworld and thus established the Path of Phenax, where the dead could return to the world of the living, though the process of becoming a Returned robs one of their identity and explicit memories. Phenax is a god of liars, thieves, tricksters, and actors, and like the Returned, he wears a golden funerary mask at all times. Phenax could be considered a more sinister version of Hermes, being a trickster god.

Keranos: God of Storms, Keranos is the patron not only of inclement weather, but also of inspiration and genius. While he might threaten sailors at sea, he can also inspire inventors, philosophers, and other great thinkers with new ideas. Keranos, I think, shares a bit with Zeus in his association with storms, but he doesn't have the other elements that Heliod embodies - basically, Heliod plus Keranos equals Zeus.

Kruphix: God of Horizons, Kruphix is one of the oldest gods, and is essentially the god of the unknown. While the other gods take on largely humanoid (or in the case of Iroas and maybe Klothys, fey) appearances, Kruphix is a negative space in the shape of some sort of four-armed giant, the starry expanse of Nyx shining through where for other gods the Nyx shines only where they are in shadow. Nyx is a patron to secret-keepers and also those who seek out the most esoteric mysteries. Kruphix, I'll confess, is one for whom I can't really think of an obvious Olympian equivalent, unless we get into the more obscure and elemental gods like Hypnos or Morpheus.

Mogis: God of Slaughter, Mogis takes the form of a Minotaur, and represents bloodlust, cruelty, and rage. For a long time, worshippers of Mogis dominated Minotaur culture, though more recently, many Minotaurs have come to reject his ways. Mogis is very clearly the equivalent of Ares, which makes his conflicts with Iroas kind of interesting, as two battling sides of the same coin - Iroas versus Mogis being kind of like Mars versus Ares.

Pharika: God of Affliction, Pharika takes the form of a Gorgon (...sigh, Medusa in D&D parlance, though just for the record, Medusa was a specific gorgon in the actual myth, and unlike the other ones, she was originally a human) who is the god of disease and poisons, though also a god of medicine and cures. Pharika's whole aesthetic is very different, but being a god of disease and medicine actually makes her quite similar to Apollo (though with none of his solar imagery.)

Klothys: God of Destiny. Klothys, like Kruphix, is one of the oldest gods, and she is dedicated to maintaining the course of destiny, keeping things on their proper path. She appears as a human woman with six curling horns and a blindfold draped across her eyes. In Greek myth, as far as I remember, Destiny isn't anthropomorphized as much (though I'm sure it is sometimes,) so I don't know that there's an obvious Klothys equivalent, but nevertheless, her divine portfolio is super-crucial to Greek-style mythological thought.

So, there you have it: the Gods of Theros. There's no Xenagos (the satyr-turned Dionysus-like god who was the villain of the original Theros block) because, well, he ain't a god or alive any longer.

There are plenty of decisions to make when creating a Theros character, but association with a particular god (technically, I believe the worship of a particular god in a pantheon is a cult) is an important first step in defining your character's values. Remember that you can go the Iconoclast route, but I'd really consider picking a god instead, as you'd be ignoring one of the things that makes this setting so cool.

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