ABORIGINAL GODS (Australia):
Skyfather: Altjira (Dreamtime)
Others: Baiame (Creation), Daramulum (Sky & Weather), Julunggul (Fertility), Gnowee (Sun), Mamaragan (Lightning), Narahdarn (Death), Marmoo (Evil)
-Aboriginal Gods can traverse the Dreamtime, a mystical realm based off of the collective subconscious of the entire universe's people, where you can see everything.
* Add Movement 1 (Dimensional Travel- Dreamtime) & Remote Sensing (Vision & Hearing) of various levels. Many have Shapeshifting, usually to Animal Forms (low ranks, plus Morph). Females have one lower Strength (10 tons). [2 + xx]
THE AHAU (Mayans):
Skyfather: Hunab Ku (Sky)
Others: Ahpuch (The Dead), Buluc Chabtan (War), Camazotz (Darkness), Chaac (Rain & Lightning), Gucumatz/Kukulkan (Wind), Itzamna (Sun), Ixchel (Moon)
-These guys used to fight the Aztec Gods, but are minor players on the God scene.
THE AKUA (Polynesia):
Skyfather: Rangi/Ranginu/Wakea (Sky)
Others: B'ngudja (Sharks), Gaea/Papa (Earth), Haumea (Childbirth), Kanaloa (Sea), Kane (Light), Ku (War), Lono (Agriculture & Peace), Namaka (Sea), Pele (Volcanoes), Poliahu (Snow), Whiro (Death & Evil)
-The various peoples of Tonga, Hawai'i, New Zealand & more worship these guys. Pele is unquestionably the most famous to Western culture, and she & her sister Namaka fought in order to attain Godhood. Pele even slept with her sister's boyfriend, which didn't help matters.
THE SHINTO GODS: AMATSU-KAMI (Japan):
Skyfather: Izanagi (Sky)
Others: Amaterasu (Sun), Ame-No-Mi-Kumari (Water), Bishamon (War & Fortune), Hotei (Happiness), Inari (Rice), Kaminari (Thunder & Lightning), Kagutsuchi (Fire), Mikaboshi (Evil), Susanoo (Sea & Storm), Tsukuyomi (Moon)
-Still worshipped by the majority of Japan (though Japanese society takes a different view of religion than most- often having Christian Weddings, Buddhist funerals & Shinto rites throughout their lives).
THE DAEVAS (India):
Skyfather: Brahma (Creation)
Others: Ganesha (Intellect & Wisdom), Kali (Destruction), Indra (War & Weather), Maya (Illusions), Ratri (Night), Shiva (Destruction & Transformation), Vishu (Heaven & Preservation), Yama (Death)
-Still worshipped by nearly a billion Indians, these guys raise some odd questions in the Marvel Universe as one of the few currently-worshipped Pantheons out there. I've tried to learn stuff about these guys, but the religion is really hard to get into, as each God seems to have Male & Female aspects (some of whom are married to them, I think), and there's lots of assorted weirdness here. But they do have Garuda, a giant super-awesome Bird Mount. Not to offend any Indians out there, but there's little question which nation had the best drugs, judging by the Gods their imaginations came up with :).
* Male Gods have 11 Strength [2].
THE DIEVAS (Russia & Slavic Nations):
Skyfather: Svarog (Sun & Sky)
Others: Lada (Beauty & Youth), Perun (Thunder), Svantovit (War), Stribog (Wind & Sky), Svarozvich (Fire), Milda (Love), Laima (Fate & Luck), Marzana (Witchcraft), Saule (Sun), Sazhbog (Light), Veles (Underworld)
-These guys are mostly-ignored, especially as Russia first converted to Christianity, then became pretty Atheistic following the Communist Revolution. Perun has shown up as a super-hero with the People's Protectorate, and a lesser version of Thor, however.
* Male Gods have 11 Strength [2].
THE DIWATAS (Philippines):
Skyfather: Bathala (Sky)
Others: Aman Sinaya (Sea), Amihan (Wind), Anitun (Wind, Lightning & Rain), Apo Laki (War & Sun), Aswang (Evil), Mayari (Moon), Tala (Stars)
-I've never even heard of these guys. Anitun was apaprently a Filipino super-hero with the Triumph Division (??), but Ezekiel Stane sent a group of terrorists to kill all of them, including Anitun's mortal form- but she returned in another form.
THE HELIOPOLITANS (Egypt):
Skyfather: Horus (Sun)
Others: Anubis (Jackal God- Afterlife), Bes (Luck & Probability), Sobek (Crocodile God- Rivers), Geb (Earth), Isis (Fertility), Khonshu (Moon), Sekhmet (Lion God- War), Osiris (The Dead), Nut (Heavens), Bast (Panther God- Pleasure, Poetry & Dance), Ra (Primordial Sun God), Seth (Evil), Thoth (Wisdom)
-These Gods are pretty famous for having animal heads, and Egyptian Pharaohs were considered to be Living Gods as well. These guys probably show up third-most after the Greek & Norse Gods, often with Seth as a Big Bad Villain.
THE INUA (Inuits):
Skyfather: Hodiak (Sky)
Others: Kadlu (Lightning), Negafok (Cold Weather), Nelvanna (Northern Lights), Nanuq (Polar Bears), Sedna (Sea & Death), Snowbird/Narya (Nature), Tekkeitsertok (Caribou & The Hunt), Turoq/Shaper (Change)
-Mainly known for Nelvanna birthing Snowbird of Alpha Flight fame, and for being enemies of The Great Beasts. Most of these guys are known by multiple names, as Native cultures in the Far North were often split up by hundreds of miles, and thus things changed. Canadians will recognize Nelvanna as the name of an animation company that's done a TON of stuff for Canadian cartoons, like "Tintin", "Rupert the Bear", "Beetlejuice" and "Care Bears", as well as the hilariously '80s-ish sci-fi toon "Rock & Rule" (where music stops a Demonic invasion caused by Mick Jagger)- I can find no evidence of her being a real Goddess- character & company are actually named after "Nelvana of the Northern Lights", a Canadian Golden Age super-hero (that actually pre-dates Wonder Woman).
THE JUMALA (Finland):
Skyfather: Ukko (Sky)
Others: Ahti (Sea), Akras (Fertility), Ilmarinen (Metal & Invention- former Skyfather), Nyyrikki (The Hunt), Surma, Tapio (Forest), Tuoni (Underworld), Vammatar (Pain & Suffering)
-Another one I've never heard of- I assumed the Finns would worship the same guys as the Norsemen did.
THE MANIDOOG (Anasazi/Native Americans):
Skyfather: Manitou (Sky & Creation)
Others: Calumet (Peace & War), Ghost Dancer, Haokah (Thunder), Hotamintanio (Warriors), Iktomi (Trickery), Nanabozho (Mischief), Owayodata (The Hunt), Tawa (Sun), Tomazooma (Kinship & Storytelling)
-These guys don't show up too much, though a few Native American-themed characters have used these Gods' powers. Tawa helped Thor fight the Demogorge once.
THE TENGER (Mongolia & Central Asia):
Skyfather: Tengri (Sky)
Others: Asena, Ay (Moon), Erlik (Evil & Death), Gesar, Koyash (Sun), Kuara (Thunder), Tulpar, Ulgen (Light)
-Another new one to me- I had no idea the Mongols had their own Gods! And they extend all the way to Turkey as well! Their only real links to the Marvel Universe involve dealing with the other Godheads to discuss The Celestials, and Genghis Khan's fabled Spirit banner allegedly using the power of Skyfather Tengri to bestow power upon a secret society of Khans- The Agents of Atlas' Jimmy Woo being the latest in a long line.
THE TETEOH (Aztecs):
Skyfather: Quetzalcoatl (Sky)
Others: Chalchiuhtlique (Water), Huitzilopochtli (Sun), Mictlantecuhtli (The Dead), Ozomatli (Dance & Music), Tezcatlipoca (War), Tlaloc (Storms), Xipe Totec (Agriculture & Sacrifice), Xochiquetzal (Fertility & Flowers), Xolotl (Fire)
-I might be mis-spelling some of those names- I am NOT re-checking them. These guys were at the forefront of one of the craziest cultures the world has ever known- the sacrifice-obsessed Aztecs (there's a reason few consider the wiping out of these guys anywhere near as bad as what happened to the Native Americans up north). Quetzalcoatl helped Thor lead a group of Sun & Storm Gods to fight the Demogorge, but Thor had to rescue him- some Skyfather, huh?
THE TUATHA DE DANAAN (Celtic):
Skyfather: The Dagda/Eochaid Ollathair (Magic)
Others: Bodb Derg/Red Lord (War), Caber (Speed & Bards), Cernunnos (Animals & The Hunt), Cuchulain, Gwynn (Springtime), Leir (Storms & Sea), Morrigan (Battle Goddess), Niamh (Lakes), Nuada (Warriors), Oberon (King of Faeries), Taranis (Thunder & Elements)
-And I thought the AZTECS produced some odd names- these guys have near-random pronounciation and are kind of a pain in the ass. How does "Cuchulain" become "Coo-Hoolin" when said out loud? And why is it spelled "Tir na nOg"? When was the last time you saw a middle letter capitalized? These guys require mortal hosts to appear in our dimension for any length of time, a pretty big weakness for Gods. That Marvel Encyclopedia has a LOT of these guys in it, despite me never having read an appearance of theirs. And Jesus, no wonder the Celts have a rep for craziness- look at all their War Gods! They have a lot to do with Lady in the Lake-type Arthurian myths in Pre-Christian England, though they got supplanted pretty big by the Church.
THE VODU (West Africa):
Skyfather: Buluku (Sky)
Others: Anansi (Wisdom & Trickery), Avlekete (Sea), Dam-Ayido Wede/Damballah (Serpents), Eleggua/Eschu (Crossroads & Communication), Ghekre (Gorilla God- Judgment), Legba (Gateways), Ogun (War), Oshun/Ezili (Love), Oya (Wind), Sagbata/Baron Semedi (Death & Disease), Shango/Xevioso (Thunder & Lightning)
-These guys moved from Africa to the Caribbean, Jamaica and Lousiana thanks to the slave trade- often merging beliefs with those of Christianity. Voodoo
THE XIAN (Ancient China):
Skyfather: Yu Huang (Heaven)
Others: Guan Yu (War), Kui Xing (Paperwork & Examinations), Lei Gong (Thunder), Nezha (Mischief), Shou-Hsing (Health & Longevity), Tian-Mu (Lightning), Xi Wangmu (Immortality), Yen-Lo Wang (Death), Yu Zhu Rong (Fire)
-These guys are an odd mix of Celestial Bureaucracy and the Old Gods of China (pre-Buddhism). Their names and titles are evocative of the Iron Fist characters, with overly-complex names and descriptions.
THE YAZATAS (Zoroastrian/Persian):
Skyfather: Ahura Mazda (Creation)
Others: Ahriman (Evil), Ameretat (Vegetation), Armaiti (Earth), Asha (Fire), Atar (Fire), Haurvatat (Water), Kshathra Vairya (Metal), Mithra (Light & Justice), Vohu Manah (Animals)
-Another mostly-unknown one (coming from a land of Islam will do that to a Pantheon), these guys are really minor. They have hardly any access to the Marvel U, but Dr. Strange, The Thing, and Conan have all met them.
I came across this post this morning and couldn't believe how many Gods there were on it. Are they all based on real life Gods from religions around the world or are some of them made by Marvel?
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