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I'm definitely a fan of the Valar. Partial to the Dragonlance pantheon, too. lord-of-shadow Send a noteboard - 19/04/2010 08:05:02 AM
I almost listed Jacquelin Carey's Shapers from the Sundering, then remembered that they were the Valar under a different name. My mistake.

The common thread in the two I mentioned, and most of the others that enjoy, is a sense of personality and involvement. I like my gods with a touch of humanity, ambitions, goals, and active involvement. Dragonlance isn't exactly high or quality literature by most measures, but I definitely enjoy the relationship between it's gods and it's stories. The exact same thing could be said for the Forgotten Realms pantheon.

Of course, this type of pantheon, and personality-driven gods, obviously has it's roots in the Greek gods, and the greek myths are some pretty iconic storytelling.

Which is not to say that a more abstract or absent god doesn't also make for great storytelling - but it's not storytelling that's going to make me interested in the deity, because the very nature of that sort of deity places the emphasis on the characters, who are actually present and involved in the story.
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Favourite deities in fiction - 19/04/2010 06:51:19 AM 2100 Views
I'm definitely a fan of the Valar. Partial to the Dragonlance pantheon, too. - 19/04/2010 08:05:02 AM 1624 Views
I am on board with the Valar - 19/04/2010 08:57:18 AM 1391 Views
Bilious - the Oh God of Hangovers from Pratchett's Hogfather - 19/04/2010 10:04:14 AM 2659 Views
Ditto - 19/04/2010 10:43:53 AM 1363 Views
Aphrael. - 19/04/2010 11:55:29 AM 1519 Views
Agreed. I love Eddings' gods. *NM* - 19/04/2010 06:48:45 PM 707 Views
I'm afraid I have to take issue with you grouping the Endless among the gods. - 19/04/2010 08:20:55 PM 1443 Views
If it helps, I like Ishtar too. - 19/04/2010 08:40:14 PM 1498 Views
Would the Incarnations of Immortality fit too then? - 21/04/2010 01:18:45 PM 1309 Views
Meh. They're gods in the ordinary, non-Sandman sense of gods. - 20/04/2010 09:39:58 PM 1156 Views
I think she was my favourite in hisbooks. - 22/04/2010 04:55:42 AM 1330 Views
I actually really liked the deities/religion in Lackey's Valdemar books - 19/04/2010 04:41:05 PM 1378 Views
Shadowthrone, of Malazan Book of the Fallen. *NM* - 19/04/2010 05:40:00 PM 834 Views
Lightsong the Bold - 19/04/2010 06:07:15 PM 1707 Views
Hell yeah! - 19/04/2010 06:44:11 PM 1424 Views
who were the gods in the Belgariad? - 19/04/2010 06:52:22 PM 1330 Views
Aldur, Belar, Torak, Mara, Chaldan, Issa, Nedra and UL. - 19/04/2010 06:58:54 PM 1308 Views
I remember Aldur - 19/04/2010 08:37:55 PM 1392 Views
Yeah, I've reread them a few times, that helps. - 19/04/2010 08:42:53 PM 1370 Views
Well I was reading them as they came out so Belgarid then Malloreon then Elenium - 19/04/2010 11:27:03 PM 1588 Views
I liked UL and hated Mara. *NM* - 20/04/2010 06:36:36 PM 632 Views
yet another example of when I agree with you - 21/04/2010 01:20:26 PM 1188 Views
The gods in Jennifer Fallon's Medalon series - 20/04/2010 02:44:30 AM 1357 Views
Dream/Morpheus - 20/04/2010 09:50:45 PM 1220 Views
Dude! Not gods! *NM* - 21/04/2010 10:18:00 AM 595 Views
Endless>Gods - 21/04/2010 10:19:15 AM 1160 Views
Indeed . *NM* - 21/04/2010 10:50:56 AM 564 Views
I always loved Tymora from Forgotton Realms (D&D), but also - 21/04/2010 01:14:26 PM 1314 Views
I like many - 22/04/2010 05:25:16 AM 1267 Views
Jesus. *NM* - 22/04/2010 04:20:05 PM 639 Views
Well, in that case: Athena *NM* - 23/04/2010 12:42:08 AM 595 Views
awesome. - 25/04/2010 01:41:59 AM 1326 Views
Kushiel. *NM* - 25/04/2010 01:46:52 AM 636 Views
Crom! - 27/04/2010 05:34:13 PM 1252 Views

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