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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 1498 Views
I'm definitely a fan of the Valar. Partial to the Dragonlance pantheon, too. - 19/04/2010 08:05:02 AM 1142 Views
I am on board with the Valar - 19/04/2010 08:57:18 AM 969 Views
Bilious - the Oh God of Hangovers from Pratchett's Hogfather - 19/04/2010 10:04:14 AM 2142 Views
Ditto - 19/04/2010 10:43:53 AM 917 Views
Aphrael. - 19/04/2010 11:55:29 AM 1064 Views
Agreed. I love Eddings' gods. *NM* - 19/04/2010 06:48:45 PM 463 Views
I'm afraid I have to take issue with you grouping the Endless among the gods. - 19/04/2010 08:20:55 PM 1034 Views
If it helps, I like Ishtar too. - 19/04/2010 08:40:14 PM 1043 Views
Would the Incarnations of Immortality fit too then? - 21/04/2010 01:18:45 PM 883 Views
Meh. They're gods in the ordinary, non-Sandman sense of gods. - 20/04/2010 09:39:58 PM 728 Views
I think she was my favourite in hisbooks. - 22/04/2010 04:55:42 AM 874 Views
I actually really liked the deities/religion in Lackey's Valdemar books - 19/04/2010 04:41:05 PM 914 Views
Shadowthrone, of Malazan Book of the Fallen. *NM* - 19/04/2010 05:40:00 PM 545 Views
Lightsong the Bold - 19/04/2010 06:07:15 PM 1275 Views
Hell yeah! - 19/04/2010 06:44:11 PM 980 Views
who were the gods in the Belgariad? - 19/04/2010 06:52:22 PM 815 Views
Aldur, Belar, Torak, Mara, Chaldan, Issa, Nedra and UL. - 19/04/2010 06:58:54 PM 873 Views
I remember Aldur - 19/04/2010 08:37:55 PM 925 Views
Yeah, I've reread them a few times, that helps. - 19/04/2010 08:42:53 PM 945 Views
Well I was reading them as they came out so Belgarid then Malloreon then Elenium - 19/04/2010 11:27:03 PM 1142 Views
I liked UL and hated Mara. *NM* - 20/04/2010 06:36:36 PM 389 Views
yet another example of when I agree with you - 21/04/2010 01:20:26 PM 739 Views
The gods in Jennifer Fallon's Medalon series - 20/04/2010 02:44:30 AM 880 Views
Dream/Morpheus - 20/04/2010 09:50:45 PM 783 Views
Dude! Not gods! *NM* - 21/04/2010 10:18:00 AM 353 Views
Endless>Gods - 21/04/2010 10:19:15 AM 737 Views
Indeed . *NM* - 21/04/2010 10:50:56 AM 342 Views
I always loved Tymora from Forgotton Realms (D&D), but also - 21/04/2010 01:14:26 PM 880 Views
I like many - 22/04/2010 05:25:16 AM 850 Views
Jesus. *NM* - 22/04/2010 04:20:05 PM 398 Views
Well, in that case: Athena *NM* - 23/04/2010 12:42:08 AM 354 Views
awesome. - 25/04/2010 01:41:59 AM 882 Views
Kushiel. *NM* - 25/04/2010 01:46:52 AM 412 Views
Crom! - 27/04/2010 05:34:13 PM 818 Views

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