Writing the Divine: Creation & Myths
If you’re starting your fantasy world, you will eventually need to create the creation, writing the divine. Welcome back to our Worldbuilder’s Corner. Today, we delve into the divine as we explore the art of creating gods and weaving intricate creation myths for your fantastical realms. This article is a short list of considerations, tips, and tricks for you to start compile a myth for the creation of your world and the gods that oversee it.
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Developing Pantheons
Writing the divine can be as exhilarating as it is challenging. Imagine beings of immense power, all with distinct personalities and roles. Don’t be afraid to infuse your gods with complexity – quirks, conflicts, and alliances that mirror the rich tapestry of human relationships. If you’re creating a world, then you will need to ask yourself what the nature of its creation was: what are you going to create in order to explain the turning of the universe?
Here are three points for you to consider:
What created the world? It could be a force separate from and larger than the gods, or the gods themselves. It could even be the natural forces of the laws of reality: though, in the case, I would still recommend writing a creation myth, for immersion reasons.
What is the nature of the divine? Gods can be the manifestations of natural forces, the incarnations of mortal desires and opinions, or they can be something else entirely. There could be one, or a multitude. They could work together in harmony, or exist in continual battle.
What is their connection to the mortal world? In order for their existence to mean anything, they need to have a tethering reason for their ongoing connection to mortals and the material world.
Creation Myths
This is the beginning of your world. We talked about it briefly in our post “Making a Timeline: Worldbuilding from the Beginning”. Creation myths shape the very fabric of your world. Unveil the mysteries of the universe through epic tales of cosmic battles, divine love, and the birth of realms. These myths provide context, influencing cultures and civilizations in profound ways. When writing the divine, you will need to address creation, and what implications that has.
The ability to create new life is one that has long been hallowed and revered in history. It is often considered to be the true expression of divine power: bringing life from nothingness is the ultimate power for many belief systems.
There are a number of different styles of creation myth: they can imply the existence of a much larger universe, or the beginning of everything from nothing. Often, they use primordial animals or titanic entities that drew life forth accidentally.
The Impact of Divine Power
As you breathe life into your pantheon, consider the impact of these gods on your characters. Belief systems shape characters' motivations, fears, and quests. Dive deep into the psychology of faith and explore the intricate dance between mortals and the divine.
There are a number of ways that the existence of the gods can impact on your characters when you are writing the divine, but let’s discuss the most important:
Divine Intervention. The direct interference of the gods in the affairs of mortals. The burning bush, the clouds parting, the shining avatar appearing on the hill. Dreams and shows. These are direct calls to action to your protagonists, and the most obvious impact.
Divine Institution. Organised religion can also have a tremendous impact on the individual. There may be churches, holy sites, saints or avatars, and most importantly, an organised hierarchy given power in the name of a deity.
Divine Remnants. Another way that the divine can impact the world in your story is by their discarded leavings: a drop of blood from a god, the sacred writings written by the hand of the avatar, the mountain that was once the body of an elder being. They leave impressions on the world, warping it with their power.
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Whatever you choose to do when writing the divine, be confident about it. Creation and myths are not about making logical sense: they are about the distillation of values and perspectives. Magic allows for the laws of reality to make very little difference, and you can use that to your advantage. Thank you for reading, I hope that this article was helpful. Comment below if you enjoyed it, or if you have any questions!