I am looking for ideas for what the gods and other divine entities would be for a story. Please, name the entity, its classification, and its domain. Feel free to suggest figures from mythologies and religions to be re-purposed for FiM.

You are free to re-purpose anything in this discussion to suit your story-writing needs.

I am especially looking for divine entities for: minotaur, quilin, sphinx, kitsune, Diamond Dog, and horses (the ones from Saddle Arabia. I consider them different enough from ponies that they may have gods of their own.) (Does anyone know what the minotaur in Greek myth was called? Minotaur means ‘Bull of Minos’. It was not his name, but his title.)

First, I will give my definitions for the classes of divine entities. Feel free to offer opinions/disagreements on these definitions and make up other classifications, if you feel so inclined.

Gods
These entities are defined as pure, sapient entities that are the total manifestation of some natural force or abstract concept. The god of time would be an entity made of nothing but time. Being pure representations of abstractions, they cannot manifest in the mortal plane without causing catastrophic damage or violating the laws of nature, just like absolute zero or a perfect vacuum. To keep using the example of the god of time, if he were to manifest fully in the mortal plane, he would cause his surroundings (approximately everything within a sphere with a radius of about 1000 miles) to experience the full power of time. Everything would age forward, backward, and sideways into possible present forms all at the same moment. Reality would tear itself asunder from his power.

As a result, they never manifest fully. Instead, they make avatars.

Reality as mortals understand it is nothing more than the agreed upon rules that the gods set up for the mortal plane. If the gods disagree on the rules, the laws of nature begin to break down.

None of them technically have genders. Mortals tend to personify them with consistent genders. The most consistently used gender of a god is the one the mortals refer to most frequently.

They have different levels of power. The ones with more power have more say in the laws of nature.

They have control over their own planes of the afterlife. They tend to gather the souls of those who worshiped them in life. Basically, they are each like Hades, lords of the afterlife, but only one of them is a god of death. Another analogy would be Daedric Princes from The Elder Scrolls.

Gods can only be killed by other gods. They never kill each other because of what happened the first time a god died {see Demons below}.

Avatars
These are small fragments of the gods. They are only in possession of the smallest fragment of a god’s power. Enough to outclass most mortals, but still limited. They have only a micro-fraction of the god’s memories, personality, and awareness. E.g.: Time’s avatar is only aware of what is going on now, while Time sees all possible pasts, presents, and futures.

They are occasionally given information from the god they are part of, but this is not a regular event.

Avatars can be killed, albeit with difficulty. Some gods are prevented from making Avatars, while others make new Avatars on a regular basis.

Due to something amounting to the Geneva Convention of the Gods, all gods that are in a position to make avatars are only allowed one at a time. If they want to make a new Avatar, they must destroy the old one. They are likewise limited in how much of their power they can give the Avatar.

Avatars can be any species. A given god may make an Avatar as a member of one species, and then decide that the next Avatar will be another. For example, the Avatar of Love keeps changing species with each incarnation.

Demigods
These are about as powerful as Avatars, but they lack the connection to a full god. They are tied to more specific powers such as a specific ocean, compared to the god of all water. Untouched by time’s ravages. They can be killed, but tend to take out the entire region they are in as collateral damage. Able to visit the afterlife at will, they do not have the whole ‘sad immortal’ problem as they can visit their loved ones.

Some Lesser Gods can be mistaken for Demigods, and some Greater Demigods can be mistaken for Gods. The key differences are that the death of a Demigod does not cause metaphysical annihilation of the laws of the universe, and Demigods do not rule the afterlife.

They are sometimes (but not always) born from the union of a god and a mortal or a Quasideity.

Quasideities
Sometimes, a mortal will accomplish something in life that makes them seem as gods to their contemporaries. These mortals may become Quasideities when they die. They lack the full power of a god, but can still make changes to the universe. Their domains tend to be related to the actions that made them legends. They can be killed by other divine entities without causing a metaphysical collapse or demon problem.

Demons
Before the dawn of time, most of the gods grew jealous of the power of one. That one is called the Sundered Goddess by modern mortals. So, they killed the SG, tore her to pieces, and used her Heart to hold up the mortal plane. The pieces became twenty-four independent gods of varying morality. The last breath she breathed into the mortal plane as she died became the magic used by mortals in modern times.

From the ocean of blood spilled from her body, the demons rise. They are lingering manifestations of her rage and pain. All of them seek to restore their ‘mother’ by any means necessary. Some of them attack the gods in an endless war on the Ethereal Plane. Some of them attack the mortal plane with the goal of taking back her Heart.

The war will never end until the Sundered Goddess’s Heir steps in and takes control of her powers. With a new ruler, the demons will stop spawning without her permission. The Heir will gather the 24 and merge with them. Then, the Heir will take back the Heart, destroy the universe, and make a new universe, one that is not born of murder.

Everypony Hates Hades is fully in effect for the Sundered Goddess, the twenty-four gods born from the fragments of her body, and her Demons. (Warning, the link is a TV Tropes link.) Her Heir will face it to some degree. Some of the demons and Fragments deserve a bad reputation, but not necessarily to the extreme degree that they face.

Gods
-Sundered Goddess, Overdeity. Unknown domain, though it is assumed to be related to all twenty four of her pieces.
-Harmony, Greater goddess; Avatar: Tree of Harmony. Relatives: The Sundered Goddess (mother), Five daughters: Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, all of whom are lesser goddesses. None of them took part in killing the Sundered Goddess
-Chaos, Greater god/goddess; Avatar: Discord.
-Day, Intermediate goddess; Avatar: Celestia. Sister of Night
-Night, Intermediate goddess; Avatar: Luna. Sister of Day
-Love, (I am open to suggestions on her power); Avatar: Cadence. Love lets her avatar live for a few centuries until she decides to kill the avatar and have the next one experience true love’s first everything all over again.
-Weather, Intermediate god; Avatar: currently barred from entering reality due to crimes committed by previous Avatar: the Griffon God-Emperor Zephier.
-Death, IDK on level. Different Avatar for each species. Only manifests a body during holidays dedicated to death/the dead/the afterlife. Not evil, just doing its job. The only god allowed to manifest multiple Avatars because he only gets to walk among mortals when they are celebrating. Has a reputation for being a party animal. Hates having to reap kittens ;).

I asked GhostOfHeraclitus if I could use some things from his blog
-The Dancer on the Edge, god of truth and lies. The camels refuse to worship him and instead worship his two offspring, the Counting Goddess (truth and math), and the Veiled God (lies and art).

-Sheha, the zebra name of the Sundered Goddess, is basically a distinct Avatar of the SG. Sheha was the form the SG took during his/her dying days. The zebra creation myth is true in this setting, but only from a certain point of view. Otherwise, the story of the murder of the SG is the true interpretation.

-Twilight Sparkle, Goddess of Magic, Heir of the Sundered Goddess. Her ascension was orchestrated by Harmony so that the Heir of the Sundered Goddess would possess the capacity to forgive the gods that murdered her predecessor, (spoilered for those who have not seen the Season 4 finale) including Chaos, as seen in the season 4 finale. The gods that were not born when her predecessor was killed do not fear her. Those that were alive back then are terrified of her, with the exception of Harmony and those who work for her.

Some of the Twenty-four pieces of the Sundered Goddess:
-Wolf God Fenrir, lesser god. God of Wolves and other predators. Leader of the Wild Hunt. He is actually quite playful. Does not deserve the hatred he faces. Father of Cerberus and all other canine gods/demigods.
-Sea Serpent God Jormungandr, Category unknown. Neutral.
-Dragon God Níðhöggr, Category unknown, often assumed to be a greater god. Tortures the souls of evil individuals. Not a nice individual to meet.
-Dragon Goddess Timat, Greater Goddess of fecundity and anarchy.
-Dark Spider Goddess Ungoliant, Intermediate goddess of the primordial darkness. Will eat you if given the chance. All she wants is to consume all the magic and return it to the SG. Does deserve a bad reputation.
-Snake God Ouroboros, Greater God of Time. Source of all prophesies. Has incredible PR for a Fragment of the Sundered Goddess.

Demigods
-Ahuizotl, Sunlight and heat
-Cerberus, Guardian of Tartarus
-Anubis, Overseer of Funerals and Burials. Respected or feared depending on the culture.
-Princess Aurora, Ruler of the Seas

Quasideities
-Lady Cripps the Pink, earth pony. Attained legendary status when she held off the armies of both the unicorns and pegasai with only one fatality among her soldiers (and that guy died from choking on a sandwich). Regarded as an unbeatable military strategist that all military commanders must face in the afterlife. They will all lose.
-Nightmare. Became a figure of fear due to unknown crimes in life. Made deals with demons to gain power. Possessed Luna to gain a way into the mortal plane.

Demons
-Tirek, currently imprisoned in Tartarus. His goal was the same as Ungoliant, but he lost himself in madness. He had no idea that Twilight was the Sundered Goddess reborn.
-Scorpan, turned ‘good’ (from a starting point of blue/orange morality) when he learned of Harmony’s plan to resurrect the SG. Was unable to convince his brother that Harmony’s method was better.

3946242
*reads it thrices* And you need help? Damn man this is pretty detailed as it is. I really can't suggest anything from my own pantheon since you covered what I already have, except strangely enough Sky and Earth.

3946275 ???!!!!
How did you read that so quickly? Are you trained in speed reading?

I wanted to let others see an idea that they can use, and get others to brainstorm some names for that list of species that I did not make gods for.

I upvoted your comment just for how quickly you responded. I am that impressed.

3946286
Skimming it helps, which explains how I missed missed the part about re-purposing anything for our own works

here an idea an Windigo god of endless hungrier and winter and his sister a Dryad goddess of purity and the forest

or if wish you could use some of mine from A wizard's tale look at Alicorn pantheon and Humanic chapters

I hope this helps

oops I forgot their names

Avaren for the Windigo god of endless hungrier and winter

Niendren for the Dryad goddess of purity and the forest

3946307 I looked. Interesting ideas. I will see what I can adapt.

Part of me thinks that Sleipnir would be a Saddle Arabian god, rather than an Equestrian one.

Edit: Avaren could be one of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse, and one of Twilight Sparkle's servants come the Apocalypse, along with Death. Now I just need War and Plague.

Just thought of a Quasideity. Marelin, Prophet of the Returning Goddess. She was the greatest spellslinger in history short of the actual Goddess of Magic. She is a devoted servant of Twilight's now that Twilight has ascended. She may be Twilight's daughter sent back in time with time travel spells provided by Ouroboros.

3946242
Lets see what I can pull out... can't suggest Epona, Concordia, or even half of the Seraphim... Earth and Sky...

Caelus- God of the Sky
Gaea- Goddess of the Earth

Both, along with the God of the Sun and Goddess of the Moon, are considered important deities to the creation of the world... and that is about what I have since I never did much outside of a few deities/angels in my 'verse

Well Sleipnir is both the Saddle Arabian (Pongaea's worshipers) and the Equestrian (Celestia's, Luna's) god why He's the main one (the Odin or Zeus of the pantheon) but while i haven't said who the main worshipers of him are but as a whole the ponies are like the Greeks mainly worshiping their own deity but they have reverence for all of the pantheon

am I making sense???

THIS is interesting. While Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Discord are doing really great jobs, this would probably explain why Twilight is ridiculously powerful. However, is there ANYTHING for the kitsune!?

3946367 I have no idea how I forgot to put Gaea on the list. I are dumb.

Maybe Caelus is Day and Night's parent?

3946392 Yes, you are making sense. I do not mind comments on the nature of the religions, though this was mainly supposed to be a discussion on the gods, not how the religions would operate.

By the way, mouse over a comment. See the little box with the '>>'. Click that to reply to a comment. It causes the new reply notification to pop up.

3946400
In the actual mythology he seems to be Day's son, or at least on one source, welcome to Greco-Roman mythology where the genealogy makes West Virginia seem straightforward.

I've basically borrowed the names and domains and tried to work them into the angelic hierarchy. Far less confusing.

3946398 That is part of what I was asking. Who or What would a god of kitsune be? I think it would be at least slightly mischievous. Maybe like Amaterasu's portrayal from Okami.

3946414 whoops sorry about that

3946242 Never thought about gods before, but I did mention in my fic that the griffons used to call Celestia and Luna, Dagr and Nott respectively just after they defeated Discord. Maybe Dagr and Nott were the avatars inside Celestia and Luna.

3946422 But we can't use Amaterasu. Celestia has that job already!

3946422
Err... yo do know Ammy was a wolf?

3946427 Celestia and Luna are the avatars of Day and Night, respectively. Dagr and Nott would be the names of previous avatars of Day and Night.

3946431 I was referring more to how Ammy is playful and sometimes causes mischief in the game as an example of how a kitsune god would behave. Ammy is probably either an Avatar of Day, or a demigod daughter of Day and Fenrir.

Yes, I just shipped Celestia and a Ginormous Wolf God that is destined to partake in destroying the universe. Now I just have to wait for someone to write that story.

3946441 See my reply to HB_DS2013

3946450
Ok... got anything for the Dragons yet? I have two deities for them

3946468 I think that Spykoran might be a likely candidate. Alternately, Naga and Grima.

3946481
Tiamat and Ryujin, though in my 'verse that while they are the Dragon's patron deities their domains deal more with the sea.

3946495 Definitely Tiamat, but who's Ryujin?

3946468 3946481 I already have Timat and Níðhöggr as the female and male dragon gods. They are both the god-ancestors of dragons. They are also borderline eldritch abominations; that could contribute to the reputations dragons have for being terrifying, and their strange biology.

Out of curiosity, who are Spykoran, Naga, and Grima. I know what a naga usually is in fantasy, but that was a proper noun. My memories on the original naga myths are a bit fuzzy.

Ammy could be a full goddess of the sun, but that would put her as a lesser goddess. Hmm... Unless Ammy is one of the Twenty-four. That would mean that Twilight is also Amaterasu. And Chibi is her son! Now immagine Twilight reading her son Chibi a bedtime story. AAAAHHHH! [heart explodes from cuteness.]

Oh, this is a really cool post. How about a moon goddess for the sphinx? Yes, I am aware that Luna is supposed to be the goddess of the night, but honestly, a different culture well have a different god. Also, no I don't have a name yet, I really badly want one, but don't yet.

Also, a goddess of the sea for ponies and seaponies. Thessa (or something around those lines.). Anyways, this is what I have for now. Until next time,
-Sphinx

3946500
Ryujin- God of the Sea in Japanese mythology. Takes the form of a dragon, and is methodologically speaking the ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family

3946507 You think that Twilight is Amaterasu in pony form? That's not possible. But I have to agree that Chibi's one of the cutest godlings in the multiverse.

3946500
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%ABjin

3946500 What HB_DS2013 said. Who is Ryujin?

3946521 See Celestias Paladin's link.

3946507
Well... frak
3946521
*Points up*
Ryujin- God of the Sea in Japanese mythology. Takes the form of a dragon, and is methodologically speaking the ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family

3946450 that would make good story Celly and Fenrir just wait for celly to take ferr to met her folks

and I agree with your edit of Avaren, he would make good one for the Horses of the Apocalypse

3946509 A moon goddess would work. Luna is the Intermediate goddess of the Night. A moon god would be a lesser god that works for her. Probably in charge of the phases of the moon and Lunacy.

The sea ponies have Princess Aurora, a demigoddess.

3946515 Maybe as a sea serpent god along side Jormungandr... Or maybe dragons have weird biology that needs more than two partners to conceive a clutch of eggs. I am unfortunately aware that that idea may be taken and run with by the R34 bronies.

Since Timat and Níðhöggr are portions of the SG, and Twilight is the Heir, that makes Twilight the mother of all dragons, and thus Spike's ancestor and adopted sister at the same time. This line of thought went to weird places.

3946518 In this setup, The Sundered Goddess was torn into 24 pieces. Each piece became an independent god/goddess. Ammy could be one of the 24 who worked her tail off for good PR, hence why she is seen as the Origin of All that is Good and Mother to Us All. Just like Ouroboros, who used his time power to give helpful advice and get a friendly reputation (he cheated using foreknowledge).

Twi is not Ammy, but Ammy would become a part of Twi.

And just imagine Twi and Chibi together. Daaaww. Then Twilight introduces her son to Fluttershy, who promptly goes full Squee!mode at the sight of him. I think the fanfic would be worth it just to see Chibi and Fluttershy together. Then the Breezies show up and add their cuteness to the overload.

3946603 If Chibi encountered the CMC, they would definitely give him a ridiculously stupid name and we would all get heart attacks from that image alone! Alternately, if Cadence encounters him, she's gonna give Shining the "can I keep him look?" Celestia would just be enamoured with Chibi if they met. WHY ISN'T ANYONE WRITING AN OKAMIDEN CROSSOVER!?

3946530 Wait until Celestia realizes that Twilight is Fenrir's 'mother'.

3946616 I think it is settled in my headcanon. I will have Ammy be one of the 24 just so that Twi can have Chibi as a son and introduce him to everypony that would faint at the sight of his cuteness.

If Chibi is Twilight's son, that makes Cadence his aunt. She would be thrilled.

3946636 What about Spike? Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Twilight is an incarnation of Ammy minus the mischievous streak.

3946618

That's evil...... *smiles*....you gotta put the one in

3946637

Since Timat and Níðhöggr are portions of the Sundered Goddess, and Twilight is the Heir, that makes Twilight the mother of all dragons, and thus Spike's ancestor and adopted sister at the same time. This line of thought went to weird places.

Spike, once he is done freaking out over his sister being both his grandmother and grandfather, will be unable to resist the cuteness of Chibi. Remember, Spike could not resist the cuteness of the Breezies. Chibi is guaranteed to be too much. Especially if Chibi teams up with Pinkie to get treats. He will take it upon himself to be the best half-brother/uncle ever.

Ammy is Twilight's mischievous streak. That is why Twi is not a prankster. Once the two reunite, Twilight, Discord, Celestia, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie will go on the ultimate divine prank spree. That will be the first sign to summon the Four Horses of the Apocalypse.

3946643 HA HA HA HA!! Celestia will face the ultimate awkwardness of dating the 'son' of Twilight. Fenrir is one of the 24, so it is double awkward because Celestia cannot hide it (and whatever perversions she and Fenrir got up to) from Twilight once Twi and Fenrir merge.

3946679 Wow, that was really complicated. Like... Evangelion-complicated.

3946679
I agree with 3946688, this has gone beyond normal mythology complicated.

Though I may borrow the idea of the Sundered Goddess, it may have solved one of the more annoying issues with my 'verse's mythology and magic

3946708 What would that be?

3946716
What would that be, what?

3946719 You mentioned something about a solution to your problem?

3946679 Evil laugh......... ''yes the awkwardness shall consume all''

you better make Celly like molly cause once fenrir is a ''part'' of Twi............... need I say more

3946688 The Sundered Goddess was broken into 24 parts. Twilight is the Sundered Goddess reborn from the one piece left over. She will seek out her pieces to restore her full power. Just like what Ammy had to do in Okami.

The dragon gods were off doing their own thing, resulting in the dragon species. Twilight is going to have to take up their duties once she merges with them. She will then learn how many generations ago the dragon gods laid the eggs of Spike's ancestors. She will be only slightly squicked by that point because she has already seen what Celestia and Fenrir got up to after she merged with Fenrir.

Spike agrees with you completely.

3946708 Maybe I can understand it because I am crazy. You may use the Sundered Goddess. Just credit this thread (and thus, indirectly, me). Admit it that some mythologies get even more complex than this. Just check out Mayan mythology. That was a twisted mess, even before you get to the blood sacrifices.

3946729 Molly? Are you referring to Molestia or to Molly Carpenter from the Dresden Files? Because the first thing I think of when I read Molly is the Dresden Files.

Fenrir will survive as an aspect and Avatar of Twilight/the Sundered Goddess. Twilight can let Celestia have fun with Fenrir while keeping her distance by not calling him back to the whole very often.

Edit: Celestia may have moved on to another male friend by now. After all, she moves past Discord in some settings.

3946749 Spike does? Thank you!

3946749 Molestia

3946722
Ok a little background first. In my 'verse Magic is Life, and over time it soaks into oldest rocks of the continents. Continents themselves gain sentience, yet I still have Mother Gaea as the Serpah of the Earth and I really haven't figured out how to work the continental spirits' relationship with Gaea out. Going with the Sundered Goddess idea is that Gaea is the Sundered Goddess and her parts are the continental spirits... which work on a mythological level and a physical level when you bring in continental drift. It will take some work but I can figure it out sooner or later.

3946749
I think he means that molly, the one shall not be spoken of. And please for the love of Concordia don't bring her in