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Looking at the Core Deities, I see a bunch of them that are inspired by or named after things in the non Pathfinder-verse. For example:
Buddha -> Irori
(Both worshipped in East and South Asia / Tian and Vudra, both have enlightenment as a key idea, both human monks)
Yahweh + Zeus -> Gozreh
(Both known for their natural disasters, both of capricious or ambiguous morality, often depicted (at least in part) as a white-bearded man shooting lightning. Also see: Poseidon)
Thor (and associated mythology) -> Torag + Cayden Cailean
(Thor was known for his awesome short-handled hammer which was forged by the dwarves, and was also an amazing drinker. Torag is a dwarf with a warhammer who forges stuff. Cayden Cailean is an amazing drinker.)
Nephthys -> Nethys
(Nephthys: Egyptian goddess of magic. Nethys: Golarion god of magic.)
Lamashtu -> Lamashtu
(Mesopotamian hybrid creature demon goddess whose main enemy is the demon Pazuzu. Also Golarion hybrid creature demon goddess whose main enemy is the demon Pazuzu.)
Asmodeus -> Asmodeus
(Need I say more?)
These are all fairly self-explanatory, but then there are weird things like Zon-Kuthon, the emo one, and Urgathoa, whose domain of undeath doesn't fit very comfortably into our very real real-world reality. Can anybody explain or pick apart where some of the other deities come from?
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I'd say your first 3 are tenuous at best. Insulting at worst. Basically, only the ones that are named after Earth deities are based on Earth deities.
Melkiador wrote: I'd say your first 3 are tenuous at best. Insulting at worst. Basically, only the ones that are named after Earth deities are based on Earth deities. It's loosely based off of, not a direct copy. Buddhism is a very different religion than Pathfinder worship of Irori, yet these are not coincidental similarities. Pathfinder monk is far different than a real-world monk, but both come from Asia or the equivalent place, and the point stands.
As for the Yahweh / Zeus / Gozreh thing, Zeus might be the inaccurate half. Zeus is very, very human in his portrayal, while Old Testament Yahweh is also somewhat, but less so. Yahweh is known for flooding the entire earth (possibly a shared Mesopotamian myth or event), turning sending plagues of blood, locusts, hail, and death upon his peoples' enemies, and once threatening to destroy his own people. This is a lot more than we have for the Pathfinder-verse Gozreh, and as of so far, Gozreh exhibits different characteristics, but there's probably an intentional choice in there somewhere. At the very least, storm gods are not rare and Gozreh is probably inspired by something in the Greco-Roman pantheon or a Near Eastern god.
I do admit the Thor thing is tenuous, but you should take a look at the Torag holy symbol and the Thor pendant things. That part is at least deliberate.
I'm not meaning to offend anybody here, but I do believe that most of the Pathfinder deities were at least superficially inspired by actual religions.
Yahweh's portfolio basically includes everything. There is no Pathfinder parallel. You could just as easily say Shellyn is based on Yahweh, as they are both patrons of the arts. Or Desna for sending prophecy in dreams. Or Erastil for crops and community. Or Pharasma for judging the dead.
Oh. A discussion involving real world religions.
*puts popcorn in the microwave*
I'm interested in seeing how this ends.
Melkiador wrote: Yahweh's portfolio basically includes everything. There is no Pathfinder parallel. You could just as easily say Shellyn is based on Yahweh, as they are both patrons of the arts. Or Desna for sending prophecy in dreams. Or Erastil for crops and community. Or Pharasma for judging the dead. I'm speaking particularly of the Old Testament mid-Genesis through Judges Yahweh. Not the monotheistic part, which I believe starts around the Davidic kingdom. Consider that there are several points where Yahweh is actually in competition with other gods, a commandment "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", and people (like Rachel) had "household gods". Later, Yahweh becomes a more Community-domain god, where he presides over a people. And even later after that, the ancient Hebrews become monotheistic.
Helpful link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh
Edit: I don't want to start an argument over what is religiously correct right now. I respect whatever religious views you hold. I'm using this specific example because I believe it supports my point, but if you find it offensive, I won't reference it again.
I can sort of see your point, but I'm gonna have to disagree on that one. XD Even assuming Gozreh was vaguely based on/inspired by any real-world deity, I suspect it would have been an ACTUAL pagan nature deity.
(As for things-probably-inspired-by-Buddha, I think Korada's a closer match.)
Rednal wrote: I can sort of see your point, but I'm gonna have to disagree on that one. XD Even assuming Gozreh was vaguely based on/inspired by any real-world deity, I suspect it would have been an ACTUAL pagan nature deity.
(As for things-probably-inspired-by-Buddha, I think Korada's a closer match.)
Alright, that makes sense.
I was only browsing Core deities because there's a boatload of other deities listed (Including the actual Nephthys), but yeah, Korada seems to match pretty well.
My Self wrote: Melkiador wrote: Yahweh's portfolio basically includes everything. There is no Pathfinder parallel. You could just as easily say Shellyn is based on Yahweh, as they are both patrons of the arts. Or Desna for sending prophecy in dreams. Or Erastil for crops and community. Or Pharasma for judging the dead. I'm speaking particularly of the Old Testament mid-Genesis through Judges Yahweh. Not the monotheistic part, which I believe starts around the Davidic kingdom. Consider that there are several points where Yahweh is actually in competition with other gods, a commandment "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", and people (like Rachel) had "household gods". Later, Yahweh becomes a more Community-domain god, where he presides over a people. And even later after that, the ancient Hebrews become monotheistic.
Helpful link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh
Edit: I don't want to start an argument over what is religiously correct right now. I respect whatever religious views you hold. I'm using this specific example because I believe it supports my point, but if you find it offensive, I won't reference it again. The original word translated here as "household gods" is Teraphim, a Hebrew plural which may have actually referred to a singular object. (Hebrew is weird like that, sometimes using plural forms for singular things as a way to indicate greatness. Many people interpret Elohim this way, for example.) The word is used in various places throughout the Old Testament, always referring to some object of worship.
In other words, yes, they were idols. However, they seem to be frequently connected with Jehovah-worship, which implies that the use of Teraphim was not so much the worship of false gods as the worship of the true God in an incorrect manner.
Pelor was the old judeo-christian god. I think Sarenrae is supposed to be kind of a jihad spin of that, but I (and most DMs I know) find her to be short sighted, irritating, brutish, and greedy (seriously, the discription of her religion mentions seeking gold and wealth 3 or 4 times as often as Asmodeus). I don't even really think shes neutral good; more like lawful stupid (how a paladin shouldn't be played) or chaotic neutral. Sorry, sorry, I just don't like Sarenrae. I wish we had a good Yahweh equivalent.
My Self wrote:
I'm speaking particularly of the Old Testament mid-Genesis through Judges Yahweh. Not the monotheistic part, which I believe starts around the Davidic kingdom. Consider that there are several points where Yahweh is actually in competition with other gods, a commandment "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", and people (like Rachel) had "household gods". Later, Yahweh becomes a more Community-domain god, where he presides over a people.
The Community Domain is probably heaviest in the Exodus, which is in your time snippet. Keeping a people alive and together in the wilderness for 40 years takes a lot of focus.
As for Desna, I already mentioned dreams, but also... Liberation in the escape from Egypt. Travel in the wilderness for 40 years.
But really, I think Pharasma is probably the closest in your time snippet if you are just trying to force a match. Life, Death, Knowledge and Water.
You know, for some reason I suspect Anubis is based on Anubis, Thoth is probably based on thoth, ra is probably based on ra, Nephthys is Nephthys (separate to Nethys), Osiris is osiris.... :P
Melkiador wrote:
The Community Domain is probably heaviest in the Exodus, which is in your time snippet. Keeping a people alive and together in the wilderness for 40 years takes a lot of focus.
As for Desna, I already mentioned dreams, but also... Liberation in the escape from Egypt. Travel in the wilderness for 40 years.
But really, I think Pharasma is probably the closest in your time snippet if you are just trying to force a match. Life, Death, Knowledge and Water.
Not trying to force a match, but rather find a connection.
Yahweh is a complex and evolving character over the books mentioned. I personally think Pharasma is not an accurate match, given that Yahweh is also a destructive force and a divine warrior against his peoples' enemies. You mention multiple aspects and are definitely applicable. However, the question was "what real things were these pathfinder deities inspired by?". I don't think there's that much of a connection between Pharasma and Yahweh to say that Pharasma was inspired by Yahweh.
The place where the Christian God would be in Golarion's setting is empty. XD Why? Well, that's one of the mysteries...
If I had to say, though, I'm not sure Pathfinder's style lends it to having a true equivalent. As far as the game goes, deities are generally "The God of X", and that basically defines them and their views. Said X tends to be a much more narrow concept, which I suppose IS pretty good for matching character ideas.
For characters who support goodness in general, they'd probably just worship a bunch of deities at the same time?
On Pharasma: She's always felt more like the Fates to me. (From either Norse or Greek mythology.)
Rednal wrote: The place where the Christian God would be in Golarion's setting is empty. XD Why? Well, that's one of the mysteries...
If I had to say, though, I'm not sure Pathfinder's style lends it to having a true equivalent. As far as the game goes, deities are generally "The God of X", and that basically defines them and their views. Said X tends to be a much more narrow concept, which I suppose IS pretty good for matching character ideas.
For characters who support goodness in general, they'd probably just worship a bunch of deities at the same time?
The Pathfinder-verse is a polytheistic thing, the Christian God is a monotheistic thing. Each Pathfinder-verse deity represents a single or several aspects to the world, while the Christian God is a universal god. These systems are mutually incompatible- that's why I'm specifying Yahweh in a limited number of books where Yahweh is not actually a universal deity. The universal deity part is a later addition sometime while the Israelites are in exile.
I agree with the part about Pharasma, although Pharasma's Water domain is somewhat puzzling when viewed through that lens.
Considering Christians exists in Pathfinder, I wonder if you could be a cleric of the Christian God.
I'd say Yahweh was always monotheistic in nature. As early as Moses, you have the concept that all other gods are false gods. This of course didn't mean that there weren't people who would worship Yahweh and some other gods. You can see the mixture today in the religion of voodoo. But the existence of voodoo doesn't mean that christianity isn't a monotheistic religion.
Melkiador wrote: I'd say Yahweh was always monotheistic in nature. As early as Moses, you have the concept that all other gods are false gods. This of course didn't mean that there weren't people who would worship Yahweh and some other gods. You can see the mixture today in the religion of voodoo. But the existence of voodoo doesn't mean that christianity isn't a monotheistic religion. I'd like to respectfully disagree, and say that as of the Moses period, all other gods were lesser gods. Aaron was able to turn his staff into a snake because Yahweh granted him the power to do so, yet the Egyptian court magicians were able to do so, too. Yahweh proved he was superior because his snake ate all the other snakes, but he was not alone in being able to summon snakes. Similarly, when Aaron summoned loads of frogs on Egypt, the Egyptian magicians were also able to summon frogs (and made their situation exponentially worse, hah). Back to an earlier quote: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Not "there are no other gods". This is coupled with the phrase "a jealous god". Not "the only god". After the Kingdom of Israel, however, it was firmly monotheistic.
[/argue]
Interesting conversations on the nature of the Abrahamic God aside, do we have any other similarities between Pathfinder-verse deities and real-world things?
Quote: Interesting conversations on the nature of the Abrahamic God aside, do we have any other similarities between Pathfinder-verse deities and real-world things? Well some real-world deities exist in pathfinder. So... it blurs the line abit.
Milo v3 wrote: Quote: Interesting conversations on the nature of the Abrahamic God aside, do we have any other similarities between Pathfinder-verse deities and real-world things? Well some real-world deities exist in pathfinder. So... it blurs the line abit. I thought I was the one who pointed that out. :P
So any other Pathfinder-verse deities that are very similar to or inspired by real-world things? Besides the ones listed?
My Self wrote:
These are all fairly self-explanatory, but then there are weird things like Zon-Kuthon, the emo one, and Urgathoa, whose domain of undeath doesn't fit very comfortably into our very real real-world reality. Can anybody explain or pick apart where some of the other deities come from? Isn't it obvious? Love of pain, bondage, ghoul-like behavior, a hideous mockery of "eternal life"...
...Zon-Kuthon and Urgathoa are Jesus!
/brazentrolling
I'm Hiding In Your Closet wrote: My Self wrote:
These are all fairly self-explanatory, but then there are weird things like Zon-Kuthon, the emo one, and Urgathoa, whose domain of undeath doesn't fit very comfortably into our very real real-world reality. Can anybody explain or pick apart where some of the other deities come from? Isn't it obvious? Love of pain, bondage, ghoul-like behavior, a hideous mockery of "eternal life"...
...Zon-Kuthon and Urgathoa are Jesus!
/brazentrolling Hah.
Seriously, though: I could hardly be less impressed by referring to Zon-Kuthon as "the emo one." Let's try to elevate our mind out of the ooze of the '000s, shall we?
Also, Nepthys is goddess of funerary practices and protection, but aside from magic being very important in those two fields for the Ancient Egyptians, and the fact that magic was involved in the worship of all Egyptian gods in one way or another, I wouldn't particularly label her a "goddess of magic" - that distinction goes to Isis and Thoth.
Rednal wrote: The place where the Christian God would be in Golarion's setting is empty. XD Why? Well, that's one of the mysteries...
If I had to say, though, I'm not sure Pathfinder's style lends it to having a true equivalent. As far as the game goes, deities are generally "The God of X", and that basically defines them and their views. Said X tends to be a much more narrow concept, which I suppose IS pretty good for matching character ideas.
For characters who support goodness in general, they'd probably just worship a bunch of deities at the same time?
On Pharasma: She's always felt more like the Fates to me. (From either Norse or Greek mythology.)
Because having an all powerful true god means that the world can't go to shit.
Based on domains, there are two evil gods to every good one. Demons are creating world wounds and invading. Devils have generals whose entire jobs are to conquer worlds. The great old ones could destroy the world by SNEEZING.
The general point is that the world is overrun with terrible things, and it is your job, as heroes, to make it less so. You rarely go to bustling, vibrant cities- you go the the skeletal remains of those cities called 'ruins', and fight the monsters that brought some distaster that killed the place.
An interesting fact though is that the plane of heaven has various features that imply a judeo-christian like god...and it also implies that HE IS JUST NOT THERE ANY MORE. Look at the following:
The Great Beyond: A Guide to the Multiverse (at least that is what I saw it quoted as) wrote: The peak of the mountain is flattened and contains somewhat of a mystery. A golden wall with a single gate provides access to the beautiful Garden. Some say that a huge fruit tree can be found at the center of it, while others claim to have seen an immense, empty throne. The gate to the Garden always remains open, its doors having wasted away eons ago The throne is empty, and the gardner has been gone long enough that UBER MAGIC DOORS have fallen apart in the plane filled with the most duty bound, helpful people to have ever existed.
Maybe this is a Aroden thing? He seemed fairly Christ-like: having a promised coming to bring the world into an age of enlightenment and peace...but then he got his godless rear end killed. So yeah...dead gods and overruning chaos is a VERY big part of the campaign setting. The theme of a world gone wrong is a central theme.
My Self wrote:
I'd like to respectfully disagree, and say that as of the Moses period, all other gods were lesser gods. Aaron was able to turn his staff into a snake because Yahweh granted him the power to do so, yet the Egyptian court magicians were able to do so, too. Yahweh proved he was superior because his snake ate all the other snakes, but he was not alone in being able to summon snakes. ]Similarly, when Aaron summoned loads of frogs on Egypt, the Egyptian magicians were also able to summon frogs (and made their situation exponentially worse, hah). The other snake summoners are never referred to as priests. If they used religion to summon snakes it's not in the text. Quote: Back to an earlier quote: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Not "there are no other gods". This is coupled with the phrase "a jealous god". Not "the only god". After the Kingdom of Israel, however, it was firmly monotheistic. Reading in context, that commandment was handed down immediately after Aaron and others had made the golden calf to worship. Clearly a false god. Note that the original commandments were destroyed because of the calf and the 10 version we know was its replacement. So, it can be assumed that the "other gods" being referred to are false as the calf.
Melkiador wrote: My Self wrote:
I'd like to respectfully disagree, and say that as of the Moses period, all other gods were lesser gods. Aaron was able to turn his staff into a snake because Yahweh granted him the power to do so, yet the Egyptian court magicians were able to do so, too. Yahweh proved he was superior because his snake ate all the other snakes, but he was not alone in being able to summon snakes. ]Similarly, when Aaron summoned loads of frogs on Egypt, the Egyptian magicians were also able to summon frogs (and made their situation exponentially worse, hah). The other snake summoners are never referred to as priests. If they used religion to summon snakes it's not in the text. Quote: Back to an earlier quote: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Not "there are no other gods". This is coupled with the phrase "a jealous god". Not "the only god". After the Kingdom of Israel, however, it was firmly monotheistic. Reading in context, that commandment was handed down immediately after Aaron and others had made the golden calf to worship. Clearly a false god. Note that the original commandments were destroyed because of the calf and the 10 version we know was its replacement. So, it can be assumed that the "other gods" being referred to are false as the calf. Exodus 12:12
"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD."
Exodus 18:11
"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly."
Yahweh calls the Egyptian gods "gods". At the very least, at this point Yahweh is not the only god to exist.
Alternate possibility: That was simply in reference to people treating them as gods. Something can be treated as divine without ACTUALLY being divine. (Pretend, for example, "Group B" worships deities that do not actually exist. You can acknowledge the idea of "the gods of Group B" without claiming they're real.)
I think we're getting a bit too far off-course, though. XD Any other parallels people think are likely/not likely?
My Self wrote: Melkiador wrote: My Self wrote:
I'd like to respectfully disagree, and say that as of the Moses period, all other gods were lesser gods. Aaron was able to turn his staff into a snake because Yahweh granted him the power to do so, yet the Egyptian court magicians were able to do so, too. Yahweh proved he was superior because his snake ate all the other snakes, but he was not alone in being able to summon snakes. ]Similarly, when Aaron summoned loads of frogs on Egypt, the Egyptian magicians were also able to summon frogs (and made their situation exponentially worse, hah). The other snake summoners are never referred to as priests. If they used religion to summon snakes it's not in the text. Quote: Back to an earlier quote: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Not "there are no other gods". This is coupled with the phrase "a jealous god". Not "the only god". After the Kingdom of Israel, however, it was firmly monotheistic. Reading in context, that commandment was handed down immediately after Aaron and others had made the golden calf to worship. Clearly a false god. Note that the original commandments were destroyed because of the calf and the 10 version we know was its replacement. So, it can be assumed that the "other gods" being referred to are false as the calf. Exodus 12:12
"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD."
Exodus 18:11
"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly."
Yahweh calls the Egyptian gods "gods". At the very least, at this point Yahweh is not the only god to exist. I think it was a mix of both.
Deuteronomy 10:17
So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. 17"For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. 18"He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.
Back then some called Yahweh the God of the gods or thought Yahweh was the God that the gods worship.
I also think we should stop talking about real world religion.
There is an implication that those gods are just idols, like the golden calf, but
Quote: Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. So, as early as Joshua we have a pretty firm monotheistic mindset.
john Q wrote: My Self wrote: Melkiador wrote: My Self wrote:
I'd like to respectfully disagree, and say that as of the Moses period, all other gods were lesser gods. Aaron was able to turn his staff into a snake because Yahweh granted him the power to do so, yet the Egyptian court magicians were able to do so, too. Yahweh proved he was superior because his snake ate all the other snakes, but he was not alone in being able to summon snakes. ]Similarly, when Aaron summoned loads of frogs on Egypt, the Egyptian magicians were also able to summon frogs (and made their situation exponentially worse, hah). The other snake summoners are never referred to as priests. If they used religion to summon snakes it's not in the text. Quote: Back to an earlier quote: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Not "there are no other gods". This is coupled with the phrase "a jealous god". Not "the only god". After the Kingdom of Israel, however, it was firmly monotheistic. Reading in context, that commandment was handed down immediately after Aaron and others had made the golden calf to worship. Clearly a false god. Note that the original commandments were destroyed because of the calf and the 10 version we know was its replacement. So, it can be assumed that the "other gods" being referred to are false as the calf. Exodus 12:12
"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD."
Exodus 18:11
"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly."
Yahweh calls the Egyptian gods "gods". At the very least, at this point Yahweh is not the only god to exist. I think it was a mix of both.
Deuteronomy 10:17
So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. 17"For the LORD your God is the God of... God is not a static character or concept in the Bible/Torah/whatever you want to call the book. I'm arguing that in at least some points, the Bible/Torah/whatever you want to call the book is polytheistic. It's very clearly monotheistic later on, but in Genesis and Exodus, they are at least somewhat polytheistic, even if their primary god is Yahweh.
xavier c wrote: I also think we should stop talking about real world religion. Nah. Point of the thread was to compare real some part of real religion to Pathfinder religion. The fact that we've gone way off on a tangent is alright, so long as we keep things civil and noninflammatory.
Melkiador wrote: There is an implication that those gods are just idols, like the golden calf, but
Quote: Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. So, as early as Joshua we have a pretty firm monotheistic mindset.
I'm not trying to prove a point in Joshua, although in Joshua, Yahweh's domain is still very much limited to the Israelites. Both you and I agree that monotheism is present for at least most of the book. I'm trying to make a point that at least in a couple places (Genesis, Exodus), they are polytheistic. Rachel has household gods, Yahweh refers to other gods existing while in Egypt and also when dictating the Commandments.
I would say Ihys is the closest to an all encompassing deity. It's a shame Asmodeus killed him, his own brother.
Aaron Burr wrote: I would say Ihys is the closest to an all encompassing deity. It's a shame Asmodeus killed him, his own brother. That stinks. :(
How odd that humans writing a game will take concepts that affect life and have gods that represent those concepts.
And how odd that humans in reality take concepts that affect their lives and have gods that represent those concepts.
I find nothing overly amazing about this. If you have deities in a game they have to represent SOMETHING and frankly those SOMETHINGS have real world analogues in all cultures, everywhere and have religions and deities related to them.
I could as easily point out that dwards with hammers forging stuff came from norse myth so of COURSE a dwaflike god who forges stuff will seem related to norse myth.
Gilfalas wrote: How odd that humans writing a game will take concepts that affect life and have gods that represent those concepts.
And how odd that humans in reality take concepts that affect their lives and have gods that represent those concepts.
I find nothing overly amazing about this. If you have deities in a game they have to represent SOMETHING and frankly those SOMETHINGS have real world analogues in all cultures, everywhere and have religions and deities related to them.
I could as easily point out that dwards with hammers forging stuff came from norse myth so of COURSE a dwaflike god who forges stuff will seem related to norse myth.
So where in this double-transposition is Urgathoa?
Quote: So where in this double-transposition is Urgathoa? Undeath (and magic for nethys, etc.) are concepts that affect life in Golarion, so there are gods that represent those concepts, like everything else.
At a guess and with no other evidence, Hel.
(Who always seems to get the short end of the stick. v.v Poor girl.)
Crimeo wrote: Quote: So where in this double-transposition is Urgathoa? Undeath (and magic for nethys, etc.) are concepts that affect life in Golarion, so there are gods that represent those concepts, like everything else. But are there any analogs in the real world?
I would guess that there aren't any real world versions of the goddess of the undead or dragons or giants. That type of thing fulfills a game function (best necromancer ever) that isn't necessary in the real world.
Mythologies tend to have Big Kahunas for things like dragons and giants, but they are more titan than god, and like titans are often killed or imprisoned before humans come about (at least until the local apocalypse). They don't seem to inspire a lot of loyalty in their descendants (I don't recall any myths about anyone trying to spring Typhoon from under Mt. Etna).
Death gods tend to be possessive (and kind of lazy). Their minions tend to be fiendish, monsters (cerebrus, garm, etc.), or minor dieties, rather than undead. The big exceptions are the local apocalypse or when they are fighting other gods over who gets to be the king god, but these are big one-time events where all the dead rise, not "I am going to release a couple of zombies to get my quota of dead people up this month." Between war, disease, famine, and monsters, mortals died fast enough that they didn't need to do any extra work.
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