Question For Polytheists Here

[RevJohnG]

What "gods/Gods" do you believe in? Or do I have it wrong?

I really would love to hear from you guys. I am a theist, but I believe in one Supreme Being/Creator/Author of Life/God, etc.

[LeopardBoy]

I worship the pantheon of ancient Greece. I don't believe in one singular "Creator", but view creation as a continual epic series of events that many deities had/have a hand in. In fact, Hesiod's creation story in the Theogony has the universe unfolding as generations of deities are "born". Just about all of the Protogenoi (the first generation of Gods), most of the Titans, many of the Olympians, and countless daimones (spirits) represent natural and human social phenomena themselves; so "creation" would occur with the appearance of that deity or spirit in the myth.

[Gwydion]

I do not worship any deities, but I honor the ancient Celtic gods, especially those of Wales. I believe there is a Divine Source but I do not believe it is a personal deity to be honored. My family, as with many old Welsh families, can trace their descent from the Welsh god Beli and the goddess Don. Beli was a father figure, a sort of divine king, who has attributes of both a thunder god (like Jupiter) and a sun god (like Apollo). Don was a mother figure, and a water goddess, especially a goddess of rivers. I take my Witch name from Gwydion (son of the goddess Don) who was a wizard god and most likely a god of trees and forests. My personal god is Lleu, a god of many skills (equated with Mercury) who is usually personified as a handsome youth. His mother is the goddess Arianrod (daughter of Beli, and sister of Gwydion) who is thought to be a star or sky goddess. Beli's son Lludd was a legendary king and may be a god of battle (like Mars), who lost his arm and had it replaced with one made of silver. Lludd also has a son Affalach who was King of the Isle of Avalon. Another of Lludd's sons was Gwynn, who is considered the King of the Faeries in Welsh folklore. Other gods in the family of Beli and Don are Govannan, the smith god and Amaethon, most likely a god of farming. There are other deities besides the Children of Beli and Don. Llyr is an ancient sea god (like Neptune). Llyr's son Manawyddan later took over his role and became the god of the sea. Another of Llyr's son's, Bran, was a giant who made war on Ireland after the Irish king mistreated Bran's sister. Bran's sister, Bronwen, was one of the most beautiful of all women. Rhiannon (not related to Llyr, but later married Manawyddan) was a great queen and a horse goddess. Rhiannon had a semi-divine son with the mortal prince of Dyfed, this son was named Pryderi. The god Arawn was a the king of the Underworld. Stories of these gods can be found in the Welsh book The Mabinogion. There are other gods I have not mentioned or whose stories are lost. Also, I have described these deities in simple terms to be concise, there is much more to them than the single lines I have used to describe them.Since many Welsh families consider themselves descended from these gods, we do not worship them but honor them as ancestors .

Edited March 7, 2013 by Gwydion

[Ex Nihilo]

I'm not a polytheist, but if I was, it'd be the norse gods all the way.. but more to the point, I've heard more than a few polies that they see the gods as manifestations/personifications/aspects of a single unified divine source. Is that accurate?

[Raincloud]

I'm a soft polytheist. Wiccan style.

So just as the Christians see God emanating as 3, we see God emanating as multiple Gods.

For a soft polytheist, all gods are one god, all goddesses are on goddess.

I mainly honour the horned God Cernunos and Irish Goddess The Morrighan.

Mainly because both have approached me.

I was honouring Egyptian Gods, but I've left that scene.

[RevJohnG]

Does Odin really exist? (for those who honor the Norse traditions)

Is it more like the concept of Odin exists?

[Cornelius]

Does Odin really exist? (for those who honor the Norse traditions)

Is it more like the concept of Odin exists?

Both

[Gwydion]

I'm not a polytheist, but if I was, it'd be the norse gods all the way.. but more to the point, I've heard more than a few polies that they see the gods as manifestations/personifications/aspects of a single unified divine source. Is that accurate?

In contrast with Raincloud who is a Wiccan Witch ( ), I have become a hard polytheist meaning that I believe that the gods are separate and discrete individuals with different personalities(as with humans) rather than aspects or manifestations of one Divine Source. I do believe that there is an impersonal Divine Energy that connects us all (life force, mana, prana, qi), but to me it is not a Deity or Supreme Being anymore than electricity is. So I guess among us there is a continuum between soft and hard polytheists. I do not feel the need to convert others to my way of thinking (and I don't beileve that Raincloud would either). To me it seems just a matter of personal belief and how one most comfortably interacts with the gods.

[Zequatanil]

What "gods/Gods" do you believe in? Or do I have it wrong?

I really would love to hear from you guys. I am a theist, but I believe in one Supreme Being/Creator/Author of Life/God, etc.

How many GODs are there????

--I am under the impression only one! How many names is God known by?-- Brahman ?--Yahweh?--Source ?--Aren`t they simply manifestation of the same? That one "Supreme Being"-- the "Alpha and Omega"? How can one descibe"ALL"? Man cannot even imagine.

blessings and love,

Suzanne

[Raincloud]

Does Odin really exist? (for those who honor the Norse traditions)

Is it more like the concept of Odin exists?

A Buddhist would ask: Does RevJohnG exist, or does what we believe is RevJohnG keep changing and is not constant?

A Platonist would ask: What is more real the RevJohnG that exists on earth, or the perfect archetype (Form) of RevJohnG in the otherworld?

I think the answer is somewhere in the middle (in my humble opinion).

in terms of deities, we are really talking about our invisible friends, so there will always be a loose definition of existence there. IMHO

[RevJohnG]

How many GODs are there????

--I am under the impression only one! How many names is God known by?-- Brahman ?--Yahweh?--Source ?--Aren`t they simply manifestation of the same? That one "Supreme Being"-- the "Alpha and Omega"? How can one descibe"ALL"? Man cannot even imagine.

blessings and love,

Suzanne

I did not ask "How many GODs are there????"

Please reread my post.

I believe in one God....I'm a theist ya know.

Edited March 8, 2013 by RevJohnG

[emalpaiz]

I follow a spiritual path founded on the Sanatana Veda Dharma (a.k.a. Hinduism). When you study Hinduism superficially you will never find the exact number of deities that are worshipped. But the reality is that the oldest of our sacred books, the Rig Veda, written centuries before Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ says the following: "To what is One, sages have given different names: they call it Agni, Yama, Matarishvan" (Rig Veda I:164.46). No matter which God we are worshipping, we are worshipping the One Supreme.

Let each person walk his/her spiritual path according to his/her understanding. OM Peace Amen!

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

[Zequatanil]

What "gods/Gods" do you believe in? Or do I have it wrong?

I really would love to hear from you guys. I am a theist, but I believe in one Supreme Being/Creator/Author of Life/God, etc.

Of course I well understood the question!--Maybe if the question would be what is the name that you call GOD--not believe in----, would be more realistic question.

peace,

Suzanne

Edited March 8, 2013 by Zequatanil

[RevJohnG]

Of course I well understood the question!--Maybe if the question would be what is the name that you call GOD--not believe in----, would be more realistic question.

peace,

Suzanne

I like the question the way it is, everyone seems to "git it".

[SalemWitchChild]

What "gods/Gods" do you believe in? Or do I have it wrong?

I really would love to hear from you guys. I am a theist, but I believe in one Supreme Being/Creator/Author of Life/God, etc.

The ones I work with most are Isis and Cernunnos. But I believe in them all. Not as sentient beings but as the creative energy of our world.

[LeopardBoy]

Of course I well understood the question!--Maybe if the question would be what is the name that you call GOD--not believe in----, would be more realistic question.

peace,

Suzanne

I'd find the question "what is the name that you call GOD?" confusing. I worship many Gods, with names of their own as well as multiple epithets relating to different aspects of their being. I don't follow the philosophy that there is one singular "God" or "Source" that I worship by different names.

As the original question specifically refers to polytheists without specifying type, I find "what gods/Gods do you believe in?" to be an easier question for hard polytheists to answer. It's difficult enough as a polytheist to communicate in an interfaith setting when the default language often leans toward monotheistic thinking. A question like "what is the name that you call GOD?" already begins with the assumption that there is one singular universal deity referred to as "GOD" and polytheists simply know this deity by other names. For many polytheists, this question cannot be answered without acknowledging this assumption as true.

[revtimothybland]

I guess I'm a sort of medium polytheist, rather than hard or soft.

On one hand, I think there is only one true GOD, that impersonal energy I mentioned I call The Source.

On the other hand, I think there are many GODS/GODDESSES that are manifestations of apsects of this Source, and equally as real.

On that note, I revere (I think worship is a strong word here, it's more of a respectful friendship) the Irish Celtic Gods and Goddesses. The ones I've given most credence to have been The Dahgda, who is sort of like Odin in Norse myth, even has the same title of All-Father; Lugh, the Shining One, God of the Sun, War, Magic, and Many, Many Skills, like a cross between Appollo and Thor (My avi is an artist rendering of his spear, Gae Assail, which, like Odin's Spear, Gungnir, never misses); And The Morrighan, Goddess of Magic, War, and even Death. She often appears as a Raven or Crow, and sometimes even as a trio of Goddesses, similar to the Fates. She has a job that makes her sort of the Irish equivalent of the Norse Valkeries.

[cuchulain]

I believe that gods/goddesses are nothing like us, more likely manifestations of energy, energy that takes on some humanlike emotional qualities, so to speak, and are localized occurances.

[musicman153]

It depends on what you call "God(s)". If it is one supreme creator of all things then we are not separate but part of. The creator and creation. Even the Christian bible says in the first pages that there was void but for God, and God created all things. If there was only god and god created all then what did he create from. The obvious answer is he created from itself.

If you are talking beings that exist in another realm then I suppose there would be many.

Remember the God of the bible who said "I am jealous, wrathful and vengeful"? Sounds a bit narcissistic and ego driven (Also a couple of the seven deadly sins) which I would not want to be a subject of. Also not a very supreme being.

In the Buddhist wheel of life there is the God realms. These beings have reached a level of enlightenment but it is also not a permanent thing. They eventually will also be reborn to complete the journey. Enlightenment would be outside of the wheel of life and a part of all things.

[RevJohnG]

I thank you all for your replies. I'm learning a lot. Who knew there are categorical types of polytheists.