Is there a deity of home and hearth in the Forgotten Realms?
BelgarathMTH
Member Posts: 5,653
My question is the thread title.
In most mythology, there is such a deity, usually female.
Bastet from the Egyptian and Hera from the Greek come immediately to mind. Heck, even St. Nicholas deified into Santa Claus qualifies as a mythological deity of that portfolio.
So, which deity in FR is the deity of home and hearth? I know that Sharess is supposed to be Bastet reborn into the FR. So, is Bastet the appropriate deity? (Remember, the deity of home and hearth is also the deity of making children happy, healthy, glad, and thriving into adulthood, or at least that's a responsibility of the portfolio in my estimation.)
The only reference I can actually think of from FR lore is that Helm is the protector of children, and "Kind to children" (Neera, NWN2).
Heck, could Helm be the FR version of Santa Claus?
(If you know your history of real world lore and mythology, Santa was originally considered a "deity" of punishment as well as reward - he had a helper, "Black Pete", who would kidnap and kill unruly, disrespectful children. "Black Pete" was probably the source of the "coal in bad children's stockings" myth. Originally, that was meant to frighten unruly children as an omen that "Black Pete" was about to "get them"; that is, Black Pete was "the Boogeyman", and the earliest creators in history of our modern day Santa myth (mostly advertisers who wanted to sell CocaCola, and advertisers who wanted to sell retail goods by early 20th century department stores), created the "coal in your stocking" idea in place of the scarier, psychologically traumatizing "Black Pete" idea from European cultural history. )
Anyway, the childish part of me has always worshipped good old Santa (or Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, or Father Christmas, or Dickens' "Ghost of Christmas Present") as a god, which led me to want to play clerics and mages (and druids) in fantasy games.
So, which deity in the FR corresponds? If the deity of home, hearth, and safe warmth for children is missing in FR, then I think that's an oversight on Ed Greenwood's part.
In most mythology, there is such a deity, usually female.
Bastet from the Egyptian and Hera from the Greek come immediately to mind. Heck, even St. Nicholas deified into Santa Claus qualifies as a mythological deity of that portfolio.
So, which deity in FR is the deity of home and hearth? I know that Sharess is supposed to be Bastet reborn into the FR. So, is Bastet the appropriate deity? (Remember, the deity of home and hearth is also the deity of making children happy, healthy, glad, and thriving into adulthood, or at least that's a responsibility of the portfolio in my estimation.)
The only reference I can actually think of from FR lore is that Helm is the protector of children, and "Kind to children" (Neera, NWN2).
Heck, could Helm be the FR version of Santa Claus?
(If you know your history of real world lore and mythology, Santa was originally considered a "deity" of punishment as well as reward - he had a helper, "Black Pete", who would kidnap and kill unruly, disrespectful children. "Black Pete" was probably the source of the "coal in bad children's stockings" myth. Originally, that was meant to frighten unruly children as an omen that "Black Pete" was about to "get them"; that is, Black Pete was "the Boogeyman", and the earliest creators in history of our modern day Santa myth (mostly advertisers who wanted to sell CocaCola, and advertisers who wanted to sell retail goods by early 20th century department stores), created the "coal in your stocking" idea in place of the scarier, psychologically traumatizing "Black Pete" idea from European cultural history. )
Anyway, the childish part of me has always worshipped good old Santa (or Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, or Father Christmas, or Dickens' "Ghost of Christmas Present") as a god, which led me to want to play clerics and mages (and druids) in fantasy games.
So, which deity in the FR corresponds? If the deity of home, hearth, and safe warmth for children is missing in FR, then I think that's an oversight on Ed Greenwood's part.
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Comments
All I could find.
2e Portfolio
Friendship, trust, the home, the hearth, honesty, hospitality, crafts (especially weaving and needlework)
3e Portfolio
Friendship, trust, the hearth, hospitality, crafts
It's interesting to me that my values in real life correspond to halfling and dwarf values, but I am just below being defined as a human "giant" at 6'4" and 300 pounds in real life, such that I have trouble identifying with either of those "races".
I usually try to be some kind of Gandalfian cleric or mage in my games who has a soft spot in my heart for the dwarves and halflings.
What I am really looking for is a deity from the human pantheon that I could roleplay as a cleric or mage or druid of in the FR.
Oh, I was just thinking of the current Order of the Stick storyline about the "Northern Pantheon", so Freyja would qualify. But again, who (in the human pantheon) in the FR would qualify?
It doesn't help me for my "who's my god?" searching that most of the deities of home and hearth in mythology are female, while I can really only truly identify with a male deity. (I'm kind of a Santa Claus worshipper, remember. I know he doesn't exist, but he is the symbol of someone I would accept as @God if he were to ever bamf into existence right in front of my eyes and say the right things.)
I keep getting back to Helm as the only deity who ever gets mentioned in actual games as having the welfare of children in his portfolio.
At least through Helm, I would also have a connection to Tyr, and the trinity he represents, which includes Ilmater and Torm. Heck, that even solidifies a fantasy connection with real life Christianity, of which the Santa myth is also a part.
(Hmm, I guess my paladin-like true self is emerging here.)
The thought of Silvanus is making me sing to myself "O, Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, your branches green delight us!"
So, maybe Silvanus is the FR deity I want to be a devotee of. But, does he even take non-druid clerics or mages into his following?
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Berronar_Truesilver
Apart from that, there really is a conspicous lack of a "hearth" deiry in the Faerunian pantheon, but perhaps that is not so strange given it was developed for/alongside a game of adventuring. Eldath, a druidic nature deity of "natural pools, peace, and quiet places", has Family and Community as Domains, for some reason, but doesn't strike me as an otherwise "hearthy" deity. The closest related in concept, I would say is Chauntea, a nature, agriculture and fruitfulness goddess, but that may be bias on my part.
As for a deity of children in a Santa-esque way, that's a bit hazy as well. Ilmater might fit in a "protector of the weak" kind of way, and Lathander is the deity of Youth, but that is in a more "young, healthy adults" kind of way rather than concerning children. Liira, as the goddess of Festivals, Happiness and Joy, might fit the more jovial aspects of Ol' Nicky and the giftbringing stuff, but not the less savoury parts of his history. She also counts money and trade among her aspects, so she's got the X-mas capitalism covered too, heh. Liira also have Family among her domains, for what it's worth.
Lastly, about Bast/Sharess - she is pretty much just a hedonism goddess in FR lore, so family and hearth really isn't her thing. I looked through the rest of the Mulhorand pantheon and there's several there that might be relevant to the discussion. Isis is the most "hearthy" of their gods, counting agriculture, love, and narriage in her sphere of influence, and Family as one of her domains. For the "god of children" role, Nephthys is "the Avenging Mother" and "the Protector of Children and the Dead". Hathor is called "The Nurturing Mother" and "She Who is There For Those in Need", has Motherhood in her divine portfolio, and counts both Family and Community among her domains.
Like all Orcish deities, the Cave Mother also regrettable changed her alignment with every single (A)D&D edition. From Lawful Evil (AD&D second edition), to Neutral Evil (D&D 3rd/3.5th edition), to frigging Chaotic Evil (D&D 4th edition). So depending on your take, a Lawful Neutral Half-Orc for instance might be compelled to worship the Blood Moon Witch.
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OK, I have investigated more and there is a family domain: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Family_domain_deities
For humans Hathor is the closest thing but, of course, it is not really a FR deity. Halflings have Yondalla and Dwarves have Berronar. Both are very close to what you want (family, children, protection, etc.)
However, as far as crpg's and Forgotten Realms, I have to say that I associate good old Santa Claus a lot more with winter solstice, the nadir of the sun and summer, snow and ice, home and hearth with warm fire to survive the snow and ice, yule logs, festivals of lights to brighten the dark winter solstice, reindeer and other freezing northern fauna, and evergreen Christmas trees.
That last tree connection, combined with my interest in druids, leads me to currently believe that my most personally harmonius FR god is Silvanus. I connect from there with sympathy to Chauntea, Mielikki, Lurue, Eldath, and even Selune.
Sun gods like Lathander, Amaunator, and real-world equivalents like Ra and Apollo just don't do it for me. I rather don't like the sun. I prefer the night, the moon, the stars, the winter, the evergreens, the snow, the cold, the nocturnal animals like cats, and all that.
So, for the time being, I'm going with Silvanus, Chauntea, and Selune as my greater deities of the essence of Christmas and Santa/Father Christmas/ Ghost of Christmas Present/ Father Time/ Old Man Winter.