I need ideas for monotheistic religions (or atleast religions which only worship one god and hold them above all others they recognise as existing) in fantasy settings, which aren't just Christianity by another name.
Or, more specifically, I'm trying to think of what domain a god of a monotheistic religion would embody, so they're not just an omnipotent Abrahamic God. I'm trying to think of domains which would be a real driving force behind civilisation: something which has lifted a civilisation out of the dark ages and mdae it prosperous in comparison to heathens.
Stuff I've considered
>Agriculture and the harvest (and possibly the weather)
>Smithing
>(Victory in) warfare
The sun is also an obvious one. 'Sunlight' isn't really something which would give any civilisation a great advantage but it's obviously a big, seemingly divine body.
You could easily combine sun with agriculture and harvest. Even smithing and warfare, base it all around a theme of fire and warmth.
On that note, you could go the Prometheus direction, where they are but one god among many, but the only god on the side of the people. Or you could go with old school Yahweh who was just better than everyone else and only gave a shit about his chosen people. Or you could take all that and combine it.
Also give some consideration to what those people value. If they are crafters/artists, their god is a creator and artist himself, if they are a warrior culture their god is a champion among gods, proving himself superior through show of force.
>>44468844
The sun was often used as a symbol of the christian in some cases for that very reason.
I'd say it depends on the culture itself. To a more simple people, a god of fire would be enough. It's clearly vital for survival by giving warmth and preparing food, but its mechanics and nature might be a little more unknown to them.
To the more advanced people who casually make and tend to fire or casually handle it with torches or lantern their god may be ruler of the sky because the sky is a great looming thing they might not understand as well.
Perhaps if the culture is Oceanside and relies heavily on seafood for nutrition but hasn't yet tamed the ocean through seafaring they may worship a god who lives deep at the bottom of the sea.
>>44468844
>religions which only worship one god and hold them above all others they recognise as existing
Easier way to say that is "Henotheism"
God of humans/mankind.
>>44468844
If you want to have a god that doesn't come across as Christian God with the numbers file off, The easiest way to do would be to have the God openly acknowledged to be cold love craft alien being and people aren't so much worshipping it as simply praying for its favour. Not necessarily evil but clearly doesn't have any special care or patient for mankind.
>>44468844
Par for this course is Zoroastrianism.
>>44469079
It's true that the sun is a very easy divine symbol to weave in with other stuff: it brings the harvest and agriculture, and it's firey so it goes well with smithing. I might fall back on a solar deity, though for this setting I think I'd like to go for something different (or at least, a deity who embodies something else primarily and the sun only as a secondary thing), as I've been brainstorming another world where the main god is a sun god.
>>44469147
>god may be ruler of the sky because the sky is a great looming thing they might not understand as well.
I quite like this idea. A god of *everything* in the sky - sun, moon, stars and weather - would be a very intimidating deity. However, the main thing I'm trying to think of is something that would give a civilisation an advantage: in this setting some of the main antagonistic forces are demons, fey, Lovecraftian rip offs or actual deities, who have been defeated by the 'civilised' god (either literally in divine combat, or their followers have been defeated or won over by those of the new god). They're gods who could represent very powerful concepts and give their followers tremendous boons but no assurance of quality of life or civilisation: for example, a pagan god of the hunt whose followers enjoy a wild, thrilling life and might even be given powers like skinwalking, but they have shit all civilisation to show for it and are little better than stone age nomads.
I do like the idea of a god of the ocean/water/maybe even boat making. Back in the day rivers would obviously have been very important for getting around and a mastery over seafaring would let you spread like crazy. Plus, water is obviously a source of life: everyone's got to drink, after all.
>>44469220
Cheers anon.
>>44469364
My problem with this idea though is, well, what does it offer? What makes the humans who just worship a god of themselves any better than those guys over there who worship the god of trees?
![1432584720293[1].png](https://i.imgur.com/0IsQkJv.png "1432584720293[1].png")
>>44468844
Not sure if this is what you want but you could call the people of my setting mono-latrist. The pantheon is widely established, but each region, race etc. worships their favored god while rejecting worship of the others. Monolatrism is probably more viable for non-omnipotent deities than monotheism, because it acknowledges deities with other portofolios.
>>44469381
>"It's me, Margaret"
>Judy Blume
Why would you lie to God of all people?
>>44469381
I'm more of a fan of actual, loving gods. I think that's also something that should set my civilisation god apart: he or she actually loves their followers and worship is more than just a contract. The pagan god of sorcery might grant you tremendous cosmic power but he doesn't love you and will be very quick to take your soul if you fail to provide your daily offering. If the religion is sketchy, I prefer that to be due to some of the followers, like an overzealous inquisitionthough really I still prefer having the clergy being made up of strict but well meaning, possibly even jovial, old monks, vicars, nuns and paladins.
I am quite fond of gods who are believed to be loving but then turn out to be quite alien in the long run though. One of my favourite examples of this is God actually turning out to be a misinterpretation of the Old One in Demon's Souls.
A god of artisans, maybe? The 'civilisation advantage' thing would be his followers having been greater knowledge of smithing and building than the heathens. The way this would be embodied in the religion would be incredibly ornate, carefully built churches and cathedrals, divinely appointed smiths who make blessed weapons, members of the clergy wearing very elaborate armour and accessories, etc. Could also be an excuse for some lovely religious artwork.
>>44469838
Yeah, that's also a pretty good term for what I want. Other gods are rejected in favour of the civilised god.
>>44468844
Pretty sure Helios is who you are looking for. Or this >>44469398
Have you tried google though? There were lot's of mono-worshiping cults/religious sects/religions with complex mythology that had one god that they worshiped while still having other gods.
>>44468844
God did not create the world, or the heavens. He created man, and man loved him for that. But man was not happy forever, and god decided to make the woman. And man and woman were made for eachother. And in their love for god and eachother they made the world. And god was grateful for the world, and man and woman were grateful for eachother.
God was not happy forever either. The world was not enough for him. So god asked the man and the woman to make him something he can love and be loved by. But the humans could not make any such thing. And god was displeased. He threatened to separate the man and the woman, but the only thing they could give was their love to god. But man and woman wanted to love eachother, and not god. So the man and the woman made more men and more women, and part of their men and women would love god, and only god. In return the other humans could love eachother and be happy.
God was pleased by this and let the humans love eachother for as long as part of them dedicated their love to god, and only god. So god would love all humans is exchange for the love of some humans. And all were loved and all were happy.
Quite fond of this one actually.
>>44470049
This is really sweet. Reminds of when I wanted to play a paladin of love.
Honestly, a god of love and compassion could work for what I want actually. Pagan civilisations don't have enough empathy to go anywhere spectacular. The followers of the god of love care about each other enough and have enough cohesion to actually make something of themselves.
The major deities in another setting I worked on were a married God and Goddess, so I could reuse that for this.
>>44469884
>loving of loving gods
Your game. Just know it's gonna be pretty hard to avoid the 'it's Christianity but not' comparisons.
I second you should make it more for naturely harvestly god.
>>44468844
>something which has lifted a civilisation out of the dark ages and made it prosperous in comparison to heathens.
God of Knowledge?
If gods provide magical powers to their followers perhaps some kind of divination provided the necessary upgrades.
>>44468844
>what domain a god of a monotheistic religion would embody, so they're not just an omnipotent Abrahamic God.
If this god is the only god, then they are by default God.
They don't have a domain, everything is of them.
>Monotheistic religion
>Still wants to apply D&D-esque domains
Holy shit that's terrible.
>>44470914
>>44470950
>Not reading the thread, or even the entirety of the first sentence
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
How about a God of Civilization, the Architect.
An artisan, a scientist, a philosopher, a general - the Architect didn't make the world or make mankind, but he did come down and give us writing, he showed us how to make fire, how to chisel stone and carve wood, how to wage war and conquer, to shape the world in our own and - by extension - his own image.
River gods make intrinsic sense, but are way different than what most people are used to. So yeah just have a river-god for the local big river, and all other gods just don't matter to the locals. And well, yeah if we live on the river and they don't then it's clear why we have a big powerful civilization and they don't.
>>44468844
A warrior race that worships the god of death. And by making sacrifices to him he allows them to live unnaturally long lives.
Think warmonger elves
>>44469749
>My problem with this idea though is, well, what does it offer? What makes the humans who just worship a god of themselves any better than those guys over there who worship the god of trees?
Because the god of humans is a motherfucking shitkicker who grants an otherwise unimpressive race the power to dominate the world.
>>44474594
>unimpressive race
I dunno about that. We're only unimpressive in contrast to the magic that WE create because we're so familiar with ourselves. Elves and dwarves and gnomes are exotic and different and alien.
The elves don't build cities or innovate new technologies because species-wide immortality just breeds decadence and stagnation. Without the threat of death or inability to pass genes, they went as far as they needed to. The only innovations elves come up with is anything to make an already easy life easier or something to divert attention away from endlessly marching time. When the universe suffers heat death, there'll still be elves doing nothing because they have no reason to. Just pointy eared faggots in a cold, silent void forever.
The dwarves carve communities into the planet, they smith, they innovate a hell of a lot more than elves, but they're strict isolationists, or so it always seems. Grumpy shit fucks who hate the gay ass surface world and would happily mire themselves day in, day out underground in traditional dwarven style, hardy little tough turds they are. But they can be killed, and they die, so at least they keep going. But they're like rocks and have such little need for progress.
In all truth, we'd probably relate to the gnomes the most. Inventive out of necessity, small, frail, but smart, cunning. But above all humans are adaptable. We don't live terribly long, and we're not especially hardy to the elements, but we adapt. If we can't change ourselves, we change the environment. We either make fur coats or build houses where an elf will sit by a tree and let the snow cover him or the dwarf will just grumple and shuffle into a cavemouth. Our lack of natural hardiness means we need to innovate and by doing so, we discover so much than the elf or dwarf who has no need to.
Humans are the survivor race. After the universe is dead and there's just elves sitting in the dark, the last thing they'll remember is humans.
>>44475246
Humans in fantasy tend to have little more than fate on their side, as any other race tends to do something they do better.
>>44468844
Welp, I'm gonna make a god up from scratch
>Reonos, God of Supremacy
>Levels: 20 Cleric, 20 Crusader, 40 Exterior
>Greater god
>alignment: Lawful Neutral
>Domains: Civilization, Agriculture, Craft, Politics, Freedom
>Subdomains: Cities, Harvest, Economy, Empires, Culture
>Symbol: A torch of white flames surrounded by 7 seven-pointed stars
>holy weapon: Halberd
>Creed: Reonos declares himself to be the One True God and holds his faithful a to remember this when confronted by faithful of other religions. Reonos sees non faithful as simply Unenlightened by his magnificence and makes it his clergy's duty to convert and bring all civilizations under his watchful gaze and glory. Reonos believes that, as much as war is a good way to bring in more faithful to him, it is much preferable to attempt subjugating other races and civilizations through superior culture, crafts, commerce, economy, way of live and governing system.
The god is roughly Caesar
>>44476982
Which is shit, as they ought to be like real word humans - adaptable and inventive to suit that adaptability. Dwarves always seem to be the inventors, which I don't understand. They live in caves and underground almost exclusively while humans live just about everywhere. More reason to innovate and invent so much more than the dwarves who are masters of their habitat, but would barely survive aught else due to that dwarven isolationism they also all seem to exhibit.
The God of war killed all other gods centuries ago, and now holds domain over all. Even though he has softened greatly, the strong are still curry the most favor though wickedness is no longer ignored.
Rituals involve sports showing athletic and martial skill, and even the frailest of girly-men can hold a sword and know how to use it.
I have a religion you could use if it's something minor. I've been working on an alternate-Earth setting where the only difference is an extra country&culture on a small landmass attached to Greenland. A full summary of the society/culture is far too big for an imageboard so I'll just tl;dr the core aspects of the religion.
>I. The self must be held to the highest standards. One must put a great deal of effort into their health and appearance regardless of the occasion. The worth of a person can be judged by their beauty and fashion.
>II. One who has harmed another member of this religion has harmed the religion as a whole. Wronging your family or neighbors is a monstrous crime.
>III. The home is sacred, a refuge for its owners. A man with the audacity to trespass in another's home is soulless and belongs to the homeowner, and the proper punishment for burglary is death.
>IV. Never harm anyone who has not harmed you first, unless it is inevitable that they will harm you, in which case you must destroy them before they have a chance to attack. A limited strike will only allow them to retaliate, a threat must be fully and completely eliminated.
>V. Yelling, weeping, and other strong emotional displays are forbidden. No matter the situation, one must always act normally and calmly.
>VI. Death and destruction [esp nuclear] should not cause panic, rule V plays into this. Your death is part of God's plan and if you could not pray your away out of it, then your death was meant to happen. Only murders should be mourned. The elderly are expected by society to pass away when they become a burden.
>VII. The sexual act is sacred, and binds two people. You can divorce, but you can never remarry. Adultery is punished at the betrayed lover's choice. It is normal for the richest and most powerful men to have multiple wives, but some sects forbid and condemn polygamy. Female-female sexual relations are quite common and not considered to be homosexual.
1/?
>>44478595
Misc things
>Vinegar and chaga are holy, they are believed to enhance the mind and body of the user. Most food from this region has vinegar in it.
>Foxes are thieves who were cursed
>Alcohol can only be consumed on Saturdays and in October
>the women are expected to dye their hair white when they come of age
>citizens dress based on their social status. Common workers dress in solid colors, most often black but also brown or gray. Government workers and respected people wear uniforms with some gold/orange/red trim or details. The upper class dress in very colorful, detailed coats with elaborate markings and fine fabrics. Everyone wears coats, peacoats, and pants. The arms and legs are only really shown when someone's job physically requires it.
>No churches or priests. Instead they pray and set up altars in their homes.
>Exception to the above rule: The eldest son of the prophet (continues down the line) is a holy figure who can amend religious laws and serves as a guide to the actual government
>>44477803
>convert
You lost me there, chap
I kind of have something like this. The Volcano worshippers worship the warrior God that is the planet. All the planets are Gods, and the planet is the creator of humans. His cult believes in martial strength and power, and no distant light in the sky will ever be closer to the people then he is.
He's not popular to everyone though. Not a huge fan of nonhumans, wizards, and females in general. He really prefers young maidens to be sacrificed to him in a Volcano, so he can add them to his spiritual harem. Beyond that women aren't really welcone. So the other gods are often worshipped by those who don't fit the stereotype or are simply not interested.
>>44468844
Fucking Sun god, man. It's literally the source of all energy on the planet (geothermal energy is a myth, look it up), the planet staying in orbit, fucking crops growing, fucking even the rain comes from the sun man. Sun god. Get over it.
All hail Tiamat!
>>44478063
Well, good thing your autism is not in charge of fantasy, then.
>>44478063
>adaptable and inventive to suit that adaptability
Everybody is sapient in the typical fantasy setting. It wouldn't make sense to deny other thinking races the basic indicators of sapience.
>>44468844
Monotheism doesn't lend itself to domains.
You need to read some good books on religion. Other monotheist religions include: judaism, islam, druse, ba'hai. Also read up on Amenhotep IV. Pharoah of Egypt who abolished traditional egyptian religion in favor of his own invented monotheist religion. The religion ended after the pharaoh died, but it's a good template. essentially sun-worship... but totally new in human history, even older than judaism.
>>44478595
>I. The self must be held to the highest standards
Welp. Guess I can never go there.Then again, growing up learning to hate myself didn't help that.
>>44469749
>My problem with this idea though is, well, what does it offer? What makes the humans who just worship a god of themselves any better than those guys over there who worship the god of trees?
The same thing that makes people living in the US follow the US president and not the president of Mexico.
I'm assuming that the god of humans, or the priests of the gods of humans does something for humans.
Cattle.
Cattle sustained this civilization in the pre-agrarian times when they were hill-folk. It was the basis of their switch to agriculture. The basis of their economic system and impetus for mass adoption of currency. When harvest is bad or times are otherwise ill, their god will make the bulls into massive beasts that their army has used historically to conquer adjacent nations for territory/food/taxes.
As a side-effect of this, they view horned extradimensional beings, whether they are demons or angels according to other faiths, as holy and ones without horns as non-holy (if not necessarily intrinsically unholy).
