Memories of the 28th Century

The concept of god(s) tells us a great deal about people, and it tells us more when we look at the particularly options available and who opts for which sort of god(s). As was recorded by the ancestors of the Ancient Greeks, the Gods overthrew the rule of their parents, the Titans. From the fragmentary evidence that is still available it appears that the Titans and the Gods were all in possession of powers that were much greater than are humans, but in other ways the Gods were quite like humans in personality, intelligence, and physically; although they are quite capable of changing their shapes into things other than their natural shapes. The ability to change shape may not be possessed by all of the Gods.

There are reasons to think that the later generations of the Gods have less power than the original ones, but there is no direct evidence, so we cannot be certain. It may be that there was too much crossbreeding with humans that watered down the godly powers. The Gods of Olympus were of the first three generations, and they all had considerable powers, but the gods of the Sumerians were of the fourth of fifth generation, and they did not seem to have as much power, and the Gods of the Canaanites were of an even later generation, and they seemed to need humans more than humans needed them. The Norse Gods were even later, if they were actually Gods at all, and they had few powers among them. (Snorri Sturluson in the Introduction to the Elder Edda expressed the opinion that they were actually ancient chiefs who were called gods; although they were not.) I can’t demonstrate with certainty that he was wrong, but some of the stories seem to be retellings of much more ancient stories that might have been of real Gods.

As for actual attributes, the only infinite God is Sky Father, and technically he is everything. He has the capability to know anything, but he seldom bothers, because it is more fun to watch how things work out. Sky Father has some interest in all of His creations, but he isn’t wild about them, because they keep changing. Sky Father (Zeus) isn’t in this part of the cosmos often, so we don’t have to worry about Him.

The other Gods and Goddesses that are mentioned in the ancient stories have various natures from pleasant and friendly to humans to having antipathy toward humans. And some are downright strange. Heimdal, a Norse Gods, was known as “friend to humans”, as one example.
Vulcan was an inventor who seems to have trained human smiths, and Bacchus, the God of the vine, trained grape growers and makers of wine. While the Canaanite Gods were somewhat friendly, there was one who ate babies, and another who claimed to be the only God, throwing aside even his own father, El, and mother.

Then there were the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. They played games with humans, wearing masks to hide their real visages. The masks probably were worn, so they could wander among humans without being recognized. Similar disguises were used by Gods of some other areas, including parts of North America.

Most of the Gods and Goddesses have little to do with their time. They are capable of creating sustenance from nothing, and they are immune to cold, disease, and so on. Many of them simply wander the Earth enjoying the sights, flavors, etc., but there are still some with important work to do. Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Aphrodite, and others from among the first generations have the more important jobs. But none of the Gods is involved in the enforcement of outside ethical principles on humans, and I assume that is true for the creatures of other worlds. The Gods are interested in what will happen with all of the infinite possibilities that humans have in front of them.

For the most part the Gods don’t care what humans think of them, or whether they think of them at all, but there are a few Gods that are jealous; these Gods demand complete attention and exclusivity. It’s hard to be sure, but this problem seems to be a result of low self-esteem, the same as among humans. Personally, I prefer to avoid both humans and Gods that have that kind of attitude. Bacchus and Aphrodite don’t have that attitude.

There is an old saying: The Gods help those who help themselves. But I don’t know how literally that should be taken. Generally the Gods tend their own gardens, and expect humans to do similarly. But there are a few that get tangled in the lives of humans, and by her nature Tyche, the Goddess of luck, is involved in pretty much everything. By and large taking Gods like food and taking what you want and leaving the rest is the best policy. If the Gods don’t like it, then they will let you know, but it is much more likely that they will never notice.