#reminds me of the conversations we used to have both on witchblr and in pagan communities

[nightmarist]

I like the historian on the Hakkon DLC

KENRIC: "When spirits are willing to talk, most historians love the chance of a firsthand report." INQUI: "You're not concerned about the literal existence of an Avvar god?" KENRIC: "Not particularly. If the Jaws of Hakkon once bound their god to a dragon, it's likely just a powerful spirit. (cont.) That isn't to downplay the important cultural significance to the Avvar. But magic does not equate godhood. (cont.) Every Blight comes from the "Old Gods," which are also dagons corrupted by outside influence. (cont.) Sometimes, I wonder if we really know what we mean by gods."

I like this conversation. On one hand it does still have a bit of underlying implication that "The Maker is the Real God & these other gods are not real gods, just spirits, mortals" etc ignorance, but it does bring forward the cultural significance of what "god" even means regarding varied definitions per culture.

The Dwarves don't have "gods" per se, they have the Stone, the stone-sense, and the Paragons as a version of Ancestor veneration or Hero Worship (some, to my knowledge, can be Paragons while alive, but I'd have to replay dwarf origins to remember).

The Elves with their destroyed history elevated their circle of immortal beings to godhood mythologically, and while their understanding of their own pantheon has changed over the eras through colonization, they're still a legitimate "type" of god as their pantheon are ascended beings that even predate humans to the point one of the evolved (though incorrect as we find out) mythologies is that the creation/evolution of humans is what made elves lose their magic and isolate themselves.

The Avvar worship spirits and know they're "spirits" (besides the other primordial gods of the pantheon) but do not let that deter them from venerating these animistic beings and gain their blessing the way "real" gods would, which, if a "spirit" does everything a "real" god does, then that.. makes them a "real" god. Because the definition of a "god" is so vast and nebulous an soupy per cultural ideology.

Humans worshiping "The Maker" enjoy the idea of the untouchable, non-literal entity much the same way the Avvar look at their personification of the Sky and Mountain and Winter.

I like this conversation also because, well, the Maker is supposed to live in the Fade. "The Maker" itself could be "just a powerful spirit" , also not to downplay the significance but it's not a bad thing to be tangible or intangible. It's a real world conversation, also, gods that are tangible (animism, personification, etc) vs intangible are no better nor lesser than each other culturally (despite, you know, ignorance, elitism, colonization, etc).

Not only that but, if the Maker and the Tevinter Imperium and the Elves and Spirits all existed so long ago, Elves even before humans, and the idea that Solas/Dreadwolf is the individual who created the Veil and split the material and ethereal worlds apart to trap the "gods" that could very well include "The Maker"

I know I've been ornery about the way Dragon Age seemingly treats non-chantry (non-christian) religions, but I can 100% forgive characterized ignorance if it does turn out "oh, the Maker is also one of the spirits-turned-god and the idea of what is a god varies culture to culture whether its a powerful, elevated mortal, a powerful (conditional?) immortal, an ethereal entity like a spirit, a spirit taking mortal form, and many others, as they are al part of this ecosystem and thus can each be venerated accurately and appropriately with no real right or wrong answer" or some other interesting twist. DA gods dont have to be "just" spirits or "just" mortals turned immortal etc, they can all be "gods" without downplaying their influence and power and apotheosis.

Sidenote, I wonder if the Avvar would think of someone/thing like Cole to be blessed or apothesized.

I get so excited when it comes to mythology, real world and fictional. They're so much fun, and the conversation, again real world or fictional, can also be fun.