To kill a God

[Scorched_Cascade]

Two questions, depending on your mood and the seriousness of your disposition, answer whichever you'd like.

1)What is your stance on the whole god-killing thing?
2)How would you, as a mortal, go about doing it?

Spoiler: background

I've seen quite a few posts around arguing that having a mortal kill a God is impossible and therefore bad, or at least clumsy, storytelling; said posters state that a god is immortal and therefore having them killed off breaks the premise.

Personally I think that if done well it can be quite a powerful story telling device, particularly if the God is not actually killed just rendered ineffective.

As for how? I'd go with bifurcating it and burying each part at a separate cross roads face down with a sprig of Hawthorne and a wild rose in it's mouth...or am I muddling my lore.

 

[knight steel]

Find out gods true name for with a name you can control that person/object completely ^_^.

 

[nuba km]

as long as it makes sense in the context of the story, the world and with the continuity I am fine with it.

 

[TheRocketeer]

You have to be 21st Level to even damage a god.

I've still got a ways to go before Epic levels.

 

[thePyro_13]

Depends on your definition of god.

I say cut off their head. Nothing survives without a head, not even a god.

 

[Womplord]

I don't think a god is necessarily omnipotent, they just have to have some special power. So yes I say it's possible given the right definition to kill a god.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

You have to be 21st Level to even damage a god.

I've still got a ways to go before Epic levels.

If I get a Wish, can I wish to be level 21?

Wait, no, damn, that only takes you up one level per Wish.

Ok, I got it... a Ring of Wishes with 21 charges. 20 to get to level 21, then the 21st to kill the god. ^_^

 

[sharpshot]

It truly depends on the context.
How do you kill a being that exists on pure belief? Simple. Forget about them.

 

[Gamblerjoe]

In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a powerful and crazy wizard tried to ascend to godhood, and in doing so destroyed the weave (the medium and syntax through which all magic functions.) Mystral, the goddess of magic, sacrificed herself to prevent the world from being destroyed. Then another mortal ascended into her position and became Mistra. I like that one.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

I really liked the whole god-killing in Shadow Hearts.

Spoiler

Mainly because it wasn't as much of a 'real' god, as it was a very strong alien entity that had visited the planet a long time ago. Because man didn't not understand what they saw and could only gaze in awe by the power of the entity, they declared it a god. By the way, it would seem that this alien 'god' actually had the strength to destroy the planet, e.g. bring forth the apocalypse.

So yeah, if the god you use is just very, very strong as opposed to omnipotent, than yes, I think god-killing can be an acceptable story drive.

 

[Aussiboy]

It truly depends on the context.
How do you kill a being that exists on pure belief? Simple. Forget about them.

This^

Its like in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather a assassin try's to kill the hogfather (disc worlds version of Santa) by controlling peoples belief.

With out belief god's cease to be.

 

[Aetera]

Well, according to Nietzsche, we've already done it.

[small]<- preemptive "I know that he didn't mean it literally", since I know that someone won't get that I'm joking.[/small]

 

[Flamehero1]

Use the subtle knife.

Mega cookie is yours if you get reference.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Depends on your definition of god.

I say cut off their head. Nothing survives without a head, not even a god.

I was going to reference some Pratchett, and now I can reference more.

On the subject of vampires it was said ' you need to cut off the head and plunge a wooden stake thru the heart. Of course, this has the bonus that it works on everyone else.'

I know a couple of people have covered it, but I think Discworld has more to say about it than most , and makes a lot of sense.

As for the God thing, In Discworld, they're fueled by believers, and in 'Small Gods' the great god Om has fallen out of favour over the centuries, and has been left with just one, one more than many who are left as just ethereal memories floating around hoping someone may believe again. One believer does not not fuel much in the way of godly powers.

The interesting part of the book is that the religion of Om is the biggest on the disc, yet Om himself knows only one person ACTUALLY believes, everyone else is just following the religion, and leaders. After all, how many people tick 'Catholic' on surveys, yet haven't seen the inside of a church in ten years?

Looking at humanity over the years, maybe more people believe in this than expected, there's certainly been a lot of effort put into killing off the believers of other gods, maybe the hope they can wipe out all challengers.

I thoroughly recommend getting hold of it, book, audio book, whatever, remember libraries are free, for a few months yet, in the UK

 

[El Poncho]

Depends on your definition of god.

I say cut off their head. Nothing survives without a head, not even a god.

I was going to reference some Pratchett, and now I can reference more.

On the subject of vampires it was said ' you need to cut off the head and plunge a wooden stake thru the heart. Of course, this has the bonus that it works on everyone else.'

As for the God thing, In Discworld, they're fueled by believers, and in 'Small Gods' the great god Om has fallen out of favour over the centuries, and has been left with just one, one more than many who are left as just ethereal memories floating around hoping someone may believe again. One believer does not not fuel much in the way of godly powers.

The interesting part of the book is that the religion of Om is the biggest on the disc, yet Om himself knows only one person ACTUALLY believes, everyone else is just following the religion, and leaders. After all, how many people tick 'Catholic' on surveys, yet haven't seen the inside of a church in ten years?

Looking at humanity over the years, maybe more people believe in this than expected, there's certainly been a lot of effort put into killing off the believers of other gods, maybe the hope they can wipe out all challengers.

I thoroughly recommend getting hold of it, book, audio book, whatever, remember libraries are free, for a few months yet, in the UK

Looks like you stole my post!

 

[Bobbity]

Find out gods true name for with a name you can control that person/object completely ^_^.

Please please pretty please tell me that you're referring to the works of Ursula Le Guin, and not Christopher Paolini. Please please please please.

OT: I like the Terry Pratchett/Raymond Feist approach. Remove or kill off all the worshippers, and the gods become totally powerless.

 

[Simskiller]

I believe that in Norse mythology it was said the gods were actually mortals and ate from an apple tree to extend their life.

Also the torture of Loki was sinister.

And all of the pratchett posts win this thread.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

Well, according to Nietzsche, we've already done it.

[small]<- preemptive "I know that he didn't mean it literally", since I know that someone won't get that I'm joking.[/small]

but he didn't m- Interesting point.

Depends on your definition of god.

I say cut off their head. Nothing survives without a head, not even a god.

I was thinking along the lines of the Egyptian, Norse or Greek gods i.e. meddlesome, fickle, technically immortal (loopholes), more aware e.t.c

A good example is the Age of Misrule trilogy where the Tuatha Dé Danaan are as gods but not gods. They are far beyond our understanding, powerful (in a pyramid scheme style) and immune to our weapons yet they can be killed. Their own weapons and "faith weapons" (artifacts which a lot of people believe in e.g Excalibur) can harm them. One of the most powerful is driven insane by the race of evil gods in the series and to restrain him they behead him, bury his head in concrete/plaster and build a temple around it to hide it. The body without the head to direct it is restrained and also buried.

When the pillar around his head is cracked he directs his body to him and goes on another mad rampage.

 

[harvz]

i suppose it depends on how its done, for instance:
- the god could just have technology from the future. take an ipad back a few thousand years and watch them worship you as the tablet bearing god.
- just because you are omnipotent doesnt mean you dont have a weakness (well it kinda does but shut up, point making here), the god may be able to be struck down by a sword or maybe its power comes from belief and if no one believes, they become weak...

all im saying is that story telling where the good guys get smited in the first act for attempting to kill said god is a pretty boring and small story

 

[Mikaze]

Use the subtle knife.

Mega cookie is yours if you get reference.

Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.

OT: A spear through the brain, let's see ANYTHING survive a spear through the brain.