Old Skool Gods

Well, I always liked Manawyddan ap Lyr (or Manannan mac Lir) and Lugh... Tyr was a favorite of mine as well...

Wasn't Atlas a titan?

I don't know I'd have to say I've always liked the Nordic religions, not the new age corrupted stuff but the classic legends. I guess we can't use Hindu deities as they aren't technically defunct....

Of course the god I have to put down is Janus, seeing as how he's in my alias. I've always found the idea of a god that sees the past and future kind of interesting.

Ill go for Pazuzu,..  not exactly a god but serious demon. This well endowed fellow had two pairs of wings,claws,talons, a tail and very sharp teeth.

 He was King of the Demons of Wind,bearer of storms, yet found time to protect babies and their mothers from evil harm..cool dude. 

 

Morrigan, because destruction Goddesses always rule.

I disagree with you saying that these are all defunct
religions. The majority of religions discussed here
are still being practiced.

But anyway...id have to say Wrageowrapper who is
an Australian water demon.
I also think Loki is pretty cool. And the bad guys in all
religions tend to rock.

The majority of religions discussed here are still being practiced.

As the ancients would recognize?

There's a reason a neo- is usually tacked onto something.

Originally posted by JanusRook As the ancients would recognize? There's a reason a neo- is usually tacked onto something.

Well there are the reconstructionist traditions and practices such as Asatru, Hellenismos, Religio Romana and most important of all Romuva because it's a recognized religion in Lithuania. I believe Asatru is also recognized, in Iceland. They are usually very academic (in the case of Hellenismos and Religio Romana) and strive to be as historically accurate as they can be (apart from obvious difficultuies such as mass animal sacrifices); or have never really died out in the first place but have been handed down from generation to generation in rural areas as in the case of Romuva as well as Northern Caucasian folk beliefs. Pagan religions are still widely practiced in Abkhazia. Neo-paganism and reconstructionism -and neo-paganism and folk religion- are all very different things, I think.

There's also the case of Zoroastrianism, which has a pantheon and is not one of the three "major" religions as well as Hinduism, which encompasses a myriad of local traditions and deities. Hinduism is not exactly new either, in fact it's one of the oldest Indo European ancestral religions. I see Romuva, Hellenismos, Asatru etc. to be on the same category with Hindu polytheism as opposed to neo-paganism, such as Wicca and whatnot, which portray a more pantheistic or dualistic theology as opposed to genuine "hard" polytheism.

Tyr was a favorite of mine as well

Tyr is also an Iranian God, it is the name of the fourth month of the Iranian Calendar (after Khordad/Haruvatat and before Mordad/Ameretat) whcih means "arrow, shot" in Persian language.

sex gods/godesses are of course really cool too

Originally posted by Beylerbeyi I think Odin is really cool. He's this badass guy who gave one of his eyes to drink from the fountain of wisdom, learned the magic runes while hanging from a tree, has a spear which never misses its target and a 8 legged horse, as well as a couple of ravens which act as his spies. Compare it to Zeus, who's afraid of everyone (his wife, the Titans) even though he can cast lightningbolts around, and spends all his time chasing godesses, half godesses, human girls, nymphys, etc... What a wimp! I also like Dionysos, Thoth, (Roman) Mitras, and Fortuna.

Come on, don't trash good old Zeus! it was Homer who gave him that notoriety, he was a very different god figure in pre-Homeric times, one who welcomes the stranger as Zeus Meilikhos and many other epithets; and in later philosophical traditions as well he was revered as the stately, moral figure.

As for Mithras and Fortuna, it's a shame I forgot to count them myself. One day I'll dress myself up as a boy as Yentl (haha) and join your secret Mithraic ceremonies!