Poor Twelve Gods

[Alex Warlorn]

Is it my imagine, or does anyone whose anyone who isn't a southern lands paladin can't get enough out of saying how inferior the twelve gods are purely because they take on animal form? You don't see the people of the southern lands saying how stupid Thor's helmet is.

[SaintRidley]

Well, they are kind of a silly group.

And to be fair, it is a silly helmet.

[John Cribati]

Dragon, Tiger and Ox probably aren't so bad. If Snake is poisonous, he won't be bad either.

What if, in a tribute to Jackie Chan Adventures, they all had their Talisman powers? They'd be awesome.

Imagine a cleric of Rabbit

"Rabbit's Speed!"

[drengnikrafe]

Dragon, Tiger and Ox probably aren't so bad. If Snake is poisonous, he won't be bad either.

What if, in a tribute to Jackie Chan Adventures, they all had their Talisman powers? They'd be awesome.

Imagine a cleric of Rabbit

"Rabbit's Speed!"

Last time I checked, they were... Shoot, what's the word... deities. They, themselves, could very easily have those abilities. Plus, with just a little bit of homebrewing (if it doesn't already exist), they could each have a domain that corresponds to the appropriate ability.

For instance. "Rabbit's Speed (AKA: Longstrider)!" (Assuming that the ability makes sense to it's name. I haven't seen that show in years).

Alternatively, those deities exist as a set, and not particularly individually. Which is the general trend.

[Maximum Zersk]

...Because they're Aminaminamals? I don't know. I guess it's 'cause people from the north are used to worshipping humanoid gods. And maybe the southern lands are more accepting of other ideas?

[Haven]

Alternatively, those deities exist as a set, and not particularly individually. Which is the general trend.

Do you mean the general trend as in "people in the comic usually refer to them as the twelve gods" or "people usually worship whole pantheons"? Because the latter isn't true, but the former is.

Though I kind of wish it wasn't, simply because I think it'd be cool to see a "cleric of Rat" or a "paladin of Monkey". Admittedly, I have a very strange taste in cool.

[Shale]

Well, we know they exist as independent entities, from SoD. I don't think there's ever been an implication that they're ever worshiped separately, though.

[doliest]

Something tells me the 'Twelve Gods' are separate entities, but worshiped as a whole. After all, Rat is apparently evil, yet you don't hear the paladin's say, 'Twelve Gods - Rat."

[factotum]

I don't recall anyone other than Girard mocking the Twelve Gods for being animals. OK, Thor told Tiger to get some catnip after he got criticised for Weather Control in Cliffport, but Thor is a god himself and can maybe be expected to be a bit snarky toward other gods.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Thor has a very large hammer he uses to smack demons. Rat is a rat. Just sayin...

[i6uuaq]

Simple enough. Human pride. Most people, (myself included probably) believe that humans are intrinsically superior to animals. Superior intellectual capability and all that. This attitude extends even into the realm of religion. Even the animistic gods of primitive human societies tended to be half-human... Also see how Thor disses the Tiger during the battle in Cliffport.

[Setra]

Thor has a very large hammer he uses to smack demons. Rat is a rat. Just sayin...
Rat is the smiter of demon fleas and roaches.

[MReav]

Thor has a very large hammer he uses to smack demons. Rat is a rat. Just sayin...

Rat's an evil god. He's less likely "Just a Rat" and more "Rat the Plaguebearer and Faminebringer"

[Optimystik]

Something tells me the 'Twelve Gods' are separate entities, but worshiped as a whole. After all, Rat is apparently evil, yet you don't hear the paladin's say, 'Twelve Gods - Rat."

All Twelve judge Miko (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0407.html) - implying that all are involved with the Guard in some way, regardless of alignment.

[hamishspence]

Rat wasn't shown in SOD when the Dark One first became a deity.

But Rat was shown when the Dark One is trying to find out about the Snarl: "I don't know, T, I think he needs to know"

Hmm.

[Morty]

Who else besides hobgoblins, Redcloak and Girard was shown deriding the Twelve Gods? Because unless I'm missing something, evil goblinoids, a specieist cleric of a rival deity and a strongly Chaotic person who had a bad quarrel with one of their worshippers hardly count as "everyone".

[Manicotti]

Rat is the smiter of demon fleas and roaches.


All hail the Grim Squeaker!

[Larkspur]

I'm pretty sure that if Durkon had been the leader of his party and the founder of a totalitarian paramilitary organization, Girard would have called Thor a moronic drunkard or something. The Twelve Gods have people talking smack about them because everyone hates their followers, not because they're animals.

And really, their long-term dumbassery with regard to the monster races just got Azure City sacked, so frankly my heart weeps cold borscht for their hurt feelings.

[Samurai Jill]

IIRC, the Twelve Gods are worshipped collectively, rather than individually. Can't remember the precise source, but it is official. (I think?)

[Teddy]

Simple enough. Human pride. Most people, (myself included probably) believe that humans are intrinsically superior to animals. Superior intellectual capability and all that. This attitude extends even into the realm of religion. Even the animistic gods of primitive human societies tended to be half-human... Also see how Thor disses the Tiger during the battle in Cliffport.

Tiger isn't anywhere near Cliffport during that battle. And if you're refering to the Azure City battle, well, Thor looks somewhat worried and wants Tiger to calm down, and most cats like catnip...

[TheBlackShadow]

Maybe Girard, as an apparently Chaotic individual, doesn't have anything against the Southern Gods per se, but more against religion in general. If Soon had worshipped the Northern Gods maybe he would have changed to something more along the lines of "Remember logic? Its that thing in your head that weeps every time you kneel down and pray to a bunch of drunken maniacs with more facial hair than sense" or something.

EDIT: Indeed, he seems to have more against authority figures and quinitissential Paladin zealots than the animal natures of the Twelve Gods.

[Gamerlord]

Is it my imagine, or does anyone whose anyone who isn't a southern lands paladin can't get enough out of saying how inferior the twelve gods are purely because they take on animal form? You don't see the people of the southern lands saying how stupid Thor's helmet is.

It isn't because of their animal form, it is just because they get a bad rep from their paladin worshipers, who we know have committed more then a few crusades in their name.

[John Cribati]

Dragon, Tiger and Ox probably aren't so bad. If Snake is poisonous, he won't be bad either.
Not "bad" as in good-and-evil, just bad as in "not powerful."
I'm pretty sure snake would be evil if he was poisonous.

[Alex Warlorn]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōkami

Another set of deities based on the Zodiac. Only here, they're the dog is the protagonist.

[Bibliomancer]

Another set of deities based on the Zodiac. Only here, they're the dog is the protagonist.

I believe you mean there.

Girard was making a cheap, if somewhat reasonable shot at Soon. Besides, the North seems to be based on Western culture (loosely), which was derived from Greek culture, which was one of the earliest mythologies where the gods were entirely human (as opposed to Hinduism, the Egyptians, or many of the Barbaric tribes to the North before the rise of the Norse gods).

As a result, a certain human-centric mod e of thinking is logical. Also, the Twelve do themselves no favors by being named after an organization from Eberron sending out many crusades and embodying "Lawful Stupid," at least as Soon interprets them.

[Stabber1010]

And maybe the southern lands are more accepting of other ideas?

The irony, it burns!