Reasons for travelling

[Roukon]

In creating a new pantheon of gods, I have made four based on the winds. In this world, travelling is a major component of everything that happens, so they are also gods of travelling. In trying to make them different from each other, I have decided to have them each have a different aspect of travelling. At first, I had trouble getting four distinct reasons for travelling, but then, with the help of this board a while ago, I was able to solve that problem.

The four reasons then were:
Wanderlust
Education/Information
Helping/healing
Warfare

Later, I was thinking that warfare might not accomodate the rest as well, and was thinking of a way to use something else, and came up with mercantile. Now, I like both the four and mercantile, but I also feel that I can make mercantile go into three of my first reason (not warfare), and now am wondering if I am forgetting or overlooking other reasons for travelling. I want any overarching reasons for travelling. This I am asking of the Playground.

Any other critiques would also be helpful.

Thank you.

Later Days,
Roukon

[Idhan]

I guess I'm a little bit confused by what you define as "travelling," and and why you picked those four or five. (Or what advice you received in a previous thread that lead you to pick them.)

I'm guessing, here, that "travelling" is different from just "moving." I.e., if you're relocating from one location to another more-or-less permanently (because you can find a better job at your new location, because your old location is undergoing a famine, because your old location's government has decided to genocide everyone of your tribe, etc) that doesn't count as "travelling." Travelling here, I suppose, implies that the traveller anticipates that the stay at the new location will be temporary.

I'm also supposing that "travellers" are also distinguished from "nomads:" "travelling" implies that you have a "home base" from which you temporarily move, whereas a "nomad" doesn't have a home base. (At least, that's my assumption for the purposes of your classifications, because I can't imagine "All the reindeer went west, so we did too, because eating is awesome" falling under any of the four/five reasons.)

I'm guessing that exploration falls under the rubric of education/information? If you're mapping the coastline of a continent, or finding out about a new species of insect, you're seeking information?

What about pilgrimage? I'm not sure where going to Canterbury or Mecca would fall. Or do people in this world regard the presence of the gods as being universal, and not regard some places as more holy than others, thus making pilgrimage pointless?

What about visiting distant friends or relatives?

I'm not sure I understand the helping/healing one either.

Maybe some examples of different travelers, and what gods they might worship, would be helpful.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Don't forget Xenia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenia_(Greek)), or hospitality. Among the ancient Greeks it was serious business to care for your guests, even if you just met them. Traveling was so dangerous that everyone held to a strict code of conduct to safeguard guests and to honor hosts (the Golden Rule in practice).

So, a God of Nomads.
A God of Pilgrimage.
A God of Merchants.
And a God of Hospitality.

Hope this helps with ideas.