Hello.
I've been toying with this idea for a little while. With only a small idea of where I want this to go..I was wondering how I could incorporate the ideas of ancient gods into a science fiction setting. I thought of simply taking the gods and transforming them into divisions of a super-corporation in the far future, but that idea seems weak to me. Maybe taking and inserting the notion of the gods and placing them here and there in a setting would be more suited to creating an overall aesthetic...
Anyways. The idea of Pantheon in its most primitive stages:
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Lares division: Agricultural applications. Domestic. Fences. Patrol units etc.
Pomona Exotic fruit division
Opis Genetic Research Division , Also field teams invested in distant cultures, learning, adapting, and assimiliating
Ares The armed forces division
Poseidon Navy
Athena Ruling Class
Jupiter (Sky-God, from latin lou pater)
Minerva database, accessible only by the elite, possibly self aware AI. Most knowledgeable entity in the universe.
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And a list of gods to be considered:
Athena
Artemis
Hephaestus
Aether
Erobos
Chaos
Cronos
Nyx
Mnemosyne
Hyperion
etc. You get the point. These (to me, and possibly Joseph Campbell) are almost like the archetypes, and provoke a feeling from the reader/person interacting with the world on a subconscious level. A great tool to build a world.
Any thoughts?
Greek Mythological Figures @ Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Greek_mythological_figures)
I'm not quite sure what it is you want, so I'll just do a brainstorm on greek gods + sci-fi.
- There was a game called Too Human that put the Nordic gods into a future setting as a sort of cybernetic transhumans.
- Based on the above you could have a series of wealthy humans who have spent billions on remaking themselves and styling themselves as gods.
- The gods could be the first great artificial intelligences created by humanity. Jupiter could be the first of them, while Poseidon could be created to predict weather patterns and Ares controls a sort of Star Wars-y missile defense system. Athena could be a wikipedia-like database. (oh, I just noticed this was pretty close to your last line in the green box; so much for skimming).
- Instead of having them be divisions of a mega-corporation you could have them be differently themed houses a la Dune (or the Dragonmarked Houses of Eberron, even if that is hardly sci-fi).
- If set in the far future religions might have fused together as one, and the various religions are represented through a god or gods which are named after the neutral greek/roman gods. Jupiter might be the christian god, Minerva the Islamic or Jewish god, Hades might be Shiva or another hindu god, etc.
- the different planets of the universe are already largely named after roman mythology. Orbiting space stations or terraformed environments might be home to different factions.
Quote from: Cataclysmic Crow- There was a game called Too Human that put the Nordic gods into a future setting as a sort of cybernetic transhumans.
- Based on the above you could have a series of wealthy humans who have spent billions on remaking themselves and styling themselves as gods.
- The gods could be the first great artificial intelligences created by humanity. Jupiter could be the first of them, while Poseidon could be created to predict weather patterns and Ares controls a sort of Star Wars-y missile defense system. Athena could be a wikipedia-like database. (oh, I just noticed this was pretty close to your last line in the green box; so much for skimming).
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- Instead of having them be divisions of a mega-corporation you could have them be differently themed houses a la Dune (or the Dragonmarked Houses of Eberron, even if that is hardly sci-fi).
[/quote]
- If set in the far future religions might have fused together as one, and the various religions are represented through a god or gods which are named after the neutral greek/roman gods. Jupiter might be the christian god, Minerva the Islamic or Jewish god, Hades might be Shiva or another hindu god, etc.
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- the different planets of the universe are already largely named after roman mythology. Orbiting space stations or terraformed environments might be home to different factions.
[/quote]
This had crossed my mind as well. I was thinking of using lesser known gods for a naming convention. Maybe the names of the forerunners of roman gods, i.e. Etruscan .
Is more coming any time soon?
Battlestar Galactic kind of sucked all the air out of the room in terms of Sci-Fi and the Greek Gods.
HAving said that, if you tread further into the relatively large pantheon, I think any calls of derivation would be squashed. :)
I like the idea of each god being the inspiration for a division with in a transnational corporation but, where are you going to go with it?
Sorry guys, busy with end of the semester, work etc.
I don't really know where this is going. That's part of the fun, part of the misery. I've got some notes on ideas I would like to introduce, but it's a jumble of sketches and words in my notebook atm. If I get anything coherent I will be sure to post.
I'm looking at Pantheon now as a sort of aftermath of a decision made in the course of human events, several thousand years into the future, but the single most important part being the cure for the common aging.
Some things to ponder:
Oracle, sub-program of the Minerva database. Using universal mathematics, the program 'divines' a logical outcome of a series or singular event. In laymens terms , the program can determine 'fate'. The mathematics used are far beyond any human comprehension.
Reasoner-trained to use logic in such a way as too 'trick' an enemy into being absorbed by Minerva (see main thread Pantheon, for more info, link in sig)
Deconstruction- Reversal of Ambrosia Gene Sequencing. Very skilled deconstructors can set a target evolution, for example, turning you into a pile of primordial ooze. Very illegal.
Faster than Light travel is impossible for living creatures.
Information is heavily guarded. Johnny Mnemonic style. (I swear I will never use that reference again, thanks Neo)
Beautification of the Universe. Having conquered physical obstacles, artists have looked to greater challenges. Entire planets become masterworks, galaxies manipulated to re-structure constellations as they appear on earth, planets are 'carved' to represent the ideals of humanism. Space stations that serve only the purpose of artful fancy, the floating colossus of Neptune etc.
Gene Sequencing.
After immortality, scientists began gene therapy as a luxury. Criminals were used at first. Using gene sequencing, they restructured people to be living embodiments of ideals. These 'playthings' were property of very wealthy individuals. One might have a plaything at a party, who is particularly good at inspiring conversation, or one who has a humorous disposition.
More drastic 'playthings' were created later, born out of an unofficial rivalry between members of the upper class. Playthings were re-structured to have bizarre or animal like appendages. One of the more memorable creatures was one with snakes coming out of its head, another had pegasus-like wings sprouting from its back. These subjects usually do not live very long after the restructuring.