I really don’t care much for the gods of fantasy novels and game worlds. They are all (for the most part) just, well … bullshit. So structured and formulaic. Give me the gods of the real world any day – ancient or modern! Theology is a bizarre and fascinating topic.
Since my game setting is set in the real world (sort of), the gods I include are all of those that were prominent at the time, plus a few whose following is diminishing. So there are temples to Jupiter and Minerva, Mithras, Christ, Tanit, Ba’al, Janus, Set and Anubis, and all can be considered the one true religion, since the gods actually do walk the land and the priests of each temple regularly commune with their deity. I love the richness of the household gods of ancient Rome. I have walked through forests in the mountains of Germany and seen wayside shrines to the local spirits, with offerings freshly laid there. I’ve seen rose petals scattered at dawn on the altar stone of the mist-shrouded circle of Castlerigg, high above the Lakes District. These things give me goose-bumps when I think about them.
But which amongst all of the divers religions appeals to me the most? … Probably the Norse gods of Asgard. This might be a cultural bias, since I am of Saxon/Nordic descent (hmm, must get a DNA test one day). Or it might be a pop-cultural bias since I used to love Thor comics when I was a kid.