# Who/What is your favorite small god? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590 "2020-05-11T17:34:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/1 "2020-05-11T17:34:00Z")
The small gods don’t get taught in basic humanities classes the way that the big hitters do. My favorite deitini is **Cardea** , the Roman goddess of hinges - specifically of pivot hinges. According to wikipedia, she was “associated with” Forculus, god of doors, and Limentinus, god of thresholds; but they didn’t get their own wikipedia articles. Is anyone else fond of an obscure little diety? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/2 "2020-05-11T17:38:20Z")
I kind of like Momus, the god of criticizing and mockery. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/3 "2020-05-11T18:05:50Z")
Do patron saints count? If so, mine is Apollonia, who was allegedly martyred by having all her teeth yanked out, and became the patron saint of dentists. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/4 "2020-05-11T18:07:07Z")
My favorite is the football (soccer) god. He doesn’t have a name and no extended mythology, but he is constantly thanked, blamed or summoned by players, coaches, managers and commentators. And he’s really a trickster god, with all the curious ways football games sometimes turn out. Sadly, at the moment the football god is on corona hiatus. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/5 "2020-05-11T18:17:49Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > The small gods don’t get taught in basic humanities classes the way that the big hitters do. My favorite deitini is **Cardea** , the Roman goddess of hinges - specifically of pivot hinges. According to wikipedia, she was “associated with” Forculus, god of doors, and Limentinus, god of thresholds; but they didn’t get their own wikipedia articles. Hmmm. I always believed Ianus was the god of all that stuff (well, maybe not hinges, but is there any actual evidence of a hinge cult?) If you know Latin, the word meaning door or entrance is even _ianua._ ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/6 "2020-05-11T18:24:40Z")
I’ll go with Cyamites, the greek god of beans. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/7 "2020-05-11T18:51:45Z")
**Momus** sounds interesting. It also sounds like he has current adherents. I’ll have to look into hem. Patron Saints definitely count for the purposes of this thread. And dentists need all the help they can get. I am unlearned in the ways of footballers. How do they invoke their god? Do they swear in frustration, “By the football god’s hairy hands!”? > [@DPRK](#): > > Hmmm. I always believed Ianus was the god of all that stuff (well, maybe not hinges, but is there any actual evidence of a hinge cult?) If you know Latin, the word meaning door or entrance is even _ianua._ Janus wasn’t a small god. He was big enough to be a general concept, being the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. A lot of biggish gods had sons/daughters/underlings who were assigned specific things within their area of effect. Aeolus was keeper of the winds, accompanied by Boreas (god of the north wind and of winter), Notus (god of the south wind), down to the half-cardinal directions and further to Aura (goddess of breezes), who was in turn supported by Aurai, nymphs of the breeze Other good-sized liminal Roman gods include: Terminus, Mercury (because if you travel, you have to leave and arrive), Portunus, and Trivia (goddess of intersections of three roads). ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/8 "2020-05-11T18:57:21Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I’ll go with Cyamites, the greek god of beans. Nice. This guy is mysterious. Definitely not a god of winds. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/9 "2020-05-11T19:12:14Z")
In the Roman (as distinct from Greek) religion, _everything_ had a spirit associated with it. The spirits of big important things like a mountain or the sky might be called gods, but the spirit of a mountain differs only in degree, not in kind, from the spirit of a grain of sand. In their system, there would not only be a spirit of hinges in general, but a spirit of the second hinge from the top in the door to your third kitchen cupboard. And these spirits were not originally anthropomorphic: Unlike the Greek Zeus, who’s a big buff bearded guy holding a thunderbolt, the Roman Jupiter was, himself, a thunderbolt. But of course, you can tell better stories about anthropomorphic gods, which may have been part of the reason why Greek culture took hold, and the Roman spirits became associated with the anthropomorphic Greek gods. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/10 "2020-05-11T19:33:51Z")
Palaemon: the guardian of ships, god of safe harbours and sailors in distress. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/11 "2020-05-11T20:01:33Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I am unlearned in the ways of footballers. How do they invoke their god? Do they swear in frustration, “By the football god’s hairy hands!”? He’s mostly a German tribal deity, so I can only link to the[German wiki](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu%C3%9Fballgott). > [@wiki](#): > > Fußballgott […] ist ein im Sportjournalismus und Fußballjargon verwendeter Begriff mit zwei verschiedenen Bedeutungen: Zum einen die personenbezogene Verwendung, die sich auf einzelne Spieler, gelegentlich auch auf Trainer, bezieht, die nach Einschätzung durch Sportreporter oder das Publikum „Göttern gleich Fußball zu spielen“ vermöchten[1] und denen auf dem Platz alles gelinge.[2] > > In einer weiteren Bedeutungsebene steht die Bezeichnung – meist in emotionalisierter Ohnmachtssituation[1] oder ironisch geäußert – für „eine höhere Fußballinstanz auf metaphysischer Ebene […], die insbesondere für ausgleichende Gerechtigkeit“ sorge[3] oder – bei Anrufung vor einem Spiel – sorgen solle, dies aber nicht immer tue. > > […] > > Gerade weil es im Fußball öfters zu knappen und unerwarteten Siegen oder Niederlagen kommt, sehen sich Sportmoderatoren, Trainer, Spieler, Club-Verantwortliche und Fans in der Kürze der Zeit in Erklärungsnot[4] und schieben die Verantwortung für den Spielausgang unter anderem dem Fußballgott zu. > > [my translation] > > Football god is a term used in sport journalism and football jargon with two different meanings: first the personalized use, which relates to single players, sometimes also coaches, who according to sport reporters or the spectators “are able to play football like the gods” and who succeed in everything they do on the field. > > At another level of meaning, the term stands for (mostly used in an emotionalized situation of powerlessness) a higher instance of football on a metaphysical level that most of all is responsible for retributive justice, or, when summoned before a game, shall be made to provide that justice, but doesn’t always do. > > […] > > Especially because in football, there are often unexpected wins or losses with small margins, the sport reporters, coaches, players, club officials and fans are short of explanations in the shortness of time and cast the blame for the outcome of the game to the football god. As for ways of evoking him: I believe the football god is a syncretist, so it doesn’t matter if you cross yourself or say a quick Muslim prayer before kick-off, he values them all. Another theory (by me) is that he’s invoked every time you spit on the field, that’s why the players do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/12 "2020-05-11T20:16:27Z")
Levant, Norse god of refurbished waterbeds (from _Minoriteam_). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/13 "2020-05-11T20:21:45Z")
[Rob McKenna](https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Rob_McKenna), the lorry driver who is also a Rain God, in Douglas Adams’ book _So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish_. It rains on him wherever he goes, leading him to catalog 232 different types of rain, and eventually giving him a lucrative career, by getting paid by resorts to _not_ go there. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/14 "2020-05-11T20:32:02Z")
My favorite is [the god of Arepo](https://stu-pot.tumblr.com/post/170921580726/ciiriianan-sadoeuphemist-writing-prompt-s). ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/15 "2020-05-11T20:46:27Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > He’s mostly a German tribal deity, so I can only link to the[German wiki](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu%C3%9Fballgott). > > As for ways of evoking him: I believe the football god is a syncretist, so it doesn’t matter if you cross yourself or say a quick Muslim prayer before kick-off, he values them all. Another theory (by me) is that he’s invoked every time you spit on the field, that’s why the players do it all the time. Here in Argentina we have a polytheist variant of that religion, you hear things like “Los dioses del futbol son crueles”. (“The football gods are cruel”) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/16 "2020-05-11T21:07:12Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I’ll go with Cyamites, the greek god of beans. > [@Yllaria](#): > > Nice. This guy is mysterious. Definitely not a god of winds. Probably married to Mefitis, the Goddess of Bad Smells (or at least sulfurous gases). ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/17 "2020-05-11T21:22:44Z")
I’m kind of fond of the Chinese “God of Moats and Walls.” > **[City God (China)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_God_(China))** > > Model humanity: > Main philosophical traditions: > Ritual traditions: > Devotional traditions: Each city has its own god. It is not a permanent deity. Different spirits take up the office from time to time. When a former mayor dies, it is assumed that his spirit will fill the office for 3 years. A man once told all of his friends and family that he was going to become the next God of Moats and Walls. They thought he was daft. Then he suddenly got sick and died. The city elders decided that he must have been telling the truth, and they revered him for the next 3 years. The job does have its responsibilities. If the government officials perform the proper rituals, and you fail to bring rain, they may decide to have your cult statue flogged. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/18 "2020-05-11T21:40:08Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Here in Argentina we have a polytheist variant of that religion, you hear things like “Los dioses del futbol son crueles”. (“The football gods are cruel”) Ah, interesting. So you have a whole football pantheon, the god of the penalty, the god of overtime, the god of the bicycle kick, the god of diving and so on and on? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/19 "2020-05-11T22:10:56Z")
Yes! If even small breezes are part of the wind gods, all of those things must be part of the football gods. Thanks for the introduction, **EinsteinsHund**. So many good ones! Love Mefitis, really love the City God. I can’t imagine what Stockton’s god would be like. The god of Arepo made me cry and the Adams rain god feels like an old friend. I’m going to have to watch Minoriteam to learn about Levant. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > He’s mostly a German tribal deity, so I can only link to the[German wiki](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu%C3%9Fballgott). > > As for ways of evoking him: I believe the football god is a syncretist, so it doesn’t matter if you cross yourself or say a quick Muslim prayer before kick-off, he values them all. Another theory (by me) is that he’s invoked every time you spit on the field, that’s why the players do it all the time. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > My favorite is [the god of Arepo](https://stu-pot.tumblr.com/post/170921580726/ciiriianan-sadoeuphemist-writing-prompt-s). ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590/20 "2020-05-11T22:13:49Z")
Sterculius, the Roman god of feces (actually I think he may be the god of fertilizing crops with manure) made a cameo on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-what-is-your-favorite-small-god/853590.md?page=2)