Please help me create guardian gods and goddesses?

Hi ^^

To start, I've been managing an RP that have been going on for three episodes titled Gods of Elements. I've tried thinking of ideas for how the gods and goddesses appearance and personalities should be but I couldn't make up my mind. There are eight gods and goddesses. Each god and goddesses are masters of one element which are Light, Shadow, Water, Ice, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Fire, and Sand.

I have already have an idea set for the god of light, the goddess of water, the god of shadow, the god of wind, and the god of fire. But I need help for the other gods and goddesses. Below are my current idea for them.

I don't have an idea for the goddess of ice's appearance but the last appearance I gave her is of a small girl. Her real appearance is an adult female but I don't have any idea what color her hair and skin should be. White would be good but I think its a bit cliche to associate ice to white.

The god of thunder's home is going to be a hovering island surrounded by thunder storm. Instead of making him an old man, I want him to be have an appearance of an adult. The cool acting type which doesn't look at people in the eyes and doesn't talk much. I don't know what color his hair and skin should be.

As for the the god of sand or earth, I have no idea whatsoever. Should he look like a human? Should he look like beast?

Maybe they should have their own shrine or temple? I don't know. How do you think their shrine or temple should be?

Do you have any ideas for a god or goddess?

I'd appreciate some help with ideas for them :-)

Greetings, an excellent topic, and one I have a bit of experience with. I've been designing tabletop RPG game worlds for about 30 years now, and have built at least three full pantheons from the ground up (or would that be from the heavens down?).

At any rate, as far as helping to describe these other gods, it would be helpful to know how you have set the appearance of the others. If the gods of your world are all members of the same family, then there would probably be some sort of 'genetic' design philosophy... for instance if the god of fire has red skin and literally flaming hair, then the god of ice would just as easily have white or blue skin, and have icicles for hair.

Also, when it comes to gods, don't worry about whether they are cliche or not. Gods in any culture are representative of ideals, they are often metaphors for some other force or element. So, if your culture values leadership, judgement and punishment, then your god(s) would be stern in appearance, probably often appearing on thrones or with crowns and carrying some means of exerting the will, like a staff or crook, or perhaps even a sword if the god is warlike. On the other hand, if your culture reveres nature and creativity, then the gods would appear much wilder, each one's appearance meant to convey a certain inspiration, or cause a specific reaction. For instance, in a world like this, the god of fire could be represented as a pillar of flame to give off the feeling of a destructive conflagration, or he could appear as a blacksmith diligently working at the forge.

The key is this: A god's appearance should have more to do with how mortals perceive the forces/elements the god represents. If the people of your world fear fire, then the god of fire is fearsome, if they see it as a tool, then the god of fire is wise, if they see it as both, then perhaps the god is schizophrenic or somehow embodies all aspects of it's element at once (for instance, the god of fire, working at the forge, his hair and hands blazing with such heat that no mortal could approach).

As to temples and shrines, these should be built to reflect the god's personality, not appearance. Using the above example of a god of fire, if said god was of the fearsome variety, then the shrine of fire would be a terrifying place, full of flame and lava, a place where only the truly brave or foolhardy attempt to visit. On the other hand, if this god is one that taught humanity how to cook and use tools, then the temple to this god would be more a place for learning than for burning, and could perhaps even be a university.

As for the god of the earth, I've always been intrigued by the idea that the whole planet is actually the god's body, with any representation of him on a smaller scale would be in different types of earth, depending on the region one is in.

Here's a few questions I ask myself any time I'm creating a pantheon, or trying to create a new god for the pantheon I've already made:

1. Are these gods all truly individuals, or are they just aspects of a greater being, one of many faces of an overgod?

2. Do all the gods work in concert with one another to keep the world working properly, or do they struggle for control?

3. Do the gods require mortal worship in order to have their powers? If not, then are there any gods that specifically have shunned the mortal world?

4. Are the gods part of a cosmic family (think Greek), or do they rise form mortal concepts (like the ancient Celtic gods), or is each one completely unique and independent from the others (like many Oriental pantheons).

I've found that if I can answer these questions in detail, then many of the details that I haven't consider yet begin filling themselves in.

Hope this helps!

I wouldn't mind helping you at all. :) Though I think it would be better to do one by one vs trying to gather all the information at once. It's always better not to rush your creations then to rush and regret it later on.

Alright so, for the god of Ice this is an image I came up with. http://hdw.datawallpaper.com/people/ice-queen-296360.jpg I saw that you mentioned you didn't want to associate ice with white but I don't agree with that idea. Now it is just a suggestion but for most, you want to use what people can relate to that way it is easier for them to be drawn in by your RP. If you attempt to associate this god with a color such as orange or blue for example, people might think of Fire or Water. So to keep the confusion at bay, try to keep it simple and relatable.

Does this work for you?

I used to role play as Maji (meaning water in Swahili) the goddess of rain. She was the god equivalent of bi-polar. Sometimes she was peaceful and brought end to drought and bad fortune, and other times she would become angry and bring raging storms. Your welcome to use her :)