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votes
how gods are born
we enshrine our lords
do we not call them Lord?
the lords giveth and taketh
they are the amalgamation
the supreme product of history
that is why they are sacred
why their divinity is everlasting
or so it is thought
gods are born, gods are killed
the only truth in them is order
and to the ordinary that is divine
their dreams start and end within
the lord's domain breaths life
it dictates what is allowed to be
it cuts the branches off
young dreamer, knowing this
do you still desire The Dream-God?
is it not past time its death?
shouldn't its corpse nourish life?
and the many branches-to-be?
I recently finished Lake of Souls, Ann Leckie's short story collection, and this reminds me of the big section set in the world of her book, The Raven Tower.
Technically a spoiler, but it is a fact of the world not a secret to any of the plots
In this world, there are many gods. The gods' power comes from speaking things into being. What a God says must be true, or they must have enough power to make it true. If they say something that is impossible, their power drains away and they either die or are greatly weakened.
The stories revolve around the different ways that this rule is exploited in different circumstances and by different people as well as other gods.
Oh, interesting. I may check out that book some time :)
There are a lot of inspirations for me in this poem, and a core one is how power and certain ideas relate to each other. Obviously, in can be read in whatever way the reader wants, but this was the major inspiration for me.