Pantheon (religion)

A pantheon (Greek: παν, pan, "all" + Θεός, Theos, "God"), is a set of all the gods of a particular religion or mythology, such as the gods of Hinduism, Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and Egyptian mythology. Since the 16th century the word has also been used in a secular sense, meaning a set of exalted people. This meaning, in modern parlance, is often used to describe the rise of a person into that exalted group, e.g., "Mick Jagger has joined the pantheon of rock megastars."

The term has more recently been used in fictional universe, such as the H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, the Marvel universe, and in role-playing games, particularly in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. In each, different pantheons of gods from classical literature and religious systems co-exist alongside more recent fictional creations of game writers. Such a system was laid out in the AD&D tome, Deities & Demigods.

In the Cosmology of Warcraft 3, in the first chapter the Pantheon is a group of metallic like gods who begin creating order, life and crafting the worlds. See www.worldofwarcraft.com and lore for more.

A temple or sacred building dedicated to all the gods of a particular religion is also referred to by this term. The most famous example of such a structure is the Pantheon in Rome, originally built in the year 27 BC as a temple to all the Roman gods, although later rebuilt and used as a Christian church.

Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a pantheon of gods and the development of monotheism.

Other media

In the Kingdom Come comic series by Mark Waid and Alex Ross Pantheon Gods are seen discussing the fate of mankind while Spectre, Norman Mccay and Deadman intervene.