This is a very narrow definition that applies to a very small proportion of the gods that have been worshipped throughout human history.
And of course, when you say “a true god,” you really mean “the true god.” Your definition is intrinsically monotheistic - otherwise there would be two omnipotent beings, which doesn’t make any sense.
God/Goddess is a weird and sort of nebulous thing, but if we’re defining it then it would be more logical to define it by the D&D definition, as opposed to one that is purely omniscient and all powerful.
Can it hear prayers?
Can it give blessings to followers?
Does it have a specific domain and theme it rules over?
Is it a sentient being?
Pretty much all gods in fantasy go by the pagan pantheon versions, wherein they’re very powerful but not omnipotent. The Titans, for instance, while insanely powerful, would not be considered gods because they don’t hear prayers from any followers they may have. The Watchers would also fall into this ‘near god but not quite category’.
In contrast, the Wild Gods, such as the Loa and Ancients, and even the Celestials to an extent, do fit that role. This is especially true for the Loa, as they gain power with their followers.
Elune would also be considered a True God, as she responds to prayers, gives blessings, and is a singular sentient being. The only differences between her and the Loa, it seems, are distance and the spread of her power.
Where did you get this measure of what makes a “true god?”
I don’t think it matters where he got it from. The fact that Bwsomsamdi is saving the souls of his followers puts him leaps and bound in front of any other god that is allowing their followers to get funneled into the Maw.
True. But anything less than that is literally just “a really stronk guy!”
Bwonsamdi lives on Azeroth (most of the time). and has a physical form, so does he count as a Demi-God?
It matters because I have no clue where it would be implied that Bwonsamdi is indeed a True God. Is it stated anywhere in Warcraft Canon that a “True God” has the ability to protect the souls of his or her followers? If there is, I would happily agree with OP, but I don’t see this information anywhere.
Moreover, if there isn’t any cases supporting True Gods as the only ones that can protect souls in Warcraft Universe, then True God just becomes a random title we can substitute for anything. I could make the exact same post but say Bwonsamdi is a Death God. Or a Cheese God. Or a Grummy. You know what all of these have in common? They can all protect souls, because that’s what I chose to name beings that protect souls.
But Mueh’zala gave Bwonsamdi the power to do this, which implies that he has that power as well. Doesn’t that mean Mueh’zala is a True God as well, by this… measure?
I’m gonna go with “what is his opinion” for 1k.
I like his point about Bwonsamdi saving the souls of his followers vrs other gods.
I think its canon that Elune is a true god, but who wants a true god when in the end she can’t protect their souls?
I mean, fair enough. If you want to worship Bwonsamdi cause he will protect your soul in the afterlife, fair enough, seems a safe bet. However, I still don’t understand why this makes him a True God. Like OP just plucked a random reason to be the metric by which Warcraft “True Gods” are defined.
If this argument did indeed make sense, anyone or anything in the Warcraft Universe could be a True God, and we could make up any reason to have it so.
As such, I get that OP can have an opinion about where their soul could go, I just don’t see how that opinion translates into assigning such a title.
If anything they should kill off more characters and introduce more interesting ones that are not the walking equivalent of Homer Simpsons Makeup shotgun.
Adding to this, both of them seem beneath the Winter Queen and answerable to her to some degree. As she is a peer to the other Shadowlands leaders, this puts them above “true gods”. And then this whole decision gets murkier.
While Bwonsamdi isn’t a mighty deity, he and the Loa(with some exceptions) are the best for caring about their followers.
Seriously seeing the main four afterlives being a big meh in general, it’s a good deal having your own exclusive club
He’s a true god by the definition, since he’s a loa. He hears prayers, gets power from worshippers and status, and grants power in turn.
Elune and the Loa are in the same realm of category, Elune just seems to be farther reaching and more powerful by default.
This is weird, because he actually might be (At least in the same vein as Elune in having various worlds worshipping him). I turned in the weekly De Other Side quest where you retrieve a mask for the Brokers. The Broker notes that it seems to be from a long extinct civilization, which… the Trolls aren’t. Zandalar was the first unified Troll civilization, which either means the Broker is just flat out wrong or Mueh’zala has far more influence than we initially thought. Given his influence on native beings in Ardenweld, I am willing to bet it is the latter.
It also would explain why the term ‘Loa’ is so casually tossed around by the inhabitants of Ardenweld instead of just lumping them together with all the other nature spirits. Just like Wild Gods, Loa exist throughout the cosmos.
Bwonsamdi will also make deals with literally anyone, even non-Azerothians, such as the one Broker we fight in De Other Side. Maybe he’s like a Planeswalker, and can just transport to diffrent planets/realms?
Because it is about Elune, as it seems so far, Elune plays the big game here:
Without teldrassil’s burning, Tyrande would never have awakened the Night Warrior, who in turn would never then have had the opportunity to save Ardenwaeld, and because of which the Shadowlands would have fallen, all mortals would have been doomed to be devoured in the Maw, and no one would have stopped the Jailer.
There is nothing for me in “De Other Side,” but it sounds like I should give it a visit and pay attention. I did it once on regular.
Is this a troll post? You can’t be saying what I think you’re saying.
no, its not a trollpost. Sylvanas could be stopped, but this would not change anything what happened in the shadowlands itself.
We know, Tyrande play a huge role and will save Ardenweald…and the heart of forest.
ok, its just really strange to see that this was all part of Elune plan as well. I need to chew on this because I can’t fathom the thought.