Deity of freedom/outlaws

[Doc_Holliday]

I've been looking for a deity to connect with and maybe even to consider a "patron" if things worked out that way. After a recent religious shift and realization, I've been left in that "Limbo" state. After years of considering Odin a patron, it just doesn't feel quite so right anymore.

So I was considering my skills and things I value, and the largest thing that came up was my freedom, and my "outlaw" mindset. Not necessarily living on the fringe of society or breaking the law, as much as doing as what I think is right and not being restrained by a higher law or power by doing so. After a long time my search only turned up Liber, the greek god of wine, and freedom among other things. But I feel no connection or interest in him, and his freedom was more like "We're not slaves, but still completely controlled." rather than the freedom I like to enjoy. So if anybody has in their indexes or endless seas of knowledge memory of any deity that relates to this, please throw the name my way I'm open to any deity with any kind of association with freedom/outlaws, the other associations don't matter, I'll look at them and see if they fit me too

Thanks.

[Nightingale]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

I don't know whether you feel drawn more towards male gods or female goddesses, or if you prefer a specific pantheon, but when you say you are looking for deities associated with freedom and an "outlaw" mindset, Hermes and Lilith both come to my mind. Hermes is the Greek god of travelers and thieves, among other things, and Lilith is a Babylonian goddess, also a Biblical figure, known for leaving the Garden of Eden because she did not want to be dominated by Adam. She's been demonized for her rebelliousness too. Either of them would be worth looking into at least, I'd say.
Also, I don't know how you feel about tricksters, but I'd look into a few of them as well. Hermes is a trickster, so is the Norse Loki, so is the Native American Coyote... most pantheons have one. They also come to mind when you say "outlaw" mindset. They've typically got a rebellious "you can't tell me what to do" spirit, and they're not evil, just mischievous. (I could defend tricksters all day, I have a soft spot in my heart for them.) I hope you find someone you can connect with! Good luck

[blue_coyote]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

Coyote isn't a god. Coyote is the one who always finds trouble, makes trouble, is thrown into trouble, lead into trouble....etc, etc, trouble. Coyote is usually a pretty good guy, but tends to be a bit self interested and short sighted at times, too.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

Coyote isn't a god. Coyote is the one who always finds trouble, makes trouble, is thrown into trouble, lead into trouble....etc, etc, trouble. Coyote is usually a pretty good guy, but tends to be a bit self interested and short sighted at times, too.

I think that applies to any of the trickster Spirits or gods / goddesses. In a lot of ways they remind me of the Jesters of the old royal court system in that they make light of society and rub it in your face. As such i'd say they are outside of social norms and serve to make light of those perceived norms and constructs.

[Rowanwood]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

I think Coyote is a deity...but my view of what does and does not make a deity is ...shaky.


I personally think you should look into Eris. Maybe not Discordianism, but Eris in general. However, if by outlaw, you are thinking Clint Eastwood, chaotic good type then another direction, perhaps someone like Nemesis.

[Doc_Holliday]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

Loving the suggestions folks, I'm looking into all of them A few interest me.

[MoonRaven]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

Well since your old patron was Odin have you considered looking into Loki? I'm not a Lokean so this is second hand info, but I know that quite a few sees him as the Old Norse equivalent of Coyote. Just a thought.

[Nightingale]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

I think that applies to any of the trickster Spirits or gods / goddesses. In a lot of ways they remind me of the Jesters of the old royal court system in that they make light of society and rub it in your face. As such i'd say they are outside of social norms and serve to make light of those perceived norms and constructs.

that's why I love the tricksters so much, because they make fun of societal norms. they're probably the freest of all the gods actually.

[Avarin]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

Lucifer comes to my mind as the "ultimate Rebel"

also the whole of Chaos magick (for this example: worshiping 'gods' that come from fictional sources) has always hit me as a rebellious 'free thinking/doing' source of understanding.

I've worked with sheogorath a demi-god of madness and discord from 'The Elder Scrolls' video games before with some interesting results. He's like a version of loki mixed with the mad hatter from Alice in wonderland. He's pretty crazy in the game. I'm not sure (if he is in fact real on some level) I would want to meet him in real life

[Corvus]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

The first one I thought of was Arahabaki, though you're not likely to find huge amounts of info on him for a few reasons. He's a local god of northern Japan and is considered a personal guardian. Some people today still carry charms shaped like Arahabaki for protection and strength. During the reign of Emperor Jimmu there was a lord who's patron was Arahabaki and he incited a rebellion. After which the god became demonized and transformed into a symbol of war, lawlessness and rebellion. Now it's difficult to find info because he is prominently featured in Japanese video games so there's that to sift through, and also as a minor god (who's worship while old, pretty much died out) there isn't a lot of info anyway.

In Abrahamic tradition the symbol of rebellion is the Satan figure. Lucifer, Iblis, Satan, whatever you want to call him. Satanism is about the discovery of the self deity, the rejection of accepted things in favor of self discovery and the virtues of independence. In theistic Satanism Lucifer and his demons wish to help humanity better themselves through spiritual expansion. Where God wishes for stagnation and blind obedience, Lucifer wants people to make their own choices and come to their own thoughts. Lucifer is the light bringer who assists humanity in wiping away the darkness of ignorance. Most Satanists who work with Lucifer would say that he's more of a teacher or a partner than someone to be worshiped.

In Kemet we have the god Set who is the god of foreign lands, storms and chaos in general. In myths Set murdered his brother Ausar (Osirus) in order to obtain his throne. He locked him in a coffin which was set adrift on the nile and later ripped him to pieces to prevent his revival (it didn't work). Later when Heru comes to reclaim his father's throne, Set does battle with him and loses. However while selfish and power hungry Set isn't evil strictly speaking. In Kemetic myth the uncreated one who takes the form of a serpent seeks to devour the creator god each night as he sails the bark of the sun. It is Set alone who is capable of protecting the creator Atum-Ra from the serpent and thus Set stops the world's destruction. As the god of foreign lands Set is a deity of adventures and new, dangerous things. Set was unafraid to go after what he wanted and would stop at nothing to achieve his ambitions.

There's the Roman goddess Libertas who is literally lady liberty. She is the goddess of freedom. Liber is the male god of freedom and there's a significant amount more information on him. As patron of the plebeian class Liber was the god of the everyman. In other respects he is very similar to Dionysus/Bacchus in that he is a god of uninhibited freedom, sexuality and wine (which was different from other Roman gods in that his wine is a gift to human kind, prepared in a way that makes it unfit as an offering to the gods under Roman law).

Dionysus is the greek god of wine. He is a figure associated with freedom, self discovery, self realization and debauchery. His female followers were the fierce maenads who in drunken frenzy would descend on wild animals and rip them to pieces. Dionysus is very much a god of freedom as his main goal always seems to be releasing the true nature of people. He is a foreign god to the greeks and as such represented all in nature that was exotic, dangerous and not completely understood. He has an interesting birth with Zeus as his father and Semele his mother. Semele witnessed Zeus in his godly form and thus died. Following this Zeus sews the unborn Dionysus into his thigh and later gives birth to him, which confers him full immortality. He was the last Olympian to become one of the twelve and has the distinction of being the only one with a mortal mother. He is an example of the dying god in that he dies and is reborn, several times. One epitaph that he has which is relevant to you is "the Liberator" Dionysus represents freedom from social boundaries, self consciousness and fear as well as rebellion from accepted cultural roles. Dionysus is a multifaceted god with numerous roles including theater, life, death, as well as wine and numerous other roles. This particular deity is a personal favorite of mine for many reasons.

[Cobra]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

I think the Shinto Susano-O "Brave-Swift-Impetuous-Male" is worth a mention. Susano-O is the god of storms and of trickery and he is shown to be very mischievous and unhinged, yet kind and willing to help those in need. I think Susano-O has that "outlaw" sort of way, but he is shown to still care very much for those he is close to and helps just as much as he causes trouble. Susano-O is also generally seen as one of Shinto's three most important deities.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

I've been looking for a deity to connect with and maybe even to consider a "patron" if things worked out that way. After a recent religious shift and realization, I've been left in that "Limbo" state. After years of considering Odin a patron, it just doesn't feel quite so right anymore.

So I was considering my skills and things I value, and the largest thing that came up was my freedom, and my "outlaw" mindset. Not necessarily living on the fringe of society or breaking the law, as much as doing as what I think is right and not being restrained by a higher law or power by doing so. After a long time my search only turned up Liber, the greek god of wine, and freedom among other things. But I feel no connection or interest in him, and his freedom was more like "We're not slaves, but still completely controlled." rather than the freedom I like to enjoy. So if anybody has in their indexes or endless seas of knowledge memory of any deity that relates to this, please throw the name my way I'm open to any deity with any kind of association with freedom/outlaws, the other associations don't matter, I'll look at them and see if they fit me too

Thanks.

Any of the Adversary deities... the ha-Satans, Set, Loki, Enki... anyone who opposes the supreme diety of their pantheon, anyone who is Demonised or devilised, and anyone who is generally not considered 'right' to worship by the mainstream body of worshippers. Loki may be a good place to start, but seeing as He is also a Trickster, He's not the easiest deity to work with, especially if you're coming from working with Odhinn. Loki is likely to forcibly tear down your old preconceived notions, possibly in a painfully exposing way.

[Louisvillian]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

I'm open to any deity with any kind of association with freedom/outlaws, the other associations don't matter, I'll look at them and see if they fit me too

Hermes fits this almost to a tee. As a trickster and a patron of travellers (especially at night), he's a patron of thieves, outlaws, and others who use wily intelligence to free themselves from social boundaries. In contrast to Dionysos, who is a patron of freedom via intoxication and mind-alteration.

[Nightingale]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

Hermes fits this almost to a tee. As a trickster and a patron of travellers (especially at night), he's a patron of thieves, outlaws, and others who use wily intelligence to free themselves from social boundaries. In contrast to Dionysos, who is a patron of freedom via intoxication and mind-alteration.

Hermes was my initial thought as well. I've worked with him before and he has been good for me several times. He might be a good one for you too, Doc.

[shadow1982]

Re: Deity of freedom/outlaws

Hermes was my initial thought as well. I've worked with him before and he has been good for me several times. He might be a good one for you too, Doc.

Hermes was my first thought also. I have just begin working with him though so it may be why he popped into my head.