History Main / TheOldGods

* ''SkywardSword'' introduced more layers to ''TheLegendOfZelda'' pantheon: the Three Goddesses introduced in ''ALinkToThePast'' are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler:[[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]]]], who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Goddesses]] and the embodiments of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...), are introduced.

* ''SkywardSword'' introduced more layers to ''TheLegendOfZelda'' pantheon: the Three Goddesses introduced in ''ALinkToThePast'' are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler:[[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]]]], who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Godesses]] and the embodiements of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...), are introduced.

** Basic D&D Immortals rules. The Immortals are the BD&D equivalent of deities. The Old Ones are a group of extremely powerful beings who as to the Immortals as the Immortals are to mortals. If someone becomes an Immortal and reaches the highest level of Immortality ''twice'', they can join the Old Ones.
** And then there are the Elder Evils, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that the Aboleth remembers. How is this special? The Aboleths were already ancient when the gods came to be, and Elder Evils are/were older than anything the Aboleths can remember. They are not gods, but they are powerful enough to challenge them and pose a treat of world ending proportions. "CosmicHorror" doesn't even begin to describe those horrid beings.

---> ''"Beings that cannot exist inhabit a place that cannot be. Cursed by gods and feared by mortals, these entities fall outside the boundries of life, death, and undeath. They are untouchable by even the most powerful deities, though they can be summoned and used by even the weakest mortal."'' - '''Tome of Magic'''
** Those most powerful god? The'd be the "Uber Deities" even stronger than the mightiest [[DivineRanks Greater Deity]] and so far beyond the gods that while the GodsNeedPrayerBadly, they can afford not to care about such things anymore.

This type of being can occasionally be an AnthropomorphicPersonification or EldritchAbomination. In fact, they usually are if you check most mythologies. They also have a large overlap with {{Precursors}}, for gods at least.

If there's only one of them, see GodOfGods. See also, DivineRanks.

* The "Old Gods" from ''Literature/AmericanGods''.

** Similarly vestigages also fit this mold;

** And then there are the Elder Evils, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that the Aboleth remembers. How is this special? The Aboleths were already ancient when the gods came to be, and Elder Evils are/were older than anything the Aboleths can remember. "CosmicHorror" doesn't even begin to describe those horrid beings.

* ''SkywardSword'' introduced more layers to ''TheLegendOfZelda'' pantheon: the Three Goddesses introduced in ''ALinkToThePast'' are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler: [[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]] ]] who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Godesses]] and the embodiements of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...) are introduced.

* ''SkywardSword'' introduced more layers to ''TheLegendOfZelda'' pantheon: the Three Godesses introduced in ''ALinkToThePast'' are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler: [[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]] ]] who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Godesses]] and the embodiements of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...) are introduced.

* ''SkywardSword'' introduced more layers to the ''TheLegendOfZelda'' pantheon: the Three Godesses introduced in ''ALinkToThePast'' are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler: [[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]] ]] who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Godesses]] and the embodiements of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...) are introduced.

* SkywardSword introduced more layers to the [[TheLegendOfZelda Zelda series]] pantheon: The Three Godesses introduced in ALinkToThePast are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler: [[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]] ]] who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Godesses]] and the embodiements of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...) are introduced alongside more hints that ClarkesThirdLaw applies in Hyrule.

* SkywardSword introduced more layers to the [[TheLegendOfZelda Zelda series]] pantheon: The Three Godesses introduced in ALinkToThePast are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler: [[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]] ]] who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Godesses]] and the embodiements of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...)

* SkywardSword introduced more layers to the [[TheLegendOfZelda Zelda series]] pantheon: The Three Godesses introduces in ALinkToThePast are here called the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gods of Old]] while other less powerful divinities, like [[spoiler: [[BigGood Hylia/Zelda]] and [[BigBad Demise]] ]] who seem to stand somewhere between the [[TheOldGods Golden Godesses]] and the embodiements of natural powers (spirits, dragons, deku trees, great fairies, etc...)

* The "Old Gods" from ''AmericanGods''.

** ''TheDreamers'' has the original male and female creative powers embodied as [[spoiler:the peasant couple Ara and Omago.]]

[[AC:WebComics]]
* The Snarl, resident EldritchAbomination from ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'', is so much more powerful than the gods that it wiped out an entire pantheon in minutes. The remaining gods were able to beat it, but only because it's completely brainless in spite of its power.

* ''{{Exalted}}'': The Primordials, who are basically Greek Titan, but more awesome/terrible. The younger gods they created doesn't like them, and created the eponymous superhumans to do them in.

** Marvel Cosmology is really loaded with this. Those Who Sit In The Shadows are this to Norse Gods. Elder Gods are this to all Earth Gods, Celestials Are This to Elder Gods and all gods worshipped by any race in the Universe and so-called Cube Beings (godlike beings that evolved from Cosmic Cubes) and their equals, Abstracts are this to everybody and Living Tribunal is this to Abstracts. Then we have beings like Primodial Gods, who are apparently older than Abstracts, Galactus who is older than them, coming from previous Universe and equal to Abstracts, several beings of viarous powers older than Galactus and Chaos King who is older that them all, being previous Universe. Then we have bunch of beings like Shuma-Gorath, Dormammu, Stranger, Beyonder, Nemesis who are hard to fit into cosmology, so in the end the only thing clear is that One-Above-All [[TopGod is this to everybody]].
* [[TheSandman The Endless]] - older than any god, respected by them all, personifications of most fundamental conceps, but not gods per se, as gods require faith and Endless don't. Also seems to be above all godlike beings of DCUniverse.

* [TheSandman The Endless]] - older than any god, respected by them all, personifications of most fundamental conceps, but not gods per se, as gods require faith and Endless don't. Also seems to be above all godlike beings of DCUniverse.

* [TheSandman TheEndless]] - older than any god, respected by them all, personifications of most fundamental conceps, but not gods per se, as GodsNeedsPrayerBadly and Endless don't. Also seems to be above all godlike beings of DCUniverse, considering that things like TheBlackestNight aren't significant enough for them to even pay attention.

** In ''TheElenium'', The Elder Gods of Styricum are of the EldritchAbomination variety, before they were overthrown and [[SealedEvilInACan imprisoned]] by the Younger Gods in a [[GreekMythology Titanomachy-esque]] series of events. [[GodOfEvil Azash]] was even [[spoiler:castrated, Cronos style.]]