The deities of other Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings, including those of the default (or "core") setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game, are not generally a part of Forgotten Realms. However, there is some overlap, especially among the deities of nonhuman races. Lolth, the principle deity of the drow in the Forgotten Realms, is specifically described as being the same deity as Lolth in other campaign settings.[1] No mention is made as to whether other deities shared between Forgotten Realms and other campaign settings are intended to represent the same divine entity.
Deities are included in this list only when documented in a Forgotten Realms-specific source[2][1] or otherwise clearly indicated as existing in the setting. For deities in the core setting, see List of deities of Dungeons & Dragons.
Overdeity
Lord Ao is the Overdeity of the Forgotten Realms. He alone can allow new deities to join the pantheons of Forgotten Realms. However, he does not have mortal worshippers or grant spells, interacting with mortals only during the most unusual of circumstances, such as the Time of Troubles.[1] However, it is made clear that even Lord Ao has his own master at the end of The Avatar Series.
Human deities
Faerūnian pantheon
The Faerūnian pantheon includes most deities worshipped by humans in Faerūn, the continent that forms the primary focus of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Many deities in this pantheon originated in separate human cultural pantheons which have since blended and combined, while others are mortals ascended to divinity or arrivals to Abeir-Toril from other worlds or settings through magical means.[1]
Greater deities
Lord Ao is the overgod of Abeir-Toril, who only answers to a superior entity known only as a "being of light."[3] All deities of Toril are subject to him, even those who also operate in other crystal spheres and planes, and he sets it so that gods can "die" from a lack of worship to make them act like guardians of the Balance rather than kings of mortals. The cult of Ao is led by "ministers" instead of clerics, and none of them appear in the afterlife. Ao dictates that no two gods in the same pantheon can have identical portfolios, and when two gods clash, either one god fades from the Realms, the gods merge, or one or both gods alters their porfolio. He is also the creator of the crystal sphere that holds the world of Abeir-Toril, and the crystal also spawned the twin goddesses Selūne and Shar, the first Abeir-Toril deities.[4]
Akadi is the goddess of Movement, Speed, and Air Elementals. Her alignment is primarily Neutral, and the symbol of Akadi is usually represented by a pale cloud on a blue background. Akadi has many allies, including Quorlinn and Syranita, but she is enemies with Grumbar, a fellow greater power. Akadi has no superiors among aerial beings. Ed Greenwood created Akadi for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, inspired by the deity Lassa, created by Michael Moorcock for his Elric stories.[5] Teylas (an aspect of Akadi) is god of sky and storms for the Horde[6][1][7][8]
Asmodeus:God of sin, King of the Nine Hells. Lawful evil. [9][10]
Bane, also known as the "Black Hand" and "Black Lord", is the deity of hatred, fear, and tyranny. Ed Greenwood created Bane for his home Dungeons & Dragons game for the Forgotten Realms, conceiving of him as "the big baddie", with powers "roughly equivalent to" the Babylonian deity Druaga.[11] Bane is commonly worshipped by lawful evil fighters, magic-users, illusionists, assassins, thieves, monks, and clerics.[11] He is formerly part of the Dead Three, a triad of mortals sworn to achieve godhood.[12] Along with Bhaal, and Myrkul, they are granted power by Jergal after a long struggle for power. He has the reputation of never being seen, though stories of a freezing black-taloned hand and eyes of blazing fire spread. He is killed by Torm during the Time of Troubles, though his essence survives. He is kept by his high priests, and he eventually revives.
Chauntea (also called Bhalla[13] and Jannath[14]): Goddess of agriculture, farmers, gardeners, summer. Neutral Good.
Cyric (possibly also called N'asr[14]): God of murder, lies, intrigue, strife, deception, illusion. Chaotic Evil.
Grumbar: God of elemental earth, solidity, changelessness, oaths. True Neutral.
Etugen (aspect of Grumbar): Goddess of the earth, herds, and pastures for the Horde[6]
Istishia: God of elemental water, purification, wetness. True Neutral.
Kelemvor (possibly also called N'asr[14]): God of death, the dead. Lawful Neutral.
Kossuth: God of elemental fire, purification through fire. True Neutral.
Lathander: God of spring, dawn, birth, youth, vitality, athletics. Neutral Good.
Amaunator (also called At'ar[14]): Former god of bureaucracy, law, order, the sun. Faded from lack of worship. Reappears as an evolving aspect of Lathander. Lawful Good.
Oghma (also called Curna[15]): God of knowledge, invention, inspiration, bards. True Neutral.
Selūne (also called Bright Nydra,[16] Elah,[14] and Lucha[15]): Goddess of the moon, stars, navigation, prophecy, questers, good and neutral lycanthropes
Shar: Goddess of dark, night, loss, forgetfulness, unrevealed secrets, caverns, dungeons, the Underdark. Neutral Evil.
Silvanus: God of wild nature, druids. True Neutral.
Talos (also called Bhaelros and Kozah[14]): God of storms, destruction, rebellion, conflagrations, earthquakes, vortices. Chaotic Evil. aspect of Gruumsh
Tempus (also called Tempos): God of war, battle, warriors. Chaotic Neutral.
Loviatar: Goddess of pain, hurt, agony, torment, suffering, torture
Mielikki: Goddess of forests, forest creatures, rangers, dryads, autumn
Tiamat: Goddess of evil dragons, evil reptiles, greed, Chessenta
Tymora: Goddess of good fortune, skill, victory, adventurers
Umberlee: Goddess of oceans, currents, waves, sea winds
Waukeen, also known as "The Merchant's Friend", is the goddess of trade, money, and wealth. She rules over deals done above and below the table, and she believes that mercantile trade is the best road to enrichment. She frowns upon destroying good trade goods, and favors those who oppose the propagation of malicious rumors that could harm someone's commerce. Waukeen's faithful travel the world aiding merchants or staff temples in large cities that serve as moneylenders and change houses. Lliira watched over Waukeen's faithful during the period where Waukeen is enslaved in the Abyss after the Time of Troubles.[1]
Lesser deities
Azuth: God of wizards, mages, spellcasters in general. (now a dead power)
Deneir, also known as "Lord of All Glyphs" and "The Scribe of Oghma", is the deity of literature, art, knowledge, glyphs, images, and cartography. Ed Greenwood created Deneir for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in the Forgotten Realms.[11] He is described as being connected to Oghma, and depicted as an old, balding sage with a flaming white beard, said to have manufactured the artifact Kuroth's Quill and written most magical books and tomes. Deneir is commonly worshipped by magic-users, illusionists, thieves, clerics, as well as characters employed as poets, artists, scribes, and sages.[11]
Eldath: Goddess of quiet places, springs, pools, peace, waterfalls
Lliira: Goddess of joy, happiness, dance, festivals, freedom, liberty
Lurue: Goddess of intelligent beasts,talking beasts
Malar, also known as the "Beastlord", is the deity of the hunt, evil lycanthropes, bestial savagery, and bloodlust. He is a creation of Ed Greenwood, first having been mentioned in print in Greenwood's "Down-to-earth Divinity" article.[11] Malar is said to be black, covered with wet, dripping blood, and having the fangs and clawed forelimbs of a great cat. His dogma concerns savage hunts, the spreading of the curse of lycanthropy, and general contempt for civilization. Hunters make offerings to him before setting forth in the chase, and he is said to manifest himself in berserkers, enraged beasts, and in that type of frenzied human killer that men deem "mad." He is commonly worshiped by chaotic evil fighters, assassins, and clerics.[11]
Sss'thasine'ss (aspect of Talona): venomous creatures[19]
Demideities
Drasek Riven is the god of shadows. He is originally both an assassin and the second of the Five Chosen of Mask, who cares for the Temple on the Wayrock far in the Inner Sea, and awaits the call of the Shadowlord. Although Drasek Riven is a cold-blooded killer, he has a true compassion for his dogs, and once a young mentally handicapped child named Elden, by giving him some juggling balls. He has one eye, which many find unsettling, and a very hard exterior. He becomes a demigod after inheriting a part of Mask's portfolio after the battle with Kesson Rel.
Finder Wyvernspur is the deity of the cycle of life, transformation of art, and saurials, who is raised to divinity by acquiring the divine spark of the deceased god Moander. He is worshiped by bards, musicians, and those who seek to change and diversify the arts. He was originally a member of a family of nobles and a highly accomplished bard. Obsessed with preserving his work, he attempted to create a clone of himself, though the clone, abused by Finder, became violent and ruined his reputation. The Harpers condemned Finder to timeless existence in the Citadel of White Exile and wiped his name and works from the Realms. He is tracked down by Cassana, who helps him to create Alias. He eventually returns to the Realms, helps defeat Moander, and obtains his power.
Garagos, also known as "Targus," "the Reaver," and "Master of All Weapons," is the deity of war, skill-at-arms, destruction, and plunder.[14] He and Tempus are the only pair of deities that violate the otherwise strict rule against two gods of the same pantheon sharing the same portfolio, as both have the portfolio of war. Garagos is wild and reckless, reveling in destruction and slaughter while Tempus values honorable combat; Scholars believe the reason that they do not fight is because Garagos's portfolio would be merged into Tempus' if he were slain, and Tempus hates mindless slaughter and destruction.
Gargauth, also known as the "Tenth Lord of Nine," the "Lost Lord of the Pit," and the "Hidden Lord," is the deity of betrayal, cruelty, political corruption, and powerbrokers. He embodies the inevitable decay and corruption that accompanies all self-serving, greedy, and power-hungry leaders and groups. He shows a veneer of civility and compassion whenever encountered, and he relishes in twisting a contract with someone to serve his own ends by holding only to the letter of the agreement. Gargauth is a master strategist, and his sense of humor moderates his temper. He uses his followers, who constantly seek to increase their personal power, to act as his eyes and ears throughout Faerun. He also has them entice and corrupt powerful individuals and bind them into strict contracts.
Gwaeron Windstrom: God of tracking, rangers of the North
Hoar (also called Assuran): God of revenge, retribution, poetic justice
Jergal: God of fatalism, proper burial, guardian of tombs
Nobanion: God of royalty, lions and feline beasts, good beasts
The Red Knight, also known as "Lady of Strategy" and "Grandmaster of the Lanceboard", is deity of strategy, planning, and tactics. She is depicted as a dark haired woman in red plate armor who wields a longsword called Checkmate. She is elevated to godhood by Tempus, who she looks to as a father figure. Knowing her real name gives power over her, so only Tempus knows of it. She is an ally of Torm and Valkur, and an enemy of Garagos and Cyric.[1][20] Her dogma dictates the use of careful tactics in battle to achieve victory, under the belief that sound strategy is the best way to win a battle with the most favorable outcome.
Rivalen Tanthul: Became a demi god under Shar's service
Savras: God of divination, fate, truth. (now a dead power)
Sharess, also known as "The Dancing Lady" and "Mother of Cats", is the deity of hedonism, sensual fulfillment, festhalls, and cats. She is depicted as a beautiful, voluptuous woman with the head of a cat. She has the individualistic and hedonistic personality of a feline and she is constantly grooming herself to ensure her appearance is always up to standards. Her clergy run many feasthalls throughout large cities, which seek to indulge every pleasure imaginable. She was originally known as Bast, a Mulhorandi patroness of cats, who subsumed the portfolio of Felidae. She fell under the sway of Shar for a time, though she was freed by Sune during The Time of Troubles.
Shiallia, also known as "Dancer in the Glades", "Daughter of the High Forest", and "Lady of the Woods", is the deity of fertility, woodland glades, and growth. She is earthy and charming in a childlike way, she loves playing with the creatures of the woodland, and she is very protective of them.[1] Shiallia's worshippers include druids, nuptial couples, and agricultural workers.[1] Worshippers of Shiallia are described as protectors of nature, spending their lives tending to the earth, planting, and nurturing and looking after the ill.[20] They guide those who are lost in the woods, and sometimes are given the name Silent Helpers. Her scriptures state that the goal of living is to survive and procreate, nature shapes the world, and that death is not to be feared.[1]
Siamorphe: Goddess of nobles, rightful rule of nobility, human royalty
Ulutiu ([21]) is the deity of glaciers, polar environments, and arctic dwellers. He is the father of the Giant Kin races, and he is worshiped by the Arctic Ulutiun peoples of the Great Glacier and the Sea of Moving Ice off Icewind Dale. He is depicted as a very large man with a sullen appearance, and his symbol is a necklace of blue and white ice crystals.[22] He exiles himself after his affair with Othea is discovered by Annam, and Auril is slowly draining his power so that she can subsume his portfolio after his death. [1]
Uthgar, also known as "Father of the Uthgardt" and "Battle Father", is the deity of Uthgardt barbarian tribes and physical strength. His followers consist of many human tribes collectively termed as the Uthgardt barbarians.
Valkur, also known as "The Mighty" and "Captain of the Waves", is the deity of sailors, ships, favorable winds, and naval combat. Valkur's philosophy puts him in conflict with the capricious ocean-goddess Umberlee. Valkur's symbol is a shield bearing a cloud with three lightning bolts, and his favored weapon is a cutlass known as "The Captain's Cutlass".[1] Valkur's dogma emphasises living life with vigor and striving against the elements.[20]
Velsharoon, also known as the Archmage of Necromancy and the Vaunted, is the demigod of necromancy, necromancers, evil liches, lichdom, and undeath. He is seen as a successor to Myrkul, and he is worshiped by many liches, evil mages, and members of the Cult of the Dragon. He teaches that nirvana is achieved through gaining the power, longevity and knowledge of the state between life and death. He wields a staff known as the "Skull Staff of the Necromancer", which is an Imaskari artifact. He is originally a renegade wizard, who uses a set of texts penned by Talos to achieve immortality and divinity by using the blood of adventurers.[23] He later pledges his allegiance instead to Azuth, which enrages Talos, who is stopped by Mystra before he can obtain vengeance.
Quasi-deities
Tchazzar: Dragon-god of battle, Chessenta, strength, victory[24][25]
Kara-Turan pantheon
Most people in the far eastern lands of Kara-Tur follow one of the two philosophical religions called "The Path of Enlightenment" and "The Way". In the island kingdom of Kozakura the worship of a large number of spirits collectively called "The Eight Million Gods" is predominant. The people of Shou Lung believe in the Celestial Bureaucracy headed by the
They in turn are aided by the Lesser Immortals, namely Jade Ladies, Rice Spirits, Moon Women, Spirit Warriors, Ladies of Compassion, the Lords of Karma and the Sages.
Mad Monkey is a demideity of mischief who sometimes helps and sometimes hinders the Celestial Bureaucracy.[28]
Maztican pantheon
Maztica, across the Trackless Sea from Faerūn, has its own unique set of deities.[29]
Azul (also called Calor): God of rain, water, drunkenness[29]
All deities in the Maztican pantheon have aspects that rule over related concepts and ideas. These aspects are worshipped as a large number of individual deities, including Micat, an aspect of Zaltec representing certain kinds of snake venom.[29]. There has been no published effort to list such aspects.
Mulhorandi pantheon
Worshipped almost exclusively in Mulhorand, Thay, and Unther, these deities came to Abeir-Toril when their worshippers were transported from another world.[1][24] The members of the Mulhorandi pantheon are based on deities from Egyptian mythology.
Anhur (L): God of war, conflict, physical prowess, thunder, rain
Geb (L): God of the earth, miners, mines, mineral resources
Hathor (L): Goddess of motherhood, folk music, dance, the moon, fate
Horus-Re (formerly named Horus) (G): God of the sun, vengeance, rulership, kings, life
Isis (also called Ishtar[14]) (I): Goddess of weather, rivers, agriculture, love, marriage, good magic
Nephthys (I): Goddess of wealth, trade, protector of children and the dead
Osiris (I): God of vegetation, death, the dead, justice, harvest
Sebek (D): God of river hazards, crocodiles, werecrocodiles, wetlands
Set (I): God of the desert, destruction, drought, night, rot,snakes, hate, betrayal, evil magic, ambition, poison, murder
Thoth (I): God of neutral magic, scribes, knowledge, invention, secrets
Sharess was formerly a member of the Mulhorandi pantheon, under the name Bast. Now worshipped in wider Faerūn, she is considered a part of the Faerūnian pantheon.
Zakharan pantheon
The deities of Zakhara, to the southeast of Faerūn, differ from other deities in the Forgotten Realms because they do not have a precise portfolio. Instead, each Zakharan deity exemplifies a single characteristic or trait.[30] One common faith in Zakhara is the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods, which is honoring every deity that has ever existed or will exist in the future rather than worshipping any one specific deity.[31]
Zann: God of intelligence and learning[31][30][32]
Additionally, there are an untold number of local deities and demigods, sometimes worshipped in an area as small as a few miles across.[30] More prominent among those are:
Lord of the Ninth: Asmodeus (G) Sin, King of the Nine Hells [9][10]
Dragon deities
Asgorath (also called Io) (G): The Ninefold Dragon, head deity of dragonkind, containing all alignments and father of the other dragon deities.[17][18]
Aasterinian (D): Goddess of learning, invention, pleasure[18] also worshipped as an aspect of Hlal[17]
Zorquan (I): God of the essence of that which is dragons[17]
Tiamat is also worshipped by dragons, but her human following in Chessenta places her in the Faerūnian pantheon.
Drow deities
Collectively, the drow deities are known as the Dark Seldarine.[14]
Eilistraee (I): Goddess of song, beauty, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight. Beheaded with the Crescent Blade wielded by Halisstra Melarn (the Lady Penitent) under the influence of Lolth[34]. (now a dead power)
Kiaransalee (D): Goddess of undead, vengeance. Deceased 1377 DR. Name erased and forgotten[35]. (now a dead power)
Lolth (formerly named Araushnee) (G): Goddess of spiders, evil, darkness, chaos, assassins, drow.
Selvetarm (L): God of drow warriors. Deceased 1375 DR. Beheaded with the Crescent Blade wielded by the Darksong Knight Cavatina Xarann[36]. (now a dead power)
Vhaeraun (L): God of thievery, drow males, evil activity on the surface. Deceased 1375 DR. Killed by Eilistraee[36]. (now a dead power)
Zinzerina Sometimes called the princess of outcasts. A drow demigoddess of deception, and thievery and powerfully chaotic. Slain by Lolth. (now a dead power)
Dwarven deities
Collectively, the dwarven deities (except Deep Duerra and Laduguer) are known as the Morndinsamman.[1]
Some powerful extraplanar creatures are able to grant power to their followers without actually being deities. Cults worshipping archdevils or demon princes are not unknown.[1] Comparably powerful celestial beings, while not typically subjects of worship, can bestow their favor on virtuous mortals in a similar manner.[40]
Malkizid: Fallen Solar Angel of Corellon Larethian who was tempted by Nerull to kill the elven god.
After being cast out of the Seldarine, Araushnee became the demon prince Lolth before reclaiming her divinity as leader of the Dark Seldarine.[24]
Paragons
Archon
The archon paragons, collectively known as the Celestial Hebdomad, are the celestial embodiment of the lawful good alignment. In the Forgotten Realms, they work most closely with the god Tyr.[9]
The guardinal paragons, Talsid and the Five Companions, are the celestial embodiment of the neutral good alignment. In the Forgotten Realms, they take a more subsidiary role than in other campaign settings due to the larger number of nature deities.[9]
Deities in the Forgotten Realms can at times be slain, fade away from lack of worship, or have their power usurped by others.
Untheric pantheon
The people of Unther and their deities (based on Babylonian and Sumerian mythology) arrived at the same time and in the same manner as the Mulhorandi, but war between those two empires and against orcish hordes have claimed most of the Untheric pantheon, now the largest identifiable group of dead deities. The remaining members of the pantheon, Assuran (now Hoar), Ishtar (as Isis), and Tiamat, have survived by finding wider worship elsewhere in Faerūn.[24]
Gilgeam: Former god of battle, prowess, strength, Unther. Slain by Tiamat.[24].
Nanna-Sin: Former God of The Moon and protection against Evil. Slain by an unnamed orc deity.[24]
Nergal: Former god of the underworld.[14] Slain by an unnamed orc deity.[24]
Ramman: Former god of duty, order, vigilance, war. Slain by Hoar.[24].
Utu: Former God of the Sun and Justice. Slain by an unnamed orc deity.[24]
Others
Amaunator (also called At'ar[14]): Former god of bureaucracy, law, order, the sun. Faded from lack of worship. Reappears as an evolving aspect of Lathander.
Auppenser, also known as "Our Lord of Reason", "The Master of Thought", and "The Serene One", is the deity of Balance, Mentalism, Protection, Psionics, and Strength. He is initially relatively powerful, worshiped by human and demihuman psions, monks, and psychic warriors, and all manner of psionic creatures such as blues and duergar. After the collapse of Jhaamdath, his main place of worship, he loses most of his followers and goes into a deep slumber to keep existing.[24] Auppenser is a strong-minded deity given over as much to deep contemplation as he is to decisive action. The god of psionics possesses a calm demeanor, as one completely confident in his clear-thinking ways. He strives to uphold the Balance wherever psionics are involved.
Bhaal: Former god of assassination, murder, violence. Slain by Cyric and Mask.[24]
Kalzareinad: Former god of the uncaring, evil, or selfish application of dragon magic. Slain by Kareska.[17]
Karsus: very briefly (a matter of minutes) a former god of magic and hubris, after, as a mortal man, he stole the powers of the first goddess of magic with a powerful magical spell, which caused magic to cease during his attempt. Died following the sacrifice of Mystryl to restore the proper functioning of magic in the Realms.
Kiputytto: Former goddess of sickness. Slain by Talona.[44]
Myrkul: Former god of corruption, the dead, death, old age. Slain by Mystra.[24]
Mystra: The reincarnated Mystryl and former goddess of magic, spells, and the Weave. Slain by Helm during the Time of Troubles and replaced by the mortal woman Midnight (who now goes by Mystra's name).
Mystryl: Original goddess of magic created by the combined essences of Selūne and Shar. Sacrificed herself to repair the damage caused by Karsus's ascension.
Othea: Former goddess of giants, motherhood. Slain by Lanaxis, one of her children.
Ra: Former Mulhorandi god of the sun. Slain by Gruumsh.[24]
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