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I need a word to classify the things that a god is the god of. Lets take Zeus and lightning for example. If Zeus is god of lighting, what does that make lightning to him. It is one of his ???.

For a more clear example take Dionysus god of wine making. Wine making is his main ???.

Only thing I can think of is something like ability or responsibility but neither of those seem to fit very well.

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    Roger Zelazny uses attribute for such abilities in "Lord of Light".
    – Peter
    Commented Aug 15 at 4:50
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    For monotheists, 'attributes' describes aspects of the nature of God.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Aug 15 at 10:28
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    This question might be a better fit with Mythology & Folklore. In any case, I foresee some difficulty arising when it comes to allegorical gods, whose names double as common nouns for whatever they are gods of (Love, Dawn, Night, Death, etc.). This doubling is the more perfect in that the Greek written language lacked case distinctions in the classical and earlier periods. In Symposium, Plato shamelessly exploits the resulting possibility for equivocation.
    – Brian Donovan
    Commented Aug 15 at 13:20
  • Note, religious terminology varies by religion. "Avatar," e.g., is relevant for Vishnu but not necessarily Zeus. Also, codifying deities by their "powers," like lightning or magic hammers, might be imposing an outside structure on them, perhaps more informed by superheroes and D'n'D than the original perspectives. "God of X" more often "God in charge of protecting or providing for X."
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Aug 15 at 16:02
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    @Wastrel Well, "powers" is mentioned only in the title. The question isn't the clearest, but by mentioning Dionysus and wine, I suspect that the OP does actually want "the thing the God governs were provides for," in which case I think "domain" is the best answer and have upvoted.
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Aug 16 at 14:40

13 Answers 13

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Domain

Domain is a sphere of influence or control. This word may suit you well.

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    This would benefit from some examples, I think. E.g. 'wine-making is his main domain'; 'lightning is in Zeus' domain'.
    – aantia
    Commented Aug 15 at 14:23
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    Or, to sound extra fancy, consider "demesne". Though that may have some Old-World legal connotations.
    – Doug Warren
    Commented Aug 15 at 14:34
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    @DougWarren No, that means something completely different.
    – GentlePurpleRain
    Commented Aug 15 at 16:31
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    "Domain" is what D&D uses.
    – Calion
    Commented Aug 15 at 16:34
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    Or, I guess more to the point, if you said "Zeus's demense", that might imply to me "Mt. Olympus" or "A temple to Zeus and the surrounding lands". Since Zeus is, at least in the imagination, a person who could own physical land and not just concepts.
    – Kaia
    Commented Aug 15 at 19:09
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I think the word you may be looking for is Aspect

I think this works especially well when using it to describe something or someone that has received some power. "Aspect of Zeus" or "Aspect of Lightning" seem to fit well to describe such an attribute.

I feel it fits well because it is less casual than something like "power", and more descriptive than something like "attribute".

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    You also hear aspect used to refer to different parts/sides of a deity: The aspect of Athena Promachos, her role as a war goddess, vs her aspect as goddess of crafts, Athena Ergane. I'm not sure if it's technically theologically correct to say Christians believe the parts of the trinity are aspects of god, but you hear people describe it that way frequently.
    – Kaia
    Commented Aug 15 at 19:25
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Remit could work.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remit#dictionary-entry-2:

British : an area of responsibility or authority

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While I agree that Domain is a good answer, you might also consider

Portfolio

This is an adaptation of a usage more commonly found in politics or government:

In politics, a portfolio is a high-ranking official's responsibility for a particular area of a government's activities.
A government inquiry recommended that he never again hold the defense portfolio.

For example, you could say that the portfolio of Hades included death, the underworld, and riches.

The Faiths and Avatars book of 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons expressed this as:

A portfolio was a list of things that all true deities possessed. The portfolio of a deity determined the area of interest that it both represented and had power over. Ideas, emotions, [species] of creatures, [traditions] of magic, and other topics related to mortal existence could all become part of a deity's portfolio.

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One work I've seen used for this concept - specifically, I think, in Dwarf Fortress' procedurally generated religion system, is sphere, I think to abbreviate or evoke the term sphere of influence.

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You pose an interesting question. I used to have books about God's and Goddesses. Lightning would be Zeus' creative element, I suppose.

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Property, perhaps?

a quality or trait belonging and especially peculiar to an individual or thing

[Merriam-Webster]

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If you reverse the statement, then patron might work.

You could say that Zeus is the patron of lightning, Dionysus the patron of wine-making, Athena the patron of Athens. I believe that the ancients would speak this way, as they had an established system of patronage in Ancient Rome, for example. Similarly, some Christian traditions venerate patron saints who are believed to advocate for particular places, trades, crafts, or actions.

I know that's not exactly what you're looking for, but just throwing it out there in case it sparks something. I do believe that there is a word for the thing that a person, saint, or god is patron of, but it escapes me right now.

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When it comes to lightning, it can also be seen as a weapon of Zeus—specifically, the Thunderbolt. This is often described as Zeus's signature weapon or source of power.

Zeus's lightning bolt (a.k.a. Thunderbolt, a.k.a. Master bolt) is the signature weapon and symbol of power for the Olympian god of thunder; Zeus.

mythus.fandom.com

I believe the word domain is more fitting when referring to the sky or weather. Realm can work too but it is usually used for places like Olympus or the Underworld in mythology.

The sky is the domain of Zeus.

When discussing gods like Dionysus, things become more complex. While he is associated with many domains, wine-making isn't necessarily his primary one; rather, it can be viewed as one of his signature abilities or powers.

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Ward: The protective care or guardianship of someone or something

Appurtenance:

  1. A belonging or accessory associated with a property
  2. The fact or state of having a connection to, or being related to, something else
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If you're ok with a two-word phrase, "divine attribute" might work.

I'm most familiar with it in a Christian context (e.g.: Catholic encyclopedia) but I don't think there's any reason that it doesn't make sense more generally.

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Essence

This is the word often used in christian theology to describe God. But fits also gods like Zeus and Dionysus.

The essence of God is that by which he is absolutely the first being.

The phrase “Essence of God” is a theological term used to refer to God’s personal characteristics, or to the facets of His personality. Sometimes the term “Attributes of God” is used to refer to God’s essence. The “attributes”, or the “essence”, of God are His primary characteristics, so they cannot be completely communicated to man. They can be described to a degree, but they cannot be fully defined.

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    'Lightning does not find existence outside of Zeus'. Really?
    – jsw29
    Commented Aug 16 at 20:08
  • I like the spirit of this answer, but if one says lightning does not find existence outside of Zeus, wouldn't that mean Zeus is the essence of lightning? (as opposed to the other way around)
    – jecado
    Commented Aug 16 at 20:12
  • @jsw29 yes. As Zeus is a god of Lightning all lightning comes from/through him.
    – Piro
    Commented Aug 17 at 21:18
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    @Piro "There is no Zeus if there is no lightning" seems to assert that at no point ever can Zeus be idling on Mt. Olympus; he must always be in a state of actively zapping things, or he would cease to exist. Is this what you have in mind?
    – jecado
    Commented Aug 18 at 18:18
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    @jecado not exactly, but every time there is a lightning it is a work of Zeus. I decided to remove the third example since reading more about Zeus it does not really fit to this case.
    – Piro
    Commented Aug 19 at 4:15
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While I think Xanne's domain is the best answer, I have also seen the term precept used this way.

(Context: the lore in Fall from Heaven, a fantasy mod for the Civilization IV computer game.)

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    A god's "precepts" are normally their decrees/orders. If a game has its own specialized usage, that's not relevant here.
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Aug 15 at 22:48
  • Hmm. That's true, that is what precept normally means. But it doesn't sound wrong to me used as I have suggested. I think in context, it evokes the meaning of a "concept", but more primordial. But I don't understand what the "cept" root does in "concept", so I'm not sure if manipulating the word in that way makes any sense.
    – jecado
    Commented Aug 16 at 19:58

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