Gods

Gods and goddesses are divine beings of various races who have ascended beyond mortality. Many different gods have come and gone from Gielinor throughout its history, some leaving a bigger mark on it than others. The power of the gods varies, but they are all considered to be more powerful than any mortal. Most origins of the gods are unknown, but a few are known to have ascended from mortality to divinity, gaining great powers in doing so, and some are known to have been created intentionally or unintentionally by other gods.

Most gods represent a philosophy or a world view, which affect the titles they have taken or been given by their followers. They are not embodiments of the elements they are attributed, but merely use it as a reflection of what they believe. These philosophies and their interpretations have led to many triumphs and achievements, but also to conflict and war, with the most widely known example being the God Wars, where several different godly factions fought each other for power, territory, etc. The end of the God Wars, established by the creation of the Edicts of Guthix, resulted in the gods being unable to directly influence their followers, thus leaving the mortals to their own interpretation and understanding of the gods.

Gods

Guthix

Main article: Guthix

Guthix is the god of balance and nature, rumoured to be the most powerful god known. Guthix came to Gielinor as the First Age began, astounded by its beauty and sought to share it with mortals, whom he believed would live in accordance to his belief of balance. This included humans, gnomes, dwarves, and elves. Guthix created the runestones allowing the mortals to harness and utilise the power of magic. Guthix does not desire worship and as such removed himself from the world, and went to sleep somewhere deep beneath the earth. When the God Wars raged across the lands, Guthix awoke from his slumber, retaliated against, and banished most of the gods with the Edicts of Guthix. Afterwards Guthix returned to his slumber, not to be heard from again.

Saradomin

Main article: Saradomin

Saradomin is the god of order and wisdom, and by many of his followers considered the god of good. He has a large following among humans on Gielinor, and has more churches and temples dedicated to him than any other god. Saradomin descended on Gielinor, specifically on the island of Entrana, at some point during the Second Age. He was a major combatant in the God Wars following his soon-to-be mortal enemy Zamorak's rise to power.

Zamorak

Main article: Zamorak

Zamorak is the god of chaos. He was a Mahjarrat general in the service of Zaros, and ascended to godhood after betraying and stabbing Zaros with the Staff of Armadyl. Zamorak's rise to power eventually led to the God Wars, which Zamorak and his followers were major combatants in. Zamorak is considered to be the god of evil by many, and many of the antagonists encountered during various quests are associated with him, but this doesn't necessarily reflect the true philosophy of Zamorak.

Armadyl

Main article: Armadyl

Armadyl is the god of justice and law, the patron god of the aviansie and the namesake of the legendary Staff of Armadyl. He also fought in the God Wars, but left Gielinor in mourning, when he thought his aviansie had been wiped out.

Bandos

Main article: Bandos

Bandos is the god of war and known to most of his followers as the Big High War God. His following consists of various races such as goblins, ogres, orks, hobgoblins, trolls, and ourgs. He came to Gielinor as the God Wars raged, eager to participate in the war, as Bandos sought glory in battle.

Zaros

Main article: Zaros

Zaros is an almost forgotten god associated with fate, control, and darkness. Zaros was the leader of the greatest empire in Gielinor's history, spanning great land masses of the main continent. He was overthrown by his general Zamorak, an event that eventually led to the God Wars, where Zaros's once great empire was torn asunder by a combined effort of Saradomin and Zamorak, reducing the once mighty empire to nothing and Zaros's following to a mere handful.

Seren

Main article: Seren

Seren is the crystalline goddess of peace, growth, and light, and patron goddess of the elves. She became the elves' patron goddess after being enamoured by them on their home world Tarddiad. Seren was the second god to set foot on Gielinor after Guthix personally invited her to this world with her elves. When the God Wars ended and all the powerful deities were banished from Gielinor, Seren instead chose to shatter herself so that she could remain with her elves.

Tumeken

Main article: Tumeken

Tumeken is the god of light and the Sun and patriarch of the Menaphite Pantheon, an octet of gods being worshipped by people in the Kharidian Desert, from Al Kharid to Menaphos. He is the husband of Elidinis and created Icthlarin and Amascut with her help as their son and daughter. He also created 4 divine avatars from his essence: Apmeken, Crondis, Het, and Scabaras. Tumeken supposedly died during the Second Age sacrificing himself in a blast of fire to end the Kharidian–Zarosian War by annihilating the invading Zarosian forces as well as his own troops.

Elidinis

Main article: Elidinis

Elidinis is the goddess of fertility and associated with the River Elid. She is the wife of Tumeken and created Icthlarin and Amascut with him as their son and daughter. Following the Kharidian–Zarosian War, Elidinis retired to mourn the fates of her husband and daughter. She forged an alliance with Saradomin during the God Wars, which supposedly kept the Kharidian Desert relatively safe until the last millennia of the Third Age. She is mainly worshipped in the city of Nardah.

V

Main article: V

V is a god of Fremennik descent. He ascended to godhood by exposure to the Stone of Jas. He was the creator of the Runic altars and founder of the Moon Clan. Among the Fremenniks, V is a legendary hero and is revered and respected as such, rather than worshipped as a god, which is said to be what V preferred. His true name is unknown, but he's commonly referred to as V.

Elder Gods

While the term "Elder Gods" has not been mentioned directly, the Elder Gods have been confirmed to be canon in Old School RuneScape, and three of them have been referenced ingame so far. Not much is known about them, but their capabilities appear to be beyond that of other gods. Those capabilities include the power to create gods, as well as the power to create artefacts like the Stone of Jas and Staff of Armadyl, which are capable of ascending someone to godhood and transferring godhood between two beings, respectively, as well as the capability to create entire races of beings. Although they have not yet been referenced in Old School RuneScape, two more Elder Gods exist in RuneScape 3: Bik and Wen.

Jas

Main article: Jas

Jas is an ancient deity who created the Stone of Jas, an immensely powerful artefact that has played a significant role in the history of Gielinor. She magically bound the Dragonkin to the Stone, forcing them to act as its protectors against their will.

Mother of Seren

Main article: Mother of Seren

The Mother of Seren (who is known as Mah in RuneScape 3) is an ancient deity. She is the creator of Seren and her brother.

Ful

Main article: Ful

Ful is the likely name of the deity served by the Tasakaal.

Demi-gods

There are several sentient beings in the world of Gielinor that were created by gods and imbued with divine essence. However they cannot be considered full gods due to their lack of power and the fact that Guthix allowed them to stay on Gielinor at the end of the God Wars.

Icthlarin

Main article: Icthlarin

Icthlarin is the jackal-headed demi-god and guardian of the dead and the Underworld. He, along with Amascut, was created by Tumeken from his and Elidinis' essence, making him very powerful but not truly divine. He is responsible for guiding the souls of the dead to their afterlife, as well as protecting them from his sister.

Amascut

Main article: Amascut

Amascut, the Devourer, is the demi-goddess of destruction, formerly being the demi-goddess of rebirth. She, along with Icthlarin, was created by Tumeken from his and Elidinis' essence, making her very powerful but not truly divine. Amascut became warped as a result of the Kharidian–Zarosian War and was eventually cursed by her clergy to prevent her destructiveness. The curse waned over the millennia and Amascut began hunting down her father's four avatars among other sources of power in an effort to ascend to true divinity.

Apmeken

Main article: Apmeken

Apmeken is the baboon-headed avatar of Tumeken representing companionship. Originally a wild baboon, she was gifted a fraction of divine essence from Tumeken after displaying a sociable, playful, and sharing nature towards her fellow baboons. She can appear with different types of monkey heads to display various natures.

Crondis

Main article: Crondis

Crondis is the crocodile-headed avatar of Tumeken representing modesty and resourcefulness. Originally a wild crocodile, she was gifted a fraction of divine essence from Tumeken after displaying modesty, resourcefulness, and patience by only hunting and eating what she needed.

Het

Main article: Het

Het is the human-headed avatar of Tumeken representing health both mental and physical. Originally a regular human, he was considered a pristine example of strength by Tumeken, holding up a mountain pass to allow others passage, thus he honoured his strength of mind and body by gifting him a fraction of divine essence.

Scabaras

Main article: Scabaras

Scabaras is the scarab-headed avatar of Tumeken representing isolation and tranquillity. Originally a scarab beetle, he was gifted a fraction of divine essence from Tumeken after inspiring tranquillity in him, but also reminding him of the effects of isolation.

Dubious gods

There are also some beings that are considered divine by specific individuals and groups, but there is a general lack of evidence of their divinity and even their existence.

Brassica Prime

Main article: Brassica Prime

Brassica Prime is the cabbage god and patron god of all cabbages.

In RuneScape 3, Brassica Prime returned to Gielinor along with other gods after the assassination of Guthix, thus being confirmed as a true deity.

Marimbo

Main article: Marimbo

Marimbo is the patron goddess of the monkeys, and worshipped by the monkeys of Ape Atoll.

In RuneScape 3, Marimbo returned to Gielinor along with other gods after the assassination of Guthix, thus being confirmed as a true deity.

Karamjan gods

Main article: Karamjan gods

The Karamjan gods are a group of gods worshipped by some people native to Karamja. Little is known of them, but they have a shrine in Tai Bwo Wannai.

In RuneScape 3, they consist of a trio of demi-gods: Shaika, her husband Kharazi, and their daughter Raharni.

Ralos

Main article: Ralos

Ralos is the god of the sun within the religion of Losanium and brother of Ranul. He is worshipped by the majority of the people of Varlamore. He is said to be born from a giant burst of energy before the world began. He is said to preach positivity, acceptance, and living life to the fullest.

Ranul

Main article: Ranul

Ranul is the god of the moon within the religion of Losanium and brother of Ralos. While far less popular than his brother, he is still worshipped by some of the people of Varlamore and a long-lost cult of druids in Great Kourend. He is said to be born from darkness and to preach embracing of life as well as death, respecting the dead, pursuing knowledge, and uncovering the mysteries of the world.

The Kendal

Main article: The Kendal (God)

The Kendal is a being from the legends of the Mountain Tribe. A man impersonated the Kendal by dressing up in a bear suit to frighten the local populace and keep them at bay. There is however little proof that the Kendal is an actual deity.

The Kayzertief

Main article: Kayzertief

The Kayzertief is an enigmatic entity mentioned only in the disjointed mutterings of Rakkar, the sole inhabitant of the Fishing Hamlet. He is associated with the ocean, as Rakkar claims that he remains asleep "beyond the reef, within the deep", and soon after speaks of "their watery hall". The Kayzertief may also be related to the snakestone, which is fished up out of the sea by one of Rakkar's fellow Fremenniks, who is then driven mad by its whispers and begins drinking seawater, stating that it will "bring him closer to the gods".

Deity of the Silent Choir

Main article: Silent Choir

A mysterious entity was worshipped by the Silent Choir cult of the Lassar Undercity, who were driven to believe in its existence after they were enthralled by the Ancient Pillar placed in the undercity. While no name was given to this entity, nor was any appearance of it made, the extreme powers of the Ancient Pillar may suggest that such an entity actually exists. A similar Ancient Pillar can be found on Mos Le'Harmless, not far from the cave horrors who live in the nearby cave and wear masks made out of a black stone. The deity is associated with madness, blackstone, the seas, curses, necromancy, and the Shadow Realm, which is similar to Xau-Tak in RuneScape 3. Its associations with madness and the seas are also shared with the Kayzertief, possibly connecting the two.

False gods

There are several beings in the world of Gielinor who are considered gods by specific groups and inviduals, but are known to not be divine.

Iban

Main article: Iban

Iban was a powerful undead mage claiming to be the son of Zamorak himself, leading a cult from his temple in the Underground Pass. Iban was a Kinshra officer who was killed by the White Knights in the operation Dawn Ascent. His corpse was salvaged by the witch Kardia, who resurrected him through necromancy in the Underground Pass. Iban grew immensely powerful and gathered a group of disciples, creating mindless creatures known as the Soulless from people who dared enter the cave. A brave adventurer managed to destroy Iban by creating an effigy of Iban infused with various parts of Iban's being and throwing it into the Well of the Damned.

Bob

Main article: Bob (cat)

Bob is an enigmatic cat and reincarnation of Robert the Strong, a famed hero of the Fourth Age. Players can construct an Icon of Bob in their chapel in their player-owned house, which will dedicate the chapel to him (except the altar, which will have Saradomin's symbol). Other than that, there is nothing that connects Bob to the divine.

Gnome Child

Main article: Gnome child

Much like Bob the Jagex cat, the divinity of the Gnome Child is implicit only in the fact that a chapel can be dedicated to him by enshrining a gnome child icon in the icon space. This icon is also graced with a poem, which expresses that "he watches you with interest / but will not intervene". This could be thought to imply that the Gnome Child is bound by the Edicts of Guthix, but most likely is just a consequence of the fact that he is not a god. While the case for his divinity is poor, there is some justification for ascribing the title of prophet to him: most notably during the 2020 Birthday event, the Gnome Child would utter short prophetic statements when spoken to. Already during the 2016 Birthday event, the Gnome Child claimed to be "incomprehensible to those of lesser perception."

Zulrah

Main article: Zulrah

Zulrah is a powerful serpent created during the Dragonkin Conflicts by an unnamed dragonkin. Originally seen as a failure, Zulrah was discarded into the Poison Waste where it has resided since.

Zulrah is considered a god by the people of Zul-Andra, a small village of lost people settled on the coast by the Poison Waste. They see Zulrah as their god and offer villagers as sacrifices, who willingly sacrifice themselves to Zulrah, considering it an honour as well as securing their relatives an extra large amount of sacred eels Zulrah provides.

Xeric

Main article: Xeric

Xeric, formerly known as King Shayzien VII, was a very powerful warlock ruling the kingdom of Great Kourend almost a thousand years ago. He is considered a god by the Lizardmen, whom he is thought to have created, although there is evidence that they came into existence before him. He is however still noted for the prosperity he brought to the race. Xeric increased vastly in power by using the Dark Altar and shed his mortal body to step towards immortality. He was regarded with a combination of fear and awe from his followers. He created the Chambers of Xeric, where he sought to increase his power by using the mysterious crystals found within it. The Chambers of Xeric and its content stand as a symbol of Xeric's power, but it doesn't answer the question whether he truly ascended to godhood.

Vasa Nistirio

Main article: Vasa Nistirio

Vasa Nistirio was the former High Priest of Xeric. He was very adept in magic and served Xeric for years. When Xeric was exiled, Nistirio accompanied him to Mount Quidamortem where they found huge amounts of magic crystals. Just like his master, Nistirio used the magic of these crystals to increase his powers. Nistirio's great arrogance, growing madness, and insatiable hunger for more power eventually led him to believe himself a god and he tried to subjugate Xeric, only to be defeated, imprisoned, and enslaved as a guardian in the Chambers of Xeric.

Founder of House Vitur

The founder of House Vitur was an ancient vampyre worshipped as a god by the rest of his house, as well as some sapient creatures of Vampyrium, who would willingly sacrifice themselves in awe of him. He was the ancestor of Verzik Vitur and the original owner of the Scythe of Vitur.

Evil Chicken

Main article: Evil Chicken

The Evil Chicken is worshipped by Nesty, who has built a shrine for the chicken. The Chicken Shrine in Zanaris is another place where this creature is worshipped. Stories about the chicken can be read in the Book on chickens.

The Magic Egg

The Magic Egg – also known as the 'Omlettesiah'; 'Great round one'; 'Great golden one'; 'Mighty yolk'; and 'Almighty egg' – was an inanimate object worshipped by the inhabitants of the Rabbit Realm, which the player visited during the 2020 Easter event. After being found by Duke Rabbacio on the shores of Bunbridge, the Duke devoted himself to the Magic Egg and took it upon himself to interpret and execute its commands, which he believed served "a greater good than we can understand". The bunnies of Bunbridge also partook in an annual celebration known as 'Egg Descendance Day', and built a house of worship they referred to as the 'church of the egg'.