Controversy over Roman Gods

The thing I think you're missing here, Rosepetal, is that readers will automatically default to their own religious beliefs because it's what they know. When you use words that their religion uses without a specific (and dramatized) re-definition, then there is nothing in the story to defy that default assumptions.

If you are familiar with ancient religions, then you know that the words don't mean the same as the Judeo/Christian defaults people have today. I've read your first several chapters and you do nothing to redefine those words or point out that Roman beliefs and practices are any different than what is standard American Christian.

Basically, you're not selling your Roman setting and religion as being historical or any different than today. You have a few Latin names for the shrines in the home, but it doesn't sound all that different than I've seen in some modern Roman Catholic homes. It isn't even reading as a form of Paganism.

Define the religion however you wish, but you've got to sell it to the reader as appropriate to the historical period you're writing about. You say you've done the research, that you understand what was--but what you say you know isn't in your prose. Put it in there and make it work within the story and when some of your readers (when, not if) say you're wrong, apologize or inform them or whatever you want to do--but know what's right for your story and make it work in the prose.

If what you have in your story is what you need in the story, then ignore all of us and keep writing. That's all that matters is that you're true to your vision and get it on the page.

Anything else doesn't really matter.

ishtar'sgate said:

I

All I can speak to is Babylonian culture and there were many people who were devout and faithful but it came from a different place - not a desire to serve the god out of any kind of gratitude but a desire not to be punished - fear - or a desire for physical gratification - lust. They were also horribly afraid of dying and having their graves left unattended because they believed they'd starve in the afterlife if no one left food at their grave every day. Then they'd have to come back as ghostlike creatures to haunt the streets in search of food. This mindset did not make for any kind of faithfulness or devotion as we know it.

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I dropped out of this really interesting discussion to finish my rewrite which is in part about exactly this. My heroine spends her time placating the gods of whom she is justly terrified. She's a very devout person and an honourable by her lights, but she kills rather a lot of people in the course of the book, is vengeful, unforgiving and sometimes cruel. I don't know what my editor will make of it as it is for kids, but you have to be true to the culture you're writing about IMHO anyway

timewaster said:

I I don't know what my editor will make of it as it is for kids, but you have to be true to the culture you're writing about IMHO anyway

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Well, depending on the age group kids are a pretty bloodthirsty lot.

rosepetal720 said:

I agree with Zornhau. Most foriegn gods easily adapted to Roman belief systems because Romans felt people called the same gods by different names.

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Yet at times, the worship of Isis was frowned upon and the worship of Bacchus was firmly suppressed.