How to Create a Religion for a Fictious Work

Last Updated: November 22, 2021

If you're an author, screenwriter, or video game loreist (a person that writes video game lore), you may be interested in world-building that requires creating a fictional religion. In this article, we'll show you how to create a fantasy world with a realistic religion that makes sense for your characters and setting.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating the First God

1
Figure out a name for your god, goddess or assorted deities. It should sound original, with a touch of Greek, if you wish. For example, Strong God Philiicities.
2
Give the god a title. Notice how it says that he is the "Strong God" Philiicities. That's his title. Maybe he always has to be referred to in that context, otherwise your characters have broken the rules of your work's universe and must be condemned to death, thrown into the wilderness, or something like that.

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3
Figure out how your characters worship your god or goddess. Do they gather around a large shrine in groups of eight and chant a crazy song? Or perhaps they put their feet together while doing a handstand with their eyes closed? It's your call.
4
Give your characters symbols to refer to your God or Goddess by. The Strong God Philiicities' symbols, for example, are the Shield, representing the ability to protect others, and the Sword, representing the ability to fight your enemies.
5
Decide whether this deity is sufficient for your world or whether more deities are needed. If you need more, proceed to the next part.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating the Other Gods

1
Repeat the steps outlined in Part 1 to create more gods. The same considerations apply for any God or Goddess you make up.
- For example, Caring Goddess Aria: She must always be referred to as the "Caring Goddess" Aria, she is worshiped by gathering around a large tree in a pond and closing your eyes while in a circle with other people (the circle must be large enough to surround the tree), where you then say your prayers to her and leave after saying "Peace". Her symbols are the humble Tree, which represents growth, and the tiny Egg, representing something you must care for.
2
Figure out how each of your deities are related to the other Gods and Goddesses you've made up. For example, the Caring Goddess Aria is the Strong God Philiicites' sister. You have the protector and the caretaker, who are also brother and sister, respectively. It's a perfect match.
3
Repeat the process for each deity you make up. You might want to have a lot, one, or only two. Your call.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Pulling the Religion Together

1
Create a backstory. How did your deity or deities come to be? How did they create the universe or world? Did one of them try to destroy their creation? These are the kinds of things your backstory must answer, and more.
- Read books about creation myths and other myths related to deities. Joseph Campbell's various collection of stories about myths is a good place to refer to. Some of these works can be found by searching for his name online.
2
Display the more intricate details of the backstory and extra information in a holy book. This step might be most applicable if you're making a video game but it depends on how much detail you wish to incorporate into your creative work of any type. Some people (like the members of the Shoddy Cast) like to read all the in-game lore, so you might as well make a huge holy book for the players to read if they take the countless hours to do so (that and people might make your religion real if your fictitious work is famous enough, so they'll need something).
3
Let the characters (or players and readers) work out for themselves which deities are good and which ones are bad. Make the deity's temperament clear from their actions or attitudes (although it's nice to complicate things and show a little of good and evil in your deities, depending on the context.) Make it so that the readers or players can make this decision for themselves, based on the backstory, the holy book (if you have made a detailed one or you've detailed passages from it in your writing), and their own personal preferences.
- For example, the Strong God Philiicities saw the planet of Itchidora's inhabitants as a nuisance and began to attempt to wipe out the planet before the Caring Goddess Aria trapped him in a prison in the middle of the planet. Some of your characters might think that the Strong God Philiicities was misunderstood and would gladly die for a god, while others might side with the Caring Goddess Aria and decide that the Strong God Philiicities deserved to be imprisoned. Either that or some people might be mind-controlled by the Strong God Philiicities (or struck a deal) and are trying to free him.