Council of Godheads (chiefs of Earth's Pantheons)

COUNCIL of GODHEADS

Purpose: To unite the power of the various pantheons of gods for major threats or concerns

Affiliations: People of Earth (primarily the descendants of their worshippers)

Enemies: Celestials, Thanos

Base of Operations: Some interdimensional meeting place

Aliases: Council Elite

First Appearance: Thor I#300 (October, 1980)

History:
(Thor I#300 (fb))- Around 1000 years ago, the alien Celestials forced the gods of Earth to sever relations with mortals and stop trafficking on Earth. Attempts to identify all of the above gods start here.

(Thor I#301)- In order to save the Asgardian gods, who had been killed when the Celestials melted the Destroyer, which had been housing their life forces--Thor visited each of the Godheads, petitioning them to donate a portion of life force. Each Godhead eventually agreed to donate, and the Asgardian gods were resurrected

(Thor Annual#10)- Odin petitioned the Godheads to each send a delegate to oppose Demogorge. Definitely - Odin, and (from left to right) Zeus (Olympian), Vishnu (Hindu), Buluku (African), Osiris (Egyptian), Tezcatlipoca (Mexican), and Izanagi (Japanese).
The small bit of face in the corner could be Manitou (Native American) since he sent Tawa, and we're not sure about the guy in the helmet below Tezcalipoca.

(Infinity Gauntlet#2)- The Godheads met in Asgard to discuss the disappearance of half of the beings in the universe. Those present were Itzamna (Mayan), Manitou (Native American), Nuada/Nuadhu (Celtic), Odin (see comments) (Asgardian), Osiris (Egyptian), Svarog (Russian), Tezcatlipoca (Mexican), and Zeus (Olympian).

(Marvel Universe: The End#2) - A group of Godheads met to discuss the actions of Akhenaten against humanity: Atar (Vedic/Persian), Horus (Egyptian), Hunab Ku (Mayan), Izanagi (Japanese), Ndriananahary (African), Shou-Hsing (Chinese), Thor (Asgardian), Vishnu (Hindu), Zeus (Olympian). They also discussed summoning Those of the Forgotten Realm. Horus, who was most familiar with Akhenaten used the Eye of Ra to spy on the powerful being, but Akhenaten detected them and attacked, destroying all present, except Thor and Zeus, who managed to flee.

(Marvel Universe: The End#4 (BTS))- Thanos gained the virtually unlimited power of the Heart of the Infinite and altered time so that Akhenaten never gained his power, effectively undoing his actions and restoring those he had destroyed. However, to those who could understand or even remember what had happened, these actions were seen as the replacement of one threat with another, perhaps even worse.

(Marvel Universe: The End#5-6)- The Godheads joined together with a multitude of heroes and villains from Earth and the rest of the universe to oppose Thanos, who had gained supreme power from the Heart of the Infinite. Thanos easily wiped out every single being in the universe, but later was convinced by Adam Warlock to sacrifice himself to restore the universe to its previous state.

(Thor II#61)- Thor was called before the Council Elite to be tested for worthiness to join them, as a replacement for Odin. Thor passed the tests of awareness and insight, but failed when he supplied food to a starving population, rather than teaching them to grow their own food. In addition, the Council decided that Thor had violated the oath of non-interference on Earth. Those present were Osiris (Egyptian), Yu-Hang (Chinese), Zeus (Olympian), and the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu).

(Thor II#65)- The Council Elite met once again (the same group) and discussed Thor's continued problems, including his most recent effort to resurrect a young girl. They discussed whether steps needed to be taken against Thor, but decided that mankind current plans were sufficient for the moment.

COMMENTS: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and Keith Pollard.

In Thor I#300, William did a very nice job of identifying the above, unnamed Godheads:
I've modified this list over time. Character in red remain unconfirmed--Snood
(deep breath)

Zeus (Olympian) is the big guy at center stage.

Odin (Asgardian)is in the chariot.

the big guy in the foreground with the staff is obviously Tezcatlipoca (Aztec/Mexican).

The blue-skinned four-armed guy is obviously Vishnu (Hindu).

Oriental guy in green is probably the Chinese Yu Huang in attire other than his Thor I#301 appearance.

To Zeus's right with the staff is the Mayan/Mexican Itzamna.

Directly behind Vishnu with the headdress is the African god Buluku.(as confirmed by J. M. Lofficier)

Far distant to Bululu's right and above Vishnu's head is a figure with a feathered West African helmet, Ulgen of the Mongolian gods (close-up)
The red and gold figure in the helmet Ukko the Finnish sky-god. (close-up)
The Native American figure in the feathered headdress may be Manitou in a garb other than his Infinity Gauntlet#2 appearance.
Far behind him in the orange head-dress Nuadhu of the Celtic Gods (close-up)
In front of him and in the red headdress Tame of the Kahunas. (close-up)
Over his left and in the feathered headdress is Viracocha.
The Oriental figure wearing blue armor just over Itzamna's staff is Izanagi
To his left and under Zeus's face with the Native American face and Central American head-dress is Okonorote of the Incan/Kamekeri gods. (close-up)
Tomazooma-This is confirmed in the Fantastic Four Index#80--Snood.
The white bearded, long-haired "jack of hearts" is the Mesopotamian Anu. (close-up)
The spiky head-dress resembles the crowns I've seen in Phoenician hieroglyphics.
The African figure with the elaborate head dress is the Egyptian Ammon Ra. (close-up)
Osiris around this time may still have been imprisoned by Seth.
Bottom right, to Odin's right. Believe it or not, I am by a reliable source at Marvel that this is Buddha.

Here's a dissenting opinion, per Ronald Byrd:

From my notes, written without reference to your own guesses on the Appendix:

Of the nineteen Sky-Fathers seen in Thor#300, ten are more or less easily identifiable: Odin, Zeus, Yu-Huang, Vishnu, Tomazooma, Tezcatlipoca, an Inca god who was presumably Viracocha, and a Yoruba god who was presumably Olodumare (these last two names selected from Michael Jordan's The Encyclopedia of Gods; we know that the Inca gods and the Yoruba gods were involved, but we don't know if these are the leaders of those pantheons in the Marvel Universe). Of the remaining nine, one is presumably Osiris, for some reason not in his customary attire, or perhaps his proxy.

Six others are known to be from the Inuit, Celtic, Persian, Babylonian, Pueblo, and Aboriginal pantheons (based on Thor#301 (where Thor collected energy from various named pantheons) and Thor Annual#10 (where he teamed up with gods from various named pantheons)). While there are several Inuit pantheons, Infinity Gauntlet#2 showed that the better-known Sky-Fathers are acquainted with the Ojibwa god Manitou, suggesting that his pantheon represented the Inuit (I think I read that the Ojibwa are considered Inuits.); Infinity Gauntlet#2 also identified Nuada as the head of the Celtic gods. Educated guesses indicate that the Sky-Fathers of the Persian, Babylonian, Pueblo, and Aboriginal pantheons are, respectively, Mithra, Anu, Awonawilona, and Thuremlin (although this last is particularly debatable).

This leaves two pantheons unidentified, but it can be presumed that these were the Russian gods and the Polynesian gods; Svarog of the Russian gods was present in Infinity Gauntlet#2, while the Polynesian gods were, if nothing else, the only pantheon specifically listed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe which has not been demonstrated to have opposed the Third Celestial Host, allowing Tangaroa (another guess) to win the role by default.

At least, that's what I came up with. I'll admit that matching the names to faces might be a bit of a challenge. : )
The problems:
Osiris could not have been one of the gods in Thor I#300-fb, since that flashback took place around 1000, and Osiris was imprisoned by Seth during the time of Cleopatra.
The "Yoruba god" has since been confirmed/ret-conned as Buluku.
Also confirmed and not on your list: Buddha (Buddhist), Izanagi (Japanese), and Itzamna (Mayan)
I think we can ASSume that some members were either not present or just not seen, while other pantheons and their subdivisions sent more than one representative. I think the Godheads by Pantheon list is fairly complete.--Snood.

(What If? I#32) - A number of godheads and demonlords are seen as Korvac erected a mystic barrier preventing any other dimensions from accessing Earth.

(What If? II#38) - In the alternate reality of where Seth conquered the Asgardians (diverging from Thor I#400), Earth-Thor-Thrall of Set, a council of Godheads met to make plans to resuce Asgard should it prove unable to overcome this defeat. This union included Buluku (African), Izanagi (Japanese), Osiris (Egyptian), Quetzacoatl (Mexican), Vishnu (Hindu), Yu-Huang (Chinese), and Zeus (Olympian)...and Mephisto was present as well, speaking for the Death Gods.

According to Per Degaton, The inestimable Don Campbell points out that it was actually Loki possessing Odin's body who took attended that meeting of the council of godheads in Infinity Gauntlet#2, as he impersonated Odin for nearly all of Eric Masterson's tenure as Thor.

This profile is messy, messy, messy. I don't know how else to organize it, though. sorry.

Don Campbell adds: From the time that "Odin" awoke from his Odin-sleep and ordered Heimdall to punish Thor (Thor I#432) until Odin was released from Mephisto's soul-shroud and reclaimed his body (Thor I#455), every appearance by "Odin" was actually Loki in Odin's body. I can only assume that the Infinity Gauntlet#2 appearance MUST also be an example of Loki pretending to be Odin, presumably with the secret help of his ally, the Norn Queen Karnilla.
Unless Loki was one of the 50% of the population removed by Thanos...50/50 chance!-Snood

In addition to the observed pantheons, in Marvel Universe: The End#2, Those of the Forgotten Zone were referenced. That would presumably cover all pantheons no longer remotely active on Earth.

If anyone can contact Ralph Macchio or Keith Pollard and help us confirm the characters from the top image, it would be much appreciated. Alternatively, if you feel you can identify them definitively yourself, feel free.
If you want a closer look at the group picture, go here: http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/godhed1big.jpg

CLARIFICATIONS:

The Council of the God-Kings should not be confused with:

The Council of the Antiquarians, informal grouping of collectors of ancient artifacts, @ Black Panther I#1
The Council of Cross-Time Kangs, organization of beings who had defeated one or another alternate Kangs, @ Avengers I#267
The Council of Kangs, grouping of divergent temporal selves of Kang, @ Avengers I#267
The Council of Nine, Chinese organization possibly bent on world domination, @ Iron Man I#39
The Council of Seven, group of Fu Manchu’s most skilled warriors, @ Giant-Size Master of Kung-Fu#1
The Council of the Chosen, the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club as lead by Edward Buckman, @ X-Men I#96
The Council of Three, Atlantean Tribunal who lead Atlantis in Namor’s absences, @ Defenders II#11
The Council of Thrones, cousins of Gadriel who rule the soldiers of heaven, @ Wolverine/Punisher: Revelations #1
The Council of Werewolves, group who hired Deadpool to assassinate Duncan Vess, @ Wolverine 1999 Annual
The Council Supreme, leaders of the dark cults of Earth, @ Strange Tales I#170

Godheads by Pantheon

Anasazi (Native American) - Manitou, though Tomazooma is shown in Thor I#300 (he didn't exist in real world mythology)
The Innua (Inuit/Eskimo) may or may not be a separate pantheon.
The Pueblo are referenced in Thor Annual#10, and might refer to Awonawilona.

Annunaki (Mesopotamian) - Anu
--Replaced by Enlil {Sumerian},
--by Marduk {Babylonian},
--by Ba'al-Hadad (Assyrian and Phoenician})

Asgardian (Norse) - Odin, Thor

Australian/Aboriginal Gods - mentioned in the OHotMU, but not seen.
Thuremlin per Ronald Byrd, Baiame per Eric J. Moreels and OHotMU 2006#3.

Daevas (Hindu) - Vishnu (in trinity with Brahma and Shiva)

Vedic/Persian: Atar, Mitra/Mithras

Dievas (Russian) - Svarog

Heliopolitan (Egyptian) - Ammon Ra, Osiris, and Horus
--In Egyptian myth, Osiris was never more than god of the dead.
--Ammon Ra, however, was considered the Egyptian counterpart to Zeus (or Ouranos?).

Incan - Viracocha

Kahunas (Oceanic) - Tame
    The Polynesian gods are specifically mentioned and would reference Tangaroa

Kalevalans (Finnish) - Ukko

Kami (Japanese Gods) - Izanagi, Takamimusubi, Amaterasu
--Religously, Izanagi was supplanted by the other two as the divine couple,
but all the myths revere Amaterasu as the true power and her husband as sort of a "figurehead"

Orishas/Loa (African/Voodoo) - Buluku; Ndriananahary, possibly also Nyambe, Lusa
    The Yoruba are specifically mentioned, and would reference Olodumare
--My book on African spirits places a lot of importance as Nyambe as ruler, judge and Great Spirit.
--Lusa (Voodoo) is mentioned only as the sun-god who fathered the Great Twins of which Shango and Damballah are two of.
--In the MU, I would surmise that Buluku supersedes them both to keep dissension out of the Voodoo Gods and their relations, the Orishas {African Gods}

Mexican
With the subdivisions
    Aztec Tezcatlipoca and perhaps Quetzalcoatl
    Mayan Hunab-Ku and Itzamna

Mongolian/Siberian - Ulgen

Olympian (Graeco-Roman) - Zeus

Tuatha da Danaan (Celtic) - Dagda or Nuadhu

Xian (Chinese) - Shou-Hsing, Yu Huang

Judeo-Christian - God/Yahweh/Allah, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit
    --According to a former intern from Marvel, in What If I#32, the character seen in the bottom right panel of the gods and demons blocked from accessing Earth by Korvac was supposed to be Yahweh, though it looks more like Jesus.

Buddhist - Buddha

Ulgen of the Mongolian gods

Ukko the Finnish sky-god

Nuadhu

Tame of the Kahunas

Okonorote of the Incan/Kamekeri gods

Mesopotamian Anu.

The African figure with the elaborate head dress is the Egyptia Ammon Ra
He has a full entry as Atum.

Appearances:
Thor I#300-301 (October-November, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald & Ralph Macchio (writers), Keith Pollard (pencils), Gene Day (#300) & Chic Stone (#301) (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Thor Annual#10 (1982) - Mark Gruenwald & Alan Zelenetz (writers), Bob Hall (pencils), Rick Bryant, Joe Rubinstein, Andy Myshynsky, Al Gordon & Kevin Dzuban (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Infinity Gauntlet#2 (August, 1991) - Jim Starlin (writer), George Perez (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Marvel Universe: The End#2 (May, 2003) - Jim Starlin (writer/pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Marvel Universe: The End#4-6 (June-August, 2003) - Jim Starlin (writer/pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thor II#61 (May, 2003) - Dan Jurgens (writer), Ben Lai (pencils), Ray Lai (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thor II#65 (August, 20039 - Dan Jurgens (writer), Ben Lai (pencils), Ray Lai (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)

Last updated: 02/05/06.

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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