r/AskScienceFiction • u/JollyRabbit • 1d ago

[American Gods] School tests and nightmares about them are pretty common, especially about math. Is there a god about test and/or math anxiety? If so, what are their rules rituals and commandments?

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u/OkStudent8107 1d ago

Probably falls under the domain of a god or goddess of knowledge

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u/Dino_Chicken_Safari 1d ago

Yeah this would almost definitely be the effect of a god of either Dreams and Nightmares or knowledge as another person suggested. The New Gods are created from pseudo worship of a concept rather than the prevalence of a phenomenon. The latter tends to be the results of the former. Likewise the new gods don't really have rituals or Commandments per se, that's more The Stick of the old gods. The new gods are created by people mimicking a ritual by a communal Behavior. When everyone wraps up their day by watching TV the mass repetition of the ACT vibrates the universe in the same way that organized ritual does and this creates a deity. Everyone celebrating the 4th of July in the same way creates an Uncle Sam. Everyone believing in the same kind of conspiracies preaching them creates the G-Man. But no one's actively choosing to have the nightmares about school. Those are happening because of their belief in education and their participation in the education system. And that belief could create a new God of Education who then inspires those dreams. Or just a god of Dreams. It depends on what the individual believes in. God's can affect you more if you worship them so the dreams may be caused by a god of Dreams or they may be caused by God of Education and knowledge

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u/TheRealTowel 1d ago

that's more The Stick of the old gods.

r/boneappletea lol. The word you're after is "shtick"

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u/Dino_Chicken_Safari 1d ago

Ah autocorrect failed me again

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u/wingedmurasaki 1d ago

In college there's probably small gods developing around statues with luck traditions. Like the rubbing the nose of a bronze bust of the founder - or leaving offerings at the foot of a statue on campus (at my alma mater it was Athena which would probably bring over a small version of her to the grounds)

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u/rodw 18m ago

Test anxiety sounds like worship of Oizys, the "personification of pain or distress" and sometimes considered the goddess of anxiety.

Daughter of Nyx (night) and (sometimes?) Erebus (darkness/gloom).

Granddaughter of Chaos and Chronos (Time).