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Lord of Light
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=== Minor characters === * Jan Olvegg, also known as ''Olvagga'', or ''Janaveg'', or ''Janagga'', is another one of the ''First'', having been the Captain of the colonists' ship. Sam encounters him in exile while still contemplating his own rebellion. He identifies himself to Olvegg with "[[It's a Long Way to Tipperary|It's a long way to Tipperary]]". Olvegg, who at first cannot recognize Sam because of his changing of bodies, brings Sam up to date on the rise of the Gods since Sam retired, and thus precipitates Sam's campaign. He is later captured by, and agrees to fight for, Nirriti the Black. Nirriti remembers that Olvegg was a Christian, although far less fanatical than Nirriti in spreading his faith. * Rild, later called ''Sugata'', is introduced as an assassin and master swordsman, a holy disciple of Kali. He is sent to kill Sam while Sam is reviving Buddhism by playing the Buddha, but instead becomes a convert to Buddhist philosophy and eventually attains true enlightenment. This has some similarities to the tale of [[Aṅgulimāla]]. Sugata is also one of the traditional epithets for Buddha. The use of Sugata for Rild stresses his attainment of true enlightenment. Sam, whose epithet is Tathagata, a different traditional epithet for Buddha, refers to Rild as the true Buddha when conversing with Yama. * Trimurti, composed of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, rule in Heaven. ** Brahma, the Creator, is weak-spirited, mostly concerned with his manliness, since he was originally a woman named Madeleine. He is very loosely based on the [[Brahma|Hindu god of the same name.]] ** Shiva, the Destroyer, is an "old warhorse" whose main power is a trident made by Yama, which can kill or disintegrate. Shiva also uses the "Thunder Chariot", a jet-powered aircraft. He is very loosely based on [[Shiva|the Hindu god of the same name.]] ** Vishnu, the Preserver, was the architect of the place called Heaven, but is a passive god who goes along with Brahma's machinations, which in turn seem to be driven by the influence of Kali and Ganesha. He is very loosely based on [[Vishnu|the Hindu god of the same name.]] * Ganesha is a manipulator, an insider, the self-styled power behind the throne. He pushes the other Gods to consolidate their power, even to the extent of persuading them to allow Sam to preach while held captive in Heaven, hoping to tempt sympathizers into revealing themselves. As the power of the Gods wanes, he tries to maintain his position by betraying them to Nirriti. Asked if he trusts Ganesha, Nirriti replies "Yes, but I would give him his silver afterward", a clear reference to [[Judas Iscariot]], Nirriti being a Christian. He dies in the final battle. He is very loosely based on [[Ganesha|the Hindu god of the same name]]. * Agni, the god of fire, is a fearsome character armed with a wand that emits the ''Universal Fire'', a stream of plasma which destroys anything it touches. He and Yama were friends prior to Yama joining Sam. The wand itself can only be held by wearing a special outfit and glove, presumably to protect the holder. He also has goggles that enable him to see in infra-red and ultra-violet wavelengths, and for immense distances. It is said he scarred the faces of the moons with his wand, while standing on the ground. The original Agni replaces Shiva after the latter was killed by Sam, and was replaced himself by subsequent 'lesser' Agnis who died one after another. The character is loosely based on the [[Agni|Vedic Hindu god bearing the same name]]. * Taraka, Lord of the Rakasha, is a demon, an energy being. Like the rest of his kind he was bound by Sam in the early days, but is set free by Sam as part of a bargain to marshal the demons to oppose the gods. Taraka deceives Sam and possesses his body after his release, resulting in Sam and Taraka simultaneously living in Sam's body. The cohabitation leads them to each gain some of the traits of the other, but the effect is more pronounced upon Taraka, as he learns to feel sorrow, remorse, and guilt. Eventually, out of respect and as a sort of recompense, Taraka 'strengthens the flames' of Sam's soul, enabling him to live as an energy being like the Rakasha do, if he should be killed. Taraka is killed by Yama's death gaze in the final battle, despite Sam's warnings. He is loosely based on the Hindu ''[[asura]]'' [[Tārakāsura]]. * Nirriti the Black was originally Renfrew, the chaplain of the colonists' ship. A staunch Christian, he is disgusted by the ascendancy of Hinduism on the planet and eventually sets himself up with an army of zombie soldiers to conquer and convert the planet. Nirriti is portrayed as a solo megalomaniac, opposed to the pantheon of the Gods. This character is deeply ironic, a Christian who comes to be known as "The Dark Lord", leader of an army of "Soulless Ones" who have no will of their own but kneel to accompany him in his prayers when so ordered. His final irony is to die in the arms of the false Buddha, Sam. As he dies, he asks for Sam's blessing, which is freely given. He is very loosely based on the later Hindu deity [[Nirṛti (god)|Nirṛti]]. * Mara, Lord of Illusion, can project complex illusions across great distances, a power that the Gods use both for entertainment and in battle. He is the one God who can stand against Sam and Yama at Keenset where both exert their full powers, being able to misdirect their attacks. Likewise he frustrates Sam's attempt to escape Heaven by confusing him as to the way out of the dome. Despite this his character is not much in evidence in the novel, only his actions. In the first story he appears in disguise attempting to find out what Yama is doing, but when confronted, apparently unable to use his powers of illusion effectively against Yama within a limited space, the Death God breaks his neck, thus killing him. He is loosely based on [[Mara (demon)|the Buddhist demon bearing the same name]]. * Krishna is seen only briefly, and as two different characters. He is characterized as a lord of music and dance, and he wields a power of divine drunkenness. He has enormous charisma. Krishna is mostly an apolitical libertine, but was said to be a deadly wrestler who "broke the black demon Bana" during the battles between the colonists and the native inhabitants of the planet, which suggests that he was one of the First. Eventually, disgusted by the abusive practices of the Gods, he joins Sam's efforts to overthrow them. A 'false Krishna' also is mentioned, as when the original Krishna went missing a replacement was found. The original Krishna was loosely based on [[Krishna|the Hindu god of the same name]]. The "false Krishna" mentioned may have been very loosely inspired by the tale of [[Paundraka Vasudeva]], a mortal King in the [[Bhagavata Purana]] who believed himself to be Krishna. * Murugan, who when introduced is a god of youth in an older body and is patiently awaiting a new body during the wedding of Yama and Kali. He meets the real death when his new body is stolen by Sam during the reincarnation process. He is very loosely based on the Hindu god [[Kartikeya]].
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