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Household gods

“... we must be very careful not to offend the gods. There are things we cannot do, words we cannot say.”

The household gods observe, protect, and influence all that happens within the home.

The gods are treated as members of the family and  their presence and blessing are required at all important family occassions. In addition to the formal offerings of food and drink that are their due, any food that falls to the floor is theirs.

Every home has inexplicable events: creaks, knocks, thuds or things that go missing. It is human to look for a cause, possibly to infer agency and intent. It is worrying to imagine malignant sprites and hobs, so we have gods to protect us, a pantheon of household deities, that we can placate. Their invention makes them no less real. Once adopted, we must persist in honouring them to keep them on our side.

Household gods are found in times ancient and modern, and in cultures across the globe.In times of national crisis when wider society appears beyond control or influence, these domestic deities become even more prevalent. As people look inward, to the

home and family, for their security and identity, their anxieties and aspirations are projected onto deities they can relate to. This personification of hopes and fears gives a scale that can be related to and give meaning on a chaotic wider world.

Gods

Peacc (I)

Household god of the bathroom door lock.

Gods

Pelmetica (II)

Household goddess of curtains, blinds and household textiles.

Gods

Lyldi

Household god of the food cupboard.

Gods

Ë (pronounced 'eh')

The household god protecting middle-aged British men leave the house wearing shorts (in inappropriate weather (2025).

Gods

Habita (II) and Frigg

The goddess of attitude, poise and the home gym, and the god of a cold draught (coming from somewhere).

Gods

Pelmetica (I)

Household goddess of curtains, blinds and household textiles.

Gods

Peacc (III)

Household god of the bathroom door lock.

Gods

Whistl

The household god of the watched kettle.

Gods

Thudd and Snorr, and Carnali

Twin household gods of three in the morning, and joint gods of the bedchamber.

Gods

Wyrd

God of the insatiable appetite of the washing machine (the lost sock).

Gods

Habitus and Habita (I)

Household god and goddess of attitude, poise and the home gym.

Gods

Nett

Household god of rumour, report and gossip (the twitching curtain).

Gods

Lidd

Household god of the toilet seat.

Gods

Trolli (II)

The goddess of having people around to dinner.

Gods

Peacc (II)

Household god of the bathroom door lock.

Gods

Trolli (I)

Household goddess of having friends around to dinner.

© 2025 John Steed.

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