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Carter Kane summoning Horus while hosting the war god.

A Godling, (also known as a host) is a mortal who is hosting as a god.

Description[]

Gods require some sort of link to the mortal realm, or else they may be banished back to the Duat. Godlings can be possessed in various degrees; some are completely controlled by the god and take on their favored appearance, while others are only influenced and maintain the host's appearance. The amount of control depends not only on the god but also on the will of the host.  For example, Set initially possessed Amos Kane completely, but when Amos willingly allowed Set to take him as a host for a second time, Amos exerted control over Set.

In the instances of Carter and Sadie Kane, their patron gods, Horus and Isis, respectively, attempted to take complete control over their hosts but ultimately failed; both Carter and Sadie were strong enough to fight them. Godlings can be almost anything, such as an animal or even an object, but gods prefer humans because they are creative and can break out of patterns.

Gods don't have to possess a person with their whole being; Set possessed both Amos Kane and the Red Pyramid at the same time and indicated that while Horus was in Carter, Horus was likely also searching for a monument or something similar to possess simultaneously. Apophis has also displayed this ability, as he was able to possess Face of Horror with just a small part of himself after his cage weakened.

The House of Life considers all godlings to be threats and actively hunts them down. While they prefer to banish the god without harming the host, they are not above killing a godling should the need arise.

Not all gods require a host to manifest. Anubis, for example, may manifest in any graveyard, place of death, or place of mourning. However, he can take a host if he so chooses. He had never done so before Walt Stone, however, as he had not found it necessary. Nut does not require a host, as she is the sky and may manifest at any time. Geb also does not require a host, because he is the earth.

Those who host gods become very powerful. When Sadie Kane was the Eye of Isis, the very force of Ma'at coursed through her, and the divine words were at her command. A god will also accelerate the development of a godling's magical ability. While hosting Horus, Carter was able to summon a combat avatar, and while hosting Isis, Sadie was able to effectively use divine words with no practice whatsoever. But using powers from their god's reservoir can come with consequences; every time a host channels the powers of their patron god, they become more powerful but are more likely to burn up from the power.

A person who becomes a godling and merges with a god to be a perfect union of the two becomes known as the "eye" of that god. He or she is then a being who possesses traits of both god and human, with neither overpowering the other. This is a very rare occurrence and only happens for those who possess the Blood of the Pharaohs, as they were made for the purpose of merging with the gods. Examples of this are Carter Kane with Horus, Sadie Kane with Isis, Walt Stone with Anubis, and the pharaohs, who, while alive, were god-kings that hosted Horus, Patron of the Pharaohs. This connection grants all of the god's power to the host; he or she is obtaining the physical powers of the god and can bypass restrications that apply to magicians, but not to all or certain gods. Carter Kane when fully merged with Horus gained heightened senses and Sadie Kane when fully merged with Isis gained magic sight and the power to open a portal during the Demon Days. Also an Eye can change between the human form of the god and their own.

When a god takes a host, he or she lives out the mortal life of the host. Once the host dies, the god returns to the Duat. Although the presence of a god does not make a host immortal, it can protect the host from certain things; Anubis's presence protects Walt from his curse and allows him to live.

Relationships can differ between gods according to the relationships between their hosts. For example, Osiris, Isis, and Horus are all siblings in one life, but in another Osiris and Isis are spouses with Horus as a son. In ancient times, the gods would possess people and live out their lifetimes with them in order to experience mortal life; a prominent example being Horus, who frequently used the pharaohs as his hosts. In modern day, with the banishment of the gods and the House of Life abandoning the Path of the Gods, this has fallen out of practice. The only other god confirmed to do this is Anubis who takes on Walt Stone as his permanent host in order to live a mortal life with Sadie Kane who he loves.

Gods have been shown to be able to leave their hosts and later return to them; Carter and Sadie Kane both made Horus and Isis leave after defeating Set but allowed them to return to assist them one last time in the final battle against Apophis. Of the most recent hosts of the gods, only Walt Stone has decided to make his union with his patron god, Anubis, permanent.

Although following the Path of the Gods can often lead to hosting a god, there is a distinct difference between the two practices. Following a certain god's path allows a magician to wield that god's power, while hosting a god requires one to hold the essence of a god within his or herself. Hosting a god is far more dangerous, but grants far more power, while Path of the Gods is much less dangerous, but has less power. A host has increased magic and powers that can't be accomplished by not being a god and only channeling one's power and Path of the Gods only grants some of these powers, with no increase in magic or life.

Those who host gods have protection against chaos energy and magic. Kwai, a magician hosting Apophis, attacked with lightning on four other hosts. On three it didn't affect them at all and the last one was barely harmed.

Hosts[]

Trivia[]

  • The term godling is also used in Riordan's novels to refer to the divine offspring of different Greek gods. Such children are immortal and powerful like their parents, but they lack a divine rank or specific occupations. They live in Olympus, and some of them, along with other inhabitants of Olympus, attacked Kronos when he entered their home, failing to stop him to arrive to the Thrones of the Olympians.
  • In the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Medusa refers to Annabeth and Percy as godlings, as opposed to half-Bloods or demigods. Charon and Hades also call them godlings on multiple occasions. Ironically, Percy later hosts Nekhbet to help defeat Setne.
  • Percy Jackson is the first and only known half-blood to ever host an Egyptian deity. This is also considering the fact that he lacks the Blood of Pharaohs, which are desired in a usual host.
  • Luke Castellan hosted Kronos for roughly the last year of his life, their relationship in this union was similar to the one between Nekhbet and Babi when they occupied the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Faust.

References[]

The Kane Chronicles
Core Series: The Red Pyramid | The Throne of Fire | The Serpent's Shadow
Crossovers: The Son of Sobek | The Staff of Serapis | The Crown of Ptolemy | Demigods & Magicians
Main Characters: Carter Kane | Sadie Kane | Ra | Anubis | Apophis | Bast | Bes | Horus | Isis | Zia Rashid | Set | Walt Stone | Setne
Secondary Characters: Julius Kane | Ruby Kane | Amos Kane | Vladimir Menshikov | Leonid | Sarah Jacobi | Kwai
Minor Characters: Michel Desjardins | Iskandar | Jasmine Anderson | Sean Ryan | Julian | Alyssa | Cleo | Felix Philip | Shelby | Khufu | Muffin | Mr. Faust | Mrs. Faust | Percy Jackson | Annabeth Chase
Egyptian Gods: Ra | Geb | Nut | Shu | Osiris | Horus | Set | Isis | Nephthys | Anubis | Sobek | Bast | Thoth | Serapis | Ptah | Nekhbet | Wadjet | Babi | Tefnut | Tawaret | Khepri | Khnum | Neith | Khonsu | Sekhmet | Hathor | Serqet | Shezmu | Hapi
Demons and Magical Creatures: Ammit the Devourer | Bau | Bloodstained Blade | Criosphinx | Carriers | Face of Horror | Griffin | Uraeus | Serpopard | Switchblade Demons | Tjesu heru | Petsuchos
Other: House of Life | Magic | Magician | Kane Family
Related Content: Rick Riordan | List of Terms | The Kane Chronicles: Survival Guide | Brooklyn House Magician's Manual | Film Series | Mythomagic, Inc | Netflix
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