godling means A minor divinity, a local or inferior god.
Why “godling” is a great word
A minor or inferior deity, typically one of local influence rather than universal power. From the Middle English *god* (deity) and the diminutive suffix *-ling* (indicating smallness or lesser status), first recorded in 1596 by the antiquarian William Lambarde. Unlike a 'demigod', which implies a hybrid, half-mortal lineage, or a 'tutelary deity', which carries the specific duty of guardianship, a godling is the fully divine made modest: not half-god but small-god. It is the nameless spirit of a mossy, forgotten spring, the sullen presence in a stand of three oak trees at the field's edge, or the capricious patron of a village whose name appears on no map—a minor immortal, patient and provincial, outlasting the temples of greater gods while confined to the parish boundaries it has never wished to cross.
noun
- A minor divinity, a local or inferior gode.g.“The Jeddak of Ptarth nodded his assent, but the ugly scowl that he bent upon Matai Shang harbored ill for that pasty-faced godling.”
- A young god.e.g.“1964, "Tales of Asgard: The Storm Giants" (page 3) in Journey into Mystery #100, Marvel Comics
But, though young, Thor is still a godling--with the strength of an immortal!”
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