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This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real.

The Gods are two immensely powerful beings that created Remnant. While there have been many various stories concerning the existence of dozens of deities, the only ones confirmed to actually exist are a pair of brothers: the God of Light and God of Darkness.

The God of Light created the forces of life, while the God of Darkness created the forces of death, including the Creatures of Grimm. At one point, they compromised to end their brotherly feud and created Humanity together as their masterpiece.

However, when Salem confronted the Gods to bring her beloved, Ozma, back to life and was denied, she traveled to different Kingdoms across the world, claiming that she stole immortality from the Gods and that if they helped her, they could do the same, when in reality she simply wanted to remove her curse, or at the very least make the Gods suffer for what they did.

Salem led an army of avaricious Humans to the Domain of Light where they were confronted by the two brothers. The army launched a barrage of magic attacks at them. However, the God of Darkness simply harnessed it and used it to wipe out every Human on the planet. After Salem regenerated, both brothers expressed disappointment in their "failed experiment" being a remnant of what it once was before leaving, with the God of Darkness shattering the Moon as he left.

As Humanity, and a new race called the Faunus, reemerge, this time without magic or the guidance of the Gods, the God of Light brought Ozma's soul back through reincarnation and gave him the task of reuniting Humanity. He also created the four Relics as a means to summon them back. If Humanity has redeemed itself, the Gods will make them whole again and restore magic amongst them. Otherwise, they will wipe them out for good, along with the planet itself.

In "Of Solitude and Self", it is revealed that the Gods originated from the Great Tree in the Ever After, and used their powers to shape the realm by creating both the Afterans as well as the different acres for them to live based on their purpose. Eventually, the Brothers outgrew their role and created both the Curious Cat and the Jabberwalker to replace them, before leaving to a "greater beyond" to create other worlds, one of which being Remnant.

Throughout history, the Gods were known by many different names and titles. As such, their true names - if they even have any - are unknown.[1]

Myths[]

The Animal God[]

The Shallow Sea 011

The Animal God.

In the Fairy Tales The Shallow Sea and The Judgment of Faunus, The God of Animals is a shapeshifting deity appearing in the creation myths of Faunus. However, the god's existence is questionable as to whether it is true, but they are described in The Shallow Sea as having ram horns when revealing themselves and having branching horns in The Judgement of Faunus, indicating they may be the two Brothers in disguise.

The Two Brothers[]

Light and Dark

The Brother Gods.

The Two Brothers is a fairy tale detailing more information on the Brother Gods. As detailed in the story, in the beginning of time, a lone Dragon traveled the universe in search of other beings like himself. Overcome with loneliness, the Dragon decided to create one himself. Despite being all powerful, even the Dragon had to split its magic in half – into two symmetrical forms, one of light and the other of shadow. Each side thought one was the original and the other was the copy. Despite different personalities, they were ever only complete when they were together.

The events of the fairy tale play out similarly to the Brother Gods' story from then, with the notable exclusion of Salem's role in their departure of the world and the fact that they become continents of Remnant rather than abandoning it.

In "Of Solitude and Self", this tale was revealed to be untrue, as the Gods came into being as two separate individuals.

Appearance[]

Gods Mask Antlers

The Gods' Crest

The Gods are seen as translucent humanoid beings with featureless faces. Though it's implied that this may not actually be their true forms as they demonstrated the ability to shapeshift into various different physical forms and sizes including transforming into dragons.

The God of Light is yellow and possesses a tall and muscular build with deer antlers on his head. His dragon form is a large golden Eastern-style dragon with a heavenly glow.

The God of Darkness is purple and has a much leaner and slender build then his older brother and has ram horns on his head. His dragon form is a large purple Western-style dragon with eerie skeletal features.

As shown in the Blacksmith’s flashback, originally the Brothers' forms were that of a purple lamb for the God of Darkness and a golden deer for the God of Light. As they grew in both power and size, their forms gradually became more and more draconic until they became full on dragons.

In RWBY: Fairy Tales, the God of Animals is portrayed as an enormous humanoid with white fur, six different horns, white and black gradient feather shoulders and no visible mouth.

Personalities[]

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Feud between the Gods.

Both are powerful beings who believe in a balance and maintaining order, though the two were originally at war with each other, creating and destroying whatever they wished. They eventually came to an agreement and created mankind together as to mark the start of their deal. However, they were not as wise or intelligent as mankind believed as Salem found they could be manipulated into turning against each other.

The Curious Cat, a former creation of the Brother Gods, comments on the two having god complexes, and later reveals that Remnant was not the first world they abandoned. The Ever After was the precursor world that they maintained, and they created the numerous acres and Afterans that inhabit it. Though once they grew out of their roles, they accepted the Great Tree's offer in leaving the realm to a greater beyond. These actions display that the Gods do not have much attachment to their previous works nor care how their actions such as absence could affect their creations, as shown by the vengeful Curious Cat.

The God of Light is shown to be soft-spoken yet strict and temperamental. He believes in upholding his perception of balance and will not break this under any condition, despite initially sympathizing with Salem. He is also shown to be passive, not wanting to fight his brother and wishing to resolve things peacefully.

The God of Darkness is a theatrical and aggressive being who enjoys destruction, though longs to be worshiped and praised like his brother even after their agreement was made. He is shown to be a bit gullible as he was fooled by Salem's word and even broke his deal with his brother simply because he believed someone was worshiping him, but he quickly corrected his mistake afterwards.

Despite their differences, the two brothers are truly loyal to one another, as the God of Light wished for no more conflict between them, and the God of Darkness arrived swiftly at his brother's side during Salem's rebellion.

Though they have differing personalities, there are subtle similarities as well. The two are equally unyielding, devoted to their ideals, and do not appreciate manipulation. The two both expressed discontent when Salem turned mankind into rebelling against them and simply let Remnant fall into the hands of Humanity. There is a ruthless aspect to their personalities as well, since the God of Darkness swiftly eradicated Humanity once while the God of Light showed little to no issue in doing so a second and permanent time should they not be redeemed in their eyes.

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The Gods leaving together to a “greater beyond”

In "Of Solitude and Self", the Blacksmith explains that in the early days of the Ever After, the two maintained the realm diligently, creating the Afterans, assigning their roles and creating different acres for them. But eventually, they outgrew their role. Wishing to do more, they created two personal Afterans in secret who would replace them, the Curious Cat and the Jabberwalker. Though upon creation of the latter, the two fell into a feud, believing that balance came through oppositional force. Due to this, the Great Tree created a special door for them leading to a "greater beyond", allowing them to leave together and create as many worlds and creations as they like. They eventually ended their feud when they came together to create Humanity using both of their ideals.

Powers and Abilities[]

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The Gods creating Humanity.

The Gods are nigh-omnipotent entities of immense power and knowledge. The two created Remnant and Humanity together as well as their own individual creations. The two together are basically unstoppable and have no known actual weaknesses besides being fallible.

The God of Light possesses immense creation and light-based powers, responsible for creating life, animals and the elements. He can use powerful waves of light to incinerate others. He is also capable of erasing others, as shown when he erased Ozma after his brother resurrected him. He also can grant immortality as he did with Salem, resurrect the dead and can cause one's soul to reincarnate every time they die, as he did with Ozma. He also created the four Relics, which are the manifestations of the four gifts to Humanity, and each Relic is immensely powerful on its own. He is capable of transforming into an eastern dragon.

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The God of Darkness destroying Humanity.

The God of Darkness possesses immense destruction and darkness-based powers, destroying and erasing his brother's creations and twisted them into nightmarish versions of themselves. He is responsible for creating the Grimm and the pools they spawn from, allowing him to command and control them as well. He can use dark energy for powerful blasts and waves which can destroy anything they hit or shield others from his brother's powers, shown when he destroyed all of mankind and blasted a hole in the moon. He is also capable of resurrecting the dead, as he did with Ozma. He is capable of transforming into a western dragon.

Both Gods are able to manipulate matter and energy, are able to interact with entities through multiple planes of existence, including the afterlife, and are able to use their abilities with pinpoint precision. The God of Darkness was able to wipe out all of Humanity without harming any other form of life on a global scale. The two are also capable of traveling between realms and making entirely different worlds.

As revealed in "Of Solitude and Self", the two Brothers emerged from the Great Tree in the Ever After wielding the exact same abilities, simply preferring their respective domains. The two would then hone their abilities by maintaining the realm, creating both the Afterans as well as each and every one of the vastly different acres for them, and assigning them their respective purposes and roles in the process. Eventually, they grew more powerful and went beyond their original role as time passed on until they could no longer be contained, causing them to depart the realm.

Trivia[]

  • The Brother Gods and their story were Miles Luna's first big contribution to the planning of RWBY.[2]
  • In their dragon forms, the God of Light resembles real-world Eastern dragons while the God of Darkness resembles real-world Western dragons.
    • Eastern dragons are seen as wise and benevolent, while Western dragons are depicted as malevolent and ruthless.
  • The colors that the Brother Gods appear in, gold and purple, are considered symbols of royalty or divinity in many cultures.
    • Gold due to its brilliant luster and inability to oxidize and corrode like many other precious metals, and thus has been traditionally considered a perfect metal.
    • Purple dye, made by the Phoenicians was considered to be worth its weight in gold due to the difficulty with which the brilliant hue was created, thus becoming a symbol of status, wealth, power and authority.
  • The Gods are inspired by the gods of Greek Mythology.[3]
  • Originally the Gods were closer to human size but were scaled up to their current size.[4]
  • The Gods allude to the Brothers Grimm, a pair of brothers who were authors and often credited with creating the classic fairy tales. They are explicitly called 'Brothers Grimm' by Jinn in "The Lost Fable".
  • It was stated that the Gods believe balance came from oppositional force, two sides locked in ever-lasting conflict. Though according to the Blacksmith, true balance is in actuality an ecosystem that is maintained and restored all on its own without the need for much intervention.
  • The Gods have been shown to be remarkably powerful and it is currently unknown if there are any other beings that could match or overpower them.

References[]

  1. RWBY Reddit AMA with Eddy Rivas
  2. RWBY Volume 4 Directors Commentary
  3. Volume 6 Directors Commentary Chapter 3
  4. Volume 6 Directors Commentary Chapter 3
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