Is Surtur a god?

[Sange]

The wiki lists him as one...but I don't think he is. Amyone know?

[Keltest]

If I remember correctly in the source myths he is an uber fire giant. On a similar level to the gods, but not one. In OOTS he is likely a god of some sort.

[Vinyadan]

I always viewed Surtur as being equivalent to the Greek Titans -- vast, powerful, immortal beings that technically aren't gods, but are pretty much indistinguishable from them in all practical regards.

The titans, as far as I know, are the particular group of gods who belong to the generation previous of that of Zeus, and some of their children. They are gods as much as the Olympian gods, they simply have a particular name to group them, and most of them have lost their reign or are shackled.

[NerdyKris]

In comic terms, he was only shown attacking a village while Thor was distracted by Durkon.

Whether or not he's a god or simply an evil being like the IFF remains to be seen. And as the Giant has pointed out, there's no purpose to mapping out the pantheons beyond what is needed for the story, so he won't write himself into a corner. Unless Surtur shows up again and we see otherwise, he shouldn't be considered one of the gods, as he hasn't been shown in any scenes with the pantheon.

[Anarion]

Regardless of his status, the direct intervention of Thor there suggests that Surtur was a being on the level of a deity (though perhaps slightly weaker, since Thor didn't seem very worried).

[Kish]

Surtur, when someone asks you "Are you a god?" you say YES!

[Jay R]

Mythologically speaking, he isn't one of the Æsir or Vanir; he's a jotun - a giant. They are the enemies of the gods.

Calling him the Norse equivalent of a Titan is as close as comparing two very dissimilar cultures can get.

He hasn't been shown with the gods in the crayons of time strips. And the fact that Thor is a blonde, and Surtur is flaming, indicates that Marvel comics is one of Rich's sources.

And we have to assume that the Giant does not inherently discriminate against giants. So who knows?

[Gift Jeraff]

He lacks the aura that all OOTS gods have been seen with.

[allenw]

The wiki lists him as one...but I don't think he is. Amyone know?

Historically in D&D, yes.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I think he's either a god or some similar entity. He certainly has more power than any other thing, besides perhaps the fiends, that we've seen.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Traditionally, he's the patron of fire giants, so he should have at least some divine aspects.

[Pokonic]

Surtr is powerful enough for a god like Thor to continually appose him and not manage to completely defeat him over the course of untold generations; if he's not a god, then he's a extremely powerful individual giant who's demon-lord tier evil. Him being a evil god of the giant pantheon is a easier explanation then for him to simply be a extremely powerful immortal giant.

[Vinyadan]

Surtr is powerful enough for a god like Thor to continually appose him and not manage to completely defeat him over the course of untold generations; if he's not a god, then he's a extremely powerful individual giant who's demon-lord tier evil. Him being a evil god of the giant pantheon is a easier explanation then for him to simply be a extremely powerful immortal giant.

I agree, he could be a god in the same way the elven gods became one.

[Jay R]

Surtr is powerful enough for a god like Thor to continually appose him and not manage to completely defeat him over the course of untold generations; if he's not a god, then he's a extremely powerful individual giant who's demon-lord tier evil. Him being a evil god of the giant pantheon is a easier explanation then for him to simply be a extremely powerful immortal giant.

In Norse mythology, that's what the giants are - equals of the gods, who will face them in the final battle of Ragnarok.

Trying to fit Norse giants into D&D rules just doesn't work.

[Reddish Mage]

Titan, jotan, asura, mazoku, does it matter if we call them gods if the relevant mythology puts them on equal footing with the gods?

D&D mechanics are another question. I recall at least D&D basic had titans as a lesser category but in most editions even gods and goddesses themselves have stats and are level-appropriate to challenge a party of 20th levels in many D&D games.

The real question is what would be the stats on Surtur and how does that compare with a god like Thor? Would the OOTS stand a chance in Helheim? How about against Hel?

[hamishspence]

Deities & Demigods has stats for him as a god.

However, as the Giant said, way back:

http://web.archive.org/web/200702200...ead.php?t=7283

I care more about the Marvel Comics version of Thor than I do about what is printed in Deities & Demigods.

this probably applies to others as well, not just Thor.

[Killer Angel]

If Surtur were a god, he should have some (giant) priest...
I wonder if the fire giants worship him.

[Czhorat]

In the Hackmaster game world (based on D&D for the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip) it has been confirmed that Surtur is a god.

In the KoDT/Faans crossover, Brian van Hoose was getting the worst of a mage-duel with Rick Oberf of Faans. Brian managed to salvage a draw by cursing Surtur and calling down divine retribution.

It's possible that I'm remembering this entirely incorrectly.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

In the Hackmaster game world (based on D&D for the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip) it has been confirmed that Surtur is a god.

In the KoDT/Faans crossover, Brian van Hoose was getting the worst of a mage-duel with Rick Oberf of Faans. Brian managed to salvage a draw by cursing Surtur and calling down divine retribution.

It's possible that I'm remembering this entirely incorrectly.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean that he's a god in OOTS. In general, outside forces gave little effect on how the Giant depicts gods.

[Marlowe]

By the book, Surtur is a Lawful Evil Intermediate God with Divine Rank 14. Favoured weapon Longsword. Holy symbol is a flaming sword. He has the Portfolios of Fire and War and the Domains of Fire, War, Evil, War, Strength, Fire, Law, and War. You might have seen a bit of Fiery Warriorness and Warlike Fieryness in there.

So YES. In the world of D&D 3-ish edition, he is a God.

[Vinyadan]

If Surtur were a god, he should have some (giant) priest...
I wonder if the fire giants worship him.

Man, if that's true, then he really must have some HUGE following!

Spoiler

Show

[Angelalex242]

Well...not that Rich goes by the book, but if he did, Deities and Demigods does indeed give Surtur and Thrym divine ranks.

[Benthesquid]

Insufficient evidence from in-comic sources, but at the very least he seems to be a being of sufficient power for the a god to confront him personally, which I don't think we've seen them do otherwise, except in the case of other Gods and the Snarl.