Hierarchy of Deities
The Hierarchy of Deities is the supposed true creation and power structure of deities within Paneidoverse. It is considered a small but gravitationally massive and terrifying myth to the majority of Those Who Know save for those who personally believe in it.
Of the deities, all but the Gods are aware of the Hierarchy's existence.
In simple terms, Weavers created the Primordials, who created the Ancients, who created the Gods. Gods in turn give birth to demigods.
Every verse, depending on its structure, has its own Primordials and Ancients, some with multiple forms (that exist at a single time) and names depending on how they are perceived by humans (and only humans).
Despite being mentioned in the Hierarchy myth, Weavers are not and cannot truly be called deities. Yet, there is a Weaver who is a canonical Primordial, Sir Vee.
The Hierarchy
Primordials
The originators, the progenitors, the first. Primordials are the first of their kind in Creation, starting with Sir Vee, the First Sapient.
Ancients
The seconds, the wiser. Ancients are cosmic entities within Creation. They can be anything from the manifestations of planets to mortal beings.
Gods
The children, the unaware. Gods are the children of the Ancients known to mankind. Some cannot exist without belief and many are rather ignorant.
Demigods
The bastards, the unusuals, Demigods are children of Gods. The "purest" of Demigods are those born of a God and a mortal being.
Apocrypha
Primordials
Primordials are the sexless, genderless handful of entities that were created directly from the Weavers, such as Dee Vee, the first plantigrade, humanoid, and sapient creature in existence. It is the sole exception of a Weaver that is considered a deity.
Other Primordials include the Incarnates, sentient manifestations of cosmic bodies and Grounds. Most if not all Primordials do not interact with their own "children", the Ancients, their "weaves" (in those rare cases), or their biological children (if they have any). They have multiple names across the Paneidoverse.
Ancients
Ancients are the entities that make up aspects of existence. Creation, Destruction, Life, Spirit, Death, Sleep, Love, Hate, Light, Gloam, Darkness, Time, Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and the Unknown are among the most well-known.
Ancients are strange creatures in that they have many forms, known to different pantheons, but are all part of the same basic entity. By this, they are all connected not just by body but also by their minds. If they were to all combine, they would create their singular entity which can then break apart into smaller aspects, or forms.
Like Primordials, they have multiple names but are only known by these multiple names within their verse/system/galaxy instead of the entirety of the Paneidoverse.
Some Incarnates are also Ancients, not Primordials. Such Ancients include Noctmær, the Incarnate of Deep Ground.
Gods
Gods are capable of creating "simple" life and can procreate through natural means. If two gods procreate, they create another god that shares their genes, much like mortals.
If a creature is born of only one god and another creature, it is called a demigod. A "true" demigod, however, is considered to be born of a "true mortal" (a non-immortal humanoid) and a god.
Demigods
Demigods are, typically, the child of a god and another creature that is mortal. Their potential is seemingly limitless.
Divines
Divines aren't quite considered members of the Hierarchy, as they cannot create. They are beings created by Gods given the ability to take "divine" actions, such as blessing, cursing, performing "miracles", and other such things.
Like Gods, Divines are well-known by humankind.
Unlike Gods, Divines are not naturally granted the ability to procreate. They typically must have permission from their creator. There are some Divines who disobey this creed for selfish reasons.
How the Hierarchy Works
While not explicitly on the Hierarchy, Weavers are the mightiest almighty. They may take whatever and whichever role in the universe and in existence they desire, whether that be as a character in their own stories or as a "god", or creator, itself.
This means that even if a pantheon has a Creation Ancient, that doesn't mean that Ancient created all of the certain beings "assigned" to them. Perhaps, instead, the Weaver did those things. The Ancient has other roles, all of which are extremely important to balance existence in their verse.
Primordials typically do not create in any way or form. They typically simply exist. However, they are often the reasons Ancients exist, be it by birth or creation from nothing. They have multiple names that are known throughout the universe.
The difference between Ancients and Gods is that Ancients are of a single aspect, an aspect of existence. Gods can create and may have multiple abilities, including that to create life, for example. But perhaps there is an Ancient of Creation in a particular pantheon as well as several gods, all capable of creating life.
What separates the Ancient from the Gods is that the Ancient is what makes creating possible for the Gods of that pantheon.
Gods are merely beings capable of creating surface-level creations, nothing as grand as, say, an entire planet. They can create pocket realms, and many are made all the time, but they cannot create something so vast without an Ancient. The Ancient and the God must work together to create something like that.
This is because of the nature of certain verses, such as planets, in the Paneidoverse. Planets are alive. They have their own incarnates. And these incarnates are often Ancients themselves or, higher on the Hierarchy, Primordials. On the other hand, pocket realms and pocket dimensions do not have incarnates.