The Gods of Pegāna · Chapter
The Revolt of the Home Gods explained
The three river gods Eimēs, Zānēs, and Segástrion rebel against the gods of Pegāna by flooding the plain and killing men for pleasure.
What happens
The three river gods Eimēs, Zānēs, and Segástrion rebel against the gods of Pegāna by flooding the plain and killing men for pleasure. The gods send Mung to summon Umbool, the drought, who grins at the river gods until they retreat and submit. The river gods return to their proper roles, playing only with fishes and frogs, not men.
Themes in this chapter
The Absurdity of Divine Games
The home gods attempt to play the gods' game of killing men, but are forced back to their lesser role, highlighting the arbitrary and hierarchical nature of divine play.
The Limits of Human Knowledge
Men pray to the gods for deliverance, but the resolution comes through the gods' own power struggles, beyond human understanding or control.
Characters to notice
- Mung
Sent by the gods to fetch Umbool to quell the rebellion of the home gods.
- Umbool
The drought summoned by Mung to grin at the rebellious river gods until they submit.
- Eimēs
One of the three home gods who rebelled; hides in a pool after being humbled.
- Zānēs
One of the three home gods who rebelled; weakens after the drought's assault.
- Segástrion
One of the three home gods who rebelled; lies panting and is stepped over by a man.
Key passages
“We now play the game of the gods and slay men for our pleasure, and we be greater than the gods of Pegāna.”
The river gods declare themselves equal to the gods of Pegāna by taking lives for sport.
This defiance triggers the divine response and the central conflict of the chapter.
“Friend of Mung! Go, thou and grin before the faces of Eimēs, Zānēs, and Segástrion till they see whether it be wise to rebel against the gods of Pegāna.”
Mung commands Umbool to intimidate the river gods with his relentless grin until they submit.
The drought's grin is a non-violent but devastating weapon that breaks the rebellion.
“It is the foot of a man that has passed across my neck, and I have sought to be greater than the gods of Pegāna.”
Segástrion laments his humiliation, realizing his ambition to rival the gods has led to his degradation.
This moment underscores the theme of divine hierarchy and the folly of overreaching.