Death or departure of the gods
A dying god, or departure of the gods, is a motif in mythology in which one or more gods die, are destroyed, or depart permanently from their place on Earth to elsewhere.
Frequently cited examples of dying gods are Baldr in Norse mythology, or Quetzalcoatl in Aztec mythology. A special subcategory is the death of an entire pantheon, the most notable example being Ragnarök in Norse mythology, or Cronus and the Titans from Greek mythology, with other examples from Ireland, India, Hawaii and Tahiti. Examples of the disappearing god in Hattian and Hittite mythology include Telipinu and Hannahanna.
"Death or departure of the gods" is motif A192 in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, with the following subcategories:
A separate category are gods who die and are also resurrected, see Dying-and-rising god.
