Death or departure of the gods

A dying god, or departure of the gods is a motif in mythology where a god or an entire pantheon dies or is killed or destroyed.

Frequently cited examples of dying gods are Balder 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, with other examples from Ireland, India, Hawaii and Tahiti.

"Death or departure of the gods" is motif A192 in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, with the following subcategories:

A192.1. Death of the gods (also F259.1. Mortality of fairies) A192.2. Departure of gods (also A560. Culture hero's (demi-god's) departure) A192.3. Expected return of deity. A192.4. Divinity becomes mortal.

A separate (although related and overlapping) category are gods who die and are also resurrected (Thompson's motif A193), see Dying-and-rising god.