History Main / DeityofHumanOrigin

* Lily, Penny, and presumably Sharkie in ''WebOriginal/HellsBelles'' are humans who have given up their chance to reincarnate to stay in the Afterlife permanently. Much to their surprise this means that technically they are now minor deities, albeit ones without any worshipers or any specific powers

** The Emperor has many characteristics in common with the Chaos Gods and seems to be about as powerful as them. It is suggested that if He ever dies, He will become a full deity. Of course, it might also remove the Astronomicon, destroying the Imperium, so nobody wants to take the risk. He's really closer to the Eldar gods than any of the other deities though; as the Chaos and Ork gods have no physical presence and the C'Tan are more of {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s.

* At the end of the first book of ''ComicBook/DarkseidWar'', this happens to [[spoiler: half the ComicBook/JusticeLeague]].
* [[AnthropomorphicPersonification The Great Powers]] of ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' are implied to be this. Like [[ComicBook/TheSandman The Endless,]] they are material beings representing ideas. The Great Powers like Mr. North or Mister Dark can be killed, with their title of office and powers going to another person.

* ComicBook/{{Galactus}} used to be a humanoid from the old universe called Galan before the old universe was destroyed. He was the only survivor and became the PlanetEater we all know today.
* In ''ComicBook/JudgmentDayMarvelComics'', Mr. Sinister, Iron Man, and Eternals Ajak and Makkari use the Celestial corpse that is Avengers Mountain to create a new Celestial to stop the war between the Eternals and the mutants of Krakoa. [[spoiler:The end result, the Progenitor, decided to put HumanityOfTrial after realizing how flawed everyone was. However, it's convinced that GodIsFlawed, and the Progenitor gives his power to Ajak to be the new god of judgment]].

* ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' used to be a young Swedish girl who was [[BurnTheWitch executed for witchcraft.]] After bargaining her soul with demons to save her life, she was transported to Hell where she became a mighty warrior who eventually overthrew Lucifer. Since then, Lady Death ruled Hell as Queen of All That Is Dead and Dying.

* ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'': [[spoiler:Cellia]] Mauser is revered as the "god" of the setting and is [[CrystalDragonJesus the subject of a religious order’s worship.]] However, during the final episode, Pacifica learns that Mauser [[spoiler:was a mere human who'd been left in charge of supervising them, and even refers to herself as a caretaker. Cellia abdicates her position after letting Pacifica decide whether the world should remain as it was, or if she should release the seal on the "locked world".]]

** Here, [[LightNovel/{{Konosuba}} Eris]] was originally a human thief who defeated her era's Devil King with [[GuileHero trickery and cunning]]. As a reward, Aqua helped her achieve apotheosis, transforming her into the Goddess of Fortune that Kazuma met.
** [[LightNovel/ReZero Satella]] was a half-elf girl possessed by the evil entity known as the Witch Of Envy; seeing her as similar to a Magical Girl, Madoka helped destroy the Witch and free Satella, which unexpectedly caused Satella to absorb the Witch's power. Couple with the fact that she already had a cult devoted to her, this caused an unforeseen chain reaction, that ended with her becoming a Goddess of Death. Madoka and the others welcomed her into their pantheon so she could guard the souls of their followers.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Kagerou}}'', the goddess Tcaolin fits this trope, which separates her from the other Old Gods.

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* In ''ComicBook/JudgmentDayMarvelComics'', Mr. Sinister, Iron Man and Eternals Ajak and Makkari use the Celestial corpse that is Avengers Mountain to create a new Celestial to stop the war between the Eternals and the mutants of Krakoa. [[spoiler:The end result, the Progenitor, decided to put HumanityOfTrial after realizing how flawed everyone was. However, it's convinced that GodIsFlawed and the Progenitor gives his power to Ajak to be the new god of judgment]].

* In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, the character that best fits this trope is probably the ''High Evolutionary'': he creates an entire planet and [[HollywoodEvolution evolves]] animals into new humans to populate it, as well as spending large periods of time away from his creation and no longer having a human body underneath his armor. However, he's still depressed at times by the presence of {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s out there which are ''way'' more powerful than he is. A more common way is to have a human join an established Pantheon of gods -- Loki, for example, tried to make ComicBook/{{Storm}} the new Asgardian god of thunder at one point -- but these ascensions have a tendency to end up being temporary.

* In ''Fanfic/ImaginarySeas'', Percy was born SemiDivine, but is currently a full-fledged Divine Spirit due to being gifted Poseidon's Divine Core. While this bumps up his strength, it makes his mana consumption even more ridiculous and he needs several doses of Klironomia to be able to fight properly and it isn't until he takes in Athena's and Ares' Klironomia for him to be able to fight at full strength.

* ''Literature/ThatHideousStrength'': The villains of this story are attempting to create an immortal human and, in the end, subjugate all of nature and all of humanity to a single immortal entity. They even explicitly refer to this as "[[InvokedTrope creating God]]" in story. [[CurseOfBabel They don't get far]], suffice it to say!

* In ''Literature/TheVagrantTrilogy'', a cyberpunk world has a child mechanic named Massassi. One day she would develop [[PhysicalGod godlike supernatural powers]] only to discover she's unique in the world in having them. Foreseeing an otherdimensional threat to our existence, she conquers the Earth and raises herself as a GodEmperor. Spreading her power to give select humans a meagre amount of her power, she realizes that humanity needs more. So she creates golems that are human in appearance and divides her power among them as she's weakening and dying from old age. These Seven would rule the world and were supposed to prepare humanity for the coming threat, but failed...

*** Two necromancers from the wizard nation of Thay had a rivalry over who of them would become more powerful. One of them was Szass Tam, the current ruler of Thay and one of the very small circle of contenders for the title of most powerful lich wizard in the world. He lost. His rival was Velsharoon, who became the god of necromancy.

** Spinner of Glorious Tales, one of the three patron gods of Great Forks, began his life as an otherwise unremarkable mortal boy with a passion for tall tales and stories who became a professional storyteller. After learning the day of his death from an astrologer, he bargained his way into the city of the gods and, over three days, told three gods a riveting tale metaphorically linked to the divinity it was told too. He bowed out before the climax of each story as the hour grew late, and promised to finish the story later. When the deities came to collect the man was already dying and only had time to finish one story, so they gave him divine immortality to let him finish all three.

* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'', the central conflict of the back half of the game involves the efforts to replace God, who [[GodIsDead was killed by Lucifer some time before the story begins]]. Only a Nahobino, a being with the power of a demon and the knowledge of a human, can do so; the protagonist becomes a Nahobino at the beginning, while several other characters either want to attain the same power or actually do so in pursuit of the throne. [[spoiler:Three of the game's endings see the protagonist become the world's new creator deity, while the fourth sees them destroy the throne outright.]]

** Dvalin, first king of the Dwarves, is also shown to have ascended to demi-god status after his death, due to the devotion of his subjects. He still considers himself, fundamentally, just a dwarf who got lucky, and continues to keep the oaths he made during his lifetime.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'' includes [[NeutralGood Yaraesa]], the goddess of knowledge, learning, and science, said by her Lashunta worshippers to have been a scientist who ascended to godhood after mastering every form of knowledge while still a mortal.
** There is also Triune, a three-part god whose origins include a Super-computer built by the robotic people of the planet Aballon and the aforementioned Cassandalee.

*** Emperor Reman Cyrodiil, founder of the Reman dynasty, was another human that may have become a god after his death. After his death, he was possibly granted immortality and godhood by Akatosh, and it's believed by some that he became the WarGod [[NamesTheSame Reymon]] Ebonarm. (Beyond the [[NamesTheSame similar sounding names.]] this one is closer to an [[EpilepticTrees Epileptic Tree]], with supporting evidence being very scant and circumstantial.)

->"''Talos is the true god of man! Ascended from flesh, to rule the realm of spirit!''"

** In ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods Battle of the Gods]]'', it is revealed that Saiyans can do a temporary version of this: in times of crisis, five good-hearted Saiyans can combine their energies into a sixth and have him become the "Super Saiyan God". [[spoiler:Goku does this but somehow retains a portion of the Super Saiyan God powers after it was supposed to have worn off, and Whis suggests that Goku could one day become the new God of Destruction (Goku declines).]] It is heavily implied that Gods of Destruction come from incredibly powerful mortals -- Whis agrees to train Vegeta on the condition that he become a God of Destruction one day.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction; after being transformed from a human into half of a TwoBeingsOneBody Titan, [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX Vivienne Graham]] and her new DraconicAbomination brother are considered as much a PhysicalGod as the other Titans. She lampshades this in Chapter 12.

[[AC:General]]
* It's never clarified in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' if alicorns are {{Physical God}}s or not, but {{fanon}} portrays them this way. Celestia's and Luna's origins are unknown, but Cadance was born a pegasus according to a licensed book and Twilight spent her entire life being a unicorn until the Season 3 finale. Whether either are immortal depends on the fans' interpretation.

[[AC:Specific examples]]

* The [[spoiler:Idea of Evil]] in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' is this, going so far as to call itself [[spoiler:"the ungodly God born of Man."]] An argument can be made for the five members of the God Hand as well: if [[spoiler:Griffith]]/Femto is any indication, each one WasOnceAMan, but it's unclear whether they're as omnipotent and undefeatable as they seem. [[HornyDevils Slan]], one of them, does mention they are ''not'' gods, and that there ''are'' events they cannot foresee, although such events are exceptionally rare. The [[spoiler:Idea of Evil,]] on the other hand...

* ''Manga/SekaiMaou'': The God of Stars, or Star God, who is responsible for creating the world, the stars, and the cycle of the eternal conflict between the Hero and the Demon Lord turns out to be a little girl like Mao. The Star God admits that because of this she actually can die. The very last page in Chapter 50 reveals she was once an assistant to a scientist whose experiments turned her into one.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'', the insanity of the Bororgravian god Nuggan, coupled with the Disc's ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve and GodsNeedPrayerBadly rules has resulted in [[spoiler: the Duchess of Borogravia becoming a minor deity, as everyone prays to her because there's no point praying to him. And she ''hates'' it.]]

* The elevation of Yurie, the title character of ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'' to divine status in much the same way as listed in Myth below, kick starts the plot and her learning how to deal with her new status is a significant point in many episodes.
* The Lifemaker/Mage of the Beginning in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', as can probably be guessed from the name, is the creator of the Magical World and presumably its first inhabitant. The Lifemaker is over two thousand years old, immensely powerful, immortal and is referred to as the god of the Magical World, though he was presumably once human.

** And much later in ''Theros: Beyond Death'', [[TricksterGod Phenax, God of Deception]] has been confirmed one of these. His ascension to godhood came partially from being the first mortal to cheat death and become a [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Returned]], reason why Phenax also uses the golden masks often associated with them.

* In the ''ComicBook/BooksOfMagic'' mini-series ''Books of Faerie'', it's revealed that Queen Titania of the Fey was actually [[ChangelingFantasy born a human peasant girl in 11th century Europe]]. She abandoned her human life for the LandOfFaerie, was taken in as an attendant to a fey queen named Dymphna, and mastered sorcery to the point that, combined with the illusory glamor she uses to present the appearance of being a fey woman, pretty much no one is aware that she's ''not'' a pureblooded fey. Even her husband Auberon has no idea she's actually just a very powerful human sorceress running an extremely long con. It adds a great deal of irony to her relationship with Timothy Hunter; she's convinced that he's her first born son, whom she had to smuggle out of Faerie at his birth to avoid revealing her true heritage, but he doesn't believe her because he knows that he has no fey blood, and Titania doesn't dare reveal her ruse even to him.

* ''ComicBook/{{Futurama}}'' featured briefly an alternate timeline, where Greeks disillusioned with democracy, switched to theocracy and built robot gods to rule them. [[JerkassGods It ended as you could expect from ancient Greek deities.]]
* ComicBook/{{Galactus}} used to be a humanoid from the old universe called Galan, before the old universe was destroyed. He was the only survivor, and became the PlanetEater we all know today.

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' averts this during the actual storyline. Dr Manhattan claims that he is not God and that he doesn't like people. At the end, however, he has changed his mind: He likes people after all, so maybe he'll create some as his next project.

* ''ComicBook/XFactor2006'': [[spoiler:Theresa Cassidy becomes the new Morrigan by killing the previous one who herself was an oridinary mortal girl before killing her predecessor. Theresa uses her new godly powers to heal the mind of a traumatised Polaris who had been broken by the [[TomatoInTheMirror revelation]] that [[SelfMadeOrphan she was the one who killed her parents]] when her powers manifested.]]

** [[LightNovel/ReZero Satella]] was a half-elf girl possessed by the evil entity known as the Witch Of Envy; seeing her as similar to a Magical Girl, Madoka helped destroy the Witch and free Satella, which unexpectedly caused Satella to absorb the Witch's power. Couple with the fact that she already had a cult devoted to her, this caused an unforseen chain reaction, that ended with her becoming a Goddess of Death. Madoka and the others welcomed her into their pantheon so she could guard the souls of their followers.
* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'': 'Ascendant deities' are a subclass of deity. They're considered InUniverse to be the rarest deities because it requires specific conditions for a mortal to gain godhood. The [[SaintlyChurch Church of the Stars]] is trying to invoke this on a global scale - not only to help mortal sapientkind become the best they can be, but to [[spoiler:prepare for the day when the [[MadGod Void Sovereign]] manages to escape his [[SealedEvilInACan cosmic prison]] so everyone wouldn't [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu pay a huge price for defeating him]] like what happened in the Second Age]].
* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': Daniel, this story's BigGood, is the ImmortalRuler of Avalon, but hundreds of millennia ago he was an human that sought, and managed, to ascend to godhood. His powers include soul manipulation, traveling through space and time and bringing people back from the dead.

* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/244534 Mister Vimes'd Go Spare!]]'', by Lunik, Sam Vimes is dead. Of course, on the Literature/{{Discworld}} reality (and the pantheon) really depends on how strongly people believe in it. And coppers really ''believe'' in Mister Vimes...

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': Due to the events of the fic, [[spoiler:Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Misato]] became ''[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 the New Chaos Gods]]''. All of them have a myriad of shapes -- some few of them humanoid and/or comprehensible to human eyes -- psychic powers and are able to manipulate souls and bodies. [[spoiler:Shinji]] is the God of Deceit and is nearly omniscient, [[spoiler:Asuka]] if the Goddess of War is her world's master of physical combat, [[spoiler:Rei]] is the Goddess of Demise and her domain is decay and sickness, and [[spoiler:Misato]] is Goddess of Pleasure and Pain.

* Over 90% of ''Film/TronLegacy'' takes place in a world known as The Grid, and the major conflict is built on three characters (two of them played by the same actor) who we can call The Father, The Son and The Devil. The Father is the creator of the world and also the father of the Son -- whose arrival to the world brings new hope and a chance of salvation from the Devil character who has ruled the world since he rebelled against The Father. The Father is wise and benevolent, a personality that might seem a bit out of character for those who have seen the first movie and remember him as an [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold immature brat]]. [[spoiler:At the very end, it is revealed that he was still immature and shortsighted when he created the world and the creature that would usurp him and take the role of Devil. This is revealed to be the reason for why the world is in the sorry condition it is -- The Devil was simply carrying out the orders given to him by The Father to the best of his ability, but the Father who created him and his world was flawed. Thus he carried out flawed orders to the best of his flawed ability. This turned his quest for perfection into something vile, warping him into a TotalitarianUtilitarian leader of something that [[PuttingOnTheReich looks eerily familiar]].]]

* In ''Literature/TheSagaOfBilly'', Phumtar, god of Justice, Administration and Gravity, was originally a simple platypus: as the first mortal being to stumble over the divine stamps that came with the [[GodJob job]], he was invested with the divine mission to make sure that no one tampered with the integrity of his world's physics, and now has to approve or disapprove everything that happens in Alkior.

* In the ''Literature/ColdfireTrilogy'', human colonists are stranded on a planet where what they imagine can become real, including monsters under the bed, and being afraid something will go wrong will make it go wrong, just for starters. The Church of the One God was deliberately created to give people something to greater to have faith in, because if they believed that things would turn out for the best then they would. Eventually, [[spoiler:they succeed in creating an actual transcendent deity that can actually intercede on their behalf]].
* In ''Literature/TheCosmere'', the [[TheVerse metaverse]] of most of Creator/BrandonSanderson's works, various people most of which seem to have been human, though at least one is confirmed to having been of a nonhuman race, apparently got hold of pieces of a god called Adonalsium which broke apart, and proceeded to become gods in their own right, creating all the various worlds Sanderson writes in (except [[Literature/AlcatrazSeries any]] [[Literature/TheRithmatist incarnation]] [[Literature/TheReckonersTrilogy of Earth]] and obviously the world of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime''). There are apparently 16 total Shards of Adonalsium, some of which have been broken up further since. There are also cases like ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy's'' Lord Ruler and ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'s'' Returned, where humans attain a state that is considered divine by various groups in-universe, though they're not gods in the cosmic sense (though the Returned are powered by Splinters of power from the Shard Endowment). The Lord Ruler even created three entirely new races, the Inquisitors, the Koloss [[spoiler: and the Kandra.]]

* In the ''Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality'' series, all significant forces -- Death, Fate, Nature, War, Time, and so forth are normal humans who assumed the Office. However, most of these Incarnations are not worshiped. The culmination of the series arc plot is full example: God is removed from office for being incompetent, and a human is chosen to assume the Office.

* In Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''The Last Question'', humanity builds a supercomputer of unparalleled processing power and keeps upgrading it over millions of years, asking the eponymous question ("How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?", that is, violate basic laws of physics and enter god territory) from time to time. The answer is always "There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer." This remains the answer even as the computer grows exponentially more powerful as the story progresses through the gradual death of the universe, and even when the Universe is completely dead and the computer was the only thing left in existence (it's hardware had transcended matter and energy and been consigned to Hyperspace long before that point).[[spoiler:But then the computer realizes the answer to the question, and the story ends with "And [the computer said] 'Let there be LIGHT!' and there was light."]]

* The ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', due to the amount of gods and demigods and other powerful beings involved in the plot, has a whole bunch of deities that used to be human or some other mortal race. Some examples are:

* ''Literature/SisterAlice'' has the [[TheClan Great Families]], who protect the peace in the galaxy. As Family members age, they are granted more "talents" -- massive, nearly intangible dark matter machinery -- and their mind is sped up, until they possess [[PhysicalGod powers equal to that of a god]], capable of ripping planets and stars apart, or creating entirely new elements. A classified memo from a corrupt family explicitly calls their high rank members to a "god", when describing how their presence in a system can greatly improve the economy.
* In the world of ''Literature/SpellsSwordsAndStealth'', it is entirely possible for mortal beings to ascend to godhood. However, the ones that manage this keep the details of how they did so quiet to prevent too many others following their footsteps. According to what Thistle was taught, Grumble, the god of the minions, was a kobold minion to a wizard who needed a guinea pig for an unknown ritual and realized too late that the ritual bestowed divinity on who it was used on. Grumble made sure he didn't get to try it on himself.

* In ''Literature/TheVagrantTrilogy'', a cyberpunk world has a child mechanic named Massassi. One day she would develop [[PhysicalGod godlike supernatural powers]] only to discover she's unique in the world in having them. Foreseeing an otherdimensional threat to our existence, she conquers the Earth and raises herself as a GodEmperor. Spreading her power to give select humans a meagre amount of her power, she realizes that humanity need more. So she creates golems that are human in appearance and divides her power among them as she weakening and dying from old age. These Seven would rule the world and were supposed to prepare humanity for the coming threat, but failed...

** Later on, they are turned into Valkyries, who are demi-goddesses, by wearing Valkyrie pendents.
** This doesn't apply to Hindu gods Shiva and Shakti, who are are actual divine beings who possess Leo and Piper.

* A multifaceted, complex case in many [[Myth/AboriginalAustralianMyths Aboriginal Australian cultures]]. Many gods and spirits are considered divine ancestors of the people, once human that then went [[HeavenAbove to the sky]] (or became the many animals and plants and rock formations). However, in some cultures the spirit world is believed to exist perpetually outside of space and time (hence the term "Dreamtime" or "Dreaming"), ergo this process is constantly happening all the time. A tripple wammy goes to the beliefs in the "Wandjina-Wungurr" cultural complex in Western Australia: the titular Wandjina are simultaneously the human ancestors, divine spirits of lightning, GeniusLoci of the land, unborn human souls and more, possibly constantly cycling through these.
* Some characters from Myth/BrazilianFolklore were humans who were turned into entities after dying, and while not gods, many are based on Native deities. Case in point, the Iara was a deity whose function was to protect nature. In momdern folklore it became a river nymph/mermaid who kills people who threaten the river she lives in. Her origin story clains that she was a human woman killed by her jealous family and revived as a deity.

* A fourth century BC Greek philosopher, Euhemerus, claimed in a book that all the Greek gods and goddesses were based on great kings and queens, warriors, and innovators. This idea that many if not all gods are distorted interpretations of historical figures, euhemerism, would have many fans, like the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann and the novelist and mythographer Robert Graves. However, very few mainstream mythographers and scholars of religion use such interpretations nowadays.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoptionism Adoptionism]] is the belief that UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} was born a normal human and was adopted by God. Usually at his baptism, resurrection or ascension.
* Although UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}}, UsefulNotes/{{Jainism}} and UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}} are often called "the non-theistic" triad of religions, in that they do not believe there is a Creator nor that gods should be worshiped, the three do have what can be considered equivalent of divinities and often called deities. The difference is that all of them are former humans (or other mortal beings) who attain enlightment. Budhdas and Boddhisatvas in Buddhism, Xian (or Immortals) in Taoism and Thintakaras in Jainism which are roughly the same concept. The very popular Buddhist deity Tara, for example, became a female Boddhisatva on purpose to promote beauty and inspire women. Also from Buddhism even the gods of other religions are of human origin, as for Buddhists the other religions worship Devas. The Devas are finite beings, very powerful but not omnipotent nor immortal and they all were at some point a human or animal before (yes, even the Big One, Jehova, who some Buddhists believe is what Buddhist scripture call the Mahabrahma or King of Devas). Some Devas are also Buddhist deities but more in the sense that they are Buddhist themselves and declared protectors of practitioners, so more akin to guardian angels or saints.
* And speaking of Saints, a Saint can be considered a deity depending on the scholarly definition of deity, and all saints except for some archangels were human. Although this is downplayed in monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam (yes, some forms of Islam have saints) it is very prominent in Afro-Caribbean religions, especially (as the name implies) Santeria (which [[InterfaithSmoothie have fused Christian beliefs]] with African polythestic religions).

* In Swedish game ''TabletopGame/{{Chronopia}}'', the One King is an expy of [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 The Emperor]]. Originally just a warrior king who was killed by elves, he reincarnated and spent a long time in his wizard tower to create/master the discipline of Time Magic. Already acclaimed by most of humanity as a new god, he further cements this claim by finding the Tablets of Fate and learning their secrets.

** The ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' setting contains several gods who were once human, but ascended to replace other gods who had died. Examples include Cyric, Kelemvor and Mystra who were adventurers until their ascensions during the Time of Troubles.
*** Two necromancers from the wizard nation of Thay had a rivalry who of them would become more powerful. One of them was Szass Tam, the current ruler of Thay and one of the very small circle of contenders for the title of most powerful lich wizard in the world. He lost. His rival was Velsharoon, who became the god of necromancy.

** Many of the Immortals in the TabletopGame/{{Mystara}} setting were once human, or members of some other humanoid race. Others derive from more exotic non-divine species (treant, earth elemental, sapient dinosaur), and still others no longer remember their personal origins, but assume they were once mortal because that's how the younger Immortals came to be.

** The origin of the enigmatic Raven Queen, goddess of Death, varies with edition, but the most recent itteration is this; The Raven Queen was a mortal elven queen who, during the war between [[TopGod Corellon]] and [[GodOfEvil Lolth]], refused to take a side, and instead hoped to ascend to godhood so she could end the conflict in a favorable way. To this end, she gathered all her followers to perform a ritual, but some of her followers betrayed her and attempted to siphon power for themselves. The result was that the Raven Queen became something [[LiminalBeing between elf and god]].

** The Exalted themselves are humans given divine powers that allow them to exceed not only gods, but the creators of their world. The [[AntiAntiChrist Green Sun Princes]] can also become full on Primordials or [[FaustianRebellion Devil-Tigers]], elevating them to the status of world-makers and shakers without losing the common touch.

** Morrow and his darker sister Thamar collectively known as the twins were once humans that ascended to godhood. Both teach that humans can improve themselves without end however Morrow believes in helping and protecting others while self-improving while Thamar teaches to crush and use others. Several followers of both gods has ascended to join them in godhood as saints known as Ascendants (Morrow) and Scions (Thamar).
** Even before Morrow and Thamar the Defiers learned about the divine powers within Humans. After an unsuccessful rebellion against Menoth, the creator of man they were thrown into the hell of Urcaen alive. They were tortured for centuries and even their nightmares became real. However they gained even more powers and eventually took over the hellish areas of Urcaen and created the Grymin, an army of beasts from Nightmares and souls of sinners changed to represent the sins committed by them.

** There is a dedicated in-universe method for doing just this. The Test of the Starstone, set inside a complex maze surrounding a fallen meteor, is a horribly dangerous series of tests, challenges and traps. If you go in, either you pass and become a god or you fail and die. The test has been around for millennia, but has only been successfully completed three times (four counting Aroden, the test’s creator):
*** [[ChaoticGood Cayden Cailean]], god of adventurers, freedom, and booze, used to be a mercenary and adventurer who one night got ''[[WhatDidIDoLastNight really drunk]]'' and partook in the life-threatening test in question on a drunken dare. He passed. However, neither him nor anyone else knows exactly HOW he did so. He genuinely has NO idea what happened in the interim. Basically, he got hammered, took a dare, blacked out, woke up, and then found out that he was now a god.
*** [[LawfulGood Iomedae]], goddess of honor, justice and valor, was a mortal paladin of Aroden before taking the test. She initially became Aroden's herald (a herald being essentially a lesser divine being acting as a messenger and representative of the will of a full deity). When Aroden vanished, she inherited his legacy and most of his followers, and became a full goddess herself.
*** [[NeutralEvil Norgorber]], god of greed, murder and secrets, has the distinction of having been the first mortal after Aroden to pass the Test. Fittingly for the god of secrets, no one knows who or what he was before ascension.

*** [[TrueNeutral Nethys]], the god of magic, is rumored to have been the first ruler of [[AncientEgypt Ancient Osirion]], who became a god after achieving near-omniescence through his unparalleled mastery of magic, fueling his ascension and shattering his mind.
*** [[LawfulNeutral Irori]], god of history, knowledge and self-perfection, achieved divinity by means of achieving great personal enlightenment. He actually looks down on Iomedae, Norgorber and Cayden Cailean, who he views as having taken a cheating shortcut by copying what Aroden did (although he greatly respected Aroden himself).

** Among demigods, most {{demon lords| and archdevils}} originated as lesser demons, who in turn mature from Abyssal larvae, who in turn are the souls of mortals damned to the Abyss. One standout example among them, however, is Kostchtchie. Unlike almost all other demon lords, he ascended to his position without ever having died. He simply charged into the Abyss as a mortal human and basked in its chaos and evil until he became a demon, and then a demon lord, himself. He is immensely proud of this. Bringing up that he only pulled it off because Literature/BabaYaga had turned him into an immortal mock-giant for annoying her and that she's still so much powerfull than him that he's terrified of her is not advised.
** Besides true mortals, some gods originated as a variety of lesser spirits who achieved divinity through various means. The pirate goddess Besmara used to be a water spirit prayed to by coastal settlements, who became a deity as her power grew and after she consumed rival spirits of wealth, wood and battle. Lamashtu, the goddess of monsters and fecundity, used to be one demon among many before becoming a demon lord and then a goddess, and the demon lord Nocticula, once a common succubus, is known to be planning to do the same. As of Second Edition, she has succeeded.
** In Second Edition, the goddess Cassandalee is a goddess who started out as an android, had her personality transferred into an [=AI=] and eventually ascended to godhood during the canonical ending of First Edition's ''Iron Gods'' adventure path.

** The Unspoken used to be a mortal pony scholar who sought to halt the rapidly ongoing fragmentation of ponykind, fearing its eventual dissolution into millions of unique beings with no ties to one another. He managed to stop it but found that the chaos behind these changes was somehow redirect into him, turning him a god of chaos, change and disorder.
** Princess Luminance began life as a regular unicorn, but earned a place among the gods after a life of noble struggle against the forces of evil and chaos.

** The Emperor has many characteristics in common with the Chaos Gods, and seems to be about as powerful as them. It is suggested that if He ever dies, He will become a full deity. Of course, it might also remove the Astronomicon, destroying the Imperium, so nobody wants to take the risk. He's really closer to the Eldar gods than any of the other deities though; as the Chaos and Ork gods have no physical presence and the C'Tan are more of {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s.

** Ynnead, the Eldar God of the dead, is suppose to be born when the last Eldar die and their souls join in the Infinity Circuit, turning into a Chaos-like God that supposedly will destroy Slaanesh. Whether or not it's possible is not known, since obviously the last Eldar hasn't died yet. However, the Eldar Farseer Eldrad Ulthuan eventually enacted a ritual to create Ynnead without sacrificing the Eldar race; although it was interrupted, Ynnead was partially awakened within the Warp, allowing the deity to empower a physical avatar and an army of followers who now seek a way to complete Ynnead's birth.

** With the revelation that worlds come and go in cycles with the End Times, it's also revealed that all the present gods and goddesses of various races were originally mortals from the previous world (although Sigmar seems to be the exception, until Age of Sigmar). Lileath, the Elven Goddess of Prophecy and Dreams, turned out to be one such being from the old universe, and reveals that all of the Grail Knights of Bretonnia were her contingency plan for when the world went to shit so she would have a crop of humans she could take alongside her elven entourage into the next world to serve as their respective races' pantheons. She would perish trying to buy time for the remaining elves and Grail knights to pass through, but her consort Araloth and her child would pass onto the next world as the new pantheon. Unfortunately as no mention of them were made in Age of Sigmar, it's presumed they went to another world than the current setting.

* Boss from ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'' was turned into a god by Ishtar in the backstory as a reward for climbing her tower. [[spoiler: The entire point of the trials was for her to find a replacement, since he cheated on her. She would later make the offer to Vincent (should the Tower of Babel challenge be completed).]] Aside from that, there's also the 'True Cheater' ending [[spoiler: where Vincent becomes a demon lord and takes over Hell, with Catherine at his side.]]

*** Emperor Reman Cyrodiil, founder of the Reman dynasty, was another human that may have became a god after his death. After his death, he was possibly granted immortality and godhood by Akatosh, and it's believed by some that he became the WarGod [[NamesTheSame Reymon]] Ebonarm. (Beyond the [[NamesTheSame similar sounding names.]] this one is closer to an [[EpilepticTrees Epileptic Tree]], with supporting evidence being very scant and circumstantial.)

*** According to the interpretation in ''Ark'ay, the God of Birth and Death'', Arkay, the God of Life and Death, may have originally been a mortal shopkeeper and avid book collector. He found a tome which purported to tell the secrets of "life, death, and the purpose of existence". However, he became stricken by a plague before he could finish interpreting it. He begged Mara for more time, and she agreed to give it if he were willing to become a god who oversees the cycle of life and death. He agreed. Other myths (especially in Yokudan/Redguard tradition) deny this, stating that he existed before Mundus but was unimportant, with everyone essentially being immortal spirits at that point. These interpretations state that he, like all of the Aedra, found new purpose once Mundus was created.

* The ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' series has one among the Pantheon that rules over Norrath. Zebuxoruk is the "Ungod" of Knowledge. What players learn about his backstory is a rumor that he was born as a Human and managed to find the secret to become a god. For various reasons that are never explained, he has actually lost his godhood and reverted back into an actual Human, only to later regain it. He's reverted back and forth from Human to God so many times that he's lost count. What the players do find out though, is that every time he reverts back to Human, he wakes up with amnesia, and he reverts back to a god when he regains his memories. Since he is the God of Knowledge, he knows things that mortals are NOT allowed to know, including how to obtain godhood like how he did. Whatever causes his amnesia in the first place is usually a failsafe to make sure he cannot share this knowledge.

* ''VideoGame/TheGuidedFateParadox'' starts with protagonist, Renya Kagurazaka becoming God after winning the position in a street raffle.
** The sequel, ''VideoGame/TheAwakenedFateUltimatum'' starts with protagonist, Shin Kamikaze being resurrected as a god by angels after being killed by a demon.
* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' [[spoiler:Kormir takes up Abaddon's power and becomes the Goddess of Truth at the end of Nightfall.]] And in ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'', Gaheron Baelfire works to make himself a god for the Flame Legion, and gets far enough that killing him permanently is tricky.

** [[TheEmpire Shurima]] is the origin to what is typically recognized as the "Ascended", manifest as facing the judgement of a [[ThePowerOfTheSun Sun Disc]] and becoming imbued with godlike powers if they're worthy, also turning their appearance into [[BeastMan a half-animal]]. The process has been long abandoned since [[VestigialEmpire the fall of the empire]], but some [[TheAgeless surviving Ascended]] remain as playable champions, such as [[BadassBookworm Nasus]], [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile Rene]][[AxCrazy kton]], [[TheEmperor Azir]], and [[EnergyBeing Xerath]] (the result of an Ascension GoneHorriblyWrong).
** [[DeathMountain Mount Targon]] has what are called the "Aspects". Those who [[ScalingTheSummit scale the perilous mountain]] are chosen by [[CosmicEntities mysterious forces]] [[StarPower from the stars]] to serve as their hosts, [[TwoBeingsOneBody resulting the two merging into one empowered form]] to fulfill some divine ''aspect'' of the cosmos. However, this arguably counts less than Shuriman Ascension as the humans are often treated like mere puppets of a [[PowersThatBe greater divine will]] and aren't always compatible -- most Aspects retain some degree of their human personalities, whereas [[WarGod Pantheon, the Aspect of War]] opted to obliterate his and wield his body like armor. Nonetheless, many are also playable champions, such as [[ThePowerOfTheSun Leona]], [[{{Lunacy}} Diana]], [[TricksterGod Zoe]], and [[{{Protectorate}} Taric]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'': In the Ultra Dimension introduced in ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaVictory'', the [=CPUs=] are born as regular humans in contrast to the Super Dimension and Hyper Dimension. In order to become a CPU, one must find and consume a CPU Memory, which locks their human form to their current age alongside giving them access of [[SuperMode HDD Mode]]. When Neptune and later Nepgear end up in the Ultra Dimension, they lose their godhood completely and become fully human, requiring them to find and consume a CPU memory to power back up and regain their immortality (Neptune in fact [[SkewedPriorities is far more worried about the aging part than losing her powers]]). Most of the Ultra Dimension CPU counterparts are the same as their Hyper Dimesnion selves with the exception of Planeptune's CPU, who is Plutia/Iris Heart rather than another Neptune. [[spoiler:Of course, this only happens if you're compatible. If not, the CPU Memory will turn you into a monster. Peashy later eats a CPU Memory by accident and becomes the new Yellow Heart, resulting in her remaining a child while the Ultra Dimension IF and Compa grow up into teenagers. Also, the Hyper Dimension version of [[BigBad Rei Ryghts]] turns out to be a normal human, but ends up transforming into a CPU artifically as well thanks to absorbing power from her Ultra Dimension CPU counterpart. TheStinger at the end of the game finally reveals the grown-up and still-human Ultra Dimension Neptune, who proves herself to be a BadassNormal capable of fighting toe-to-toe with [=CPUs=] in [[VideoGame/MegadimensionNeptuniaVII next game]].]]

* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2: Mask of the Betrayer'' has party member Okku, a bear god. Okku was once a bear of higher-than-usual intelligence, strength and ferocity that attained minor godhood by the virtue of being an exemplar of what it is to be ursine. This often occurs with animals of Rashemen.

*** Zaros and Seren are exceptions. They were created as gods by an elder god. Additionally, several of the low tier young gods were also created as gods by other young gods.

*** One thing that makes Runescape's gods unusual is that many of them began as non-sapient beings, and while some of them gained sapience when they became gods, [[GooGooGodlike others did not]] for reasons that haven't been explained. Marimbo was a gorilla who gained sapience with godhood and granted sapience to all other nonhuman primates. In contrast, the boar-like god Tuska did not gain intelligence and has been rampaging through the cosmos. The strangest example is Brassica Prime, a god who is an intelligent, [[CloudCuckoolander but not sane,]] CABBAGE. How this happened hasn't been explained yet ([[JokeCharacter and probably won't ever be]]).

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Demonbane}}'', it is never quite clear if Demonbane was built by humans or if it has always existed in a very complex StableTimeLoop with no beginning. However, the pilot of its Elder God form ''did'' start off as an ordinary human, and became an Elder God himself. [[spoiler:Namely, the protagonist, Kurou Daijuuji. Elder God Al Azif doesn't count: she was never human to begin with.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', Hanyuu Furude was once human, but was sacrificed at her villages Watanagashi Festival. Instead of dying, however, she became [[spoiler:the deity of Hinamizawa, Oyashiro]].

** The Dark One (god of goblinoids) and the Elven Gods were once ordinary mortals. In the case of the Dark One, he ascended after his death due to his people going on a year-long campaign of slaughter in his name. Unlike other ascended mortals, he received no help or sponsorship from any of the existing gods, and is therefore in a new pantheon by himself. [[note]]This becomes a plot point, as each pantheon has a divine wavelength that determines how real it is; the more pantheons contribute to a creation, the more wavelengths it has, and the more real it becomes. Since the Snarl is made of four wavelengths and it killed off a pantheon, the remaining three pantheons have been unable to create a real seal/death for the even-more-real Snarl, hence the reason why the tears in reality created by the Snarl persist. The Dark One could be the fourth wavelength needed to fix this.[[/note]]

* ''Literature/ATouchOfMadness'': [[spoiler:Luna]] started off Human, but became the newest Incarnation of God. At least, she MIGHT have started off human, anyway.
* The Nanny in ''Literature/TheNewNarnia'' was originally as human girl suffering from a [[TheDiseaseThatShallNotBeNamed vague physical deformity]] who was nearly drowned in a well for suspicions of being a changeling. Down that well she [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence slipped into a realm of magic and dreams]], becoming one with it and "see[ing] the vast lightning blue ocean of ethereal possibility -- of dreams and desire..."

* In ''ComicBook/{{Supergod}}'', superheroes are gods. ''Supergod'' is all about a world where various countries built superbeings that were gods (or gods that were superbeings). However, [[GodIsFlawed the concept of "God" is a flawed one]].

** In pre-''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' continuity (''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987''), she becomes the Goddess of Truth for a short while after she is killed in action and the Greek gods decide to reward her for her devotion. However, she's ''too'' good to be a god, using her new powers more to help people than gain worshippers, so they eventually demote her back to mortal superhero.
** In the ''ComicBook/New52'' (''ComicBook/WonderWoman2011''), she becomes the Goddess of War, taking the mantle from Ares.

* In ''Series/TheFlash2014'' Season 7, the Speed Force has died and Barry is losing his powers as result. After an attempt at creating an artificial one has failed, Team Flash manage to re-create an organic Speed Force through Barry and Iris' love; this act creates three other Forces with power over Strength, the Psyche and Time itself, and who go on to inhabit unsuspecting humans.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/244534 Mister Vimes'd Go Spare!]]", which opens with Commander Vimes's death, a hundred years of sammies invoking him as the ideal of what a watchman is meant to be results in the ascension of the God of Watchmen. Who is going to arrest ''somebody'' for this.