History Main / EmissaryFromTheDivine

'''Looks like this trope but isn't:''' MouthOfSauron (the spokesman for an evil deity or organization who isn't empowered to act independently or speak their own mind), PalsWithJesus (when the god wants companionship, not an employee), [[strike: TheChosenOne (a mortal chosen to do something other than intermediate),]] {{Oracle}} (someone who can see the future, and may or may not receive that power from a deity), SymbioticPossession (the god wants a collaborator and won't do full-blown possession lasting more than an emergency few minutes), and WitchDoctor (a ritualist who compels higher powers to help them, instead of the other way around).

->''Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"''

* The ''Discworld/SmallGods'' character Brutha speaks for the Great God Om, although Om doesn't really have much of a choice because Brutha is the last True Believer in an otherwise spiritually dead religion. Brutha represents Om's interests independently which makes him an emissary.

* ''[[Literature/HcSvntDracones Blood in the Mist]]'' is a sci-fi LovecraftLite story where both the protagonist and antagonist are "Heralds" of extradimensional beings with immense power, though Abraxus advises Rio [[StopWorshipingMe not to worship him]], as opposed to Loris and his blood-drenched cult.

Whatever the reason, [[RuleOfDrama the emissary will rarely be grateful for the honor]]. Fits of [[RageAgainstTheHeavens existential frustration]] and insecurity are common- after all, what need does a god have for a human? Emissaries may also fear that they've gone insane, or be subject to assassination attempts by jealous dogmatists. Sometimes the god is [[ReasoningWithGod temperamental]], or drags them far from home. Frequently, such stories are focused on the emissary's cross-purpose yet friendly relationship with the divine.

* In Myth/EgyptianMythology, pharaohs were considered an embodiment of the god Horus while alive, and of Osiris once dead. This was one of the earliest variants of the DivineRightOfKings concept; aside from actually ruling, the pharaoh also officiated at religious ceremonies, decided temple locations, and was referred to as "High Priest of every temple". The trope contributed to their downfall- because of it, the populace were less forgiving of a Pharaoh when s/he did make a mistake, and incestuous marriages between members of the "pure" royal bloodline were enforced.

* In Islam this is the role of Mohammed and all of the less important prophets before him.

** Another case are the hosts of the Phoenix Force, which in this story it is another name for [[spoiler:[[ComicBook/TheSandman Destruction]].]] Prior to the [[spoiler:death and FusionDance of Lily Potter with the Phoenix]], that Force pretty much destroyed the host, and even now it remains very dangerous for one's psyche.

* ''ComicBook/CliveBarkersHellraiser'' starts a storyline called "The Harrowing" in issue #17, where the goddess Morte Mamme chooses 7 mortal champions to be her emissaries during rescue missions, freeing mortals from the Cenobite hell dimension of the ''Franchise/Hellraiser'' franchise. Each mortal champion receives a supernatural power along with a magic weapon. Her mortal champions were chosen because they had certain strengths and immunities, and not because they were born for it like TheChosenOne. "The Harrowing" storyline finishes during {{Spinoff}} comic book series ''ComicBook/CliveBarkersTheHarrowers''.

*** When a course of action requires an external person, the Courts will each select one mortal to act on their behalf, this person being named "Emissary". Harry Dresden has the fortune of ending up as the Emissary of Queen Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness, Queen of Winter, and the original Evil Queen, twice over the course of the series to pay off a debt he owes another fae but was bought by Mab.

** The Knights of the Cross are three paladins who each carry a Sword with one of the Nails from Jesus' crucifixion. They have two ways to be emissaries for the Almighty:

*** The second level is when an Angel of the Lord uses a properly aligned Knight as a herald to announce God's Will and Decree. This has happened only twice thus far. Once is when a new Knight faced the ancient evil leadership of the Red Court of Vampires and denounced their position as false gods and killers of innocents. The other is when [[spoiler:the Archangel Uriel, in order to save a retired Knight from death after choosing to face the mortal leader of the Denarians, loans the Knight his Grace of God, healing the injured man, and allowing the man to be in the right spot to be a Voice of God to a group of thieves the Knight would need to work with, offering them a chance to redeem themselves as well]].

* Literature/TheDresdenFiles:
** The Seelie (Summer) and Unseelie (Winter) Courts: There are two types of mortal emissaries for different duties.
*** When a course of action requires an external person, the Courts will each select one mortal to act on their behalf, with the person named "Emissary." Harry Dresden has the fortune of ending up as the Emissary of Queen Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness, Queen of Winter, and the original Evil Queen, twice over the course of the series to pay off a debt Harry owed another fae but was bought by Mab.
*** When the course of action involves a direct conflict with the opposing court, the Queens of Summer and Winter will send their Knights, mortals who are blessed with a tithe of that Court's Queen's original power. Typically the Winter Knight's duties involve killing someone or some people, and the Summer Knight is sent to protect the people. It should be noted that while a Knight might be suitable to one Queen, if a Queen of higher rank disagrees, she can remove the power from the Knight, even if it means killing the person, to select a person of their own liking to be the Knight.
** The Knights of the Cross are three paladins who each carry a Sword with one of the Nails from Jesus' crucifixion. They have two versions of being emissaries to the Almighty:
*** The first one is their more common one. The Knight's primary duty is to save the mortal hosts of the Fallen Angels who inhabit one of thirty silver Denarias. They will offer peace to the mortal who is entrapped by the Fallen in hope that the mortal will wrest control and give up the coin in atonement. They are not to be the executioners and killers of these people unless the Fallen or host refuse to yield and the Knight must defend himself or herself, or the lives of others.
*** The second level is when an Angel of the Lord uses a properly aligned Knight as a herald to announce God's Will and Decree. This has happened only twice thus far. Once is when a new Knight faced against the ancient evil leadership of the Red Court of Vampires and denounced their position as false gods and killers of innocents. The other time is when [[spoiler:Archangel Uriel, in order to save a retired Knight from death after choosing to face the mortal leader of the Denarius, loans the Knight his Grace of God, healing the injured man, and allowing the man to be in the right spot to be a Voice of God to a group of thieves the Knight would need to work with, offering them a chance to redeem themselves as well]].

* Regardless of linguistic drift since that era, some of ''Literature/TheBible'''s prophets were not prophets in the sense that they could see the future. They were closer to this trope-- enacting God's will, relaying the people's complaints to Him, warning foreigners and traitors not to mistreat His chosen people, etc. Many parts of scripture are not one continuous monologue from God, but a record of conversations with His chosen representatives.

* In Myth/EgyptianMythology, pharaohs were considered an embodiment of the god Horus while alive, and of Osiris once dead. This was one of the earliest variants of the DivineRightOfKings concept; aside from actually ruling, the pharaoh also officiated at religious ceremonies, decided temple locations, and was referred to as "High Priest of every temple". The trope contributed to their downfall- because of it, the populace were less forgiving of a Pharaoh when s/he did make a mistake, and incestuous marriages between members of the 'pure' royal bloodline were enforced.

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', every Tapu (ruler of Alolan animals) appoints a human kahuna to mediate between civilisation and nature. These kahunas are given Z-Rings, which allow them to perform a ceremonial dance that unleashes their Pokemon's full power.

* In ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'' subverts the trope; a parody of [[ComicBook/ChickTracts Jack Chick]] discovers to his horror that his god completely disagrees with a lot of Chick's opinions, including those Chick deluded himself into believing were divine revelation. Tyrus' ''actual'' prophets have all been been burned at the stake for heresy.

When a benevolent god or godlike figure chooses a mortal to speak for them, their reasons for doing so will vary. Sometimes they're not omniscient enough to work alone. Sometimes, they're so alien they can't talk well to humans. Sometimes, whatever they have to say will be more palatable or plausible coming from a fellow human. Sometimes, the emissary themselves is special in some heretofore-unknown way. Or, maybe the god just wants their calls screened.

SuperTrope for TheChosenOne since this emissary doesn't have to be foretold or born for the mission.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has the Godsmoot, where each god sends a high-ranking priest to discuss major issues on their behalf. [[spoiler:Subverted when it's revealed that the priests are {{Willing Channeler}}s for their gods and aren't personally involved in the discussion.]]

When a benevolent god or godlike figure chooses a mortal to speak for them their reasons for doing this will vary. Sometimes they're not omniscient enough to work alone. Sometimes, they're so alien they can't talk well to humans. Sometimes, whatever they have to say will be more palatable or plausible coming from a fellow human. Sometimes, the emissary themselves is special in some heretofore-unknown way. Or, maybe the god just wants their calls screened.

When a benevolent god or godlike figure chooses a mortal to speak for them. The god's reasons for doing this vary. Sometimes they're not omniscient enough to work alone. Sometimes, they're so alien they can't talk well to humans. Sometimes, whatever they have to say will be more palatable or plausible coming from a fellow human. Sometimes, the emissary themselves is special in some heretofore-unknown way. Sometimes, the god just wants their calls screened.

Emissaries are usually BadassNormal, protected only by "coincidence" or magic on loan from their god. IncorruptiblePurePureness is, of course, a job requirement. An emissary's MissionFromGod, if they have a specific one, is always diplomatic- anything else is a last resort. They may be nominated to inform the populace that GodIsDispleased, or that trope may ''result'' from an emissary being ignored. UnwantedFalseFaith can also be a related trope, when the emissary's audience is unable to see the forest for the trees. Usually this trope happens to mortals, but can occasionally happen to an angel or other less mortal race.

** ''Literature/SummerKnight'': The elemental god-like Fae powers, the Winter and Summer courts, both use mortal emissaries to enact their conflicting interests. Winter Queen Mab appoints Harry Dresden as Winter emissary which puts him in conflict with his ex-girlfriend Elaine whom Summer Queen Titania appointed as Summer's emissary.
** For the rest of the series, both Winter and Summer court have a long-term position "Knight", which is a mortal champion empowered to enact their court's affairs in the mortal world.
** ''Literature/{{Changes}}'': Karrin Murphy acts as {{God}}'s emissary when she carries one of the three holy swords of the cross to battle against the Red Court.
** The Knights of the Cross carry swords empowered for good (using nails from UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}'s sacrifice). We first meet Knight Michael Carpenter during ''Literature/GravePeril''. Readers meet the other two Knights of the Cross, Shiro and Sanya, during ''Literature/DeathMasks''. These Knights are empowered by Heaven for good missions which the Knights do of their own free will.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' features Alan Rickman as an angelic character named Metatron who is also known as the "voice of god". But Metatron is more than a mouth piece for {{God}}. Metatron is also an independent agent empowered to take charge and find God again, after God goes missing mysteriously.
* In ''Film/EvanAlmighty'', a [[Literature/TheBible Noah's Ark]] retelling set in the modern day, God forces the titular Evan to build an ark- partly to save a town from the approaching flood, and partly to prove His existence. The comedic and dramatic crux of the movie is how hard it is for people to believe that a guy- just a normal guy who lives down the street, goes to soccer practice, and isn't even especially pure- can have any role in God's plan. (Incidentally, when Evan asks, "Why me?", the answer is "Because you asked for it", calling back to an earlier scene where he prayed for an opportunity to change the world.)
* During the film ''Film/OhGod'', {{God}} recruits a supermarket manager, Jerry Landers, on a mission to send a special message to the world.
[[/folder]]

-->"And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement in the sight of the people."

Then the '''Lord''' said, [[{{Foreshadowing}} "This is how the Israelites will eat their defiled bread among the nations to which I will banish them."]]
"Ah, '''Lord God'''," I said, "I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth."

-->-- Ezekiel 4:12-15 [[note]]translation used is the Berean Study Bible[[/note]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'', only a mjuzi can contact ancestral spirits not their own...but the ability doesn't necessarily come intuitively. Regardless of being eager to learn and having her own MagicStaff, young Makini needs to ''calm down'' before she can receive guidance from the lion spirits [[note]]no other species are mentioned, [[MST3KMantra don't ask why]][[/note]] who marked her at birth.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tencommandmentscover0.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Prophet Moses during ''Film/TheTenCommandments'']]

Emissaries are usually BadassNormal, protected only by "coincidence" or magic on loan from their god. IncorruptiblePurePureness is, of course, a job requirement. An emissary's MissionFromGod, if they have a specific one, is always diplomatic- anything else is a last resort. They may be nominated to inform the populace that GodIsDispleased, or that trope may ''result'' from an emissary being ignored. UnwantedFalseFaith can also be a related trope, when the emissary's audience is unable to see the forest for the trees.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/AlternativeTitles/MouthOfVishnu