History Main / GodInHumanForm

* In ''Series/{{Angel}}''

* Leo in ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'', after AscendingToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ''twice''. The second time was the reason for his depowering and [[LaserGuidedAmnesia mind wipe]], as he had betrayed the set of gods he became part of for another more powerful set of gods.

* In ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Q got demoted to mortal as punishment from the other Qs. Later, the same happened to his son.

** One, they can manifest by using an inferior vessel that bars them from using their full strength or even several of their more powerful abilities. The playable Quetzalcoatl works like this and while it should be the same for Stheno and Euryale, they were actually so weak in life that they're stronger as Servants and given abilities they didn't even have, such as Euryale's bow. She has no idea where it came from and notes that it should belong to Cupid.
** Two, they can share a body with a compatible human, which merges their personality. Ereshkigal and Ishtar both make use of this with Ishtar explaining that in her current form, she's about 70% Ishtar and 30% Tohsaka Rin, who is her host. This has a stabilizing effect on her personality. Ereshkigal got the other portions of Tohsaka's personality, leading Ishtar and Ereshkigal to consider themselves to be partially the same person.

* It is revealed in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13501363/8/Chaos-Effect Chaos Effect]] that the goddess who brought Edwin from the real world into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, the titan goddess Selene, is actually [[spoiler: Mai Valentine, the goddess with her powers and memories stripped away and who is now Edwin's girlfriend]].

* The various deities in ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' are living with humans and limit themselves to pretty much the same conditions mortals live in, such as Hephaestus not using any holy tools to create a dagger for Hestia as a present for Bell. Their abilities is limited to ''falna'' which is basically a stimulant to mortals' own powers, and the Gods actually have to earn for their own living and actually can be killed.

* This is one explanation suggested by [[ThePhilosopher Koizumi]] for Haruhi's subconscious {{reality warper}} abilities in ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', out of the many theories given in the series. While he personally rejects that particular theory, as do other characters who find her terrifying enough without throwing around the "G-word," {{fanon}} tends to roll with it.

* The various deities in ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' are living with humans and limit themselves to pretty much the same conditions mortals live in, such as Hephaestus not using any holy tools to create a dagger for Hestia as a present for Bell. Their abilities is limited to ''falna'' which is basically a stimulant to mortals' own powers, and the Gods actually have to earn for their own living and actually can be killed.

* All of the members of Koutarou's harem in ''LightNovel/InvadersOfTheRokujyouma'' appear to be avatars of the Goddess of the Dawn, who manifests when any two of the Girls join through the use of a [[FusionDance Fusion Spell]].

** Averted in mainstream UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}. To believe that God would ever put himself in human form is not blasphemy or apostasy, it makes you non-Muslim by definition. Islam is very big on [[PowersThatBe picturing God as a transcendent if benevolent being]] bordering on the [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch]] and is very critical of {{Pride}} (to say that God would take human form is to hold the human form somehow equal to Him, which is prideful on humanity's part) so it makes sense. In point of fact, the religion scholar Stephen Prothero has gone so far as to say that this is ''the'' defining characteristic of Islam: the belief in the transcendence of God to the point where opposition to Pride is the ''central'' aspect of the faith (and in a way, he's indisputably right: Islam is, after all, Arabic for "submission/surrender"). This is why Islam is ''very'' definite on having no images of God; some very strict Muslims believe it's wrong to create ''anything at all'' (being that only God can create).

** [[spoiler:Yevella]] also says she's a god, with the United worhsipping her as such.

* In UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}}, the object of enlightenment is to reach Nirvana rather than become a god; although gods are seen as beings longer-lived and more powerful than humans, they are not much better or all-knowing. In Mahayana Buddhism, Boddhisatvas (which ''are'' basically all-powerful and all-knowing) can manifest in human or animal form if need be. One of the main differences between Theravada and Mahayana/Vajrayana schools of Buddhism is precisely whether Gautama Buddha was born as a common mortal and attained Nirvana at some point of his life as the Theravada believe or if he was already enlighted in previous lives and was a Boddhisatva incarnating to show how to attain Nirvana as Mahayana and Vajrayana believe.

* The ''Franchise/Kirby'' series has [[spoiler:Kirby himself]], who is heavily implied to be reincarnated or somehow related to the god Void. Interestingly enough, Void is also implied to be [[spoiler:the origin of one of the series’ biggest antagonists, Dark Matter]].

* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': After their ascension to godhood, [[spoiler:Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Misato]] spend at least several days every year in human form to remember what being mortal is like and keeping themselves grounded. Although they can shed those shells at any time, they can feel pain and exhaustion.
* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfic ''Fanfic/DominusMundiTheKingOfKings'', [[spoiler: Harry]] is the mortal reincarnation of [[spoiler: Anipheon]], a former semi-mortal and ruler of the long gone [[{{Atlantis}} Al-Antidian Empire]], who [[DeityOfHumanOrigin became a full deity after dying]].

* ''Fanfic/AFlowersTouch'': Minerva, the avatar of the Planet, merges with Aerith, bestowing on her part of her power. This manifests from time to time when Aerith becomes aware of something that could potentially become a threat to the planet, causing her to adopt a ''much'' harder stance than she would usually take, and giving her eyes an unusual golden glow.
* It is revealed in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13501363/8/Chaos-Effect Chaos Effect]] that the goddess who brought Edwin from the real world into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, the titan goddess Selene, is actually [[spoiler: Mai Valentine, the goddess with her powers and memories stripped away and who is now Edwin's girlfriend]].

** This is also parodied in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', where a tribe of cannibals ''think'' for whatever reason that LovableRogue Jack Sparrow is a GodInHumanForm. He thinks this is great- until he finds out that they intend to "release" him from said human form... [[ImAHumanitarian by eating him]].

* In the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series, the most powerful of the PowersThatBe exist [[TimeDissonance mainly outside of time]] and, to be able to do anything to that which exists inside of time, not only need to insert fragments of themselves into the time stream(s), but also to [[GodInHumanForm put that fragment into a physical body]]. This is usually done by the fragment hitching a ride in an already living being (usually without the mortal host being aware), which limits the amount of power they can use. However, if the host dies they can slap together a blob of physical matter and shove the fragment into that, giving them much greater access to their powers (and in a few instances the BigBad starts out that way).

** 4th Edition has taken this to new levels by actually allowing player characters to be the mortal embodiments of a god with the various divine Avatar epic destinies, which represent a character discovering that they are a GodInHumanForm, or at least part of one, and ultimately ascending to rejoin that god.

* In ''Webcomic/TheGodOfHighSchool'', [[spoiler: Jin Mo-Ri]] is the "revert to infancy" variant, with his original form being the god Sun Wukong, the immortal Monkey King, sealing most of his powers in the process along with his memories.

** Ssome ''very'' heterodox branches of Islam, specially some Esoteric and fringe Shia sects with Eastern and Gnostic influence, '''do''' believe that God has adquire human form in the past, and that some figures like Ali or the Twelve Imams are literally Avatars of God. Of course this is heretical for mainstream Muslims, both Sunni and more mainstream Shias, which has cause a lot of intersectarian bloodshed.

** [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Mormons]] believe that everyone human started off as something approximate to God; the Veil keeps you from remembering properly and the human experience is seen as developmental and helpful rather than evil.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', [[spoiler:Zelda is revealed to be the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia. Meanwhile at the end of the game, the [[SatanicArchetype Demon King Demise]] proclaims that an incarnation of his hatred will always follow the goddess and the hero. Supplementary materials confirm this to be Ganondorf.]]

* Averted in UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}. To believe that God would ever put himself in human form is not blasphemy or apostasy, it makes you non-Muslim by definition. Islam is very big on [[PowersThatBe picturing God as a transcendent if benevolent being]] bordering on the [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch]] and is very critical of {{Pride}} (to say that God would take human form is to hold the human form somehow equal to Him, which is prideful on humanity's part) so it makes sense. In point of fact, the religion scholar Stephen Prothero has gone so far as to say that this is ''the'' defining characteristic of Islam: the belief in the transcendence of God to the point where opposition to Pride is the ''central'' aspect of the faith (and in a way, he's indisputably right: Islam is, after all, Arabic for "submission/surrender"). This is why Islam is ''very'' definite on having no images of God; some very strict Muslims believe it's wrong to create ''anything at all'' (being that only God can create).
** Should be noted however that some ''very'' heterodox branches of Islam, specially some Esoteric and fringe Shia sects with Eastern and Gnostic influence '''do''' believe that God has adquire human form in the past and that some figures like Ali or the Twelve Imams are literally Avatars of God. Of course this is heretical for mainstream Muslims both Sunni and more mainstream Shias which has cause a lot of intersectarian bloodshed.

* UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in ''Literature/TheBible'', is believed by [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Christians]] to be the Word Made Flesh, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity incarnated as a human being, both truly human and truly divine. Opinions differ between sects as to whether Jesus had his power since birth/conception, or whether they were unlocked by his baptism.

* In UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}}, the object of enlightenment is to reach Nirvana rather than become a god; although gods are seen as beings longer-lived and more powerful than humans, they are not much better or all-knowing. In Mahayana Buddhism, Boddhisatvas (which ''are'' basically all-powerful and all-knowing) can manifest in human or animal form if need be.
** One of the main differences between Theravada and Mahayana/Vajrayana schools of Buddhism is precisely whether Gautama Buddha was born as a common mortal and attained Nirvana at some point of his life as the Theravada believe or if he was already enlighted in previous lives and was a Boddhisatva incarnating to show how to attain Nirvana as Mahayana and Vajrayana believe.

* UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in ''Literature/TheBible'', is believed by [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Christians]] to be the Word Made Flesh, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity incarnated as a human being, both truly human and truly divine.
* All human beings are seen this way in some religions. Scientology is one example, considering human souls to be the reincarnations of alien souls. [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Mormons]] believe that everyone human started off as something approximate to God; the Veil keeps you from remembering properly and the human experience is seen as developmental and helpful rather than evil. In UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}}, [[GodIsEvil the Demiurge]] is keeping you in a human state: for instance, Adam, the first human, was originally (and again once his human body died) the archangel Michael. ''Literature/TheBible'' also says this in scripture: John 10:34 and Psalm 82:6.

* In ''Manga/Brave10'', [[spoiler: Isanami is an incarnation of Izanami, goddess of the Japanese Underworld.]]

* ''Manga/SailorMoon'': In Act 10 of the manga, Queen Serenity states that the people of Earth knew her as the Goddess Selene, while in the anime, she outright says she is the ''incarnation'' of Selene.

*** A bit scarier, but in Act 15 Adonis refers to past!Sailor Venus, and by extension Minako, as the Goddess of ''War''.

* Happens a few times in ''Series/TrueBlood'': Maryann was trying to either directly summon or just entice Dionysus to appear to her this way; the Faerie Elder wasn't actually a "god" but had this sort of reputation amongst her people; the Norris clan believed themselves to be the coupling of [[HalfHumanHybrid the Panther Spirit and a human]], thus were all incarnations of a higher power, and thus needed to "[[IncestIsRelative keep the bloodline pure]]" leading to all the [[VillainousIncest worst possible traits coming to the forefront]]. The fifth season brought us the Sanguinistas, a group of [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Vampire religious fanatics who were also secretly half the governing Vampire Authority]]. They believed Lilith to be the First Vampire, created "before Adam and Eve" and in "God's true image", with humans literally just food for them. After her death she [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence became something more than physical]]. Drinking enough of the supposed Blood of Lilith, they began seeing her incarnate from a puddle of blood, calling to each of them to "be her prophet" and invoke this trope. It was all implied to be a long series of hallucinations caused by the ancient blood. [[spoiler:Until, after they all killed each other and the rest of the council in a bid for power, Bill was the last one standing who drank ALL the blood, proceeded to melt into a blood-puddle and die (in that order), then emerge back from it just as Lilith had. [[OhCrap This understandably freaked out Sookie and Eric]].]]

* Death in ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' does this for one day every hundred years in order to experience life and death and better understand both.
* Doctor Donald Blake. When he hits his cane upon the ground, it is replaced by Mjölnir and he by ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor''.

* UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in Literature/TheBible, is believed by [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Christians]] to be the Word Made Flesh, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity incarnated as a human being, both truly human and truly divine.

* As mentioned above, the Hindu concept of avatars is one of the most widespread and influential implementations of this trope.
** As Hinduism is often seen as a pantheistic religion, all of reality can go under the umbrella of God in X Form.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Main/WaxingLyrical Gods just wanna have fun.]]]]

* Death in the ''[[ComicBook/TheSandman Sandman]]'' series does this for one day every hundred years in order to experience life and death and better understand both.

[[caption-width-right:350:Gods just wanna have fun.]]