Writing/Brainstorming: Anthropomorphic Personifications

[joiedecombat]

Working theory: There are some concepts in this world, some forces, which are so difficult to effectively define that they require a human face - a consciousness to serve as a kind of a placeholder. These personifications are the pegs of the loom, giving support and shape to what would otherwise be an impossible tangle of threads.

Fate
Luck
Nature
Death
Time
Chaos
War
Art
Science
Inspiration
Peace
Fear
Power
Destruction
Disease (Plague/Pestilence)
Wisdom
Knowledge
Ignorance
Truth
Hope
Justice
Passion
Memory
Conscience
Wealth
Redemption
Sin
Love
Sleep
Dreams
Confusion
Insanity
Pain
The Mundane (The Grey)


Further thoughts to work with:
Seven deadly sins: Pride/Vanity, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger/Wrath, Greed/Avarice, Sloth

Gandhi's seven sins: Wealth without Work, Pleasure without Conscience, Science without Humanity, Knowledge without Character, Politics without Principle, Commerce without Morality, Worship without Sacrifice

Cardinal/theological virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Courage, Justice, Faith, Hope, Love

Seven contrary virtues: Humility, Kindness, Abstinence, Chastity, Patience, Liberality, Diligence

Seven heavenly virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Prudence

Elements: Earth, Fire, Air, Water
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Winds: North, South, East, and West

Hm.

There's a story here, I think, but this is hardly new ground. I'd like to try to find an approach that hasn't been done before... my current notion probably owes a bit too much to Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality.