At last, a thread for stinky mythology nerds like me. Homestuck is buried deep into concepts of Gnosticism, alchemy and Jungian archetypes (which itself pulls from the previous two), and having studied that in an academic and historical context, I really wanna do a deep analysis of those themes at some point.

For now though, I will offer some perspective in relation to the Denizens. They are portrayed as both gods and monsters, cryptic beings that are both villain and deity, contrasted directly with Skaia, which is said to be conscious and making decisions, but described much more like a force rather than a being.

The portrayal of the Denizens as snake-like creatures is also no coincidence, as the aforementioned Demiurge, and Gnosticism's true god, Abraxas, are both portrayed as either serpents or having serpent-like features. In Gnostic Christian tradition, Abraxas was actually the serpent that lead Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of Eden, which is portrayed as ultimately good, as it gave humanity knowledge.

Abraxas is also often portrayed its legs being two snakes pulling it on different directions, demonstrating its duality aspect, which I'd wager was the inspiration for the concept of The Choice with the Denizens, and the Cherubs as a whole.

Humanity, as Oasis said, is a creation of the Demiurge, who is in fact one of the many deities below Abraxas, or, The God, as it is sometimes called (a concept that actually comes from Hermeticism but I digress). Interestingly enough, "world of lies" and "material world" are also referenced in the aspects of Hope and Rage.

See, Rage, on top of straightforward wrath, is associated with the uncovering of truth, or rather, the tearing down of lies, like how Gamzee seems to become aware of story he is a part of (all problematics of that aside). It is also directly associated with Lord English*, the one who killed Y'aldabaoth, the false god. Hope, on the other hand, being its opposite, concerns itself with imagination, dreams, convictions and magic as a concept. It is often discredited by both the Aspect holders, like with Eridan's insistence magic isn't real, or generally ridiculed, as with Jake, despite the demonstrable immense power it possesses. It is thusly no coincidence to me that Jake ENGLISH's Denizen is, ironically, Abraxas, thus equating faith and wisdom within the mythos of paradox space. This, too, has bearing in Gnosticism, not just with how religion and knowledge have been equated throughout history, but also how the figure of Jesus in Gnosticism is portrayed as one coming to unmask the Demiurge for its lies, revealing the true god, Abraxas.

*Though Caliborn's Aspect is Time, Rage's symbol is a direct reference to the Alternian clown cult, worshipers of Lord English. To me, this also reflects how Lord English is often referred to as a demon of some sort, with some branches of Gnosticism either equating the Demiurge to the devil and/or as the literal ruler of Hell upon being banished.

There is much more to be said about it. For one, Abraxas and Y'aldabaoth are also implied to be Karkat's and Dirk's denizens (maybe. I don't actually remember it that well lol), or how the Aspects of Light and Void also offer a dichotomy of knowledge and obfuscation, but I need to cut myself off before this takes my whole afternoon. I hope this was informative, and I shall return to this if asked any questions.

Thank you Oasis for the yapping opportunity.