Little gods was originally inspired by a Northwest Native American creation mythology Mount Shasta and the Grizzly Bears. It was recorded by Joaquin Miller (b. 1837-1913) in the collection Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest edited by Ella E Clark. The prequel Sky gods closely follows the myth and uses much of the text directly from the orginal story. Little gods diverts into an alternate, female focused, imaginary mythology while keeping some of the main themes and symbolism from the original story.