barty is actually a muse, but sometimes is referred to as the god of history
he presides mainly over mortal history and art and records everything mankind has ever done
he is madly in love with humanity and makes it known at every chance he can. even the fact that they have the capacity to go to war is incredible and amazing to him
he takes two forms exclusively: either that of a human man (like we’ve seen in the show) or a hummingbird
he’s often symbolized by said hummingbird, parchment and quill, a scroll tied with green ribbon, or a golden wax seal
because of his domain, he and ozpin are depicted together constantly. they’re referred to by humans as “the scholar and the scribe.” however, where ozpin would usually be depicted as the scholar on his own, their roles are reversed when they’re together, as barty relays the historical tales from humanity to ozpin
the two of them are also symbolized by the image of an owl shielding a hummingbird with its wings
barty’s immortality is actually conditional, though he has no real fear that the condition in which he would die will come any time soon. so long as written accounts of art and history exist on earth, so will he. his own accounts do nothing to keep him alive, so wars that focus on destroying art or literature hurt him horrifically
barty is the patron god/muse of historians, teachers, scholars, writers, and artists, but he’s also known to protect anyone who prays to him no matter their creed