The Penny Auction is a 'pre-selection' process for winnowing down to four final candidates for the annual God Auction. The 2008 candidates, and their final donation amounts, are as follows (a graphical representation is also available):
- Thor – Norse god of thunder, Thor is powerful, direct, honest and boisterous. He is a protector of both people and gods against evil, and is seen as able to grant health, holiness, and fertility. He was much revered as a deity of the common people, and much invoked at feasts and celebrations. And as one of Gaia Community's youth said, "he's nice to kids, and he helps people." ($88.75)
- Persephone – Greek Queen of the Underworld. Her movements throughout the year, from the earth's surface to the underworld and back again, link her to the change of seasons. She is also invoked as a power of new growth and the ability to dramatically change one's current path. ($85.25)
- The Green Man – Archetypal European god-form associated with nature and green growing things. He is represented as a laughing man made from, or wearing a mask of, leaves and flowers. He is invoked as lord of the forests, keeper of groves, and protector of trees and beasts. Gaia Community's own Twigs-n-Berries Men's group is promoting him as the "original twig and berries guy". ($85.19)
- Artemis – Virgin Greek goddess of the hunt, also associated with the moon. Dogs and deer are sacred to her, and she also appears as a guardian of young girls and women. In modern times, she is also considered a goddess of witchcraft, and special protector of lesbians. ($71.59)
- Hermes – Greek god beloved of travelers and gamblers. Hermes is the message-bearer of the gods, and no path is closed to him. He is a patron of in-between-places, a trickster, and guide for the dead (and others) passing into the Underworld. For Gaia Community, he would provide aid in the areas of communication and commerce, particularly. ($69.17)
- J.R. "Bob" Dobbs – The pipe-smoking figurehead of the Church of the Subgenius, "Bob" Dobbs is the ultimate salesman. He exhorts followers to choose slack, and promises Eternal Salvation or triple your money back. "Bob" is the patron of mutants, blasphemers, disbelievers, rebels, outcasts, hackers and freethinkers. ($32.34)
- Lakshmi – Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, good fortune, beauty, and fertility. She is associated with the lotus flower, symbolizing her spiritual perfection and power. She is petitioned for wealth and good fortune, and also to remove laziness, poverty, stagnation, and anger from the lives of her worshippers. ($25.55)
- Manannan Mac Lir – Irish god of the sea and sailors, associated with in-between-places, and the passage to the otherworlds. He is the possessor of a cloak of mists that creates and removes divisions between worlds, and a cauldron of regeneration, among other magical treasures. ($23.89)
- Aphrodite – Greek goddess of love, lust, and beauty. Born from the foam off the coast of Cyprus, she is all that is desirable and lovely. Though sometimes capricious, she is known to aid lovers in impossible straits. ($22.89)
- Kwan Yin – East Asian Bodhisattva of compassion. She hears the cries of the suffering, and has a thousand arms with which to aid the people of the world. She is the special protector of the poor, hungry, and downtrodden, and is sought and honored through the practice of compassion, mercy, and love. ($13.41)
- Athena – Greek goddess of wisdom and heroic pursuits. She is also the patroness of weaving and crafts. She is accompanied by victory, and attended by the wise owl and the serpent. In modern times, she is thought of as the patroness of women seeking higher education, particularly in the sciences. ($10.07)
- Rainbow Crow – A culture hero of Lenape legend, Rainbow Crow sacrificed his great beauty and wondrous voice for the good of the creatures of the earth when he stole fire from the Sun. The burning brand scarred his mouth and blackened his feathers, making him more like the crows we know today. He is an emblem of sacrifice and service. ($8.91)
- Guinevere, Lady of the Land – Guinevere is the wife of Arthur in English legend, and has been envisioned as a goddess of sovereignty. In this guise, she represents the land, given in marriage to the king. She is intimately connected with the health of the earth in this role. ($6.89)
- Anansi – West African trickster deity and culture hero who appears in the form of a spider as well as a man. Clever and crafty, he is the owner of all the stories in the world, and teaches humanity vital skills and lore, including agricultural techniques. ($5.98)
- Grandmother Spider – Creator deity from the North American southwest. The stars in the sky are made from her web, laced with dew. She is also responsible for stealing fire from the sun and bringing it to the world, and for connecting all things through her web to the source of life and wisdom. ($5.60)
- Eris – Goddess of discord and high weirdness. Once known primarily for her part in the Trojan War, she is now the matron deity of Discordianism, "a self-subverting Dada-Zen for Westerners -- it should on no account be taken seriously but is far more serious than most jokes." ($4.46)
- Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent – Aztec god of knowledge, writing, rain, and culture. He is a creator god, and is also associated with the fertility of the earth. He is credited with the creation of the calendar, poetry, and the arts. ($4.30)
- Baba Yaga – Slavic witch goddess who lives in a chicken-legged hut and flies through the skies in a mortar. She helps the polite and those who act from pure motives, but eats the rude, the flippant, and the corrupt. ($4.27)
- Carl Sagan – American astronomer and astrochemist, founder of SETI (Search for Extra- Terrestrial Intelligence). Known for his commitment to science education and his concern for the long-term survival of the human race, he wrote a number of books on scientific topics for popular audiences, founded organizations to support space exploration, and vocally supported nuclear disarmament. ($4.23)
- Don Quixote de la Mancha – Spanish literary hero who transcends his ordinary reality in favor of a world of exciting adventure where chivalry and heroism still have meaning. ($4.06)
- Coyote – North American culture hero and trickster figure. Coyote is credited with bringing fire and other advancements to humankind. He learns by experience, and is willing to pass on his knowledge to those similarly willing to undergo trials for understanding. He is also known to have a strong, if coarse, sense of humor, and encourages people not to take themselves too seriously. ($3.89)
- Merlin/Myrrdin – The wizard of King Arthur's court, Merlin is associated with wisdom, good counsel, magical prowess, and the ability to change shape. He possesses the gift of prophecy, and can often see things beyond the sight of ordinary men. ($2.93)
- Kupalo – Slavic god of love, fertility, magic, and the harvest, celebrated at midsummer. On the day of Kupalo's feast, the earth reveals its secrets – ferns grow to mark where treasure is hidden, and trees move and speak. ($2.08)
- Fortuna – Roman goddess of luck. She is petitioned for good fortune in all endeavors, and also to bestow plenty and protect gains already gotten. Her emblem is the Wheel, and she is also associated with the turning of seasons. ($2.04)
- The Universe (originally nominated as Generic Nameless Divinity) – Mystery of mysteries, the sum of all natural law, the great spirit of the cosmos and all existence. ($1.92)
- Wyrd – Ineffable fate, the web of deeds. Wyrd represents the inter-connectedness of all actions, and the ability of an individual to alter destiny to an extent. Wyrd is sometimes personified by Urd, one of the Norns, women who draw and weave the fate of mortals and gods alike. ($1.81)
- Isis – Initially an Egyptian goddess of sovereignty and protection, the worship of Isis spread throughout the ancient world, until she was hailed as a universal goddess of everything, Isis of Ten Thousand Names. She is invoked as mother and protector, and has associations with fertility and magic. She is also called upon to protect the poor and shelter the weak. ($1.42)
- Gandhi – Spiritual leader of the Indian Independence movement who espoused a philosophy of 'resistance to evil through active, non-violent resistance'. Called Mahatma (great soul), he campaigned for liberation of women, inter-faith friendship and understanding, and against poverty, caste discrimination, and British rule of India. ($1.13)
- Lilith – A mysterious figure associated with feminine power and sex, Lilith appears in many Mesopotamian cultures. She is reputed to be the first wife of Adam, who insisted on equality with her husband, effectively ending their relationship. She has associations with the night, witchcraft, eroticism, and the desires suppressed by people who deny the body. ($0.71)
- Ralph Wiggum – A modern interpretation of the Holy Fool, Ralph Wiggum appears on the cartoon show "The Simpsons". He is shy, awkward, and appears simple, but is well-liked and occasionally shows himself to be much more than he appears. ($0.63)
- Venus of Willendorf – A voluptuous figure of remote prehistory, Venus of Willendorf is honored today as a fertility goddess and representation of the feminine principle of divinity. ($0.25)
