Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

For Beatrice Elizabeth JordanDictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Second EditionCopyright © 2004, 1993 by Michael JordanAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form orby any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by anyinformation storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher.For information contact:Facts On File, Inc.132 West 31st StreetNew York NY 10001Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataJordan, Michael, 1941–Dictionary of gods and godesses / Michael Jordan.– 2nd ed.p. cm.Rev. ed. of: Encyclopedia of gods. c1993.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 0-8160-5923-31. Gods–Dictionaries. 2. Goddesses–Dictionaries. I. Jordan, Michael, 1941– Encyclopedia of gods. II. Title.BL473.J67 2004202'.11'03–dc222004013028Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantitiesfor businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our SpecialSales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755.You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.comText design by David StreleckyCover design by Cathy RinconPrinted in the United States of AmericaVB FOF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1This book is printed on acid-free paper.

CONTENTS6PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITIONvINTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITIONviiCHRONOLOGY OF THE PRINCIPAL RELIGIONSAND CULTURES COVERED IN THIS BOOKxiiiDICTIONARY OF GODS AND GODDESSES1BIBLIOGRAPHY361INDEX367

PREFACE TO THESECOND EDITION6It is explained in the introduction to this volumethat no database of deities worldwide can everhope to be comprehensive. There are just toomany regional variations amongst the larger religionblocks and, equally, a vast number of verylocalized cults, each with its own idiosyncraticpantheons of gods and goddesses. The intentionof the first edition was to cover all the major theatersof belief as extensively as was feasible at thetime, with the primary object of including most ofthe names of deities that the student was likely tocome across while traveling to religious andarchaeological sites around the world, or researchingin museums and libraries. This meant thatmuch attention was paid to the living polytheisticreligions, including Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, andShinto. It was also thought constructive to includeas many names as possible from Ancient NearEastern, Egyptian, Classical Roman and Greek,Norse, Celtic, and Germanic pantheons since,in recent decades, there has been a resurgenceof interest in many of these among “alternativereligion” movements.As a result of these decisions, certain geographicalareas were under-represented in the first edition.Most notably they included the Pacific islandsof Hawaii, Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia,along with Australia and New Zealand with thevenerated traditions of the Australian Aboriginesand the Maori. All of these cultures are richlyendowed with deities. In recent years some specializedreference works, focusing on the “Pacifictraditions,” have been published and the additionalentries in the book draw on valuable resources ofinformation that were not all widely available whenthe first edition was compiled.Away from the southern hemisphere cultures,two specific new entries deserve mention. Helenof Troy was omitted from the first edition becauseshe is widely regarded as having been a mortalqueen made famous through Homeric legend.According to the great Greek historian Hesiod,however, Helen was a goddess and as such worthyof inclusion here. And, in response to widespreadinterest in the history of the Knights Templar, Ihave included an entry on Baphomet, the medievaldeity allegedly worshiped by that order of knights.The chronology section has been re-workedand the bibliography substantially expanded toincorporate a large number of titles that havebeen published since the first edition of theEncyclopedia of Gods, while retaining the detailsof older references. Many of the newer titles arecurrently in print and widely available in bookstoresand from online sources.Numerous cross-references and a comprehensiveindex have been added to this edition to alloweasy access to the information.v

INTRODUCTIONTO THE FIRST EDITION6In compiling a book like Encyclopedia of Gods, oneis struck both by the enormous number and varietyof deities that occur in different religionsaround the world, and also by the way patternsrepeat themselves—almost every culture has itscreator gods, gods concerned with a locally importantaspect of the weather, goddesses of fertility,gods whose duty it is to protect the home. Thesame mysteries have puzzled people on everycontinent, the same fears have beset them and theyhave all attempted to explain the mysteriesand allay the fears in the same way—through theworship of gods.We know, beyond reasonable doubt, that aworld measured purely in spiritual dimensions hasbeen identified for at least 60,000 years—it mayhave been present as an innate part of the humanpsyche since the very beginnings of consciousness.But why does the human spirit harbor such a needfor gods?The beginnings of an answer to this questionmay be found in the beliefs of the simplest cultures.Primitive peoples attribute to all of nature,everything which exists in a physical state, aspiritual identity that is ever-present but unseen,conjured or appeased by the special powersplaced upon certain individuals of the tribe, theshamans or wise ones. These spirits may be poorlydefined, but they are endowed with human formand human habits: they walk, talk, enjoy sexualrelations, exhibit anger, sorrow, joy, mischiefand so on. Thus one finds in simple shamanisticfaiths such characters as “cloud man” and “grasswoman,” “old man of rocks” and “reindeer child.”As this animistic style of religion develops, therather vague ethereal spirits of clouds, rocks, trees,birds and animals become detached from theirtemporal “shells” and take on progressively moreabstract associations. Thus we find a goddess ofchildbirth, a god of storms, a god of blacksmithsor sailors, even a deity concerned with the properuse of pots and pans. As the scope of their responsibilitiesbroadens, the deities become moreclearly defined, more “human” personalities. Wecome to know them by their appearances, by theirstyle of dress, by the attributes they carry. Yetsome of their animistic traits persist and they maystill be identified in inanimate symbols anddevices, and be represented as animals or otherliving things. The social infrastructure of the spiritworld may also closely mirror our own: thusdeities become arranged in hierarchical ordersknown as pantheons and may be separated intogroups, not only responsible for different areas ofworldly control, but also directing their powerstoward good or evil.To explain the precise significance in our lives ofgods and goddesses is more complicated becauseit may alter according to environment and accordingto the stage of social and economic development.Again it necessitates a return to the templateprovided in the most simple religions. Withoutthe benefit of science, technology and history, thenatural world is a puzzling and frightening place,vii

viii Introduction to the First Editionsteered by great invisible forces. If every object innature has a spiritual identity, which may be consideredto act as its protector or guardian, logicdictates that mankind’s activities affect the objectnot only in its physical state but also in its spiritualdimension. Thus the approval of the relevant spiritmust be obtained before the slaughter of game,the felling of a tree, the commencement of a journey,the building of a house. Responsibility for ouractions is taken from us and given into the handsof an all-powerful, if unseen being.The need to expiate our activities has persisteddown the millennia: the prime role of gods is stillto protect, to steer, to govern the order of life andto provide answers to conundrums which scienceand the modern temporal world cannot resolve.This encyclopedia contains more than 2,500entries of deities derived from both ancient andcontemporary cultures. It does not generallyinclude personalities regarded as demigods,demons or mythical heroes. A demigod is definedhere as a personality who was once mortal but hasbeen elevated to the celestial ranks. Generallyspeaking, and it is certainly true of the occidentalreligions, gods are iconic figures whose “pedigree”belongs exclusively in the heavens. They are distinctand separate from humankind. In some religions,however, most notably Buddhism, all deitiesare perceived as having once been mortal beingswhose pursuit of excellence and enlightenment haselevated them ever higher through a series ofspheres or planes toward perfection. In themythologies of other cultures, often of a tribalnature, there exist significant ancestral personalitieswho have clearly been deified and are treatedentirely as gods and goddesses e.g. the Sumeriangod Dumuzi or the Norse god Balder. In suchinstances, personalities that might correctly beregarded as demigods have an entry here. It shouldbe noted, therefore, that while Gautama Buddha isincluded, there are no entries for Jesus Christ orthe prophet Muhammad.Although certain cultures, such as those ofGreece and Rome, will be well known to mostreaders, others will be less familiar, and some historicalbackground may be useful.The Sumerians were the first high civilization toinhabit Mesopotamia. Their style of cuneiformwriting was only deciphered a few years ago andmuch of their history and circumstance is still notproperly known. In the twenty-fourth century BCthey were taken over by the Akkadians under Sargonand the style of writing changed to a Semiticcuneiform. The names of many deities changed atthe same time. The Old Babylonian era began atabout the end of the second millennium BC andwas marked largely by the influence of the lawmakingking Hammurabi. With some interruptions,the influence of Babylon continued throughthe neo-Babylonian period of biblical notoriety,until roughly two hundred years before the birth ofChrist. The Hittite Empire arose in the mountainousregion of what is now Turkey and its periodof influence was comparatively short-lived. TheHurrians, closely linked with the Hittite Empire,were less a compact culture than a loose-knit andwidely traveled people who shared a common language.They influenced much cross-fertilizationof culture in the ancient Near East.The demise of these ancient orders came in 539BC when the Persians under Cyrus conqueredBabylon. Their hegemony was brief and wasreplaced by the Greek influences of Alexander theGreat and his Macedonian Empire in the fourthcentury BC. The Romans under Pompey came inthe first century BC. Muslim expansionism tookover key areas of Syrio-Palestine and Persia in theseventh century AD, introducing the new religionof Islam to an area which had seen strong, if shortlived,influence from Zoroastrianism.In parallel with the Mesopotamian cultures, thatof Egypt survived more or less intact from sometimebefore 3000 BC until the end of the RomanEmpire period, though from the first century AD,

Introduction to the First Edition ixunder Roman provincial rule, the makeup of itsreligion becomes increasingly confused.The classical religions of Greece and Rome supplantedthose of the ancient world as the dominantoccidental faiths. Greece was the pioneer and,although known properly from about 800 BC, coincidentalwith the rise of the city states, her deitieswere probably well established in much earliertimes, perhaps in the Mycenaean age which begancirca 1600 BC. Rome seems largely to have borroweddeities from Greece and renamed them.Her influence collapsed with the sack of Rome bythe Visigoths in 410 AD.Elsewhere in Europe the Celtic gods were probablytaking substance as early as the late BronzeAge in central Europe (circa 900 BC) but they comeunder historical scrutiny only from about 400 BC.Celtic culture was effectively a spent force inEurope by the first century BC with the defeat ofthe Gaulish rebellion under Vercingetorix, but itsinfluence continued in Ireland until Christianizationin the fifth century AD. The Celts were neverliterate and names of deities are known only fromRomano-Celtic inscriptions and the questionablyaccurate writings of Christian monks. The Vikings,with whom the Nordic Icelandic culture is mostclosely associated, began their major period ofinfluence in the eighth century AD, but their deitiesare often modeled on older Germanic gods whoprobably held sway from at least the first or secondcenturies AD. Their culture is better recordedthrough the Icelandic Eddaic literature.In India, Hinduism took shape perhaps as earlyas 1700 BC with the migration of Aryan peoplesfrom the southern steppes of Russia into the subcontinent.The development of the two great epicpoems, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,between 300 BC and 300 AD swelled the ranks ofdeities and the process of enlargement continuedwith the more recent literature of the Puranas andthe development of Tantrism. Though now associatedmore with the Far East, Buddhism began innorthern India with the teachings of GautamaBuddha in about 500 BC. It was introduced toChina in the first century and to Japan as late as thesixth century AD.Of the major Meso- and South American religionsdiscussed, the earliest is that of the Mayans,in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, whose civilizationarose in the fourth century BC, reached itspeak during the seventh century AD and thenwaned in influence as the Toltec Empire began toflourish. The Incas, though established on partsof the Pacific coast of Peru in the fifth century BC,did not begin serious cultural expansion for severalhundred years and their brief empire period commencedin 1438 AD. The Aztecs, in Mexico, startedtheir rise to prominence about a hundred yearsearlier but were largely contemporary with theIncas. These pre-Columbian cultures came to anabrupt end with the arrival of the Conquistadors,Cortez routing the Aztec capital in 1521 andPizarro taking Peru twelve years later. Almost alltheir sacred literature was destroyed.To assist in placing the various cultures in achronological perspective, a chart is provided onpage xiii.It is notoriously difficult to pinpoint the momentin time at which a personality or a title firstbecomes identifiable as a deity. Frequently a nameis recognizable from a list or a text but it is not possibleto say with certainty whether that wordreflects an object of worship or some more secularnotion. The word may, at first, refer only to a phenomenon,such as the sunrise. Eventually the termfor sunrise is adopted as the proper name of a deitywho is the apotheosis of that phenomenon, butprecisely when that change in usage has taken placeis unknown. With rare exceptions, deities do notemerge “overnight.” They are slow to evolve, oftenderiving from the personality of an older god orgoddess. Likewise they may be highly tenacious,their worship dwindling imperceptibly, sometimesover many centuries. Rarely is the period of rever-

x Introduction to the First Editionence for a deity, from “source to sink,” clear-cut.Because of the once enormous number of animisticspirits, a process of merging or syncretization frequentlytakes place when deities who exhibit similarroles become redundant and join forces as asingle personality. Obviously when culturesmerged, some deities were also superseded. Sometimesa compound name may give a clue to thisprocess, but often only the title of the dominantfigure remains for the record.Thus the chronology can never be precise and isfrequently the subject of disagreement betweenscholars. Where dates are given for a “knownperiod of worship,” these are to be regarded as anapproximate guide only.Apart from the distinctions outlined below, thedeities listed here are treated equably, though manyof the entries in large pantheons such as those ofHinduism and Buddhism are probably on a levelof importance equal to that of Christian saints.Entries are in alphabetical order, without breakdowninto ethnic or cultural groups, and each entryis listed under the name by which the deity is mostcommonly known. The modern geographical areaof the world in which the deity is, or has been, recognizedis given in [square brackets].Two types of entry are employed in the encyclopedia.Entries for deities who may be regarded asbeing, or having been, of major significance withintheir cultural area are headed by BOLD CAPI-TALS and are accorded a more detailed coverage inthe text. The remainder are treated in less detail. Inall cases the information includes the original culturalsource. This may sometimes be reflected by alanguage e.g. Sumerian; by a cultural movemente.g. Babylonian, Hindu or Buddhist; or by a tribalidentity e.g. Yoruba or Navajo. It should be notedthat the term “Akkadian-Babylonian” is taken tomean that period influenced by the Akkadian andBabylonian hegemonies, during which texts werecomposed in the Semitic Akkadian language.Also included is the role of the deity in thepantheon—whether he or she is perceived as acreator, a god of concepts like fertility or death, ortaking more specific responsibility, such as for thewell-being of a maize crop. His or her immediategenealogy is listed since gods and goddesses areinvariably considered to have celestial parents, siblingsand offspring. Mythology plays a significantrole in sustaining a religion and its personalities,particularly among the broad mass of cultureswhich are essentially non-literate. The deeds ofspirit beings are recorded in word-of-mouth stories.When mythology plays a significant part inthe understanding or makeup of the personality, itsoutlines may be included and the literary sourceidentified. Information which may be of use in recognizinga god or goddess from iconography, suchas dress, symbols, sacred animals and other attributesis also provided when known, and art referencesare given. Attributes may be of particularimportance in identifying deities from large andcomplex pantheons such as those found in Hinduismand Buddhism. These deities may appear ina number of physical forms or emanations in orderto perform different roles i.e. as an ascetic, a lover,a prince or a warrior. Sometimes variations aredescribed as avataras, which may be best explainedas reincarnations in which a divine being has beenborn into the world to save it from danger and torestore order during some particular moment ofdisruption.Distinction is drawn between sky and astral personalitieswho are perceived to live in the regionsabove the temporal world and who are generallyconcerned with climate, weather, cosmic eventsand other such heavenly activities, and those associatedwith the earth and its well-being. Thusdeities of fertility, agriculture, the sea, domesticaffairs and death are generally earth-bound andare described as chthonic.Two or more deities may be combined into ahybrid. Less than true syncretizations, such deitiesretain the hyphenated names of the original personalities.Generally such hybridized deities arenot given space. This is particularly appropriate in

Introduction to the First Edition xithe case of the Hindu pantheon where the effectwould be to incorporate very large numbers ofnames representing little more than a fusion oftwo personalities detailed elsewhere in the encyclopedia.All significant avataras or incarnations of adeity are, however, included. In some cases we haveno names for figures depicted in art, either becausenone are provided or because we cannot decipherthem, but the iconic form is so well representedthat academic circles have provided code letterse.g. those Mayan gods listed as God A, God B andso on. When it is generally assumed that a codenamedfigure is the same as a fully identified deity,the code name may be noted at the end of an entry.Where cross-references to other deities seemappropriate, these are included. The Romans wereparticularly prone to adopt Greek and Celticdeities, retaining more or less all the original personality,but changing the name. Thus Zeusbecomes Jupiter and Aphrodite is re-named Venus.Because of the numbers involved, no attempthas been made to indicate that a god mentioned inanother’s entry has an entry of his or her own. Butif a deity is named without explanation, as Seth inthe story of Horus and vice versa, the reader willusually find that an entry exists for that deity.When a name originates in a script form otherthan Roman, e.g. Sanskrit, the nearest phoneticequivalent is provided in the spelling. In manyinstances, particularly where there has been Greekinfluence, the name given is the Hellenized version.Where applicable, the word Greek appears in[square brackets] as part of a heading: this appliesto a number of Hellenized Egyptian deities whoseGreek-style names are more commonly used; theoriginal Egyptian name is then given at the end ofthe entry. The reader should be aware that otherreference sources may interpret phonetics differentlyand it is worth exploring possible alternativespellings if an entry is not immediately found. Forillustration, the Greek god Asklepios may, in someother works, be entered as Asclepius. Spellings aregenerally those incorporated in the source referenceworks cited in the bibliography. There areexceptions: the Loeb translations of Greek authors,for instance, tend to use “Romanized” spellings.Wherever applicable, a literal English translationof the meaning is given and alternative names andspellings may also be included under “synonyms”or at the end of the entry. If a form of a name isspecific to a certain language or culture, this is alsostated.It should be noted that in ancient Near Easternpantheons, the sound sh is transcribed as š, and thatin Baltic and some African languages, sh is transcribedas s. Generally, a c placed before the vowelsounds e or i is pronounced soft, like an s. In allcases z should be pronounced like the French j injardin, though many people will prefer to employthe Anglicized pronunciation of names like Zeus.Although Encyclopedia of Gods represents themost comprehensive worldwide listing of deitiesavailable in a single volume, it makes no claim to beexhaustive. Aside from the reservations alreadystated, the volume of potential entries would makethis an unrealistic objective. The gods of Hatti(Hittite), for example, are described as being “inexcess of 10,000.” There are at least as many deitiesknown to Japanese Shintoism. Many thousandsmore find their place in the Chinese pantheons.The volume therefore includes those names whicha student or enthusiast of iconography or mythologywould reasonably need to explore and which acasual reader or traveler might encounter in textsor inscriptions.One should always be aware that our presentdayknowledge of the names and personalities ofdeities is strictly governed. In too many instancesethnologists have simply not bothered to investigatelocal faiths before they have been corrupted orobliterated by the more universal modern religions.Primitive societies have often been reluctantto speak the names of deities to outsiders for fearof divine—or missionary—reprisal. Thus thereare accountable geographical gaps in what mightotherwise be a more complete survey.

Chronology of the Principal Religions and Cultures Covered in This BookCULTURE3000 BC 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 AD 500 1000 1500 2000SUMERIANEGYPTIANAUSTRALIANABORIGINALAKKADIAN-BABYLONIANHINDUHITTITE-HURRIANGREEKHEBREWMAYANCELTICBUDDHISTROMANAFRICANYORUBAPOLYNESIANNORDIC-ICELANDICCHRISTIANINCAAZTECNZ MAORIISLAMICESTIMATED HISTORYKNOWN HISTORY

A6A-aSun goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian)and western Semitic. Consort of the sungod ŠAMAŠ. Also AYA.A’ašGod of wisdom. Hittite and Hurrian. Derivedfrom the Mesopotamian model of ENKI/EA. A’aškeeps the tablets of fate.AbandinusGod of unknown affinities. Romano-Celtic(British). The name appears in an inscription atGodmanchester, Cambridge, England.AbellioTree god. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Known frominscriptions in the Garonne valley of southwesternFrance and thought to be associated withapple trees.AbeonaGoddess of passage. Roman. Linked with thegoddess ADEONA, she is concerned with the safegoing-out and coming-in of a child.Abgal1. Desert god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Known from the Palmyrian desert regionsas a tutelary god of Bedouins and cameldrivers.2. Minor attendant spirits. Mesopotamian(Sumerian). Associated with ENKI and residing inthe Abzu or primeval water.Abhijit (victorious)Minor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Puranic). Abenevolent naksatra or astral deity; daughter ofDAKSA and consort of CANDRA (SOMA).AbhijnarajaPhysician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted among a series of SMAN-BLA (medicinebuddhas). Typically depicted with stretchedearlobes. Color: red.Abhimukhi (friendly disposed)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One oftwelve deified BHUMIS recognized as differentspiritual spheres through which a disciplepasses. Color: yellow. Attributes: book andstaff.1

2 AbnobaAbnobaForest and river goddess. Romano-Celtic (ContinentalEuropean). Known locally from the BlackForest region of Germany. The name “Avon,”associated with many rivers, derives from hername.AbonsamMalevolent spirit. West African. Recognized bytribes in the Gold Coast, etc. Traditionally drivenaway in an annual expulsion ritual by firing gunsand shouting loudly, emptying houses of furnitureand beating the interiors with sticks. The abonsamwas finally driven into the sea. The ritual was precededby four weeks of total silence in the area.AbuMinor vegetation god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Said to have sprung from the head of the godENKI, thus symbolizing plants emerging from theearth’s soil.AbundantiaMinor fertility goddess. Roman. The personificationof abundance. She continued in French mythologyafter the Roman occupation, as a lady whoenters houses in the night, bringing prosperity.AbzuPrimordial deity of underground waters, the“deep.” Mesopotamian (Sumerian). His center ofcult is at Eridu (southern Mesopotamia), and hewas replaced in Akkadian times by APSU.Ac Yanto (our helper)God of white men. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The brother of the creator godHACHACYUM. Responsible for the creation ofEuropean immigrants, including their possessionsand products.AcacilaAnimistic spirit. Aymara Indian [Peru andBolivia—Titicaca Basin]. One of a group ofvaguely defined beings who control the weather,including rain, hail and frost.Acala (immovable)1. Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One oftwelve deified BHUMIS recognized as differentspiritual spheres through which a disciple passes.Color: white. Attributes: staff on a lotus.2. Tutelary god. Buddhist (Mahayana). Also adikpala or guardian of the northeastern quarter.Color: blue. Attributes: jewel, lotus, staff andsword.AcanGod of wine. Mayan (Yucatec, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Identified with the localbrew, balche, made from fermented honey towhich the bark of the balche tree has been added.AcatGod of tattooers. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico].Acca LarentiaObscure mother goddess. Roman. Believed insome traditions to be the mother of the LARES, butalso the mother of the god HERCULES and theadopted mother of Romulus, the founder of Rome.She was celebrated in the Larentalia festival on 23December, which was also a feast of the dead.

Adibuddha 3Acchupta (untouched)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.Acolmiztli (shoulder-lion)Minor chthonic underworld god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the deitiescollectively classed as the MICTLANTECUHTLIcomplex.AcolnahuacatlMinor chthonic underworld god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the deitiescollectively classed as the MICTLANTECUHTLIcomplex.ADAD (wind)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).Weather god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1900 BC orearlier to circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS Ramman (thunder); IŠKUR (Sumerian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Karakara and at Aleppo andMari [Syria].ART REFERENCES reliefs, stelae, glyptics, etc.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts includingAtrahasis, inscriptions.Adad is derived from the older (Sumerian)model of Iškur. At Mari [Syria] he enjoyed amajor cult following. Occasionally the subjectof a sacred marriage ceremony in parts ofMesopotamia and Syria. His father is thesupreme sky god ANU. He is described as abenevolent giver of life in the fields but is also amore violent storm god. His name in Akkadiancuneiform means “wind.” His animal is the bull.In human form he is depicted wearing hornedheaddress and tiered skirt or robe decorated withastral symbolism. He may carry a scimitarembellished with a single panther head and hissymbol is the lightning fork often fixed upon apair of pincers.See also HADAD [Syrian].AdamasPrimordial creator being. Gnostic Christian(Nassene). Recognized locally in Phrygia [northwesternTurkey] as an androgynous force in thecosmos.AdeonaGoddess of passage. Roman. See ABEONA.AdhimukticaryaMinor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One oftwelve deified BHUMIS recognized as differentspiritual spheres through which a disciple passes.Color: red. Attributes: red lotus and staff.Adhimuktivasita (control of confidence)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group oftwelve VASITAS or goddesses personifying the disciplinesof spiritual regeneration. Color: white.Attribute: flower bud.Adibuddha (the primeval buddha)The original BUDDHA. Buddhist. The primordialforce in the cosmos from whom the fiveDHYANIBUDDHAS arose. The embodiment of theconcept of emptiness. He is considered by someauthorities to be identical with Vaharaja andVajrasattva. His image, sitting on a lotus leaf, isoften carried by other Buddhist deities. Epithetsinclude Svabhava (self-creating), Svayambhu(self-enlightened).

4 AdidharmaAdidharma (the primeval law)Primordial goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Particularly worshiped in Lamaism, she is theSAKTI of ADIBUDDHA. Attributes: cup and knife.AdikiaGoddess of injustice. Greek. An ugly figure whois depicted on the Kypselos Chest being throttledby the goddess of justice DIKE.Adimurti (the primeval personification)Form or avatara of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epicand Puranic). Probably very similar to NARAYANA.Conventionally perceived as Višnu seated on thecoils of the serpent SESA (Adisesa) and attendedby two wives. Attributes: those of Višnu. Also Vaikunthanatha,Paramapathanatha.Aditi (the free one)Archaic mother goddess. Hindu (Vedic). Accordingto the Rg Veda Aditi is said to be the wife ofKASYAPA or of BRAHMA and mother of theADITYAS, a group of minor gods including MITRA,ARYAMAN, BHAGA, VARUNA, DAKSA and Anisa. Noother consort is mentioned in the literature. She isalso accounted as the mother of HARI. Other legendsaccount her as the mother of the rain godINDRA. No human physical features are drawn,though she is sometimes identified in the guise ofa cow. Aditi is also perceived as a guardian goddesswho brings prosperity and who can free her devoteesfrom problems and clear away obstacles. Shedisappears largely from later Hindu traditions.Aditya (descendant of Aditi)Collective name for sun gods. Hindu (Vedic andPuranic). These numbered six in Vedic times butlater increased to twelve. The sons of the primordialgoddess ADITI. Also an epithet for SURYA.Attributes: two or more lotuses.ADONIS (lord)ORIGIN Hellenic name adopted predominantlyin Phoenician and Syrian culture and based onan old western Semitic deity [Lebanon andSyria]. Fertility and vegetation god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 200 BC (Seleucidperiod) to circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Adon (lord, Semitic).CENTER(S) OF CULT mainly at Berytus and Aphaca.ART REFERENCES sculptures, plaques, votive stelae,glyptics, etc.LITERARY SOURCES various literary texts (fewinscriptions).Adonis is modeled on the Mesopotamian dyingvegetation god DUMUZI (Hebrew: Tammuz). Heappears as a youthful deity. The river Adonis[Nahr Ibrahim] is sacred to him largely because itswaters flow red after heavy winter rains, havingbecome saturated with ferrous oxide. In Hellenictradition he is the son of the mythical Cyprianking Cinyras and his mother is MYRRHA. Accordingto Hesiod he is also the son of Phoenix andAlphesiboea. He is the consort of APHRODITE.Tradition has it that he was killed by a boar duringa hunting expedition and is condemned to theunderworld for six months of each year, duringwhich the earth’s vegetation parches and diesunder the summer sun and drought. He was honoredin a spring festival when priests in effeminatecostume gashed themselves with knives. Frequentlydepicted nude and sometimes carrying alyre. Also ATTIS (Phrygian); ATUNIS (Etruscan).AdrasteaMountain goddess. Hellenized Phrygian [northwesternTurkey]. Probably derived from a local

AENGUS 5Anatolian mountain deity. Known from inscriptionsin Greece from circa 400 BC as a deity whodefends the righteous. It is uncertain whether shebears any link with the Celtic goddess ANDRASTA.AdroTutelary god. Lugbara [Lake Albert, East Africa].The personification of grass fires and whirlwindswho, in antiquity, created mankind. Thought tolive in the vicinity of rivers with many wives andchildren.AeacosChthonic underworld god. Greco-Roman. Oneof three judges of Hades assessing the souls ofthe dead entering the underworld (see also MINOSand RHADAMANTHOS). Identified by Plato as theson of ZEUS and Aigina. In the Theogony (Hesiod),Aeacos is also the consort of Psamathe and fatherof Phocos. Also Aiakos.AedChthonic underworld god. Celtic (Irish). Knownfrom inscriptions. Aed mac Lir, son of LIR andAobh was, according to tradition, turned into aswan by his stepmother, Aoife.AEGIR (water)ORIGIN Icelandic (Nordic). God of the ocean.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) but probably earlier, through to Christianization(circa AD 1100).SYNONYMS none known.CENTER(S) OF CULT none known but probablyenjoyed sanctuaries along the west coast ofNorway and elsewhere in Nordic region.ART REFERENCES runic inscriptions; reliefs inmetal and stone.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo).A lesser known AESIR god of Asgard concernedwith the moods of the sea and their implicationsfor mariners. The river Eider was known to theVikings as “Aegir’s Door.” Aegir is also depictedin some poetry as the “ale brewer,” perhaps anallusion to the caldrons of mead which werethought to come from under the sea (see also theCeltic deities DAGDA and GOBNIU). There arereferences in literature to Saxons sacrificingcaptives, probably to Aegir, before setting sailfor home. Linked in uncertain manner to thegoddess RAN he was believed to have sired ninechildren, the waves of the sea, who were possiblygiantesses.AENGUSORIGIN Celtic (Irish). Of uncertain status.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC orearlier until Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Mac Oc; Aengus Oc.CENTER(S) OF CULT Brugh na Boinne (Valley ofthe Boyne).ART REFERENCES various monumental carvingsand inscriptions.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings.The son of the DAGDA by “the wife of Elcmar”(one of the kings of Tara) who may have beenthe goddess BOANN, Aengus lived in the Valleyof the Boyne and was closely linked with theancient funerary tumuli in the region. Accordingto legend, Aengus fell in love with a maidenwhose identity he sought in vain. As he wastedaway, his father and mother made enquiriesuntil they located Caer, daughter of the king ofCannaught, who lived on Loch Bel Dragon inthe shape of a swan with 150 attendant swans.

6 AeolosAengus eventually found her and he alsochanged into a bird.AeolosGod of storms and winds. Greek. One of the sonsof POSEIDON, said to have presented the winds ina leather bag to the hero Odysseus, and to havegiven the sail to seafarers. According to legend hishome was the Aeolian Island [Lipari Island]. Inone legend he is married to EOS and is the fatherof six sons, the various directional winds. Thehexagonal Temple of Winds, on each side of whichis depicted a flying figure of one of the winds, andwhich is dedicated to Aeolos, still stands at Athens.AeolusGod of storms and winds. Roman. Derivedfrom the Greek storm god AEOLOS, he is theconsort of AURORA and the father of six sons,BOREAS the north wind, CORUS the northwestwind, AQUILO the west wind, NOTUS the southwestwind, Eurus the east wind and ZEPHYRUSthe south wind.AequitasMinor god. Roman. Spirit of fair dealing, knownparticularly from the second century BC.AericuraChthonic underworld god. Romano-Celtic.Known only from inscriptions.AesculapiusGod of healing. Roman. Developed from theGreek deity ASKLEPIOS and introduced intoRome in 293 BC as a plague god. Attributesinclude the caduceus (winged scepter), the symbolof modern medicine.AESIRORIGIN Icelandic (Nordic). The major race ofsky gods in Norse religion.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) but developed earlier, until Christianization(circa AD 1100) and in some instancesbeyond.SYNONYMS none known.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout areas of Nordicinfluence, particularly at Uppsala in Sweden.ART REFERENCES engraving on stone and weapons;other art objects etc.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); various classicalauthors.The twelve Aesir gods are headed by OTHIN, theAll-Father (see also the Koryak Siberian deityQUIKINN.A’QU) and probably are, in part, derivedfrom a Germanic pantheon established in prehistory.The Aesir follow a common pattern wherebycultures establish a “senior” pantheon of great godswhich usually number seven or twelve. Some ofthese are creator gods but do not necessarilyinclude the archetypal founders of the cosmos. Inmythology the Aesir exist in a realm known asAsgard, one of a number of heavens perceived inNordic and Germanic lore. The gods live in greathalls. Othin occupies Valaskjalf, roofed with silver,and in a separate building, Valhall, he assemblesslain mortal heroes. These warriors will one dayserve to defend Asgard in the final onslaughtagainst the established order by the frost giantsand other adversaries. The Aesir fought a primalbattle with a rival group of gods, the VANIR. Theirconstant enemies, though, are the Frost Giants,the Midgard Serpent, a huge sea snake encirclingthe Nordic lands, and Fenrir, the great wolf whowill catch and swallow the sun at the day of doom,Ragnarok. At that time it is foretold that the godsof Asgard will perish, and earth will be consumedby fire, finally to be cleansed by the rising watersof the sea before being born anew.

Ah Bolon Dz’acab 7AetherPrimordial god of light. Greco-Roman. Aremote cosmic deity, the son of EREBOS(darkness) and NYX (night) who overthrewthese archetypal deities of chaos. In Hesiod’sEpic Cycle he is also described as the father ofOURANOS.Agathos Daimon (good demon)God of fortune. Greco-Roman. Known locallyfrom Alexandria and depicted in the form of asnake. May have originated as an androgynousfertility spirit, but later becomes identified asthe consort of Agathe Tyche (see TYCHE). Libationswere made regularly to this deity aftermeals and he was regarded as a friendly householdguardian.AgeGod of animals. Fon [Benin, West Africa].Revered by hunters in the savannah regions.AglibolMoon god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Known from Palmyra and linked with the sungod Yarhibol. The cult continued into Hellenictimes and was later extended to Rome. Attributesinclude a sickle moon.AGNI (fire)ORIGIN Hindu [India]. God of fire.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BConward and still recognized.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT known throughout areas ofHindu influence.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs in metaland stone.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda and other texts.God of the sacrificial fire and the intercessorbetween gods and mankind, Agni is the son ofKASYAPA and ADITI or, alternatively, of Dyausand PRTHIVI. His consort is Svaha and, accordingto some texts, he is the father of the godSKANDA. In a destructive capacity he is seen as anaspect of the god ŠIVA. He is also a guardian ordikpala of the southeastern quarter. In ancienthymns he is said to have been born in wood asthe embryo life force of all trees and plants andhe emerges when wood is rubbed together.Vehicles: a she-goat, or a chariot drawn by redhorses or parrots. Color: red.Attributes: seven arms and sometimes the headof a goat, carrying a wide variety of objects.AgnikumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHAVANAVASI (dwelling in places).They have a youthful appearance and are associatedwith rain and thunder.Agnostos TheosThe unknown god(s) usually addressed in the pluralform. Greco-Roman. They were the subject ofaltar inscriptions, particularly in Athens, probablyout of concern lest certain less popular deities beneglected or forgotten.Agu’guxCreator god. Aleut [Aleutian Islands]. The namegiven to the Christian god under Russian Orthodoxinfluence.Ah Bolon Dz’acab (many generations)Chthonic fertility god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A god identified with rainand thunder. Also strongly linked with agricultureand young crops. Possibly a vegetation avatara of

8 Ah Cancunthe iguana god ITZAM NA. Attributes include aleaf-like ornament worn in the nose. Also God K.Ah CancunHunting god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of a number of deities in Mayanreligion identified with the hunt and the protectionof animals. Also Acanum.Ah Chun Caan (he of the base of the sky)Local god. Mayan (Yucatec, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The tutelary deity of the city ofMerida. Mentioned in the Vienna Dictionary.Ah CilizGod of solar eclipses. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. He is said to eat the sun duringan eclipse, but at other times attends upon thesun god, serving him meals.Ah Cuxtal (come to life)God of birth. Mayan (Lacandon, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Responsible for the safedelivery of women.Ah Hulneb (he of the spear thrower)God of war. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The local guardian deity of the city ofCozumel.Ah Kin (he of the sun)Sun god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].A deity of ambivalent personality, the youngsuitor of the moon goddess Acna, also the agedsun god in the sky. He is feared as the bringer ofdrought, but also protects mankind from thepowers of evil associated with darkness. Said to becarried through the underworld at night on theshoulders of the god Sucunyum. Ah Kin is prayedto at sunrise and rituals include the burning ofincense. He is invoked to cure illness and to bringwives to bachelors. Attributes include a squarethird eye subtended by a loop, a strong Romannose, a squint and incisor teeth filed to a T-shape.Also Acan Chob (Lacandon); Chi Chac Chob;Kinich Ahau; God G.Ah Kin XocGod of poetry. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Regarded as a great singer andmusician since most Mayan poetry is sung orchanted. He may appear as a hummingbird andis considered by some authorities to be anavatara of the sun god. Also Ah Kin Xocbiltun;P’izlimtec.Ah Kumix UinicobAttendant water gods. Mayan (Yucatec, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The four diminutivedeities which take over from the giant AH PATNARUINICOB deities during the dry season.Ah MunMaize god. Mayan (Yucatec, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The deity responsible for protectingthe unripe maize.Ah MuzencabBee gods. Mayan (Yucatec, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The patron deities of apiarists stillinvoked in parts of the Yucatan. They are thoughtto be represented iconographically on the topsand bottoms of stone columns at the site ofChichen Itza as aged men with long beards and

AHURA MAZDA 9upraised arms. They wear loin cloths with distinctivecross-hatching.Ah Patnar Uinicob (owners of the jars men)Attendant water gods. Mayan (Yucatec, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. Four huge deities whopour water on to the earth from jars. The end ofthe dry season is marked on May 3, completing aneight-day rain ceremony.Ah PekuThunder god. Mayan (Lacandon, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. He lives on the tops ofhills and climbs into the clouds before it rains.Ah TabaiHunting god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of a number of deities in Mayanreligion identified with the hunt and the protectionof animals.Ah Uincir Dz’acabGod of healing. Mayan (Chorti, classical Mesoamerican)[eastern Guatemala]. The patron ofherbalists and concerned with the preparation ofremedies, he is depicted as having male andfemale identities, each concerned with the healingof their respective sexes. Also Ah Uincir Kopot.Ah Uuc TicabChthonic god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Minor fertility and vegetation deity.Aha (grandmother)River spirit. Yakut [central Siberia]. The guardianand apotheosis of rivers.AhrimanChthonic god of darkness. Zoroastrian (Farsi-Persian).The antagonist of AHURA MAZDA, god oflight, and his attendant, MITHRA. The name is amodern derivation of the original Avestan titleANGRU MAINYU. Ahriman is said to have tried topersuade his attendant animals, including the scorpion,ant and snake, to drink the blood of the bullslain by Mithra in the primeval legend of dualisticconflict (see Mithra); if he had succeeded he wouldhave prevented life from forming on earth. Inanother legend he tried to thwart Ahura Mazda bysending a flood to destroy the world. Also recognizedin Roman Mithraism. Rituals included animalsacrifice. Also ARIMANIUS (Roman).AHURA MAZDAORIGIN Persian [Iran]. God of light.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC toend of Roman Empire period, circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout ancient Near Eastduring Persian and Roman Empire periods.ART REFERENCES various sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Avestia.Ahura Mazda probably originates as the HinduVedic god VARUNA. In Persian religion hebecomes the god of light and truth in the Zoroastrianconcept of dualism. His chief attendant godis MITHRA(S) and his adversary is AHRIMAN, thegod of darkness. According to tradition his firstcreation, a wild bull, was confined to a cave byMITHRAS. When it escaped, Mithras was chargedwith finding and slaying it. The bull’s blood fell toearth and from the drops life formed. AhuraMazda is not mentioned in Roman Mithraicinscriptions but he is, by implication, the centralfigure in Mithraism. In the Mithraeum in Rome(S. Prisca), Ahura Mazda is considered to be areclining figure on whom Mithras attends.

10 AhuraniAlthough never popular among the civilian population,Mithraism spread under Flavius and waswidespread among the Roman military, though italways enjoyed a greater following in the east thanin the west. It was one symptom of the more generalRoman return to sun worship. In AD 307, asanctuary on the Danube was dedicated toMithras (and Ahura Mazda) in an effort to sustainmilitary power in the empire.Ahurani (mistress of Ahura)Fertility goddess. Zoroastrian (Persian). Invokedby ordinary people to bring prosperity and children.Water libations were a key part of the ritual.Ai ApaecSupreme god. Mochica Indian (pre-ColumbianSouth America) [northern coast of Peru]. Probablyoriginated as a jaguar god but came to rule the destiniesof the world. He was thought to live like ordinarypeople and could reveal himself as man or godat will. He is depicted in anthropomorphic form,but with huge fangs and a cat-like wrinkled facewith whiskers coming from his nose. He receivedsacrificial victims hurled from the top of a high cliff.AidesSee HADES.AineObscure sky or sun goddess. Celtic (Irish). Mayhave an association with horses.Ajaya (invincible)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.AjeGoddess of wealth. Yoruba [Nigeria, WestAfrica]. She is thought to appear as a fowl scratchingthe earth and, in creation mythology, was sentdown with ODUDUWA, the earth goddess.Aji-Shiki-Taka-Hiko-NeRain god. Shinto [Japan]. One of the RAIJINdeities whose name is often linked with that ofKAMO-WAKA-IKAZUCHI.AjysytMaternal spirit. Yakut [central Siberia]. Thedeity who oversees the lying-in of an expectantmother and who brings the child’s soul to thechild-bed. The term ajysyt can also apply to amale spirit, thus the ajysyt that oversees the birthof horses is male, while that of horned cattle isfemale.Akasagarbha (essence of the sky)Astral god. Buddhist (Mahayana) and Lamaist[Tibet]. One of the BODHISATTVAS or spiritualmeditation buddhas. He lives in the “womb ofthe sky.” Color: green. Attributes: book, jewel,lotus and sun disc. Also Khagarbha. In JapaneseBuddhism this deity becomes the god Kokuzo.AjalamoGod of unborn children. Yoruba [Nigeria, WestAfrica]. According to legend, in some vaguemythological realm there exist rows of shelveswith spirits of the unborn. These are the responsibilityof Ajalamo.AkelosRiver god. Greek. The son of OKEANOS andTETHYS. According to mythology he was a rivalsuitor for Deianeira who became the wife of HER-AKLES. He was the consort of Melpomene and hisdaughters were allegedly the sirenes. A river of the

Ala 11same name runs into the Ionian Sea. Attributesinclude bull horns. Also Achlae (Etrurian).AkenChthonic underworld god. Egyptian. The keeperof the underworld ferry boat.AkerChthonic earth god of passage. Egyptian. Knownfrom the Old Kingdom (circa 2700 BC onward).Controls the interface between eastern and westernhorizons of the underworld, and is theguardian of the gate through which the kingpasses into the underworld. Aker provides a safecourse for the barque of the sun god during itspassage through the underworld at night. He maybe seen as the socket holding the boat’s mast. Heis also considered benevolent against snake bites.Represented by opposite facing pairs of human orlion heads.AkeruPluralistic chthonic earth gods. Egyptian. Probablystemming from the pre-Dynastic period.Malevolent deities who can seize and imprisonthe souls of the deceased.AkonadiOracular goddess. Ghanaian [West Africa]. Knownin the region around Accra where she has had acelebrated oracular shrine. She is regarded as agoddess of justice and a guardian deity of women.AkongoCreator god. Ngombe [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. The supreme deity consideredto have given the world, and all that is init, form and substance.Aksayajnana-Karmanda (undecayingknowledge of Karma)Deification of literature. Buddhist. One of agroup of twelve DHARANIS. Color: red. Attributes:basket with jewels, and staff.AKSOBHYA (imperturbable)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. The second dhyanibuddhaor meditation buddha.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent.SYNONYMS Vajrasana; Vajraheruka.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESmetal and stone sculptures,paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Sadhanamala and Tantric ritualtexts.One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of ahuman buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. A productof the ADIBUDDHA who represents the branch ofthe cosmos concerned with consciousness. Heoriginates from the blue mantra HUM and lives inthe eastern paradise Abhirati. His SAKTI is LOCANAand he is normally accompanied by two elephants.Color: blue. Attributes include bell, three monkishrobes and staff, also jewel, lotus, prayer wheeland sword. Aksobhya may also be a tutelary deityin Lamaism [Tibet] in which case his attributes aresimilar. Emanations include HERUKA, MANJUSRI,VAJRAPANI and a large number of minor names.See also AMITABHA, AMOGHASIDDHI, RAT-NASAMBHAVA and VAIROCANA.AlaChthonic fertility goddess. Ibo [eastern Nigeria,West Africa]. A popular deity who is also goddessof the underworld linked with a cult of the dead(which rest in her womb). Her temple is the Mbariwhich contains a cult statue depicting the goddessseated with a child in her arms and adorned with

12 Alad Udug Lamathe crescent moon. She is flanked by attendantdeities. She enjoys a profusion of local shrineswhich are well supplied with votive offerings. Seriouscrimes including murder are considered to beoffenses against her. An annual yam festival is celebratedin her honor. Also Ale, Ana, ANI.Alad Udug LamaCollective name of guardian deities. Mesopotamian(Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian).Vague spirits who accompany major deities anddispense good fortune.AlaisiagaeMinor goddesses. Romano-Celtic (British). Theyare identified at Houseteads (Northumberland) ina shrine to Mars Thincsus.AlaluPrimordial god. Hittite and Hurrian. The archetypaldeity who precedes AN(U) in the formationof the cosmos. He was identified by the Greeks asHYPSISTOS (the highest).AlatanganaCreator god. Kono [eastern Guinea, West Africa].One of two creator deities; the other is SA. ALA-TANGANA created land from swamp and placedvegetation on earth.VAJRAPANI and a large number of minor names.See also AMITABHA,AMOGHASIDDHI,RATNASAM-BHAVA and VAIROCANA.AlaunusLocal god. Romano-Celtic (Continental European).Known from areas around Mannheim andSalzburg. The Romans syncretized him withMERCURIUS.AlcisUnknown status. Germanic and possibly Icelandic(Nordic). The Alcis are twin deities(brothers) known only as sons of the sky gods.From Germanic times we have a La Tene urnwith pictures of paired men on horseback andlinked by a wooden beam. Tacitus describes theworship of twin gods by the Naharvali tribe, theirpriests dressed in effeminate costume (see alsothe Phrygian deity ATTIS). They may have beenworshiped in forest sanctuaries along the northerncoast of Europe.AlemonaGoddess of passage. Roman. Concerned with thehealth of the unborn child.AlisanosLocal chthonic earth god. Romano-Celtic (Gallic).Known only from inscription in the region ofthe Côte d’Or and associated with the land. AlsoAlisonus, Alisanus.Alk’unta’mSun god. Bella Coola Indian [British Columbia,Canada]. Linked closely with SENX, both are ofequal significance. His mother is a cannibalwoman, Nunuso’ mikeeqone’im, who can turninto a mosquito.ALLAHORIGIN Nabataean and Arabic. Derived from thewestern Semitic god Il.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 300 BC untilpresent.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT Mecca [Saudi Arabia].ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Qur’an.

AMATERASU-O-MI-KAMI 13The creator god of Islam. Perceived in pre-Islamic times as the creator of the earth and water.Named by the prophet Muhammad as the onetrue god and given a hundred names or epithetsin the Qur’an, ninety-nine of which are known tomankind and accounted on the rosary beads; thefinal name remains a mystery. No representationof Allah is made in art.Allat (goddess)Astral and tutelary goddess. Pre-Islamic northernand central Arabian. One of the three daughtersof ALLAH. At Palmyra she was regularly invokedas a domestic guardian either as Allat or ASTARTEwith whom she is closely linked. At Ta’if she wassymbolized in the form of a white granite stone.In Hellenic times she became syncretized withATHENA or, according to Herodotus who calledher Alilat, with APHRODITE.See also ATARŠAMAIN.Allatu(m)Chthonic underworld goddess. Western Semitic.Modeled on the Mesopotamian goddess EREŠ-KIGAL and possibly also equating with ARSAY inCanaanite mythology. Recognized by theCarthaginians as Allatu.AlmaqahTutelary astral god. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian.Worshiped by the Saba tribe, his sacred animalis the bull. Attributes include lightning boltsand a sinuate weapon.AlpanuChthonic underworld goddess. Etruscan.Depicted wearing jewels, a loose cloak and sandalsbut otherwise naked. Also arguably a goddessof sexual love.Ama-arhusFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Mentioned in texts as being amongthe pantheon at Uruk in Hellenistic times butalso found as an earlier manifestation of the godGULA. Also Arad-Ama-arhus, Amat-Ama-arhus.AmaethonGod of agriculture. Celtic (Welsh). A son of DONand brother of GWYDION, he is known from alimited number of Welsh texts and was engagedin a mythical battle against the ARAWN. Associatedwith ploughing and husbandry. The modernWelsh name for a farmer is amaethwr.AmašagnulFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Mentioned in prebend documentsfrom the Hellenistic period at Uruk and thoughtto be the consort of the god PAPSUKKAL.AMATERASU-O-MI-KAMIORIGIN Shinto [Japan]. Sun goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 600 or earlieruntil present.SYNONYMS Shinmei; O-Hiru-Me-No-Muchi;Tensho-Ko-Daijin.CENTER(S) OF CULT Ise Naiku shrine; many othersthroughout Japan.ART REFERENCES sculptures and paintings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Nihongi; Kojiki (Japanesesacred texts).The central figure of Shintoism and the ancestraldeity of the imperial house. One of the daughtersof the primordial god IZANAGI and said to be hisfavorite offspring, she was born from his left eye.She is the sibling of SUSANO-WO, the storm god.According to mythology she and Susano-Woare obliged to join each other in order to survive.

14 Ama-Tsu-MaraSusano-Wo ascends with her to heaven but isthrown out after trying to enter her house andcommitting various excesses. Amaterasu refusesto be sullied and obstinately hides herself away ina cave. It requires the combined diplomacy andcraft of many other deities to persuade her tocome out. The lure is the “perfect divine mirror”in which she sees her reflection. The birth of thetwo deities is considered to mark the transitionbetween cosmic and material genesis.The Ise Naiku sanctuary is visited by about fivemillion devotees each year and Amaterasu takespride of place in every family shrine. Sometimesher shrines are placed adjacent to those ofSusano-Wo. She is also the tutelary goddess ofthe emperor. Hers tends to be a monotheistic cultin which all other deities take a subservient place.Though powerful she does not always succeedand is often subject to attack. She has beenarguably identified with the god VAIROCANA inBuddhist religion.Ama-Tsu-MaraGod of smiths. Shinto [Japan]. Depicted as aone-eyed ithyphallic god comparable to theGreek Cyclopes. He is strongly instrumental infashioning the “perfect divine mirror” with whichthe sun goddess, AMATERASU, is lured from hercave. Also Ma-Hiko-Tsu-No-Kami.Amaunet (the hidden one)Fertility goddess. Egyptian (Upper). Amaunetseems to have a taken a role as an early consort ofAMUN, one of the eight deities of the OGDOAD andrepresenting hidden power. In that context she isdepicted anthropomorphically but with the headof a snake. She is shown in reliefs and as the subjectof a notable statue from the Record Hall ofTuthmosis III at the Karnak complex of Thebes,where she was recognized as a benign protectivedeity especially called on at times of royal accession.As a fertility goddess she was largely eclipsedby the goddess MUT. She is sometimes equatedwith NEITH, the creator goddess of Sais, and herattributes may include the red crown of the Delta.Ame-No-Kagase-WoAstral deity. Shinto [Japan]. The most importantof the star KAMI said to have been executed by thegod FUTSU-NUSHI because he would not be pacifiedduring the process of cosmic genesis.Ame-No-Mi-Kumari-No-KamiWater goddess. Shinto [Japan]. One of the daughtersof MINATO-NO-KAMI, the god of river mouthsand estuaries, she is known as the “heavenly waterdivider” and her cult is linked with that of Kuni-No-Mi-Kumari-No-Kami.AME-NO-MINAKA-NUSHI-NO-KAMI (the deity master of the august centerof heaven)ORIGIN Shinto [Japan]. Supreme god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 600 untilpresent.SYNONYMS none significant.CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Kojiki (Japanese sacred text).The highest deity of the Shinto pantheon and thefirst to emerge in Takama-No-Hara (the plain ofhigh heaven) when heaven and earth were fashioned.He was born alone, resides in the ninthheaven and has always hidden himself from mortaleyes. A remote and vague figure of whom noimages are ever made and toward whom no cult isdirected. His name only appears once in the Kojikiand never in the Nihongi. Originally his identity

AMITABHA 15may have been strongly influenced by Chinesereligion. His name is linked closely with those oftwo other lesser primordial beings, TAKA-MI-MIS-UBI-NO-KAMI and KAMI-MISUBI-NO-KAMI.Ame-No-Tanabata-Hime-No-MikotoAstral goddess of weavers. Shinto [Japan]. One oftwo star apotheoses who are, according to tradition,deeply in love with each other. Her partneris HIKOBOSHI. Her name is generally abbreviatedto Tanabata, the title of a festival in honor of thegoddess which became a national event in Japanin AD 755. The festival later became merged withthe Tibetan Bon Ullumbana festival of the dead.Also Shokujo.Ame-No-Toko-Tachi-No-Kami (deitystanding eternally in heaven)Primordial being. Shinto [Japan]. The fifth of thedeities to emerge in the heavens, named in boththe sacred texts of Shintoism, the Kojiki andNihongi, but probably strongly influenced by Chinesereligion. Born from a reed floating in theprimeval waters.See also UMASHI-ASHI-KABI-HIKO-JI-NO-KAMI.Ame-No-UzumeGoddess of dancers. Shinto [Japan]. She plays apart in enticing the sun goddess, AMATERASU,from her cave using the perfect divine mirror.Ame-Waka-Hiko (heavenly young prince)God. Shinto [Japan]. According to tradition hewas sent to earth on a vital mission but becamepreoccupied with a number of mortal women,forgot his purpose and did not report back toheaven. His punishment was to be slain by anarrow fired from the “heavenly true deer bow.”Am-HehChthonic underworld god. Egyptian. A minordeity said to inhabit a lake of fire. The so-called“devourer of the millions.” Depicted with thehead of a hound.AmidaPrimordial deity. Buddhist (Japanese). The Japaneseequivalent of AMITABHA recognized from theeleventh and twelfth centuries AD.AmimitlMinor god of lakes and fish hunters. Aztec(classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of thedeities collectively classed as the MIXCOATL-CAMAXTLI complex.AMITABHA (of unmeasured splendor)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. The fourth dhyanibuddhaor meditation buddha.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent.SYNONYMS Vajradharma and possibly Amitayaus.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESmetal and stone sculptures,paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Sadhanamala and Tantric ritualtexts.One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of ahuman buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. A productof the Adibuddha who represents the branch ofthe cosmos concerned with consciousness. Heoriginates from the red mantra HRIH and lives inthe western paradise Sukhavati. The cult mayhave been influenced by Iranian light religions.His SAKTI is PANDARA and he is normally accompaniedby two peacocks. Color: red. Attributes:lock of hair, lotus, monk’s robe and water jar.

16 AmmAmitabha is also taken as a tutelary god inLamaism [Tibet] in which case his attributesinclude bell, jewel and three monkish robes. Emanationsinclude PADMAPANI, MANJUSRI and manyother minor names.See also AKSOBHYA, AMOGHASIDDHI, RAT-NASAMBHAVA and VAIROCANA.AmmMoon god. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian. Thetutelary deity of the Qataban tribe. Also revered asa weather god. Attributes include lightning bolts.Amma (1)Local tutelary god. Dravidian (Tamil). Knownfrom southern India.Ammut (devouress of the dead)Chthonic underworld goddess. Egyptian. A significantdeity who allegedly consumes the dead iftheir hearts are found weighed down with guilt inthe Judgment Hall of the Two Truths during theWeighing of the Heart ceremony. Ammut has afearsome aspect and sits alongside forty-two jurorgods named in the Book of the Dead. Depicted withthe head of a crocodile, the trunk and fore-limbsof a lion and the hind part of a hippopotamus.See also THOTH and MAAT.AmoghapasaGod. Buddhist. A variety of AVALOKITESVARA,depicted with one head and six, eight or twentyhands. Attributes: arrow, bell, lotus, noose, prayerwheel, rosary, staff and tiger skin.Amma (2)Creator god. Dogon [Mali, West Africa]. Hefirst created the sun by baking a clay pot until itwas white hot and coiling a band of copperaround it eight times. He created the moon insimilar fashion but used brass. Black peoplewere created from sunlight and white frommoonlight. Later, having circumcised theearth goddess, whose clitoris was an anthill, heimpregnated her and produced the first creature,a jackal. Next he fertilized her with rain toengender plant life and finally became the fatherof mankind.AmmavaruPrimordial mother goddess. Hindu-Dravidian.Known locally from east central India and worshipedby the Dravidian tribe of Telugu. She issaid to have generated the cosmic egg in the seaof milk from which the major gods BRAHMA,VIŠNU and ŠIVA were born.AMOGHASIDDHI (unfailing power)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. The fifth dhyanibuddhaor meditation buddha.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent.SYNONYMS Kharmaheruka.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESpaintings.LITERARY SOURCESritual texts.metal and stone sculptures,Sadhanamala and TantricOne of five mystic spiritual counterparts of ahuman buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. A productof the ADIBUDDHA who represents the branch ofthe cosmos concerned with consciousness. Heoriginates from the green mantra HUM and livesin the northern paradise. His SAKTI is ARYA-TARAand he is normally accompanied by two GARUDASor dwarfs. Color: green. Attributes: staff andsometimes seven-headed snake. Amoghasiddhi isalso taken as a tutelary deity in Lamaism [Tibet]

AMUN 17in which case his attributes include bell, threemonkish robes and prayer wheel. Emanationsinclude Visvapani and many other minor names.See also AKSOBHYA, AMITABHA, RATNASAMB-HAVA and VAIROCANA.AmorGod of love. Roman. Developed from the Greekgod EROS. Depicted as a winged youth. Accordingto tradition he awoke the goddess Psyche with akiss. Attributes include arrows, bow and torch. Thepopular epithet Cupid was only applied by poets.AmphionGod. Greek. Theban variant on the god POLY-DEUKES.AmphitriteSea goddess. Greek. According to Theogony (Hesiod),one of the fifty daughters of NEREUS andDORIS. Considered to calm stormy seas, travelingin a boat made of mussels. She was among thosepresent at the birth of APOLLO.AMUN (the hidden one)ORIGIN Egypt. Supreme creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP probably pre-Dynastic but historically circa 2400 BC to end ofEgyptian period (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Amun kem-atef (snake god); Amunkamutef (fertility god).CENTER(S) OF CULT Thebes (Luxor)—GreatTemple of Amun at Karnak; Luxor Templesouth of Karnak dedicated to the ithyphallicform of Amun kamutef.ART REFERENCES many portraits on temple walls,etc; reliefs; statues; obelisks including notablythat of Queen Hatshepsut; stelae.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts from the endof Dynasty V (2494-2345 BC); temple hymns;the Book of the Dead; the Great Harris Papyrus;many other textual references.Amun is a sun god, lord of the sky and king of theEgyptian world. He is perceived as a primevaldeity present in chaos at the creation of the cosmosand is therefore also one of the eight deitiesof the OGDOAD coupled with the goddessAMAUNET and representing hidden power. He isportrayed as a pharaoh, with blue skin and wearinga modius (turban) surmounted by two tallplumes of feathers symbolic of dominance overboth Upper and Lower Egypt. In addition to themajor temples at Luxor, further sanctuaries werebuilt beyond the first Nile cataract at Amada,Soleb, Gebel Barkal and Abu Simbel.Amun is symbolized chiefly by a ram withcurved horns. The Nile goose is also sacred tohim. He is a god regarded as hidden but spreadingthroughout the cosmos, unseen but everywhere.Though depicted anthropomorphically, intemple hymns other deities describe him as “hiddenof aspect, mysterious of form.” In the NewKingdom, from the middle of the sixteenth centuryBC onward, Amun was drawn as a manifestationof the ancient sun god of Heliopolis, whicheffectively raised his prestige still further andearned him the title “king of the gods.” He wasalso regarded as being the father of each pharaoh.At Thebes he was revered as a snake deity withattendant connotations of immortality and endlessrenewal. As a member of the Ogdoad he hasthe head of a snake.Amun’s ithyphallic form probably came fromthe notion that because he was “first formed” ofthe gods, he could not have a father and thereforehad to impregnate his own mother. He is generallyregarded as a god with great sexual attributes.The Temple of Queen Hatsepsut at Deir el-Bahari bears a relief of her mother impregnated

18 Amurruby Amun. A similar scene exists in the Temple ofAmenhotep III at Luxor. The Great Hall ofHypostyle is filled with wall paintings of Amunand the pharaoh, and contains several processionshonoring Amun. By the twelfth century BCthe Amun priesthood was a powerful force inEgypt, leading to the eventual contest betweenAmun and ATEN, the god “created” by AmenhotepIV. Amun’s eclipse was short-lived and hereturned to prominence until the end of Egyptianhistory.AmurruMountain god. Western Semitic. A minor consortof ATHIRAT whose attributes include a shepherd’scrook and who was probably worshiped byherders. Known mainly from inscriptions. AlsoMARTU.AN (1) (sky)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq].Supreme creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC to2000 BC but continuing as Babylonian creatorgod (see Anu) until 100 BC or later.SYNONYMS ANU (Akkadian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Unug [modern Warka].ART REFERENCES none known but probably representedsymbolically on seals and seal impressionsfrom third millennium onward.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts includingSumerian creation accounts, and the Babylonianepic Enuma Eliš.In Sumerian creation mythology An is thesupreme being and, with his chthonic femaleprinciple, KI, is the founder of the cosmos. Also,in some texts, identified as the son of ANŠAR andKIŠAR. The head of the older generation of gods.He is believed to have formed the basis for thecalendar and is arguably first represented inbovine form having been derived from the oldherders’ pantheon. He is identified in some textsas the “bull of heaven.” According to legends,heaven and earth were once inseparable until Anand Ki bore a son, ENLIL, god of the air, whocleaved heaven and earth in two. An carried awayheaven. Ki, in company with Enlil, took the earth.An is also paired with the goddess NAMMU bywhom he fathered ENKI. Patron god of Unug(Erech in the Vetus Testamentum), An is always aremote shadowy figure who occasionally lends ahand to tilt the balance of fate but otherwise tendsto be out of touch with the day-to-day affairs ofheaven and earth.His main sanctuary is the Eanna temple. Afterthe Semitic takeover of Sumer by Sargon theGreat circa 2500 BC, Enlil supersedes him assupreme national god of the Sumerian citystates.An (2)Possibly a female principle of the creator god AN.Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Early iconographysuggests a celestial sky goddess in the form of acow whose udders produce rain and who becomesANTU(m) in the Akkadian pantheon.AnaitisFertility goddess. Persian [Iran]. Her influenceextended through eastern Europe. In pre-ChristianArmenia, the center of her cult was atAcilisena where noble families regularly surrenderedtheir daughters to service as cultic prostitutes.Anala (fire)Attendant god. Hindu (Puranic). One of a groupof eight Vasu deities answering to the god INDRA.

Anaulikutsai’x 19AnankeGoddess of destiny. Greek. Considered to be auniversal presence. Depicted holding a spindle.AnantaSnake god. Hindu (Puranic). One of a group ofseven snake deities or MAHANAGAS.Anantamukhi (with the face of Ananta)Deification of literature. Buddhist. One of agroup of twelve DHARANIS. Color: green. Attributes:staff and water jar with treasure.AnantesaMinor deity. Hindu (Puranic). One of a group ofeight emancipated “lords of knowledge” orVIDYESVARAS considered to be aspects of ŠIVA.ANATORIGIN Canaanite and Phoenician [northernIsrael, Lebanon and Syria]. Fertility and wargoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP From prehistorictimes (circa 2500 BC) until AD 200 or later.SYNONYMS Anath; Lady of the Mountain; Antit(Egyptian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Ugarit [Ras Šamra] and generallyin places down the corn-growing coastalregions of the eastern Mediterranean.ART REFERENCES named specifically in Egyptianhieroglyphic on a stele from Bethsan; describedon various other votive inscriptions, clayplaques etc.LITERARY SOURCES Ugaritic texts from RasŠamra; various offering lists.The sister of BAAL, Anat is primarily a fertilitygoddess. In art she is usually depicted naked,with breasts and vaginal area prominent. Oftenshe wears a coiffure similar to that of the Egyptiangoddess HATHOR, with whom at times shehas been closely linked. Anat is described variouslyas “mother of the gods” and “mistress ofthe sky.” In addition to her fertility role, she is ayouthful and aggressive goddess of war, a capacityin which she was adopted by Egypt from theend of the Middle Kingdom (early eighteenthcentury BC) and particularly through the HyksosDynasty when she was prominent in LowerEgypt. A sanctuary was dedicated to her at Tanisand she was identified as a daughter of the sungod RE with warlike attributes of lance, battle-axand shield. She impressed Rameses II whosedaughter was called Bin-Anat (daughter ofAnat). Rameses III adopted her as his “shield” inbattle.The Ras Šamra stele describes her as “Antit,queen of heaven and mistress of all the gods.”Known as the “virgin Anat,” she indulged inorgies of violence “wading up to her thighs inblood and gore.” She may be one of a triad ofgoddesses with ATHIRAT and Ašera. In the classicCanaanite confrontation legend, after the primordialbattle between good and evil in the guiseof Baal and MOT, Anat searched out the body ofBaal. She buried it and caught up with his slayer,Mot, to take appropriate retribution. She cleavedand winnowed, burned and ground Mot in a curiousvariation of a common theme associated elsewherewith gods of vegetation (see OSIRIS). Shealso features in the Legend of Aqhat, in which shesends an eagle to slay the youth when he refusesto give her his magical bow.Anaulikutsai’xRiver goddess. Bella Coola Indian [BritishColumbia, Canada]. Said to oversee the arrivaland departure of the salmon in the rivers. Shelives in a cave called Nuskesiu’tsta.

20 AnbayAnbayLocal tutelary god. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian.Regarded as a god of justice and an oracularsource attending the moon god AMM.AncamnaWater goddess. Romano-Celtic (ContinentalEuropean). Known only from inscriptions atTrier.AndartaFertility goddess (probable). Celtic (Gallic).Patron goddess of the Vocontii tribe. Her nameseems to have derived either from artos (bear) orar (ploughed land).See also ANDRASTA.AndjetyChthonic underworld god. Egyptian (Lower).Minor deity in anthropomorphic form knownfrom the Pyramid Texts. Identified with theninth nome (district). Responsible for rebirth inthe afterlife and regarded as a consort of severalfertility goddesses. He was revered at Busiriswhere he clearly heralded the cult of Osiris.Attributes: high conical crown (similar to theatef crown of Osiris) decorated with two tallplumes, crook and flail. In early Pyramid Texts,the feathers are replaced by a bicornuate uterus.See also Osiris.AndrastaGoddess of war. Romano-Celtic (British). Thepatron goddess of the Iceni tribe. The warriorqueen Boudicca is reported to have prayed to herbefore battle and she was the recipient of humansacrifice. Andrasta does not appear in Celtic Gaul,though a deity called Andraste is mentioned by theRoman writer Dio Cassius. The name may also belinked to the goddess Andarta. Also Adrastea.AnextiomarusLocal tribal deity. Romano-Celtic (British). Godof uncertain affinities but linked with APOLLO.Angru Mainyu (evil spirit)Chthonic underworld god of darkness. Persian[Iran]. The original Zoroastrian name of the chiefantagonist of AHURA MAZDA.See also AHRIMAN.AnhouriMinor god. Egyptian. A deity whose mummy wasallegedly kept at Tanis.AniSky god. Etruscan. Identified as residing in thehighest heaven and sometimes depicted with twofaces, equating possibly with the Roman godJANUS.Anila (wind)Attendant god. Hindu (Puranic). One of a groupof eight VASU deities answering to the god INDRA.AnjeaAnimistic fertility spirit. Australasia. Known totribesmen on the Pennefather River, Queensland,Australia and believed to place mud babies in thewombs of pregnant women. The grandmother ofa newly born infant buried the afterbirth, whichwas collected by Anjea and kept in a hollow treeor some such sanctuary until the time came toinstill it into another child in the womb.

Anu (1) 21AnkalammanGuardian goddess. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil).Known particularly in southern India where shewards off demons. Alternatively she is an aspect ofKALI.Anna KuariLocal vegetation goddess. Indian. Worshiped bythe Oraon tribe of Chota Nagpur. The recipientof human sacrifice in the spring months, she wasbelieved to endow riches on the sacrificer and toensure plentiful harvest while living in his housein the form of a child.Anna PerennaProtective goddess. Roman. Allegedly she saved theplebeians from famine in their conflict with thepatricians in ancient Roman mythology. An openairfestival dedicated to her was held on March 15each year in a grove lying to the north of Rome.AnnamurtiForm of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Puranic). Thepatron deity of kitchens and food. A shrine at Srirangamin southern India contains two-armedbronze images of the god. Attributes: a ball ofrice in one hand, and in the other a container ofpayasa (sweetened milk and rice).AnsaMinor sun god. Hindu (Puranic). One of sixADITYA descendants of ADITI.AnšarPrimordial deity. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Mentioned in the Babylonian creationepic Enuma Eliš as one of a pair of offspring (withKIŠAR) of LAHMU and LAHAMU, and who in turncreated ANU. Anšar is linked with heaven whileKišar is identified with earth.AntiGuardian deity. Egyptian (Upper). Seems to havebecome assimilated with HORUS and was one ofthe protectors of the eastern sky in which the sunrises. According to some texts he is also responsiblefor the decapitation of the goddess HATHOR ina conflict for the throne of Egypt. Anti is knownfrom Middle Kingdom coffin texts (circa 2000 BC).Depicted as a falcon, or a human with a falcon’shead, standing on a crescent-shaped barque.ANTUORIGIN Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Creator goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2000 BC, butevolving from prehistory, to circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS Antum; ANUNITU.CENTER(S) OF CULT Uruk and Babylon.ART REFERENCES glyptics, stone carvings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Babylonian creation epicEnuma Eliš and documents relating to the akitufestival.Antu is a Babylonian goddess derived from theolder Sumerian KI, though the cosmogony hasbeen altered to suit a separate tradition. The consortof the god of heaven, ANU, she was a dominantfeature of the Babylonian akitu festival untilas recently as 200 BC, her later pre-eminence possiblyattributable to identification with the Greekgoddess HERA.Anu (1)Creator god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Consort of ANTU(m). Derived from

22 Anu (2)the older Sumerian god AN. Anu features stronglyin the akitu festival in Babylon, Uruk and othercities until the Hellenic period and possibly aslate as 200 BC. Some of his later pre-eminencemay be attributable to identification with theGreek god of heaven, ZEUS, and with OURANOS.Anu (2)Chthonic mother goddess. Celtic (Irish). Closelyassociated with fertility and the primordialmother of the TUATHA DE DANANN. Twin hillsnear Killarney in Munster are called “The Paps ofAnu.” Also Ana.ANUBIS [Greek]ORIGIN Egyptian. Mortuary god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2700 BC (butextending from pre-Dynastic times) until endof Egyptian history circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Imy-ut (he who is in the mortuary);Khenty-imentiu (chief of the westerners);Khenty-seh-netjer (chief of the gods’ pavilion);Neb-ta-djeser (lord of the sacred land); Tepydju-ef(he who is upon the mountain).CENTER(S) OF CULT the necropolis at Memphisand elsewhere.ART REFERENCES tomb effigies, wall paintings,statuettes etc.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; funerary textsand hymns.The parentage of Anubis is confused but the mostpopular notion seems to place him as a son of REand of NEPHTHYS or ISIS. The god of mortuaries,Anubis takes the form of a black dog or jackalusually in a lying down or crouching position,ears pricked and long tail hanging. He wears acollar with magical connotations. Less often heappears in human form with a canine head. Theimagery of a dog probably originated from observationof bodies being scavenged from shallowgraves and the desire to protect them from sucha fate by manifesting Anubis as a dog himself.The Book of the Dead has him standing by thescales in which the heart is weighed in the Hall ofthe Two Truths, and he is sometimes known asthe “claimer of hearts.” Anubis was perceived tosuperintend the embalming of kings and courtiersin the mortuary and the subsequent binding withlinen bandages. His coat color is thought to beblack because of the color of the corpse after theembalming process, which darkened it, and theuse of black tar to seal the bindings. His symbolin the context of mortuary god is an animal skin,headless, dripping blood and tied to a pole. Atthe subsequent funeral ceremony of the Openingof the Mouth the priest wore a jackal headdress.The main cemetery sites are on the west bank ofthe Nile where the sun sets, hence one epithet forAnubis—“chief of the westerners”; another, “hewho is upon the mountain,” conjures an image ofAnubis watching over the cemeteries from thehigh escarpments.In the Greco-Roman period he became a cosmicdeity of earth and sky somewhat removedfrom his older function.Anukis [Greek]Birth goddess. Egyptian (Upper). Minor deitywith cult centers in lower Nubia and at Elephantine.She is variously the daughter of RE, and ofKHNUM and SATIS. Anukis lives in the cataracts ofthe Lower Nile. Her portrait appears in the Templeof Rameses II at Beit-et-Wali where she sucklesthe pharaoh, suggesting that she is connectedwith birth and midwifery, but she also demonstratesa malignant aspect as a strangler (seeHATHOR). Her sacred animal is the gazelle.Depicted anthropomorphically wearing a turban(modius) with ostrich feathers. Also Anuket(Egyptian).

Aparajita 23Anu-MateGod of space. Polynesian. One of the sons ofRANGINUI by Pokoharua, the sister of TANGAROA,the sea god. He belongs to a group of deitiesengendered at the time of creation that includesANU-MATE, Anu-Matao, Anu-Whakarere andAnu-Whakatoro, all of whom rule over differentaspects of space above the upper world. Anu-Mate is perceived as the god responsible for the“space of cold death” and in fact all of the groupare envisaged as deities ruling over realms of greatcold.AnunituMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).See also ANTU.sends the sun each morning, roars with the thunderwhich heralds his storms and is the creator ofthe earth.ApaAttendant god. Hindu (Puranic). One of a groupof eight VASU deities answering to the god INDRA.Attributes: hook and plough.ApacitaGuardian spirit. Inca (pre-Columbian SouthAmerica) [Peru, etc]. The apotheosis of a pile ofstones marking the top of a pass or some othercritical point on a route invoked by travelerswith small offerings to strengthen them on theirjourney.AnunnakiChildren and courtiers of the god of heaven.Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian).Known from at least 2500 BC until circa 200BC (in Babylon). The Anunnaki originate aschthonic fertility deities but later feature as theseven fearsome judges of the underworld whoanswer to Kur and EREŠKIGAL and who areresponsible for passing sentences of death includingthat placed on the goddess INANA. They areoften closely identified with the IGIGI.AnuradhaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Puranic). Abenevolent NAKSATRA or astral deity, daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).AondoCreator god. Tiv [central Nigeria, West Africa].An abstract principle who lives in the sky. HeApam Napat (grandchild of the water)1. God of fresh water. Persian [Iran]. He provideswater in arid regions and suppresses rebellions.2. God of fresh water. Hindu (Vedic). Mentionedin the Rg Veda, he is described as “golden inappearance.”ApapCreator god. Teso [Uganda, East Africa].Regarded as a benevolent sky god who brings therain to parched land. Also Akuj.Aparajita (unconquered)1. God. Hindu (Puranic). One of the elevenEKADASARUDRAS or forms of RUDRA. Attributes:bell, bowl, club, drum, hook, lance, lotus, prayerwheel, rod, rosary, shield, sword and trident.2. Minor god. Buddhist (Mahayana).3. Goddess. Hindu (Puranic). Form of DURGA.Her attendant animal is a lion. Attributes:

24 Apedemakarrow, shield, snake and sword. 4. Goddess.Buddhist (Mahayana). She stands or treadson the god GANESA. Color: yellow. Attributes:bell, hook, image of RATNASAMBHAVA, nooseand staff.ApedemakWar god. Sudanese (Meroe). An Egyptianizeddeity, his main sanctuary was contained in a vastreligious complex and center of pilgrimage atMusawwarat-es-Sufra, north of the sixth Nilecataract. Sacred animals include cattle and theAfrican elephant. Depicted with the head of a lionand a human body, holding a scepter embellishedwith a seated lion at the tip.AphrodisiasFertility goddess. Carian [southwestern Turkey].Equating with the Greek goddess APHRODITE.APHRODITE (foam-born)ORIGIN Greek and Cypriot. Goddess of sexuallove.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP identified fromcirca 1300 BC (evolving from an earlier prehistoricAsiatic model), until Christianization(circa AD 400) and later.SYNONYMS equating with IŠTAR (Akkadian);ASTARTE (Syrian); AŠTORETH (Phoenician);Dione, Cytherea, VENUS (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT Paphos, Amathus and Kition(Cyprus), Corinth and elsewhere on Greekmainland.ART REFERENCES Bronze Age statuettes(Cyprus); votive stelae; the Parthenon friezeand other contemporary sculpture.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad and Odyssey (Homer);Theogony and Hymn to Aphrodite (Hesiod); templehymns, particularly Hymn of Sappho.Aphrodite is one of the major goddesses of theGreek Homeric pantheon, according to legendborn as a cosmic deity from the foam of the oceanafter her father OURANOS was castrated by KRO-NOS and his genitals were hurled into the sea. Inother accounts she is of a “younger” generation,a daughter of ZEUS. She is the consort of HEP-HAISTOS and occasional mistress of other deities,including ARES. Through liaison with the herdsmanAnchises she bore Aeneas who is said to havecarried his father to safety on his back during thesack of Troy. Her sacred animal is the goat.Aphrodite seems clearly to have evolved from thePhoenician or Mesopotamian model of a goddessof love and one of her strongest early cults was onthe island of Cyprus. Her name derives from theGreek word for the sexual act. She is perceived, insome contexts, as being androgynous and evenbearded (see also ARTEMIS). As with her Mesopotamianpredecessors she is a goddess of warand victory. Immediate predecessors to the Hellenicmodel seem to be present in the Mycenaeanperiod particularly at the Kition sanctuary. ThePaphos sanctuary definitely suggests Phoenicianinspiration. In the Iliad, Aphrodite rescues Parisfrom his fight with Menelaus and returns him tothe arms of HELEN in Troy.In Hellenic art Aphrodite is particularly drawnwearing fine clothes and jewelry. She possesses agirdle with magical properties. The famed statue ofthe goddess from Cnidos (circa 340 BC), depictingher naked, is the first of many such erotic interpretations.The temple at Paphos once dispensedmodel phalli and lumps of salt to cultic pilgrims,and the Corinthian sanctuary enjoyed, accordingto Strabo, more than a thousand cultic prostitutes.ApisBull god. Egyptian. The living personification ofthe creator god PTAH in Memphis, he acts as anintermediary between the supreme god and

APOLLO 25mankind. His mother is ISIS, who engenderedhim in a lightning flash. The bull is depicted aswholly black apart from a small white triangle onthe forehead, and it bears vulture wings. Betweenits horns are surmounted the sun disc (or, in latertimes, the moon) and the uraeus (snake symbol).The cult of the bull is very ancient and isattested in Egypt from at least 3000 BC. Accordingto the Greek writer Herodotus, huge statuesof Apis supported the temple of Ptah in Memphis.In a ritual of virility, the king paced alongside thecharging bull to renew his strength. The averagelife of an Apis bull was fourteen years, at the endof which each was mummified and interred inhuge sarcophagi, which were placed in catacombsat the necropolis at Seqqara. The bull also hasstrong underworld connections.See also SARAPIS.ApluWeather god. Etruscan. No cult is identifiablyaddressed to this deity. He is depicted partlycloaked and wearing a laurel leaf, but otherwisenaked. Attributes include a staff and laurel twig.Apo (lord)Mountain god. Inca (pre-Columbian SouthAmerica) [Peru, etc]. The apotheosis of anAndean mountain, all mountains being sacred tothe South American Indians.APOLLOORIGIN Greek and possibly cultures in AsiaMinor. God of hunting and healing.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1300 BC andearlier until Christianization (circa AD 400) andprobably later.SYNONYMS Apellon (pre-Homeric); Atepomarus(Celtic).CENTER(S) OF CULT Delos, Pylo-Delphi andmany other sanctuaries throughout the Greekworld.ART REFERENCES the Parthenon frieze; theBelvedere Apollo triumphing over the Python;Apollo and DAPHNE; a famed but lost statuefrom Delos; Apollo holding the three Charitesin his right hand; other contemporary sculptureand painting.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad and Odyssey (Homer);Theogony and Hymn to Apollo (Hesiod); variousother temple hymns.One of the major Greek deities always perceived asa god who epitomizes youthful masculinity, possiblywith early links to Lycia in Asia Minor (Hittite)and to Minoan Crete. Generally a distant ratherthan an intimate and approachable god. Hismother is LETO who wandered the world in greatsuffering until she chanced on the island of Deloswhere she found refuge, and Apollo is often portrayedas part of a triad with Leto and ARTEMIS. Heepitomizes the transition between adolescence andmanhood in Greek male society. At Delphi hissanctuary is central to the complex. At Delos itappears secondary to that of Artemis. The paeandance of healing which is particularly known fromthe Hyakinthia festival at Amyklai (Sparta) is closelyidentified with the Apollo cult. Not only is he a godof healing but also of pestilence. He is the father ofASKLEPIOS, the god of healing, and he is continuallyassociated with purification rites and oracles.Generally Apollo is drawn as a god of hunterscarrying a bow and arrow and associated with a stagor roe. He is also pictured with lions. He became,improbably, the patron god of poets and leader ofthe Muses (daughters of ZEUS). Literature oftenpresents Apollo in a dual aspect of fearsome hunterand gracious player of the lyre. In the former capacityhe was at times merciless, killing the many childrenof Niobe who had boasted of them to thechagrin of Leto. He fought and slew the Delphic

26 Apsaraspython and the Olympic Cyclopes, but in bothcases himself became subject to general laws ofmorality and suffered temporary banishment.Apollo is strongly associated with the mystical numberseven (almost certainly a Mesopotamian concept).In Ugaritic inscriptions he is referred to asREŠEP of the Arrow (see Rešep). Apollo was widelyrevered under various local synonyms by the Celts.ApsarasWater spirits. Hindu (Vedic). Identified as musiciansand protective deities of gamblers bringinggood fortune. They may also bring insanity.AraloLocal god of agriculture. Pre-Christian Georgian.Probably derived from the Armenian godARAY.AranyaniMinor goddess of woodlands. Hindu (Vedic).Possibly having evolved from a primitive animisticguardian spirit of animals, Aranyani is anelusive, rarely seen, deity who is recognized inthe sounds of the trees, particularly at dusk. Sheis a benign figure, sweet-scented and unwilling todestroy unless severely provoked.ApsuGod of underground primeval waters. Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian). Derived from theSumerian ABZU. In the Babylonian creation epicEnuma Eliš, Apsu is killed, while sleeping, byENKI, who establishes his own abode above thedeeps. Apsu’s death triggered the cosmic challengebetween the forces of MARDUK and TIAMAT.ArapacanaGod. Buddhist. A BODHISATTVA or spiritualmeditation buddha. Originally a DHARANI ofMANJUSRI who became deified. Accompanied byfour minor deities. Also a collective name for thefive buddhas. Color: yellow or red. Attributes:standing wearing a monkish garment and carryingbook and sword.AquiloWeather god. Roman. God of the west winds.A’raLocal tutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Known from inscriptions at Bostra [near Damascus].The name implies an altar or holy place, butits Arabic root also means to dye, suggesting thatthe altars were stained with the blood of sacrifices,probably children.ArachneMinor goddess. Roman. Concerned with the craftof weaving.ArawaMoon goddess. Suk and Pokot [Kenya andUganda, East Africa]. The two tribes share thesame pantheon of deities. Arawa is the daughter ofthe creator god TORORUT and his consort SETA.ArawnChthonic underworld god. Celtic (Welsh). Theleader of the phantom hunt seen chasing a whitestag with a pack of red-eared hounds. Heequates with GWYNN AP NUDD, a similar deityknown in South Wales. His chief underworldopponent is Hafgan and he bribes PWYLL,prince of Dyfed, to challenge Hafgan inexchange for a gift of pigs.

Areimanios 27ArayWar god. Pre-Christian Armenian. Probablyderived locally from the Greek ARES. Sometraditions suggests that he was also a dying-andrisinggod.ARCHON(S) (rulers)ORIGIN Gnostic Christian (eastern Mediterranean].Primordial creator gods.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 100 toAD 400 and probably persisting later.SYNONYMS eksousiai (authorities, Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT undefined cells within thearea of early Christian influence.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Nag Hammadi codices.The Archons are the primordial celestial rulers ofthe cosmos. The Gnostic cosmogony argues thatthe God of Israel was not the original or solecreator but was a product of other older tyrannicalforces who were eventually defeated in theconflict of light and dark. The Archons are theoriginal creators of mortal man, though in theform in which they contrived him, he did notpossess a soul. The main literary texts includethe Hypostasis of the Archons, and the treatise onThe Origin of the World, both forming part of theNag Hammadi collection written down duringthe third or fourth century AD and probablyowing much to Greek philosophy. The materialwas banned under the censorship of the earlyChristian fathers.Arcismati (brilliant)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One ofseveral deified BHUMIS recognized as differentspiritual spheres through which a disciplepasses. Color: green. Attributes: blue lotus andstaff.Ardhanari(svara) (the lord being halfwoman)God. Hindu (Puranic). The god ŠIVA combinedwith his SAKTI as a single being. His attendantanimal is the bull. In iconography the left side ofthe image is female and the right male. A tutelarydeity of eunuchs in India. Attributes: (right side)blue lotus, cup, hatchet, lute, moon disc, pestle,skin, sword and trident; (left side) ax, mirror,noose, pitcher, rosary, sacred rope and trident.May appear as three-headed. Also Ammaiappan(Tamil); Naranari.ArdraMinor goddess of misfortune. Hindu (Puranic). Amalevolent NAKSATRA or astral deity; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).ArduinnaGoddess of forests and hunting. Romano-Celtic(Continental European). Known only frominscriptions and figurines in the Ardennesregion. Depicted riding on the back of a wildboar and presumed to be a guardian deityof boars. Identified by the Romans with thegoddess DIANA.ArebatiCreator god. Bambuti [Congo, West Africa].Worshiped by a pigmy tribe living along thebanks of the river Ituri. He is considered to havecreated mankind from clay and blood, coveredwith skin.AreimaniosChthonic underworld god. Greek. Probablyderived from the Persian deity AHRIMAN. Plutarchidentifies him as the embodiment of HADES.

28 ArensnuphisArensnuphis [Greek]Local god of uncertain affinities. Egyptian(Nubian). Probably significant circa 700 BC toAD 400 as an attendant of ISIS. He appeared inEgyptian sanctuaries during the Greco-Romanperiod and seems to have been of benevolentnature. There is also a sanctuary known fromPhilae in Greece where he is linked with Isis.Depicted in anthropomorphic form wearing aplumed crown or in the form of a lion. AlsoAri-hes-nefer (Egyptian).of human skulls. Another notorious son of Areswas the dragon slain by Kadmos as he sought tofound the city of Thebes. Its teeth, which hesowed in the earth, germinated and sprang up aswarriors, the grandsons of Ares, who promptlyturned on each other in mortal combat. Aresentered into a brief liaison with APHRODITE, thegoddess consort of HEPHAISTOS, and through herfathered a daughter, HARMONIA, whom Kadmoslater married, thus paving the way to establishThebes in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.ARES (throng of war)ORIGIN Greek. God of War.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC, butprobably from earlier times, until Christianization(circa AD 400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT no sanctuaries known untilRoman times, when a temple was dedicated inthe Agora in Athens.ART REFERENCES the Parthenon frieze; a celebratedstatue by Alkamenes; other contemporarysculpture.LITERARY SOURCES chiefly Iliad (Homer) andTheogony (Hesiod).Ares is a lesser known member of the Olympic pantheonof great gods, the son of ZEUS and HERA,who allegedly lived in Thrace. As a warriorgod he is contrasted with the more prominent andsuccessful goddess ATHENA who fought andvanquished him in a war between the gods.Although Athena stands for victory in battlethrough glory and honor, Ares epitomizes the eviland more brutal aspects of warfare. In the eyes ofZeus he is “the most hateful of gods.” His war chariotis pulled by Phobos (fear) and Deimos (terror).Ares’ sons were even more barbaric than he.Kyknos was a ferocious killer who, until slain byHERAKLES, was proposing a temple constructedAriadneGoddess of vegetation. Greek. Possibly derivedfrom an unnamed Minoan goddess identified onCrete. According to Homer and Hesiod she is adaughter of MINOS and a consort of DIONYSOS.Her crown, given by ZEUS, is the Corona Borealis.Tradition has it that she was wooed and thendeserted by the hero Theseus.ArianrhodChthonic earth goddess. Celtic (Welsh). Responsiblefor initiation of souls in the otherworldin the tower of Caer Sidi. Mentioned in theMabinogion texts as the possible daughter of Beli,consort of DON and mother of LLEW LLAWGYFFES and Dylan.ArimaniusChthonic underworld god. Roman.See also AREIMANIOS.Arinna (sun goddess)Solar deity. Hittite and Hurrian. May have takenandrogynous form, but also identified as the consortof the weather god TEŠUB. Probably the headof the Hittite state pantheon. There is little detailbecause the religious center of Arinna is known

Arsay 29only from texts. The sun goddess was also perceivedto be a paramount chthonic or earth goddess.She becomes largely syncretized with theHurrian goddess HEBAT.ArnemetiaWater goddess. Romano-Celtic (British). A deityknown only from inscriptions.AristaiosGod of herdsmen. Greek. The consort of Autonoe.Of ancient origin, worshiped by peasants asa guardian of herds and beekeepers. The cult continuedfor many centuries at Kyrene [Libya].Arjuna (silvery)Heroic god. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic).Arjuna appears in the Mahabharata epic. One ofthe princely sons of the mythical Pandu family,his father is INDRA. He generally appears with thewarrior god BHIMA. Allegedly responsible forrequesting VIŠNU to take his VISVARUPA form butalso identified as a minor incarnation or avatara ofVišnu. Attributes: usually depicted bearing a bowreceived from AGNI the fire god, but may alsoappear carrying a sword and shield. Also NARA.ArmaMinor moon god. Hittite and Hurrian. Depictedwinged and wearing a sickle moon surmountedon a horned helmet.ArmazSupreme god. Pre-Christian Georgian. Depictedas a warrior deity clad in golden armor, wearingjewels and wielding a sword.Arnakua’gsakAnimistic spirit. Inuit (North American). The“Old Woman of the Sea” who supplies allthe physical needs of the Eskimo from the ocean.AromMinor god of contractual agreements. Kafir[Afghanistan]. Arom appears to have been significantonly to a tribe known as the Kam in thesouthern Hindukush. He was honored by sacrificeof a male goat on the occasion of a peacetreaty, and had seven brothers.ARSAN DUOLAI (terrible dweller of theunderground world)ORIGIN Yakut [eastern Siberia]. Chief spirit ofthe underworld.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil circa AD 1900.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES none positively identifiedthough possibly the subject of woodenicons.LITERARY SOURCES The Yakut (Jochelson).Little is known of this animistic god, though hewas considered to live in the lower world and ruleover a nebulous group of spirits, the Abasy. Tothese subterranean deities horned cattle wereslaughtered. Abasy also lived in the upper world,in which capacity they were recipients of horsesacrifice.ArsayChthonic underworld goddess. Western Semitic(Canaanite). According to epic creation texts, sheis the third daughter of BAAL at Ugarit (RasŠamra), possibly also equating with ALLATUM.

30 ArsuArsuAstraltutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Locally worshiped at Palmyra where he personifiesthe evening star, in company with his brotherAZIZOS who is the morning star. He equates withRuda elsewhere in northern Arabia. Associatedin Palmyra with horses or camels.ARTEMISORIGIN Greek, but known extensively throughwestern Asia. Principally goddess of animalsand hunting, but in Greek-speaking Asia, amother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC andearlier until Christianization (circa AD 400) andprobably later.SYNONYMS Potnia Theron (mistress of theanimals).CENTER(S) OF CULT Antioch-near-Pisidia; Delos;Magnesia-on-the-Maeander; Pamphylia; Perge;Ephesus [Turkey].ART REFERENCES cultic statues, etc, most notablythe multi-breasted figures at Ephesus.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts (earlier Asianmodels); Iliad (Homer), Theogony (Hesiod).Artemis is a deity of very ancient origins whosurvived and attracted great popularity in bothAsia Minor and Greece into Christian times,when arguably much of her ethos was transferredto the Virgin Mary. Both figures enjoyedmajor sanctuaries at Ephesus. As an Asiatic goddessArtemis was often drawn winged andstanding between wild animals. In this contextshe generally appears equipped with boots, atorch and a pointed cap. She is also a stronglyandrogynous figure, a feature depicted dramaticallyin the statue of Artemis of Ephesus. Hertemple at Ephesus dates from the fourth centuryBC and is ranked among the seven wondersof the world. The cult statues were carried inprocession on May 25 among a congregation ofup to 30,000.To the Greeks she was the daughter of ZEUSand LETO. She was honored in the sanctuaryon Delos with its celebrated Horn Altar fromcirca 700 BC. In Greek mythology the androgynousaspect was firmly discounted. In her earliestpre-Homeric form the Mistress of Animals“suckles the young of every wild creature thatroams the fields.” As a huntress she uses a bowand arrows.By Homeric times the ferocity of this prehistoricelement has waned in favor of a more timidimage of a young girl dominated robustly by herstepmother HERA. A contrary character study inthe Odyssey pictures her more positively as a virgingoddess chasing and killing boars and hindsover the hills and fields, fleet of foot and in companywith a band of nymphs. She presides overnature and over the initiation rituals of younggirls. She is also a goddess of blood sacrifice. Acruel element emerged in a different sense as shethreatened any maiden who turned to the role ofwife. Paradoxically, and more in keeping with theold Semitic personality, she is also the goddess ofbirth.ArthapratisamvitGoddess of logical analysis. Buddhist (Vajrayana).One of a group of four. Color: green. Attributes:jewel and noose.Artio of MuriFertility goddess and guardian spirit of bears.Romano-Celtic (Continental European). Knownonly from inscriptions and sculptures in theBerne region of Switzerland, she is linked withbears. A bronze depicts her offering fruit to abear. She seems also to be a goddess of prosperityand harvest. She became syncretized with the

AŠERAH 31Roman god Mercury as Mercury Artaios. AlsoArtemis Brauronia.Depicted anthropomorphically, occasionallyhawk-headed.Arundhati (faithfulness)Astral goddess. Hindu (Puranic). Personificationof the morning star and the wife of all risis orinspired sons of BRAHMA though particularly associatedwith Vasistha. Attributes: begging bowls.AruruMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian)See also NINHURSAG˜ A.ArvernusLocal tribal deity. Celtic (Gallic). God of theArverni.Aryaman (companion)Minor sun god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). InVedic times, the god of formal hospitality. One ofsix ADITYA sons of the goddess ADITI. Attributes:club, two lotuses and prayer wheel.Arya-Tara (the honorable Tara)Goddess. Buddhist. The SAKTI of AMOGHASID-DHI. Her name is often abbreviated to TARA andshe originates from the TAM bija or seed. Color:green. Attributes: green lotus and staff. AlsoVASYA-TARA.AšLocal fertility god. Egyptian (western Sahara).Known from the Early Dynastic Period. By inferencea benign god of oases and other fertile areasof the desert. Epithets include “lord of Libya.”AsalluhaMinor god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian).A son of ENKI who apparentlyacts as a messenger and reporter to his father.Linked with rituals of exorcism. Cult centerKu’ara. In Babylonian times he became largelysyncretized with MARDUK.AsarEquestrian god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Known only from inscriptions at Palmyra.Asase YaaChthonic fertility goddess. Ashanti [Ghana, WestAfrica]. A major deity revered over a wide area ofAkan- and Fante-speaking Ghana. She has notemples or priests but days (Thursdays) are setaside in her honor and no ploughing is permitted.By tradition a farmer sacrifices a cockerel to hereach year to ensure a good harvest, sprinkling theblood on the ground. As the womb of the earth,she represents the goddess of the dead and she isalso goddess of truth. Also Asase Efua (Fante).AŠERAHORIGIN Amorite, then Canaanite and possiblyPhoenician [Lebanon from Tyre northwards,Syria]. Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistorictimes circa third millennium BC until Christianization(circa AD 400).SYNONYMS ATHIRAT.CENTER(S) OF CULT Ugarit [Ras Šamra] and hillshrines throughout the corn-growing coastalregion of the eastern Mediterranean.

32 AšertuART REFERENCES none surviving, but once extensivelyrepresented.LITERARY SOURCES Ugaritic texts from RasŠamra, particularly The Legend of Baal and Anat;Vetus Testamentum.Ašerah is the great mother goddess of Canaan.Known as “Lady Ašerah of the sea,” she seems tohave lived close by the place of IL, the Canaanitecreator god, and is said to have had many sons.She is described as the “creatress of the gods” andthe matron of a number of other goddesses whooversee the natural world. She is also ambiguousin her attitude to BAAL. She intercedes with Ilwhen Baal wishes to build a palace of his own yet,when he is vanquished, she attempts to place oneof her own offspring on the throne. It is Ašerahwho gave her name to the hill shrines under thetrees which were vilified by the writers of the biblicalprophetic books such as Ezekiel. Translatedas “grove” in the King James English version, theašerah seems to have been a carved wooden pillarwhich formed the focal point of worship in conjunctionwith a stone massebah. The ašrah representedthe presence of the mother goddess. Itspopularity with large numbers of Israelites isbeyond dispute, but because of its pagan connotationsand particularly its representation of themother goddess linked with rituals of fertility, theašerah became one of the major irritations of theprophets and other religious leaders of the tribesduring the period of the Israelite kingship. It mayhave stimulated large numbers of rank-and-fileto abandon or take a strongly ambivalent attitudetoward Yhwhism.AšertuFertility goddess. Western Semitic (Canaanite)and Hittite. Identified in Ugaritic (Ras Šamra)texts as an unfaithful consort of ELKUNIRSA. AlsoAšerdus (Hittite).AshiakleGoddess of wealth. Gan [district around Accra,Ghana, West Africa]. The daughter of NAI,god of the sea, she was born in the ocean andcame to land in a canoe. Her colors are red andwhite.AsiraLocal god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Mentioned only in name by the Babylonianking Nabonidus, worshiped at Taima andinfluenced strongly by Egyptian culture.See also SALM.AsisSun god. Suk and Pokot [Kenya and Uganda,East Africa]. These two tribes share thesame pantheon. The younger brother of thesupreme god of heaven TORORUT. In Nandi[Kenya] religion, Asis becomes the supremecreator god.ASKLEPIOSORIGIN Greek. God of physicians and healing.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC or earlierto Christianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Asklapios, Aisklapios.CENTER(S) OF CULT Epidauros; Kos; theAsklepeion in Pergamon.ART REFERENCES various sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad (Homer); Catalogues(Hesiod).The son of APOLLO and a mortal consort, Coronis,Asklepios lived effectively as a mortal anddied as such. He was nonetheless regarded as adeity. He was reared by the centaur Charon andfathered two sons, Podaleirios and Machaon,who were also physicians. More familiar from

Astaphaios 33modern usage is his daughter, the goddessHYGIEIA (health). Asklepios is symbolized by arod with twin snakes coiled around it. He is alsorepresented in his sanctuaries by a captive snake.According to legend he met his death at thehand of ZEUS for presuming to bring a mortalbeing back from death. Physicians on Kosformed into a guild, the Asklepiadai (sons ofAsklepios). The Epidauros sanctuary became aninfluential place of pilgrimage by the sick andinfirm in classical times.Aslesa(s) (adherence)Minor goddess of misfortune. Hindu (Epicand Puranic). A malevolent NAKSATRA or astraldeity; daughter of DAKSA and wife of CANDRA(SOMA).AšnanVegetation goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Minor deity probablyknown to the Sumerians from circa 3500BC or earlier. She is concerned with the abundanceof grain in the fields, sent as its protectressby the gods ENLIL and ENKI. According tocreation accounts, she and the cattle god LAHARwere first intended to serve the needs of theAnnunaki, the celestial children of AN, butwhen the heavenly creatures were found unableto make use of their products, humankind wascreated to provide an outlet for their services.Attributes: ears of corn sprouting from hershoulders.Asokottamasri (the great beauty of Asoka)Physician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted among one of a series of medicinebuddhas or SMAN-BLA in Lamaism. Typicallydepicted with stretched earlobes. Color: red.AsoposLocal river god. Greek (Beotian). Known onlyfrom regions of central Greece as one of the sonsof POSEIDON.AšpalisHunting goddess. Western Semitic. There isscant mention of Ašpalis from Melite in Phthiaand she is probably a local version of ARTEMIS. Asin certain Artemis mythology, she hanged herselfand her body disappeared.AšratumFertility goddess. Western Semitic (Canaanite).Probably a corruption of the Semitic ATHIRAT orAŠERAH. Also mentioned in Babylonian texts fromthe Hellenistic period. Also Ašrat (Akkadian).AssurTutelary god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The national deity of Assyria. In the Assyriancopies of the creation epic Enuma Eliš, hereplaces MARDUK as the hero.AstabiDeity. Hittite and Hurrian. Known only frominscriptions.AstamataraGeneric term for a group of mother goddesses.Hindu (Puranic). Eight deities who are varietiesof the goddess CAMUNDA, often malevolent.AstaphaiosPrimordial deity. Gnostic Christian. One of theandrogynous principles born to YALDABAOTH, the

34 Astarprime parent, ruling the seven heavens of chaos ingnostic mythology.AstarAstral god. Ethiopian. Identified in Axum Empireinscriptions from circa AD 200-400.AštarothFertility goddess. Western Semitic. Goddess ofsheep herders equating with the Phoenician goddessASTARTE. Also a plural form of the nameAštoreth and used as a collective name for goddesses(cf. BAAL).ASTARTE (star)ORIGIN western Semitic, predominantly Phoenician[Lebanon and Syria]. Fertility goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 1500 BCor earlier until circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS Aštarat; Attart (Ugarit).CENTER(S) OF CULT predominantly Tyre; alsoSidon, Byblos, Ascalon, Carthage, Kition[Cyprus], Eryx [Sicily] and Malta.ART REFERENCES sculptures, plaques, votive stelae,glyptics, etc.LITERARY SOURCES mainly inscriptions.The goddess of the evening star, of war and ofsexual love. Inscriptions from the fifth century BCin her major temple at Sidon suggest she was perceivedas an emanation of BAAL ŠAMIN, personifyinghis divine power. She is also his consort. Heranimal is the sphinx, which typically appears oneither side of her throne. She is often representedby baetyls or stone stelae. In Hellenic times shebecame largely syncretized with the Greek goddessAPHRODITE. A first century BC inscription ina sanctuary dedicated to Aphrodite at Delos identifiesthe “holy Syrian goddess.” Astarte is typicallydepicted naked and, in the Egyptian style,wears a crown of cows’ horns enclosing a sun disc.The latter may have rays emanating.See also AŠTORETH, IŠTAR and AŠERAH.AstlikAstral goddess. Pre-Christian Armenian. Derivedfrom the Mesopotamian model of IŠTAR. Survivedin Christian times as the mother of fairies.AŠTORETHORIGIN Palestinian and Philistine [Israel,Lebanon]. Fertility goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1200 BC orearlier until circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS AŠTAROTH.CENTER(S) OF CULT Palestine coastal regionincluding Jerusalem.ART REFERENCES various sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES inscriptions; Vetus Testamentum.Aštoreth equates with the Syrian goddess ASTARTE,both being modeled on the Mesopotamian IŠTAR.She was adopted, typically, as goddess of bothlove and war. She is usually depicted wearing ahorned headdress. Biblical references include IKings 11.5 and II Kings 23.13. Solomon is said tohave built a temple in her honor near Jerusalem.The name is said, by some authors, to be synonymouswith Aštaroth.Asuha-No-KamiGod of courtyards. Shinto [Japan]. A guardiandeity, one of many in Shintoism, concerned withthe protection of houses and their environs.AsurakumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHVANAVASI (dwelling in places).

Atea 35They have a youthful appearance and are associatedwith rain and thunder.AsurasSky gods. Hindu (Vedic). Identified in the openingof the Rg Veda, they become demonic in laterHinduism, the antagonists of the DEVA gods.AsvinsPhysician gods. Hindu (Vedic). Twin gods owninghorses, the sons of VIVASVAN and SARANYU.Depicted in a chariot drawn by horses or birds.Attributes: book, vessel with herbs and water jar.Asvayujau (harnessing horses)Minor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA, or astral deity;daughter of DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).Also Asvini and Asvinyau.Ataa Naa NyongmoCreator god. Gan [district around Accra, Ghana,West Africa]. He engendered the earth and alsocontrols the sun and the rain. He causes disasterssuch as epidemics and earthquakes if his laws andrites are disobeyed.AtaecinaLocal chthonic underworld goddess. Romano-Iberian. Known from inscriptions in the Tagusregion, where the Romans identified her with thegoddess PROSERPINA.AtargatisMother goddess. Northern Syrian. She enjoyedmajor cults at Khirbet Tannur, where she isdepicted as the vegetation goddess in nine separatevariations, and at Khirbet Brak, where she isassociated with dolphins. She often carries a cornucopialinking her with the goddess TYCHE (fortune)and may commonly be flanked by lions. Shesometimes carries a rudder or wears the muralcrown of a city guardian. There are hints of skyaffinities in some depictions, with a sign of thezodiac or a nimbus-like veil.Her earliest consort is DUŠARA, but in later timesshe is linked with the Syrian storm god HADAD. AtDura and Hierapolis (Hera-Atargatis), she tendedto overshadow Hadad. Atargatis is also a fish goddessdepicted like a mermaid and in most of hercult centers she enjoyed a sacred lake stocked withfish. Statues of Hadad and Hera-Atargatis werecarried in twice-yearly processions to the sea fromHierapolis, and by the third century BC her culthad reached Egypt. Greek writers of the Hellenicperiod describe her as a “radiate” goddess, whichsuggests some links with sun symbolism.Also Allat.Ataršamain (morning star of heaven)Astral deity of uncertain gender. Pre-Islamicnorthern and central Arabian. Worshiped particularlyby the Išamme tribe, but revered widelyamong other Arabs. Known from circa 800 BCand identified in letters of the Assyrian kingsEšarhaddon and Assurbanipal. May be synonymouswith the Arab goddess ALLAT whose cultwas centered on Palmyra.AteMinor goddess of misfortune. Greek. A daughterof ZEUS, she personifies blind folly leading todisaster.AteaSupreme god. Polynesian. The father of the godsdepicted as a hybrid, his body divided vertically,

36 ATENthe left half being fishy and the right half ofhuman form. In the tradition of the HerveyIslands, he is the firstborn son of the primordialmother VARI-MA-TE-TAKERE. After a short existencelow down in the world coconut livingimmediately above his mother, he moved to theopening of the upper world. He is largely comparableto TANE, the god of light. Also AVATEA,Vatea, Wakea.ATEN (the sun disc)ORIGIN Egyptian. Creator sun god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2000 BC untillate in Egyptian history, but of little influenceafter 1362 BC.SYNONYMS Aton.CENTER(S) OF CULT chiefly at Thebes but also atHeliopolis, Memphis, el-Amarna and othersanctuaries in the Nile valley.ART REFERENCES monument at Giza, wall paintingsat Karnak and el-Amarna.LITERARY SOURCES various papyri, inscriptionsand coffin texts.Aten, the sun as a disc, was revered as a numen inhis own right, distinct from Atum or Re, fromcirca 2000 BC and possibly earlier. His influencehad been growing under several pharaohs includingAmenhotep II, Tuthmosis IV and AmenhotepIII, who initiated a cult of Aten at Heliopolis.Aten rose to ultimate supremacy for a brief periodduring the reign of Amenhotep IV who renamedhimself Akhenaten in honor of the god. DuringAkhenaten’s reign from 1379 BC Aten became thesupreme god of Egypt, eclipsing all others.The iconography of Aten is very distinctive. Itbegan as a winged sun disc with outstretchedarms, but this was refined into a sun disc embellishedwith the uraeus (see WADJET) and subtendedby thin arms, like the rays of the sun, eachof which ends in a human hand. Where the latterpoint toward a royal personage they hold the ankhsymbol of life. The god is never drawn in humanor animal form.Akhenaten first built a sanctuary to Aten adjacentto that of AMUN in the Karnak complex atThebes. The main cult center was to the north ofThebes on the east bank of the Nile at el-Amarna,where a huge sanctuary was constructed. It wasopen to the sky (and the rays of Aten) and themain ceremonials took place at dawn. It acted asa contentious rival to the cult of Amun-Re at Karnak,which Akhenaten suppressed. All the templesto Aten were later destroyed, as was most of hisiconography. Akhenaten ruled from el-Amarnafor the remainder of his reign. One of his queens,Nefertiti, was also a staunch Aten worshiper.The elevation of Aten was influenced by politics(the strength of the Amun-Re priesthood wasbecoming excessive), and it is notable that Akhenatenalone had access to, or knowledge of, the god.Aten worship was also undeniably the result of agrowing interest in the concept of a single creatorgod and was the first arguable demonstration ofmonotheism. Very little detail of the cult survives.AteteFertility goddess. Kafa [Ethiopia, northeasternAfrica]. She was assimilated into the Christiancult of the Virgin Mary, but is probably the subjectof an ancient fertility rite performed bywomen who collect various sacred plants andthrow them into the river. The festival is knownas Astar yo Mariam (Epiphany of Mary).ATHENAORIGIN Greek. Goddess of war and patrondefender of many Greek cities.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC andearlier until Christianization (circa AD 400) andlater.

Atropos 37SYNONYMS Athene; PALLAS ATHENAE (maidengoddess of Athens); MINERVA (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT Athens but also Argos,Sparta, Gortyn, Larisa (Thessaly); Lindos andIlion (Homer’s Troy).ART REFERENCES the Parthenon frieze and othersculptures and iconography throughout theGreek world, including notably the Athena ofPhidias (Varvakeion) and the metope of Olympiain which she assists HERAKLES to support the sky.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad and Odyssey (Homer);Theogony and Hymn to Pallas Athene (Hesiod).Athena is a principal goddess of the Greek pantheonand, according to Hesiod, the daughter ofMETIS (wisdom) born fully armed from the headof ZEUS. A goddess of battle and allegedly a snakegoddess, she is a deity who also stands for disciplineagainst the more unruly conduct of such asHERMES and POSEIDON. Her most famed sanctuaryis the Parthenon. The olive tree is sacred toher, particularly that grown by tradition on theAcropolis, whose oil was given to the victors inthe Panathenaia festival. According to legend sheoffered the olive to mankind. Her symbol is theaigis—the skin of a sacrificial goat. She is alsoassociated with ship-building and with domesticcrafts including wool work and spinning—Athenian women have traditionally woven thepeplos at the Panathenaia festival. In legend she isthe destroyer of Ajax and lures Hector to hisdeath, while supporting such heroes as Perseusagainst the Gorgon monster, and Diomedesagainst ARES. She also acts as a moderating influencein Achilles’ conflict with Agamemnon, themost notable instance of her characteristic abilityfor self-control.AthiratFertility goddess. Western Semitic (Canaanite).In Old Babylonian texts of Hammurabi she isidentified as the daughter-in-law of the king ofheaven. She is also known from pre-Islamic southernArabia as a consort of the moon god AMM.See also AŠERAH.Aticandika (exceedingly great)Distinct form of the goddess DURGA. Hindu(Puranic). One of a group of nine deities, knownas the “nine durgas.”AtlCreator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The sun deity representing the fourthof the five world ages each of which lasted for2,028 heavenly years, each heavenly year beingfifty-two terrestrial years. Assigned to water andpresided over by CHALCHIUHTLICUE. Accordingto tradition, the age ended in a cataclysmicdestruction caused by a deluge during which allthe human population were turned into fish.Illustrated by the “Stone of the Four Suns” [YalePeabody Museum]. Also 4(Atl), Atonatiuh andChalchiutonatiuh.AtlahuaMinor god of lakes and fish hunters. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the Mixcoatlcamaxtli complex.AtroposGoddess of fate. Pre-Homeric Greek. Accordingto Hesiod, one of the daughters of ZEUS andTHEMIS. One of an ancient trio of MOIRAI withLACHESIS and KLOTHO. She is responsible for thefinal part of a mortal life, the unturning inevitabilityof death, and she is depicted holding a pair ofscales. The name of the plant Atropa belladonna(deadly nightshade) derives from her.

38 AttarAttarGod of the morning star. Western Semitic. InCanaanite legend, he attempts to usurp the deadBAAL but proves inadequate to fill the god’sthrone. In semi-arid regions of western Asiawhere irrigation is essential, he was sometimesworshiped as a rain god. His female counterpartis the Phoenician ASTARTE. Also probably identifiedas Dhu-Šamani in more southerly regions.ATTISORIGIN Phrygia [northwestern Turkey]. Vegetationgod.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC andprobably earlier until circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none specific.CENTER(S) OF CULT Anatolian region and laterthroughout Greek and Roman areas of culture.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Roman writers, especiallyVirgil.Attis is a “dying and rising” fertility god modeledon the Mesopotamian DUMUZI. He is consideredto have originated as a shepherd. In alternativetraditions, KYBELE, the “great mother,” is eitherhis mother or purely his consort. Another legendsuggests he was conceived immaculately by thedemigoddess NANA when she placed a ripealmond in her bosom. According to one legendhe met his death gored by a wild boar. In a morepopular alternative, he castrated himself under apine tree to offer his vitality to Kybele.The latter legend became enshrined in springrites during which Greek, and later Roman, priests(Galli) wearing effeminate costumes castratedthemselves or gashed themselves with knives andoffered blood sacrifices to the goddess by buryingthem in the earth. The main center of cult was atPessinus (Phrygia). The cult was brought to Romein 204 BC when the stone symbolizing the presenceof CYBELE (the Roman version of her name) wascarried from Pessinus and installed in the Templeof Victory on the Palatine Hill. The day sacred toAttis was March 22 when a pine tree was carriedinto the Temple of Cybele and decorated withflowers and models of Attis. In Christian times theEaster festival took over the date of the Attis rites.Atua FafineCreator being. Polynesian [Tikopia]. One of apair with ATUA I RAROPUKA when the land ofTikopia was pulled up from the bottom of theocean. They may have been there from the outset,or arrived on the back of a turtle from foreignparts. They engendered five sons, all gods.Atua I KafikaSupreme god. Polynesian [Tikopia]. Regarded asan intercessor rather than as ultimate creator orcontroller.Atua I RaropukaCreator being. Polynesian [Tikopia]. One of apair with Atua Fafine when the land of Tikopiawas pulled up from the bottom of the ocean.They may have been there from the outset, orarrived on the back of a turtle from foreign parts.They engendered five sons, all gods.ATUMORIGIN Egyptian. Sun god and creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Old Kingdom(circa 2700 BC) to end of Egyptian history (circaAD 400).SYNONYMS Atum-Re.CENTER(S) OF CULT Heliopolis.ART REFERENCESwall paintings particularly inNew Kingdom tombs in the Valley of the Kings(Thebes), votive inscriptions, contemporarysculpture.

Avatea 39LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; coffin texts;Book of the Dead, etc.Atum is one of several interpretations of themajor creator god of Egypt whose company isthe product of a fragmented pre-Dynastic tribalhistory. Atum shared Heliopolis with another sungod, RE and eventually became joined with him asAtum-Re or Re-Atum. The god was self-createdfrom the primeval ocean and by masturbating heproduced the next two great deities of the Egyptiancosmos, ŠU and TEFNUT, who also constitutethe beginnings of the pantheon of nine Heliopolisdeities, the ENNEAD. Atum is generally representedin human form and often wears a crownwhich combines those of Upper and LowerEgypt. He is represented as various animalsincluding the bull, lion, snake and lizard. Atumwas regarded as the progenitor of the Egyptianpharaohs.Both Atum and Re are represented by a divineblack bull, Mnevis or Mer-wer, wearing the sundisc and uraeus or snake between its horns. It actsas an intercessor between the sun god and hispriests in Heliopolis.AtunisGod. Etruscan. Known from circa 350 BC onwardin local inscriptions.See also ADONIS.AufaniaeCollective name for a group of mother goddesses.Celtic (Continental European). Known only fromvotive inscriptions and largely restricted to theRhineland.AuroraGoddess of the dawn. Roman. Derived from theGreek deity EOS.Auseklis (morning star)Minor astral god. Pre-Christian Latvian. Anattendant of the sun god, linked with fertility andinvolved in the activity of the heavenly bath house.AVALOKITESVARA (merciful lord)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. Bodhisattva or buddhadesignate.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent.SYNONYMS nineteen other forms listed.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESmetal and stone sculptures,paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Sadhanamala and Tantric ritualtexts.One of the most important deities of the Mahayanasect of Buddhism. In Lamaism he is the tutelarygod of Tibet. He equates with VIŠNU in Hinduismand bears links with PADMAPANI. In cosmic mythologyhe is a creator deity. His SAKTI is PANDARA andhis attendant animal is a lion. Many forms of Avalokitesvaraexist which may include varieties with upto eleven heads, sometimes arranged in a pyramid.Color: white or red. Attributes: blue lotus, image ofAmitabha (topmost pyramidal head), lotus, rosary,sword and water jar.NOTE: in Chinese Buddhism he is representedby the goddess Kuan-Tin, and in Japanese byKWANNON.AvateaMoon god. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. Thefirstborn offspring of the great mother VARI-MA-TE-TAKERE and the elder sibling of TINIRAU.According to tradition, Vari-Ma-Te-Takereplucked a piece from her right side to engenderAvatea, who is half man, half fish. He is dividedvertically with his left side fishy and his right sidehuman. He is the father of gods and humankind,

40 Avetaand is said to live in the coconut of the world.After a temporary period existing low down inthe shell, he was assigned to the opening of theupper world, immediately above the home ofTinirau. Also Vatea; Wakea (Hawaiian).AvetaGoddess of birth and midwifery. Romano-Celtic(Gallic). Known mainly from clay figurines foundat Toulon-sur-Allier, France. The models show thegoddess with infants at the breast and apparentlyshe is concerned especially with nursing mothers.The figure is often accompanied by a small lapdog.AvrikitiGod of fishermen. Fon [Benin, West Africa]. Statuesof this deity, in a sitting position, were placedon the beaches and fishermen and local elderssacrificed to them annually to ensure a good seasonof catches.AwonawilonaCreator god. Pueblo Indian (Zuni) [Mesoamerica].The androgynous creator of heaven andearth and of all life, which he engendered by tossingpieces of his skin into the primeval ocean.Axo-MamaGoddess of potato crops. South American Indian[Peru]. A model of this minor deity was made outof parts of the plant as a harvest fetish and kept fora year before being burned in a ritual to ensure agood potato harvest.AyaMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Derived from the Sumerian model ofŠERIDA. Consort of the sun god ŠAMAŠ whosemarriage was celebrated at New Year in Babylon.AyabaHearth goddess. Fon [Benin, West Africa]. Thesister of LOKO, god of the trees, whose wood isburned in the home to cook food.Ayi’-Uru’n Toyo’n (lord bright creator)Creator spirit. Yakut [central Siberia].See also URU’N AJY TOYO’N.AyiyanayakaPlague god. Singhalese [Sri Lanka]. A deity offields and woodlands who is still revered as aguardian of crops and a protector against plague.Ayurvasita (control of life)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group oftwelve VASITAS or goddesses personifying thedisciplines of spiritual regeneration. Color:whitish red. Attributes: image of Amidabuddhaand jewel.AyyappanLocal god of growth. Hindu. Particularly recognizedin the Kerala region.AzizosAstral tutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Locally worshiped at Palmyra, where hepersonifies the morning star, in company with hisbrother ARSU, who is the evening star. Associatedwith horses or camels. He was also venerated separatelyin Syria as god of the morning star, incompany with the astral god Monimos.

6 BBa (1)Goddess of drought. Chinese. She is identifiedin some texts as the daughter of the god HUANGTI.Ba (2)Ram god. Egyptian (Lower). A fertilitydeity from early in Egyptian religion invokedparticularly at Mendes. In a later cult, thename ba comes to represent the spirituality of adeity, often represented in an animal, e.g. thebull, or the mortal manifestation of a god aspharaoh.Ba XianCollective name for gods. Taoist (Chinese). Agroup of eight divine beings, once mortal,who achieved immortality through theirexemplary lifestyles. There are many suchgroups in Chinese religious belief. The BaXian are probably the most widely revered.Many people carry amulets and other charmsin the form of the symbols of these deities.The eight gods are Cao Guo-jiu; HAN XIANG-ZI; HE XIAN-GU; LAN CAI-HE; LI TIE-GUAI; LUDONG-BIN; ZHANG GUO-LAO; and ZHONG-LIQUAN.BAAL (lord)ORIGIN Western Semitic (Canaanite) [northernIsrael, Lebanon and later Egyptian]. Vegetationdeity and national god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2000 BC orearlier to 200 BC.SYNONYMS Aliyn Baal; HADAD.CENTER(S) OF CULT Ugarit [Ras Šamra andJebel el Aqra]; Ašdod during Philistine period.Otherwise generally down the corn-bearingcoastal plain of the eastern Mediterranean,including Baal-Hazor, Baal-Sidon and Baal-Tyre [Lebanon]. Memphis [Egypt].ART REFERENCES a stele from Ras Šamra has aseated god with bull horns which is thought tobe either Baal or IL; a model calf recently discoveredthere may also symbolize Baal.LITERARY SOURCES Ugaritic creation texts fromRas Šamra, particularly the legends of Baal andANAT and Baal and MOT; Vetus Testamentum.Baal may have originated in pre-agricultural timesas god of storms and rain. He is the son of DAGANand in turn is the father of seven storm gods, theBaalim of the Vetus Testamentum, and seven midwifegoddesses, the SASURATUM. He is consideredto have been worshiped from at least the nineteenthcentury BC. Later he became a vegetationgod concerned with fertility of the land. Baal is41

42 Baal Malagesaid to have gained his kingship in primeval timeswrested, with the help of weapons made by divinecraftsmen (see also OTHIN), from the powers ofchaos in the form of the sea and the river tyrannies,or more specifically the god Yamm.Baal lives in a vast and opulent palace on amountain called Šapan. Old connotations of aweather god remain in the texts which describethe voice of Baal as being like thunder, and a holein the floor of his palace through which he watersthe earth. According to one text his servants arein the form of seven pages and eight boars, all ofwhich, like his daughters, PIDRAY daughter ofmist and Tallay daughter of showers, probablyhave a fertility function. Sister of the goddessAnat, he reflects the confrontation theme, firstestablished in ancient Near Eastern religions, ofa god constantly and energetically engaged withthe forces of disorder. It is a combat that causeshis temporary ill-fortune but from which, annually,he emerges triumphant. Baal is said to havesired a bull calf, the guarantee of his power inabsence, before descending to the underworld tochallenge the forces of chaos in the form of thegod Mot (see also INANA/IŠTAR); he dies, isrestored through the efforts of Anat and in theseventh year kills Mot (VT Exodus 23.10-11describes six years of harvest followed by a seventhyear in which the land must lie fallow). Victorywas celebrated at the autumn festival of NewYear in the month of Tišri pending the arrival ofthe rains. Baal-zebul (VT) derives from Baal andzbl meaning prince.From the mid-sixteenth century BC in theEgyptian New Kingdom, Baal enjoyed a significantcult following, but the legend of his demiseand restoration was never equated with that ofOSIRIS.In the Greco-Roman period, Baal becameassimilated in the Palestine region with ZEUS andJUPITER, but as a Punic deity [Carthage] he wasallied with SATURNUS, the god of seed-sowing.Baal MalageLocal tutelary god. Western Semitic (Phoenician).Probably of Canaanite origin, closely equating withBAAL ŠAMIN and known only from inscriptions.Baal Šamin (lord of heaven)Head of the pantheon. Western Semitic (Phoenician).Probably originated in Canaanite culture asa god of rain and vegetation, but became extensivelyrevered in places as far apart as Cyprus andCarthage. Epithets include “bearer of thunder.”Baal Šamin is first mentioned in a fourteenth centuryBC treaty between the Hittite king Suppiluliumaand Nigmadu II of Ugarit. He had a majorsanctuary at Byblos, according to inscription, “builtby Yehemilk.” Josephus confirms that his cultexisted at the time of Solomon. At Karatepe hisname appears at the head of a list of national deitiesand on Seleucid coinage he is depicted wearing ahalf-moon crown and carrying a radiate sun disc.Other epithets include “lord of eternity” and hemay also have been god of storms at sea, a patrondeity of mariners. By Hellenic times he equatedwith ZEUS in the Greek pantheon and the Romansidentified him as Caelus (sky). Also Baal-Šamem.Baal SaponLocal tutelary god. Western Semitic (Phoenician).Probably of Canaanite origin and closely equatingwith BAAL ŠAMIN. According to Ugaritic texts helives on a mountain in the north of Phoeniciaknown as Saphan, which may have served as a beaconfor mariners. Other local variations of mountaindeities include Baal Hermon and Baal Brathy.BabaFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Locally worshiped inLagaš, where Gudea built her a temple. Also Bau.

Bagala 43BabiMalevolent god. Egyptian. Known from as earlyas the Old Kingdom (circa 2700 BC). Babi isseen as a violent and hostile deity whose presencecan be highly dangerous during the ceremonyof the Weighing of the Heart in the Hallof the Two Truths (see also AMMUT). Converselyhe can also act in a protective capacity.Closely associated with sexual virility in theunderworld, Babi is ithyphallic. A god active inthe darkness, his penis serves variously as themast on the underworld ferry boat, and the bolton heaven’s doors. Depicted as an ithyphallicmale baboon.BacabsAttendant gods. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Four deities identified with points ofthe compass and colors, thus Hobnil (red) residesin the east, Can Tzicnal (white) in the north, ZacCimi (black) in the west and Hozanek (yellow) inthe south. They are also identified as the Toliloch(opossum actors) in the Codex Dresden, whereeach carries the image of the ruling god for theincoming year on his back. Hobnil is also a patrondeity of beekeepers.BacaxLocal god. Roman-North African. A rare exampleof a named deity from this region, thought tohave been worshiped as a cave god. Known frominscription at Cirta [Constantine].BACCHUSORIGIN Roman. God of wine and intoxication.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC toAD 400.SYNONYMS LIBER; DIONYSOS (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Roman world.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil) etc.Bacchus is modeled closely on the Greek godDIONYSOS. In Roman mythology his parents areJUPITER and SEMELE, the daughter of Kadmos, whobecame deified only after her death by fire onOlympus. Bacchus grew up through childhood witha wet-nurse Ino (LEUKOTHEA). As a youth he wasentrusted to the satyr Silenus. He is depicted as ayouthful figure wearing an ivy or grape crown andcarrying a wand or thyrsus. He is also frequentlydrawn riding in a chariot pulled by leopards.As god of wine and intoxication, his courtincludes the female Bacchantes, nymphs, faunsand satyrs. Bacchus was worshiped extensivelyand commanded a number of festivals includingthe Liberalia and Bacchanalia. These possessstrongly phallic connotations and on occasionsthe god was represented by a model phallus.BadbWar goddess. Celtic (Irish). One of the aspects ofthe MORRIGAN. Capable of changing shape atwill. She confronts the Irish hero Cu Chulainnbefore a battle and terrifies him by turning intoBadb Catha, the crow and harbinger of death.Badi MataMother goddess. Hindu [northern Indian]. ASAKTI and one of the seven SAPTAMATARAS(mothers) who in later Hinduism becameregarded as of evil intent, attacking childrenduring puberty. Particularly recognized in Bengal.Bagala (power of cruelty)Goddess. Hindu. One of a group of tenMAHAVIDYAS personifying the SAKTI of ŠIVA.Aspects include VIRARATRI.

44 BagbaBagbaAnimistic spirit. West African. Fetish whoallegedly controls the wind and rain andwhose shaman keeps the winds locked in ahuge pot.BagishtGod of flood waters and prosperity. Kafir[Afghanistan]. The son of the supreme goddessDISANI, conceived when she was raped frombehind by an obscure demonic entity in the shapeof a ram who violated her while she was milkingcows by a lakeside. Bagisht is said to have beenborn in the current of the Prasun river whereuponthe turbulent waters became smooth-flowingand parted to allow the infant to reach thebank. There seem to have been no elaborate sanctuariesbut rather an abundance of simple shrinesalways placed close to water. The god was celebratedat the main festivals of the Kafir agriculturalyear and received sacrificial portions ofmeat. Also Opkulu.BagvartiTutelary goddess. Urartian [Armenia]. The consortof the creator god HALDI.BAIAMEORIGIN Australian aboriginal.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from antiquity.SYNONYMS Biame, ByameeBaiame is a creator god, revered as the supremebeing and instrument of good, principally by theWiradyuri and Kamilaroi groups of aboriginesin the southeast of Australia. His chief consortis generally referred to as BIRRAHGNOOLOO. Hisvoice is represented when the “bull roarer”native instrument is swung and, according tomythology, he first created animals during theDreamtime and then gathered them all togetherin order to select various of their characteristics,which he incorporated into human beings.He fashioned two men and a woman fromthe red earth of Australia, showed them theplants that they could eat with safety and createdlaws for them to follow. He is the father ofDARAMULUM and is identified in the heavensby the Southern Cross. In other aboriginaltraditions he is known as Twanyrika.Bala (girl)1. Mother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic).Of vague affinity but generally of youthfulappearance. Seated upon a lotus throne. Attributes:book and rosary.2. Messenger goddess. Jain [India]. One of thetwenty-four SASANADEVATAS.BalakrsnaGod. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). KRSNA in childform (see Krsna).Balam (jaguar)Guardian deities. Mayan (Yucatec, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. Poorly defined spiritswho protect individuals in daily life. Four balamstand at the cardinal points around a village toguard against dangerous animals. They also protectthe four sides of a milpa (smallholding)against thieves.Balaparamita (perfection of strength)Philosophical deity. Buddhist. One of a groupof twelve PARAMITAS. Spiritual offspring ofRATNASAMBHAVA. Color: red. Attributes: bookand banner with jewel.

Baltis 45Balarama (strength of Rama)Incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). May have originated in Vedic times as anagricultural fertility deity. He is the son ofVASUDEVA and DEVAKI, though born from thewomb of ROHINI. Jointly with KRSNA (his brother),he is identified as the eighth avatara (incarnation)of Višnu, or, with RAMA, as the seventh. Legenddescribes how Višnu impregnated the belly of thegoddess Devaki with two hairs, one black, onewhite. To ensure their safety against a demon king,they were transferred before birth to Rohini. Krsnagrew to be dark-skinned, and Balarama light. Thelatter enjoys similar characteristics to Krsna butfails to attract the same popularity. He is usuallydepicted on the right side of Krsna, rarely standingalone. The consort of Balarama is REVATI and hissons are Nisatha and Ulmuka. Epithets includedAnanda (joy). In Jainism he is known as Baladeva.Attributes: arrow, club, drinking cup, fan palm,honey pot, lotus, pestle, pitcher, plough, prayerwheel, shield and sword.Bala-SaktiGoddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southern India].Youthful deity who presides over six CAKRAS orprayer wheels. Often accompanied by a geometricmagical diagram or yantra. Attributes: book,hook, noose and rosary.Balder is the spotless “good” god, the “shiningone,” OTHIN’s favored second son. He lives in ahall named Breidablik. He is the father of the godFORSETI. According to Snorri’s account, Balderwas made invulnerable to injury or death by hismother FRIGG who had extracted a promise from“all things” not to harm him. She had omitted themistletoe as being too small and insignificant andso, using the blind god HODER as his instrument,LOKI caused Balder’s death by guiding Hoder’shand and turning a sprig of mistletoe into alethal dart.Saxo, in contrast, defines Balder as a warriorslain by a magic sword in a battle of jealous rivalrybetween him and Hoder for the hand of the goddessNANNA. There are separate suggestions thatBalder traveled the road to the underworld ruledby HEL in company with many other slain warriors,implying that he met his death in a widercombat.There is no evidence of a Germanic precedentfor Balder and he is probably of purely Norseextraction. Attempts have been made to cast himas a copy of Christ but these seem whollyunfounded. It is also impossible to relate Balder tothe dying and rising gods found in other religions(DUMUZI, TELEPINU, OSIRIS, etc.), since there isno suggestion of his return from Hel’s kingdom ofthe dead, though there is an implication that hewill be released by Hel at Ragnarok.BALDER (lord)ORIGIN Icelandic (Nordic). The dying god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP AD 700 (possibly earlier)through to Christianization (circa AD 1100).SYNONYMS Baldr; Baldaeg (Anglo-Saxon).CENTER(S) OF CULT unknown.ART REFERENCES stone carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; ProseEdda (Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo), runicinscriptions.BaliDemonic god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Theson of Virocana, his power was removed by VIŠNUin his avatara of VAMANA.BaltisLocal goddess. Pre-Islamic Arabian. Known fromCarrhae in western Mesopotamia and identifiedas the apotheosis of the planet Venus.

46 BanbaBanbaFertility goddess. Celtic (Irish). One of theaspects of the MORRIGAN. A name of the “Sovereigntyof Ireland” to whom the king was marriedin symbolic ceremony. Also a goddess of warcapable of changing shape from girl to hag, andinto birds and animals.See also BADB, ERIU, Fodla, Medb and MAEVE.BanebdjedetRam god. Egyptian (Lower). Possibly concernedwith arbitration, his consort is the fish goddessHATMEHYT. He is the father of HARPOKRATES.According to tradition (Chester Beatty I papyrus)he was called upon to intercede in the contest forthe Egyptian kingdoms between HORUS andSETH. He is placed in some accounts in UpperEgypt on the island of Seheil at the first Nilecataract, but his cult is centered on Mendes inthe Delta region of Lower Egypt [Tell et-Ruba]and is closely linked with the mother of RamesesIII. He is generally depicted in anthropomorphicform, but with the head of a ram.BangaGod of clear waters. Ngbandi [northern DemocraticRepublic of Congo and Central AfricanRepublic]. One of seven gods invoked at daybreak,the creator deity of white-skinned people.BangputysSea god. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. Known as the“god who blows the waves.”Ba-PefChthonic underworld god. Egyptian. An obscuremalevolent deity known from the Old Kingdom(circa 2700 BC) in which he may have enjoyed apriesthood. According to limited referencesamong the Pyramid Texts, he had a cult followingand was associated in some way with pain or spiritualanguish affecting the king.BaphometA medieval deity allegedly worshiped in secret bythe Knights Templar, Baphomet is known fromthe fourteenth century or possibly earlier. Thename may be a corruption of the Islamic founderand prophet, Mahomet, but its etymologyremains unclear. Described by its critics as asource and initiator of evil, some authorities haveplaced the idol of Baphomet at the center of initiationand other magical rituals once practiced bythe Templars. In part it was this tradition thatbrought charges of heresy against the Templars atthe end of the thirteenth and start of the fourteenthcenturies, after which they fell into disgrace.The precise nature of any idolatory isunknown, though there are unsubstantiatedclaims that the image was modeled androgynouslyon that of ARTEMIS of Ephesus.The image of Baphomet was romanticized duringthe nineteenth century by the German antiquarianJosef von Hammer-Purgstall. In apublication entitled Mysterium Baphometis Revelatumhe gave the deity the form either of a severedhead with two faces, bearded or unshaven, or of ablack cat. The bearded figure is depicted in thechurch of St. Merri in Paris. Alternative imageryhas been of an androgynous Satanic goat sittingastride the world with a flaming torch locatedbetween the horns, a star above the eyes, femalebreasts, a reptilian belly surmounted by snakesand goat-like hoofs. This imagery was depicted bythe nineteenth-century romantic interpreter ofoccultism Eliphas Levi, and Baphomet wasadopted subsequently as the tutelary deity of thequasi-magical Ordo Templi Orientis organizationfounded by the twentieth-century Englishoccultist Aleister Crowley.

Beg-Tse 47BarastarChthonic underworld god. Ossetian [Caucasusregion]. The judge of souls, directing them eitherto paradise or to oblivion.BaršaminWeather or sky god. Pre-Christian Armenian.Probably derived from the Semitic god BAALŠAMIN.Bastet is the daughter of the sun god RE and isregarded as his instrument of vengeance, the “ragein his eye.” Alternatively she is the eldest daughterof AMUN. She has a son, the lion-headed godMIHOS.Texts recounting battles may describe thepharaoh’s enemies being slaughtered like the victimsof Bastet. Thus she is first depicted as alioness, and then in the guise of a cat from circa1000 BC onward when she becomes more peaceablein character. The cat was considered sacredto her and cat cemeteries, containing mummifiedanimals, have been found at various sites. Hername involves the hieroglyph for a sealedalabaster jar containing perfume. In the sanctuaryof Khafre at Giza, her name is engraved on thefacade with that of the goddess HATHOR, symbolizingthe protectresses of north and southrespectively. In Hellenic times she is partly syncretizedwith ARTEMIS.BasamumGod of healing. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian.The name probably derives from the remedialplant balsam.BASTETORIGIN Egyptian. Feline goddess associated withthe vengeance of the sun god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2700 BC tothe end of Egyptian history (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT Bubastis in the Delta regionof Lower Egypt and probably at the Karnaktemple complex in Upper Egypt.ART REFERENCES sculptures, wall paintings,papyrus illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES Middle Kingdom coffintexts etc.BatCow goddess of fertility. Egyptian (Upper). Shewas probably well known in the Old Kingdom(circa 2700 BC onward). Associated principallywith Upper Egypt, for a while she may haverivaled Hathor in Lower Egypt but by the time ofthe New Kingdom (sixteenth century BC) herinfluence had waned. She may be represented onthe Narmer Palette (Cairo Museum) which commemoratesthe unification of the two kingdoms.Bat is only rarely found in large sculptures andpaintings, but is often the subject of Egyptianperiod jewelry, including amulets and ritualsistrum rattles. Depicted as a cow or anthropomorphicallywith bovine ears and horns. Also Bata.BauboMother goddess. Western Semitic (Syrian).Known locally from Priene and largely becamesyncretized with ATARGATIS, KYBELE, etc.Beg-Tse (concealed coat of mail)God of war. Buddhist and Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof a group of eight DHARMAPALA with terribleappearance and royal attire. Stands with one footon a horse and one on a man. Color: red. Attributes:banner, fire, skin and sword. May appearwith three eyes. Also Cam-srin.

48 BehanzinBehanzinFish god. Fon [Benin, West Africa]. Invoked byfishermen to ensure plentiful catches.BelGeneric title meaning “lord.” Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian). The Babylonian godMARDUK was often addressed as Bel, and thename occurs in the Vetus Testamentum. The NewYear festival of akitu in Babylon included a ceremonyof “leading Bel by the hand.” The name alsoappears at Palmyra as the tutelary creator godwhose attributes include lightning and an eagle.BelatucadrosWar god. Celtic (British). According to someauthors he is the horned god of the north equatingto CERNUNNOS. The Romans syncretizedhim with the god MARS.BELENUSORIGIN Celtic (Continental European and probablyIrish). Pastoral deity concerned with light,solar worship and healing.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization (circa AD 400) and insome circumstances much later.SYNONYMS Apollo Belenus; Bile (Irish).CENTER(S) OF CULT mainly sanctuaries in northernItaly (Aquileia) and southwestern Gaul(Aquitaine).ART REFERENCES horse statuettes; stone carvingsand reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings; Roman writers—Tertullian, Herodian,Ausonius; votive inscriptions.Considered to be one of the oldest of the Celticgods thus far recognized. Celebrated long into theChristian era in the festival of Beltine or Cetshamain,set on May 1, the start of the “warm season.” Therites involved lighting huge bonfires and drivingcattle between them as a protection against disease.It marked the season when cattle were liberatedafter winter to graze the open pastures.Belenus bears many similarities with the Greekdeity APOLLO as a god of light, sun and healing.Though appearing more often as a purely Celticgod, he was sometimes worshiped as ApolloBelenus, for example at the thermal springsanctuary at St. Sabine [Côte d’Or], and in thisguise became associated with horses which arewell-attested as sun symbols in the Celtic BronzeAge. Model horses were found at the Gaul site.Ausonius, a fourth century poet from the Bordeauxregion, mentions Belenus sanctuaries inAquitaine. Tertullian refers to them in Austria,Herodian places others in northern Italy.Belet-Ili (lady of the gods)Mother goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Known in Babylon and probably modeledon NINHURSAG˜A.Belet-SeriChthonic underworld goddess. Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian). The recorder of the deadentering the otherworld. Known as the “Scribe ofthe Earth.”BeliliGoddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).See GEŠTIN-ANA.Bella PennuSun god. Indian (Khond). A local deity in theOrissa province synonymous with BOORA PENNU.

BES 49BellonaMother goddess and goddess of war. Roman. Shebecomes syncretized with the Cappadocianmother goddess MA. The first known templededicated to Ma-Bellona by the Romans is datedto 296 BC. Bellona was attended by Asiatic priestswho performed frenzied dances and gashedthemselves with swords, offering the blood on thegoddess’s altars. Because of its violent nature,Rome refused officially to recognize the cult untilthe third century AD.Beltiya (my lady)Generic title of goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).ZARPANITUM (SARPANITUM),the consort of the Babylonian god MARDUK, isoften addressed as Beltiya.BendisMother goddess. Thracian. Hellenized and linkedstylistically with ARTEMIS as a huntress. Appearedin Athens during the Peloponnesian War. Attributes:boots, torch and pointed cap.Benten-SanGoddess of luck. Shinto [Japan]. One of sevendeities classed as gods of fortune and the only goddessin the group. A popular deity with many sanctuariesdedicated to her, she is a patron of musicand holds a biwa instrument in her hand. Snakes,believed to stand for jealousy, are often coiledaround her statues. Because of this, married couplesare reluctant to visit her shrines together. Herpriesthood is both Shinto and Buddhist and she isclosely linked with the goddess SARASVATI.BenuTransmuted bird-like form of a sun god. Egyptian(Upper). A deity mentioned in Pyramid Texts(circa twenty-fifth century BC) and linked withthe sun god of Heliopolis, ATUM. He is also saidto have been self-created from the primeval oceanand is sometimes a symbol of rebirth in the afterlife.Benu may have augmented the Greek classicaltradition of the Phoenix. He appears in theOld Kingdom as a yellow wagtail but laterbecomes a heron, wearing the conical whitecrown of Upper Egypt with two slender featherspointing backwards from its crest.Bera PennuVegetation goddess. Northern Indian. Worshipedby the Khonds in Bengal. She was therecipient of human sacrifice to ensure good harvest,particularly of the spice turmeric, and as aprotection against disease and infirmity. The sacrificialvictim or meriah was youthful, often keptfor years as a holy person before death and wasalways either the offspring of a previous sacrificialvictim, or purchased from impoverished familiesfor the purpose. He or she was generallystrangled, sometimes in the fork of a tree, afterdays of festivities. In other instances the victimwas cut up alive.BESORIGIN Egyptian. Guardian deity of women inlabor.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP appearing in artfrom circa 1500 BC and probably earlier, untilthe end of Egyptian history circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT no specific sanctuaries, but ahousehold god and generally associated withbirthplaces, including those of royalty.ART REFERENCES walls of temples at Thebes;curved ivory batons from Middle Period; wallsof birth houses.LITERARY SOURCES none significant.

50 BethelA dwarfish and hideous, but essentially benigndeity whose ugliness wards off evil. He is generallypresent at births exerting a protective influence.Bes appears with a large-bearded and barelyhuman face, a thick body, short arms and shortbandy legs. He wears a plumed crown and oftenwields a short sword. He possesses a lion’s mane,ears, tail and usually has his mouth open andtongue protruding. As a god of birth, Bes oftencarries the SA symbol of protection. He is alsosometimes drawn as a musician with a tambourine.Bes was adopted by Greco-Roman culture. TheGreeks depicted him in strongly ithyphallic guisewith a disproportionately large and erect penisand, from the time of the Roman occupation, heappears in the mode of a soldier wearing a shortmilitary tunic.BethelLocal tutelary god. Western Semitic (Phoenician).Probably of Aramaean or Syrian origin. First mentionedin a fourteenth century treaty between theHittite king Suppiluliuma and Nigmadu II ofUgarit [Ras Šamra]. He appears more regularly oninscriptions from the end of the seventh century BCand enjoyed considerable popularity during theneo-Babylonian period. Bethel is mentioned in theBiblical text of Jeremiah 48.13, implying that someIsraelites acknowledged this deity. There is no evidenceof links with the historical place names,including that mentioned in Genesis 38.13.Bhadra (auspicious)Minor goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Attendantof ŠIVA. Generally seated. Attributes: bluelotus, fruit, rosary and trident.Bhaga (the dispenser of fortune)Minor sun god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic).In Vedic times, the incarnation of women’sgood fortune in marriage. One of six ADITYAS,sons of the goddess ADITI. Consort: SIDDHI.Attributes: two lotuses, prayer wheel andtrident.Bhagavan (the lord)Tutelary god. Northern and central Indian.Worshiped by the Bhils and other tribes as theoriginal creator spirit and a judge of the deadsoul. Also an epithet of VIŠNU and KRSNA. AlsoBhagwan.Bhairava (terrible)Minor frightful form of the god ŠIVA. Hindu(Puranic and later). Guardian deity of doorways.A so-called ugra aspect, generally depicted in similarstyle to Šiva but with up to five heads and tenarms and said to have been born from Šiva’sblood. Attributes: hook and noose. Aspects andepithets include Kalaratri, KSETRAPALA andMAHAKALA. Also Bhairon, linked with the cult ofdogs and BHAIRAVA, one of a group ofMAHAVIDYAS personifying the SAKTI of Šiva.Bhaisajyaguru (supreme physician)Physician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted among one of a series of medicinebuddhas known as a SMAN-BLA in Tibet. InLamaism he is the fifth in a series of manusibuddhas.Typically depicted with stretched earlobesand a row of small curls fringing the forehead.Color: blue or gold. Attributes: fruit, sometimeswith a bowl.Bharani (bearing)Minor goddess of misfortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A malevolent NAKSATRA, daughterof DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). AlsoApabharanis.

Bhutadamara 51Bharat Mata (Mother India)Mother goddess. Modern Hindu. Evolved fromthe writings of the nineteenth century Bengali,Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Shrines aredesigned in the form of a map of India.BharatiMinor goddess of sacrifices. Hindu (Vedic, Epicand Puranic). She is invoked to appear on the sacrificialfield before a ritual. Usually associatedwith the goddess SARASVATI. Also regarded as aconsort of GANESA.BhavanavasiGods. Jain [India]. A generic name given todeities of youthful appearance who are arrangedin ten groups all with the suffix -kumara. ThusAGNI-; ASURA-; DIK-; DVIPA-; NAGA-; STANITA-;SUPARNA-; UDADHI-; VAYU-; VIDYUT-.Bhima (terrible)1. Warrior god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Aprince of the mythical Pandu family and one ofthe heroes of the Mahabharata epic, Bhima is usuallydepicted wielding a sword and a club. He is ason of the god of the winds VAYU. He is perceivedas a god of immense strength and great cruelty,which separates him from the heroic figure ofARJUNA, his brother, with whom he is linked inthe epic. Attribute: a club. Also Bhimasena.2. Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Anattendant of BUDDAKEPALA.Bhrkuti-Tara (she who frowns)Mother goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. InLamaism particularly, a cruel form of TARA, themother of the BUDDHA. The so-called “yellowTara.” An emanation of AMITABHA. Also identifiedas a female BODHISATTVA or buddha-designate.Color: yellow. Attribute: image of Amitabha,lotus, rosary, staff, trident and water jar. Threeeyed.Also JANGULI and VAJRATARA.Bhumi (the earth on which all things areformed)Collective name for a group of deities. Buddhist(Varyana). Twelve personifications of the spiritualspheres through which a BODHISATTVA orbuddha-designate passes in his quest for perfectionof knowledge. Common attribute: a staff.Bhumi DevataVegetation goddess. Indian. Worshiped by manyprimitive tribes.Bhumidevi (the earth goddess)Fertility goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic)[southern India]. The second wife of VIŠNU (orKRSNA). Her son is Naraka. Bhumidevi is oftendepicted standing on the left (occasionally right)hand of the VARAHA avatara of Višnu. In thenorth she is known as PUSTI. She is often depictedsitting on a lotus throne with bared breasts.Attributes: blue lotus, lotus, lute, pomegranate,pot with herbs, pot with vegetables and waterjar. Also Bhu, Bhudevi, BHUMI, MAHI, PRTHIVI,VASUDHARA and Zami-Mata.Bhumiya (guardian of fields)Fertility god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic) [northernIndia]. Guardian deity of fields, worshiped asa rough stone icon. In later times a form of VIŠNU.Bhutadamara (tumult of demons)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). May be depictedreclining on the Hindu goddess APARAJITA. Attributes:snakes in the hair, and staff. Three-eyed.

54 BRAHMABRAHMA (the creator)ORIGIN Hindu [India]. Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC or earlieruntil present day.SYNONYMS many epithets including Abjaja,Abjayoni, Astakarna, KAMALASANA.CENTER(S) OF CULT restricted since circa AD700 to two sanctuaries—at Lake Puskana inRajputana, and at Idar near Mount Abu.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronzebut also in stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES mentioned in Rg Veda, butproperly from Ramayana epic and from Puranictexts.With VIŠNU and ŠIVA, Brahma is one of a trinityof supreme creator deities in the Hindu pantheon.His consort is generally the goddess of wisdom,SARASVATI, but some sources identify the goddessof speech, Vach. He also has a second consort, themilkmaid GAYATRI. Originally the title referred tothe power of occult utterances which becameassociated with the priests or Brahmans.Brahma is depicted with four heads, oftenbearded, facing in four directions, and with fourhands, sometimes with one of them raised inblessing or promise. As a god of knowledge heoften carries the Vedas (earliest Sanskrit mythologysaid to have sprung from his head) in one ofhis hands. Other attributes include a water potindicating prosperity, a spoon or a string of pearls.He may also carry a staff and an alms dish. Hemay be depicted with red or pink skin, wearing awhite robe or a loin cloth with a sacred cordacross the shoulder. His sacred animal is thegoose.According to one legendary source he was createdfrom the right side of the primordial creatorforce. His life is anticipated as a hundred heavenlyyears, each of 360 days and nights. Each day, orkalpa, is equal to 4,320,000 earthly years.Brahma’s current age is said to be fifty-one andafter each of his years, the universe is destroyedand rebuilt.Brahma is generally less popular than Višnu orŠiva, probably because he is identified solely withthe primordial account of creation. Legenddescribes how he created himself from theprimeval waters using the power of his owndesire. He thought a seed into existence whichgrew into a golden egg and from which heemerged after a year. The two halves of the shellbecame heaven and earth, within which he fashionedthe sky. The Ramayana also describes himin the form of a boar which raises the earth on itstusks. By contrast the Mahabharata accounts himborn from a lotus in the navel of Višnu. Elsewherehe emerges as a fish, or as a tortoise. Negativeaspects of Brahma include drunkenness andduplicity.One source describes how the beautiful goddessSATARUPA was formed from half of Brahma’sown self but that, in an attempt to prevent himlooking on his daughter with incestuous desire,she circled around him. His four heads resulted.There was once a fifth which Šiva decapitatedwith the thumb of his left hand. It is said thatincest with his daughter is also partly responsiblefor Brahma’s limited worship. Alternative legendcredits him with a daughter, Vach, by whom hefathered the living world.2. In Buddhist tradition he is also one of a groupof DHARMAPALA with terrible appearance androyal attire.BrahmaniMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who in later Hinduism became one of thegroup of eight ASTAMATARAS or mothers. Inanother grouping one of nine NAVASAKTIS ormothers. She is attended by a goose and wears a

Buadza 55yellow robe. Attributes: book, label, rosary, tridentand water jar. Also Brahmi.Bres MacelathaVegetation god. Celtic (Irish). The son of ERIUand of the Fomorian king Elatha. He is thereforepart TUATHA DE DANAAN by parentage but, havingbecome Lord of Ireland, he sides with the Fomoriansin the Battle of Moytura and is defeated.Concerned with the supply of food from the land.Brhaspati (lord of prayer)Astral god. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic). Thepersonification of the planet Jupiter. In Vedictexts he appears as a priest. The son of Angirasand the guru of the later Hindu pantheon. Consideredto be almost identical with BRAHMA. Hisconsort is the goddess TARA and his son is Kaca.He rides in a chariot drawn by eight horses.Color: golden yellow. Attributes: arrow, ax(golden), book, bow, rosary, staff and water jar.BrigantiaTutelary goddess. Romano-Celtic (British). Thegoddess of the Brigantes in the West Riding ofYorkshire. She became identified with CAELESTIS.At Corbridge, Northumberland, there is an altarinscribed to various deities, including CaelestisBrigantia. In a carved stone relief at Birrens, onthe Antonine Wall in Scotland, she is depictedwith the attributes of MINERVA. She may also bearlinks with the goddess BRIGIT. She is frequentlyassociated with water and herding.BRIGIT (exalted one)ORIGIN Celtic (Continental European and Irish).Fertility goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization (circa AD 1100) and after.SYNONYMS Brigid; Bride; Banfile (poetess).CENTER(S) OF CULT various sanctuaries throughoutarea of Celtic influence.ART REFERENCES stone carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings; various inscriptions.A major Celtic pastoral deity, described as a “wisewoman, the daughter of the DAGDA,” Brigitbecame “Christianized” as St. Brigit of Kildare,who lived from AD 450-523 and founded the firstfemale Christian community in Ireland. She wasoriginally celebrated on February 1 in the festivalof Imbolc, which coincided with the beginning oflactation in ewes and was regarded in Scotland asthe date on which Brigit deposed the blue-facedhag of winter (see CAILLEACH BHEUR). TheChristian calendar adopted the same date for theFeast of St. Brigit. There is no record that aChristian saint ever actually existed, but in Irishmythology she became the midwife to the VirginMary. The name can be traced into many Irishand European place names. It is also akin toBrhati which means “exalted one” in Sanskrit.BritanniaTutelary goddess. Romano-Celtic (British). Thegenia loci of Britain who first appears on thecoinage of Antoninus Pius in the second centuryAD. She became the symbol of the British Empireafter being partly syncretized with the Romanwar goddess MINERVA.BuadzaGod of the wind. Gan [district around Accra,Ghana, West Africa]. Also regarded as a stormgod. Also Olila.

56 BUDDHABUDDHA (enlightened)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. The founder ofBuddhism.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent day.SYNONYMS Gautama, Siddharta.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESpaintings etc.LITERARY SOURCESritual texts.metal and stone sculptures,Sadhanamala and TantricThe deity is regarded as having been an historicalfigure, born at Kapilavastu near Gorakhpur. Hedied at Kusinagara in circa 486 BC. His father wasSUDDHODANA of the Sakya clan, his mother wasMAYA and his wife YASODHARA.Buddha is, in certain respects, the equal of theHindu god VIŠNU. He is generally depicted withshaven or cropped head and may be crowned.The hair may be tightly curled. His color attributeis gold.By tradition, he preached his first sermon atMrgadava in Sarnath near Varanasi where, after avisit in 1956 by the Dalai Lama, an enclosure ofgazelles was erected.Buddhabodhiprabhavasita (control of thelight of the knowledge of the Buddha)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group oftwelve VASITAS personifying the disciplines ofspiritual regeneration. Color: yellow. Attributes:prayer wheel on a jeweled banner.Buddhakapala (Buddha’s skullcap)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). A significant emanationof AKSOBHYA. Alternatively a formof HERUKA. His SAKTI is CITRASENA. Color:blue-black. Attributes: club, cup, drum, image ofAksobhya and knife.Buddhalocana (Buddha’s eye)Goddess. Buddhist (Shingon). A female buddha(see LOCANA).Buddhi (perception)1. Minor goddess. Hindu (Puranic). Sometimesidentified as consort of the MAHA-GANAPATI formof the elephant god GANESA, depicted seated onhis knee.2. Minor goddess. Jain.Budha (awakening)1. Astral god. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic).The personification of the planet Mercury. Theson of SOMA (CANDRA) and TARA or ROHINI.Depicted in a chariot drawn by eight horses orlions (sometimes a single lion). Color: yellow.Attributes: bow, club, rosary, shield and sword.Also Candraja and Candrasuta.2. Astral god. Buddhist. The personification ofthe planet Mercury. Stands on a lotus. Attributes:bow and arrow.Bugid Y AibaGod of war. Puerto Rico and Haiti. Classed asone of the ZEMIS. The local Indians have believedthat the deity can give them strength. When theysmoke in a ritual ceremony in honor of the god,their arms increase in size. He will also restorefailed eyesight.BukRiver goddess. Nuer [Sudan]. A guardian againstattack by crocodiles, she is invoked by the sacrificeof a goat. Known as the “daughter of thefireflies.”

Buriyas 57Buluc ChabtanGod of war. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Associated with human sacrifice anddepicted with a characteristic black line encirclingthe eye and extending down the cheek.Also God F.BumbaCreator god. Boshongo (Bantu) [southern Africa].The progenitor of the world out of chaos. Whenhe experienced stomachache he vomited theearth, sun, moon and, finally, all living things,including mankind.BuriArchetypal god. Nordic (Icelandic). According toSnorri, one of two primordial beings. Ymir wasformed from the misty void of Ginnungagap, andBuri emerged from the blocks of salty ice onwhich the cosmic cow Audhumla fed. He had ason, BOR, who engendered the AESIR godsOTHIN, VILI and VE. Also Bori.BuriyasTutelary war god. Kassite [Iran]. He was invokedby the Kassite armies which overthrew Babyloniain the sixteenth century BC.

6 CCacochCreator god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. According to tradition he engenderedthe water lily from which sprang all the otherdeities of the Mayan pantheon. He is also portrayedas a messenger of the creator god HACHA-CYUM. Also Kacoch.CaelestisMoon goddess. Carthaginian [North Africa]. TheRomanized form of the Punic goddess TANIT.Elsewhere she became syncretized into the cult ofAPHRODITE-VENUS. Annual games were held inher honor. She was brought to Rome in the formof an abstract block of stone (like that of KYBELEfrom Pessinus) and became popular there duringthe early part of the third century AD; in this guiseshe was known as the “mighty protectress of theTarpeian hill.”CagnCreator god. Kalahari bushmen [southern Africa].The progenitor of all life on earth.(Samhain). She brings the snow until the goddessBRIGIT deposes her and she eventually turns tostone on April 30 (Beltine). In later times themythical, witch-like figure of “Black Annis” probablyderived from her.Cakra (wheel)Embodiment of the creator’s mind. Hindu. Emergingin the form of a six-spoked wheel (less frequentlyeight) which also epitomizes the passage oftime, and is a symbol of wholeness and protection.Particularly associated with VIŠNU and KRSNA, thecakra is a common attribute held by many deities. Itis probably of great antiquity since it is known fromthe time of the Indus Valley civilization (prior to1700 BC). In Jainism and Buddhism it is the “wheelof the law” which leads to perfection.Cakresvari (lady of the cakra)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.Also one of the twenty-four SASANADEVATA ormessenger goddesses.Cailleach BheurGoddess of winter. Celtic (Scottish). Depicted asa blue-faced hag who is reborn on October 31CamaxtliGod. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].See also MIXCOATL-CAMAXTLI.58

Candesvari 59CamulosWar god. Celtic (British). Probably the deity fromwhich the name of Camulodunum [Colchester,England] derives. Known from inscriptions andcoinage bearing the symbol of a boar.Camunda1. Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A distinctform of DURGA. The name is said to be a contractionof the names of the demonic beingsCamda and Munda killed by her. She is also recognizedamong the SAPTAMATARA and ASTAMATARAmothers as well as sometimes being regarded as aNAVASAKTI. She stands variously on a lion, an owland a corpse. Attributes: a large and varied assortmentof objects are held. Three-eyed. Also YAMI.2. Goddess. Buddhist. She stands upon a corpse.Color: red. Attributes: cup and knife.Canda (violent)Terrible goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Adistinct form of DURGA and one of a group ofnine NAVADURGAS (“nine durgas”). Canda, withMunda, was also one of the demons killed by aform of Durga known as CAMUNDA (contractionof the two demonic names). She is depicted witha large number of attributes. Also a form ofMAHISASURAMARDINI.Candali (outcast woman)Goddess of terrifying appearance. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. One of a group of eight GAURIgoddesses. Color: red or blue. Attributes: flames.Candanayika (mistress of the fierce)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A distinctform of DURGA and one of a group of nineNAVADURGAS (“nine durgas”).CandarosanaGod. Buddhist (Mahayana). A form of the godAKSOBHYA. Color: yellow. Attributes: noose, skinand sword.CandarupaGoddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A distinctform of DURGA and one of a group of nineNAVADURGAS (“nine durgas”).CandavatiGoddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A distinctform of DURGA and one of a group of nineNAVADURGAS (“nine durgas”).CandeliferaMinor goddess of birth. Roman. Responsible forbringing the newborn child into the light. Usuallyassociated with LUCINA and CARMENTES.Candesvara (the lord of Canda)Minor god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A benevolentaspect of ŠIVA. Also an attendant on Šiva, saidto have been a youthful cowherd. He sits on a lotusthrone. Attributes: arrow, ax, bow, club, crown,hatchet, noose, rosary, snake, trident and water jar.CandamiusAstral god. Romano-Iberian. Known frominscriptions and place-names in northern Spainand syncretized with Jupiter.Candesvari (fierce lady)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). She standsupon a corpse. Color: yellow. Attributes: grassand an antelope.

60 CandikaCandika (fierce)Goddess of desire. Hindu (Epic and Puranic).May be included among the SAPTAMATARAS orASTAMATARAS (mothers).Candogra (fierce and terrible)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A distinctform of DURGA and one of a group of nineNAVADURGAS (“nine durgas”).Candra1. Planet god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Personifiedby the moon and also seen as a dikpalaor guardian of the northern direction. Consortsinclude KAUMUDI, TARA and the NAKSATRAS orastral goddesses. His son is BUDHA. He drives ina chariot drawn by ten white horses. Color:white. Attributes: club, lotus, sacred rope andprayer wheel. The term candra usually refers tothe cup containing the sacrificial yellow beverageSOMA, often a synonym for the deity. Candrais also the apotheosis of the pale yellow moondisc.2. Planet god. Buddhist. Attended by agoose. Color: white. Attributes: moon disc ona lotus.Candrasekhara (moon crested)Form of the god ŠIVA. Hindu (Puranic).Portrayed standing stiffly upright and wearingsnake jewelry with the moon on the leftside of his headdress. Attributes: ax and anantelope.Cao Guo-jiuImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, he wasonce a mortal being who achieved immortalitythrough his lifestyle. The tutelary god of actors.Attributes include musical rattles or castanets.See also BA XIAN.Carcika (repetitive chant)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Color: red.Attributes: cup and knife.CariociecusWar god. Romano-Iberian. Syncretized with thegod MARS.CarmentesMinor goddess of birth. Roman. Responsible forbringing the newborn child into the light. Usuallyassociated with LUCINA and CANDELIFERA.CathuboduaWar goddess. Celtic (Continental European).Known only from inscriptions and probably comparablewith the Irish Celtic Badb Catha.See also MORRIGAN.CaturmurtiGod. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The specificform of Višnu with four faces. Also the syncretizationof BRAHMA, VIŠNU, ŠIVA and Surya.Cankilikkaruppan (the black man of thechain)Local god. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil). Worshipedin southern India.CauriGoddess of terrifying appearance. Buddhistand Lamaist [Tibet]. One of a group of eightGAURI goddesses. Color: yellow. Attribute: noose.

CERNUNNOS 61CauthaSun god. Etruscan. Attributes include a sun disccrown and fire in each hand. He is depicted risingfrom the sea.Ce AcatlMinor creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the deities collectivelyclassed as the QUETZALCOATL complex. Also (1)Acatl.Cenkalaniyammal (lady of the red paddyfield)Local goddess. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil).Guardian of paddyfields in southern India.CenteocihuatlMaize goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Represented at various sites includingTula [Hidalgo]. According to the codices Borgia,Cospi and Fejervery-Mayer she is also one of fourtemple deities. Also Centeotl.CERESORIGIN Roman. Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC to AD400.SYNONYMS DEMETER (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Roman world.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil), etc.Ceres is arguably the most recent model of the“great mother” whose predecessors include INANA,IŠTAR, ARTEMIS, KYBELE and Demeter on whomshe is directly modeled. She is the daughter ofKRONOS (Cronus) and RHEA and one of the moreimportant consorts of JUPITER. Her daughter inthe upper world, KORE, is the goddess of theunderworld PROSERPINA who was abducted byPLUTO. She became foster-mother to Triptolemus,an ill-fated king in the mold of theMesopotamian Dumuzi, depicted in the classicalGreek Eleusinian Mysteries. As the embodiment ofvegetation, Ceres neglects the natural world duringthe period that her daughter remains belowground with Pluto (winter), but restores natureannually when Proserpina is returned to her.Ceres was worshiped through the festivals ofThesmophoria and Cerealia in sanctuaries throughoutthe Greco-Roman empires.CeridwenGoddess of inspiration. Celtic (Welsh). Depictedas the hag-aspect of the mother goddess, she isthe consort of TEGID FOEL. Her children areCreirwy (daughter) and Afagddu (son). Sheallegedly prepares the caldron of knowledge.CERNUNNOSORIGIN Celtic (mainly Gallic). Fertility andchthonic god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil circa AD 1000.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES Gundestrup Bowl; monumentalstone work and relief carvings.LITERARY SOURCES votive inscriptions.Cernunnos appears to have been recognized inthe region of Gaul which is now central France.He is typically drawn as a man bearing the antlersof a stag, not necessarily representing an animalspirit but a deity closely involved with animals andone which can transform instantly into animalshape. In the Celtic world, horns and antlerswere generally regarded as symbols of virility andfertility. On the Celtic Gundestrup Bowl from

Chang Hs’ien 63CENTER(S) OF CULT worshiped widely but chieflyat Teotihuacan.ART REFERENCES stone sculptures, murals, codexillustrations.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.Featuring strongly in creation mythology,Chalchiuhtlicue presided over the fourth of theworld ages which terminated in a great deluge.She is the tutelary deity of the fourth of the thirteenheavens identified at the time of the Spanishconquest, Ilhuicatl Citlalicue (the heaven of thestar-skirted goddess). She takes the role of a vegetationgoddess responsible for the flowering andfruiting of the green world, particularly maize; shealso takes responsibility for such natural phenomenaas whirlpools. The consort of the rain godTLALOC and one of the group classed as the Tlaloccomplex, she is particularly invoked as a guardiangoddess of young women and is responsible forunpredictable events. A huge statue, three metershigh, was discovered at Teotihuacan, and a larger,unfinished statue, allegedly of the goddess andweighing approximately 200 tons (now in MexicoCity), was found on the slopes of the Tlalocmountain. Attributes include a rattle on a baton,and her dress is adorned with waterlilies.ChalchiutonatiuhAztec. See ATL.Chalchiutotolin (jade turkey)God of penitence. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the deities collectively classed asthe TEZCATLIPOCA complex.Chalmecacihuilt (chalman lady)Minor chthonic underworld goddess. Aztec(classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of thedeities collectively classed as the MICTLANTE-CUHTLI complex.ChalmecatlMinor chthonic underworld god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the deitiescollectively classed as the MICTLANTECUHTLIcomplex.ChamerGod of death. Mayan (Chorti, classical Mesoamerican)[eastern Guatemala]. Appears as a skeletondressed in white. His consort is Xtabai. Attributesinclude a scythe with a bone blade, probably copiedfrom the traditions of Christian immigrants.Chang FeiGod of war. Chinese. The counterpart of the godKUAN TI and often linked iconographically withhim and the god LIU PEI, Chang Fei rules overthe dark half of the year—autumn and winter.Like the seasons he represents he is characterizedby drunkenness and wildness. According totradition he was wounded by his subordinateswhile in a drunken stupor. He is depicted with ablack face, a bushy beard and wild staring eyesgiving him a ferocious appearance.Chang Hs’ienGuardian god of children. Chinese. According totradition he was the mortal king of Szechuankilled by the founder of the Sung dynasty. Hiswife was captured and forced to become a concubinein the imperial palace. She was discovered bythe emperor kneeling before a picture of herdeceased husband which she identified as a localdeity, “the immortal Chang who gives children.”This triggered the cult which began locally inSzechuan circa AD 100. Chang Hs’ien is depictedholding a bow made of mulberry wood and eitheraiming an arrow at the star Tien Kou, the socalledcelestial dog which threatens the earth, oraiming the empty bow at a rat (see ERH LANG).

64 Chang Tao LingChang Tao LingGod of the afterlife. Taoist (Chinese). The headof the heavenly Ministry of Exorcism, andallegedly the first head of the Taoist church. Bytradition he vanquished the five poisonous animals—thecentipede, scorpion, snake, spider andtoad—placing their venom in a flask in which heconcocted the elixir of life. Having drunk thecontents at the age of 123, he ascended toheaven. He is depicted riding upon a tiger andbrandishing a sword. Before the communisttakeover of China, the gods of exorcism lived ina sanctuary on the Dragon Tiger mountain inKiangsi province. Exorcised spirits were trappedin jars which were stored in the cellars.Chantico (in the house)Hearth goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A household guardian deity personifiedby hearth fires. One of the deities collectivelyclassed as the XIUHTECUHTLI complex.Chaob (carrying off)Wind god(s). Mayan (Lacandon, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. They live in thefour cardinal directions and, according totradition, will bring about the end of thecurrent world with earthquakes and tempestswhen the last of the Lacandon people dies.They will blow so hard that they blast themonkeys out of the trees. The names of twoare identified, Hunaunic in the east andChikinkuh in the West.ChaosPrimordial deity. Greco-Roman. The amorphousmale power who, with the female presence, NYX,personifies the empty space which existed beforethe formation of the cosmos.CharisMinor goddess. Greek. The consort of HEPHAIS-TOS. Later the name becomes more familiar as theGRATIAE or Graces (Aglaia, Euphrosine andThalea) who then become the Charites in theRoman pantheon.Chattrosnisa (with an umbrella)God. Buddhist. One of eight USNISA deities apparentlyconnected with the guardian sky deities ordikpalas. Color: white. Attribute: parasol.Chaya (shadow)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The reflectionof the goddess SANJNA, consort of SURYA andmother of the astral deity SANI.ChemoshChi Sung TzuRain god. Chinese.See KEMOS.ChibiriasChthonic earth goddess. Mayan (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The consort of the creatorgod ITZAM NA and the mother of theBACABS. She sends the rain for Itzam Na and, asan iguana, is said to have flooded the world in aprevious cycle. She also paints the earth, theleaves of certain plants and the crest of the woodpeckerred with her paintbrush. She invented theart of weaving and is the patroness of weavers.Attributes include a hank of cotton or cloth. AlsoIX CHEBEL YAX; Ix Hun Tah Dz’ib (lady uniqueowner of the paintbrush); Ix Hun Tah Nok (ladyunique owner of the cloth); IX ZACAL NOK (ladycloth-weaver).

Chu Jung 65ChiccanRain gods. Mayan (Chorti, classical Mesoamerican)[eastern Guatemala]. Giant reptilian deitieswhose blood is cold and who evolved fromsnakes. They form a quartet, each living at thebottom of a deep lake situated in the four cardinaldirections. They are believed to churn thewaters which rise as clouds. The AH PATNARUINICOB gods then beat the rain from the cloudswith stone axes.ChicomecohuatlMaize goddess. Aztec and postclassical Mesoamerican.[Mexico]. Her festival was held in Septemberwhen a young girl was sacrificed havingtaken on the role of the deity for a period of timeduring the celebrations. She was decapitated on aheap of maize fruits and her blood was collectedin a large bowl before being poured over awooden figurine of the goddess. Finally the victim’sskin was flayed off and worn by a dancingpriest.See also XILONEN.Chiconahui Itzcuintli-ChanticoGod of lapidiaries. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico].ChikaraSky god. Korekore (Shona-speaking) [northernZimbabwe, southern Africa]. He has a son,NOSENGA.Chinnamastaka (decapitated)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A headlessform of DURGA. Also one of a group of tenMAHAVIDYAS, goddesses of great knowledgepersonifying the SAKTI of ŠIVA. She may bedepicted holding her head in her hands. Aspectsinclude VIRARATRI. Attributes: scimitar, skull.Also Chinnamasta.ChiukeSky god. Ibo [Nigeria, West Africa]. Regarded asa creator god.ChicomexochitlGod of painters. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Also described as a god of solar pleasure.ChiconahuiHearth goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A household guardian deity personifiedby hearth fires. One of the deities collectivelyclassed as the XIUHTECUHTLI complex.ChiconahuiehecatlMinor creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the deities collectivelyclassed as the QUETZALCOATL complex.ChorsSun god. Pre-Christian Slav [Balkans]. Identifiedfrom the Nestor Chronicle. Attributes includehorns and a canine head.Chos-Skyon (protector)Tutelary guardian deity. Buddhist-Lamaist[Tibet]. One of a group of gods of fearsomeappearance who wear royal apparel. Rides awhite elephant. Color: blue. Attributes: knife andnoose.Chu JungGod of fire. Chinese. Also the heavenly executioner.

66 Chul Tatic Chites VanegChul Tatic Chites Vaneg (holy father,creator of man)Creator god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Thought to be the Mayan name of theChristian god.Chung K’ueiGod of the afterlife. Taoist (Chinese). He belongsto the heavenly “ministry of exorcism” and,though not the most senior (he is subservient toCHANG TAO LING), is probably the most popularwithin the category. He was originally a mortalworking as a physician in the eighth century AD.He is depicted with a fearsome face, said to be soterrible that it can drive away any demonic spiritwho dares to oppose him. He is engaged in combatusing a sword and a fan on which is written amagical formula to ward off evil. Symbolicpeaches are suspended from his hat and a bat circleshis head representing happiness.Cihuacoatl-QuilaztliCreator goddess. Aztec (classical Mesomerican)[Mexico]. Using a magical vessel, she grinds bonefragments obtained from previous generations ofmankind in earlier world ages into a powder. Thegods then commit self-sacrifice, allowing theirblood to drip into the vessel. From the resultingmix, the human race of the fifth sun is formed.CinxiaMinor goddess of marriage. Roman. Concernedwith the proper dress of the bride.CIPACTLI (great earth mother)ORIGIN Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Primordial goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 750 untilAD 1500, but probably much earlier.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES codex illustrations, stonecarvings.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.Not strictly a goddess, but significant enough inAztec cosmogony to be included here. According totradition she was created in the form of a huge alligator-likemonster by the underworld deitiesMICTLANTECUHLTI and MICTECACIHUATL. Shemay equate with TLALTECUHTLI, the toad-likeearth monster torn apart to form heaven and earth.According to one tradition she emerged from theprimordial waters and engaged in a fierce strugglewith the sun god TEZCATLIPOCA during which hetore off her lower jaw to prevent her sinking backinto the depths and she bit off his right foot. Themountains are said to be the scaly ridges of her skin.CipactonalCreator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the deities collectively classed asthe OMETEOTL complex.Cit Chac CohGod of war. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Identified as a red puma.Citlalatonac (glowing star)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the deities collectively classedas the OMETEOTL complex. His consort isCITLALICUE. Between them they created the starsof the night sky.Citlalicue (her skirt is a star)Creator goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the deities collectively classed asthe Ometeotl complex. Her consort is Citlala-

COATLICUE 67tonac. Between them they created the stars of thenight sky.Citra (bright)Minor goddess of misfortune. Hindu (epic andPuranic). A malevolent NAKSATRA or astral deity;daughter of DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).Citrasena (having a bright spear)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). The SAKTI ofBUDDHAKAPALA.Cittavasita (control of thinking)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group oftwelve VASITAS personifying the disciplines of spiritualregeneration. Color: white. Attribute: staff.Cizin (stench)God of death. Mayan (Yucatec and other tribes,classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. The mostimportant death god in the Mayan cultural area.Said to live in Metnal, the Yucatec place of death,and to burn the souls of the dead. He first burns themouth and anus and, when the soul complains,douses it with water. When the soul complains ofthis treatment, he burns it again until there is nothingleft. It then goes to the god Sicunyum who spitson his hands and cleanses it, after which it is free togo where it chooses. Attributes of Cizin include afleshless nose and lower jaw, or the entire head maybe depicted as a skull. Spine and ribs are oftenshowing. He wears a collar with death eyes betweenlines of hair and a long bone hangs from one earlobe.His body is painted with black and particularlyyellow spots (the Mayan color of death).ClementiaMinor goddess. Roman. Generally invoked toprotect the common man against the emperor’sabsolute use of power. Under Hadrian the termclementia temporum (mildness of the times) cameinto common usage.COATLICUE (the serpent-skirted goddess)ORIGIN Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 750 to AD1500 and probably much earlier.SYNONYMS Coatlicue-Chimalman (Valley ofMexico).CENTER(S) OF CULT Tenochtitlan.ART REFERENCES stone sculptures, murals, codexillustrations.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.The creator goddess of the earth and mankindand the female aspect of OMETEOTL. One of thegroup classed as the TETEOINNAN complex. Shehas 400 sons, the stars of the southern sky, and isthe mother of the goddess COYOLXAUHQUI.Later, as a widow, she was impregnated by a ballof feathers as she was sweeping the “serpentmountain” of Coatepec near Tula. Her other childrendecapitated her as punishment for her dishonor,but she gave birth to the sun godHUITZILOPOCHTLI who subsequently slew Coyolxauhquiand her brothers, thus banishing nightfor day. The Great Temple at Tenochtitlan commemoratesthis primordial battle.Coatlicue is known iconographically from acolossal headless statue dated to the late Aztecperiod, circa AD 1300, which stands in MexicoCity. The hands and feet are clawed and the figurebears a necklace of human hands and heartswith a skull pendant. A skirt is formed fromsnakes and two snakes arising from the neckmeet to form a face. Down her back hang thirteenleather cords festooned with snails. Accordingto tradition Coatlicue feeds off humancorpses. She is also recognized as the patrondeity of florists.

68 Coca-MamaCoca-MamaGoddess of the coca plant. South AmericanIndian [Peru]. Minor goddess who oversees theharvest of the coca crop. Models of the deity weremade from the leaves of the plant and kept for ayear before being burned in a ritual to ensure agood coca harvest.CocidiusHunting goddess. Celtic (British). NorthernBritish deity depicted in stone relief at Risingham(Yorkshire).Colop U Uichkin (tears out the eye of the sun)Sky god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Said to live in the midst of the sky, but witha night avatara of the same name who lives in theunderworld land of the dead, Metnal, and who isthe bringer of disease.CondatisRiver god. Celtic (British). Northern British deitywith stone votive inscriptions located in CountyDurham.CocijoRain god. Zapotec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Known to have been worshiped by theMonte Alban culture of Zapotec-speaking peoplesin the Valley of Oaxaca.Co(co)chimetl (soporific)Minor god of merchants and commerce. Aztec(classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of thedeities collectively classed as the YACATECUHTLIcomplex.Col (black one)Rain god. Nuer [Sudan]. He brings rainand thunderstorms. Souls of people killed bylightning have been described as colwic. AlsoChol.Colel Cab (mistress of the earth)Chthonic earth goddess. Mayan (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. This may be anothertitle for the IX ZACAL NOK aspect of the goddessCHIBIRIAS.ContrebisLocal god. Romano-Celtic (British). Identifiedfrom an inscription at Lancaster in conjunctionwith another deity, IALONUS.CorusGod of wind. Roman. Specifically the deityresponsible for the northwest winds.COVENTINAORIGIN Romano-Celtic (British). Tutelary andwater goddess of uncertain affinities.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 200 BC untilAD 500 or later.SYNONYMS none known.CENTER(S) OF CULT sacred spring near theRoman fort of Brocolitia [Carrawburgh] onHadrian’s Wall.ART REFERENCES monumental carvings and basreliefs.LITERARY SOURCES monumental inscriptions.Little is known of Coventina other than thatshe was a purely local British goddess of some

Cybele 69importance. She is best observed from the periodof the Roman occupation, at which time sheshows a classical influence but is clearly Celtic inorigin. On one bas relief found at Carrawburghher name is associated with three nymphs holdingvessels with issuing streams of water; onanother she is pictured as a water nymph on aleaf, pouring water from a vessel. Her Carrawburghsanctuary, which followed a simple,unroofed design similar to that of a smallRomano-Celtic temple, was sited beside a wellfed by a sacred spring and was associated with theRoman fort of Brocolitia. The well attests to acult involving a ritual shaft and water, into whichmore than 13,000 Roman coins had been throwndating to the reign of Gratian (AD 407), indicatingCoventina’s long-standing popularity.Incense-burners to “Coventina Augusta” havebeen discovered from the late period.In addition to money, pearls and pins werethrown into the well as votive offerings, the pinspossibly implying a role in childbirth. Models ofa dog (linked to the Greco-Roman physician Aesculapius)and a horse (a distinct fertility symbol)had also been deposited. Less significant andprobably dumped when the temple was desecratedby Christians were a skull, altars and othercarved stones. There is no evidence of connectionwith a severed head cult.Coyolxauhqui (golden bells)Astral goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A deification and incarnation (avatara)of the moon. According to tradition she is thehalf-sister of the sun god HUITZILOPOCHTLI. Thegod sprang, fully armed, from his decapitatedmother, COATLICUE, and engaged all his enemieswho, by inference, are the 400 astral gods, hishalf-brothers. He slew his sister and hurled herfrom the top of a mountain. Alternative traditionsuggests his sister was an ally whom he was unableto save, so he decapitated her and threw her headinto the sky, where she became the moon. She wasrepresented in the Great Temple at Tenochtitlan,where she was depicted in front of successiveHuitzilopochtli pyramids. She is also a hearthdeity within the group classed as the XIUHTE-CUHTLI complex.CratosGod of strength. Greek. See KRATOS.Cum HauChthonic god of death. Mayan (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of several namesfor a death god listed in the codices.CundaGoddess. Buddhist [eastern Bengal and Tibet].An emanation of Vajrasattva or Vairocana. Afemale BODHISATTVA or buddha-designate. Alsoseen separately as a deification of literature, oneof a group of twelve DHARANIS. She may standupon a man. Color: white or green. Very largevariety of attributes. Also Aryacunda.CuninaMinor goddess of infants. Roman. Responsiblefor guarding the cradle.CupidSee AMOR.CybeleMother goddess. Romanized name.See also KYBELE.

D6DabogSun god. Slav [Balkans and southern Russia].References found in inscriptions from Kiev. AfterChristianization he was reduced to a diabolicpersonality.DadimundaTutelary god. Singhalese Buddhist [Sri Lanka].An attendant on the god UPULVAN to whom heacted as treasurer. The guardian of Buddhism inSri Lanka. His sacred animal is an elephant. AlsoDevata bandara.Dagan (1)Grain and fertility god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).Generally linked with ANU ingiving status to cities e.g. the dedications by theninth-century BC Assyrian king Assur-nasir-apliat Kalakh. Cult centers existed at Tuttul andTerqa.Dagan (2)Grain and fertility god. Western Semitic(Canaanite and Phoenician). The father of BAALin Ugaritic creation epics. A major sanctuary wasbuilt in his honor at Mari [Syria] and he was recognizedin parts of Mesopotamia where heacquired the consort Šalaš. Worshiped mainly atGaza and Ašdod, but also the supreme god of thePhilistines. Known in biblical references asDagon (Judges 16.23). Mentioned in the apocryphalBook of Maccabees. The cult is thought tohave continued until circa 150 BC. Israelitemisinterpretation of the Ugaritic root Dagan ledto the assumption that he was a fish god, thereforeattributes include a fish tail.Dagan (3)Local supreme god. Kafir [Afghanistan]. This godbears no relation to the Semitic god Dagan, butis known by several synonyms including Dagon,Doghan and Deogan. He has been identified inseveral villages in the south of the Kafir region[southern Nuristan]. “Dagan” may be less aproper name than a title of respect.DAGDA (the good god)ORIGIN Celtic (Irish). Father of the tribe.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistorictimes until after Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Ruad ro-fhessa (lord of perfect knowledge);Eochaid Ollathair (all-father).CENTER(S) OF CULT Tara, etc.70

Damkina 71ART REFERENCES possibly various stone carvings,Romano-Celtic and earlier.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings.The Dagda is a strictly Irish tribal god not foundamong the Continental Celts. He is regarded ina general sense as the protector and benefactor ofthe people, not “good” in a moral sense but in apractical fashion—“good at anything.” A fatherfigure who led the deities of Ireland against theFir Bolg in the First Battle of Moytura (seeTUATHA DE DANANN). He has no exclusive roles,but in mythology enters a ritualized union withfertility goddesses including MORRIGAN andBOANN. He is the father of BRIGIT and of AENGUSMac Oc (young god). Dagda is represented in literatureas possessing immense strength and aprodigious appetite (see also THOR). Drawn byChristian writers as a boorish and grotesque character,which may be inaccurate, his weapon is ahuge club which can slay nine men at a strokeand which was once drawn on a ceremonial cart.He owns a bronze “caldron of abundance” withmagical properties of wisdom and rejuvenation,symbol of Irish prosperity. The Dagda maybe the subject of a vast naked figure armed witha club cut in chalk at Cerne Abbas in Dorset,England, and probably created during theRomano-Celtic period.Dagon See DAGAN (2).DaikokuGod of luck. Shinto [Japan]. One of seven godsof fortune in Shintoism and often linked withthe god EBISU. Originally a god of kitchens, hebecame a deity concerned with happiness. He isdepicted as a fat, well-to-do figure seated ontwo rice bales and carrying a sack on his back.He also holds a hammer in his right hand. Indepictions there is often a mouse nibbling atone of the rice bales. Small gold icons of the godmay be carried as talismans of wealth. Accordingto tradition, when Daikoku’s hammer isshaken, money falls out in great profusion. Inwestern Japan he is also syncretized with thegod of rice paddies, TA-NO-KAMI, and thusbecomes the god of agriculture and farmers. Hemay have developed from the Buddhist godMAHAKALA.Daksa (skilled and able)Sun god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). The son ofBRAHMA and ADITI, he is an ADITYA and demiurge.His consort is PRASUTI, and he is said tohave had up to sixty daughters. He appears inconflict with his son-in-law ŠIVA as the mainoffender against Šiva’s consort SATI (accounted asone of his daughters), who was so insulted byDaksa that she committed suicide by jumpinginto a ritual fire. Šiva took revenge by decapitatingDaksa but later, after intercession from othergods, Brahma brought him back to life, givinghim the substitute head of a sacrificial goat.Attribute: head of a goat. Also PRAJAPATI.DamgalnunaMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). She first appears as a consortof ENLIL and, as Mesopotamian traditionsprogress, becomes associated with EA and themother of the Babylonian god MARDUK. AlsoDAMKINA (Akkadian).DamkinaGoddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).Consort of Ea.See also DAMGALNUNA.

72 DanaparamitaDanaparamitaPhilosophical deity. Buddhist. One of twelvePARAMITA deities and a spiritual offspring of RAT-NASAMBHAVA. Color: reddish white. Attributes: anear of rice and a banner with pearl.DANU (1)ORIGIN Celtic (Irish). Founding goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil after Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS ANU; DON (Welsh).CENTER(S) OF CULT various sanctuaries.ART REFERENCES none known.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings; History of Races etc; Mabinogion (Welsh).Danu is the leader and progenitress of the Irishpantheon, the TUATHA DE DANANN. Otherwiseshe is a remote and barely defined figure. Sheequates closely with the Welsh goddess Don andmay have been perceived originally as a fertilityand vegetation spirit.Danu (2)Primordial goddess. Hindu (Vedic). The wordDanu is used to describe the primeval waters andthis deity is probably their embodiment. She isknown as the mother of the demonic personalityVRTRA, who engages in combat with, and isdefeated by, the rain god INDRA. In later Hinduismshe is perceived as a daughter of DAKSAand the consort of KASYAPA.DaphneOracular goddess. Greek. A number of oracularshrines were dedicated to her in various places inAsia Minor, including Antiocheia, Mopsuestia(Cilicia), Sura and Patara (Lycia), Telmessos(Caria). Represented by the laurel Daphne she islinked with the Daphnephoria festivals honoringAPOLLO. Tradition has it that she was changed intothe laurel to avoid sexual submission to the god.DaramulumCreator god. Australian aboriginal. Otherwiseknown as Gayandi he is the son of BAIAME andBIRRAHGNOOLOO and is worshiped principally bythe Wiradyuri and Kamilaroi groups of aboriginesin the southeast of Australia, who regard himas an intermediary between his father, thesupreme being, and the human race. To an extentthis role may have developed through Christianmissionary influence.DarawigalPersonification of evil. Australian aboriginal. Thisdemonic deity stands opposed to BAIAME, the creatorspirit who represents good in the world. Heis generally recognized as an offspring of Baiamewho once lived in the sky but fell from graceduring the Dreamtime and was sent to the underworldas its ruler. From there he now dispensesdeath and sickness.DatinGod. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian. Frequentlymentioned in inscriptions, but of uncertainfunction.Daya (compassion)Goddess. Hindu (Puranic) A SAKTI of Acyuta(never falling), a minor aspect of the god VIŠNU.DecimaGoddess of birth. Roman. Generally linked withthe goddess NONA, she is responsible for watching

Dena 73over the critical months of gestation. In latertimes the two were joined by the goddess ofdeath, MORTA, to form of trio of fate goddesses,the PARCAE.DedwenGod of riches and incense. Nubian. Virtuallyunknown Egyptianized deity to whom sanctuarieswere dedicated by Tuthmosis III and who mayhave brought gifts from southern regions.Usually found in anthropomorphic form butoccasionally depicted as a lion. Also Dedun.DEMETER (mother)ORIGIN Greek. Vegetation and mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 800 BCbut probably earlier until Christianization(circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Damater (Dorian).CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Greek worldincluding Agrigentum, Cnidos, Priene, Gela,Siris and Lokroi. Particularly at Eleusis.ART REFERENCES various sculptures; terracottasshowing votary priestesses holding piglets.LITERARY SOURCES Hymn to Demeter andTheogony (Hesiod).Demeter displays a complex personality whichmay be the result of syncretization in prehistorictimes between a goddess of the corn andone of the underworld. By Homeric timesDemeter was a goddess of vegetation and death.In ancient Athens the dead were titled demetreioiand corn was traditionally scattered onnew graves. Demeter undergoes a yearly conflictwith HADES and a search for her lostdaughter, or arguably her alter ego, since thepersonality of the missing maiden goddessPERSEPHONE or KORE (girl) is virtually inextricablefrom that of Demeter.The legends of Demeter and Persephoneaccount for seasons of dearth and growth in thefields. Persephone, daughter of Demeter andZEUS, gathers flowers in a meadow surroundedby attendant OKEANIDES. As she picks one particularbloom the earth opens and the underworldgod, Hades, abducts her. Demetersearches the world for her daughter and neglectsits prosperity in so doing. The gods, seeingthat catastrophe beckons, intervene and HER-MES is sent to fetch the girl. There are conditionsattached to her release, however, becauseshe has tasted the pomegranate of Hades and isthus bound to the underworld. She may onlyenter the air above for nine months of the year.For the remaining three she must return andlive as mistress of Hades.One of the most reasonable interpretations ofthe legend is that the three months when Persephoneor Kore is in absence represent the threedry summer months when vegetation in theMediterranean region shrivels away and whentraditionally the grain was stored in undergroundsilos. When the rains come in autumn the youthfulaspect of Demeter returns. There are strongparallels with Mesopotamian and Hittite-Hurrianlegend (see INANA and DUMUZI; HEBAT andTELEPINU).The Demeter cult was practiced in manyplaces, often with a high degree of secrecy andwith initiation rituals. Arguably the most famouscult center is Eleusis, where the legends provideda stimulus for the Eleusinian Mysteries. There alsotook place a women’s festival of Thesmophoria,when pigs were buried alive in pits or megara.The sacrifice of young virgins to Demeter isreported but unsubstantiated.DenaGoddess. Persian [Iran]. The daughter of the godof light AHURA MAZDA.

74 DengDengSky god. Nuer and Dinka [Sudan]. Considered tobe a foreign deity in the Nuer pantheon and abringer of disease. His daughter is the moon goddess.In Dinka religion he is a storm and fertilitygod bringing lightning and rain.DercetiusMountain god. Romano-Iberian.DercetoMother goddess. Western Semitic (Phoenician).Derived from the Syrian model of ATARGATIS andworshiped locally.Deva (the god)Generic name of a god. Hindu (Vedic andPuranic). Originally, in the Rg Veda, thirty orthirty-three devas are indicated, divided intothree groups of eleven. In later Hinduism, theterm deva is generally applied to deities notincluded in the chief triad of BRAHMA, VIŠNUand ŠIVA.Devaki (divine)Mother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic).Daughter of Devaka and consort of the mythicalking VASUDEVA, Devaki bore eight sons, includingKRSNA and BALARAMA. Her brother Kamsabelieved that the eighth child would kill him andhe slaughtered the first six sons. In order to savethe remaining two, VIŠNU implanted the “seed”of his avataras in Devaki’s womb (in the form ofhairs from his head), before transferringBalarama to the womb of the goddess ROHINIand Krsna to Yasoda, the wife of a cowherd,Nanda.Devananda (delight of the gods)Goddess. Jain [India]. The mother of Mahavira.DevapurohitaAstral god. Hindu (Puranic). An epithet for theplanet god JUPITER.Devasena (heavenly host)Goddess. Hindu (Puranic). One of the consorts ofSKANDA who normally stands to his left.Attribute: lotus in the left hand.DeverraMinor goddess of birth. Roman. A guardian ofnewborn children. Symbolized by a broom usedto sweep away evil influences.Devi (the goddess)Goddess epitomizing the active female principle.Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Devi evolved as a majorgoddess out of the older notion of mother and vegetationgoddesses. She is seen more as an abstractprinciple who will nevertheless respond directly toworshipers’ prayers. By the fifth century AD sheappears in many forms as the active (feminine)aspect or power of male deities. General attributes:conch, hook, noose, prayer wheel and trident. Deviis also the generic name given to a female deity, inher capacity as the consort of a god or DEVA.See also SRI(DEVI), BHUMIDEVI.DhanadaGoddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). One of the emanationsof the DHYANIBUDDHA AMOGHASIDDHI, alsoa form of the goddess TARA. She sits upon a moonthrone with an unnamed animal in attendance.

Dharmadhatuvagisvara 75Color: green. Attributes: book, blue lotus, imageof Amoghasiddhi, noose and rosary.of short mystical religious text used as a charm.Also dharini.Dhanistha (very rich)Minor goddess of misfortune. Hindu (Puranic).A malevolent NAKSATRA or astral deity; daughterof DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). AlsoSRAVISTHA.Dhanvantari (traveling through an arc)Sun god. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic). In latertradition a minor incarnation or avatara of thegod VIŠNU, also closely associated with medicine.In Vedic mythology Dhanvantari carried theambrosia created from the primeval ocean of milk.He brought medical science to mankind. Only asthe religion evolved did he become identified asan avatara. As KANTATMAN (PRADYUMNA), he isthought to be Kama reincarnated after his death atthe hands of ŠIVA. Various other epithets and existencesare attributed to this deity. Offerings aredue to him at dusk in the northeastern quarter. Heis the guardian deity of hospitals which are usuallyin the vicinity of a sanctuary of Višnu. Attributes:two bowls containing ambrosia. Also Kantatman.Dhara (supporting)Attendant god. Hindu (Puranic). One of a groupof eight VASU deities answering to the god INDRA.Attributes: lotus, plough, rosary and spear.Dharani (earth)1. Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Consortof PARASURAMA and an avatara of the goddessLAKSMI.2. Collective name for a group of deities. Buddhist.Twelve personifications of a particular kindDHARMA (justice)ORIGIN Hindu [India].KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 300 untilpresent.SYNONYMS Dharme.CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES stone and metal sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES epic texts includingRamayana and Mahabharata; Puranic texts, butalso see the Rg Veda.The god of law who originates as a creator godand one of the sons of Brahma, but almost certainlyderives from the dharmas or archetypal patternsof society identified in the Rg Veda.According to tradition he is the consort of thirteendaughters of DAKSA and the father of Yudhisthra.Also regarded as a minor avatara ofVIŠNU, appearing as a bull standing for theredemption of souls.In Bengali tradition Dharme (probably of thesame derivation) has been annually engaged in asacred marriage to the earth at the time of yearwhen a tree known as the sal is blossoming. Birdsare sacrificed in a sacred grove after which thetribe repairs to the hut of the village shaman andthe marriage is enacted between the priest and hiswife, followed by a sexual free-for-all.DharmadhatuvagisvaraGod of the law. Buddhist. A variety of MANJUSRIand therefore an emanation of AMITABHA. Color:reddish-white. Attributes: arrow, bell, book,bow, hook, image of Amitabha on crown, staff,sword and water jar. Depicted with four headsand setting the law wheel in motion.

76 DharmakirtisagaraghosaDharmakirtisagaraghosa (sound of theocean of the glory of the law)Physician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted among one of a series of medicinebuddhas known as a SMAN-BLA in Lamaism. Typicallydepicted with stretched earlobes. Color: red.Dharmamegha (cloud of the law)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One oftwelve deified BHUMIS recognized as differentspiritual spheres through which a disciple passes.Color: blue. Attributes: book and staff.DharmapalaCollective name for a group of eight tutelarydeities. Buddhist and particularly Lamaist [Tibet].They wear royal apparel but are of terrible appearanceand are considered to be the guardians of thelaw. General attributes: ax, cup, knife and snake.Dharmapratisamvit (analysis of nature)Goddess of nature analysis. Buddhist (Vajrayana).One of a group of four PRATISAMVITS. Color:whitish-red. Attributes: noose and staff with crook.Dharmavasita (control of law)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group oftwelve VASITAS personifying the disciplines ofspiritual regeneration. Color: white. Attributes:water jar on a red lotus.Dharti MataMother goddess. Hindu (Puranic). A deity whoappears late in Hinduism and equates withPRTHIVI or BHUMIDEVI. According to someauthors she is the consort of THAKUR DEO. AlsoDhartri Mai, Darti Awwal.Dhatar (creator)Sun god. Hindu (Puranic). An original Vedic listof six descendants of the goddess ADITI orAdityas, all of whom take the role of sun godswas, in later times, enlarged to twelve, includingDhatar. Color: golden. Attributes: two lotuses,lotus rosary and waterjar. Also Dhatr.DhisanaMinor goddess of prosperity. Hindu (Vedic).Associated with the acquisition of wealth. Alsothe name given to a bowl of fermented drinkor soma.Dhrtarastra (his empire is firm)Minor god. Buddhist. One of the dikpalas orguardians of the easterly direction. Color: white.Attribute: lute.Dhrti (firmness)Goddess. Jain [India]. A minor deity with no significantrole or attributes.Dhruva (immovable)Astral god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The son ofUttanapada, a star in the constellation of UrsaMinor which was the pole star in the last millenniumBC. An avatara of VIŠNU. Also one of agroup of Vasu deities answering to the god INDRA.In different context, the description of a kind offixed icon. Attributes: prayer wheel, rosary, spearand water jar.Dhumavati (smoky)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of agroup of ten MAHAVIDYAS personifying theSAKTI of ŠIVA. Aspects include Darunaratri

DIANCECHT 77(night of frustration), who is also regarded asone of the personifications of the goddess Sakti.southwestern quarter. Color: reddish-blue.Attributes: banner with jewel.Dhumorna (smoke)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The consortof YAMA. Attribute: a pomegranate.DhumravatiTerrible goddess. Hindu (Puranic). Attributes: skullin the hand and garland of skulls, sword and tusks.Dhupa (incense)Mother goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof the ASTAMATARA mothers. Color: yellow.Attribute: a censer.Dhupatara (incense-Tara)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Color:black. Attribute: a censer.Dhurjati (with matted hair)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A manifestationof ŠIVA in which his body is smeared with ash.Dhvajagrakeyura (ring on a banner)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA. She sits on a sun throne. Color: darkblue, black or yellow. Attributes: club, image ofAksobhya, noose, pestle, prayer wheel, staff,sword, tiger skin and trident. Three-headed andthree-eyed.DhvajosnisaGod. Buddhist. An USNISA deity apparently connectedwith the guardian deities or dikpalas in theDhyanaparamita (perfection in meditation)Philosophical deity. Buddhist. A PARAMITA andspiritual offspring of RATNASAMBHAVA. Color:darkish sky blue. Attributes: banner with jewel,and white lotus.DhyanibuddhaGeneral name of a spiritual or meditation buddha.Buddhist (Vajrayana). An emanation of theADIBUDDHA and generally regarded as one of agroup of five representing the cosmic elements.The mystic counterpart of a human buddha.When the five are represented as a group, theircommon attribute is a staff on a lotus.DhyanibuddhasaktiCollective name for a group of goddesses. Buddhist.The five SAKTIS of the Dhyanibuddhas.Common attributes include a cup and knife.DianaMoon goddess. Roman. Living in the forests,she is a huntress and protector of animals, alsothe guardian of virginity. Generally modeled onthe Greek goddess ARTEMIS, she had a sanctuaryon the Aventine Hill in Rome and, underRoman rule, took over the Temple of Artemis atEphesus.DIANCECHTORIGIN Celtic (Irish). Physician god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none known.

78 DiangCENTER(S) OF CULT none specifically known.ART REFERENCES monumental carvings and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles of Kings.A god of whom limited description is given butwho was clearly one of the more important membersof the TUATHA DE DANANN band of Celticdeities in Ireland. Said to be the grandfather ofLUG. He possesses the skills to make every warriorwhole again and is referred to as having made a silverarm for the god NUADU who was injured in thelegendary Battle of Moytura and who subsequentlytook the epithet Nuadu argatlam (Nuada of thesilver arm). Mortally wounded Tuatha were bathedand revived in Diancecht’s sacred well, Slane.Digambara (naked)Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. The SAKTIof Yogambara. Attribute: a bowl.NOTE: Digambara is also an epithet of thegoddess KALI in Hindu religion.DikeGoddess of justice. Greek. The daughter of ZEUS.Depicted as a maiden whom men violently abuse inthe streets but who is honored by the gods and whoreports to her father on the misdeeds of mankind,causing divine retribution. She is depicted on theKypselos chest as an attractive woman strangling anugly goddess of injustice, ADIKIA.DiangCow goddess. Shilluk [Sudan]. Living along thewest bank of the Nile, the Shilluk perceive Diangas the consort of the first human, Omara, sent bythe creator god. Her son is Okwa, who marriedthe crocodile goddess NYAKAYA. Thus the threemain elements of Shilluk life are contained intheir religious beginnings—men (sky), cows(earth) and crocodiles (water).DictynnaMother goddess. Cretan. She became syncretizedwith the Greek goddess RHEA.Didi ThakrunPlague goddess. Hindu [northern India]. Associatedwith cholera. Worshiped locally at Bardvan.DievsSky god. Pre-Christian Latvian. He is depicted inthe guise of a gentleman farmer wearing cap andsword and mounted on a horse, or driving a cart.Tradition has it that he first set free the sun.DikkumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHAVANAVASI (dwelling in places).They have youthful appearance and are associatedwith rain and thunder.Diksa (initiation)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The consortof Ugra and mother of SANTANA. Also thename of the Buddhist Tantric initiation ceremony.DIONYSOSORIGIN Greek. God of wine and intoxication.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 1500 BCand probably earlier through to Christianizationcirca AD 400.SYNONYMS Deunysos; Zonnysos; LIBER, BACCHUS(Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT Pylos; Ayia Irini (Keos).ART REFERENCES chiefly Attic wine amphoraecirca sixth century BC.LITERARY SOURCES Hymn to Dionysos (fragmentary—Homer);Catalogues (Hesiod).

DISANI 79Dionysos is a deity associated with a curious formof mass, intoxicated frenzy encouraged by festivalsof wine-drinking. He has a retinue of male,phallic satyrs wearing animal masks and joinedby female maenads. Although a gigantic phalluswas carried in rituals honoring Dionysos, he is nota fertility god and the phallic symbolism is purelythat of sexual arousal and carousal. Dionysos isthe son of SEMELE and there is some argumentthat the cult originated in Phrygia or Lydia linkedto that of KYBELE and traveled via Mycenaeanculture with sanctuaries in such places as Pylosand Keos. Greek women traditionally searchedfor Dionysos and it is possible that the Romanname Bacchus is of Semitic origin, meaning wailing(see Tammuz). Other authors have suggestedthat the personality of Dionysos emerged fromThrace and extended to Homeric Greece but thisargument is now out of favor. Other than in theopening of the Homeric epic material, Dionysosscarcely appears in literature.There was a major wine-drinking festival(Ionic-Attic) known as the Anthesteria, Greaterand Lesser Dionysia festivals with strongly phallicconnotations and the sacrifice of goats, an Agrioniafestival (Dorian-Aeolic) and most recently theAthenian celebration of Katagogia which markedthe legend of Dionysos emerging from the seaand during which a ship was carried or drawn onwheels.Dipa Tara (lamp Tara)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Color:yellow. Attribute: a torch.Dipankara (light causer)Deity. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. One of a minorgroup of buddhas. Color: yellow. Attributes: nonein particular.Dipti (brightness)Minor goddess. Hindu (Puranic). No detailsavailable.Dirghadevi (long goddess)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Consort ofthe god NIRRTI.Dis PaterChthonic underworld god. Roman. Modeled onthe Greek god HADES.Disa (the ten directions of space)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Consort ofŠIVA in his terrible aspect of BHIMA and mother ofthe minor god Sarga (creation).DioskouroiTwin gods. Greek.See also POLYDEUKES.Dipa (personification of the oil-lamp)Goddess of light. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Considered to be among the group ofASTAMATARAS (mothers). Color: blue or red.Attribute: a lamp.DISANIORIGIN Kafir [Afghanistan—southern Hindukush].Supreme fertility and mothergoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP origins uncertainand still persisting in parts today.SYNONYMS Disni (Prasun region); Dizeile.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout the Kafirregion, particularly at the village of Shtiwe(Prasun).

80 DisciplinaART REFERENCES large wooden sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES Robertson G.S. The Kafirs ofthe Hindukush (1896); Morgenstierne G. SomeKati Myths and Hymns (1951).Disani is the most important goddess of theHindukush, particularly revered by the Prasunpeople. Legend has it that she emergedfrom the right breast of the creator god IMRA.Alternatively she emerged from a sacred lakeinto which a sun disc had fallen, as a goldentree. Other legends place her as the daughter ofthe god SUDREM, or of INDR and the goddessNangi-Wutr. She is the consort of Imra andother major deities in the pantheon andtherefore bears strong fertility and maternalconnotations. She has a son, BAGISHT, conceivedwhen she was raped by a demon. She alsoplays the role of huntress. Her home is said tobe Sudrem.Disani is also a benign and comforting goddessof death who carries the deceased into theHouse of the Great Mother. She is perceived inhuman form, armed with a bow and quiver, withstreams of milk pouring from her breasts. Shecan appear as a wild goat from whose footprintsspring the shoots of wheat, and symbolically asa tree (see INANA) whose roots embody theunderworld Nirmali. Her cult centers seem tohave been connected with the villages of Shtiwe,Bagramatal and Kamdesh.As goddess of death, Disani receives the prayersof women whose menfolk are about to go intocombat. Legend has it that she lives in a goldenfortress with seven doors and seven roads radiatingfrom it. As a fertility goddess she is a guardianof cattle. In her role as vegetation deity, she tillsthe land. She also sows, threshes and winnowsgrain.Sacrifice is in the form of a goat, or more usuallymilk, butter and cheese.Disani is the protectress of the bonds of kinshipand family loyalty. In conflict with this roleshe also inadvertently slaughtered her own sonby decapitation, which gave rise to an annualspring rite of the dying god, witnessed in the religionsof many other agricultural and pastoralsocieties.DisciplinaMinor goddess. Roman. Significant in thelegions, known particularly from the secondcentury BC.DiscordiaMinor goddess of dissent. Roman. Modeled onthe Greek deity ERIS.DisirCollective name for guardian goddesses.Nordic (Icelandic) and Germanic. They were thesubject of a sacrificial ritual in autumn and havestrong fertility connotations as vegetation andfertility deities. They are identified in the Sigrdrifumal(Poetic Edda) and include the Valkyriesand Norns of Germanic mythology.DitiGoddess. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic). Thedaughter of DAKSA, a consort of ADITI (inthe Rg Veda) or KASYAPA and the mother of arace of demons. Attributes: blue lotus, child andfruit.See also Aditi.DivonaFertility goddess. Celtic (Gallic). Associated withwater and known only from inscriptions.

Duillae 81Djila’qonsSea goddess. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. An old woman who lives at thehead of a major inlet in Haida territory and controlsall the creatures of the sea.DogumrikLocal guardian and warrior god. Kafir[Afghanistan]. Known from the village ofShtiwe in the southeastern Hindukush, Dogumrikis the herdsman to the daughters of the godIMRA and possibly a localized equivalent of thegod MON.DolichenusWeather god. Western Semitic (Syrian).Depicted bearded and standing upon a bull.Attributes include a double ax and lightning. Hebecame syncretized with the Roman godJUPITER.DombiGoddess of terrifying appearance. Buddhist. Oneof a group of GAURI. Color: red or blue. Attribute:a banner.DonMother goddess. Celtic (Welsh). Described in theMabinogion as the progenitress of the Welsh pantheon.Equates with the Irish goddess DANU.DonarStorm god. Germanic. The god of thunder whosesymbol is either a hammer or an ax. The dayname Donnerstag in modern German equateswith Thursday, a corruption of Thor’s day.See also THOR.DongoStorm god. Songhai [Niger valley, West Africa].The creator of thunderbolts, which are perceivedas stone ax-heads. As the celestial smith he forgeslightning and strikes a huge bell with his ax togenerate thunder.DonnChthonic underworld god. Celtic (Irish). Accordingto legend, he lives on an island to the southwestof Munster and is responsible for the passageof the dead toward the otherworld.DorisSea goddess. Greek. Daughter of OKEANOS andTETHYS and consort of NEREUS. In Hesiod’sTheogony her children include AMPHITRITE andTHETIS among many minor figures.DoudounGod of Nile cataracts. Nubian. Depicted as anantelope with twisted horns. His consorts are Satiand Anuket. Modeled on the Egyptian ram godKHNUM. Also Dodonu.See also ANUKIS.Dsahadoldza (fringe mouth)Chthonic god of earth and water. Navaho [USA].A number of deities are known under this title.The priest impersonating the god has one side ofhis body painted red and the other side black. Hewears a buckskin mask painted with a horizontalyellow band to represent the evening sky andeight vertical black stripes to represent rain.DuillaeFertility and vegetation goddesses. Romano-Iberian. Comparable with the MATRES in Gaul.

82 Dulha DeoDulha DeoMinor god of the bridegroom. Hindu. Attribute:an ax hanging from a tree.are modeled. In Syriac tradition he is the son ofthe mortal father Kautar (Aramaic: Košar).See also KOTAR.DUMUZIORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Shepherd and vegetationgod; underworld god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC orearlier to circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS Damn; Ama-usum-gal-ana; Tammuz(Hebrew).CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES plaques; votive stelae; glyptics,etc.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts including theInana’s Descent and the Death of Dumuzi.Dumuzi, as popularly understood, is a maledeity who in mythical times was the tutelarygod of the city of Bad-tibira between Lagaš andUruk in southern Mesopotamia. It is believedthat there was also a goddess Dumuzi from Kinunirnear Lagaš. The two became syncretized asthe single male personality who occupies a specialplace in the Sumerian pantheon as the consortof the goddess INANA. He is the first “dyingand rising” god to be historically recorded byname.Dumuzi is particularly associated with the datepalm. He is commanded by Inana (who is herselfunder a pledge to the goddess EREŠKIGAL) toenter the underworld for a period of each year,which accounts for the seasonal demise of thegreen world to drought.His worshipers were chiefly women but hiscult was very widespread and as late as Biblicaltimes there are references to women “weepingfor Tammuz.” It may be argued that Dumuzi isthe model on which later gods including ADONISDurChthonic underworld god. Kassite [Iran]. Equateswith the Babylonian-Akkadian god NERGAL.Durangama (going far away)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One of severaldeified BHUMIS recognized as different spiritualspheres through which a disciple passes.Color: green. Attributes: staff on a great lotus.DURGAORIGIN Hindu (Puranic) [India]. Vengeful warriorgoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 400 (butprobably known from earlier times) until present.SYNONYMS KUMARI; Shakti; Agni-Durga (eightarmed);APARAJITA (unconquered).CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally bronze butalso stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES chiefly Ramayana and Mahabharataepics and Puranic texts, but mentionedby name in Vedic literature.Durga is one of the angry and aggressive aspects ofthe goddess Sakti, whose earliest role in Hindumythology is to fight and conquer demons but whoalso personifies the SAKTI or female aspect of anymale deity. Iconographically, Durga is depicted asa beautiful golden-skinned woman who rides upona lion or a tiger. She has eight or ten arms, eachbearing a weapon presented to her by differentgods and including the conch shell of VIŠNU, thetrident of ŠIVA, the bow of RAMA and the sudarshan

DYAUS PITAR 83(spoked disc) of KRSNA. These gifts extend to herthe power of the eight or ten gods. She may weara necklace of skulls. She is associated with theHimalaya and Vindhya mountains and is oftendepicted slaughtering the buffalo-demon MAHISAby thrusting her trident into his body.In a contrasting aspect in later Hindutraditions, Durga takes the role of a mothergoddess and consort of Šiva and becomes partlysyncretized with PARVATI. She is also linked withthe fertility of crops. In this capacity hermost important festival is the Durga Puja, celebratedat harvest time, during which devoteespersistently make obscene gestures and commentsto stimulate her fecundity. She isdepicted flanked by four other deities, LAKSMI,SARASVATI, GANESA and KARTTIKEYA, who aresaid to be her children.In general Durga is perceived in northern Indiaas the gentle bride epitomizing family unity, whilein southern India she is revered more in her warlikeand murderous aspect.Durjaya (unconquerable)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof the god BUDDHAKAPALA.Dušara (‘the one’ of šara)Local tutelary god. Western Semitic(Nabataean). Associated with vegetation and fertilityin the Hauran region from about 312 BCuntil circa AD 500. Regarded as a supreme deity,comparable to BAAL ŠAMIN, who never achievedDušara’s popularity among the nomadicNabataeans, for whom farming was precarious.He was represented by a black obelisk at Petra.Sacred animals are the eagle and panther. Attributesinclude a vine stem. In Hellenic times hewas the subject of inscriptions at Delos andMiletus and he was equated with DIONYSOS.Also Dušares; Dus-Šara.DuzhiLocal god of uncertain affinities. Kafir [Afghanistan].Known only from an altar stone whichwas generally erected beside that of the watergod BAGISHT. Sacrifice was in the form of a malegoat.DvipakumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHAVANAVASI (dwelling in places).They are of youthful appearance and associatedwith rain and thunder.DYAUS PITAR (heaven father)ORIGIN Hindu (Vedic) [India]. Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC orearlier until present.SYNONYMS the Sanskrit dyaus is derived fromthe Indo-European root which also givesDeus (Roman); ZEUS (Greek); TYR (German),etc.CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCEStexts.Rg-veda and other VedicDyaus pitar is a creator god associated withthe goddess Prthivi; the primordial couple arenormally addressed as Dyavaprthivi. Betweenthem they created the rest of the Vedic pantheon,placed heaven and earth in conjunction with oneanother and generally preserved the cosmic order.Dyaus is overshadowed and superseded by therain god INDRA in later Hindu tradition, possiblybecause he was brought into India by the Aryan

84 Dzivagurusettlers from the north who had been used to acold, bleak climate and who needed a supremedeity more relevant to a hot, dry environment.DzivaguruChthonic mother goddess. Korekore (Shona)[northern Zimbabwe, southern Africa]. Originallysaid to have ruled both heaven and earth andlived in a palace by a sacred lake near Dande.She is depicted wearing goatskins and bearinga cornucopia holding magical substances.Her sacred creatures are mythical goldensunbirds, probably modeled on swallows, apair of which were actually discovered inZimbabwe.

6 EE Alom (conceiver of children)Primeval creator goddess. Mayan (Quiche, classicalMesoamerican) [Guatemalan highlands]. Theconsort of E QUAHOLOM, identified in thesacred Maya book, the Popol Vuh. Her son isGUKUMATZ, the counterpart of the Aztec godQUETZALCOATL. Also Bitol.E Quaholom (begetter of children)Primeval creator god. Mayan (Quiche, classicalMesoamerican) [Guatemala highlands]. Identifiedin the sacred Maya book the Popol Vuh. Theconsort of the goddess E ALOM and the father ofGUKUMATZ who equates with the Aztec QUET-ZALCOATL. Also Tzacol.EAORIGIN Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. God of primordial waters.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1900 BC tocirca 200 BC.SYNONYMS Ea-šarru; ENKI (Sumerian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Eridu, Babylon.ART REFERENCES glyptics and other carvings.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts includingEnuma Eliš, Epic Of Gilgameš, Nergal andEreškigal etc.One of the major deities in the old Babylonian-Akkadian pantheon who evolved from the modelof Enki. God of sweet water and of wisdom. Hisconsort is DAMKINA and his temple is the Apsuhouse or E-engurra in Eridu (lost). By the neo-Babylonian period his popularity as a major deityhad waned and he was relegated to the role offather of the god MARDUK.EacusWeather god. Romano-Iberian. Known from thearea of Castille and syncretized with the localRoman deity Jupiter Solutorius.EbisuGod of luck. Shinto [Japan]. The most popularof seven gods of fortune recognized in Shintoismand frequently linked with the godDAIKOKU. He is depicted as a fat, smiling andbearded fisherman holding a fishing rod in onehand and a sea bream in the other. The namedoes not appear in the classical sacred textsNihongi and Kojiki, but Ebisu is known tohave been worshiped in ancient times amongfishermen. From about the sixteenth centuryhis character changed and he became a deityassociated with profit. Thus he is a patron of85

86 Edekecommerce and his picture hangs in most establishments.He is perhaps syncretized with thegods HIRUKO and KOTO-SHIRO-NUSHI. He mayalso be identified with Fudo, the god of knowledge.He does not join the rest of the Shintopantheon in the great October festival at Izumobecause he is deaf. His festival is celebrated concurrentlyin his own temple.EdekeGod of disasters. Teso [Uganda, East Africa]. Theantagonist of the creator god APAP, Edeke is propitiatedduring times of famine and plague.EdusaMinor god of infants. Roman. Responsible forthe proper nourishment of the child.Eee-A-O (Yao)Primordial being. Gnostic Christian. The first ofthe androgynous principles born to YALDABAOTH,the prime parent, ruling the seven heavens ofchaos in gnostic mythology.EgeriaFertility goddess. Roman. Deity of oak treeswhose priestess enacted an annual sacred marriagewith the king of Rome, who took the part ofJUPITER. The festival is a variation of that celebratingthe marriage of ZEUS and HERA whichtook place in Athens. A number of springs andlakes were sacred to her.EgresFertility god. Karelian [Finland]. The deityresponsible for the turnip crop. Also Akras.EhecatlCreator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The sun deity representing the secondof the five world ages, each of which lasted for2028 heavenly years, each heavenly year beingfifty-two terrestrial years. Assigned to the air orwind and presided over by QUETZALCOATL, towhose complex of deities he belongs. Accordingto tradition, the age ended in a cataclysmicdestruction caused by hurricanes. All humanityturned into monkeys. Illustrated by the “Stone ofthe Four Suns” [Yale Peabody Museum]. Also (4)Ehecatl; Ehecatonatiuh.Ehecatl-QuetzalcoatlPrimordial god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A syncretization of EHECATL andQUETZALCOATL, one of four gods who supportthe lowest heaven at each cardinal point. He isperceived as residing in the west (codices Borgiaand Vaticanus B). He is the deity who rulesover the ninth of the thirteen heavens, ItztapalNanatzcayan (where the stone slabs crashtogether). In a separate tradition, Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl executed the monstrous godXOLOTL when he declined to offer his blood inself-sacrifice for the creation of mankind.EILEITHYIA (the coming)ORIGIN Greek and previously Mycenaean. Goddessof birth.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC untilChristianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Eleuthyia (possibly original Minoan);Ilithyia (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT chiefly in Crete where thereexists an early (Mycenaean) cave sanctuary atAmnisos, and in the region of Lakonia.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.

EL 87LITERARY SOURCES Theogony and Hymn to Apollo(Hesiod).Primarily worshiped by women, Eileithyia iscalled upon specifically to ease the pain and dangerof childbirth. It was said that the cries of laborsummoned her presence. The daughter of ZEUSand HERA and the sibling of HEBE and ARES, sheassisted at the birth of APOLLO. Her role is laterlargely superseded by ARTEMIS. The name is alsoused in a plural collective sense (reflecting thepractice of women in a neighborhood comingtogether to assist at childbirth). In Sparta therewas allegedly a running track at the end of whichwas a temple to Eileithyia.EireneGoddess of peace. Greek. The daughter of ZEUSand THEMIS and the sister of Horae, DIKE andEUNOMIA.See also HOURS.Eji OgbeTutelary god. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].The so-called “king” of the pantheon and mentionedin a legend of the dove which is a symbolof prosperity.Ek ChuahGod of merchants. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Also the deity responsible for thecacao crop. (The cacao bean was traditionally thestandard currency throughout Mesoamerica.)Probably of Putun origin, he is typically depictedpainted black, except for a red area around the lipsand chin. He has a distinctive downwardly projectinglower lip, horseshoe shapes around eacheye and a highly elongated nose. He may alsobear a scorpion’s tail. Other attributes include acarrying strap in his headdress and sometimes apack on his back. Also God M.EkadasarudraCollective name for a group of gods. Hindu. Theeleven forms of the god RUDRA, each typicallyrepresented with sixteen arms. Common attributesinclude ax, moon disc and tiger skin.Ekajata (she who has but one chignon)Goddess of good fortune. Buddhist (Varjayana).She offers happiness and removes personal obstacles.Occasionally found attending the goddessKhadirayani-Tara. She is an emanation of AKSOB-HYA and a form of TARA. She may have one ortwelve heads. Color: blue. Attributes: arrow, ax,bell, blue lotus, book, bow, conch, cup, hook,image of AMITABHA on the crown, knife, noose,skull, staff, sword and tiger skin. Three-eyed.Ekanetra (on e-eyed)Minor deity. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One ofa group of emancipated VIDYESVARAS (lords ofknowledge) considered to be aspects of ŠIVA.Virtually identical with EKARUDRA, but with asingle eye.EkarudraMinor deity. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One ofa group of emancipated VIDYESVARAS (lords ofknowledge) considered to be aspects of ŠIVA.Virtually identical with EKANETRA, but withnormal eyes.ELORIGIN Western Semitic regions and Israel(northern Hebrew tribes) [Syria, Lebanon andIsrael]. Creator god.

88 ElagabalKNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP700 BC.circa 2500 BC toSYNONYMS et elyon (most high god); et sadday (godof the mountain); et olam (everlasting god); etbetel (god of storms), IL [southern Arabian].CENTER(S) OF CULT Tirzah, Šamaria, Bethel,Dan and many local hill shrines.ART REFERENCES none extant other than fromlater artists.LITERARY SOURCES Vetus Testamentum; Qum’Ran texts.Modeled on the creator god of the Canaanites,Il, represented by the bull and revered by theHebrew tribes who settled northern Palestine.According to some Ugaritic (Ras Šamra) texts,not the original creator but the offspring of anolder principal, EL-EB (god of the father). InBiblical texts the word el comes to be used in adescriptive sense as a qualifying epithet meaning“lord.” Possibly El came to represent the sum ofall the creator spirits of the northern tribes.Israel was unwilling to part with the nameagainst pressure from the southern state of Judah(see YHWH), but the name fell into disuse aftersuppression of Israel by Tiglathpileser II(Assyria). The Hebrew term ELOHIM may denotean “upper tier” of great gods while ELIM appliesto a lower order of deities.NOTE: Biblical traditions were carried by thesouthern state of Judah. The impression is giventhat El is a distant, vaguely defined figure perceivedin human form—“he” is able to see, hear,walk and touch—though no images in humanform seem to have been created. El was apparentlysymbolized in Israel from circa 922 BCagain by the bull calf (I Kings 12), probablyemulating the Canaanite precedent. The voiceof El is said to be like thunder, the clouds are hischariot and he waters the mountains fromheaven.Elagabal (lord of the mountain)Local tutelary god. Syrian. Probably originatingas a mountain deity with strong solar links.His sacred animal is the eagle. His cult was basedon the town of Emesa [Homs], where he wasworshiped in the form of a dome-shaped, blackstone obelisk. His name became Hellenized asHeliogabalos.El’ebPrimordial god. Western Semitic (Canaanite).In some texts the god EL (IL) is not the originalbeing but is preceded by a father figure.EL-EB translates as “god the father.”See also YALDABAOTH.ElimCollective term for gods. Judaic. Found in theVetus Testamentum and distinguishing the lowerorder of gods from the great deities, ELOHIM.ElkunirsaCreator god. Western Semitic (Canaanite) andHittite. Allegedly borrowed and modified fromthe Canaanite god IL. His consort is Ašerdus(Canaanite: AŠERTU).Ellaman (lady of the boundary)Goddess of passage. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil)[southern India]. A goddess guarding boundariesof villages and fields. One of the NAVASAKTI orastral deities. Also Ellaiyamman.EllelCreator god. Hittite and Hurrian. Derived fromthe Babylonian-Akkadian god ELLIL.

ENKI 89EllilCreator god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).See also ENLIL.EloaiPrimordial being. Gnostic Christian. The secondof the androgynous principles born to YALD-ABAOTH, the prime parent, ruling the seven heavensof chaos in Gnostic mythology.placed in charge of the sacred rivers Tigris andEuphrates by the god ENKI. He is also god ofcanals, irrigation and farming. In Babyloniantimes he becomes the son of EA and is syncretizedwith ADAD.EndouellicusChthonic oracular and healing god. Romano-Iberian. Known from the Portuguese region.Probably the recipient of pig sacrifice.ElohimCollective term for gods. Judaic. Found in theVetus Testamentum and distinguishing the higherorder of great gods from the minor deities, ELIM.Also applied to the Israelite god YHWH.Endursaga (lofty mace)Herald god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). He leadsthe Sumerian pantheon particularly in times ofconflict. Also IŠUM (Akkadian).Emeli HinCreator god. Tuareg [central Sudan]. A generictitle meaning “my lord.”Eme’mqutAnimistic spirit. Siberian Koryak. SeeQUIKINN.A’QU.EmešVegetation god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Emeš was created at the wish of ENLIL to takeresponsibility on earth for woods, fields, sheepfolds and stables. He is identified with the abundanceof the earth and with summer. An unidentifieddeity who is depicted iconographically witha plough may well be Emeš.EnbiluluRiver god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian).In creation mythology he isENKI (lord of the soul)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq]. Creatorgod; god of wisdom; god of sweet water.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC tocirca 1750 BC.SYNONYMS EA (god of the deep, Akkadian);Lugal-id(ak) (owner of the river); Lugalabzu(ak)(owner of the deeps); NUDIMMUD(image fashioner).Center(s) of worship probably at Eridu (AbuŠahrain), but known only from literature.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae, glyptics.LITERARY SOURCES creation epics including Atrahasis,Enki and the World Order, temple hymns etc.As god of water in its capacity to nourish the earth,Enki is one of the major Sumerian deities. The sonof AN and NAMMU, he is considered by some to bea late entry to the pantheon. His consort is DAMK-INA and his sanctuary at Eridu is E-engurra. He isusually represented as a figure in typical hornedheaddress and tiered skirt with two streams of water

90 Enkimdu(Tigris and Euphrates) springing from his shouldersor from a vase and including leaping fish. He mayalso hold the eagle-like Imdugud (thunder) bird,thus signifying clouds rising from the waters. Hisfoot may rest on an ibex. Among his offspring areAŠALLUHA, NIN-SAR (by NINHURSAG˜ A), NIN-IMMA(by NINKURRA) and UTTU (by NINMAH).Enki is a complex and, at times, Machiavelliancharacter. The running of day-to-day affairs isleft to him and in the creation mythology heorganized the earth and established law and order.He is also seen in a heroic light, having been oneof three principal deities engaged in the primordialbattle between good and evil, the latter personifiedin the dragon Kur. In the Sumeriancreation epic Enki set out in a boat to avenge theabduction by Kur of the goddess EREŠKIGAL. Kurfought back with huge stones.Enki is perceived to fill the Tigris and Euphrateswith sacred sweet water. He also appoints variousother minor deities to their duties in connectionwith the well-being of the natural world. Additionallyhe is god of artists and craftsmen.According to one legend, Enki generated theplants from his semen and inside his body until itmade him ill, whereupon Ninhursag˜a placed himin her own vagina and gave birth to his progeny.INANA, Ninhursag˜a and ENLIL are variouslydrawn, at times, as serious adversaries.EnkimduGod of canals and ditches. Mesopotamian(Sumerian). In creation mythology he is given histask by the god ENKI.See also ENBILULU.ENLIL (lord wind?)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq]. Godof the air.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC orearlier to circa 1750 BC.SYNONYMS ELLIL; Illil; Ilu; Nunamnir.CENTER(S) OF CULT Nippur, Dur Kurigalzu, butalso at Eridu and Ur.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae and glyptics.LITERARY SOURCES creation texts, particularlythe Lament of Ur and Creation of the Hoe; templehymns including the Hymn to Enlil, etc.Enlil is the son of the primordial AN and KI. Thetutelary deity of Nippur where, in his honor, theEkur sanctuary was built (not re-discovered), hewas the most important god of southernMesopotamia during the third millennium BC.His consort is NINLIL who was impregnated bythe “waters of Enlil” to create the moon godNANNA. (In the Akkadian pantheon his consortbecomes MULLILTU.) He is depicted in hornedheaddress and tiered skirt, or by a horned crownon a pedestal. According to the “Hymn to Enlil”he works alone and unaided. He is said to havemade the pick-ax, “caused the good day to comeforth” and “brought forth seed from the earth.”He was invoked to bless his cities and ensureprosperity and abundance. His importance wassuch that the tutelary gods of other cities “traveled”to Nippur with offerings to Enlil. Enlil createdseveral deities concerned with overseeingthe natural world. In his more destructive aspecthe allowed the birth goddess to kill at birth andwas responsible for miscarriage in cows and ewes.He was seen as manifesting himself in bothbenevolence and destructive violence. Because ofhis peculiarly national status he became downgradedin the Babylonian and Assyrian pantheons,being superseded respectively byMARDUK and ASSUR.EnmesarraChthonic god of the law. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). According to textshe controls the me’s or divine rules.

EPONA 91EnneadThe Heliopolis pantheon. Egyptian (Lower). Thenine major deities enumerated and given theirgenealogy by the priesthood of Heliopolis, thecenter of the sun-worshiping cult in Lower Egypt.Comprising the sun god ATUM (or Atum-Re) andhis offspring, ŠU, TEFNUT, GEB, NUT, OSIRIS, ISIS,SETH and NEPHTHYS. Other Egyptian cult centerspossessed similar pantheons though not necessarilyincluding the same list of deities. Thus, forexample, the god PTAH presided at Thebes.EnnugiGod. Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). The attendant and throne-bearer ofENLIL (ELLIL).EntenFertility god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Createdby ENLIL as a guardian deity of farmers alongsidethe minor god EMEŠ, Enten was given specificresponsibility for the fertility of ewes, goats, cows,donkeys, birds and other animals. He is identifiedwith the abundance of the earth and with the winterperiod.EnunduPlague god. Gishu [Uganda, East Africa]. A godidentified with smallpox and propitiated with thesacrifice of a goat.EnzuGod. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Thename is a corruption, apparently a misreading ofSuen, the archaic form of SIN.EosSky goddess. Hellenized Indo-European. Thespirit of the dawn. She is the daughter ofHYPERION and THEA, and the sister of HELIOS(sun) and SELENE (moon). The consort of AEO-LOS, the storm god son of POSEIDON, she bore sixchildren who represent the various winds. Hesiodaccounts her as the consort of Astraeos. In separatetradition she is the mother of Memnon whowas slain at Troy, and her tears are the morningdew.See also AURORA.EostreFertility goddess of spring. Anglo-Saxon. Thederivation of “Easter.” Probably a number of theobscure folk customs surrounding Easter and stillpracticed in England trace back to her worship.EpimetheusMinor creator god. Greek and Roman. Oneof the four sons of IAPETOS and Klymene(Titan), and the brother of PROMETHEUS.Jointly responsible for the creation of mankind.Epimetheus’ strongest claim to fame lies in hisliaison with the first mortal woman, Pandora,whom the gods had cautioned him to avoid.Her curiosity caused her to open the boxbelonging to JUPITER in which he had placed allthe vices, diseases and sufferings of humanity,but which also included the benevolent spiritof hope.EPONA (mare)ORIGIN Celtic (Gallic). Horse goddess with fertilityconnotations.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC andprobably earlier until Christianization (circaAD 400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT probably originating fromAlesia in Gaul but spreading extensively,including Rome.

92 ErebosART REFERENCES stone and bronze statuettes(mainly Luxembourg and Côte d’Or); variousmonumental carvings.LITERARY SOURCES inscriptions.A popular equestrian goddess closely allied withthe Celtic trade in, and domestic use of, horses.Concerned with healing and with the fertility ofdomestic animals. The cult probably originatedfrom Alesia in the heartland of Gallic resistanceand location of Vercingetorix’s final stand againstJulius Caesar. She is arguably the only Celtic goddessto have been worshiped in Rome itself andher popularity was spread throughout the regionsof Roman occupation (see also MORRIGAN). Herfestival was celebrated on December 18.Epona is typically depicted with mares andfoals, usually riding side-saddle or merely in associationwith horses. She also holds cornucopiae,sheaves of corn and other fruits suggesting anancillary role as a vegetation goddess. Epona isalso, on occasion, linked with dogs and birds.Votive inscriptions have been found at Allerey,Armançon and Essay (Côte d’Or), Jabreilles,Luxeuil, Santanay and others where sometimes sheis alone with horse(s) and sometimes is depictedwith the “mothers” (see MATRES). She was particularlyworshiped by Roman cavalry regiments. AtArmançon she rides in a cart reminiscent of the“tour” of other northern fertility goddesses (seeNERTHUS). In other circumstances Epona figurinesare found associated with burial grounds such as LaHorgue au Sablon illustrating the common link,well attested in ancient and modern cults, betweenfertility and death. Epona may also be enshrinedclose to thermal springs under which circumstanceshe often appears naked like a water nymph e.g.Allerey and Saulon-la-Chapelle.ErebosPrimordial deity. Greco-Roman. Engendered byCHAOS and NYX, he formed an incestuous liaisonwith his mother to create the first elements of thecosmos, AETHER (light) and Hemera (day), in pre-Homeric mythology.EREŠKIGAL (the great below)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Chthonic underworldgoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC orearlier to 200 BC or later.SYNONYMS ALLATU(M).CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae, glyptics,etc.LITERARY SOURCES creation epics and other textsincluding Inana’s Descent and the Death ofDumuzi.Ereškigal is the consort of NERGAL and queen ofthe underworld. She is also the mother ofNINAZU. According to some texts she was oncea sky goddess who was abducted by the monstrousdeity Kur. She lives in the palace ofGanzir and equates with the Greek PERSE-PHONE. Arguably, Ereškigal may be seen as adark alter ego of the goddess INANA and is identifiedin some texts as her elder sibling. Her consortis also identified as GUGULANA. In legendEreškigal is challenged by Inana but after judgmentby the seven Annunaki, the underworldgoddess renders her a corpse for three days untilshe is revived through the intervention of ENKI,the god of wisdom. In western Semitic pantheonsEreškigal becomes Allatu.Erh Lang (master)Tutelary deity. Chinese. Associated with a celestialdog, Erh Lang was once honored with asanctuary in Beijing (Peking). According to traditionhe and the dog saved the city from flooding.His attributes include a bow which he is

Eshu 93depicted drawing, and arrows. The dog may bereplaced by a rat, in which case the arrows arenot included. The rat is a sign of impendingwealth and therefore the drawing of an emptybow at the rat is a sign which invokes wealth ofchildren.ErkilekHunting god. Inuit [North America]. A malevolentdeity with the head and nose of a dog andthe body of a man. He carries a bow, witharrows contained in a quiver, and is an expertarcher.ErinysChthonic goddess of wrath. Greek. According tolegend she was a consort of POSEIDON by whomshe bore the fabulous horse Areon. By implicationshe may also have been a grim maternal figurewho engendered all horses. She may be equatedwith a wrathful DEMETER who is sometimes giventhe epithet Erinys. Erinys appears in the collectiveform of three Erinyes, their heads coveredwith snake-locks and bearing torches from theunderworld. In the Iliad they are described asthose “who beneath the earth punish dead men,whoever has sworn a false oath.” In Romanmythology they are the Furies.ErisGoddess of dissent or strife. Greek. The consortof ARES, the god of war, and the mother ofHORKOS (oath). She is depicted throwing theapple of discord among guests at a wedding,offering it “to the fairest” to provoke argument.In Roman mythology she becomes DISCORDIA.EriuFertility goddess. Celtic (Irish). An aspect of theMORRIGAN. One of the deities who were knownas the “Sovereignty of Ireland” and wedded symbolicallyto a mortal king. Also a warrior goddess,capable of changing shape from girl to hag, andinto birds and animals. She is patroness of theroyal seat of Uisnech in County Meath. Eire andErin are corruptions of her name.See also BADB.ErosPrimordial deity. Greco-Roman. One of the childrenof AETHER and Hemera in the pre-Homericcosmos. Listed in Hesiod’s Theogony as one ofthree archetypal beings with CHAOS and GAIA.Also AMOR (Roman).ErraGod of war. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).Known chiefly from the Erra Epic, circa1000 BC, he is also the god of raids, riots andscorched earth. Closely identified with the godNERGAL, his cult center is Emeslam in the city ofKutha (lost). In Babylonian times he is identifiedas a plague god.EruaSee ZARPANITU(M).EsCreator god. Ket [Siberian]. Described as an oldman with a long black beard, he fashioned thefirst humans from clay. Those tossed from hisright hand became men, and those from his leftbecame women.EshuItinerant god. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].An ancient deity regarded as the attendantand messenger of the creator god OLODUMARE.He passes among mortal people assessingcharacter and meting out punishment. Devotees

94 Ešmunare identified by necklaces of black or brownbeads.of the home of the gods holding a set of keys. Heis known for his trickery.EšmunGod of healing. Western Semitic (Phoenician).Known first from the Iron Age levels at Sidon,his cult spread as far as Carthage, Cyprusand Sardinia. Possibly became syncretizedwith the god MELQART and, in Hellenic times,with the physician god ASKLEPIOS. His namefurther became linked with the mother goddessCAELESTIS.Estsanatlehi (woman that changes)Fertility goddess. Navaho [USA]. Probablyregarded as the most powerful deity in theNavaho pantheon, she has powers of endlessself-rejuvenation. According to tradition, shewas created from a small turquoise image intowhich life was infused through a ritual of thegreat gods and she is the sister of the goddessYOLKAI ESTAN. She is also the consort of thesun god TSOHANOAI and the mother of the wargod NAYENEZGANI. She is said to live in the westand is benevolent in nature, sending the gentlerains of summer and the warm thawing winds ofspring.EsuGod of passage. Edo [Benin and Nigeria, WestAfrica]. A fearsome deity who stands at the gatesEsusGod of war. Celtic (Continental European). Mentionedby the Roman writer Lucan but otherwisevirtually unknown. He may have originated as atree god. One carving [Trier] identifies Esusfelling a tree with birds in the branches (seealso INANA). Elsewhere he is associated with threecranes and a bull.EunomiaGoddess of order. Greek. One of the children ofZEUS and THEMIS, her siblings include theHorae, DIKE and EIRENE.See also HOURS.EurosGod of the east winds. Greco-Roman. One of thesons of EOS. Particularly known from Sparta andlater Romanized as Eurus.EurynomeSea goddess. Greek. The daughter of Nisos andmother of the Graces. Also the mother of Bellepheron,fathered by POSEIDON, though she isaccounted as the consort of GLAUKOS. Little elseis known, but her cult center was apparently atPhigaleia (Arcadia).

6 FFabulinusMinor god of infants. Roman. Responsible forthe first words of the child.FaivarongoGod of mariners. Polynesian [Tikopia]. Theeldest son of a being known as Ariki KafikaTuisifo, he is a patron and guardian of seafarersand is also regarded as the origin of the royalTikopian lineage. Also known as the “grandsireof the ocean.” He is closely linked with thechthonic god TIFENUA and the sky god ATUA IKAFIKA.beings. He is also the progenitor of fish stocks inthe river Niger. His chief adversary is the god ofthe desert wind, TELIKO. Faro is propitiatedannually by a Komo society of men in a ritual ofdancing. They use a special mask which is createdanew each year. According to legend Faro cameto earth after a long period of drought duringwhich most of the living things died. He also gavemankind the gift of speech.FaunaMinor vegetation goddess. Roman. Consort ofFAUNUS with guardianship of woods and plants.FaraguvolVotive god. Puerto Rico and Haiti. The deifiedtrunk of a tree which is carried to a tribal chiefand presented. The being represented, classed asa ZEMI, is considered to wander about and canescape from a closed bag or sack.FaroRiver god. Bambara [Mali, West Africa]. Regardedas the deity who brought order to the world at thetime of creation. He impregnated himself andgave birth to twins who were the first humanFaunusMinor vegetation god. Roman. Consort of FAUNAwith guardianship of woods and plants. He wasgiven many of the attributes of the Greek godPAN including horns and legs of a goat.FeTutelary god. Gai [Ivory Coast, West Africa]. Bytradition he arbitrated a dispute between twotribes, the Chuilo and the Nyaio. The Nyaio wereeventually defeated and Fe became specificallythe god of the Chuilo people. He is propitiated by95

96 Fe’emeans of a dance in which a terrifying mask isworn.with food, tools and weapons. The sun and moonwere engendered from his cheeks.Fe’eGod of the dead. Polynesian. Perceived as a giantcuttlefish who was once subdued by the god ofdeep underground rocks. Part of the principle ofPolynesian religion that every deity has a superiorand and inferior who have either bested, or beenbested by, the other at some mythical time.Fei LianSee FENG PO.FelicitasMinor god. Roman. Linked with agriculturalprosperity. Known particularly from the secondcentury BC.Feng PoSky god. Chinese. Described as the “Count ofthe Wind,” which he releases from a sack, he hasstrong links with the sea. He was originallyregarded as malevolent and the antagonist of thegod Shen Yi. Feng Po may be depicted in humanform as an old man with a white beard, or in theguise of a dragon with the head of a bird or adeer. Also Fei Lian; Fei Lien; Feng Bo.FidesMinor god. Roman. Identified with faith and loyalty.A sanctuary was dedicated to him in Rome circa 254BC. Symbolized by a pair of covered hands.FJORGYNORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic) region. Early fertilitygoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period(circa AD 700) or earlier to Christianization(circa AD 1100).SYNONYMS possibly lord.CENTER(S) OF CULT none known.ART REFERENCES none known, but probably thesubject of anonymous carvings.LITERARY SOURCES scant mention in various Icelandiccodices. Fjorgyn is referred to by Snorriin Skaldskaparmal.Practically nothing is known about Fjorgyn,though it is suggested that she is the mother ofTHOR. She may therefore be lord by a differentname. May also have been married to, or had abrother by the same name (Fjorgyn). She is mentionedin the Voluspa of the Poetic Edda and isprobably the model for the Wagnerian characterErda.Snorri Sturluson suggests that a god Fjorgvin(Fjorgynn) may have been the father of the goddessFRIGG.FlaitheasTutelary goddess. Celtic (Irish). A name appliedto the “Sovereignty of Ireland.” By tradition Irishrulers-designate were offered a cup called thedergflaith to drink from, denoting their acceptanceas consort of the goddess.Fidi MukulluCreator god. Bena Lulua [Democratic Republicof Congo, central Africa]. He provides mankindFloraGoddess of flowers. Roman. Consort of ZEPHYRUSand chiefly worshiped by young girls with offerings

FREYR 97of fruit and flowers. Her major festivals, withstrongly sexual overtones but also identified withthe dead, were celebrated in the spring monthsfrom April 28 to early May and known as Floralia.ForsetiGod of unknown status. Nordic (Icelandic). Agod of Asgard said by Snorri to be the son ofBALDER and NANNA. According to an Icelandiclist of dwellings of the gods, Forseti owned a goldand silver hall, Glitnir, and was a good law makerand arbiter of disputes. Also Fosite (Friesian).FortunaGoddess of good fortune. Roman. A deity whoparticularly appealed to women, partly in an oracularcontext. She is depicted carrying a globe,rudder and cornucopiae. She probably evolvedfrom the model of the Greek goddess TYCHE.Her main symbol is the wheel of fate which shemay stand upon and Renaissance artists tended todepict her thus. Among her more celebrated sanctuariesin Rome, the temple of Fortuna Reduxwas built by Domitian to celebrate his victories inGermany. She is depicted in a well-known stonecarving in Gloucester Museum, England, holdingher three main attributes.FREYJA (lady)ORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic) or Germanic. Fertilityand vegetation goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and earlier, until after Christianization(circa AD 1100). SYNONYMS Gefn (giver);Mardoll; Syr (sow); Horn; Skialf; possiblyThorgerda in some parts of the north.CENTER(S) OF CULT principally in Sweden andNorway, but spread throughout the Nordicregion.ART REFERENCES stone carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose: Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); inscriptions;various place names.Freyja is one of the most popular of the deities inAsgard. A VANIR goddess, twin sister and/or wifeof FREYR, and daughter of NJORD. A goddess oflove concerned with affairs of the heart, marriageand prosperity. Much sought after by giants, andreputed to have enjoyed sexual liaisons with manysuitors, including gods and elves. She drives achariot pulled by two cats and is said to roam atnight in the form of a she-goat. She also ridesupon a boar with golden bristles, the Hildeswin.Closely associated with death, according to somelegends she received half of those slain in battle(see OTHIN). A weeping goddess with tears ofgold, symbolized by the boar (see FRIGG), shewears a necklace with ritual significance, theBrisingamen. Said to be able to take the shape ofa falcon and fly great distances. Associated with aform of witchcraft, seior, involving a seeress anddivination. Frigg and Freyja are possibly separateaspects of a single divine principle.FREYR (lord)ORIGIN Possibly Swedish or Germanic butextending throughout the Nordic region withlowest popularity in Iceland. Fertility god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and earlier, until Christianization (circaAD 1100).SYNONYMS none confirmed, but possiblyincluding Frodi (Denmark); YNG or ING; Lytir(Sweden).CENTER(S) OF CULT Uppsala (Sweden), Thrandheim(Norway) and various temples andshrines throughout the Nordic countries(none surviving).ART REFERENCES stone carvings.

98 FRIGGLITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); Adam of Bremen;inscriptions; place names.One of the VANIR gods inhabiting Asgard, andconcerned with the fertility, prosperity and peaceof the world. The twin of FREYJA and one of thechildren of NJORD. Married to the giantess Gerd,a liaison interpreted by some as representing themarriage of a sky god with the earth resulting inthe harvest. He was, according to the writer Adamof Bremen, represented in the cult temple atUppsala by a dramatically ithyphallic statue. TheFreyr cult was possibly accompanied by a sacredmarriage and he was regarded as the progenitor ofthe royal Swedish Ynglinge dynasty. According tothe Flateyjarbok (Icelandic), the statue of Freyrwas carried around the countryside in a coveredwagon with an attendant priestess to bless theseasons. Other festivals may have included a ritualdrama in which male attendants dressed ineffeminate costumes.Freyr enjoys very ancient links with the boar,considered to possess protective powers, and hehad a sacred animal with golden bristles calledGullinborsti. A sacred stable is described atThrandheim, one of the centers of a horse cultwith which he was also strongly identified. Freyris also associated with a ship cult based on thenotion of a phantom vessel, Skidbladnir orSkioblaonir, large enough to hold all the gods butsmall enough to fold into a man’s pocket.FRIGGORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic) or Germanic. Mothergoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and earlier, until Christianization (circaAD 1100).SYNONYMS Frija (Germanic).CENTER(S) OF CULT various around Nordicregion.ART REFERENCES stone carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); inscriptions;place names.The senior AESIR goddess living in Asgard; consortof OTHIN and mother of BALDER. Saxoimplies that she had been the unfaithful spousebut generally she was revered as a regal consortand “queen of heaven.” The Germanic version ofher name, Frija, is the origin of Friday. She isthought to have been closely concerned withchildbirth and midwifery. She may also haveheaded a group of shadowy female deities towhom carved stones were often erected in pre-Christian Europe (Roman matrones) associatedwith fertility and protection of the household.Such stones are generally found in the Rhineland.A weeping goddess occasionally described as takingthe shape of a falcon (see FREYJA).Fu ShenGod of luck. Chinese. He is often linked iniconography with TSAI SHEN, god of wealth, andSHOU LAO, god of longevity. Usually depictedwith his son, and wearing blue robes, which signifyhis official position.FujinGod of winds. Shinto [Japan]. Depicted carryinga sack on his shoulder which contains the fourwinds.FukurokujuGod of luck. Shinto [Japan]. One of seven deitiesin Shintoism concerned with fortune. He isallegedly a Chinese hermit who lived during theSung dynasty and whose name means happiness,wealth and longevity. He is depicted as a little oldman, bald and with a prominent high forehead.

Futsu-Nushi-No-Kami 99He carries a book of sacred teachings tied to hisstaff. Other occasional attributes include a crane,deer or tortoise.FullaMinor goddess. Germanic. Identified in the secondMerseburg Charm as an attendant of the goddessFRIGG and possibly her sister.Futo-TamaAncestral god. Shinto [Japan]. A significant deityin mythology because he took part in the divinationand ritual necessary before the process ofdrawing the sun goddess AMATERASU out of hercave could begin. He collected together variousmagical objects, pushed forward the perfectdivine mirror, recited the sacred liturgy andbegged Amaterasu never again to hide her face.The guardian of Prince NINIGI, ancestor of theimperial dynasty, Futo-Tama is more specificallythe ancestor of the Imba clan in Japan.Futsu-Nushi-No-KamiGod of war. Shinto [Japan]. One of two deitieswho made the way clear for Prince NINIGI todescend to earth and begin the imperial dynasty.A tutelary deity of swordsmen and judoka artists.Linked with the god TAKE-MIKA-DZUCHI–NO-KAMI.

G6GabijaFire goddess. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. She wasinvoked by tossing salt on to a sacred flame.GabjaujaCorn goddess. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. Shewas degraded to an evil demonic presence afterChristianization.GadGod of uncertain status. Western Semiticand Punic (Carthaginian). Probably concernedwith chance or fortune and known fromPalmyrene inscriptions, and from the VetusTestamentum in place names such as Baal-Gadand Midal-Gad. Popular across a wide areaof Syrio-Palestine and Anatolia in pre-Biblical times. Thought to have been syncretizedultimately with the Greek goddessTYCHE.Gaganaganja (treasury of ether)God. Buddhist. One of a group of BODHISATTVAS(buddha-designates). Color: yellow, red or gold.Attributes: blue lotus, book, jewel, lotus and wishingtree in a vase.GAIA (earth)ORIGIN Greek. Archetypal earth mother.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC untilChristianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Gaea; Ge; Terra.CENTER(S) OF CULT oracle at Delphi.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Theogony, Hymn to Gaia inthe so-called Homeric hymns (Hesiod); Aristophanes.Gaia is an ancient pre-Hellenic goddess who wasmainly revered in Attica. She is the primordialessence of the earth, one of the creations ofAETHER and Hedera, the primordial beings of thecosmos. Through the encouragement of EROSshe became the mother of PONTOS (sea) andOURANOS (heaven). According to tradition,through liaison with Ouranos, she also engenderedthe race of TITANS. By consorting with theunderworld she created the monstrous Typhon.Perceived as a placid and resilient goddess generallywith some apathy to the goings-on aroundher in the tale of beginnings. She had an oracle atDelphi that predated that of APOLLO. Gaia waslater superseded by other divinities, but she maintaineda role presiding over marriage and the takingof oaths. In the Iliad, Agamemnon cries toZeus: “May Zeus, all highest and first of gods, be100

GANESA 101witness first, then Gaia and Helios and the Furiesunderground who punish men for having brokenoaths.”In Hellenic times Gaia became Da-meter orDEMETER, the corn mother whose daughter isKORE, the corn spirit. Her attributes include fruitand cornucopiae.GajavahanaGod. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil). A form of SKANDAwho has an elephant as a vehicle. Mainly fromsouthern India. Attributes: cockerel and spear.Gal Bapsi (‘hook’ god)Local god. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. Worshiped particularly by the Bhils. Toexpiate sins, the penitent thrusts a hook into hisback and is suspended from it on the day whenthe sun enters Aries.Ganaskidi (humpback)God of harvests, plenty and of mists. Navaho[USA]. He is said to live at Depehahatil, a canyonwith many ruined cliff dwellings north of SanJuan. According to tradition he is the apotheosisof a bighorn sheep. His priest wears a blue maskwith no hair fringe but with a spruce crown andcollar. He has a black bag on his back, filled outwith a twig frame, that appears as a deformity,and he carries a staff.Gandha (odor)Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. In Lamaismone of the group of MATARAS (mothers). Color:green. Attribute: conch with sandalwood resin.Gandhari (of Ghandhara)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenSASANADEVATAS headed by the goddess SARAS-VATI. May also be a VIDYADEVI.GallaMinor underworld gods. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Attendants of thegoddess EREŠKIGAL. Also Gallu.Ganapati (lord of hosts)1. God. Hindu (Puranic). The more commonlyrecognized name of the elephant god GANESA,particularly favored in western India.2. God. Buddhist (Mahayana). The name of adeity influenced by the Hindu god Ganesa.Depicted riding upon a rat or mouse and carryingan assortment of attributes.Ganapatihrdaya (the heart of Ganapati)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). The SAKTIof GANAPATI.Gandha Tara (fragrance-Tara)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Color: red.Attribute: conch with sandalwood resin.GANESA (lord of hosts)ORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India]. God ofwisdom and prudence.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 400 onwarduntil present.SYNONYMS GANAPATI.CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally bronze butalso stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES late Mahabharata recensionsand Brihaddharma-Purana etc.Ganesa is god of wisdom and art, a benign deitygenerally assumed to offer help when invoked to

102 Gangaovercome difficulties. He may have originated asa fertility god and as a YAKSA (local forest deity).His father is ŠIVA. His mother, PARVATI, is said tohave created him from the scurf of her skin. He isdepicted in human form with an elephant’s head(or, less frequently, up to five heads) and a trunk(which removes obstacles), sometimes bearingone tusk, on a stout or obese body (which containsthe universe). He has four arms which cancarry a large number of attributes but particularlya shell, a discus, a mace and a water-lily. Hissacred animal is the bandicoot. He is called uponbefore going on a journey, moving house or openinga new business.According to one legend his elephant headwas gained after his mother had put him outsidethe house to guard the doorstep while she took abath. He barred the way to his father whereuponŠiva inadvertently decapitated him. His mothervowed to secure a head for him from the firstpassing creature, which happened to be anelephant. Another account suggests that Parvatitook Ganesa to show him off to the gods but thatSANI (Saturn) burned his head to ashes and theelephant’s head was provided to save his life by acompassionate VIŠNU.Ganesa’s great popularity results in frequentappearance in temples devoted to other Hindudeities. Sculptures are sometimes painted red. Heis also a common household guardian made popularby his gentle nature.her fall. She rides on a fish or water monster. Color:white. Attributes: fly whisk, lotus and water jar.GangirGoddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). One ofthe seven daughters of the goddess Baba, knownchiefly at Lagaš. Also, and more properly,Hegir-Nuna.GarmangabisTutelary goddess. South Germanic. Invoked bythe Suebi tribe to bring prosperity. She may belinked with the north German goddess GEFJON.Garuda (the devourer)Archaic sun god and divine vehicle. Hindu(Vedic). Originally depicted as a solar deity,Garuda evolved into a bird-like human hybridwho became the deified mount of VIŠNU. Also achief adversary of nagas (snake-like demons),which he devours. In early depictions Garuda hasa parrot’s beak. Said to have been born from anegg, the son of Vinata and KASYAPA. Epithetsinclude Amrtaharana, Garutman, Tarksya. Attributes:conch, club, lotus and nectar, but may alsobear the attributes of Višnu.2. Mount or vahana of VAJRAPANI. Buddhist.Attributes: flower, horse-head, noose, skin andstaff. Three-eyed and three-headed.GangaRiver goddess. Hindu (Puranic). Guardian deity ofthe Ganges. The elder daughter of HIMAVAN andMENA, she is the sister of PARVATI and the consortof VIŠNU and AGNI. She is also the second consortof ŠIVA. Ganga is regarded as a symbol of purity andis frequently depicted with Brahma washing theraised foot of VIŠNU TRIVIKRAMA. According totradition she was a heavenly river brought to earthand caught by Šiva in his hair to soften the shock ofGatumdugFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). The daughter of thesky god AN, she is the tutelary mother goddessof Lagaš.GaunabMalevolent god of darkness. Khoi (Hottentot)[Namibia, southern Africa]. The chief adversary

Gefjon 103of the creator god TSUNIGOAB. He was engagedin a primordial struggle for supremacy duringwhich Tsunigoab was wounded but eventuallytriumphed, consigning Gaunab to the so-called“black heaven.”Gauri (whitish brilliant)1. Goddess. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). Consortof the god VARUNA, said to have been created atthe churning of the ocean of milk. An epithet ofPARVATI as a goddess of the corn. Also a SAKTI ofMahesvara, a minor aspect of ŠIVA. Her attendantanimal is a lion or a wolf. Attributes: fish, forestgarland, image of GANESA, lotus, mirror, rosary,trident and water jar. Three-eyed. Also Varuni.2. Goddess. Buddhist. One of eight GAURIS ofterrible appearance. Attributes: head and noose.3. Messenger goddess. Jain [India]. A SASANADE-VATA. Also one of sixteen VIDYADEVIS or goddessesof learning headed by SARASVATI. Color:white. Attribute: a hook.NOTE: Gauri-Tara is a distinct minor BuddhistMahayana goddess.Gautama BuddhaSee BUDDHA.GayatriPersonification of a hymn. Hindu. The name ofa popular hymn in the Rg Veda, dedicated to thesun. Also the name of one, possibly the second, ofthe consorts of BRAHMA.See also SARASVATI.GEB(earth)ORIGIN Egyptian. Chthonic or earth god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Old Kingdom(circa 2600 BC) to end of Egyptian history (circaAD 400).SYNONYMS Seb (erroneous).CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific but often associatedwith tombs.ART REFERENCES paintings in Valley of theKings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid and coffin texts;New Kingdom religious papyri including thePapyrus of Tentamun.Geb, the offspring of ŠU and TEFNUT, is a “thirdgeneration” deity of the ENNEAD in Heliopolisand, as the brother and consort of NUT, becomesthe father of ISIS and OSIRIS in the Heliopolisgenealogy. Geb appears on papyri from the NewKingdom typically wearing the crown of LowerEgypt, lying on the ground with his armsstretched in opposite directions: “one to the sky,one to the earth.” When drawn with Nut, who isa sky goddess, his penis is often erect andextended toward her. He may also be accompaniedby a goose (his sign in hieroglyphic).Geb is a vegetation god, frequently coloredgreen and with greenery sprouting from him. Heis also seen as a god of healing, particularly calledupon for protection against scorpion stings. In aless benign context, Geb reputedly snatches thesouls of the dead and may imprison them againstpassing into the afterlife. He is also a god concernedwith judgment in the dispute betweenHORUS and SETH. As Horus’s father, he presidedover his crowning, and therefore continued toprotect each rightful heir to the crown of Egypt.GefjonGoddess of agriculture. Germanic and Nordic(Icelandic). One of the AESIR deities and an attendantof the goddess FRIGG according to traditionmentioned by Snorri in the Edda. She bore fourgiant sons whom she turned into oxen and usedthem to plough a tract of land which was thentowed out to sea to become Zeeland (Sjaeland).She is also said to have founded a royal Danishdynasty. Also Gefiun.

104 GeminiGeminiSee DIOSKOUROI.GeniusGod of men. Roman. The personification ofcreativity and strength in mortal males, thecounterpart of JUNO. Roman religion alsodictated that every place had its guardian spirit,the genius loci.GerraGod of fire. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Derived from the Sumerian GIBIL, heis the son of ANU and ANUNITU and becomeslargely syncretized with both ERRA and NERGAL.Geštin-AnaChthonic goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).The sister of DUMUZI and consort of Ningisida.The so-called “heavenly grape-vine,” this minorgoddess is involved in the account of Dumuzi tryingto escape from his fate at the hands of INANAand EREŠKIGAL. In her house he is changed intoa gazelle before being caught and finally transportedto the underworld.GeštuMinor god of intellect. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). According tolegend he was sacrificed by the great godsand his blood was used in the creation ofmankind.Geus TasanCattle god. Persian [Iran]. The creator of cattle.Sometimes considered to be an aspect of AHURAMAZDA.Geus UrvanCattle god. Persian [Iran]. The guardian of cattlewho appears in the guise of a cow.Ghantakarna (ears like bells)God of healing. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Anattendant of ŠIVA, worshiped as a guardian againstdiseases of the skin. Attributes: bell with noose,and hammer.NOTE: there is also a poorly defined goddessGhantakarni.Ghantapani (bell in hand)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). One of the group ofdhyanibodhisattva (meditation BUDDHAS). An emanationof Vajrasattva. Color: white. Attribute: a bell.Ghasmari (voracious)Goddess of terrifying appearance. Buddhist. Oneof a group of eight GAURIS. Color: green. Attributes:staff with bell.GhentuMinor god. Hindu. Known in northern India asthe god who “sends the itch.”GibilFire god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). The son ofAN and KI. By the Akkadian period he becomesknown as GERRA.GibiniPlague god. Gishu [Uganda, East Africa]. Associatedwith the smallpox god ENUNDU, he is propitiatedwith offerings of vegetables and issymbolized by special trees planted near the house.

GOBNIU 105GiltineGoddess of death. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. Sheis said to enter the house of a dying person,dressed in a white gown, and suffocate them.GishGod of war. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Known chieflyamong the Kati people in the southern Hindukush.Gish seems partly modeled on the Aryan(Vedic) god INDRA (see also INDR). One of theoffspring of the creator god IMRA, his mother isnamed as Utr; she carried him for eighteenmonths before he wrenched himself from herbelly, stitching her up with a needle. His consortis the goddess SANJU. He slaughters with greatefficiency but is considered lacking in graces andintellect, emerging in a generally boorish light(see also THOR). His home is a fortress of steelatop a mythical walnut tree propped up by hismother which provides nourishment and strengthfor his warriors. The rainbow is a sling withwhich he carries his quiver.Gish is associated chiefly with the villages ofKamdesh and Shtiwe but has been worshipedthroughout the Kafir region with the sacrifice ofhornless oxen, particularly prior to combat. Afeast was given in his honor if the outcome wassuccessful. Also Giwish.GiszidaGod. Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). See Nin-giszida.See also NINGISZIDA.GitaMother goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof a group of Astamataras (mothers). Color: red.Attributes: Indian gong and lute.GlaucusSea god. Roman.See also GLAUKOS.GlaukosSea god. Greek. Allegedly an impoverished fishermanwho ate a sea-grass with magical properties,dived into the ocean and remained there as aguardian deity of fishermen and their nets.See also PROTEUS.GletiMoon goddess. Fon [Benin, West Africa]. Theconsort of the sun god LISA and the mother of alarge number of minor astral deities, the gletivi,who became the stars of heaven.GOBNIU (smith)ORIGIN Celtic (Irish). God of skills including alebrewing.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP early times untilChristianization, circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Goibniu; GOVANNON (Welsh).CENTER(S) OF CULT none specifically known.ART REFERENCES various monumental sculpturesand inscriptions.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles of Kings.Gobniu is known chiefly for his skills as a metalsmith and in brewing the immortal beer of thegods. He fashions invincible magic weapons forthe TUATHA DE DANANN. In his brewing activitieshe uses a vast bronze caldron, a copy of which washoused in various sanctuaries and was apparentlyat times associated with the ritual slaughter ofkings of Ireland. Gobniu forms part of a triad ofdeities, the Na tri dee dana (three gods of skill),with Credne, a deity skilful in brazing, and Luchta.

106 Gonaqade’tGonaqade’tSea god. Chilkat [American north Pacific coast].By tradition he brings power and good fortune toall who see him. He appears in several guises, risingfrom the water as a gaily painted house inlaidwith blue and green Haliotis shell, or as the headof a huge fish, or as a painted war canoe. Generallydepicted in art as a large head with arms, pawsand fins.Gon-Po Nag-PoGod. Lamaist [Tibet]. See also MAHAKALA. AlsoBram-zei gzugs-can; mGon-dkar; GUR-GYI-MGON-PO.GoraknathGuardian god. Hindu. An avatara of Šiva, worshipedamong cow-herders and the founder ofthe gorakhnathi sect in Nepal.GrannusGod of healing. Romano-Celtic (ContinentalEurope). The name appears across a wide areagenerally associated with medicinal springs andhot mineral waters, including sites at Aix-la-Chapelle, Grand (Vosges), Trier, Brittany, and asfar distant as the Danube basin. Grannus becamesyncretized with the Roman god APOLLO asApollo Grannus, and baths were sometimes calledAquae Granni.GratiaeGoddesses. Roman. The counterparts of theGreek Charites. Identified with the arts and generallydepicted with long flowing tresses, but otherwisenaked.Grdhrasya (face of a vulture)Minor goddess. Buddhist.GovannonGod of skills. Celtic (Welsh). Son of the goddessDON.See also GOBNIU.Grahamatrka (demon mother)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). One of the formsof VAIROCANA. Attributes: arrow, bow, lotus andstaff. Three-headed.GramadevataGeneric term for a local tutelary deity. India. Suchdeities are identified as “not being served by Brahmanpriests.” Most are goddesses e.g. CAMUNDA,DURGA and KALI. Generally they are invoked insmall villages where they guard boundaries andfields and are represented by a painted stone, butthey are also to be found in larger towns and cities.Grismadevi (goddess of summer)Seasonal goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Alsoan attendant of SRIDEVI. Usually accompanied bya yak. Color: red. Attributes: ax and cup.GugulannaMinor underworld deity. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).The consort of the goddess EREŠKIGAL,mentioned as the pretext on which the fertilitygoddess INANA descends to the netherworld.GujoTutelary guardian deity. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Agod of whom there is nothing other than a passingreference from among the extinct southernHindukush tribe of Pachags. He may have been alocal consort of the messenger goddess Zhiwu.

Gusilim 107GukumatzSky god. Mayan (Quiche, classical Mesoamerican)[Guatemalan highlands]. The son of thecreator gods E QUAHOLOM and E ALOM, andequating to the feathered serpent god of Aztecreligion, QUETZALCOATL.Gula (great one)Goddess of healing. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Consort of NINURTA.Her animal is the dog. She may be synonymouswith NIN’INSINA. Also mentioned in HellenisticBabylonian times. A Gula temple is described atUruk. Also NINTINUGGA.Gul-ŠešCollective name for goddesses of fate. Hittite.They dispense good or evil, life or death. AlsoHutena (Hurrian).Gulsilia MataMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who in later Hinduism became regarded asof evil intent, inflicting sickness. Particularlyknown from Bengal.Gundari-MyooJapanese Buddhist. The terrific manifestation ofthe DHYANIBUDDHA RATNASAMBHAVA. He bearsthree eyes and fangs. His eight arms and legs aredecorated with snakes. Attributes include a skullon the hair and he stands on a lotus.GunabibiCreator goddess. Australian aboriginal. Also knownas Kunapipi, she is extensively revered by aboriginesin northern Australia, including the Yolngu people.Her cult bears some similarity to that of the Greekmother goddess DEMETER and to Tantric cults inIndia. For this reason the cult is thought to havebeen introduced from Asia to Arnhem Land andthen to other parts of the Australian continent asearly as the sixth century. Mythology indicates thatGunabibi has been perceived as a deity who camefrom the sea or the rivers during the Dreamtimebut who reigns now over dry land. Among modernaborigines she is the subject of esoteric rituals whichalso involve the great serpent Yulunggul with whomGunabibi has been closely involved.GunnodoyakIroquois (North American Indian). A youthfulheroic deity who was once mortal. He wasempowered by the spirit of thunder, Hino, toconquer the Great Water Snake, enemy ofhumankind. The serpent devoured Gunnodoyakbut was then slain by Hino, who cut open thesnake, recovered the body of Gunnodoyak andreturned him to his rightful place in heaven.GunuraDeity of uncertain status. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Described variouslyas the husband of the goddess NIN’INSINAand the father of Damu (DUMUZI), but also as thesister of Damu.Gur-Gyi Mgon-PoGod of tents. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. A formof MAHAKALA usually attended by a man. Color:blue. Attributes: club, cup and knife.Gusilim (loud voice)God. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).See also IŠTARAN.

108 GwydionGwydionGod of war. Celtic (Welsh). His mother is DON theWelsh mother goddess. He allegedly caused a warbetween Gwynedd and Dyfed. He visited the courtof PRYDERI, son of RHIANNON, in Dyfed, and stolehis pigs. In the ensuing combat Gwydion usedmagic powers and slew Pryderi. He seems to haveunderworld links, hence the route taken by thedead, the Milky Way, was named Caer Gwydion.Gwynn Ap NuddChthonic underworld god. Celtic (Welsh).Known locally from South Wales. The leader ofthe phantom hunt which chases a white stag. Heequates with HERNE in England and ARAWN inmore northern parts of Wales.

H6HaGuardian god. Egyptian. Early deity of the westernSahara referred to as warding off enemies(possibly Libyan) from the west. Depicted inanthropomorphic form crowned by the symbol ofdesert dunes.Hachacyum (our very lord)Creator god. Mayan (Lacandon, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The creator of theworld assisted by three other deities, his consortand two brothers, one of whom is Sucunyum, hiscounterpart (or alter ego) in the underworld. AlsoNohochacyum (our great lord).HachimanGod of war and peace. Shinto [Japan]. A deitywhose origins are confused. The name does notappear in either of the sacred texts of Shintoism,but such a deity was probably worshiped in thedistant past with the alternative title of Hime-Gami or Hime-O-Kami. The cult center was onthe southern island of Kyushu at Usa. In modernShintoism, Hachiman originates as a member ofthe imperial dynasty. Named Ojin-Tenno and bornin AD 200 to the empress Jingu-Kogo, he greatlyimproved the living standards and culture of Japanduring his remarkable reign. The place of his birthwas marked by a sanctuary and several centuriesafter his death, a vision of a child KAMI appearedthere to a priest. The kami identified himself by theChinese ideogram representing the name Hachiman,and thus the link developed. The site is,today, the location of a magnificent shrine, theUmi-Hachiman-Gu, where Hachiman has beenperceived as a god of war. Soldiers departing forbattle once took with them relics from the shrine.Hachiman is also a deity of peace and aguardian of human life and, when pacifism dominatedJapan during the post-war era, he becamemore strongly identified in the latter context.HadadWeather god. Western Semitic (Syrian andPhoenician). Derived from the Akkadian deityADAD. In texts found at the site of the ancientCanaanite capital of Ugarit [Ras Šamra] , thename of Hadad apparently becomes a substitutefor that of BAAL. His voice is described as roaringfrom the clouds and his weapon is the thunderbolt.His mother is the goddess AŠERAH.During Hellenic times he was predominantlyworshiped at Ptolemais and Hierapolis. His Syrianconsort is ATARGATIS, who overshadowed himin local popularity at Hierapolis. Statues of the109

110 HADEStwo deities were carried in procession to the seatwice yearly. According to the Jewish writer Josephus,Hadad also enjoyed a major cult followingat Damascus in the eighth and ninth centuriesBC. By the third century BC the Hadad-Atargatiscult had extended to Egypt, when he becomesidentified as the god SUTEKH. In the Greek traditionhis consort becomes HERA.See also ADAD.HADES (the invisible one)ORIGIN Greek. God of death.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC untilChristianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Aidoneus (Roman); Dis; PLUTOS;ORCUS (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT restricted to Pylos.ART REFERENCES none specific.LITERARY SOURCES Odyssey, Iliad (Homer);Theogony (Hesiod).Hades is the son of KRONOS and RHEA and may beperceived as the chthonic form of ZEUS; he is alsothe consort of PERSEPHONE (KORE). Since all preciousmetals and stones lie buried in the earth, heis also the god of riches. He rides in a black chariotdrawn by four black horses. His home in theunderworld is the House of Ais. The closelyguarded gates of his kingdom, also called Hades,are identified in the Odyssey as lying beyond theocean at the edge of the world and in the Iliad aslying directly beneath the earth. Through Hadesrun the rivers Styx, beside which the gods madetheir hallowed oaths, and Lethe, with its waters offorgetfulness. In the Odyssey the rivers are identifiedas the Pyriphlegethon and Kokytos (a tributary ofthe Styx) both of which flow into the Acheron.Hades abducts Persephone (Kore), the daughterof DEMETER, and brings her to the underworldto reign as his queen for four months inevery year. He is depicted as a dark-bearded godcarrying a two-pronged harpoon or a scepter, anda key. He may be called Plutos, although the latteris generally regarded as a distinct deity.Hahana Ku (much rains house god)Messenger god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerica)[Mexico]. According to tradition, when the godHACHACYUM decides to send rain he directsHahana Ku to visit the black powder maker MEN-ZABAC. Hahana Ku buys only a small quantity,against the wishes of the vendor.HahanuGod of uncertain function. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Known from passingreference in texts and from inscriptions.Haili’lajPlague god. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. Particularly associated withsmallpox. Believed to be so terrible that he is noteven propitiated with food. He sails in a canoe ofpestilence with huge sails like those of the whiteman’s ships which brought plague to the Indians.HakeaGoddess of the underworld. Polynesian, Hawaii.Her role was generally shared with the chthonicgoddess Miru.HalaGoddess of healing. Kassite [Iraq]. Probably latersyncretized with the Akkadian goddess GULA.Halahala (lord of poison)God of poison. Buddhist (Mahayana). A form ofAVALOKITESVARA. Typically seated on a red lotus

Hanui–o–rangi 111with the SAKTI on the left knee. Color: white.Attributes: arrow, bow, cup, grass, image ofAMITABHA on crown, lotus, tiger skin and trident.Three-headed and three-eyed.HaldiTutelary god. Urartian [Armenia]. Known fromcirca 1000 BC until circa 800 BC.Halki (barley)Corn god. Hittite and Hurrian. He may also havebeen invoked by beer makers.their lifestyle. Attributes include a basket of flowersand a flute.See also BA XIAN.Hani(s)Minor god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The attendant of ADAD and linked with SULLAT.Hani-Yasu-HikoGod of potters. Shinto [Japan]. The consort ofHANI-YASU-HIME, he is one of the clay deities madefrom the faeces of the primordial goddess IZANAMI.HamadryadesAnimistic tree spirits. Greco-Roman. Vaguelydefined female beings whose existence isrestricted to the individual trees of which theyare guardians.Hani-Yasu-HimeGoddess of potters. Shinto [Japan]. The consortof HANI-YASU-HIKO, she is one of the clay deitiesmade from the faeces of the primordial goddessIZANAMI.HamavehaeMother goddesses. Romano-Celtic (Rhineland).A trio of matres known from inscriptions.HammonGod of the evening sun. Libyan. An ancient deitydepicted with ram’s horns.Hammu MataMother goddess. Hindu. Locally worshiped bythe Bhils.Han Xiang-ziImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology. Oncemortal beings, they achieved immortality throughHannahannasMother goddess. Hittite and Hurrian. Describedas the “great mother.” In the legend of TELEPINU,the missing god, she sends a bee to locate him.When the bee stings Telepinu to awaken him, thegod vents his rage on the natural world.NOTE: the priestesses of the Phrygian mothergoddess KYBELE were, according to the Romanwriter Lactantius, melissai or bees.Hansa (goose)Minor avatara of VIŠNU. Hindu (Puranic).Depicted in the form of a goose.Hanui-o-Rangi (father of winds)God of winds and weather. Polynesian. He is theson of the sky god RANGINUI, who fathered him

112 Hanumanon one of his early consorts, Pokoharua, the sisterof TANGAROA, the sea god. All the subsequentdescendants of Hanui-o-Rangi are believed torule over various aspects of the weather. Hanuithus fathered Tawhiri, the god of the northwestwind, whose son was Tiu. They control the fiercestorms from the east. The children of Tiu includeHine-I-Tapapauta and Hine-Tu-Whenua, thedeities overseeing the more gentle westerly winds.Hine-Tu-Whenua is the mother of Hakona-Tipuand Pua-I-Taha, controlling the southern andsouthwesterly gales.Hanuman (with large jaws)Monkey god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Hanumanattends RAMA, one of the incarnations ofVIŠNU, and personifies the ideal and faithful servant.He is the son of PAVANA, the god of winds,and is noted for his speed and agility in whichcontext he is often worshiped by young men andathletes. He leads a mythical forest army of monkeys,and is depicted as a monkey with a long tail.He takes a major role in the Ramayana epicsearching for, and rescuing, the goddess SITA whohas been captured by the demon Ravana. He mayappear trampling on the goddess of Lanka [SriLanka]. Worshiped particularly in southern Indiabut more generally in villages. Color: red. Attributes:bow, club, mane, rock and staff. May appearfive-headed.HaoCreator god. Janjero [Ethiopia]. Personified bythe crocodile and considered to reside in the riverGibe. He was propitiated with human sacrifice.HapyFertility god of the Nile flood. Egyptian. Inhabitscaverns adjacent to the Nile cataracts and overseesthe annual inundation of the Nile valley. Hiscourt includes crocodile gods and frog goddesses.There are no known sanctuaries to Hapy. He isdepicted in anthropomorphic form but androgynous,with prominent belly, pendulous breastsand crowned with water plants. He may hold atray of produce. At Abydos he is depicted as atwo-headed goose with human body.See also KHNUM.Hara (destroyer)Epithet of ŠIVA. Hindu (Puranic). Also one of theEKADASARUDRAS (eleven rudras).Hara KeGoddess of sweet water. Songhai [Niger, WestAfrica]. Considered to live beneath the waters intributaries of the river Niger, attended by twodragons, Godi and Goru. The spirits of the deadare believed to live in a paradise city in the depthsof the Niger.HarakhtiA form of the god HORUS. Egyptian. The aspectof the god who rises at dawn in the eastern sky.According to Pyramid Texts, the king is born onthe eastern horizon as Harakhti, which contradictsthe more commonly held belief that the kingis the son of RE, the sun god.Hara-Yama-Tsu-MiMountain god. Shinto [Japan]. Particularly thedeity of wooded mountain slopes.HardaulPlague god. Hindu. A locally worshiped deityknown particularly in Bundelkhand, northern

Harpokrates 113India, as a protector against cholera and consideredto have been an historical figure who died inAD 1627. Also a wedding god.Kingdom (circa 1550-1000 BC) identify the sphinxat Giza as Harmachis looking toward the easternhorizon. Also Har-em-akhet (Egyptian).Harendotes [Greek]Form of the god HORUS. Egyptian. Under thisname, Horus specifically guards and protects hisfather OSIRIS in death. He thus becomes associatedwith sarcophagi and appears frequently incoffin texts. Also Har-nedj-itef (Egyptian).Hari (yellowish brown)Minor incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu(Epic and Puranic). Popularized by modern religiousmovements, Hari is one of the sons of thegod DHARMA who sprang from the heart ofBRAHMA. He is most closely linked with KRSNA,but he and Krsna also parallel Dharma’s othersons, NARA and NARAYANA. Hari can be a moregeneric epithet applied to several Hindu gods.Hariti (green or stealing)1. Mother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic).One of the group of MATARAS (mothers) who arethe patrons of children. Considered by some to beidentical with the goddess Vriddhi. Her consort isPancika, alternatively KUBERA. In her destructiveaspect she steals and eats children. Particularlyknown from the north and northwest of India.Attribute: a child may be held at her hip, sometimesbeing eaten.2. Plague goddess. Buddhist. Associated withsmallpox. Also regarded in some texts as the goddessof fertility.Harmachis [Greek]Form of the god HORUS. Egyptian. Harmachis isHorus as the sun god. Inscriptions from the NewHarmoniaGoddess of joining. Greco-Roman. Daughterof ARES (MARS) and APHRODITE (VENUS) orCytherea. The consort of Cadmus and motherof Ino, SEMELE, Agave, Autonoe and Polydorus.She is the apotheosis of harmony in life whichis also displayed in musical euphony. AlsoHermione.Haroeris [Greek]Form of the god HORUS as a man. Egyptian. Thename distinguishes the mature deity from HAR-POKRATES, the child Horus. In this form heavenges his father, OSIRIS, and regains hiskingdom from SETH, his uncle. He is depicted asthe falcon god. Also Harueris; Har-wer (bothEgyptian); HARENDOTES.HarpinaRiver goddess. Greek. Daughter of the river godASOPOS, she was seduced by ARES, who fatheredOenomaus (a king said to have reigned nearOlympia) on her.Harpokrates [Greek]Form of the god HORUS as a child. Egyptian.Generally depicted sitting on the knee of hismother, the goddess ISIS, often suckling at the leftbreast and wearing the juvenile side-lock of hair.He may also be invoked to ward off dangerouscreatures and is associated with crocodiles, snakesand scorpions. He is generally representative ofthe notion of a god-child, completing the unionof two deities. Also Har-pa-khered (Egyptian).

114 HarsaHarsa (desire)Goddess. Hindu. The SAKTI of the god HRSIKESA.HastehoganChief house god. Navaho [USA]. Also a god offarming identified with the west and the sky atsunset. Regarded as a benevolent deity who aidsmankind and cures disease. Believed to live in acave system near San Juan. He also has a malevolentaspect in which he can cast evil spells. Hispriest wears a blue mask, at the bottom of whichis a horizontal yellow band representing eveninglight, with eight vertical black strokes representingrain. It is decorated with eagle and owlfeathers.HarsieseForm of the god HORUS. Egyptian. Specificallywhen personifying the child of ISIS and OSIRIS.According to the Pyramid Texts, Harsiese performsthe “opening of the mouth” rite for the deadking.Harsomtus [Greek]Form of the god HORUS. Egyptian. In thisform Horus unites the northern and southernkingdoms of Egypt. He is depicted as a child comparablewith HARPOKRATES. At the Edfu temple,he is identified thus as the offspring of Horus theelder and HATHOR. Also Har-mau (Egyptian).HasameliGod of metalworkers. Hittite and Human.Invoked by blacksmiths.Hasta (hand)Minor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA or astral goddess;daughter of DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).HastsbakaMale elder of the gods. Navaho [USA]. Otherwiseof uncertain status. His priest wears a blue buckskinmask with a fringe of hair, a spruce collarand a scarlet loin cloth with a leather belt decoratedwith silver and with a fox pelt dangling fromthe back. He is otherwise naked and paintedwhite. He holds a whitened gourd rattle, whichmay be decorated with spruce twigs, in his righthand, and a wand of spruce in his left hand. AlsoYebaka.HastsebaadChief of goddesses. Navaho [USA]. She is involvedin rites of exorcism and wields considerable influence.The six goddesses of the tribe all wear identicalmasks, and in ritual the part of the deity isplayed by a boy or small man wearing a maskwhich covers the entire head and neck, and whois almost naked but for an ornate scarf on the hipsand a leather belt decorated with silver and witha fox pelt dangling behind. The skin is paintedwhite.HastseltsiGod of racing. Navaho [USA]. He organizes andoversees athletic races. The priest who impersonateshim has to be a good runner andchallenges others, using high-pitched squeakingcalls. If the priest wins, the contender is whippedwith a yucca scourge. If the contender wins,there is no penalty! A fastidious deity who avoidscontact with any unclean objects. His ceremonialmask is a domino shape covering mouth andthroat with white shells over the eyes andmouth.

HATHOR 115HastseoltoiGoddess of hunting. Navaho [USA]. She may beseen as the consort of the war god NAYENEZGANI.She carries two arrows, one in each hand, andwears a quiver and bow case. Navaho traditiondictates that no pictures are drawn of this deity.See also ARTEMIS.Hastseyalti (talking elder)Chief of gods. Navaho [USA]. Not regarded as acreator deity, but god of the dawn and the easternsky. Also guardian of animals in the hunt and,possibly, of corn. Regarded as a benevolent deitywho aids mankind and cures disease. He also hasa malevolent aspect in which he can cast evilspells. His priest invokes him in a ceremonialdance wearing a white mask with a symbol consistingof a corn stalk with two ears. At the bottomis a horizontal yellow band representing eveninglight, with eight vertical black strokes representingrain. Also Yebitsai.HastseziniGod of fire. Navaho [USA]. A “black” god who isreclusive and generally apart from other deities.He is the inventor of fire and of the fire drill andboard. His priest dresses in black and wears ablack mask with white-bordered eye and mouthholes. The ceremonial fire drill is made fromcedarwood.HatdastsisiGod. Navaho [USA]. A benevolent deity, he curesdisease through the medium of his priest, whoflagellates the affected parts. His home is believedto be near Tsegihi in New Mexico. Sacrifices toHatdastsisi are made up from reeds decoratedwith a design representing the blue yucca plant,which is buried in the earth to the east of thetribal lodge. His priest wears a buckskin maskdecorated with owl feathers, and a spruce collar,but otherwise ordinary Navaho dress with whitebuckskin leggings.HATHORORIGIN Egyptian. Mother goddess and goddessof love.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from Old Kingdom(circa 2700 BC), but possibly earlier, until theend of Egyptian history (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS none significant.CENTER(S) OF CULT Dendara, Giza, Thebes.ART REFERENCES wall paintings from the majorsanctuary at Dendara; sculptures including anoutstanding composition from the temple ofKing Menkaure at Giza; reliefs in the temple ofQueen Hatsheput at Thebes; other contemporarysculpture and painting; sistrum rattles, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Book of the Dead, HarrisPapyrus etc.Hathor is a major Egyptian deity, with a benignmotherly nature and invariably depicted, in oneform or another, as a cow goddess with strongsky associations. Her father is the sun god RE andshe is often described as the mother of all Egyptianpharaohs. In early times evidence suggeststhat she was regarded as the mother of HORUS,but once the OSIRIS legend gained widespreadpopularity, she came to bear a complex protectiverather than maternal relationship with Horus. Ina conflicting tradition stemming from the cultcenter of Horus at Edfu in Upper Egypt, Hathoris also drawn as Horus’ consort. In the legend ofthe “eye of Re,” she shows a potentially destructivenature, but this is an isolated instance.In art she may be depicted as a cow, as in thesculpture of her browsing among papyrus plantsand suckling the pharaoh Amenhotep II from theHathor sanctuary of Tuthmosis III, or in human

116 Hatmehytform wearing a hairstyle which mimics theMesopotamian “omega” symbol (see NINHUR-SAG˜ A). In the latter depiction she wears a crownwhich consists of a sun disc surrounded by thecurved horns of a cow. She is prominent thus inmany of the royal tombs in the Valley of theKings at Thebes where she is seen as a funerarydeity strongly linked with Re when he descendsbelow the western horizon. Hathor is also represented,not infrequently, in the capitals of architecturalcolumns. Like Ninhursag˜a she isassociated with lions. Other symbols include thepapyrus reed and the snake.Hathor is also a goddess of love and sexuality,and is associated with the erotic aspects of musicand dancing. Her priestesses carried sistrum rattlesand menat “necklaces,” both of which arepercussion instruments used in cultic rites. Thepharaoh was the “son of Hathor” and everyEgyptian princess automatically became a priestessof the goddess. Many pharaonic tombs andmagical papyri include description of “sevenHathors” who predict the fate of a child at birthand these deities were often called upon inspells.Hathor enjoyed great popularity in Greco-Roman culture and many elements in the makeupof the goddess APHRODITE are modeled on herEgyptian style.Hatmehyt (she who leads the fishes)Fertility and guardian goddess of fish and fishermen.Egyptian. Local deity whose cult center wasat Mendes [Tell el-Ruba] in the Nile delta. Sheis the consort of the ram god BANEBDJEDET.Depicted anthropomorphically, or as a fish.HatthiPlague goddess. Hindu. Particularly associatedwith cholera in northwestern India.HaubasLocal god. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian. Knownfrom inscriptions.HauhetPrimordial goddess. Egyptian. One of the eightdeities of the OGDOAD, representing chaos, she iscoupled with the god HEH and appears in anthropomorphicform but with the head of a snake.The pair epitomize the concept of infinity. She isalso depicted greeting the rising sun in the guiseof a baboon.HaukimLocal god. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian. Possiblya deity concerned with arbitration and the law.HaumeaMother goddess. [Hawaiian.] She is the daughterof PAPATUANUKU, the primordial earth mother,and is revered by many people of Polynesia andby the Maori of New Zealand. Her more notablechildren include PELE, the volcano goddess ofHawaii, and HI’AIKA, the goddess of the dance.As a deity responsible for birth, Haumea possessesa magical wand that she used at the time ofcreation to engender fruit trees and fish. Fromtime to time she uses it to replenish stocks.Mythology also identifies her as a heroine whosaved herself and her consort from enemies atthe time of creation by hiding in a breadfruit treeand fending off the attackers with poisonous sapand wood splinters.HaumiatiketikeVegetation god. Polynesian (including Maori).The deity concerned with wild plants gathered asfood, and particularly with the rhizome of the

HEBAT 117bracken which has been traditionally relied on bythe Maori in times of famine or need.HaurunChthonic or earth god. Western Semitic(Canaanite). Haurun was introduced to Egyptianreligion probably by émigré workers who relatedhim to the sculpture of the Sphinx at Giza. Haurunwas known locally as a god of healing.Hayagriva (horse neck)1. The most significant minor incarnation of thegod VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). He probablyoriginated as a horse god and later became anavatara associated with wisdom and knowledge.At the behest of BRAHMA, Hayagriva rescued theVedas, stolen by two demons, from the bottom ofthe primeval ocean. Depicted in human form withthe head of a horse and, according to the texts,eight hands. Attributes: book (Veda), horse’s maneand rosary. Also the attributes of Višnu. AlsoHayasirsa, Vadavavaktra.2. Patron god of horses. Buddhist-Lamaist[Tibet]. One of a group of DHARMAPALA with terribleappearance and royal attire, he is consideredto be an emanation of AKSOBHYA or AMITABHA.His SAKTI is MARICI. Color: red. Attributes: horseheads, staff and trident, but also arrow, ax, banner,bow, club, flames, flower, image of Aksobhya orAmitabha on the crown, lotus, noose, prayer wheel,skin, snakes, sword and trident. Three-eyed.Haya-JiGod of winds. Shinto [Japan]. Particularly thefierce god of whirlwinds and typhoons. Inmythology he carried back to heaven the body ofAME-WAKA-HIKO (the heavenly young prince)after he had been slain by an arrow from the“heavenly true deer bow.”HayasumMinor god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian).Known from texts, but ofuncertain function.Hayasya1. Horse god. Hindu. Probably identical withHayagriva.2. Horse goddess. Buddhist. Attribute: the headof a horse.HazziMountain god. Hittite and Hurrian. Invoked inHittite treaties as a deity responsible for oaths. Adeity of the same name was worshiped by theHurrians, but not necessarily in the same context.He Xian-guImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, she wasonce a mortal being who achieved immortalitythrough her lifestyle. The tutelary goddess ofhousewives and the only female deity among thegroup. Attributes include a ladle, lotus and peachfruit.He Zur (the great white one)Baboon god. Egyptian. Known from the OldKingdom and regarded as a manifestation ofThot.HEBATORIGIN Hittite and Hurrian [Anatolia]. Patrongoddess and mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP 2000 BC or earlieruntil 1300 BC or later.

118 HebeSYNONYMSKUBABA.CENTER(S) OF CULTpossibly Hepatu; HANNAHANNAS;Hattusas [Boghazköy andYazilikaya]; Arinna; other sanctuaries within theHittite Empire extending down into the northSyrian plain.ART REFERENCES seals and seal impressions;sculptures; monumental rock carvings.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform and hieroglyphictexts from Boghazköy, etc.Hebat was adopted from the Hurrian pantheonas the principal goddess of state religion in theHittite Empire, though because of name changesher precise role is not always clear. She isdescribed as the “great goddess.” In some textsshe is also the “sun goddess of ARINNA” (a religiouscenter near Boghazköy thus far lost toarchaeology) but her relationship to the sun god,in one fragmentary text called Kumarbi anddescribed as the king of the gods, god of rightand justice, is unclear. She is more intimatelylinked with the weather god TEŠUB, “king ofheaven, lord of the land of Hatti” and god of battlewho, according to the same legend, displacedKUMARBI as king of the gods.Hebat is often drawn as a matronly figure, withoutweapons, but generally in company with alion. In a famous procession of gods carved onrock faces at Yazilikaya, the leading goddess iscalled Hepatu.NOTE: these sanctuaries were often createdwhere vertical rock facades suitable for carvingrelief sculptures existed near water.HebeGoddess of youth. Greek. The daughter of ZEUSand HERA and the consort of HERAKLES. Thecup-bearer of the gods of Olympus. In the Romanpantheon she becomes JUVENTAS.HegemoneGreek. The name given to one of the GRATIAE inthe traditions of Athens.HehPrimordial god. Egyptian. One of the eightdeities of the OGDOAD, representing chaos, he iscoupled with the goddess HAUHET and appears inanthropomorphic form but with the head of afrog. The pair epitomize the concept of infinity.He is also depicted greeting the rising sun in theguise of a baboon. In another context he isdepicted kneeling, frequently on a basket whichrepresents the hieroglyph for universality. Hemay carry the ankh symbol and hold palm rubs ineach hand.HEIMDALL (earth-watcher)ORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). Of uncertain statusbut probably a guardian deity.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and earlier, through to Christianization(circa AD 1100). SYNONYMS Mardall; possiblyRig; “the white god.”CENTER(S) OF CULT none known.ART REFERENCES none known but probably thesubject of anonymous carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); place names.Heimdall is an enigmatic deity to whom there isconsiderable reference in the codices. He isdrawn as the sentry or guardian, a tirelesswatcher over Asgard, needing no sleep and ableto see in the darkest of nights. According tomythology, he lives beside the rainbow bridgeconnecting Asgard with the other realms. Hissymbol is the Gjallarhorn which is used to alertthe gods to the onset of Ragnarok (doom). He

Helen 119came also to be associated with guardianship ofthe world tree (Yggdrasil). Said to be born ofnine giantesses, the waves of the sea (see AEGIR)and in some legends he is the father of mankind.The Voluspa (Codex Regius) begins with thewords: “Hear me, all ye hallowed beings, bothhigh and low of Heimdall’s children.” Heimdallhas close links with FREYJA and his synonymMardall parallels Mardoll (see Freyja). He mayeven have been a VANIR god. Said to have foughta sea battle with LOKI.HEKATEORIGIN Greek. Goddess of the moon and ofpathways.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC untilChristianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Hecate.CENTER(S) OF CULT Lagina.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Theogony (Hesiod) etc.Hekate is the daughter of Perses and Asteriaand is subsequently honored by ZEUS as a goddess.She is the mother of Scylla and is specificallya goddess of pathways and crossroadstraveled by night. Artistic representations showher carrying torches. Where paths met, a triplefigure of Hecate rose from masks placed at thejunction. Offerings were left in roadside shrinesand at junctions. In later times she tended tobecome syncretized with the goddess ARTEMIS.Hekate is also the patron of Medea and otherwitches, and in some parts of Thessaly she wasworshiped by occult bands of female moonworshipers.In variations of the DEMETER legendsHekate plays a part in the return ofPERSEPHONE from HADES. She is also invokedas a bestower of wealth and favor.HeketFrog goddess concerned with birth. Egyptian.Minor deity who by some traditions is the consortof HAROERIS (see also HORUS). Texts refer toa major sanctuary at Tuna et-Gebel which hasbeen totally obliterated. The remains of anothersanctuary survive at Qus in Upper Egypt. In thePyramid Texts she is referred to as a deity whoeases the final stages of labor. Depicted as whollyfrog-like or as a frog-headed human figure, oftenfound on amulets or other magical devices associatedwith childbirth.HelChthonic underworld goddess. Germanic andNordic (Icelandic). The daughter of LOKI andthe giantess Angrboda, and the sibling of boththe Midgard worm who will cause the sea to floodthe world with the lashings of his tail, and of Fenrir,the phantom wolf who will swallow the sun, atRagnarok. She is queen of the otherworld, alsoknown as Hell, and she takes command of all whodie, except for heroes slain in battle, who ascendto Valhalla. In some mythologies she is depictedas half black and half white. She was adopted intoBritish mythology.HelenGoddess [Greek] associated with the city of Troy.Helen is frequently alleged, in Homeric tradition,to have been a mortal heroine or a demigoddess.In his Catalogues of Women Hesiod, the Greekcontemporary of Homer and author of thedefinitive Theogony of the Greek pantheon, confoundstradition by making Helen the daughterof ZEUS and Ocean. Other Greek authors contemporarywith Hesiod give Helen’s mother asNEMESIS, the Greco-Roman goddess of justiceand revenge, who was raped by Zeus. The

120 HELIOSmythology placing Helen as a demigoddessidentifies her mother as Leda, the mortal wife ofTyndareus, also seduced by Zeus who fatheredPOLLUX as Helen’s brother. However Hesiodstrongly denied these claims.Homeric legend describes Helen’s marriage toKing Menelaus of Sparta and her subsequentabduction by Paris, said to have been the catalystfor the Trojan War. After her death, mythologygenerally places her among the stars with theDioscuri (sons of Zeus), better known as Castorand Pollux, the twins of the Gemini constellation.Helen was revered on the island of Rhodesas the goddess Dendritis.See also DISKOURI.HELIOSORIGIN Greek. Sun god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC inGreece (but an adoption from much earliertimes), until Christianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT Rhodes.ART REFERENCES Colossus of Rhodes (lost); othersculptures.LITERARY SOURCES Odyssey (Homer); Theogony(Hesiod).Helios is not specifically a Greek deity, sincethe concept of a sun god was more or lessuniversal in the ancient world, but in theTheogony he is identified as the son ofHYPERION and his sister Euryphaessa. He drivesthe chariot of the sun by day and descendsbeneath the ocean at night. On Rhodes,allegedly the site of the largest Greek statue ofa deity, the so-called Rhodes “Colossus” cast inbronze, there was a celebrated festival of Heliosduring which a chariot with four horses wasdriven off a cliff, symbolizing the setting of thesun into the sea.HemantadeviGoddess of winter. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].One of several seasonal deities. Also an attendantof Sridevi. Usually accompanied by a camel.Color: blue. Attributes: cup and hammer.HendursagaGod of the law. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). He was titled by Gudea ofLagaš “herald of the land of Sumer.”HEPHAISTOSORIGIN Greco-Roman, perhaps preceded by Etruscan.God of fire and smithies.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC untilChristianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Hephaestus (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT sanctuaries on Lemnos and,from circa 450 BC, in Athens opposite theAcropolis on the hill above the Agora. Also asignificant shrine at Ephesus.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad, Odyssey (Homer);Theogony (Hesiod).One of the twelve major deities of Olympus,Hephaistos is one of the sons of HERA who, indisappointment at having borne a child withdeformed legs, threw him to earth where he wastaken in and cared for by the people of Lemnos.In spite of physical disabilities, which set himapart from the other, physically perfect, deitiesof Olympus, Hephaistos draws on peculiar powersin the making of metal objects, which oftenpossess magical qualities. He fathered the race ofarcane KABEIROI blacksmith gods. The Hephaistoscult may have originated on the island of Lemnoswith a tribal group the Greeks knew as Tyrsenoi.Hephaistos consorted briefly with ATHENA, whosubsequently gave birth to Erichthonos, the first

HERAKLES 121king of Athens. In the Odyssey he is said to be theconsort of APHRODITE. In the Iliad he is marriedto CHARIS (Grace). He made a famous shield forAchilles which was said to reflect the world and allthat was in it.HERAORIGIN Greek. The wife of Zeus.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC, butprobably earlier, until Christianization (circaAD 400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT Plataea (Boeotia) and others.ART REFERENCES sculptures and carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad (Homer); Theogony(Hesiod).As the long-suffering, but also jealous and quarrelsome,wife of the philandering and all-powerfulgod ZEUS, HERA adopts a position in the Greekpantheon that is at times ambiguous. The relationshipwith Zeus is incestuous since she is alsothe eldest daughter of KRONOS and thereforeZeus’s full sister. Mythology views her both as anindependent and wilful senior goddess, and as atragi-comic figure. Her marriage involves a degreeof subterfuge, persuading Zeus by means of amagic girdle momentarily to forget his preoccupationswith the Trojan War. In another piece of legendZeus turns himself into a cuckoo so that hemay fly into Hera’s bosom. Who seduced whomthus remains ambiguous. Curiously, neither in literaturenor in art is Hera perceived as a mothergoddess. She seems to have borne only a limitednumber of Zeus’s named children. The mostprominent is ARES, yet he is also the least favoredby the god. Other minor offspring included HEBEand EILEITHYIA. Hera relates to Zeus in threedistinct “phases”—consummation in which she ispais the girl; wedding and fulfillment as teleia; andseparation when she becomes chera.As stepmother to Zeus’s illegitimate children,Hera displays a jealous and malicious character,directing her anger at HERAKLES and DIONYSOSin particular. In a fire festival practiced in Boeotiato the “great Daedala,” wooden images wereburned to enact a legend whereby Plataea, one ofZeus’s concubines, was stripped naked, humiliatedand immolated by a jealous Hera.During a New Year festival, the Heraia, tohonor Hera, her priestesses were carried to thesanctuary on a cart drawn by oxen which alsopresumably contained a statue of the goddess.Traditionally a women’s games festival dedicatedto Hera was also held on Olympus every fouryears.HERAKLES (the fame of Hera?)ORIGIN Greek. Heroic god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC, butprobably originating from a prehistoric model,until Christianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Heracles (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES sculptures and carvings; pillarsof Herakles.LITERARY SOURCES Herakles (Euripedes); Iliadand Odyssey (Homer); Catalogues (Hesiod);Dodekathlos (Peisandros); votive inscriptions.Herakles probably originates out of a diffusion ofheroic myths about hunting spirits, as a shaman whoprotected the tribe against wild animals and whopossessed the necessary supernatural skills to ensurea safe outcome to the chase. This foundation maythen have drawn on role models such as NINURTA,found in ancient Near Eastern culture. Herakles isa son of ZEUS and HERA and the consort ofDeianeira (destroyer of man). He is a heroic god ofmassive stature and prodigious appetite (see alsoTHOR) who performs many feats of strength and

122 Herculescourage, including the liberation of PROMETHEUS.He is a slayer of lions and engages in combat withmythical creatures comparable to those found onMesopotamian seals. He thus destroyed the sevenheadedserpent and hunted many others. He is frequentlydepicted wearing a lion skin. His exploitsinclude the cleansing of the Augean stables so as toearn a tenth part of the cattle of the sun, the catchingof the Stymphalos birds, the temporary captureof Cerberus, the hound of Hades, and thepicking of the golden apples of immortality.Herakles became the god-ancestor of theDorian kings. Alexander the Great had an imageof him incorporated into his coinage. Accordingto one legend, Deianeira contrived Herakles’sdeath in a fit of jealous pique with a robe taintedwith the poisoned blood of a centaur, ironicallyfrom one of Herakles’s own arrows, whichinflicted such torture upon him that he committedsuicide by self-immolation on Mount Oita(near Trachis). In a conflicting myth Heraklesslew his wife and children at Thebes. Heraklesenjoyed cult centers in many places, with thenotable exception of Crete. There were majorsanctuaries on Thasos and on Mount Oita, whereevery four years the death of the god was markedby a sacrificial fire festival. A similar rite is knownfrom Tarsos in Cilicia for the god Sandon. Thefestivities were often marked by huge feasts. InRoman culture he becomes HERCULES.HerculesGod. Roman.See also HERAKLES.Heret-KauUnderworld goddess. Egyptian (Lower). Very littleis known of Heret-Kau. She was recognizedchiefly in the Old Kingdom (27th to 22ndcenturies BC), apparently concerned withguardianship of the deceased in the afterlife andsometimes appearing as a figurine in attendanceon ISIS in building foundations.HermaphroditosGod(dess) of uncertain status. Greek. The offspringof HERMES and APHRODITE and the loverof the water nymph Salmakis. Tradition has it thattheir passion for one another was so great thatthey merged into a single androgynous being.HERMESORIGIN Greek. Messenger of the gods.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC butprobably earlier until Christianization (circa AD400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULTPheneos (Arcadia); otherwisefew specific places, but strongly associatedwith wayside shrines and cairns.ART REFERENCES probably certain prehistoricphallic figures marking boundaries; Parthenonfrieze; Hermes of Praxiteles in Olympia.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad, Odyssey (Homer);Theogony (Hesiod).Hermes is the son of a nymph, MAIA, who consortedwith ZEUS. He was born in the Arcadianmountains, a complex, Machiavellian characterfull of trickery and sexual vigor. His most significantconsort is APHRODITE. He is a god ofboundaries, guardian of graves and patron deityof shepherds. Perversely, he patronizes both heraldsand thieves and is a bringer of good fortune.According to legend Hermes as a day-old infantstole the cattle of his elder brother APOLLO whileplaying a lyre. Legend accords to him the inventionof fire, also generated on his first day. Hermes’sskills at theft were put to use by the othergods of Olympus, who sent him to liberate ARES

HERYŠAF 123from a barrel and to bring King Priam of Troyinto conciliatory meeting with the Greek warhero Achilles after the death of Hector.Classical art depicts Hermes wearing wingedgolden sandals and holding a magical herald’s staffconsisting of intertwined serpents, the kerykeion.He is reputedly the only being able to find his wayto the underworld ferry of Charon and backagain. Hence he was sent to bring both PERSE-PHONE and Eurydice back from Hades. In companywith other Greek gods, Hermes is endowedwith not-inconsiderable sexual prowess which hedirects toward countryside nymphs and withwhich he also maintains a healthy and thrivingpopulation of sheep and goats! He was often representedin wayside shrines in the form of a phallicpillar or post which was regarded as a funerarymonument, hence the role of grave guardian.HermodMessenger god. Nordic (Icelandic). One of thesons of the Viking god OTHIN, he was sent toHel on a mission to obtain the release of the godBALDER, who had been slain by the blind godHod. The mission failed because only one creaturein the world, a hag (probably LOKI in disguise),failed to weep at Balder’s loss and Hermodreturned empty-handed. It may be argued thatHermod is less a deity than a demigod hero modeledon the Danish king of the Beowulf Saga. AlsoHeremod; Hermoth.HermusRiver god. Roman. A sanctuary has been identifiedat Sardis.HerneChthonic underworld god. Celtic (British) orAnglo-Saxon. Known locally from WindsorGreat Park, Berkshire, England, he equateswith the Welsh deities GWYNN AP NUDD andARAWN and is, according to legend, the leaderof the phantom hunt. Depicted with stag-likeantlers.HerosChthonic underworld god. Thracian. Depictedas a horseman. His image regularly appears onfunerary stelae.HerukaGod. Buddhist (Mahayana). One of the most populardeities in the pantheon, though probablyowing much to the influence of the Hindu godŠIVA. Originally an epithet for another Hindugod, GANESA, but in Buddhism seen as an emanationof AKSOBHYA. His SAKTI is NAIRAMATA andthe product of their liaison is nirvana (eternalbliss). Typically he stands upon a corpse. In northeasternIndia, Heruka is worshiped as a compassionategod. Attributes: club, flayed human skin,image of Aksobhya, jewel, knife, fifty skulls,sword, staff and teeth.HERYŠAF (he who is upon his lake)ORIGIN Egyptian. Primeval deity associated bothwith Osiris and Re.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 2700 BC,and probably earlier, until the end of Egyptianhistory (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Arsaphes (Plutarch).CENTER(S) OF CULT Hnes (Ihnasya el-Medina)near Beni Suef.ART REFERENCES reliefs and sculptures includinga gold figurine held by the Boston Museum ofFine Arts.LITERARY SOURCES stela from Hnes later movedto Pompeii (Naples Museum).

124 HesatHeryšaf is a ram god said to have emerged from theprimeval ocean, possibly recreated in the form of asacred lake at Hnes, the capital of Lower Egypt fora time at the beginning of the third millennium(during the First Intermediate Period). The god isdepicted with a human torso and the head of a ramwearing the atef crown of Lower Egypt.Heryšaf began as a local deity but took onnational importance as the soul (ba) of RE, and ofOSIRIS. Heryšaf’s sanctuary was enlarged byRameses II and the god is said to have protectedthe life of the last Egyptian pharaoh when thePersian and later Macedonian dominationsbegan. He eventually became syncretized withHERAKLES in Greco-Roman culture and Hnesbecame known as Herakleopolis.HesatGoddess of birth. Egyptian. Minor guardian ofpregnant and nursing mothers whose milk, the“beer of Hesat,” nourishes humanity. Identified insome texts as the mother of ANUBIS. Depicted asa cow.HESTIAORIGIN Greek. Goddess of hearth and home.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC butprobably earlier and through until Christianization(circa AD 400). SYNONYMS Histie.CENTER(S) OF CULT local household shrines.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Hymn to Aphrodite (Homer);Phaedra (Plato).Hestia is a minor goddess in the Greek pantheon,but one who enjoyed importance in individualhouseholds. One of the daughters of KRONOS andRHEA, her adherence to the fireside preventedher from joining the procession of gods describedin Plato’s Phaedra. On oath she remained virginalfollowing the notion that fire is phallic and thatshe was wedded faithfully to the sacred hearthfire. By tradition maiden Greek daughters tendedthe household hearth. Hestia was conventionallyoffered small gifts of food and drink.Hetepes-SekhusChthonic underworld goddess. Egyptian. A minordeity accompanied by a retinue of crocodiles. Asone of the manifestations of the vengeful “eye ofRE,” she destroys the souls of the adversaries ofthe underworld ruler OSIRIS. Depicted as a cobraor anthropomorphically with a cobra’s head.HevajiraGod. Buddhist (Mahayana). A BODHISATTVA(buddha-designate) and an emanation of AKSOB-HYA. The Tantric form of HERUKA and the Buddhistequivalent of the Hindu god Šiva Nataraja.His SAKTI is NAIRAMATA or VAJRAVARAHI and hemay appear dominating the four MARAS (theHindu gods BRAHMA, VIŠNU, ŠIVA and INDRA).Color: blue. Attributes: bell, bow, hook, image ofAksobhya on crown, jewel, lotus, prayer wheel,wine glass. He holds a skull in each hand and anassortment of other weapons. Three- or eightheaded,from two to sixteen arms and two or fourlegs; three-eyed.HexchuchanGod of war. Mayan (Itza, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of several to whom the resincopal was burned before starting a battle. He mayhave been a tribal ancestor.Hi’aikaGoddess. Hawaiian. The daughter of HAUMEAand younger sister of PELE, the volcano goddess,Hi’aika is the mistress of the dance and especiallyof the hula. Separate traditions identify her with

Hina 125LAKA, the god of the hula and the son of KANE,the god of light; and with a goddess, Na Wahine,the daughter of the primordial creator principleKEAWE. The hula was designed to give a formalizedstructure to the enactment of myths andamong the favorite topics is the romance betweenPele and the hero Lohiau. According to mythologyHi’aika was entrusted with a mission to findLohiau on Pele’s behalf and to bring him back toher, a mission that subsequently enflamed thejealousy of Pele over her sister’s developing relationshipwith Lohiau, and brought about hisdeath in Pele’s fiery lava.Hi-Hiya-HiSun god. Shinto [Japan]. One of a number ofminor sun deities, engendered from the blood ofthe god KAGU-TSUCHI and worshiped in themountain sanctuary of the fire KAMIS, Kono-Jinja.In Japan certain older people still worship thesun. They go outside at sunrise, face east and bow,clapping their hands.HiisiTree god. Pre-Christian Karelian [Finland]. Saidto reside in pine forests. After Christianizationhe was degraded to a troll.HikoboshiAstral god. Shinto [Japan]. The consort of thestar goddess AME-NO-TANABATA-HINE-NO-MIKOTO. The two are, according to mythology,deeply in love. Their festival was merged withthe Tibetan Bon festival of the dead, the Ullumbana.Also Kengyu-Sei.Hiko-Sashiri-No-KamiGod of carpenters. Shinto [Japan]. One of severalminor deities involved in the building of a sacredhall of great beauty, used to entice the sun goddessAmaterasu from her cave. Linked with thegod TAOKI-HO-OI-NO-KAMI.HilalMoon god. Pre-Islamic Arabian. Specifically thedeity of the new moon.Hi’linaTribal god. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. The personification of the thunderbirdknown to many Indian tribes. The noiseof the thunder is caused by the beating of itswings, and when it opens its eyes there is lightning.The thunder clouds are its cloak.Himavan (snowy)Mountain god. Hindu. The personification ofthe Himalaya and considered to be the father ofPARVATI and GANGA. His consort is MENA. AlsoHimavat.See also HIMAVAN.HimerusGod of desire. Greco-Roman. Member of theOlympian pantheon and attendant on APHRODITE(VENUS).HinaMoon goddess. Polynesian [Tahiti]. In localtraditions the daughter of the god TANGAROA andcreatrix of the moon, which she governs. She livesin one of its dark spots representing groves of treeswhich she brought from earth in a canoe andplanted. She is also represented as the consort ofTangaroa. Hina probably evolved in Tahiti fromthe Polynesian underworld goddess HINE-NUI-TE-PO. Also SINA (Samoa); Ina (Hervey Islands).

126 Hina-UriHina-UriMoon goddess. Polynesian. Also known asHINA, Ina or SINA, she is the sister of MAUI andthe consort of Irewaru. Tradition has it that shecan manifest herself in two forms according tothe lunar phases. Her role is associated with fertilityand her cult may have been imported fromAsia, since SIN is the name of a western Asiaticmoon god also closely associated with fertilityrites.Hine-Ahu-One (maiden formed of theearth)Chthonic goddess. Polynesian (including Maori).Engendered by the god TANE when he needed aconsort because, with the exception of the primordialearth mother PAPATUANUKU, all the existinggods of creation were male. Tane created herout of the red earth and breathed life into her. Shebecame the mother of HINE-ATA-UIRA.Hine-Ata-Uira (daughter of the sparklingdawn)Goddess of light. Polynesian (including Maori).The daughter of the creator god TANE and HINE-AHU-ONE. She did not remain a sky goddess butdescended into the underworld, where shebecame the personification of death, HINE-NUI-TE-PO.Hine-Nui-Te-Po (great woman of thenight)Chthonic underworld goddess. Polynesian(including Maori). Originally she was HINE-ATA-UIRA, the daughter of TANE and HINE-AHU-ONE, but she descended to rule over theunderworld. She is depicted in human form butwith eyes of jade, hair of seaweed and teeth likethose of a predatory fish.Hinglaj(-Mata)Mother goddess. Hindu. Locally worshiped innorthern India and particularly in Baluchistan.HinkonHunting god. Tungus (Siberian). Revered as thelord of all animals and controller of the chase.Hi-No-Kagu-TsuchiFire god. Shinto [Japan]. The deity whose birthcaused the death by burning of the primordialgoddess IZANAMI after which the eight thunderssprang from her corpse.Hiranyagarbha (golden egg)Creator god. Hindu (Vedic). Identified in theopening of the Rg Veda, as the god of the goldenseed emerging from the cosmic egg. The halvesof the shell become sky and earth, and the yolkbecomes the sun. The embryo impregnates theprimordial waters.HirukoMinor sun god. Shinto (Japan). Identified as havingbeen engendered after the sun and moon.Probably eclipsed by AMATERASU.HittavainenHunting god. Pre-Christian Karelian (Finnish).Guardian deity of hare-hunters.HlothynGoddess. Nordic (Icelandic). A less commonname for the goddess Fjorgynn, noted in theTrymskvoia from the Poetic Edda. The mother ofTHOR.

Horagalles 127HODERORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). The blind god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and earlier through to Christianization(circa AD 1100).SYNONYMS Hod, Hodur.CENTER(S) OF CULT none known.ART REFERENCES none known, but probably thesubject of anonymous carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; ProseEdda (Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); runicinscriptions.Hoder is one of the less well-defined of the NorseAESIR gods whose chief claim to notoriety lies inthat he is responsible, in two separate narratives(Snorri’s and Saxo’s), for the death of the godBALDER. In Snorri’s Icelandic version Hoder is persuadedby LOKI to hurl a piece of mistletoe at Balder(the only thing from which he is not protected): itturns into a lethal spear. According to Snorri, Hodermay even represent an agent of HEL. Saxo’s Danishaccount has Hoder and Balder contesting the handof the goddess NANNA. She eventually weds Hoder,who then slays Balder with a magic sword. Hoderhimself is slain by his arch-enemy, the god VALI.HoenirGod. Nordic (Icelandic) Identified in the Voluspa(Poetic Edda) as the priest of the Viking gods whohandles the “blood wands” i.e. divines futureevents. Some authors believe Hoenir to be ahypostasis of the god OTHIN, particularly concernedwith giving the human race senses andfeelings. Also known in north Germanic culture.He is said to have fled to Vanaheim after the greatbattle between the AESIR and VANIR gods.Hokushin-O-KamiAstral deity. Shinto [Japan]. The apotheosis ofthe “little bear,” Ursa Minor.Ho-Musubi-No-KamiFire god. Shinto [Japan]. One of a number of fireKAMIS who are honored in special Hi-Matsuri festivals.The sacred fire can only be generated by aboard and stick and is regarded as a powerfulpurifier in Shintoism. The most celebrated templeof the fire kamis is on Mount Atago nearKyoto; worshipers are drawn to it from all overJapan to obtain charms as protection against fire.Ho-No-Kagu-Tsuchi-No-KamiFire god. Shinto [Japan]. One of a number of fireKAMIS who are honored in special Hi-Matsuri festivals.The sacred fire can only be generated by aboard and stick and is regarded as a powerful purifierin Shintoism. The most celebrated temple ofthe fire kamis is on Mount Atago near Kyoto towhich worshipers are drawn from all over Japan toobtain charms as protection against fire.HonusGod of military honors. Roman. Depicted as ayouthful warrior carrying a lance and cornucopia.Ho-PoRiver god. Taoist (Chinese). The so-called“Count of the River,” the deity who controls allrivers but particularly the Yellow River, and whois the subject of an official cult and sacrifice.According to tradition he achieved immortalityby weighing himself down with stones anddrowning himself. He received an annual sacrificeof a young girl until the end of the Shou Dynastycirca 250 BC. Also Hebo; Ping-Yi.HoragallesWeather god. Lappish. The local embodiment ofthe Nordic (Icelandic) god THOR. Depicted as abearded figure carrying a pair of hammers.

128 HorkosHorkosGod of oaths. Greek. The son of ERIS (strife).HORUS [Greek] (the high one)ORIGIN Egyptian. Sky god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilend of Egyptian history (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Har (Egyptian); HAROERIS; Har-pakheredor Harpokrates (Greek); HARSIESE. AlsoHar-nedj-itef or Harendotes (Greek); Har-mauor HARSOMTUS (Greek); HARAKHTI; Har-emakhetor HARMACHIS (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT universal throughout areasof Egyptian influence but particularly Mesen[Edfu] in Upper Egypt; Behdet in the delta;Nekhen or Hierakonpolis (Greek) [Kom el-Ahmar]; Khem or Letopolis (Greek) [Ausim];also at Buhen close to the second Nile cataract;Aniba in lower Nubia.ART REFERENCES pre-dynastic monuments;sculptures throughout Egyptian period.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; coffin texts,etc.Horus is one of the most universally importantgods in the Egyptian pantheon attested from theearliest recorded period. By tradition born atKhemmis in the Nile delta region, Horus’s fatherwas the dead OSIRIS, his mother was ISIS, but acomplex genealogy recognized him distinctly asHorus, Horus the child (HARPOKRATES) andHorus the elder. In legend he was the first rulerof all Egypt after an eighty-year struggle forsupremacy with his brother and rival SETH.Horus’s symbol is the falcon and he is generallydepicted either wholly as a hawk or in humanform with a falcon’s head. In some places the traditionby which his mother hid him in the papyrusmarshes of the delta is recognized by depicting afalcon standing atop a column of papyrus reeds.He is also recognized as the “eye of Horus”—ahuman eye embellished with a typical Egyptiancosmetic extension and subtended by the markingsof a falcon’s cheek. As Horus the child, he istypically drawn naked and with fingers in mouth.Horus is a form of the sun god. The alternativename Harakhti translates “Horus of the horizon”and he is sometimes depicted as a sun disc mountedbetween falcon’s wings. He is also the symbol ofthe god kings of Egypt. In early dynastic times theruler was a “follower of Horus” but by 3000 BC hebecame Horus in life and Osiris in death.As Harpokrates, Horus is depicted naked andbeing suckled on Isis’s knee and he often appearson amulets extending protection against lions,crocodiles, snakes and other dangerous animals.As the adult son of Isis, Haroeris, he performedthe “opening of the mouth” ceremony on his deadfather, Osiris, and avenged his death, regainingthe throne of Egypt from Seth. Horus can also bethe son of Horus the elder and HATHOR.The “eye of Horus” arises from the legendaryincident in which Seth tore out Horus’s eye,which was later restored by his mother. The symbolcan represent security of kingship, perfectionand protection against the evil influence of Seth.HoteiGod of luck. Shinto [Japan]. One of seven gods offortune known in Shintoism. He is depicted witha large belly and dressed in the robes of a Buddhistpriest. Attributes include a fan and a largesack on his shoulder which “never stops to give,despite continuous demand.”Hotr(a) (invoker)Minor goddess of sacrifices. Hindu (Vedic). Sheis invoked to appear on the sacrificial field beforea ritual and is particularly identified with the actof prayer. Usually associated with the goddessSARASVATI.

Huang Ti 129HoursUnderworld goddesses. Egyptian. The twelvedaughters of the sun god RE. They act in concertagainst the adversaries of Re and control the destinyof human beings in terms of each person’s lifespan, reflecting the supremacy of order and timeover chaos. The Hours are sometimes representedon the walls of royal tombs in anthropomorphicform with a five-pointed star above thehead. Also Horae (Greek).Hrsikesa (lord of the senses)God. Hindu. Minor avatara of VIŠNU. His SAKTIis HARSA.HSI WANG MU (queen of the westernheaven)ORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). Goddess of longevity.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistorictimes until present.SYNONYMS Xi Wang Mu.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Chinese culture.ART REFERENCES paintings and sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES various philosophical andreligious texts, mostly inadequately researchedand untranslated.One of the oldest deities known in China, she mayhave originated as a plague goddess depicted withfeline fangs and tail. Under Taoism she becamemore benign in nature, identified as both governingthe length of mortal life and granting the boon oflongevity and, in some instances, immortality. Herhome is in the western Chinese K’un Lun mountainsor, alternatively, in the Hindukush, where sheis accompanied by five jade ladies. According totradition she visited the earth on two occasions,once in 985 BC to the emperor Mu, and again in thesecond century BC to the emperor Wu Ti.She is the ruler of the west and is associatedwith the autumn, the season of old age. She isalso identified in some texts as the golden motherof the tortoise, the animal which embodies theuniverse but which is also the dark warrior symbolizingwinter and death. Her sacred animal isthe crane, which is the Chinese symbol oflongevity (it is often incorporated into funeral rituals).She is also said to be represented by themythical phoenix.HuGod personifying royal authority. Egyptian. Oneof several minor deities born from drops of bloodemitting from the penis of the sun god RE (seealso SIA). Hu epitomizes the power and commandof the ruler.HuacaSpirit being. Inca (pre-Columbian South America)[Peru, etc]. The apotheosis of a naturalobject such as a rock or a place of local importancesuch as a spring. It is uncertain whether theprinciple is one of animism (when a deity takeson different natural shapes at will) or anímatism(when an object is a supernatural being in itsown right).HuanacauriGuardian spirit. Inca (pre-Columbian SouthAmerica) [Peru, etc]. The apotheosis of a specialspindle-shaped stone sited near Cuzco which protectedthe Inca royal family and also featuredstrongly in the maturation rites of male Inca adolescents.Also Wanakawri.Huang TiAstral god. Chinese. Allegedly a deified emperor,the so-called “yellow emperor,” who rules themoving as distinct from dark heavens, the latter

130 Hubalbeing presided over by the god PAK TAI. He isattributed with giving mankind the wheel.HubalLocal tutelary and oracular god. Pre-IslamicArabian. An anthropomorphic figure of the deityin red carnelian still stands in the holy city ofMecca.HubanTutelary god. Elamite [Iran]. Equating with theSumerian ENLIL.Huehuecoyotl (old coyote)Minor god of sexual lust. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the XIUHTECUHTLI complex.Huehuecoyotl-Coyotlinahual (coyote hisdisguise)Minor god of feather workers. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the XIUHTECUHTLI complex.Huehuetotl (old god)God of fire. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Associated with paternalism and one of thegroup classed as the XIUHTECUHTLI complex.HuiracochaSee VAIRACOCHA.HUITZILPOCHTLI (blue hummingbirdon left foot)ORIGIN Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Sun god, patron god of the Aztec nation.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 750, butprobably much earlier, to circa AD 1500.SYNONYMS Blue Tezcatlipoca.CENTER(S) OF CULT Tenochtitlan [Mexico City].ART REFERENCES stone sculptures, murals, codexillustrations.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.The tutelary god of the Aztecs who also regardedhim as a war god. He is the southern (blue) aspector emanation of the sun god TEZCATLIPOCA, theso-called high-flying sun, and the head of thegroup classed as the Huitzilpochtli complex. Heis regarded, in alternative tradition, as one of thefour sons of Tezcatlipoca. His mother is thedecapitated earth goddess COATLICUE, fromwhose womb he sprang fully armed. He slaughteredhis sister (moon) and his 400 brothers(stars) in revenge for the death of his mother,signifying the triumph of sunlight over darkness.By tradition he led the people from their ancestralhome in Aztlan (perhaps in the state ofNayarit) with the promise of securing a greatempire. He appeared to them in the form of aneagle clutching a serpent in its talons and standingatop a cactus growing on a rocky island. Thiswas Tenochtitlan, on the site of which MexicoCity now stands.The Great Temple of Coatepec was dedicatedto the cosmic battle. In ritual Huitzilopochti wasfed on human hearts taken from captives, theblood of which was said to cool his heat; severalwars were instigated to gain sacrificial material.For the origin of the name “blue hummingbirdon left foot,” see TEZCATLIPOCA.Huixtocihuatl (lady of Huixtorin)Goddess of salt-makers. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the TLALOC complex, generallyinvolved with rain, agriculture and fertility.

Hyakinthos 131Hun HunapuCreator god. Mayan (Yucatec and Quiche, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The father ofHUNAPU and Ix Balan Ku. According to the sacredMayan text Popol Vuh, he was decapitated duringa football game and his head became lodged in thecalabash tree which bore fruit from that day.Hunab KuCreator god. Mayan (Yucatec, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The greatest deity in thepantheon, no image is created of Hunab Ku sincehe is considered to be without form. His son is theiguana god, ITZAM NA, and he may have becomethe Mayan counterpart of the Christian god.HunapuCreator god. Mayan (Yucatec and Quiche, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. According to thesacred text Popol Vuh, the son of HUN HUNAPUand the twin brother of Ix Balan Ku. Tradition hasit that, like his father, he was decapitated in a historicstruggle with the underworld gods and subsequentlybecame the sun god, while his sibling isthe apotheosis of the moon.HunaunicSee CHAOB.Hung Sheng (holy one)Guardian god. Chinese. A deity who protectsfishing boats and their crews against danger atsea in the Southern Ocean. His role is similar tothat of the goddess KUAN YIN. Little is known ofthe origin of Hung Sheng, but he was allegedly amortal who died on the thirteenth day of the secondmoon, which falls two days before the springequinox when the sea dragon king, Lung Wang,is believed to leave the ocean and ascend into theheavens. The god is propitiated with cakes madefrom the first grain of the year, on the fifth day ofthe fifth month and in some traditions he is seenas an aspect of the sea dragon king.HunhauGod of death. Mayan (Yucatec and Quiche, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the several“lords of death” listed in the codices who rulethe underworld, Mictlan. Hunhau is generallydepicted with canine attributes, or with the headof an owl.See also YUM CIMIL. Also God A.HurabtilGod of uncertain status. Elamite [Iran]. Knownonly from passing mention in Akkadian texts. AlsoLahurabtil.HuracanCreator god. Mayan (Quiche, classicalMesoamerican) [Guatemalan highlands]. Havingcreated the world, he fashioned the first humansfrom pieces of maize dough. The counterpart ofthe Yucatec HUNAB KU.HuviGod of hunting. Ovimbundu [central Angola,West Africa]. All meat is kept in front of hisshrines, which are decorated with poles capped byskulls. He is propitiated by dance and offerings,presided over by a priesthood.HyakinthosGod of vegetation. Greek. An ancient pre-Homericdeity known particularly from Amyklai (pre-Dorian seat of kingship at Sparta). He is beloved by

132 HygieiaAPOLLO who perversely kills him with a discus andchanges him into a flower. At Amyklai the bronzeof Apollo stands upon an altar-like pedestal said tobe the grave of Hyakinthos and, prior to sacrificebeing made to Apollo, offerings to Hyakinthoswere passed through a bronze door in the pedestal.HygieiaGoddess of health. Greek. The daughter ofASKLEPIOS, the physician god of healing. Hygieiawas also a remedial drink made from wheat, oiland honey. She is depicted as Hygieia-Salus in amarble group sculpture in the Vatican, withAsclepius (the Roman god of healing) and thesnake, which she is touching.HymenaiosGod of marriage. Greco-Roman. Member of theOlympian pantheon and attendant on APHRODITE(VENUS). Depicted with wings and carrying atorch, and invoked at the wedding ceremony.HyperionGod of primordial light. Greek. A pre-Homericdeity, one of the race of TITANS whose consort is,according to some texts, THEA and who is thefather of HELIOS and SELENE.HypnosGod of sleep. Greek. One of the sons of the goddessof the night NYX and the brother ofTHANATOS.HypsistosLocal tutelary god. Greco-Roman. Known fromthe region of the Bosphorus circa 150 BC until AD250. As late as the fourth century AD there arementions in texts of hypsistarii in Cappadocia, whoseem to have been unorthodox, Greek-speaking,Jewish fringe sectarians. The word hypsistos occursin the Septuagint version of the Vetus Testamentumand means “almighty.”

6 IIalonusGod of meadows. Romano-Celtic (British andContinental European). Known from inscriptionsat Lancaster (Ialonus Contrebis) and Nimes.IapetosGod. Greek. One of the sons of OURANOS(heaven) and a member of the TITAN race whichclashed with the Olympian gods. He is the fatherof the heroes Atlas and PROMETHEUS.IcaunaRiver goddess. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Guardiandeity of the river Yonne [Brittany].IcciAnimistic spirits. Siberian.See also URUN AJY TOYON.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and earlier until Christianization (circaAD 1100).SYNONYMS Idun (German); Iduna.CENTER(S) OF CULT none known.ART REFERENCES none known, though possiblythe subject of anonymous carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri).Little is recorded in mythology. Idunn is the consortof BRAGI, the poet god, and she guards thegolden apples of eternal youth for the gods ofAsgard. She was abducted by LOKI and handedover to the giant Thiassi as payment for the buildingof Valhalla. When the gods began to age, Lokiassisted in recovering Idunn with her vital fruit.She reflects a northern version of the ancientsymbolism of a deity who guards the life-sustainingfruit of heaven.IccovellaunaWater goddess. Celtic (Continental European).Known only from inscriptions.IDUNNORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic) and possibly Germanic.Keeper of the apples of immortality.IfaGod of wisdom. Yoruba [western Nigeria, WestAfrica]. An oracular deity who, according to tradition,lives in a sanctuary in the holy city of IleIfe but who is called on by the tutelary god,OLDUMARE, for advice. He is the father of eightchildren, all of whom became paramount chiefs.133

134 IfruAt one time he is said to have left the earth whereuponfamine and plague descended. His wisdomis gained through the implements of divination,namely palm nuts.IfruGod. Roman-North African. A rare example inthis region of a named deity. Known from aninscription at Cirta [Constantine, Algeria].IgalilikHunting spirit. Inuit [North American]. He travelsthe icy wastes with a kitchen strapped to hisback which includes a pot big enough to carry awhole seal. It boils as he carries it.IgigiCollective name of a class of gods. Mesopotamian(Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). The groupof younger sky gods in the pantheon headed byENLIL (ELLIL). They are often described in thetexts in conjunction with the ANUNNAKI.Ignerssuak (great fire)Sea god. Inuit [North American]. One of agroup of generally benevolent deities. Numbersof Ignerssuak are thought to surround marinersand the entrance to their home is on the seashore.Ih P’enChthonic fertility god. Mayan (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The deity concernedwith the growth of plants, and consort of the beangoddess IX KANAN. He is also god of family life,property and other wealth. The couple areinvoked as a single personality with the sacrificeof turkeys and chickens at sowing time. Ih Fenmay be represented sowing maize seed.IhoihoCreator god. Polynesian [Society Islands]. BeforeIhoiho there was nothing. He created theprimeval waters on which floated TINO TAATA,the creator of mankind.IhyGod of music. Egyptian (Upper). Minor deitypersonifying the jubilant noise of the culticsistrum rattle generally associated with thegoddess Hathor. The son of HATHOR andHORUS. Particularly known from the Hathorsanctuary at Dendara. Depicted anthropomorphicallyas a nude child with a side-lock of hairand with finger in mouth. May carry a sistrumand necklace.Ikal AhauChthonic god of death. Mayan (Tzotzil, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. Perceived as a diminutivefigure who lives in a cave by day but wandersat night attacking people and eating raw humanflesh. He is also considered to inhabit Christianchurch towers in Mexico and is probably personifiedby vampire bats.IkatereFish god. Polynesian. The son of Punga andgrandson of TANGAROA, the sea and creator god,he is revered in various regions of Polynesia asthe progenitor of all life in the sea, especiallyfish. His brother is Tu-Te-Wanawana, the deityresponsible for the well-being of lizards, snakesand other reptiles. When fierce storms aroseat the time of creation under the control of

I’lena 135TAWHIRIMATEA, the god of winds, mythologyrecords that Tu-Te-Wanawana went inland toescape the devastation while Ikatere took to thesafety of the sea. The incident became known asthe schism of Tawhirimatea and has resulted in aneternal conflict between TANE(MAHUTA) the forestgod and Tangaroa, the sea god.Ikenga (right forearm)God of fortune. Ibo [Nigeria, West Africa]. Abenevolent deity who guides the hands ofmankind. He is depicted wearing a horned headdress,and carrying a sword and a severed head.He is invoked as a household guardian.IksvakuCreator god. Hindu (Vedic). One of the ancestraldynasty of sun gods or ADITI.Iku-Ikasuchi-No-KamiGod of thunder. Shinto [Japan]. The most significantof the eight thunder deities which emergedfrom the corpse of IZANAMI after she was burnedto death.ILORIGIN Canaanite [northern Israel, Lebanon andSyrian coastal regions]. Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2000 BC, andprobably earlier, until circa 200 BC or later.SYNONYMS EL (Hebrew); LATIPAN; Tor-’Il.CENTER(S) OF CULT Ugarit (Ras Šamra), but alsogenerally throughout areas of Canaanite influence.ART REFERENCES possibly a limited number ofseals and stone reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Ugaritic texts from RasŠamra.Il is the model on which the northern Israelitegod, El, may have been based. The supremeauthority, morally and creatively, overseeing theassembly of gods. The god to whom BAAL is ultimatelyanswerable. According to legend he livesin royal surroundings in a remote place lying atthe confluence of two rivers. A stele found at RasŠamra has a seated god with bull horns whichmay depict Il or Baal.IlaMinor god(dess) of sacrifices. Hindu (Vedic). Sheis invoked to appear on the sacrificial field beforea ritual. Usually associated with the goddess SARAS-VATI, Ila is linked with the sacred cow and her epithetsinclude “butter-handed” and “butter-footed.”IlaalgeLocal god. Western Semitic (Nabataean). Worshipedat Al-Ge [el-Gi in Wadi Musa, in the Arabiandesert].IlabratMinor god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The attendant and minister of state of thechief sky god ANU.IlatRain god. Pokot and Suk [Uganda and westernKenya, East Africa]. The son of the creator godTORORUT. According to legend, when his fathercalls on him to fetch water Ilat always spills some,which descends to earth as rain.I’lena (rain woman)Animistic spirit. Koryak [Siberia]. The consort ofthe creator spirit “universe” or TENANTO’MWAN.

136 IlmarinenIlmarinenSky god. Pre-Christian Finnish. A weather godwho places the stars in the sky. Also a guardiandeity of travelers and a smith-god who educatedman in the use of iron and forging.IlyapaWeather god. Inca (pre-Columbian South America)[Peru, etc]. Also perceived as a thunder god, hebecame syncretized with Santiago, the patron saintof Spain. The Indians called Spanish firearmsIlyapa. Also Inti-Ilyapa; Coqi-Ilya; Illapa; Katoylla.ImmatDemonic god. Kafir [Afghanistan]. A deity towhom sacrifices were addressed in the Ashkunvillages of southwestern Kafiristan. Legend has itthat Immat carries off twenty virgin daughtersevery year. A festival includes blood sacrifice anddances by twenty carefully selected young priestesses.ImporcitorMinor god of agriculture. Roman. The deity concernedwith harrowing the fields.lmStorm god. Mesopotamian. The cuneiform generallytaken to refer to a storm god and thereforeprobably meaning either IŠKUR (Sumerian) orADAD (Akkadian).ImanaCreator god. Burundi [East Africa]. He engenderedthe first man, Kihanga, who descendedfrom heaven on a rope. Symbolized by a lamb ora young ram, he is also thought to speak throughthe roar of the bull.ImiutMinor chthonic god. Egyptian. One of the attendantdeities of the necropolis, he is linked withANUBIS, and in pre-dynastic times was representedby a skin hung on a pole.Immap UkuaSea goddess. Inuit [eastern Greenland]. Themother of all sea creatures and invoked by fishermenand seal-hunters.See also SEDNA.IMRAORIGIN Kafir [Afghanistan—southern Hindukush].Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP unknown originsand continuing locally today.SYNONYMS MARA (Prasun region).CENTER(S) OF CULT chiefly at Kushteki.ART REFERENCES large wooden sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES Robertson G.S. The Kafirs ofthe Hindukush (1896); Morgenstierne G. SomeKati Myths and Hymns (1951).Supreme Kafir creator god who generated allother deities by churning his breath to life insidea golden goatskin. Other legendary sources havehim taking his paramount position through guilefrom among an existing pantheon and possiblysuperseding an earlier creator god, MUNJEMMALIK. His mother was said to be a giantess withfour tusks. Imra is a sky god who lives amongcloud and mist and who is responsible, at least inpart, for cosmic creation. He positioned the sunand moon in the heavens. He is the ancestor of allPrasun tribal chiefs. His sacred animal is the ramwhich was sacrificed regularly, as was the cow and,less frequently, the horse. Figures of the god arecrudely anthropomorphic. The main sanctuary

INANA 137to Imra, at a small town called Kushteki, wasdestroyed in the early 1900s, but was an imposingand ornately carved wooden structure. Othersmaller shrines survive, scattered throughout theregion.Imra is generally perceived as a beneficentteacher who has endowed mankind with variousgifts including cattle, dogs, wheat, the wheel andthe element iron. He also has a destructive side tohis nature, causing floods and other havoc.Ina’hitelanGuardian spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].The father of cloud man YA’HALAN, he is perceivedas a supervisor of the skies and reindeer aresacrificed to him.INANA (queen of heaven)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq]. Goddessof fertility and war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC to1750 BC.SYNONYMS Inninna; IŠTAR [Akkadian]; Nin-mesar-ra(lady of a myriad offices)CENTER(S) OF CULT Unug [Warka]; also Erbiland Nineveh.ART REFERENCES plaques, reliefs, votive stelae,glyptics, etc.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts, particularlythe Gilgameš Epic and Inana’s Descent and theDeath of Dumuzi; temple hymns, etc.The paramount goddess of the Sumerian pantheon.Though not technically a “mother goddess,”she constitutes the first in a long line ofhistorically recorded female deities concernedwith the fertility of the natural world. Inana isalso a warrior goddess. She is the daughter of themoon god NANNA and sister of UTU and IŠKUR.In alternative tradition, she is the daughter of AN.Her attendant is the minor goddess NINŠUBUR,and her champion is the mythical hero Gilgameš.Of her many consorts, the most significant is thevegetation god DUMUZI. She becomes the handmaidenof An, the god of heaven. She is also identifiedas the younger sister of the underworldgoddess EREŠKIGAL. She is the tutelary deity ofthe southern Mesopotamian city of Unug (Uruk),where her sanctuary is the Eanna temple.Inana is usually depicted wearing a hornedheaddress and tiered skirt, with wings and withweapon cases at her shoulders. Her earliest symbolis a bundle of reeds tied in three places andwith streamers. Later, in the Sargonic period, hersymbol changes to a star or a rose. She may beassociated with a lion or lion cub and is oftendepicted standing atop a mountain. She may beembodied in the sacred tree of Mesopotamia,which evolved into a stylized totem made of woodand decorated with precious stones and bands ofmetal.Originally Inana may have been goddess of thedate palm, as Dumuzi was god of the date harvest.Her role then extended to wool, meat and grainand ultimately to the whole of the natural world.She was also perceived as a rain goddess and as thegoddess of the morning and evening stars. Shewas worshiped at dawn with offerings, and in theevening she became the patroness of temple prostituteswhen the evening star was seen as a harlotsoliciting in the night skies. In less commonlyencountered roles she is goddess of lighting andextinguishing fires, of tears and rejoicing, ofenmity and fair dealing and many other, usuallyconflicting, principles.According to legend, ENKI, who lives in thewatery abyss or Abzu beneath the city of Eridu,was persuaded while drunk, and through Inana’ssubterfuge, to endow her with more than a hundreddivine decrees, which she took back to Unugin her reed boat and which formed the basis of theSumerian cultural constitution.

138 InaraInana is one of three deities involved in the primordialbattle between good and evil, the latterpersonified by the dragon Kur. She is furtherengaged in a yearly conflict, also involving herconsort Dumuzi, with Ereškigal. She descends tothe underworld to challenge Ereškigal and findsherself stripped naked and tried before the sevenunderworld judges, the ANUNNAKI. She is sentencedand left for dead for three days and nightsbefore being restored at the behest of Enki, thegod of wisdom, who creates two beings, Kur-garraand Gala-tur-ra, to secure her release and torevive her by sprinkling her with the food andwater of life.InaraMinor goddess. Hittite and Hurrian. Daughter ofthe weather god TEŠUB. In the legendary battlewith the dragon Illuyankas she assists her father totriumph over evil.Inari (rice-grower)God(dess) of foodstuffs. Shinto [Japan]. The popularname of a god(dess) worshiped under thegeneric title Miketsu-No-Kami in the Shi-Densanctuary of the imperial palace, but rarely elsewhere.The deity displays gender changes, developsmany personalities and is revered extensivelyin Japan. Inari is often depicted as a bearded manriding a white fox but, in pictures sold at templeoffices, (s)he is generally shown as a woman withlong flowing hair, carrying sheafs of rice andsometimes, again, riding the white fox. Inari sanctuariesare painted bright red, unlike most otherShinto temples. They are further characterized byrows of wooden portals which form tunnels leadingto the sanctuary. Sculptures of foxes are prolific(an animal endowed, in Japanese tradition,with supernatural powers) and the shrines aredecorated with a special device, the Hoju-No-Tama, in the shape of a pear surrounded by smallflames. Often identified with the food goddessTOYO-UKE-BIME.InazumaGoddess of lightning. Shinto [Japan]. The socalledconsort of the rice. In certain regions whenlightning hits a rice field bamboos are erectedaround the spot to signify that it has been sanctifiedby the fire of heaven. Also Ina-Bikari (light ofrice) and Ina-Tsurubi (fertility of rice).IndrTutelary and weather god. Kafir [Afghanistan].The brother of GISH and father of DISANI andPano. Probably derived from the more widelyrecognized Aryan god INDRA, Indr is knownchiefly from the Waigal and Prasun areas of thesouthern Hindukush. It is generally assumed thathe was ousted from major importance by the godIMRA. Indr is also a god of wine who owns substantialvineyards and is associated in southNuristan with wine rituals (the annals of Alexanderthe Great suggest that he met with winedrinking“worshipers of DIONYSOS” in theHindukush).In the Ashkun region of southwestern Kafiristan,a famous vineyard near the village of Wamaisis sacred to Indr. Also Inder.INDRA (possibly meaning “mighty”)ORIGIN Hindu [India]. Weather god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC andpossibly earlier until present day.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES sculptures in metal and stone;reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda and other texts.

Intercidona 139One of the most important of the Vedic deities. Itis uncertain if he originated as a weather god or asa solar deity. The Rg Veda identifies him with thebull and he is considered to be related to the Hittiteweather god TEŠUB. He is thus also god offertility and war. In the later Vedas he is describedas the son of DYAUS PITAR and PRTHIVI. His consortis INDRANI and his sons are JAYANTA, Midhusa,Nilambara, RBHUS and RSABHA.In later Hinduism he is a dikpala (guardian) ofthe eastern direction.2. In Buddhism Indra is a dikpala with the coloryellow, but of lesser importance than the Hindugod.3. In Jainism Indra is a head of various heavensbut, again, of lesser importance.IndraniGoddess of wrath. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic).Daughter of Puloman, a demonic figure killed bythe god INDRA, and the SAKTI and consort of Indra.One of seven MATARAS (mothers) who in laterHinduism became regarded as of evil intent. Alsoone of a group of eight ASTAMATARAS personifyingjealousy (also named Aindri in this capacity). Inanother grouping one of nine NAVASAKTIS or astraldeities who, in southern India, rank higher than theSAPTAMATARAS. Her attendant animal is either anelephant or a lion. Attributes: hook, rosary, Santanaflower, staff and waterjar. One thousand-eyed. AlsoAindri; Mahendri; Paulomi; Saci; Sujata.IndukariGoddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Consort ofthe god SAMBA. Attribute: a shield.IngAncestral god. Anglo-Saxon. According to a runicpoem he is the father of the Saxons and appearedfrom across the sea and then disappeared, neverto return. He may also be classed as one of theNordic AESIR gods.InkanyambaStorm god. Zulu [southern Africa]. The deityspecifically responsible for tornados and perceivedas a huge snake coiling down from heavento earth. According to some Zulu authorities,Inkanyamba is a goddess of storms and water.InmarSky god(dess). Votyak (Finno-Ugric). The namebecame incorporated into Christian tradition andinterpreted as “the mother of God.”Inmutef (pillar of his mother)Minor god. Egyptian. The “bearer of the heavens,”his cult is linked with that of the goddessHATHOR.InsitorMinor god of agriculture. Roman. The deity concernedwith sowing of crops.Intal (gods their father)God of fire. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Associated with paternalism andone of the group classed as the XIUHTECUHTLIcomplex.IntercidonaMinor goddess of birth. Roman. A guardian deityinvoked to keep evil spirits away from the newbornchild. Symbolized by a cleaver.

140 IntiInti (sun)Sun god. Inca (pre-Columbian South America)[Peru, etc]. His consort is the moon goddessMAMA-KILYA. Inti was depicted as a trinity in thesanctuaries in Cuzco, possibly in deference to theChristian Trinity. The Temple of the Sun isreported to have housed images, in gold, of all thesky gods in the Inca pantheon on more or lessequal terms, since the sun is regarded as one ofmany great celestial powers. Inti may also havebeen depicted as a face on a gold disc. The socalled“fields of the sun” supported the Incapriesthood. The three sun deities are Apo-Inti(lord sun), Cori-Inti (son sun) and Inti-Wawqi(sun brother). The sun god(s) is perceived as theprogenitor of the Inca rulers at Cuzco throughtwo children—a son Manco Capac and his sister/consortMama Ocllo Huaco. The QuechuaIndians of the central Andes call the same deityInti Huayna Capac and perceive him as part of atrinity with the Christian god and Christ.IoSee KIHO.IordEarth goddess. Nordic (Icelandic). In Viking traditionlord embodies the abstract sacredness of theearth. Said to be the mother of THOR and in somelegends, the wife of OTHIN.See also FJORGYN.Ipalnemoani (he who through one lives)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as the OME-TEOTL complex.and wet nurse to the king. She is also perceived toexert a benign influence on amulets. Depicted asa hippopotamus or anthropomorphically with ahippo’s head. Also Ipet.Iris (rainbow)Messenger goddess. Greek and Roman. The specialattendant of the goddess HERA, Iris is a virgingoddess who forms the rainbow bridge betweenheaven and earth. Depicted with wings and carryinga staff.IrminWar god. Germanic. Probably equating withTIWAZ, the name implies one of great strength. InSaxony, there is the so-called Irmin pillar whichmay be a reference to the deity.IruvaSun god. African. A number of tribes worship thesun by this generic name, particularly inCameroon, Congo and Tanzania.Isa (1)1. An aspect of ŠIVA. Hindu (Puranic). Also a dikpalaor guardian of the northeastern quarter; andan EKADASARUDRA (one of the eleven rudras).Rides upon a goat or a bull. Color: white. Attributes:five arrows, ax, drum, fruit, hatchet, hook,lute, noose, rosary, staff. Three-eyed.2. Guardian deity. Buddhist. A minor dikpalaattended by a bull. Color: white. Attributes: cup,moon disc and trident.IpyMother goddess. Egyptian. In the Pyramid TextsIpy appears occasionally as a benevolent guardianIsa (2)River goddess. Songhai [Niger, West Africa]. Themother goddess of the river Niger.

ISIS 141IšaraGoddess of marriage and childbirth. Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian) and westernSemitic. Also a deity concerned with theenforcing of oaths. Known chiefly from earlyinscriptions and some Akkadian texts. HerMesopotamian cult center was the Babyloniantown of Kisurra, but she is also thought to havebeen worshiped across a wide area among Syrians,Canaanites and Hittites. Her symbol is the scorpion.Also Ešara.IsdesChthonic god of death. Egyptian. Known fromthe Middle Kingdom onward he is one of theminor deities concerned with the judgment of thedead. He became syncretized with ANUBIS.Ishi-Kori-DomeGod(dess) of stone cutters. Shinto [Japan]. Ofambiguous gender, this deity created the stonemold into which the bronze was cast tomake the perfect divine mirror. It was used sothat AMATERASU, the sun goddess, could see herglorious reflection and so be enticed from thedark cave where she had hidden herself toescape the excesses of the god SUSANO-WO.Ishi-Kori-Dome is also the tutelary deity ofmirror makers and was one of the escorts forPrince NINIGI when he descended from heavento earth. Generally invoked beside fire andsmith KAMIS.IsimudMessenger god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Readily identified by possessing two faces lookingin opposite directions, Isimud is the messengerof the god ENKI. Also Isinu; Usumu(Akkadian).ISISORIGIN Egyptian. Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Early dynasticperiod (circa 2700 BC) and probably earlier untilthe end of Egyptian history (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT universal throughout areasof Egyptian influence, but particularly at Gizaand at Behbeit el-Hagar in the Nile delta. Alsoat Thebes on the west bank, at Dendara and inthe temple of Seti I at Abydos. A GrecoRomansanctuary existed on Philae (now moved toAgilqiya).ART REFERENCES monumental carving; contemporarysculptures; wall paintings and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; the GreatHymn to Isis from the stele of Amenemose(Louvre); etc.Isis is one of the great deities of the Egyptianpantheon and, with OSIRIS, probably maintainedthe most universal appeal outside Egypt. Greco-Roman culture was particularly enamored of herand called her the Stella Maris (star of the sea),represented in the heavens by the north star. Anoffspring of GEB and NUT in the Heliopolisgenealogy, Isis is the mother of the god kings ofEgypt and both elder sister and consort of Osiris.The other siblings include SETH and NEPHTHYS.Isis is depicted in human form, but usually wearinga crown in the form of a throne or cow hornsencircling a sun disc (see HATHOR). She may alsobe depicted, wholly or in part, as a hawk. Fromthe New Kingdom (circa 1500 BC) onward she isalso associated with a device not dissimilar to theankh symbol and known as the “Isis knot.” Thesymbol was incorporated into a bloodstoneamulet known as the tyet.In legend she is responsible twice for restoringOsiris, once after Seth has thrown his body intothe Nile and again after Seth has dismembered it.She impregnates herself from his corpse as he is

142 IŠKURentering the underworld as its ruler, and fromOsiris’s semen conceives HORUS, to whom shegives birth in the papyrus swamps at Khemmis inthe Nile delta. Thus, since Horus instilled himselfinto the king of Egypt during life, and Osiris tookover on death (see also Horus and Osiris), theruler was perceived to suckle at the breast of Isis(as HARPOKRATES). As Isis guarded Horus againstinjury, so she also protected the earthly king ofEgypt as a child. In the courts of the gods, Isis putup a strong challenge in support of Horus’s claimto the throne against that of her brother Seth,and she showed Seth to be guilty of buggeryagainst Horus.In the Greco-Roman period, Isis sanctuarieswere built on the island of Delos and at Pompeii.There is much argument that the Isis cult influencedthe portrayal of the Christian Virgin Mary,who was also known as Stella Maris and whoseportraits with the Christ often bear a striking similarityto those of Isis with Horus.IŠKURORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq]. Stormgod.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC, andprobably earlier, until circa 1750 BC.SYNONYMS ADAD (Akkadian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Karkara.ART REFERENCES plaques: votive stelae; glyptics,etc.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts.The chief rain and thunder god of herdsmen,Iškur is described as the brother of the sun godUTU. In creation mythology Iškur is given chargeover the winds, the so-called “silver lock of theheart of heaven,” by the god ENKI. According tosome authors, in prehistoric times he was perceivedas a bull or as a lion whose roar is the thunder.He may be depicted as a warrior riding acrossthe skies in a chariot, dispensing raindrops andhailstones. In one text he is identified as the sonof AN and twin brother of Enki. He is to be comparedwith NINURTA who was primarily a god offarmers. He was also adopted by the Hittites as astorm god.IssakiGoddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Depictedcarrying a headless child. Also Kerala.Istadevata1. Generic title of a personal god. Hindu. Thename given to a deity chosen by an individual forspecial worship in return for protection and spiritualguidance. Also the name given to a householdicon.2. Tutelary god. Buddhist, particularly in Tibet.The personal deity of one preparing for Tantricinitiation.IštanuSun god. Hittite. A god of judgment, depictedbearing a winged sun on his crown or headdress,and a crooked staff.IŠTAR (star of heaven)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Goddess of fertility and war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2500 BC untilcirca AD 200.SYNONYMS INANA [Sumerian].CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Mesopotamiaparticularly at Babylon and Nineveh, withsmaller sanctuaries across a more extensive areaof the ancient world including Mari.ART REFERENCES votive inscriptions; cylinderseals and seal impressions; limestone reliefs, etc.

ITZAM NA 143cuneiform texts includingThe Descent of Ištar, Gilgameš and Etana; templehymns.LITERARY SOURCESIštar is probably the most significant and influentialof all ancient Near Eastern goddesses. She isthe counterpart of, and largely takes over from,the Sumerian Inana. She is the daughter, in separatetraditions, of the moon god SIN and of thegod of heaven ANU. She is generally depicted withwings and with weapon cases at her shoulders.She may carry a ceremonial double-headed macescimitarembellished with lion heads and is frequentlyaccompanied by a lion. She is symbolizedby an eight-pointed star.In Egypt she was revered as a goddess of healing.There is evidence from the el-Amarna lettersthat Amenhotep III, who apparently sufferedfrom severe tooth abscesses, was loaned a statueof Ištar from Nineveh in the hopes that its curativepowers might help his suffering.IštaranLocal god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). The tutelarygod of the city of Der, east of the river Tigrisin northern Babylonia. Also GUSILIM.IstenCreator god. Pre-Christian Hungarian. Accordingto tradition, his sacred animal, the eagle,guided the Hungarian people to their homeland.Other attributes include arrow, horse phallus andtree.the gods in war as a herald but was nonethelessgenerally regarded as benevolent. Known particularlyfrom the Babylonian legend of Erra andIšum. Also ENDURSAGA.IsvaraEpithet of the god ŠIVA. Hindu (Puranic). In Sanskritdesignated the “supreme god who rules theuniverse.” The generic title of a Hindu’s personalhigh god. In Buddhism the name of a YAKSAattending the eleventh tirthankara.ItondeGod of death. Mongo and Nkundo [centralDemocratic Republic of Congo, Africa]. Heconsumes rats as food and is also the god ofhunters in the dark jungle forests. Described inthe Epic of Lianja as the first man to die whosespirit reincarnated at the instant of death, intohis son LIANJA. He possesses a bell with magicalproperties, the elefo, by which he predictswhere death will strike.Itzam CabChthonic earth god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The earth aspect of the creatorgod ITZAM NA. He is also a god of fire, andhearthstones are called “head of Itzam Cab.”Sticks of firewood are his thighs, flames histongue and the pot resting on the fire his liver. Inhis vegetation aspect he is depicted with leaves ofmaize sprouting from his head.IšumMinor god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). The brother of ŠAMAŠ, the sun god,and an attendant of the plague god ERRA. He mayhave been a god of fire and, according to texts, ledITZAM NA (iguana house)ORIGIN Mayan (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 300 untilcirca AD 900.

144 ItzcuintliSYNONYMS HUNAB KU; Hun Itzamna; Yaxcocahmut;God K.CENTER(S) OF CULT Chichen Itza and other sites,mainly in the Yucatan peninsula.ART REFERENCES stone carvings, codex illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES mainly the Vienna Codex.The principal god in the Mayan pantheonaccording to the Vienna codex. He lives in the skyand sends the rain. Also a god of medicine and afire god. By tradition the Maya believed that theworld was set within a vast house, the walls androof of which were formed by four huge iguanasstanding upright but with their heads bent downwards.Each reptile has its own direction andcolor.Itzam Na is not invoked in the rites of modernYucatan peasants but, at one time, was the subjectof a ritual which involved daubing the lowest stepof a sanctuary with mud and the other steps withblue pigment (the color peculiar to rain gods). AtChichen Itza sacrifice was regularly made to ahuge crocodile believed to be the personificationof the god.Itzam Na is probably the same deity as HunabKu, who is identified in some texts as his father,but in the guise of a reptile. He may also bedepicted anthropomorphically. In his aspect as avegetation god, Itzam Na may be the same as theso-called God K of the codices, recognized by along branching nose in the form of a pair ofinfolded leaves. His earthly aspect is called ITZAMCAB, in which guise maize leaves sprout from thetop of his head.ItzcuintliGoddess of hearths. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A guardian deity of the home personifiedby fire. One of the group classed as theXIUHTECUHTLI complex.Itzpapalotl (obsidian butterfly)Minor mother goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed asthe TETEOINNAN complex. Also recognized as afire goddess.Itzpapalotl-Itzcueye (possessor of obsidianskirt)Minor mother goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed asthe TETEOINNAN complex. Limited to the Valleyof Mexico.Itztapal Totec (our lord the stone slab)Fertility god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A god of agriculture but also a patron ofprecious metallurgists. One of the group classedas the XIPE TOTEC complex.ltztli (obsidian blade)God of justice. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as the TEZ-CATLIPOCA complex.IunonesGoddesses of femininity. Greco-Roman. Generallydepicted as a trio of MATRES. A shrine atSaintes Maries on the Rhone delta was originallydedicated to the Iunones Augustae.IusaasCreator goddess. Egyptian (Lower). Locallyknown from Heliopolis and perceived as being afeminine principle in the cosmos equating to thesun god ATUM. Depicted anthropomorphicallywith a scarab on her head.

Ixtlilton 145IuturnaGoddess of springs and wells. Roman. Invokedparticularly in times of drought.Ix Chebel YaxMother goddess. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Goddess of weaving and patroness ofweavers, whose tutelage is shared with IX CHEL.See also CHIBIRIAS.Ix ChelMoon goddess. Mayan (Yucatec and Quiche,classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. Also thegoddess of childbirth and medicine and of rainbows.A consort of the sun god. She has a majorshrine as Cozumel and small figurines of thegoddess have been conventionally placedbeneath the beds of women in labor. Suchwomen are considered to be in great danger attimes of lunar eclipse when the unborn childmay develop deformities. Ix Chel is a guardianagainst disease and the Quiche Indians regardher as a goddess of fertility and sexual intercourse.A goddess of weaving, believed to be the firstbeing on earth to weave cloth, she was employedin this craft when she first attracted the attentionof the sun god. She carries her loom sticks acrossthe sky to protect her from jaguars. Under Christianinfluence she has been largely syncretizedwith the Virgin Mary. Also Goddess 1.See also IX CHEBEL YAX.Ix KananVegetation goddess. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The guardian of the bean plant.Her consort is the maize god IH P’EN. The coupleare invoked at sowing time when turkeys andchickens are sacrificed.Ix Zacal Nok (lady cloth-weaver)Creator goddess. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The consort of the sun god KinichAhau and also the inventor of weaving. She mayrepresent another aspect of the mother goddessCOLEL CAB. Also Ix Azal Uoh; Ixchel.See also AH KIN.Ixcozauhqui (yellow face in the house)God of fire. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Associated with paternalism and one of thegroup classed as the XIUHTECUHTLI complex.Ixnextli (eye-lashes)Goddess of weavers. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as theTETEOINNAN complex.Ixpuztec (broken face)Minor underworld god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed asthe Mictlantecuhtli complex.Ixquimilli-Itzlacoliuhqui (eye-bundlecurved obsidian blade)God of justice. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as the TEZ-CATLIPOCA complex.IxtabGoddess. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Tutelary goddess of suicide victims.Ixtlilton (little black face)Minor god of sexual lust. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed asthe XIUHTECUHTLI complex.

146 Izanagi-No-KamiIzanagi-No-Kami (his augustness the onewho invites)Creator god. Shinto [Japan]. One of seventeenbeings involved in creation. His consort isIZANAMI-NO-KAMI. They are strictly of Japaneseorigin with no Chinese or Buddhist influence.Jointly they are responsible to the other fifteenprimordial deities to “make, consolidate and givebirth to this drifting land.” The reference, in theKojiki sacred text, is to the reed beds which wereconsidered to float on the primal waters. The pairwere granted a heavenly jeweled spear and theystood upon the floating bridge of heaven, stirringthe waters with the spear. When the spear waspulled up, the brine which dripped from it createdthe island of Onogoro, the first dry land, believedto be the island of Nu-Shima on the southerncoast of Awagi. According to mythology, the paircreated two beings, a son HIRUKO and an islandAhaji. They generated the remaining fourteenislands which make up Japan and then set aboutcreating the rest of the KAMI pantheon. Izanagi’smost significant offspring include AMATERASU,the sun goddess, born from his nose and SUSANO-WO, the storm god, born from his left eye, whoare the joint rulers of the universe. Also Izanagi-No-Mikoto.Izanami-No-Kami (her augustness the onewho invites)Creator goddess. Shinto [Japan]. See IZANAGI-NO-KAMI for full details. Izanami was burned todeath by the birth of the fire god HI-NO-KAGU-TSUCHI, after which the eight thunders sprangfrom her corpse. Also Izanami-No-Mikoto.IzquitecatlFertility god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as the Ometochtlicomplex personifying the maguey or agaveplant from which a potent drink called pulque isbrewed.

6 JJabruSky god. Elamite [Iran]. Local deity largelyeclipsed by AN.JAGANNATH (lord of the world)ORIGIN Hindu (Puranic) [India]. Transmutationof the essence of the god Višnu.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 400 andprobably earlier until present day.SYNONYMS Jaggernaut.CENTER(S) OF CULT Bengal and Puri (Oríssa).ART REFERENCES bronze sculptures. Well-knownwooden image at Puri.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana epic; Puranictexts.Jagannath occupies an obscure position. Hissister is SUBHADRA and his brother Balabhadra.He is depicted in hideous fashion as a monsterwith an enormous head and bulging eyes, butwith no legs and only the stumps of arms.According to legend, when VIŠNU was accidentlyslain by a hunter, his bones were placedin a box and VISVAKARMA, the Hindu god ofartisans, was commissioned to create a newbody to cover the bones. His agreement wasconditional on no one seeing the work until itwas finished. KRSNA’s curiosity got the better ofhim and the resultant half-finished freak wasJagannath.In an unusual departure from normal ritualpractice, the image of Jagannath is removed fromhis sanctuary at Puri for a week each year andaired in public view. Two festivals, the Rathayatraand Snanayatra, are dedicated to Jagannath andhis siblings.JagaubisFire god. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. Largelyeclipsed by GABIJA.JahweSee YHWH.JakombaGod of morality. Bangala [Democratic Republicof Congo, central Africa]. Also known as the godof hearts, he controls human thought. Also Nzakomba.Jalinprabha (light of the sun)God. Buddhist. A BODHISATTVA or buddhadesignate.Color: red. Attributes: staff, sun discand sword. Also Suryaprabha.147

148 JambhalaJambhala (devouring)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA, RATNASAMBHAVA or Vajrasattva, or acollective emanation of the five DHYANIBUD-DHAS, he is the equal of the Hindu god KUBERA.His SAKTI is VASUDHARA and he may stand upona man or a conch. Color: blue or white. Attributes:arrow, bow, cup, hook, Ichneumon fly,image of Aksobhya in the hair, jewel, noose,other jewels, staff, sword and trident. Threeheaded,each head representing one of the threenamed Dhyanibuddhas.Janguli (knowledge of poisons)Snake goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Preventsand cures snake bite. An emanation of AKSOBHYA.Also one of a group of DHARANIS (deification ofBuddhist texts). Accompanied by a snake or otherunidentified creature. Color: green, white oryellow. Attributes: arrow, blue lotus, bow, image ofAksobhya on crown, lute, peacock feather, snake,staff, sword and trident. One- or three-headed.APOLLO, born in Thessaly, he founded the city ofJaniculum on the Tiber.Janus is depicted with two faces turned in oppositedirections, symbolizing his dominance overpast and future. He holds a key in his right handand a staff in his left when invoked as guardian ofa gate or roadway; alternatively he holds the numbers300 and 65 when presiding over the start ofa new year. He is also equated with the rising andsetting of the sun. Each new season, and the dawnof each day was sacred to Janus. He was particularlycelebrated at New Year and the month nameJanuary is derivative. The Janus Quadrifons templewas reputedly a perfectly symmetrical square,each side possessing one door representing eachof the four seasons, and three windows collectivelycomprising the twelve months of the year.JarriPlague god. Hittite and Hurrian. Also war godknown as the “lord of the bow” who protected theking in battle.JANUSORIGIN Roman. God of passage.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS Ianus.CENTER(S) OF CULT many sanctuaries throughoutItaly, including the celebrated JanusQuadrifons temple (not extant).ART REFERENCES sculptures and relief carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil).Janus is generally known as the “god with twofaces” and is the deity responsible for gates, doorwaysand of all beginnings. He is also specificallya benign intercessor in times of war. He has noGreek counterpart but is the god of past, presentand future. According to legend the son ofJayakara (victorious)God. Buddhist. Probably of Hindu derivation, herides in a carriage drawn by cockatoos. Color:white. Attributes: arrow, bow, garland and wineglass.Jayanta (victorious)God. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). One of the sonsof INDRA, and one of the eleven EKADASARUDRASor forms of the god RUDRA. Attributes: arrow, ax,bow, club, cup, drum, hammer, hook, prayerwheel, rosary, spear, trident and waterjar.Jayatara (victorious Tara)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana).

Junrojin 149Jaya-Vijaya (victorious)Twin goddesses. Hindu (Epic and Puranic).Possibly forms of DURGA accompanied by alion.JehovahCreator god. Christian. The name came intousage from circa AD 1200 and is an adulterationwhich has largely replaced the title YHWH in theEnglish-speaking churches.See also YHWH.Jnanadakini (knowledge)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA and the SAKTI of yogambara. Color:blue. Attributes: ax, bell, club, cup, staff andsword.Jnanaparamita (perfection of knowledge)Philosophical deity. Buddhist. Spiritual offspringof RATNASAMBHAVA. Color: white. Attributes: thetree of wisdom and a jeweled banner.Jnanavasita (control of knowledge)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group ofVASITAS personifying the disciplines of spiritualregeneration. Color: whitish blue. Attributes:sword on a blue lotus.JokCreator god. African. A generic term employedby a large number of tribes. Generally thejok is represented by a totem and also has ananimal name. The Acholi in Uganda perceive jokto live in caves to which they deliver food anddrink offerings. For the Shilluk in Sudan, Jwokcreated mankind from river clay.JokinamLake god. Lake Albert [East Africa]. The ownerof the “lake cows” which graze at the bottom ofLake Albert and which are herded by drownedfishermen.JumisFertility god. Pre-Christian Latvian. Symbolizedby cereal stalks joined at the heads, or bent overand buried in the ground.JUNOORIGIN Roman. Queen of heaven.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS HERA (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT Sparta, Rome and Heraeum.ART REFERENCES large numbers of sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil) etc.Juno is modeled on the Greek goddess Hera. Inthe Roman pantheon she is the daughter of Cronosand RHEA and the sister and incestuous consort ofJUPITER, who seduced her in the guise of a cuckoo.Following their wedding on Mount Olympus,Juno was accorded the title of goddess of marriage,though subsequently she was obliged to endureJupiter’s philandering with numerous concubines.Juno is the mother of MARS, Vulcan and HEBE.Her sacred animals are the peacock and the cuckooand she is invariably depicted in majestic apparel.Her chief festival in Rome was the Matronalia.See also KRONOS, VULCANUS.JunrojinGod of luck. Shinto [Japan]. One of sevendeities in Shintoism concerned with fortune.He is depicted as a Chinese hermit and is sometimesconfused with the god FUKUROKUJU. A

150 JUPITERsmall figure with a large head, he carries a staffto which is attached a little book. By traditionthe book contains information about the lifespanof each mortal person. He is accompaniedby a black deer, said to have been made thus byold age.JUPITERORIGIN Roman. Head of the Roman pantheon.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS Iuppiter; Jove; Juppiter.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Roman world.ART REFERENCES sculptures, reliefs, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil).Jupiter parallels the Greek supreme deity ZEUS, asthe father of the gods. His origins lie in the Indo-European sky god DYAUS PITAR. His consort isJUNO. His main sanctuary is located on the CapitolineHill in Rome and epithets include Tonans(thunderer) and Fulgurator (sender of lightning)although he is, above all, the giver of the brightlight of day. He is, like Zeus, believed to hurlthunderbolts from the sky and he was representedin the sanctuary of Jupiter Feretrius by a crudelump of stone. He is particularly responsible forthe honoring of oaths which led to the practice ofswearing in his name.In Rome he formed part of an early trinity withMARS, god of war and farming, and QUIRINUS.This was later revised to include Jupiter, Juno andMINERVA, all three of whom shared the CapitolineTemple.Jupiter became known under a variety of assimilatednames. Thus he was Jupiter Victor leadingthe legions to victory, or Jupiter Stator when theywere in a defensive role, or Jupiter Protector.Away from Rome he was allied with the Syrian/Hittitegod DOLICHENUS and in this formbecame popular with the Roman military withshrines as far away as Britain.JuventasGoddess of youth. Roman. Modeled on theGreek goddess HEBE.Jvaraharisvara (lord of fever)Plague god. Hindu. Associated with malaria, particularlyin Bengal.JyesthaGoddess of misfortune. Hindu (Puranic and earlier).The elder sister of the goddess LAKSMI,Jyestha personifies poverty and is depicted with alarge belly and long nose. In earlier Hinduismshe was worshiped particularly in southern India.Also a NAKSATRA of evil influence; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). Her animalis an ass. Attributes: arrow, banner with crow, cup,blue lotus, hair-ornament and staff.

6 KKa TyeleoCreator god. Senufo [Ivory Coast, West Africa].Significantly in such an environment, accordingto tradition, he fashioned the fruit-bearing treeson the seventh day of creation.KabeiroiBlacksmith gods. Greek. According to traditionthe sons or grandsons of the blacksmith godHEPHAISTOS. The cult was centered particularlyon Lemnos, where there was an Etruscan traditionuntil circa 500 BC, and at Thebes. TheKabeiroi are thought to derive from pre-GreekAsian fertility deities in Anatolia [Turkey].KabtaGod of artisans. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Increation mythology he is given charge over brickmoldsand pickaxes.KabrakanEarthquake god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The so-called “destroyer of mountains”usually coupled with the god ZIPAKNA who buildsmountains.Ka’cakSea spirit. Siberian Inuit [eastern Siberia]. Afierce old woman who lives in the ocean depthsand owns all the creatures of the sea. She issaid to feed off the bodies of drowned fishermenand is the subject of sacrifice.See also ARNAKUA’GSAK.Kacchapesvara (lord of the tortoise)God. Hindu (Puranic). An epithet of ŠIVA. Incertain artworks, particularly those inscribedon linga stones, VIŠNU, in his aspect ofKURMA(VATARA), the tortoise, is depicted worshipingŠiva. These illustrations were designedby Saivites as part of a propaganda exercise todemonstrate the superiority of Šiva over Višnu.KadešFertility goddess. Canaanite. Depicted naked carryinga snake and usually standing upon a lion.Taken over by the Egyptians (see QUADEŠ).Kadru (russet)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of thedaughters of DAKSA, consort of KASYAPA andmother of the nagas (snake demons).151

152 Kagu-Tsuchi-No-KamiKagu-Tsuchi-No-KamiFire god. Shinto [Japan]. One of a number offire KAMIS who are honored in special Hi-Matsurifestivals. He is worshiped in the mountain shrineof Kono-Jinja. The sacred fire can only be generatedby a board and stick and this is regarded as apowerful purifier in Shintoism. The most celebratedtemple of the fire kamis is situated onMount Atago near Kyoto to which worshipersare drawn from all over Japan to obtain charms asprotection against fire.KahilanTutelary god. Pre-Islamic Arabian. Known onlyfrom inscriptions.KahukuraGod of agriculture and creator of the rainbow.Polynesian and Maori. The son of RONGOMAI,Kahukura is invoked for the well-being of cropsand in some regions the name appears to be synonymouswith that of RONGOMATANE, the god ofagriculture. Kahukura is particularly associatedwith a staple vegetable of the Maori, the kumara, aroot tuber that was introduced to New Zealand byman and is said to possess many magical properties.Kahukura is not to be confused with a legendarycharacter of the same name, a mortal hero who, inantiquity, learned the art of making fish nets.Kai Yum (singing lord)God of music. Mayan (Lacandon) (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. He lives in the sky andis attendant on CACOCH, one of the aspects theMayan creator god. Depicted as a brazier shapedlike a pottery drum.KaikaraHarvest goddess. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa].Propitiated before harvesting with offerings ofmillet.KakakuRiver god. Shinto [Japan]. His name is ofteninscribed on the edge tiles of a house to protectagainst fire.Kakasya (crow faced)Minor goddess. Buddhist. No further informationavailable.KakkaMinor god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). He was the attendant and ministerof state to both ANU and ANŠAR, and is knownparticularly from the text of Nergal and Ereškigal.Kakupacat (fiery glance)War god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican] [Mexico].Said to bear a shield of fire with which heprotects himself in battle.KalaGod of death. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). An epithetof YAMA and occasionally of ŠIVA. Also thepersonification of time in the Atharvaveda.Kala-BhadraMinor goddess of death. Hindu (Puranic). Anauspicious attendant of funerals who is invoked inburial grounds in order to safeguard the passageof the dead to the otherworld. She is sometimesreferred to as Karala-Bhadra.Kalacakra (time wheel)Tutelary god. Buddhist (Mahayana) and Lamaist[Tibet]. One of a group of yi-dam tutelarydeities chosen on a basis of personal selection.Perceived as time in the form of a CAKRA

Kalika 153(rotating wheel) and one who dominates theHindu gods KAMA and RUDRA. SAKTI with twoto four heads. Color: blue. Attributes: a largevariety held in up to twenty-four hands. Typicallyfour-headed.Kaladuti (messenger of death)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). May be accompaniedby a horse. Color: red. Attributes: cowhead, cup, hammer and trident.KalavikarnikaFever goddess. Hindu (Puranic). Attributesinclude a cup or skull.KALI (1)ORIGIN Hindu (Puranic) [India]. Goddess ofdestruction.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 400,but known from much earlier times, untilpresent.SYNONYMS many epithets, also linked withDurga.CENTER(S) OF CULT chiefly in Bengal.ART REFERENCES sculptures in stone and bronze.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana epic and variousPuranic texts.Kali is the most terrible and malignant aspect ofthe goddess Sakti (see also Durga) though thename Kali is an epithet applied to several goddesses.She is the central figure of the sakta cult inBengal. Her consort is generally perceived asŠIVA, whom she aids and abets in his more malignantaspects. She is also one of the MAHAVIDYApersonifications of the SAKTI of Šiva. In her earliestform she may have been the personification ofthe spirit of evil.She is depicted variously with long raggedlocks, fang-like teeth or even tusks, lips smearedor dripping with blood and claw-like hands withlong nails. Her tongue often protrudes. She hasno special vehicle but may be seen dancing on aprostrate Šiva. She possesses ten (sometimes asmany as eighteen) arms and may wear a necklaceof skulls, a belt of severed arms, earrings of children’scorpses, and snakes as bracelets. Often sheis half-naked with black skin. Kali is depictedwading through gore on the battlefield and drinkingthe blood of her victims. Frequently she holdsa severed head in one of her hands and a largesword in another. At cremation sites she sits uponthe body of the deceased surrounded by attendantjackals.There are also more benign aspects of Kali. Sheslaughters demons and sometimes her hands areraised in blessing. The conflict of her personalityfollows the widely held notion that out of destructioncomes rebirth.Kali is worshiped in Bengal during theDipavali festival. In southern India she is worshipedas a distinct plague goddess associatedwith cholera.Kali (2)Goddess of learning. Jain. One of sixteen headedby the goddess SARASVATI.Kaligni-Rudra (the funerary fire Rudra)Minor god. Hindu (Puranic). A violent representationof ŠIVA who is attendant at cremations andwhose warlike attributes include sword, shield,bow and arrow.Kalika (black)1. Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Oftendepicted standing upon a corpse. Color: darkblue. Attributes: cup and knife.2. Goddess. Hindu (Puranic). A SAKTI ofNIRRTI, and an epithet of DURGA.

154 KalisiaKalisiaCreator god. Pigmy [Democratic Republic ofCongo and Congo, central Africa]. The guardianof hunters and the jungle forests. Pigmy huntersinvoke the god with special rituals and he deliversdream messages identifying the location of game.KaliyaMinor serpent god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof the nagas in the endless conflict between goodand evil, he poisoned the fresh water with hisvenom. The young KRSNA revived all the life whichhad drunk from it and then almost destroyed Kaliyabefore taking the snake as one of his followers. Bytradition he lives in depths of the river Yamuna.Kalki(n) (with white horse)Horse god. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic).Possibly the tenth avatara of VIŠNU. He rewardsthe good and punishes evil. The counterpart ofthe Buddhist deity MAITREYA. Horses becameassociated with divine kingship in ancient Indiabecause of their speed of movement. Solar deitieswere perceived to ride horses across the sky andhorse sacrifice became highly significant. Kalki isdepicted either anthropomorphically or with thehead of a horse and has four arms. He is attendedby a white horse. Attributes: arrow, conch, prayerwheel, shield and sword. Also Višnuyasas.KalligeneiaObscure birth goddess. Greek. Known only fromritual texts in Athens.KalteshFertility goddess. Ugric (western Siberian). Agoddess concerned with childbirth and the futuredestiny of the infant. Consort of the sky godNun. Her sacred animals include the hare andthe goose and she may be symbolized by a birchtree.KalungaCreator god. Ndonga [northern Namibia, southernAfrica]. Said to take the form of a giant manwho is always partially hidden by clouds and generallyseen only by women intermediaries knownas nelagos who go to converse with him in sacredplaces. He is the father of MUSISI. The god isinvoked at times of warfare and illness, but also asa fertility deity and before making a journey.KAMA(DEVA) (desire)ORIGIN Hindu (Puranic) [India]. God of carnallove.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1000 BC, andprobably earlier, until present.SYNONYMS Kama; MANMATHA; Ananga.CENTER(S) OF CULT various.ART REFERENCESreliefs.LITERARY SOURCESPuranic texts.stone and metal sculptures;Ramayana epic and variousAs god of love Kamadeva stimulates physicaldesire. The son of VIŠNU and LAKSMI, or of theirreincarnations KRSNA and RUKMINI, in whichinstance he is titled Kama. An alternative legendarybeginning accounts that he rosefrom the heart of the creator god BRAHMA. Hischief ally is the god of spring, Vasanta, his principalconsort the goddess of affection, RATI, and heis attended by a band of nymphs, the APSARAS.Kamadeva is depicted as a youthful god withgreen or red skin, decked with ornaments andflowers, armed with a bow of sugar cane, strung

Kamini 155with a line of honey bees, and arrows tipped witha flower. He may be three-eyed and three-headedand frequently rides on a parrot.The consorts of Kamadeva are the goddessesRati and PRITI. Legend accounts that Kamadevamet his death at the hands of ŠIVA, who incineratedhim with flames from his middle eye.Kamadeva had inadvertently wounded the meditatinggod with one of his shafts of desire and hadcaused him to fall in love with PARVATI. The epithetAnanga (bodiless) is applied to Kamadeva inthis context. Kamadeva is reincarnated as Kama,who in turn is reincarnated as PRADYUMNA, theson of Krsna. The god is invoked particularlywhen a bride-to-be departs from her familyhome.Kamado-No-KamiHousehold god. Shinto [Japan]. Specifically thekami responsible for the cooking stove.Kama-GamiGod of potters. Shinto [Japan]. Each kiln has asmall stone statue of the deity standing upon it towhich the potters offer sake and salt before lightingthe fire. Also Kamadokami.Kamaksi (of amorous appearance)Goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southern India andSri Lanka]. A SAKTI of ŠIVA recognized locallyat Kanchipuram, but also in her own right atseveral places in southern India. Also Kamatchi(Tamil).MAHAVIDYAS or personifications of the SAKTI ofŠIVA, representing MAHARATRI.KamalasanaGod. Hindu (Puranic). An epithet of BRAHMA.One of the classic depictions in Hindu artwherein Brahma is drawn seated on a lotus, whichblossoms from the navel of VIŠNU.KamantakamurtiMinor god. Hindu (Puranic). A violent aspectof ŠIVA in which he is depicted immolatingKama, the god of sexual love, using a blast offire from his third eye. The reason given forthis assault is that Kama had interrupted theascetic meditation of Šiva by making himdesirous of PARVATI.KamiGeneric name for a deity. Shinto [Japan]. Thetitle applied to the gods and goddesses ofShintoism.Kami-Musubi-No-Kami (divine producingwondrous deity)Creator being. Shinto [Japan]. The third in thelist of primordial deities appearing in the Kojikiand Nihongi sacred texts. A remote and vaguelydefined deity who was born alone in the cosmosand whose presence remains hidden frommankind. Probably influenced by Chinese religion.Kamala (lotus-born)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Particularlyworshiped in southern India. One of a group ofKamini (loving woman)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Anattendant of BUDDHAKAPALA.

156 Kamo-Wake-IkazuchiKamo-Wake-IkazuchiRain god. Shinto [Japan]. One of many rainKAMIS invoked in Shintoism and included in ageneric grouping of RAIJIN, deities of thunder,storm and rain.KamrusepaGoddess of healing. Hittite and Hurrian. Motherof Aruna. Involved in the legend of TELEPINU,the “missing” vegetation fertility god.Kana-Yama-Biko-No-KamiGod of miners. Shinto [Japan]. Born from thevomit of IZANAMI and worshiped in the Nangu-Jinja and other shrines. His consort is KANA-YAMA-HIME-NO-KAMI. One of the KAMIS of theso-called “metal mountain.”Kana-Yama-Hime-No-KamiGoddess of miners. Shinto [Japan]. Born fromthe vomit of IZANAMI and worshiped in theNangu-Jinja and other shrines. Her consort isKANA-YAMA-BIKO-NO-KAMI. One of the KAMISof the so-called “metal mountain.”KaneGod of light. Polynesian [Hawaii]. A sky godcomparable with the more widely known Polynesiandeity ATEA. Considered to be part of a primordialtrinity with KU (stability) and LONO(sound).See also TANE(MAHUTA).KangalogbaPrimordial spirit. Pokot and Suk [Uganda andwestern Kenya, East Africa]. The female spiritpersonified in the dragonfly and also the apotheosisof the sacred river Oubangui. The mother ofthe creator god TORO.Kankala(murti)Minor god. A violent and heavily armed aspectof ŠIVA. Traditionally accompanied in artworksby a skeleton, Kankala takes his place in mythologyas the representation of the deity who slewVIŠNU’S bodyguard VISVAKSENA. This wasprompted by the refusal of Visvaksena to permitŠiva an audience with Višnu. These illustrationswere designed by Saivites as part of a propagandaexercise to demonstrate the superiority ofŠiva over Višnu.Kankar MataMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who in later Hinduism became regarded asa SAPTAMATARA (mother) of evil intent. Knownparticularly from Bengal as a goddess who spreadsdisease.KantatmanObscure god of medicine. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The twentieth of the thirty-nine minoravataras of the god VIŠNU and possibly the sameas DHANVANTARI, as he is said to be a “carrier ofnectar.” By different genealogy he has beenequated with PRADYUMNA, the god of love.Kanti (desire)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The SAKTI ofNARAYANA.Kapali (wearing skulls)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of the groupof eleven EKADASARUDRAS or forms of RUDRA.

Katajalina 157Kapalini (carrying a cup)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.Karaikkal AmmaiyarLocal mother goddess. Hindu [southern India].Known from the town of Karikal as a deified asceticwho is depicted with an emaciated form.Attribute: playing cymbals.Karai-ShinGod of lightning. Buddhist [Japan]. One of thedeities grouped in Shintoism as the RAIJIN gods ofthunder, storm and rain.KariniInferior goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.KarkotaSnake god. Hindu. One of a group of sevenMAHANAGAS. Color: black. Attributes: rosary andwaterjar. Three-eyed.Karmavasita (control of karman)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group oftwelve VASITAS or goddesses personifying thedisciplines of spiritual regeneration—karma(n)is an act, rite or deed originating in the hopeof future recompense. Color: green. Attribute:a staff.KartaGoddess of destiny. Pre-Christian Latvian.Known only from folk traditions.Karttikeya1. God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A form ofSKANDA who was reared by the Pleiades stars andis generally represented therefore with six heads.(In Hindu mythology there are only six Pleiades,not the seven recognized in modern astronomy.)His SAKTI is KARTTIKI and his attendant animal isa peacock. Attributes: conch, hook, noose, prayerwheel, shield, spear, staff, sword and wood apple.2. God. Buddhist. Equating with the Hindu godSkanda. Color: red. Rides upon a peacock. Attributes:cock, Sakti and staff.KarttikiMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof a group of nine NAVASAKTIS who, in southernIndia, rank higher than the SAPTAMATARAS.KaškuMoon god. Pre-Hittite and Hittite. Known frominscriptions. Also KUŠUH (Hurrian).Kasyapa (deriving from the Sanskrit for“tortoise”)Primordial god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). InVedic literature a divine demiurge and father ofmankind, snake demons, DEVAS etc. His namestems, arguably, from the notion of the cosmos asa giant tortoise. He has had thirteen consorts. Inother texts he is the father of the god NARADAwho consorted with one of the daughters ofDAKSA. Also PRAJAPATI.KatajalinaAnimistic spirit. Australian aboriginal. Invoked atthe ceremony of initiation by the Binbinga peopleonce living on the west side of the Gulf ofCarpentaria. Katajalina is reputed to live in an

158 Kataragamaanthill and to carry off the spirit of the young initiate,kill him and then restore him to life as anadult. His presence is announced in the noise ofthe bull-roarer.KataragamaTutelary god. Tamil [Sri Lanka]. One of fourgreat national deities and equating to the Hindugod SKANDA. Also Ceyon.MATARAS (mothers) of evil intent. Also one of agroup of eight ASTAMATARAS. She embodies lackof envy or, alternatively, delusion. Her animal isa peacock. Attributes: arrow, ax, bell, book, bow,cockerel, lotus, spear, staff and waterjar.Kaumudi (moonlight)Goddess of the light of the moon. Hindu. Theconsort of CANDRA.KatavulSupreme god. Tamil [southern India and SriLanka]. The ultimate creator of all that exists inthe world and the judge of humanity able toreward or punish at will.KatyayaniForm of the goddess DURGA or PARVATI. Hindu(Puranic). Parvati, as the ascetic KALI, possesseda black skin. When ŠIVA ridiculed her she cast itoff, and it was subsequently filled “with the combinedbrilliance of the gods” to create Katyayani.Her attendant animal is a lion or tiger.KauketPrimordial goddess. Egyptian. One of the eightdeities of the OGDOAD representing chaos, she iscoupled with the god KEK and appears in anthropomorphicform but with the head of a snake.The pair epitomize the primordial darkness. Sheis also depicted greeting the rising sun in the guiseof a baboon.KaumariMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). TheSAKTI of SKANDA (Kaumara) who in later Hinduismbecame regarded as one of a group of sevenKavra’nna (walking around woman)Sun spirit. Chukchee [eastern Siberia]. The consortof the sun in Chukchee mythology. AlsoKo’rgina (rejoicing woman).KazyobaSun god. Nyamwezi [Tanzania, East Africa].Regarded as the tutelary deity and creator of thetribe.KeaweCreator god. Hawaiian. An androgynous thoughapparently male principle or monad, he livedonce in the dark empty abyss of Po. There,Keawe transformed primordial chaos into anorderly cosmos. He fashioned the sky from thelid of his calabash (a water-carrying gourd) andthe sun from an orange disc formerly kept insidethe calabash.Keawe’s first son was KANE, the god of light,and his daughter was Na Wahine, both createdthrough his own powers of conception. Hesubsequently entered into an incestuous relationshipwith Na Wahine to father the chiefpantheon of Hawaiian gods and goddesses,including most notably KU, LONO and Kanaloa,who became known, collectively, as the tripartitegod.

Khasa 159KebechetChthonic snake goddess. Egyptian. The daughterof ANUBIS who was involved in the cult of thedead as the deity responsible for libations. She isdepicted as a serpent.KekPrimordial god. Egyptian. One of the eightdeities of the OGDOAD representing chaos, he iscoupled with the goddess KAUKET and appears inanthropomorphic form but with the head of afrog. The pair epitomize the primordial darkness.He is also depicted greeting the rising sun in theguise of a baboon.KemošTutelary god. Moabite [Jordan]. Mentioned underthe name of Chemosh in the Vetus Testamentum: 1Kings 11.7. as being one of the gods worshiped bythe Israelite king Solomon. Eventually adoptedby the Greeks and absorbed into the cult of ARES.Kere’tkunSea spirit. Chukchee [eastern Siberia]. The chiefbeing in the ocean depths, known to the maritimeChukchee. His consort is Cinei’nen. Heowns all the creatures of the sea and is said towear a cloak of walrus gut and to be extremelyfierce. He feeds on the bodies of drowned fishermenand is the subject of sacrifice. Also Peruten.Kesava (long-haired)Minor avatara of VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). His SAKTI is KIRTI.Kesini (hairy)Goddess. Buddhist. An attendant of ARAPACANA.KetuaGod of fortune. Ngbandi [Democratic Republicof Congo, central Africa]. One of seven deitiesinvoked at daybreak. He controls both good luckand ill-fortune. According to tradition he hasseven children: morning, noon, evening, night,sun, moon and water. He accords to water theprivileges of a firstborn son.KhadirVegetation god. Pre-Islamic north African. Hewanders the earth returning to the same spotonce in every 500 years and is said to havegained his immortality by drinking from thewell of life. Similar in some respects to the Syriangod ADONIS and revered by Alexander theGreat. Normally referred to as Al-Khidr (thegreen one).KhandobaForm of the god ŠIVA. Hindu (late). Khandoba isbelieved to have emerged as a deity with a distinctcultic following no earlier than the thirteenth orfourteenth century, mainly in western India andcentered on Jejuri, near Poona. The god is generallyregarded as one of several martial formswhich Šiva took to combat demons. His consortis the goddess MHALSA, considered to be a formof PARVATI. He is depicted bearing four arms andis usually mounted on a horse, but may also beaccompanied by a dog. Attributes: bowl, drum,sword and trident. Also Makhari; Mallari; Martland.Khasa (itch)Minor goddess. Hindu (Vedic). Daughter ofDAKSA, consort of KASYAPA and a deity controllingspirits of forests.

160 KhasaparnaKhasaparna (gliding through the air)God. Buddhist. A variety of AVALOKITESVARA.Color: white. Attributes: image of AMITABHA onthe crown, and lotus.Khen-MaGoddess. Buddhist [Tibet]. The female controllerof the earth’s demons, attended by a ram.Attribute: a golden noose.Khen-PaGod. Buddhist [Tibet]. The male counterpart ofKHEN-MA, he controls the demons of heaven,attended by a white dog. Attribute: a crystal staff.Kherty (lower one)Chthonic or earth god. Egyptian. Known from atleast 2500 BC, Kherty acts as a guardian of royaltombs but displays a more ominous aspect threateningthe soul of the ruler. Pyramid Texts warnthat the king must be protected from Kherty bythe sun god RE. Depicted anthropomorphicallyor with the head of a ram.KhipaTutelary deity. Hittite and Hurrian. This may bean archaic name for the goddess MA. Also Khebe.KhnumChthonic or earth god. Egyptian (Upper). Said tocreate human life on a potter’s wheel but strictlyat the behest of creator deities. He is usuallyseated before a potter’s wheel on which stands anaked figure in the process of molding. TheKhnum cult was principally directed from sanctuariesat Esna, north of the first Nile cataract,and at Elephantine where mummified rams coveredwith gold leaf and buried in stone sarcophagihave been discovered. Khnum supervises theannual Nile flood, which is physically generatedby the god HAPY. His consort at Esna is the goddessMenhyt. Khnum is also described at othersites as the BA or soul of various deities includingGEB and OSIRIS. Depicted anthropomorphicallyor with the head of a ram.Khon-MaChthonic goddess. Tibetan. Ruler of a hordeof demons who live in the earth and whomay infest houses. She is depicted typicallywearing yellow robes and with attributes includinga golden noose. Her vehicle is a ram. Toguard against her influence, a ram’s skull is hungfrom the doorpost of a dwelling and filled withofferings.Khons(u) (wanderer)Moon god. Egyptian (Upper). Recognized fromat least 2500 BC but best known during the NewKingdom (mid-sixteenth century BC). A significantdeity at Thebes, where he is described as anoffspring of AMUN and MUT. His sacred animal isthe baboon. There is a Khonsu precinct as part ofthe Temple of Amun in the Karnak complex.From the Greco-Roman period there exists asanctuary of Kom-ombo where Khonsu is seen asthe offspring of the crocodile god SOBEK and themother goddess HATHOR. Depicted anthropomorphicallyor with a falcon’s head, but in eithercase enveloped in a close-fitting robe. He wears acrown consisting of a crescent moon subtendinga full moon orb.Khyung-Gai mGo-CanLocal god. Buddhist [Tibet]. Equating to theHindu god GARUDA.

Klehanoai 161Ki (the great one)Archetypal chthonic principle. Mesopotamian(Sumerian). According to some traditions, Ki isthe daughter of ANŠAR and KIŠAR and consort ofAN. As the cosmos came into being, An took therole of god of heaven and Ki became the personificationof the earth and underworld. She is themother of the god of the air, ENLIL, with whomshe descended from the heavens. Some authoritiesargue that she was never regarded as a deity.There is no evidence of a cult and the nameappears in a limited number of Sumerian creationtexts. The name URAŠ (tilth) may relate.See also ANTU(M).Probably equating with the Syrian ADONIS. AlsoKinnur.KinyrasLocal god of metalwork. Greek. Known fromCyprus as a magician and smith. Derived from anolder western Asiatic model.See also KOTAR.Kirti (glory)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The SAKTIof KESAVA. Attribute: waterjar.KiandaGod of the sea. Kimbundu [Angola, southernAfrica]. Guardian of the Atlantic Ocean andits creatures. Invoked by fishermen who placeofferings on the shore. His presence may besymbolized by a skull.KibukaGod of war. Buganda [Uganda, East Africa]. Thebrother of the creator god MUKASA, said to reside onthe island of Sese. According to tradition, he securedvictory in war for the Buganda by taking the form ofa cloud which hovered above their enemies andrained spears and arrows. He apparently enjoyed asuccession of temples in the past which housed thehidden statue of the god and his sacred shield.Kini’ jeSky spirit. Yukaghir (eastern Siberia]. The being incharge of keeping account of time. Also Ki’njen.Kinnar (divine lyre)Musician god. Western Semitic. Mentioned inUgaritic texts and known from Phoenicia.KišarPrimordial god(dess). Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). The consort or equalof ANŠAR and mother or creator of AN and KI inthe creation cosmos.Kitanitowit (good creator)Creator god. Algonquin Indian [eastern Canada].The first being who is present everywhere in theuniverse. He is invisible and is represented diagrammaticallyby a point surrounded by a circleon which are marked the four quarters.Kiya’rnarak (I exist)Supreme being. Inuit. An indistinct and remotecharacter, out of touch with ordinary mortals,who created the world.Klehanoai (night-bearer)Moon god. Navaho [USA]. According to tradition,he was created at the same primordial timeas the dawn, from a crystal bordered with whiteshells. His face is said to be covered with sheet

162 Klotholightning and the sacred primeval waters. Themoon disc is actually a shield behind which thegod moves invisibly across the night sky. He isnever impersonated or depicted. Also Tlehanoai.KlothoGoddess of spinning. Pre-Homeric Greek.According to Hesiod, one of the daughters ofZEUS and THEMIS. An ancient deity linked withLACHESIS and ATROPOS as one of a trio of MOIRAIor Fates. She is depicted with a spindle.Kollapura-MahalaksmiGoddess. Hindu (Puranic). Six-armed. Attributes:club, shield and wine glass.KondosGod of cereal crops. Pre-Christian Finnish. Particularlyidentified with the sowing of wheat.After Christianization, he was absorbed by thefigure of St. Urban.as a woman’s head adorned with ears of corn.She is integral to the Eleusinian Mysteries inwhich she is abducted to Hades, resulting in thedistress of her mother and the blighting ofnature. At Samaria-Sebaste in Syrio-Palestine,Kore was the only deity worshiped, apart fromthe emperor.KorravaiWar goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southern Indiaand Sri Lanka]. Worshiped in desert regions insouthern India, thought to live in trees and equatingto DURGA. She has a son, MURUKAN. AlsoKatukilal; Korrawi.KotarBlacksmith god. Western Semitic (Syrian). Identifiedin the Ugaritic (Ras Šamra) texts as buildinga palace for the god BAAL and forging his weaponsfor the conflict against the sea god YAMM. Knownalso from Phoenician inscriptions. Also Košar,Chusor, KINYRAS.Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime-No-KamiMountain goddess. Shinto [Japan]. The deitywho guards the sacred Mount Fuji. A daughterof O-YAMA-TSU-MI and the consort of PrinceNINIGI, her shrine is located on the summitof the mountain. She is also closely associatedwith Mount Asama about 80 kilometers to thenorth.KotisriMother goddess. Buddhist. The so-called “motherof 7,000 buddhas.”Koto-Shiro-NushiGod of luck. Shinto [Japan]. Probably syncretizedearly in Shintoism with the god EBISU.Kore (the girl)Youthful goddess of the corn. Greek. The moregeneric name for the goddess PERSEPHONE.Identified as the daughter of DEMETER. She isthe spirit of the corn as distinct from her motherwho is the giver of the corn. Depicted on coinageKouretesForest deities. Greek. Known from Ephesus andother sites as the spirits of trees and streams, theyare also perceived as nymphs who dance in attendanceon the baby ZEUS. The term is also appliedto a bride or young woman.

KRSNA 163KourotrophosObscure wet-nurse goddess. Greek. Known onlyfrom ritual texts.KoyoteTutelary god. North American Indian. Recognizedby several tribes, including the Navaho andApache. He acts as a cult hero who intercedeswith more remote creator spirits and teaches theIndian.KratosGod of strength. Greek. One of the sons of thegoddess STYX and brother of BIA (force).KronosArchetypal fertility god. Pre-Greek. He is ofunknown origin but is the son of the earth motherGAIA and the sky god OURANOS, whom heusurped after castrating him. His consort is RHEA.So as not to suffer a similar fate to his father heswallowed all his children except ZEUS who waskept from him by a ruse. Zeus eventually hurledKronos into Tartaros, the abyss in which all theTITANS were confined. He was celebrated in theGreek harvest festival of kronia which equalledthe Roman saturnalia. During Hellenic times hewas the supreme god at Byblos [Syria]. He isdepicted on coinage of Antiochus IV (175-164BC) nude, leaning on a scepter, with three pairs ofwings, two spread and one folded.KRSNA (the dark one)ORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India]. Incarnationof Višnu.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 300 BC or earlieruntil present.SYNONYMS Kannan (Tamil). Many epithets.CENTER(S) OF CULT generally throughout India,but particularly Mathura.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally bronze butalso stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Mahabharata epic, Bhagavad-Gita and Bhagavata-Purana.Krsna is the eighth and arguably the most importantincarnation or avatara of the god VIŠNU. Heappears inauspiciously in the Vedic texts, butgrows in stature and popularity. Allegedly born atMathura on the bank of the river Yamuna, he isthe son of VASUDEVA and DEVAKI, fostered byNanda and Yasoda. He is a deity who epitomizeshuman aspirations and shortcomings together.Thus he is both a Hindu divine hero, and adrinker and womanizer. He has no legal consortbut his chief mistress, a married woman, isRADHA. He is reputed to have enjoyed as many as16,000 such liaisons.Almost certainly, Krsna originated as a fertilitygod of herdsmen and vegetation who becamesyncretized with the hero of the Mahabharataepic. In the Bhagavata-Purana, Krsna is alsoperceived as the embodiment of the cosmos—the vault of heaven is his navel, the stars hischest, the sky his eyes.Krsna’s incarnation was, by tradition,designed to save the world from the demonicking Kansa. He is particularly worshiped as ababy (BALAKRSNA) and as a youthful shepherdaccompanied by Radha. He is seen as a skilledmusician often depicted playing the flute at thesound of which nature pauses to listen, stormsare calmed, rivers flow calmly and maidens areroused.The legends of Krsna’s childhood depict him asa somewhat precocious child who plays tricks andransacks kitchen jars of butter and curds. Theincident with butter has been a popular themefor sculptures. As an adult he champions thestruggle with the adversaries of mankind, the

164 Krsodarinagas, subduing the serpent KALIYA (see alsoGARUDA). He may be seen standing on Garuda.Color: black or dark blue. Attributes: flute, thehill of Govardhana on one finger, an ornament,prayer wheel and shepherd’s staff. He may, onoccasion, carry other objects.Krsodari (thin-waisted)Goddess. Hindu. An emaciated form of CAMUNDA,a personification of famine. She stands upon acorpse. Attributes: club, iron rod, skull and trident.Krttika(s)Minor goddess(es) of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). Strongly malevolent NAKSATRA(S) consistingof the six stars in the Pleiades constellationwho become nurses of the god SKANDA. (InHindu mythology there are only six Pleiades, notthe seven recognized in modern astronomy.)KshumaiFertility goddess. Kafir [Afghanistan]. A beneficentgoddess appearing in the guise of a goat.Legend has it that either she or her eldest daughteris the mother of the god MON. She is said tohave given mankind the boon of goats, grapes,other fruit and vegetation in general. She wascalled upon in times of sickness. She is depicted inwooden statues with prominent long breasts andvulva. Also Kime.Ksitigarbha (womb of the earth)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Known extensivelyfrom northern India to China and Japan.One of the group of female BODHISATTVAS orbuddha-designates. Color: yellow or green. Attributes:book, bowl, jewel, staff and water jar. InChina she is recognized as an underworld deity,Di-zang. In Japan she becomes a guardian deity ofpassage, Jizo.Ksama (patience)Minor goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof the daughters of DAKSA. Attribute: trident.KsantiparamitaPhilosophical deity. Buddhist. One of the PARAMI-TAS. Spiritual offspring of RATNASAMBHAVA.Color: yellow. Attributes: jeweled banner andwhite lotus.KsetrapalaGod of passage. Hindu (Puranic). Form of thegod BHAIRAVA specifically designated as aguardian deity of doorways. Also regarded as atutelary deity in Saivite temples. Stands upona lotus and possesses a number of attributes.KuPrimordial being. Polynesian [Hawaii]. An aspectof a tripartite deity which also includes KANE, thelight, and LONO, sound. They existed in chaosand darkness, which they broke into pieces toallow the light to come in.KUAN TIORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). God of war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 300 untilpresent.SYNONYMS Guan Di; Kuan Kung.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout China.ART REFERENCES paintings and sculpture.LITERARY SOURCES various philosophical andreligious texts, mostly inadequately researchedand untranslated.

Kubaba 165The most powerful figure in the pantheon, thegod is based on an historical figure who lived AD162-220. He was a general in the imperial armyand came to prominence after a successful battlewith the warlord Tung Cho. He was subsequentlydeified.The epitome of austerity, loyalty and integrity,he is worshiped as the personification of thesacred principles of the hsieh or knightly warrior.He was the tutelary deity of the Chung emperorsand is the god of the military, but also of restaurants,pawn shops, curio dealers and literature.He is a guardian of secret societies, including Triads,and brotherhoods, particularly in HongKong, but also of the police, thus many CIDoffices possess an altar to Kuan Ti, as Kuan Kung.He is depicted seated on a tiger skin, sometimeswith the face of a tiger on the breast of his robe.His magical sword is the “black dragon” and hishorse is the “red hare.” His festivals are celebratedon the fifteenth day of the second moon and on thethirteenth day of the fifth moon. He thus presidesover the light half of the year—spring and summer.Images of Kuan Ti are kept by most householdsin China, facing the entrance of the building, tofrighten away evil influences.KUAN YIN (hearer of cries)ORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). Benign guardian goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 100, thoughin various forms, until present.SYNONYMS Guan Yin; KWANNON (Japanese).CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Chinese culture.ART REFERENCES paintings and sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES Various philosophical andreligious texts, mostly inadequately researchedand untranslated.An essentially foreign deity, derived from theBuddhist god AVALOKITESVARA, and thereforeprobably of Indian origin. Introduced intoChina as a male deity until circa AD 600 whenthe transition to a goddess began; it was completedby circa AD 1100. Although accepted intoTaoism, in contrast to all other Chinese deities,she is not provided with the normal offerings offood and wine.An alternative tradition places her in a mortalexistence as the princess Miao Shan whocommitted suicide by strangling herself and wassubsequently taken by the BUDDHA to an island,P’u T’o, where she spent nine years perfectingherself.Kuan Yin enjoys a major popularity as a pureand benevolent spirit whose influence haseclipsed that of the historical Buddha incarnation,SAKYAMUNI, in China. Her name is invokedif danger threatens and she has strong fertilityconnotations—newly married couples pray to herfor children.Several other Chinese goddesses are consideredby some authors to be manifestations ofKuan Yin. She frequently shares sanctuaries withthe queen of heaven, TIN HAU, and has takenover part of her area of influence. She is thustitled Goddess of the Southern Sea, which is technicallyan accolade due to Tin Hau.Kuan Yin is depicted seated upon a lotus withattributes including a vase filled with the dew ofcompassion and a willow branch. Her attendantLung Nu may stand behind her with otherobjects, including a peacock-like bird, pearls anda rosary.KubabaMother goddess. Anatolian and northern Syrian.She was worshiped particularly at Carchemishand seems to equate with the Hittite goddessŠAUŠKA. Attributes include pomegranate and mirror.Also Gubaba, Kupapa.

166 KuberaKubera (misshapen)1. God of riches. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic).He was originally the head of the YAKSAS spirits ofthe forests, but by Puranic times was associatedwith wealth and productivity. He is also a dikpalaguardian of the northern quarter. The son ofPulastya and Idavida, his consorts include Yaksi,VASUDHARA and Vriddhi. Identified with the city ofAlaka. He is depicted as a dwarfish figure ridingupon a Brahman or a chariot. Color: white. Attributes:generally carrying a purse, but occasionallywith various other items. Also Kuvera, Kauveri.2. God of riches. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof a group of DHARMAPALA with terrible appearanceand royal attire. Also a dikpala or guardian ofthe northern quarter. Color: yellow. Attributes: ax,banner, club, cup, hook, Ichneumon disgorgingjewels, noose, reliquary and occasionally a trident.Kubjika (hump-back)Goddess of writing. Hindu. Personification of thethirty-two Tantric syllables.KujuSky spirit. Yukaghir [eastern Siberia]. A benevolentbeing who supplies mankind with food.When fish appear in great numbers in the lakes,they are thought to have fallen from the sky.Kuku-Ki-Waka-Muro-Tsuna-Ne-No-KamiGuardian deity. Shinto [Japan]. The god whoguards the house and its environs as a whole.KukulcanCreator god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Kukulcan is, in origin, a Toltec god whowas adopted by the Mayan culture and who correspondsclosely with the Aztec deity QUETZAL-COATL. He is chiefly concerned with reincarnation,but is also responsible for the elements of fire,earth and water. He is depicted with various attributes,including a torch or a lizard representing fire,maize for earth, and a fish for water. Also God B.Kubuddhi (stupid)Minor goddess. Hindu. One of the consorts ofGANESA.KucumatzSupreme god. Mayan (Quiche Indian, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. An androgynous beingwho created all things out of itself. Comparablewith KUKULCAN.Kuei ShingGod of literature. Chinese. Believed to residein the star constellation of Ursa Major. AlsoZhong-Kui.Kuku-Toshi-No-KamiGod of grain. Shinto [Japan]. The deity responsiblefor the harvest of full-grown rice. Hisshrines are often serviced by Buddhist priests.Kuladevata (family god)Generic name of a household god. Hindu. Thegod is chosen by a family to be their guardiandeity and they all assemble at his temple, as andwhen necessary, for worship. Also Kulanayaka.KuladeviGoddess. Hindu. The female equivalent of aKULADEVATA.

Kun-Rig 167Kulika (of good family)Snake god. Hindu. One of a group of sevenMAHANAGAS. Attributes: rosary and water jar.Three-eyed.form the earth. He added animals and plants, butfinally became tired and went to sleep in a hole atthe bottom of the lake, which he dug using a hillas a shovel.Kulisankusa (having an ax and a goad)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.Kulisesvari (lady of the ax)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Often depictedwith a corpse. Color: white. Attribute: a staff.KullaGod of builders. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). The god responsible forthe creation of bricks.Kumari (virgin)Goddess. Hindu. Generally recognized to be anepithet of DURGA. Worshiped at a famous templeon the southernmost tip of India at CapeComorin. Also known in Nepal, where asmall girl provides an earthly incarnation ofthe goddess.KumarbiCreator god. Hittite and Hurrian. An antiquedeity who was usurped by more “modern” gods.He is the father of Ullikummi in Hittite legend.KumokumsCreator god. Modoc Indian [Oregon, USA]. Hesat beside Tule Lake, which was all that existed,and created the world by scooping out mud toKunado-No-KamiGuardian deity. Shinto [Japan]. One of threeKAMIS particularly concerned with the protectionof roads and crossroads. They also guardthe boundaries of the house and the ways leadingto it. They may be known as Yakushindeities who protect against plague. Generallyidentified as MICHI-NO-KAMI or Chiburi-No-Kami.KundaliniMother goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The spirit of the earth perceived inhuman form and responsible for the provision ofall food from the soil. The earth is considered tobe sacred and should not be owned by any oneperson, but can be utilized for the benefit of thecommunity as a whole. Kundalini is believed tohave been the mother of all other vegetationdeities.Ku’nkunxuligaTribal god. Ma’malelegale Indian [British Columbia,Canada]. The personification of the thunderbird,known to many Indian tribes, who livesin a palace in the upper world. The noise of thethunder is the beating of its wings.Kun-Rig (knowing all)God. Buddhist [Tibet]. Four-headed form ofVAIROCANA. Attribute: prayer wheel.

168 Kuntu bXan PoKuntu bXan PoHead of pantheon. Bon (pre-Lamaist) [Tibet].The chief god in the Bon pantheon, he engenderedthe world from a handful of mud scrapedfrom the primeval waters and created all livingthings from an egg.Kura-Okami-No-Kami (great producer ofrain on the heights)Rain god. Shinto [Japan]. Known alternatively asthe “dark rain god,” he may also generate snow falls.KurdaligonGod of smiths. Ossetian [Caucasus]. He assiststhe passage of dead souls by attending to theirhorses’ shoes.Kurma(vatara)Incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The second avatara of Višnu, Kurmaappears in the form of a tortoise which acts as apivot for the mountainous churning rod the godsemploy to make ambrosia from the primal sea ofmilk after the flood. Kurma is depicted with ahuman torso surmounting a tortoise shell. Višnu issaid to have appeared in this form in order torecover some of the possessions lost during the deluge.Attributes: club, conch, lotus and prayer wheel.Also the name for a vehicle of various deities.KusGod of herdsmen. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Identified in the Theogonyof Dunnu.Kushi-Dama-Nigi-Haya-Hi (soft fast sun)Sun god. Shinto [Japan]. The apotheosis of themorning sun sent down by the sun goddess AMAT-ERASU before Prince NINIGI appeared on earth.Kushi-Iwa-Mado-No-MikotoGuardian deity. Shinto [Japan]. The god whoprotects entrance gates.KušuhMoon god. Hittite and Hurrian [Anatolia]. AlsoKAŠKU.KutjiAnimistic spirits. Australian aboriginal. Malevolentbeings who conceal themselves in undergrowthand rock crevices and manifest as animalsand birds, including eagles, crows, owls, kangaroosand emus. Kutji are considered to have taken overwild creatures if their behavior assumes unfamiliarpatterns. Only shamans may contain the influenceof these spirits. Otherwise, they possess the potentialto inflict disease and death on to human beings.Kurukulla1. Goddess of boats. Hindu. A Tantric deity generallydepicted in a boat made of jewels. Also goddessof wine.2. Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). The SAKTI ofAMITABHA. Usually of terrifying appearance.Attributes: arrow, bow, flower, hook, noose,rosary and trident.KutkhuGuardian spirit. Kemchadal [southeasternSiberia]. The counterpart of the KoryakQUIKINN.A’QU, he fashioned the created worldinto its present form and is the majordomo of thecreator god. His consort is Ilkxum and his sisteris Xutlizic. His children include SI’MSKALIN,TI’ZIL-KUTKHU and SI’DUKU. In mythology he is

Kyumbe 169depicted as a salacious character. Also Kutq;Kutkinnaqu.Ku’urkilThe founder of the world. Chukchee [easternSiberia]. Not only a deity, but a powerful shamanand the first human. He equates with the Koryakdeity QUIKINN.A’QU.KvasirMinor god of wisdom. Nordic (Icelandic). By traditionhe was created from the saliva of the AESIRand VANIR deities, who thus combined theirknowledge into a single being. He was slain bydwarfs who concocted a fermented drink fromhis blood, mixed with honey, and this meadbecame the inspiration of poets. He is also identifiedin Welsh mythology.KwannonForm of AVALOKITESVARA. Buddhist [Japan].See also KUAN YIN.KwothCreator god. Nuer [Sudan]. The Nuer peoplehave been affected by the expansion of Islam, andprobably by Christianity, and recognize asupreme deity, or spiritual being, responsible forall creation. One of his epithets is Tutgar, meaning“strong and without limit.”KYBELEORIGIN Phrygian [northwestern Turkey]. Mothergoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC andprobably much earlier in prehistory, untilChristianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS CYBELE (Roman); Kybebe.CENTER(S) OF CULT Pessinus (Asia Minor) andRome, but also extensively elsewhere.ART REFERENCES black obelisk (lost); many classicalsculptures; a dish from Parabiago (inMilan); possibly the subject of a well-knownseal from Knossos.LITERARY SOURCES votive inscriptions, etc.One of the most important of the Asian mothergoddesses. She probably originates as a mountaingoddess who became closely equated with theGreek mother goddesses RHEA and DEMETER.According to legend, the Greek god ZEUS rapedher and she bore a monstrous son Agdistis. Herconsort is ATTIS, whom she discovered to beunfaithful. In remorse, he castrated himself undera pine tree and bled to death.In circa 204 BC the black stone by which she waspersonified in Pessinus (Phrygia) was carried toRome and installed in the Temple of Victories onthe Palatine as Cybele Magna Mater. This fulfilleda prophecy that if the “great mother” was broughtto Rome, the war with the invader Hannibal wouldbe won. She is often depicted riding in a chariotdrawn by panthers or lions and is accompanied byfrenzied dancers or Korybantes. She was invokedin the three-day festival commencing with mourning(tristia) followed by joy (hilaria) in the springduring which her emasculated priests, the galloi,gashed themselves with knives. Attributes includekey, mirror and pomegranate.KyumbeCreator god. Zaramo [Tanzania, East Africa].Tradition has it that the earth and sky may havebeen present before this being emerged. He is,however, perceived as having engendered all livingthings on earth. He first created animals’ bodieswithout tails. When they had their legs fitted,Kyumbe added tails as an afterthought.

6 LLachesisGoddess of lot-casting. Pre-Homeric Greek.According to Hesiod one of the daughters ofZEUS and THEMIS. One of an ancient trioof MOIRAI with KLOTHO and ATROPOS, she sustainsthe thread of life and is depicted carryinga scroll.LaharGod of cattle. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).According to legend, he was sent to earth by thegods ENLIL and ENKI, to work in conjunctionwith the grain goddess AŠNAN. In iconographyhe usually has ears of corn sprouting from hisshoulders. He may also carry a bow and club andis often depicted with a ram at his feet.LactanusMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Said to makethe crops “yield milk” or thrive.Laghusyamala (lightly dark colored)Minor goddess. Hindu (Puranic). Attributes: luteand wine glass.LahmuPrimordial deity. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Known from the Babylonian creationepic Enuma Eliš as one of a pair who were createdby TIAMAT from the primeval ocean and who, itis suggested, were represented by the silt of thesea-bed. Lahmu and LAHAMU in turn createdANŠAR and KIŠAR, who created ANU.LahamuPrimordial deity. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Known from the Babyloniancreation epic Enuma Eliš as one of a pair whowere created by TIAMAT from the primevalocean and who, it is suggested, were representedby the silt of the sea-bed. Lahamu andLAHMU in turn created ANŠAR and KIŠAR, whocreated ANU.LaimaGoddess of fate. Pre-Christian Latvian. Particularlyconcerned with guarding women at childbirth,and with the newborn. Regarded as ahousehold goddess of prosperity and good fortune.LakaGoddess of dancing. Polynesian [Hawaii]. Aminor deity who is nonetheless greatly revered by170

Lan Cai-he 171islanders in a hedonistic cult of song, dance andsexual liberality.Laksmana (with auspicious marks)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A half- oryounger brother of the god RAMA. The son ofDasaratha and Sumitra, his consort is Urmita. Heoften stands to the left of Rama and may bedepicted holding a bow (see also SATRUGHNA).Color: golden. Attributes: bow and ornaments.LAKSMIORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India]. Consortof Višnu.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 300 BC andearlier, through to present times.SYNONYMS Sri-Laksmi; Sri-Devi; DHARANI(earth); see also SITA.CENTER(S) OF CULT no temples, but revered generallythroughout India.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally bronze butalso stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana and Mahabharataepics; Puranic literature.A major Hindu goddess who originated perhapsas a mother goddess but who now representswealth and prosperity and epitomizes the laterHindu (Brahmanical) notion of the active femaleprinciple or SAKTI in a male deity. According tothe Ramayana, she arose from the primal Hindusea of milk. Identified as the consort of VIŠNUfrom circa AD 400 onward, she is generallydepicted as a beautiful golden-skinned womanpossessing four, or more commonly two, arms.She stands or rests on a lotus which may bewatered by two attendant elephants. Anotherfavored portrait finds her washing Višnu’s feet ashe reclines on the thousand-headed serpentSesha, an action which is said to bring Višnudreams. She emerges in many guises, changingform as Višnu changes his own incarnations. Sheis perceived also to emerge as the black-skinnedand destructive KALI. Many attributes, but mostcommonly a lotus.Laksmi embodies the model Hindu wife, faithfuland subservient. She may be depicted on theknee of Višnu’s avatara NARAYANA as Laksmi-Narayana. She is reincarnated with each of hisother avatars—thus beside RAMA she becomesSita, said to have been born from a furrow, andwith KRSNA she is first RADHA, then RUKMINI.She is worshiped particularly at the start of thebusiness year in India. In the Divali (Feast ofLamps) on the last day of the dark lunar periodtoward the end of October or early in November,every household lights a lamp in honor of Laksmi.She is also propitiated by gambling.Lalaia’ilGod of shamans. Bella Coola Indian [BritishColumbia, Canada]. The deity who initiates intothe shamanistic circle. He lives in the forest andcarries a wooden wand bound with cedar barkwhich he waves, creating a singing noise. He alsofrequents woodland lakes and ponds. When awoman meets him she is said to menstruate, whilea man develops a nose bleed. Also Kle-klati-e’il.LamariaTutelary goddess. Svan [Caucasus]. Particularlyinvoked by women as a hearth goddess and protectorof cows. Her name may have been derivedunder Christian influence.Lan Cai-heImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, the deityis of ambiguous sex, sometimes depicted as a girl.

172 Lao-TszeOnce a mortal being who achieved immortalitythrough perfect lifestyle. Attributes include flowersand a flute.See also BA XIAN.Lao-TszeGod. Taoist (Chinese). Also known as the MostHigh Prince Lao, he is one of the three holy SanCh’ing whose images stand in a Taoist sanctuary.The tutelary god of alchemists. He is the founderof Taoism who, according to tradition was bornwith full command of speech, and with white hair,under a plum tree. His sacred animal is the waterbuffalo.Lar FamiliarisAncestral spirit. Roman. A personal and vaguelydefined deity brought into the house from thesurrounding land.LaraSee LARUNDA.LaranGod of war. Etruscan. Depicted as a youtharmed with a lance and helmet and dressed in acape.LaresHearth deities. Roman. The lares are a peculiarlyRoman innovation. Two children, born of a liaisonbetween the god Mercury and a mute naiad,Lara, whose tongue had been cut out by Jupiter,became widely revered by Romans as houseguardians. Iconographically they are depicted inthe guise of monkeys covered with dog skins witha barking dog at their feet.See also LARUNDA, MERCURIUS.LarundaChthonic goddess. Sabine. An early Italic earthmother who, in Roman times, according to sometraditions, became the mother of the LARES. AlsoLara (Roman).Lasya (dancing girl)Mother goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof the group of ASTAMATARAS (mothers). She isgenerally depicted dancing the lasya dance.Color: white. Attribute: a mirror. Also the genericname of a group of four goddesses, includingGITA, MALA, NRTYA and headed by LASYA.LatipanCreator god. Canaanite.See also IL.LauSpirit beings. Andaman Islands [Sea of Bengal].Generally invisible but perceived in humanform and living in the jungles and the sea.When an Andaman islander dies he or shebecomes a lau.Lauka MateGoddess of agriculture. Pre-Christian Latvian.Worshiped in the fields at ploughing time.Laukika-DevatasGeneric name for a group of deities. Hindu. Godsknown from local folklore as distinct from thoseof the Vedic texts.LavernaChthonic underworld goddess. Italic. Propitiatedby libations poured with the left hand.

Lesa 173LEBIEN-POGIL (owner of the earth)ORIGIN Yukaghir [southeastern Siberia]. Animistic“owner” spirit.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil early twentieth century.SYNONYMS none known.CENTER(S) OF CULT no fixed sanctuaries known.ART REFERENCES none known, but possibly thesubject of anonymous wood carvings.LITERARY SOURCES The Yukaghir (Jochelson).The chief protector of the earth. His subordinatesare YOBIN-POGIL, the owner of the forest;the owner of fire LO’CIN-PO’GIL; the variousprotectors and keepers of animals (mo’yepul)and individual or group protectors (PEJU’LPE).The Yukaghir, as a hunting people, maintained adelicate and sensitive relationship with theseowners.LegbaGod of fate. Fon [Benin, West Africa]. Theyoungest son of the supreme god LISA and hisconsort, the moon goddess MAWU. He is alsoregarded as a messenger god, moving betweenLisa and mankind on earth.Lei KungGod of thunder. Taoist (Chinese). He heads thedeities of the pantheon who are responsible forstorm, wind and rain and is usually accompaniedby YU SHIH, the god of rain. He appears inanthropomorphic form from about the beginningof the Christian era, depicted as a strong, youthfulfigure holding hammer and chisel. In dramahis movements are punctuated by rumblings onstrings and drums. Circa AD 1000 he becomesdepicted as a bird-like being with a monkey face.The transition was probably influenced by thepopularity of the Hindu god GARUDA.LelwaniChthonic underworld goddess. Hittite and Hurrian.Associated with charnel houses and probablymodeled on the Sumerian EREŠKIGAL.Lendix-TcuxTutelary god. Chilcotin Indian [British Columbia,Canada]. The so-called transformer known bydifferent names among many Indian tribes. He isa wanderer who can change shape from human toanimal and who educates the human race. Heoften appears in the guise of a raven, or as a dog,and has three sons.LENUSORGIN Celtic (Continental European). God ofhealing.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Iovantucarus; Lenus Mars (Romano-Celtic).CENTER(S) OF CULTleft bank of the Moselleopposite Trier; also at Chedworth (England)and Caerwent (Wales).ART REFERENCES sculptures, stone reliefs, votiveplaques.LITERARY SOURCES Romano-Celtic inscriptions.A god of healing worshiped by the Celtic tribe ofTreveri but later adopted by the Romans. TheTrier sanctuary was a place of pilgrimage wherelarge numbers of offerings were deposited, andcarvings suggest that child patients were oftenpresent. Lenus’s sanctuaries were usually associatedwith springs and some, if not all, had an abatonor room for recuperation.LesaCreator god. southeastern African. The nameby which the supreme deity is known across a

174 LETOwide area of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Equating toLISA in regions of West Africa. Also regarded asa rain god. Probably strongly influenced byIslam and, to a lesser extent, by Christianity.Also Leza.LETOORIGIN Greek. Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC butprobably earlier through to Christianization(circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Lato (Dorian); Latona (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT Lycia and Phaistos, Crete.ART REFERENCES sculptures and carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad (Homer); Theogony(Hesiod).The word “Leto” is a local term for lady. TheGreek goddess probably derives from an earlierwestern Asiatic model. She is the daughter of theTITANS Koeos and Phoebe. Leto’s main claim tocelebrity in Greek religion is that she was impregnatedby ZEUS to become the mother of thedeities ARTEMIS and APOLLO. She often tries toprotect Artemis from the wrath of her stepmother,HERA. Also a guardian goddess of graves.A very early bronze image of her was discovered,with those of Apollo and Artemis, at Dreros onCrete. In Lycia she was the principal goddess,while at Phaistos she was the center of an initiationmyth.LeukotheaSea goddess. Greco-Roman. Popular around thecoasts of the Mediterranean with fishing communities.A mermaid who was originally Ino, amortal daughter of Kadmos. She was wet nurseto DIONYSOS (BACCHUS), but became mad andthrew herself in the sea with her son Melikertes.In another version of the story she was escapingthe wrath of Athamas, King of Thebes. The godselevated her to the status of goddess and her sonbecame the god PALAEMON.LhaGeneric term for a deity. Buddhist-Lamaist[Tibet]. Also the title for a deity in the old Bonpantheon, equating to the Sanskrit term DEVA.Lha-Mo (the goddess)Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Comingfrom the old Bon pantheon and equating withthe Hindu goddess SRIDEVI.Li Tie-guaiImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, he wasonce a mortal being who achieved immortalitythrough his lifestyle.Attributes include a bat, a gourd and an ironcrutch.See also BA XIAN.LianjaGod. Nkundo [Democratic Republic of Congo,central Africa]. He became the subject of an epicknown as Nsongo and Lianja and is regarded todayless as a god than a heroic figure, probably underthe influence of Christianity.LibanzaCreator god. Bangala [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. One of a pair ofsupreme deities with his sister/consort Nsongo.He lives at the bottom of the river Congo, travelingthe waterways and bringing floods as punishmentas well as to generate prosperity. He is

Liu Pei 175regarded as being generally benevolent. AlsoIbanza.LiberChthonic fertility god. Italic. Originally associatedwith husbandry and crops but then assimilatedwith DIONYSOS. The consort of CERES andfather of the goddess LIBERA. His festival, theLiberalia, was on March 17 when young mencelebrated the arrival of manhood.LiberaChthonic goddess. Italic. The daughter of LIBERand CERES.LiberalitasMinor god. Roman. Spirit of generosity, employedas a propaganda vehicle by the emperors. Worshipedparticularly from the second century BC.LibertasMinor god(dess). Roman. Deity of constitutionalgovernment and the notion of freedom, knownparticularly from the second century BC. Attributesinclude the scepter, lance and a special hat,the pileus, which emancipated slaves were permittedto wear as a sign of their liberation.LíbitinaChthonic goddess of death. Roman. Associatedwith funerals and interment.Lietna’irgin (genuine dawn)Spirit of the dawn. Chukchee [eastern Siberia].One of four beings concerned with the dawn indifferent directions.See also TNE’SGAN, MRATNA’IRGIN and NA’-CHITNA’IRGIN.LilithGoddess of desolation. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).She is perceived as a demonic figure who, inthe epic legend of Gilgameš and the Huluppu Treetakes up residence in INANA’S holy tree growingon the banks of the Euphrates in Unug. Whenthe hero Gilgameš attacks Lilith she escapes intothe desert wastes.LiluriMountain goddess. Western Semitic (Syrian).The consort of the weather god Manuzi, hersacred animal is the bull.LingaSymbol representing a god. Hindu. The phallicform of ŠIVA.LirGod. Celtic (Irish). The father of the sea godMANANNAN, the consort of Aobh and later of hersister Aoife. He had four children by Aobh: AED,Conn, Fiachra and Fionnuala. Out of jealousyAoife turned the four into swans and set fatherand children against one another.LisaCreator god. Fon and others [Benin, WestAfrica]. Probably the equivalent of LESA in partsof East Africa. The supreme deity, whose more orless monotheistic role may have been influencedby the spread of Islam and Christianity.Liu PeiGod. Taoist (Chinese). The third member of atrio of deities with KUAN TI and CHANG FEI. Heis the embodiment of the imperial ideal and he

176 Llew Llaw Gyffescarries the seal of heaven’s authority. He is consideredto be humane and moderate. In art heusually takes a central position between ChangFei on his left and Kuan Ti on his right.Llew Llaw GyffesGod. Celtic (Welsh). The counterpart of the Irishgod LUG. The son of ARIANRHOD, he was raisedby GWYDION. The heroic figure of Lancelot maybe derived from him.LoaSpirit beings. Puerto Rico and Haiti. The gods ofthe voodoo cult who were originally imported byslaves from West Africa. An amount of Christianinfluence is present in their makeup.LobaSun god. Duala [Cameroon, West Africa]. Localpeople pray to this deity after sunset to ensurethat he will appear again the following morning.Locana (the eye)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). The SAKTI of aDHYANIBUDDHA (spiritual meditation buddha),generally AKSOBHYA or VAIROCANA. Color: blueor white. Attributes: cup, prayer wheel and lotuswith one or more staves. Also BUDDHALOCANA.Lo’cin-coro’moHearth spirit. Yukaghir [southeastern Siberia].The guardian of the household who migrateswith the family. Also Lo’cil, Yegi’le.LodurCreator god. Germanic. Mentioned in passing inthe creation mythology as being one of a trio ofdeities, with Odin and HOENIR, who engenderedmankind.See also OTHIN.LogosPrimordial spirit of reason. Greek. A concept promotedby the Stoics, who perceived Logos as themind of JUPITER, but more generally recognizedas the divine essence from which all deities arise.Philo of Alexandria apportioned human characteristicsto Logos. The Gnostic Christian, Valentinus,identified Logos as the word coming from themind of the father. The Christian father Clementof Alexandria claimed it to be the first principle ofthe universe, while Origen perceived it as the principleembodied in the flesh by Jesus Christ.Lokapala (protectors of the world)Guardians of the four directions. Hindu andBuddhist. Often placed in pairs at the entranceto tombs.Lokesvara (lord of the world)Generic name for a group of deities. Buddhist.These are thought to be a syncretization of Hinduand Buddhist deities and include such gods asŠIVA, VIŠNU and others which have come tobe defined as forms of a primeval buddha orDHYANIBUDDHA. The lokesvara are usually representedby a small figure, identified as ADIBUD-DHA or AMITABHA, which rests on the head of themain statue. Also a group name for the manyforms of the Buddhist deity AVALOKITESVARA.Lo’cin-po’gilFire spirit. Yukaghir [southeastern Siberia]. Oneof the “owners,” the apotheosis of fire.LOKIORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). Ambivalent characterwell represented in mythology.

Lu Pan 177KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) until Christianization (circa AD 1100).SYNONYMS Lopt.CENTER(S) OF CULT none evidenced and probablyLoki was not worshiped as the other Asgarddeities.ART REFERENCES probably the subject of anonymouscarvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo).Loki is a mischievous, Machiavellian, humorous,sometimes sinister character. Snorridescribes him as being “pleasing and handsomein appearance, evil in character, very capriciousin behavior.” He is the “poor relation” amongthe gods who has strong affinities with thegiants, particularly at Ragnarok (doom) whenhe steers their ship, and whose loyalties arealways suspect. Said to be the son of the giantFarbauti. He is also a scandal-monger. He wasindirectly responsible for the death of BALDER(directly so according to Snorri) and foughtwith HEIMDALL. Sometimes he appears as ahero rescuing gods from various predicamentsthrough cunning. He also stands for evil,though less often, and was compared stronglyby Christian times with the Devil. Able tochange shape at will—said at various times tohave impersonated a mare, flea, fly, falcon, sealand an old crone. As a mare he gave birth toOTHIN’S horse Sleipnir and he also allegedlysired the world serpent, the mistress of thenetherworld, Hel, and the wolf Fenrir whichwill devour the sun at Ragnarok.One of his prominent attributes, said tocome from antiquity, is that of accomplishedthief, stealing at various times FREYJA’S necklace,THOR’S belt and iron gloves, and theapples of youth. There is little to supportthe notion of Loki (Wagnerian: Loge) as afire god other than similarity of name—logi,meaning fire.LokoGod of trees. Fon [Benin, West Africa]. Thebrother of the hearth goddess AYABA. Invokedparticularly by herbalists before obtaining medicinesfrom the bark and leaves of forest trees.LomoGoddess of peace. Ngbandi [Democratic Republicof Congo, central Africa]. One of seven deitiesinvoked at sunrise each day.Lono (sound)Primordial being. Polynesian [Hawaii]. An aspectof a tripartite god which also includes KANE, thelight, and KU, stability. They first existed in chaosand night which they broke into pieces, allowinglight to come in. Also Ono (Marquesas Islands).LothurGod of physical senses. Nordic (Icelandic).According to a brief mention in the Voluspa(Poetic Edda) the god concerned with physicalbeing i.e. sight, hearing and speech. According tosome authors he may be a hypostasis of the godOTHIN. Lothur is also known in northern Germanictradition. Also LODUR.Lu Dong-binImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, he was oncea mortal being who achieved immortality throughhis lifestyle. The tutelary god of barbers. Attributesinclude a sword with which he conquers demons.See also BA XIAN.Lu PanGod of artisans. Chinese. The deity concernedwith builders, bricklayers, housepainters and

178 Lubangacarpenters. He is particularly revered in HongKong. According to tradition he was born in 606BC in the kingdom of Lu, where he became askilled carpenter. He turned into a recluse onthe Li Shan mountain, where he perfected hisskills. He is said to have constructed the palaceof the queen of the western heaven. Because ofhis powers he was murdered. He is also aninvoker of harmonious relationships. His festivaltakes place on the thirteenth day of the sixthmonth, when the rains are due. Attributesinclude a set square and carpenter’s plane. He isalso depicted with an ax, the symbol of a marriagego-between.LubangaGod of health. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa].He is invoked by offerings of beer and his sanctuariesare surrounded by rows of trees.LubangalaRainbow god. Bakongo [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. The chief adversary of thestorm god. He stills the thunder and makes hisappearance in the sky. Considered to be theguardian of the earth and sea, including the villageand its community.LucinaMinor goddess of birth. Roman. Concerned withbringing the child into the light. Usually associatedwith CANDELIFERA and CARMENTES.CENTER(S) OF CULT Lugudunum (modernLyons) and elsewhere in Continental Europe;possibly brought to Ireland in the first centuryBC by settlers from Gaul.ART REFERENCES various stone carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles of Kings.The texts infer that Lug was a latecomer to theIrish pantheon, a tribal god who was particularlyskilled in the use of a massive spear and a slingboth of which possessed invincible magic properties.One of his epithets is lamfhada—“of the longarm.” A young and apparently more attractivedeity than the DAGDA. The main festival in hishonor seems to have been Lugnasad on August 1, aparticularly agrarian celebration in a country whichotherwise tended to observe pastoral calendardates, suggesting again that Lug was a later arrivalwho possibly superseded an arcane tribal god TRO-GRAIN. An alternative name for the August festivalwas Bron Trograin (Rage of Trograin). It is inferredthat, like many Celtic deities, Lug was capable ofchanging shape, hence the possible translation ofthe name as lynx. There appear to be strongRomano-Celtic associations in ContinentalEurope and Britain with place names such asLugudunum [Lyons] and Luguvalium [Carlisle].Lugal-IrraChthonic underworld god. Mesopotamian(Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). Probably aminor variation of ERRA, the Babylonian plaguegod. The prefix Lugal means “lord.” Often coupledwith MES LAM TAEA, god of war.LUG (possibly lynx)ORIGIN Celtic (Irish). Lord of skills.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP early times untilChristianization circa AD 400 or later.SYNONYMS Lugh, Lamfhada.LulalGod of uncertain status. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Mentioned as livingin Badtíbira in the Sumerian text Descent ofInana. Also linked with a god Latarak.

Lupercus 179LunaMoon goddess. Roman. She derives from theGreek model of SELENE, but is also comparablewith HEKATE. She enjoyed a major temple on theAventine Hill in Rome.LunangRiver goddess. Kafir [Afghanistan—Hindukush].The patron goddess of the Prasun river, Lunangis perceived as a young and capricious girl, reflectingthe turbulent moods of the river. She rulesover the watermills.LupercusGod of wolves. Roman. Celebrated in the festivalof Lupercalia on February 15.

M6MaFertility and vegetation goddess. Cappadocian(Anatolia) [Turkey]. The tutelary goddess of PonticComana, she was served by votary priestessesacting as sacred prostitutes, and biennial festivalswere celebrated in her honor. Gradually she tookon an added role as a warrior goddess with solarconnotations and ultimately became syncretizedwith the Roman goddess BELLONA. On coins ofthe Comana region she is depicted with the radiatehead of a solar deity carrying weapons and ashield.Ma KielaFemale spirit being. Bakongo [DemocraticRepublic of Congo, central Africa]. The deifiedhead of a band of mortal women who died specificallyfrom knife wounds.MaatMinor goddess of cosmic order. Egyptian. Epitomizingthe harmonious laws of the cosmic order.She is recognized from the middle of the thirdmillennium, and probably earlier, closely associatedwith the creator deities and particularly thesun god. In later times she was described as the“daughter of Re.” Her only known sanctuary is inthe complex of Karnak at Thebes. Maat isdepicted either in human form wearing an ostrichplume on her head or by an ostrich feather alone.The rulers of Egypt believed that they governedunder her aegis and frequently had themselvesdescribed as “beloved of Maat.” Maat was alsointegral to the success of a soul passing throughthe Hall of the Two Truths, where the heart wasweighed, to reach paradise.Mabon (son)God of youth. Celtic (Welsh). The son of anearthly mother, MODRON. According to legend hewas abducted when three days old. Also a god ofhunters and fishermen. He is known particularlyfrom northwestern Britain and his cult extendsalong the region of Hadrian’s Wall. Known frommany Romano-Celtic inscriptions and syncretizedwith the Romano-Greek god APOLLO.MachaFertility goddess. Celtic (Irish). One of the aspectsof the MORRIGAN (a trio of warrior goddesses withstrong sexual connotations), she appears as theconsort of Nemed and of Crunnchu. She is also awarrior goddess who influences the outcome ofbattle by magical devices. She can change shape180

Maha-Ganapati 181from girl to hag and is generally dressed in red.She is depicted with red hair. She appears thus tothe Irish hero, Cu Chulainn, before the Battle ofMoytura when she suddenly changes herself intoa crow, the harbinger of death. Heads of slaughteredsoldiers were fixed on the so-called Pole ofMacha, and the ancient religious center of EmainMacha in Ulster is named after her.See also Banbha, ERIU and Fodla.Madhukara (honey maker)God. Buddhist. Derived from a Hindu deity andequating with Kama. He rides in a chariot drawnby parrots. Color: white. Attributes: arrow, banner,bow and wine glass.MaeveMother goddess. Celtic (Irish). The mythicalQueen of Connaught. According to tradition herconsort is Ailill and she represents the “Sovereigntyof Ireland” at Connaught. She is thus theapotheosis of the land which is sacred.MafdetMinor goddess. Egyptian. She acts as a guardianagainst snakes and scorpions. She is depicted inthe form of a panther, often with the instrumentof an executioner.MaghaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).MahMoon god. Persian [Iran]. The progenitor of thecow, typically depicted with the tips of a sicklemoon projecting from his shoulders.Mahabala (very strong)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). A fearsome emanationof AMITABHA and a dikpala (guardian) of thenorthwestern quarter. Color: red. Attributes:jewel, snakes, sword, tiger skin, trident and whitefly whisk. Three-headed.MahabjaSnake god. Hindu (Puranic). One of a group ofseven MAHANAGAS.Mahacinatara (Tara of Tibet)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana) and Lamaist[Tibet]. An emanation of AKSOBHYA and, inLamaism, a fearsome form of the Vajrayana goddess,EKAJATA, who may be depicted with up totwelve heads and twenty-four hands. She standsupon a corpse. Attributes: arrow, ax, blue lotus,bow, cup, image of Aksobhya on crown, knife,skull, snake, staff, sword, tiger skin and trident.Three-eyed.Mahadeva (mighty god)God. Hindu (Puranic). An important epithet ofŠIVA with three heads (two male, one female)signifying the three aspects—Aghora (right),Saumya (center) and Sakti (left). Attributes: ax,bell, hook, mirror, noose, staff, sword, tree andtrident. Also identified as a manifestation of Šivaand one of the EKADASARUDRAS (eleven forms ofRUDRA). In northern India among tribes includingthe Gonds, the expression Mahadeo (greatgod) is directed toward Šiva as the supreme deity.Maha-GanapatiElephant god. Hindu (Puranic). This form ofthe god GANESA possesses ten arms instead of themore normal four and may have a goddess,BUDDHI or SIDDHI, seated on the knee.

182 MahakalaMahakala (the great death)1. God. Hindu (Puranic). A violent aspect of ŠIVA.His SAKTI is Mahakah. Rides upon a lion. Color:black. Attributes: five arrows, ax, Brahma-egg, club,cup, rosary of skulls, staff and trident. Three-eyed.Also considered to be a form of the god BHAIRAVAin which context he is a guardian of the faith.2. Guardian god of tents and science. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Derived from the Hindu godŠiva and an emanation of the five DHYANIBUD-DHAS. Also one of a group of DHARMAPALAS withterrible appearance and royal attire. A deity ofriches. He treads on the god Vinayaka, or on aman, a corpse, or on two elephant-headed men.Color: black, blue or white. Attributes: mainlyelephant skin, prayer wheel and trident, but mayhold various other objects.Mahakali1. Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.2. Form of the goddess KALI. Hindu. Also aSAKTI of MAHAKALA. Attributes: conch, cup,headdress, hook, knife, noose, rosary of skulls,staff, sword, waterjar and wheel.to be personifications of amulets or mantras. Alsoan emanation of the DHYANIBUDDHA RATNASAMB-HAVA, alternatively of AKSOBHYA. She is a guardianof the west, south and eastern quarters according toseparate traditions. Color: blue, black, green, whiteor red. Attributes: most commonly noose and staff.From four to twelve arms; may be three-headed.MahamatarasGroup of goddesses. Hindu. Personifications ofthe SAKTI of the god ŠIVA.Mahamayuri (great daughter of the peacock)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An extremelypopular deity and an emanation of AMOGHASID-DHI. A female BODHISATTVA or buddha-designate.Also one of a group of five MAHARAKSAS (protectresses)who are thought to be personifications ofamulets or mantras. Color: green, red or yellow.Attributes: alms bowl, arrow, banner, bow, flywhisk, image of Amoghasiddhi on crown, jewel,mendicant, peacock feather, prayer wheel, swordand water jar. Three-eyed and may occasionallyappear three- or four-headed.Mahakapi (great ape)God. Buddhist. Epithet of the BUDDHA in a previousincarnation, appearing as an ape.Mahamanasika (great-minded)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.Mahamantranusarini (following the greatsacred text)Guardian goddess. Buddhist. One of a group offive MAHARAKSAS (protectresses) who are thoughtMahanagaSnake god. Hindu. A group of seven deities identicalwith a group of seven nagadevas.Mahapadma (great lotus)Snake god. Hindu. Attributes: rosary and waterjar.Three-eyed.MahaparinirvanamurtiGod. Buddhist. The depiction of the BUDDHAlying in nirvana (paradise).

Mahasthama(prapta) 183MahaprabhuTutelary god. Orissa [India]. The local supremedeity of the Bondo tribe.Mahapratisara (great protectress)Guardian goddess. Buddhist. One of a group offive MAHARAKSAS (protectresses) who are thoughtto be personifications of amulets or mantras. Aguardian of the central or southern direction.Also an emanation of the DHYANIBUDDHA RAT-NASAMBHAVA. Color: yellow. Attributes: arrow, ax,banner, bow, conch, image of Ratnasambhava oncrown, jewel, noose, parasol, prayer wheel, reliquary,sword, staff and trident. Three-headed andthree-eyed.Mahapratyangira (great goddess whosespeech is directed westwards)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofthe DHYANIBUDDHA AKSOBHYA. Color: blue.Attributes: hook, image of Aksobhya on crown,noose, red lotus, sword and trident.Maharaksa (great protectress)Group of guardian goddesses. Buddhist. Personificationsof amulets or mantras. Common attribute:a parasol.Maharatri (the great night)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Associatedwith KALI and KAMALA.Mahasahaspramardani (the thousand folddestroyer)Goddess. Buddhist. An emanation of VAIROCANA,and one of the MAHARAKSAS. Color: white.Attributes: particularly noose, prayer wheel andsword, but also depicted with other objectsincluding image of Vairocana on crown. May befour-headed.Maha-Sarasvati1. Goddess. Hindu (Puranic). An emanation ofLAKSMI. Attributes: book, hook, lute and rosary.2. Goddess. Buddhist. A variety of SARASVATI.Depicted upon a lotus. Color: white. Attributes:garland of pearls and white lotus.Mahasitavati (great cold one)Guardian goddess. Buddhist. One of a groupof five MAHARAKSAS (protectresses) who arethought to be personifications of amulets ormantras. Also an emanation of the DHYANIBUD-DHA AMITABHA (or sometimes RATNASAMB-HAVA). A guardian of the north or west quarter.Color: red, yellow or green. Attributes: arrow,ax, banner, book, bow, bowl, image of Amitabhaon the crown, lotus, noose, peacock feather,staff, sword and trident. Three-eyed and may bethree-headed.Mahasri-Tars (of great beauty)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAMOGHASIDDHI. Depicted seated upon a moon.Color: green. Attributes: image of Amoghasiddhiand lotuses.Mahasthama(prapta) (he who has attainedgreat power)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). A dhyanibodhisattvawho personifies great wisdom. Color: white oryellow. Attributes: lotus, six lotuses and sword.(May have no attributes present.)

184 MahavidyaMahavidyaCollective name of a group of goddesses. Buddhist(Mahayana). Ten personifications of SAKTIas the femaleness of ŠIVA, associated with the possessionof knowledge.Mahayasa (most glorious)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.Maheo (all-spirit)Creator god. Cheyenne [USA]. He first lived inthe void and then created the great primordialwater of life. He made the earth from a ball ofmud and engendered mankind from one of hisribs which he implanted in earth woman (Christianinfluence has probably been exerted here).MahesSun god. Egyptian. An ancient deity worshipedchiefly in the region of the Nile delta and representingthe destructive power of the sun’s heat.Depicted in the form of a lion. Also Miysis(Greek).MahesvariMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who in later Hinduism became one of agroup of seven MATARAS regarded as of evilintent. Also one of eight ASTAMATARAS. In anothergrouping one of a group of nine NAVASAKTIS who,in southern India, rank higher than the SAPTA-MATARAS. Attributes: antelope, arrow, ax, bow,club, drum, prayer wheel, staff and trident.Mahi (earth)Minor goddess of sacrifice. Hindu (Vedic). She isinvoked to appear on the sacrificial field before aritual, and is identified with the act of prayer.Usually associated with the goddess SARASVATI.Mahisa (buffalo)Demonic god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic).Depicted most frequently in the form of a buffalo,but he also confounds the gods by changing himselfinto many other animal guises. He is eventuallyslain by the goddess DEVI in the form ofMAHISASURAMARDINI.Mahisasuramardini (slayer of the buffalodemon)Form of the goddess DEVI. Hindu (Puranic).Appearing from the fourth century AD onward,this goddess is a DURGA form of Devi. She possessesup to twelve arms holding an assortment ofweapons and may be seated on a lion. Accordingto legend, the form arose in response to the threatfrom the demonic MAHISA who was eventuallyslain by the goddess Devi with his own sword.Attributes: ax, banner, bell, bow, club, conch,drum, hook, lizard, mirror, noose, prayer wheel,shield, sword, staff and trident. Three-eyed.Mahodadhi (the great ocean)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.MahremHead of pantheon. Axumite (ancient Ethiopickingdom). A warrior deity after whom theAxumite kings titled themselves “sons ofMAHREM.”MahuikezFire god. Polynesian. Identified with earthquakesand possibly paralleling TOUIA FATUNA (ironstone goddess) in Tongan belief.

Malamanganga’e 185MaiaChthonic or earth goddess. Greco-Roman. Originally,in pre-Homeric times, a mountain spiritwho subsequently became a minor consort ofZEUS. The Romans worshiped her as an obscuregoddess of the plains who became briefly a consortof JUPITER, and they perceived her as themother of the messenger god Mercury. Her cultwas associated with that of VULCANUS. Possiblythe origin of the name of the month of May.See also MERCURIUS.MAITREYA (the loving one)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. Bodhisattva or buddhadesignate.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESpaintings.LITERARY SOURCESritual texts.metal and stone sculptures,Sadhanamala and TantricOne of the most popular deities of the Mahayanaand Hinayana sects of Buddhism. He originatesfrom the yellow mantra syllable MAIM in theTusita heaven. He is also regarded as a manusibuddhaor future human buddha. He equates withKALKIN in Hinduism and is perceived as a happy,rubicund figure of benevolent character. He hasno SAKTI and his attendant animal is a lion. Color:gold or yellow. Attributes: five DHYANIBUDDHAS,flower, prayer wheel, shrine (in the hair) andwater jar. May be three-eyed or three-headed. Hemay also be identified symbolically by white blossoms.Also MI-LO FO (Chinese).Majas GarsHousehold god. Pre-Christian Latvian. Invokeduntil very recent times in country districts as a deitywho would bring prosperity to the family home.MajuGod. Basque [Pyrenean region]. The consort ofthe mother goddess MARI, he appears in the guiseof a serpent.Make MakeSea god. Polynesian [Easter Island]. The tutelarydeity of the Easter Islanders, he created mankindand animals. His sacred animal is the sea swallowand the huge anthropomorphic stone figureswhich characterize the island’s archaeology formpart of his cult.MalCreator god. Early Dravidian (Tamil). Probablyequating with a syncretization of VIŠNU andKRSNA. The name implies a deity of great stature.In Sangam texts, his face is like the moon, hiseyes are lotuses and his CAKRA is the beams of thesun. Also TIRUMAL.Mala (garland)Mother goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof a group of ASTAMATARA deities. Color: red oryellow. Attributes: garland of forest flowers, or ofjewels.MalakbelVegetation god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Mentioned as the brother of AGLIBOL on aninscription at Palmyra dated to AD 132.Malamanganga’e (light eastward)Creator being. Polynesian. One of the two personificationsof light who, with MALAMANGAN-GAIFO, engendered Lupe, the dove, whose consortis rock. From these primordial principles came

186 Malamangangaifoseveral generations of supernatural beings whosedescendants engendered mankind.Malamangangaifo (light westward)Creator being. Polynesian.See also MALAMANGANGA’E.Malhal MataMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof seven SAKTIS who in later Hinduism becameregarded as SAPTAMATARAS (mothers) of evilintent. Particularly known in Bengal as a bringerof disease.Malik (king)Tutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Known from inscriptions.MamGod of evil. Mayan (Yucatec, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A much-feared deity who livesbeneath the earth and only emerges in times ofcrisis. Depicted in the form of a flat, life-sizedpiece of wood dressed as a scarecrow and set upona stool. He is offered food and drink duringUayeb, the period of five unlucky days at the endof the year, after which the figure is undressed andunceremoniously thrown away. During Uayebdevotees fast and refer to the god as “grandfather.”MamaSee MAMI.Mama Qoca (mother sea)Goddess of the ocean. Inca (pre-ColumbianSouth America) [Peru, etc]. Originally a pre-Incagoddess of coastal regions who retained her influenceunder Inca rule. Invoked by all Indians whogain their livelihood from the sea. Today probablysyncretized largely with the Christian VirginMary. Also Mama Cocha.Mamaki (greedy)Goddess. Buddhist. The SAKTI of RATNASAMBHAVAor AKSOBHYA. Also a BODHISATTVA or future buddha,originating from the blue mantra MAM.Color: yellow or blue. Attributes: cup, flowers,jewel, knife and staff.Mama-Kilya (mother moon)Moon goddess. Inca (pre-Columbian SouthAmerica) [Peru, etc]. The consort of the sun godINTI, she is important in the calculation of timeand regulating the Inca festival calendar. TheIndians consider that an eclipse of the moon is atime of great danger, caused by a mountain lion orsnake eating the moon, and perform a ritual makingas much noise as possible to frighten the predatoroff.MamiMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Identified in the Atrahasistexts and other creation legends and probablysynonymous with NINHURSAG˜ A. She was involvedin the creation of mankind from clay and blood.The name almost certainly came into use becauseit is the first word that a child formulates. AlsoMama; Mammitum.MamituGoddess of oaths and treaties. Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian). One of the consorts ofNERGAL and subsequently identified as a chthonicunderworld deity. Also Mammetu.

Mandulis 187MamlamboRiver goddess. Zulu [Natal, South Africa]. Consideredto control all the rivers running throughNatal. Also a patron of beer-makers, who are usuallywomen.Manannan (Mac Lir)Sea god. Celtic (Irish and British). Extensivelyworshiped. From the name is derived the “Isleof Man” where, according to tradition, the godis buried. He rules the “Isle of the Blessed”and determines the weather at sea. Father ofthe Irish hero Mongan. Also Manawyddaw(Welsh).ManasaSnake goddess. Hindu. The daughter ofKASYAPA and KADRU and the sister of the lord ofserpents, Vasuki. She is also a gracious aspect ofPARVATI. Known particuarly from Bihar, Bengaland Assam. She stands upon, or is shaded by, aseven-headed snake. Attributes: snake andwaterjar.Manasi (spiritual)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.Manat (fate)Goddess. Pre-Islamic Arabian. One of the socalledDaughters of ALLAH, she is primarily identifiedwith a shrine (lost) between Mecca andMedina.Manavi (descended from Manu)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.ManawatGoddess of destiny. Western Semitic(Nabataean). Mentioned in a large number ofinscriptions.ManawyddanSea god. Celtic (Welsh). The counterpart of theIrish god MANANNAN. He is the consort ofRHIANNON and is regarded as a skilled craftsman.sMan-Bla (physician)God. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. One of the morepopular medicine-buddhas and possibly derivedfrom Persian light-religion. Attributes: fruit andwaterjar.MandahCollective name of gods. Pre-Islamic Arabian.Guardian deities, whose chief responsibility isirrigation.MandanuGod of divine judgment. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).Known from the neo-Babylonianperiod.Mandhata (thoughtful)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Minor avatara ofVIŠNU. One of the “lords of the universe.”Mandulis [Greek]Sun god. Nubian. Mandulis was chiefly revered ina Greco-Roman cult. His most important sanctuarywas at Kalabsha, close to the Aswan HighDam, and now relocated. A sanctuary was alsoconstructed on the Greek island of Philae where

188 Maneshe seems to have enjoyed an association with thegoddess ISIS. Also Merwel (Egyptian).ManesHearth deities. Roman. Technically souls separatedfrom the body, these objects of ancestorworship became classed as guardian divinities inRoman households. Celebrated in the feast ofParentalia. Origin of the title on graves: DisManibus.Mangala (auspicious)1. Astral god. Hindu. Personification of theplanet MARS. Depicted by a chariot drawn byeight red fire-horses. According to some authorsMangala is a form of the god ŠIVA in his cruelaspect. Attributes: club and lotus. Three-eyed.2. Goddess. A form of PARVATI. She rides upon alion and may bear up to ten arms, carrying arrow,mirror, moon disc, rosary, shield and sword.Three-eyed.ManiMoon god. Germanic and Nordic (Icelandic). Heguides the chariot of the moon through the nightsky and is involved in the downfall of the world atRagnarok.Manidhara (holding a gem)Minor god. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof SADAKSARI. Attributes: jewel and lotus.ManitoCreator being. Ojibwa [Canada]. One of a numberof very powerful beings all identified by thesame title. These deities include the four winds,the thunderbirds, the underwater manitos andthe heroic god NANABOZHO. They are theultimate source of existence and are essential tothe continuance of life. It is necessary formankind to maintain close communication withthem.ManituCreator god. Algonquin Indian [USA]. A vaguelydefined being who controls all things and impartsknowledge to the tribe. He may be identified asthe great spirit in the sky. Probably similar toMANITO.Manjughosa (sweet sounding)God. Buddhist. Form of the god MANJUSRI andan emanation of AKSOBHYA. Attended by a lion.Color: white or gold. Attributes: arrow, bell, bluelotus, book, bow, image of Aksobhya, staff andsword.MANJUSRI (pleasing splendor)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. Bodhisattva or buddhadesignate,also god of wisdom.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC untilpresent.SYNONYMS large number of forms.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-AsiaticART REFERENCES metal and stone sculptures,paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Sadhanamala and Tantricritual texts.An important and popular deity throughout allsects of Buddhism. He is the son of eitherAMITABHA or AKSOBHYA and is closely linked withthe goddess PRAJNAPARAMITA who is seen as thepersonification of a holy text which MANJUSRIhabitually carries, the pustaka. His attendant animalis the tiger or the lion. Color: black, white,

MARDUK 189red or yellow. Attributes: chiefly book and sword,but also arrow, blue lotus and bow. May be threeheaded.ManmathaForm of the god of carnal love. Dravidian (Tamil).A local southern Indian form of Kama with similarattributes and genealogy, named in Sangamliterature.Manohel-TohelCreator god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The deity concerned specificallywith the creation of mankind, giving mortalsbody and soul and leading them from the cavesinto the light.ManuPrimordial creator god. Hindu (Vedic). Theson(s) of SURYA. The name given to the fourteenoriginal progenitors of mankind duringthe mythical or heroic ages. According to tradition,the consort of Manu is Ida, who wasengendered from milk and butter offered toŠIVA as a propitiation.ManungalChthonic underworld god. Mesopotamian(Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). A minordeity, the consort of BIRDU.MaponosTribal deity. Celtic (British and ContinentalEuropean). A youthful god worshiped bythe Brigantes tribe in Britain and probablyassimilated with APOLLO in the Romano-Celticperiod.Mara (the destroyer)1. God. Buddhist. An evil deity who puts obstaclesin the way of the BUDDHA. The equal of theHindu god Kama. In Buddhist tradition, theHindu gods INDRA, BRAHMA, VIŠNU and ŠIVA aremaras who become vanquished by various Buddhistdeities. Attributes: fish standard.2. God. Hindu. An epithet of KAMA(DEVA).MaramaMoon goddess. Polynesian (Maori). She equateswith the Tahitian goddess HINA, daughter ofTANGAROA. Tradition has it that her body wastesaway with each lunar cycle but is restored whenshe bathes in the sea from which all life springs.MaramalikChthonic underworld god. Kafir [Afghanistan].No details known.MARDUKORIGIN Mesopotamian (Babylonian) [Iraq]. Creatorand national god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2000 BC, orearlier, to circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS Lugal-dimmer-an-ki-a (divine king ofheaven and earth); Ašalluhe; Merodach(Hebrew). At least fifty other divine names,according to the Babylonian creation epic.CENTER(S) OF CULT Babylon.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae, glyptics,etc.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts, particularlythe Babylonian creation epic Enuma Eliš.Marduk is the chief deity of Babylonia and tutelarygod of the city of Babylon though perhapsderived, in part, from a Sumerian model. Hisparents are ENKI and DAMGALNUNA or EA and

190 Mari (1)DAMKINA. His consort is the goddess ZARPAN-ITU(M) with whom his marriage was re-enactedin an annual New Year festival. In the Old Babylonianperiod he was comparatively insignificant,but in subsequent times he rose to prominence,taking over the role of AN and replacing ENLIL.At the time of the Assyrian takeover, Assyrianscribes replaced Marduk with ASSUR.In the mythology of the creation epic, Mardukis engaged in a primordial cosmic battle with TIA-MAT, the power of the ocean. He kills her, splittingher in half and using parts of her corpse to makeheaven and earth. Tiamat fought him in revengefor the death of APSU, the deep, and is said to havecreated an exact replica of Apsu, the Ešarra.The symbol of Marduk is the triangular deviceused in Mesopotamia as an agricultural tool andcalled a mar.The main Marduk festival was the akitu, alsoperformed at New Year, which continued up to aslate as 200 BC. It was performed by the Persianruler Cambyses circa 538 BC. Marduk’s sanctuaryin Babylon is the Esagila and the E-temen-ankiziggurat.Mari (1) (killing)1. Deification of literature. Buddhist. One of agroup of DHARANIS. Color: reddish white. Attributes:needle, thread and staff.2. Mother goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia].See also MARI MAI.Mari (2) (queen)Supreme mother goddess. Basque [Pyreneanregion]. She is both a sky and chthonic goddessand her consort is MAJU. She is depicted dressedin rich clothing and jewels. Her home is withinthe earth but she also rides through the air in achariot pulled by four horses or carried by a ram.She may breathe fire and is symbolized by therainbow. When she and her consort meet, a thunderstormforms. Her symbol is a sickle which isstill employed as a device to ward off evil.Mari Mai (mother death)Plague goddess. Hindu. The sister of SITALA,associated with cholera. Her Tamil counterpart isMARIYAMMAN.Marici (shining)1. Astral goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanationof VAIROCANA and also his female aspect orSAKTI. She is further identified as a buddha-designateor BODHISATTVA. She may also be the motherof SAKYAMUNI (a form of the BUDDHA). Consideredby some to be the equal of the Hindu SURYA.She may be depicted in a three-headed form (asthe Sakti of HAYAGRIVA), in which case her lefthead is that of a pig. She rides in a chariot drawnby seven boars. Color: red, yellow or white.Attributes: arrow, bow, fly whisk, horse’s headimage in the hair, needle, prayer wheel, staff,sword, thread and trident. Three-eyed.2. Demiurge. Hindu. A product of the creatorgod BRAHMA.Mariyamman (mother of smallpox)Plague goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. A terrible goddess, one of the NAVASAKTISand linked with the goddess KALI. She is honoredin a ritual during which victims (in penance) aresuspended from a rope and an iron hook throughthe flesh of the back and whirled around a pole.Also Mariyattal.MarnasLocal tutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Probably regarded as a fertility deity, his cult was

Mata 191centered at Gaza at the Marneion sanctuary andprobably succeeded that of Dagon. He may havebeen the subject of a colossal statue attributed toZEUS found near Gaza.See also DAGAN.MARSORIGIN Roman. God of war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS ARES (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT the Mars Ultor sanctuary(Augustine) in Rome.ART REFERENCES large number of sculptures andcarvings.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil), etc.Mars may have originated as a god of vegetation,but becomes closely modeled on the Greek wargod Ares. The son of JUPITER and JUNO, he isone of the major deities on the Roman pantheonand the patron of all soldiers. He was particularlypopular in Roman Britain.He is depicted wearing a suit of armor with aplumed helmet. He bears a shield and spear. Hisretinue includes Metus (Fear), Demios (Dread),Phobos (Alarm), ERIS (Discord) and Pallor (Terror).Mars is frequently linked with BELLONA,the minor Roman war goddess who drives hischariot. He took an active part in the primordialwar between gods and giants. His consort isVENUS and he is the father of HARMONIA, Cupidand Anteros. He is also romantically linked withthe vestal Ilia, who was buried alive for contraveningthe laws of her sisterhood. Through IliaMars fathered Romulus, the alleged founder ofthe city of Rome, and Remus, who was slain byRomulus. It was the convention that a Romangeneral, before setting out for combat, wouldinvoke Mars in his sanctuary. The name ofthe month of March, noted for its violentweather, is derivative and the month was dedicatedto the god.The training ground for would-be Romanlegionaries was known as the Campus Martius(field of Mars). Mars’s sacred animals include thebull, wolf and woodpecker.See also AMOR.MartuTutelary god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Thepatron god of the city of Ninab mentioned in thetexts but never re-discovered. Probably not a trueSumerian deity but adopted from an unknownwestern Semitic culture. He is sometimes identifiedas a storm god.MaruGod of war. Polynesian and Maori. One of theimportant deities revered by Maori clans in NewZealand in times of war, he may be represented intotems as an aggressive face with a prominent tuftof hair, staring eyes and tongue protruding,though these totems generally represent ancestorsrather than deities. Maru may be invoked inthe familiar Maori war dances and chants demonstratedpopularly by the All Blacks before rugbymatches all over the world.MarutganaStorm gods. Hindu (Vedic). The sons of RUDRAand attendants of INDRA. Also Maruts.Mata (great mother)Primeval mother goddess. Hindu. The archetypalprogenitrix of all living things. She becomes thetutelary goddess of every village in northern India,but is also seen as a plague goddess associated withsmallpox, in which case her epithet becomes MahaMai. Her Tamil counterpart is Amman.

192 MataraMataraMother goddess. Hindu. Applied collectively togroups of deities, the divine mothers, also morespecifically to the consort of the god KASYAPA. Asdivine mothers they are also regarded as SAKTIS.The numbers vary according to separate traditionsand they are therefore identified as theSAPTAMATARAS (seven), ASTAMATARAS (eight) andNAVASAKTIS (nine). Less commonly there may beup to fifty mataras in a group. Their images arenormally carved in stone (very few exist in metal)and they are depicted seated, often upon a corpse,and may be of terrifying appearance.MatarisvanMinor messenger god. Hindu (Vedic). The attendantof AGNI.Mater MatutaSky goddess. Italic. The personification of thedawn light who evolved into a fertility deity concernedwith childbirth. She is also a tutelary goddessof mariners.See also ISIS.Matlalcueye (her skirt is blue)Minor fertility goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed asthe TLALOC complex, closely associated withwater.CENTER(S) OF CULT various shrines.ART REFERENCES various Romano-Celtic sculptures,reliefs and votive plaques. An excellentexample comes from Cirencester, England.LITERARY SOURCES inscriptions.Triads of benevolent mother goddesses wereprobably worshiped, in the main, as householddeities guarding against disease or famine. Animportant sculpture of Matres was found embeddedin the walls of London on a section of fourthcentury rebuilding adjacent to the Thames.Another, the Matres Aufaniae, was dedicated byQuettius Severus, the quaestor of the colony ofCologne. Several unnamed Matres are held in theCorinium museum at Cirencester. The sculpturesare often associated with comucopiae, basketsof fruit, loaves, sheaves of grain, fish or othersymbols of prosperity and fertility. They may alsocarry or suckle children. Many of the triads werespecific to regions, hence the Treverae among theTreveri tribe around modern Trier, or theNemausicae at Nimes.Many of the dedications to such mothers weremade by soldiers. There is a slight suggestion thatthey might also have been linked to victory inbattle. The plaque found in London seems tohave the mothers holding palm fronds. They arealso not infrequently depicted with dogs, whichwere generally included as symbols of healing.Some, particularly from the Rhineland, showyoung and older figures, suggesting the differentages of womanhood.MATRES (mothers)ORIGIN Romano-Celtic (across Europe but particularlyRhineland). Triads of mother goddesses.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC, butprobably much earlier, until Christianization(circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Deae Mattes; Matronae.MatsuoGod of sake brewers. Shinto [Japan]. Celebratedannually in a festival in Kyoto, when thepresence of the god is carried on a palanquin.It is rowed down the river prior to a generalcelebration, during which sake is drunkliberally.

Mayajalakrama-Kurukulla 193MatsyaIncarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). In this first avatara Višnu appears as afish which, according to one legend, tows a shipcarrying the law-giver MANU to safety after theprimal flood. Matsya engages in an epic battlewith the demon HAYAGRIVA who stole the Vedasfrom a sleeping BRAHMA. Usually depicted with ahuman torso carrying symbols, e.g. wheel andconch, on a fish’s body.Mawu1. Moon goddess. Fon [Benin, West Africa). Thesister of the sun god LISA. She is also consideredto bestow fertility and motherhood and is generallybenevolent in nature.2. Sky god. Ewe [Togo, West Africa]. Among thetribe neighboring the Fon. Mawu is perceived asmale and a creator deity. He favors the colorwhite and is also benevolent and generous innature.MaturaiviranLocally worshiped god. Hindu. Of fearsomecharacter, he is the deification of a seventeenthcentury policeman who eloped with a princessand was slain. Known from southern India, wherehe is also a god of wine. Attributes: shield andsword.Maya(devi)Mother goddess. Buddhist. The mother of theBUDDHA perceived as the world lotus or PADMAfrom which the Buddha was born. She equateswith the Hindu goddess LAKSMI. The term isalso applied to the personification of the visibleuniverse and, in Hinduism, as an epithet of thegoddess DURGA.MauiTutelary god. Polynesian (Maori) [NewZealand]. Not a creator god but one who assistsmankind in various supernatural ways. Accordingto tradition he was aborted at birth and castinto the sea by his mother, who thought he wasdead. He was rescued entangled in seaweed. Heis the deity who drew the islands of NewZealand from the floor of the ocean in a net.Maui caught the sun and beat it into submission,making it travel more slowly across the skyso that the days became longer. He also broughtfire from the underworld for mankind and tried,unsuccessfully, to harness immortality for himby entering the vulva of the underworld goddessHINE-NUI-TE-PO while she was asleep.She awoke and crushed him to death. Though adeity, he had been made vulnerable to deathby a mistake during his rites of birth (see alsoBALDER). Also Mawi.MayahuelMinor fertility goddess. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico). One of the groupclassed as the Ometochtli complex associatedwith the maguey plant from which pulque isbrewed. She may be depicted seated upona tortoise beside an agave plant in bloom.According to legend she was abducted byQUETZALCOATL and subsequently dismemberedby wild animals. From the fragments grew thefirst agave plants.Mayajalakrama-Kurukulla (one who proceedsin the net of illusion)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). The personificationof all DHYANIBUDDHAS. Color: red. Attributes:arrow, bow, hook, images of the fiveDhyanibuddhas, lotus (red), pitcher, rosary andwaterjar.

194 MayinMayinSupreme god. Tungus [eastern and centralSiberia]. A benevolent but remote deity whobreathes life into newborn children and receivesthe spirits of the dead.Mayon (the black one)Creator god. Early Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia and Sri Lanka]. Animistic high god of thepastoral regions, found in Sangam literature andthought to reside in trees. Perhaps equating withVIŠNU or KRSNA.invoked at sunrise each morning. The creator godof all black people, said to reside in black waters.MbotumboCreator god. Baule [Ivory Coast, West Africa]. Agenerally benevolent guardian deity with the headof an ape.Medeine (of the trees)Woodland goddess. Pre-Christian Latvian.Known from medieval manuscripts.Ma-zuSea goddess. Chinese. Known from the coastalregions of southeastern China as a benevolentguardian of fishermen, and closely linked withthe goddess KUAN YIN.MbombaCreator god. Mongo and Nkundo [DemocraticRepublic of Congo, central Africa]. He operatesthrough intermediaries known as bilimaand through the spirits of the dead, bakali. Alsoknown as landa, Komba, Mbombo, Njakombaand WAI. Among the Ngbandi people there isrecognized a vast water monster or river god bythe same name.MbombeMother goddess. Nkundo [Democratic Republicof Congo, central Africa]. The consort of ITONDEand mother of the hero LIANJA.MbongoRiver god. Ngbandi [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. One of seven deitiesMedha (wisdom)Minor goddess. Buddist (Mahayana). The SAKTIof Sridhara.MeditrinaGoddess of healing. Roman. Syncretized into thecult of AESCULAPIUS.Meghanada (cloud roar)Minor god. Hindu. A son of Ravana who oncebriefly bested INDRA and became known as the“Indra-conqueror.”MehenMinor chthonic underworld god. Egyptian. Theguardian of the barque of the sun god RE duringits passage through the underworld at night.Depicted in the form of a coiled snake.MeherSun god. Pre-Christian Armenian. Closely linkedwith the Persian model of MITHRA, he is the sonof Aramazd who appears in the form of fire. In

Mena 195contrast to this imagery, his home is said to be ina cave and he takes the animal guise of a raven.Gadeira/Cadiz were renamed the Pillars of Herculesby the Romans.Mehet-Weret (great flood)Minor goddess associated with creation accounts.Egyptian. In some versions of the story she epitomizesthe primeval ocean, while in others she isthe waterway on which the barque of the sun godRE travels. She is depicted as a cow bearing a sundisc between its horns and lying on papyrus reeds.MelloniaGoddess of bees. Roman.MELQARTORIGIN Phoenician [Turkey]. Heroic tutelarygod.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1200 BC to200 BC.SYNONYMS Milk-quart.CENTER(S) OF CULT Tyre.ART REFERENCES possibly sculptures in stone.LITERARY SOURCES Herodotus and local inscriptions;Vetus Testamentum.A god of youthful appearance often associatedwith the sea. Known mainly from Tyre, where hewas regarded as the consort of ASTARTE and probablyconstituted part of a trio of major deitieswith BAAL ŠAMIN and Astarte. He may bedepicted on coinage riding a sea-horse. The cultof Melqart spread extensively through Egypt,Carthage, Cyprus, etc. Melqart equates withEŠMUN, the tutelary god of Sidon. Known inHebrew tradition as the ruler of the underworldand probably based on the Sumerian/AkkadianNERGAL. In Hellenic times he becomes definedmore as a sun god, but is largely syncretized withHERAKLES. The pillars in the sanctuary atMe’mdeye-Eci’eFire spirit. Yukaghir [eastern Siberia]. A benevolentbeing residing in the sky and known as “father fire.”MenMoon god. Phrygian [Turkey]. Ruler of bothupper and lower worlds. Probably also a god ofhealing, he was subsequently adopted by theGreeks and Romans. The cult was popular duringthe imperial period, but its inscriptions were writtenin Greek.Men AscaenusLocal tutelary god. Antioch-near-Pisidia. Possiblyoriginating as a Persian moon god and knownchiefly from a description by Strabo. He enjoyeda substantial cult including a temple some 1,200meters above sea level. His symbol is the head ofa bull above a crescent moon and wreath; itappears on local coinage circa AD 200. The popularityof the cult earned antagonism from theRoman occupation.See also MEN.Men ShenGod of passage. Chinese. One of a pair of deities,armed with bow and arrows, who guard doorwaysand gates. Paper images are pinned toentrances of homes during the New Year celebrationsto ward off evil spirits.MenaMountain goddess. Hindu. The consort of HIMA-VAN and the mother of GANGA and PARVATI.

196 MenechenMenechen (master of men)Supreme god. Araucania Indian [southern Andes].Also known as Pillan (heaven) and, west of theAndes, Guenu-Pillan (spirit of heaven).MenessMoon god. Pre-Christian Latvian. Consort of thesun goddess SAULE. He is a guardian deity of travelersand military expeditions.MenulisMoon god. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. Consort ofthe sun goddess.Menzabac (black powder maker)Weather god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. He sprinkles black dye on the clouds,which causes them to generate rain. Believed tolive on the edge of a lake. Also a fever god and akeeper of good souls. Also Metzabac.MERCURIUSORIGIN Roman. Messenger god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS Psychopompus; Oneicopompus;HERMES (Greek); Mercury.CENTER(S) OF CULT Circus Maximus (Rome).ART REFERENCES sculptures and carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil), etc.One of the twelve major deities of Olympus, Mercuryis modeled closely on the Greek god Hermes.In Roman mythology he is the son of JUPITER andthe plains goddess MAIA, born in a cave on MountCyllene in Arcadia. He is attributed with theinvention of the lyre made from a tortoise shell, andwith various misdemeanors, including the theft ofcattle from APOLLO, an allegory on the blowingaway of the clouds (Apollo’s herds). Mercury alsopersonifies the wind. Apollo presented Mercurywith the gift of his winged baton, the caduceus,which had the power of resolving conflict and dispute.The gods also presented Mercury with thewinged sandals or talaria and cap or petasus.Originally he was a god of riches but became apatron of travelers and thieves. The French forWednesday, mercredi, derives from his name. Hismain annual festival, the Mercuralia, took place inRome in May and his statues were frequentlyplaced as boundary markers.As Psychopompus he leads the souls of the deadinto Hades, and as Oneicopompus he overseesthe world of dreams.MeretsegerLocalized chthonic goddess associated with theunderworld. Egyptian. At Thebes she acted ineither benign or destructive fashion against workersbuilding tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Sheis generally depicted as a coiled cobra which maypossess a human head and arm. One of the bestrepresentations is on the sarcophagus of RamesesIII. She lost her popularity when the use ofThebes as a royal cemetery was discontinuedearly in the first millennium BC.Mes An DuGod. Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). Probably an alternative title for thesun god (see ŠAMAŠ).Mes Lam TaeaGod of war. Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian).An aggressive aspect of thechthonic underworld god NERGAL. Often linkedwith the god LUGAL-IRRA.

Mictlantecuhtli 197MessorMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Concernedwith the growth and harvesting of crops.MeterMother goddess, Greek. The essence of the greatmother of all gods, equating most closely to GAIA.Known throughout the Greek Empire and generallythe object of devotion by individuals ratherthan large cult followings. Also known as Meteroriae (mother of the mountain). Her popularity isthought to have spread from northern Ionia.Herodotus mentions a festival of Meter inKyzikos. Probably derived originally from thewestern Asiatic great mother (see KYBELE).MetisGoddess of wisdom. Greek. The daughter ofOKEANOS and TETHYS. The original consort ofZEUS and mother of ATHENA. According to legend,Zeus swallowed her because he feared shewould engender a child more powerful than he.MetsakaMoon goddess. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Known as “grandmother moon,” she isthe consort of the fire god TATEVALI. She guardsthe Huichol against the god of death, TOKAKAMI.MhalsaMinor goddess. Hindu (late). The consort ofKHANDOBA and considered to be a form of thegoddess PARVATI. Locally worshiped at Jejuri,near Poona in western India.Micapetlacoli (dead mat chest)Minor chthonic underworld goddess. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupof deities belonging to the MICTLANTECUHTLIcomplex.Michi-No-KamiGods of passage. Shinto [Japan]. The genericname for three KAMIS associated with roads andcrossroads. They also protect the boundariesof house and environs and may be known asYakushin gods, guardians against plague. SeeKUNADO. Also Chiburi-No-Kami.MictecacihuatlChthonic underworld god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of a pair of deitieswith MICTLANTECUHTLI. In the primeval watersof the cosmos, they generated the monstrousgoddess CIPACTLI, from whom the earth wasformed.MetztliMinor moon god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group of deities belongingto the TEZCATLIPOCA complex.Mexitli (maguey-hare)Minor god of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group of deitiesbelonging to the HUITZILPOCHTLI complex.MictlantecuhtliChthonic underworld god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The creator of theunderworld, Mictlan. Depicted with a skull-likeappearance and protruding teeth. Also one of apair of deities with MICTECACIHUATL. In theprimeval waters of the cosmos, they generatedthe monstrous goddess CIPACTLI, from whom theearth was formed. In alternative traditions he isthe god of the sixth of the thirteen heavens,

198 MidirIlhuicatl Mamalhuazocan (the heaven of the firedrill), or he is one of the gods who support thelowest heaven at the four cardinal points. Mictlantecuhtliis perceived to reside in the south(codices Borgia and Vaticanus B). He is also one ofthe four great temple deities (codices Borgia, Cospiand Fejervery-Mayer).MidirChthonic god. Celtic (Irish). Appears in polymorphicform. According to legend the consort ofEtain and ruler of the land of Mag Mor. He lostan eye when hit by a hazel wand; the eye wasreplaced by DIANCECHT, the physician god. InRoman times he became more of an underworlddeity. Also Mider.MihosLion god. Egyptian. The son of the goddessBASTET. Depicted in leonine form and originatingfrom a cult center at Leontopolis [Tell el’-Muqdam] in Lower Egypt. A sanctuary in hishonor was built at Bubastis. Also Miysis (Greek).Mika-Hiya-Hi (terrible swift sun)Sun god. Shinto [Japan]. A deity subservient tothe sun goddess AMATERASU and engenderedfrom the blood of the fire KAMI KAGU-TSUCHI.Certain Japanese still worship the sun, goingoutside in the morning, facing east, bowing andclapping their hands in a daily ritual.See also HI-HIYA-HI.MikalLocal god. Western Semitic (Phoenician). Thecult was followed strongly on Cyprus. Someauthorities believe he was invoked as a plaguegod.Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami (august storehousechief kami)House god. Shinto [Japan]. One of a number ofdomestic guardian KAMIS, he is particularly concernedwith the protection of storehouses.MilkastartLocal tutelary god. Western Semitic. Known onlyfrom Umm el-Ammed where his cult apparentlyco-existed with that of BAAL SAPON. One of twomajor temples built at Umm el-Ammed in thethird century BC was probably dedicated toMILKASTART, and the name is regarded as a syncretizationof MELQART and ASTARTE.MilkomTutelary god. Western Semitic (Ammonite). Oneof the deities mentioned in the Vetus Testamentum(1 Kings 11.5) as being worshiped by the Israeliteking Solomon. Also Milcom.Mi-Lo FoGod. Chinese Buddhist. The local name given tothe BODHISATTVA MAITREYA. Like the Indianmodel he is represented as a rubicund figure.Attributes include roses and a purse.MIMIRORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). God of wisdom andinspiration.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and possibly earlier until Christianization(circa AD 1100). SYNONYMS Mimr; Mimi; Mim.CENTER(S) OF CULT none known.ART REFERENCES none known, but possibly thesubject of anonymous carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri).

MINERVA 199An AESIR god who lives in the world of the FrostGiants. He guards the well of knowledge, filled bya spring which flows beneath the World Tree,Yggdrasil, and which is supplied from theprimeval waters. The god OTHIN drank from thespring to acquire knowledge, having forfeited oneof his eyes to Mimir. Said to be the wisest amongthe gods. According to some sources he was sentas hostage to the VANIR in their war with the Aesirand was killed by them (see Othin). Some authorsargue that he is more properly a giant than a god.Said to be accompanied often by the silent godHOENIR. Mimir warns Othin of the finalonslaught at Ragnarok (doom).MINORIGIN Egyptian. Fertility god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilthe end of Egyptian history (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS Menu (Egyptian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Qift at the western end ofthe Wadi Hammamat, lying between Luxorand Qena; Akhmim, north of Qena.ART REFERENCES sculpture including fragmentedlimestone colossi from Qift dating from 3000BC or earlier; stone reliefs, wall paintings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts, coffin texts,etc.Min is the most significant deity in the Egyptianpantheon in respect of sexual virility. In somegenealogies he is the son of ISIS, in others he representsIsis’s consort with HORUS as their child.Min is depicted in anthropomorphic form wearinga modius bearing two plumes and a hangingribbon. He is generally drawn in profile, legstogether and with his left arm raised into theangle made by his royal flail. The most obviousfeature of the iconography is a strongly erectpenis. Min is represented in older art by twoserrated cones projecting horizontally from a disc.His sacred animal is probably a white bull and heis also associated with the tall lettuce species (Lactucasativa), the shape of which may be reminiscentof an erect phallus.By the end of the second millennium, Min hadbecome partly syncretized with Horus as a godMin-Horus. Min is also a guardian deity of mines,hence his cult centers at Qift and Akhim, whichwere bases for gold-mining expeditions. Templebuildings at both sites are only known from theGreco-Roman period. Min was celebrated as partof the coronation rites of a ruler in Egypt, thusensuring the sexual vigor and fertility of the newpharaoh. The festival is found depicted at Thebesin association with Rameses II and III. At the timeMin was frequently presented with offerings offlowers and sacred lettuces.Minaksi (fish eyed)Local fish goddess. Hindu. Regarded as a SAKTIof ŠIVA (i.e. PARVATI) and the daughter of KUBERA.She is the mother of Ugra. Minaksi is knownmainly from southern India where one of hermain temples is at Madurai.Minato-No-KamiGod of river mouths and estuaries. Shinto[Japan]. The son of IZANAGI and IZANAMI andfather of the heavenly and earthly water dividers.MINERVAORIGIN Roman. Goddess of war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC untilAD 400.SYNONYMS PALLAS, ATHENA (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT main Capitoline templeshared with JUPITER and JUNO, also an importantsanctuary on the Esquiline (see Athena).

200 MinosART REFERENCES depicted with Juno and Jupiteron the Great Arch of Trajan at Beneventumerected in AD 115; frequently appearing on sarcophagioffering new life beyond the grave.See also ATHENA.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil), etc.Minerva is probably derived from an Etruscangoddess Menrva but later becomes modeled onthe Greek goddess ATHENA. Like the latter, shesprang fully armed from the head of JUPITER(ZEUS), whose head had been cleaved with Vulcan’sax. As Minerva Medica she is the tutelarygoddess of Rome. She is perceived variously asgoddess of war and peace, but also of wisdom andthe arts and crafts including needlework. Annualfestivals in her honor included the Minervalia andQuinquatria (March 19-23) at which the Palladiumstatue which had allegedly fallen fromOlympus was carried in procession.MinosMinor underworld god. Greco-Roman. A son ofZeus and Europa. The mythical king of Crete.One of three judges of the dead souls enteringHades. His cult is linked with the worship of bulls.MirsaGod of light. Pre-Christian Caucasus region.Probably derived from the Persian god MITHRA.Also the deity responsible for fire.MITHRA (friend)ORIGIN Persian [Iran]. God of the upper air.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC toAD 200.SYNONYMS MITRA (Hindu); MITHRAS (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout area of Persianinfluence.ART REFERENCES various sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Avesta.Originating in India, Mithra is a god of light whowas translated into the attendant of the godAHURA MAZDA in the light religion of Persia;from this he was adopted as the Roman deityMithras. He is not generally regarded as a skygod but a personification of the fertilizing powerof warm, light air. According to the Avesta, hepossesses 10,000 eyes and ears and rides in a chariotdrawn by white horses.In dualistic Zoroastrianism, which effectivelydemoted him, Mithra is concerned with the endlessbattle between light and dark forces; he representstruth. He is responsible for the keepingof oaths and contracts. He was born from a rockand, according to legend, engaged in a primevalstruggle with Ahura Mazda’s first creation, a wildbull, which he subdued and confined to a cave.The bull escaped, but was recaptured by Mithra,who slit its throat. From the blood sprang plantlife on earth. His chief adversary is AHRIMAN,the power of darkness. Mithra is not generallyworshiped on his own, but as an integral part ofthe Mithraic worship of Ahura Mazda, where heacts as an intercessor between gods and men. Inthe Hellenic period he was transformed moreclosely to the role of a sun god.See also AHURA MAZDA.MithrasGod of soldiers. Greco-Roman. Derived from theIndian-Persian model. He became particularlyprominent among military people throughout theRoman Empire during the first and second centuriesAD, as a god symbolizing loyalty and truth.The cult was performed in an underground temple,the mithraeum, and involved the sacrifice of abull. Mithraism, under Roman influence, was anexclusively male cult.

Moccus 201MitiMaternal spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].The consort of QUIKINNA’QU. According to traditionher father is twilight man, Gi’thililan, whodeserted her when she was very young. She isregarded as the mother of the Koryak people,whose immediate sons and daughters areEME’MQUT, NA’NQA-KA’LE, YINE’ANE’UT andCana’ina’ut.Mi-Toshi-No-Kami (the august harvestkami)Agricultural god. Shinto [Japan]. The offspring ofO-TOSHI-NO-KAMI, the harvest god of rice, andKagayo-Hime (refulgent princess), he is in chargeof crops other than rice.to tradition, the sun god TEZCATLIPOCA transformedhimself into MIXCOATL-CAMAXTLI tomake fire by twirling the sacred fire sticks.Mizu-Ha-No-MeWater goddess. Shinto [Japan]. The senior waterdeity who was engendered from the urine of theprimordial creator goddess Izanami during herfatal illness, having been burned producing thefire god HI-NO-KAGU-TSUCHI.MkulumncandiCreator god. Swazi [Swaziland, South Africa].There is no worship of this deity, though he isknown as the “great first one.”Mitra (friend)Minor sun god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). AnAditya, one of six descendants of ADITI, he wasoriginally associated with VARUNA (Vedic),ruling the day while Varuna ruled the night. Itis from this model that first MITHRA (Persian)and then MITHRAS (Roman) were derived. Heis also the god of intimate friendship. Attributes:two lotuses, trident and a sacrificial drinkor soma.Mi-Wi-No-KamiGod of wells. Shinto [Japan]. One of three deitiesresponsible for wells, worshiped jointly in the Mi-Wi-Jinja shrine. He is particularly the god ofdomestic wells.Mlentengamunye (one leg)Messenger god. Swazi [Swaziland, South Africa].The intermediary between mankind and thecreator god MKULUMNCANDI.Mlk-AmuklosHeroic god. Western Semitic [Syrio-Palestine]and Cyprus. Known from inscriptions circa 1100BC and possibly one of the original pre-Hellenicmodels from which APOLLO was derived.MnemosyneGoddess of memory. Greek. A consort of ZEUSand mother of the legendary nine Muses ofHelicon.Mixcoatl-Camaxtli (cloud serpent)God of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Also a deity of hunting and fire who receivedhuman sacrifice of captured prisoners. AccordingMoccusLocal swine god. Romano-Celtic (ContinentalEuropean). Assimilated with Mercury.See also MERCURIUS.

202 ModimoModimoUniversal god. Tswana [Botswana, South Africa]. Amonotheistic deity possibly, though not with certainty,influenced by Christianity. Not specificallya creator god, since the universe and MODIMO have“always been.” Perceived as the river of existencewhich flows endlessly through space and time. Herules the light and dark opposites in the universe,as well as the proper order of life on earth.Modron (another)Mother goddess. Celtic (Welsh). The mother ofMABON, whom she subsequently loses. Her cult isclosely linked with that of Mabon and she mayoriginally have been one of the aspects of the goddess(es)MORRIGAN. In Christian times someauthors believe that she became St. Madrun.MogounosLocal tribal deity. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Assimilatedwith APOLLO.MokosGoddess of fertility. Pre-Christian SlavonicEuropean. Identified in the Nestor Chronicle as agoddess of midwifery. Her cult was taken over bythat of the Virgin Mary.MolekGod. Western Semitic (Ammonite). Synonymouswith the god Moloch (Hebrew) of the VetusTestamentum to whom Israelite children weresacrificed by burning (1 Kings 11.7 and 2 Kings23.10)MolochSee MOLEK.MomaCreator god. Uitoto Indian [South America].Originally the creator of mankind. When he wasslain he entered and ruled the underworld. Alsothe apotheosis of the moon.Mohini (illusion)Minor incarnation of VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). Mohini is an avatara who appears in theform of an enchantress whose form Višnu adoptedbriefly to deceive demons attempting to removethe ambrosia created by churning the primevalocean of milk (see also GARUDA). Višnu used thesame guise to dupe and seduce the god ŠIVA.MoiraiCollective name for a group of goddesses. Greek.The Fates of human life: KLOTHO, the spinner,LACHESIS, the caster of lots, and ATROPOS, theunturnable inevitability of death. The daughtersof ZEUS and THEMIS, depicted with spindle, scrolland scales respectively. Also Moires.Mombo Wa Ndhlopfu (elephant face)Tutelary god. Ronga [Mozambique, southernAfrica]. An ancestral deity who lives in and controlsthe forests, also appearing in the guise of ahuge snake. He is propitiated by the sacrifice of acockerel.MON (great god).ORIGIN Kafir [Afghanistan—Hindukush]. Warriorgod and hero.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistoricorigins and persisting in certain localized partstoday.SYNONYMS Mandi.CENTER(S) OF CULTchiefly at the village ofPashki and at Dewa (Prasun region), but also at

MORRIGAN 203numerous smaller sanctuaries throughout Kafirregion.ART REFERENCES wooden sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES Robertson G.S. The Kafirs ofthe Hindukush (1896), Morgenstierne G. SomeKati Myths and Hymns (1951).Mon is a senior deity in the Kafir pantheon whochallenges and defends mankind against demonsand giants. He is the first offspring of the creatorgod Imra. He is also a weather god who controlsclouds and mist. Mon is perceived as a deity ofvast size and vigor who creates glaciers with hisfootprints. He is also a god of flowing water.Some legends place him as a creator of mankindand law-giver, but only mirroring the actions ofthe supreme creator IMRA. He appears as a mediatorbetween heaven and earth.Mon is depicted, in wood, either in human formcarrying a golden bow and quiver made by hisbrother Kshibere, or as a humped bull. Alternativelyhe is represented by a standing stone slabwith two attendant smaller stones.According to legend, when the giants locked upthe sun and moon in a gold house, Mon turnedhimself into a child and in this guise was protectedby a giantess mother. After many attemptsto break into the house, he succeeded, restoredthe sun and moon to their place in the heavensand assisted Imra in the creation of mankind.MonetaMinor goddess of prosperity. Roman. The spiritof the mint, known particularly from the secondcentury BC.MontuLocal god of war. Egyptian. Worshiped in andaround the district of Thebes in Upper Egypt.He is known from circa 2000 BC and possiblyearlier, but came to special prominence overseeingthe aggressive posture of Theban kings fromthe XI to XVIII Dynasty (2133-1320 BC). Montuis depicted in human form but with a falcon’shead surmounted by twin plumes, a sun disc andthe uraeus (cobra). At some stage, probably asMonth (Greek), he became identified with asacred bull, Buchis.MorSun goddess. Celtic (Irish). The progenitrix ofthe royal lineage of the kings of Munster.MorpheusMinor god of dreams. Greek. The son of HYPNOS,there is no record of worship of this deity.MORRIGAN (queen of demons)ORIGIN Celtic (Irish). War, fertility and vegetationgoddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistoricorigins until Christianization (circa AD 400).SYNONYMS MACHA (Ulster); Medb or MAEVE(Connaught); Etain Echraide (Tara); alsoprobably Badb Catha; ERIU; Fodla; Nemain;RHIANNON.CENTER(S) OF CULT various sanctuaries throughoutIreland.ART REFERENCES inscriptions and carvings onRomano-Celtic altars, stone pillars, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings.A complex goddess displaying various characteristicswhich are both generative and destructive (seealso ANAT, INANA, IŠTAR, ATHENE). At the festivalof Samain, she mates with the DAGDA to ensurethe future prosperity of the land and as QueenMaeve (Medb) of Connaught she was ritually

204 Morswedded to the mortal king whose antecedent wasAilill. As Nemain (panic) and Badb Catha (raven ofbattle), she takes on a more warlike and destructiveaspect. Rather than engaging directly in conflict,she uses her supernatural powers to spread fearand disarray. The Irish hero Cu Chulainn was thusvisited on the battle field by BADB driving a chariotand dressed in a red cloak and with red eyebrowspresenting an intimidating appearance. Sheis capable of changing her shape into various animalforms and in the guise of a raven or a crow isable to foretell the outcome of battle.Morrigan is also closely associated with horsesymbolism, befitting a horse-oriented culturewith strong links east toward Asia. Mare formsthe basis of the names Macha and Medb. She mayalso at times have been syncretized with the horsegoddess EPONA. As with other Celtic goddessesMorrigan is an intrinsic part of the land ratherthan a tribal deity, the “Sovereignty of Ireland.”The Celtic goddess is frequently described as atriad of separate aspects. Hence Morrigan,Nemain and Badb are linked and become collectivelythe Morrigna (see also MATRES). In associationwith the vitality of Irish kings, Morriganassumed the appearance both of a young girl andof a hag, the latter signalling the banishment orslaughter of a ruler who had become infirm orotherwise scarred with signs of mortality.MorsMinor god of death. Roman. Mors replaces theGreek THANATOS and, according to legend, isone of the twin sons of NYX, goddess of the night.He lives in part of the remote cave occupied bySOMNUS, god of sleep, beside the river Lethe.Ovid depicts him as a hideous and cadaverous figuredressed in a winding sheet and holding ascythe and hour glass. Known particularlythrough Lacedaemonian culture where twin statuesof Mors and Somnus were placed side by side.MortaGoddess of death. Roman. In later Roman timesshe becomes linked with the birth goddessesDECIMA and NONA, as a trio of goddesses of fate,the PARCAE.MorvaSky spirits. Andaman Islands [Sea of Bengal].Invisible but thought to be of human form.Morvran (sea crow)Local god of war. Celtic (Welsh). The son ofCERIDWEN and TEGID FOEL. Legend has it thathe was extremely ugly and that his mother tried toimbue him with wisdom by preparing a specialbrew of inspiration. It was drunk by Gwion.Morvran was invincible in battle because hisenemies thought him a demon.MOT (death)ORIGIN Canaanite and Phoenician [northernIsrael, Lebanon and Syrian coastal regions].God of natural adversity.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistorictimes until circa 200 BC.SYNONYMS Muth (Phoenician).CENTER(S) OF CULT possibly Byblos.ART REFERENCES none known.LITERARY SOURCES Ugaritic texts from RasŠamra; Philon of Byblos; inscriptions.Mot is the Canaanite representation of adversity inthe natural world. He lives in a pit within the earthand is responsible for its annual death from droughtand heat: “he has scorched the olive, the produce ofthe earth and the fruit of the trees.” He engages inthe classic confrontation with the Canaanite heroand national god, BAAL. Though the duel results inBaal’s demise, his death is avenged by his twin

Mujaji 205sister ANAT, who slays Mot, then cleaves, winnows,burns and grinds him with a millstone, in whatappears to be a ritual allied to the sowing of seedand harvesting (see OSIRIS). Baal is later restored.The conflict probably formed the basis of anannual ritual drama at the Canaanite New Yearwhich was held in the autumn. In the texts Mot isthe son of Il and his mother is AŠERAH (ATHIRAT).Moyocoyani (maker of himself)Minor god of universal power. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the group ofdeities known as the TEZCATLIPOCA complex.Mratna’irgin (right-hand dawn)Spirit of the dawn. Chukchee [eastern Siberia].One of four beings responsible for the dawn indifferent directions.See also TNE’SGAN, LIETNA’IRGIN and NA’CHIT-NA’IRGIN.Mrgasiras (head of a gazelle)Minor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA, wife of CANDRA (SOMA).Mu GongGod of immortality. Taoist (Chinese). The personificationof the principle of Yang and the consort ofXi-Wang-Mu. He lives in the east, she in the west.See also HSI WANG MU.MuatiObscure local god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Associated in some texts with the mythical islandparadise of Dilmun, he becomes syncretizedwith NABU.dMu-bDud Kam-Po Sa-ZanSky god. Bon [Tibet]. The head of the ancientpantheon in the Bon religion.MucalindaTutelary god. Buddhist. The guardian of a lakenear Bodh Gaya. He is identified as a king of thenagas or snake gods and is said to have protectedthe BUDDHA from a storm by coiling around him.MugasaSky god. Pigmy [central Africa]. Originally heheaded a paradise land in which the first humanbeings lived. They disobeyed him, however, byentering his hut where he resided unseen, afterwhich he left them and made them mortal. He isnot worshiped in any conventional sense. AlsoMugu.MugiziLake god. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa]. Theguardian deity of Lake Albert, invoked with offeringsby those wishing to cross the lake in boats.MuhingoGod of war. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa].Invoked specifically by warriors before enteringbattle.MujajiRain goddess. Lovedu [South Africa]. She is said toreside in the northern Drakensberg Mountains andsends both destructive tempests and gentle generativerain. In past times she was propitiated withsacrifices of cattle and occasionally young girls. Sheis represented by a lineage of mortal queens onwhose fabulous reputation the author Rider Haggardbased the novel She. Also Modjadji.

206 MukasaMukasaSupreme god. Buganda [Uganda, East Africa]. Abenevolent deity whose main oracular sanctuarywas sited on the island of Bubembe, Lake Victoria.His first high priest was Semagunga and, byconvention, only the tribal leader was permittedto consult with the oracle there. Mukasa providesrain, food and cattle.MulaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A malevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).MulindwaGuardian goddess. Bunyoro [Uganda, EastAfrica]. The tutelary protector of the tribal chiefsand their families constituting the royal clan.MulliltuGoddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The consort of ELLIL (ENLIL) and of ASSUR. Shederives from the Sumerian goddess NINLIL.and may have a purifying function. Their mainsanctuaries are the Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osakaand the Munakata-Taisha.Mungan NgourCreator god. Australian aboriginal. Chieflyrevered among the Kurnai Koori aborigines inVictoria State. The Southern Lights or Auroraaustralis are regarded as a sign of his displeasurewhen the law and order given to humankind bythe gods are abused. His son is Tundun, who isresponsible for the secret ceremonies originallydivulged only to men and including the initiationrights of passage from boyhood to maturity.When these were revealed to women, theDreamtime ended, a period of chaos ensuedand Mungan Ngour elected to live henceforthin the sky.MunguCreator god. Swahili [East Africa]. The nameapplied to the notion of a single god in the heavens,influenced by the spread of Christianity. AlsoMulungu.MulloMule god. Romano-Celtic. Known from inscriptionsand apparently associated with the godMARS.MunisvaraDeified saint. Hindu. Technically a demigod butworshiped as a deity by Dravidians in southernIndia. Also Municami (Tamil).Munakata-No-KamiSea gods. Shinto [Japan]. A group of three KAMIS,generally identified as the SUMIYOSHI-NO-KAMI,who protect seafarers, including fishermen. Theyare the subject of special worship by the Jíngu-Kogo sect, whom they escorted to Korea in distanttimes. They are also tutelary deities of poetsMunjem MalikChthonic or earth god. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Heappears as a rival and possible predecessor ofthe god IMRA, but one whose realm is inthe earth rather than the sky. Imra controlsmountains and high pastures. Munjem Malikrules the earth of the valleys. He presides over

Mutinus 207the council of gods. His main sanctuary was atArte in the Parun valley where a large boulderrepresented his head.MunumeGod of weather. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa].Invoked during times of drought or delugeand propitiated by means of sacrifice, usuallyan ox from the tribal chief and sheep or fowlfrom the villagers. The blood is sprinkled onthe floor of the sanctuary and the flesh is eatenat the door.MurajaGoddess of music. Buddhist. Deification of a kindof large drum or tambourine. Color: smoky.Attribute: tambourine.MurukanHunting and war god. Dravidian and Tamil[southern India]. Identified with the Hindu godSKANDA. His vehicle is an elephant or a peacock.Color: red. Attributes: spear and staff with garland.MusdammaGod of buildings. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Described as the “great builder of ENLIL,” Musdammais a minor deity appointed by the godENKI to take responsibility for building projectsand for houses.Muso Koroni (the pure woman with theprimeval soul)Chthonic fertility goddess. Bambara [Mali,West Africa]. The mother of all living things,she introduced mankind to the principles offarming. She has a terrifying appearance,depicted either in human form, sometimeswith many breasts (cf. ARTEMIS at Ephesus), oras a panther. In the latter guise she uses herclaws to bring on menstruation in womenand to circumcise both sexes. Prior to circumcisiona youth is said to possess wanzo, anuntamed wildness. Muso Koroni is pursued bythe sun god, PEMBA, who impregnates her inthe form of a tree (Acacia albida). Also MoussoCoronie.MutThe patron goddess of Thebes. Egyptian. InUpper Egypt she is the counterpart of SAKHMET,the Lower Egyptian goddess from Memphis.After superseding the goddess AMAUNET, shebecame locally the consort of the sun god AMUN,in which capacity she is the mother of the moongod KHONSU. She was also regarded as the divinemother of the Theban kings. Mut is depictedin human form wearing a vulture headdress surmountedby the twin crowns of Upper andLower Egypt. She is typically dressed in a brightred or blue patterned gown. Less frequently sheis drawn with a lion’s head. She enjoyed a cultcenter at Thebes where her sanctuary was knownas the Iseru.MusisiMessenger god. Ndonga [Namibia, southwestAfrica]. The intercessor between the creator godKALUNGA and mankind. His father is Kalunga.MutinusMinor fertility god. Roman. Depicted as stronglyithyphallic and invoked by women seeking to bearchildren.

208 MuttalammanMuttalamman (pearl-mother)Plague goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. Specifically identified with smallpox. AlsoMutyalamma.Myoken-BodhisattvaAstral god. Buddhist Chinese. The apotheosis ofthe Pole Star, equating with AME-NO-KAGASE-WO in Japanese Shintoism.MylittaGoddess. Greek. The Hellenized version of theAkkadian goddess MULLILTU, consort of ELLILand of ASSUR.MyrrhaFertility goddess. Western Semitic (Phoenician).Known from inscriptions as the mother of thegod Kinnur. Also Syyrna.

N6NA CHA (here is a loud cry)ORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). Guardian god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 300 untilpresent.SYNONYMS Li No Cha.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Chinese culture.ART REFERENCES paintings and sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES various philosophical andreligious texts, mostly inadequately researchedand untranslated.A somewhat ambiguous god who is generallyregarded as benevolent, but whose traditions hintat a more destructive aspect. He was born a god ofhuman parents, the reincarnation of an olderdeity, Ling Chu-Tzu, the “intelligent pearl.”According to tradition, his father was Li Ching,who threatened to kill his mother because sheclaimed she was made pregnant by the mysticalactions of a Taoist priest who told her she was tobear the child of a unicorn. Na Cha is said to havefought in the Shang-Chou war on the side of theChou dynasty circa 1027 BC. His chief adversarywas the sea dragon king. Ultimately he becameinvolved with the goddess Shih-Chi NiangNiang, accidentally killed her attendant and, inremorse, committed suicide.Na Cha is the tutelary god of Yung Lo, thethird emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and is creditedwith the mission of ridding the world ofevil, but he himself attacks the guardians ofboth Taoist and Buddhist temples and can onlybe defended against by Li Ch’ing, the first ministerof heaven. He is also titled “grand marshalof the skies” and “guardian of the gates ofheaven.”He is depicted surrounded by a red aura, witha white face and wearing red silk trousers whichemanate a dazzling golden radiance. His attributesinclude a bracelet on the right wrist. Originallyhe also carried a thunderbolt, but when hisname changed to Li No Cha, circa AD 1420, thisattribute changed to a pagoda.Na NgutuGod of the dead. West and central African. Essentiallythe guardian deity of warriors slain in battle.NabuGod of writing and wisdom. Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian). The son of MARDUK andZARPANITU(M), his consort is TASMETU(M). He issymbolized by the inscribing stylus. A major deityin neo-Babylonian times from the eighth centuryBC onward, with an important sanctuary at Borsippa,near Babylon, known as the Ezida. He is209

210 Na’chitna’irginconsidered a god of mountain regions, describedas the “firstborn son of Marduk” and his image isclosely involved in the New Year akitu festival.Also NEBO (Vetus Testamentum).Na’chitna’irgin (genuine dawn)Spirit of the dawn. Chukchee [eastern Siberia].One of four beings responsible for the differentdirections of the dawn. The brother ofWU’SQUUS, spirit of darkness.See also TNE’SGAN, MRATNA’IRGIN and LIET-NA’IRGIN.NachundeSun god. Elamite [Iran].NagakumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHAVANAVASI (dwelling in places).They have a youthful appearance and are associatedwith rain and thunder.NagarajaSnake god. Hindu. The generic title of a deityequating with the terms mahoraga (great serpent)or nagadeva. Such deities were worshiped in Indiaas early as the Indus Valley civilization (prior to1700 BC).NaginiGoddess. Jain [India]. The counterpart of theHindu goddess MANASA.nagual generally takes the form of an animal andit may be adopted either by a mortal being or byanother deity.NahiGuardian god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Generally of benevolent nature.Nahui EhecatlMinor water god. Aztec (classical mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group of deities belongingto the TLALOC complex. Also (4)Ehecatl.Nahui Ollin (earthquake sun)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. According to most of the codices, atthe time of the Spanish conquest there had beenfour previous world ages, each represented by asun and terminated by a cataclysm. Ollin, the fifthsun, was created at Teotihuacan and at the conquestwas just under 2,000 years old. It is presidedover by the god TONATIUH. Each creation is consideredto last 2028 x 52 terrestrial years and thepresent one is destined to be destroyed by a greatearthquake. Tradition has it that Ollin was originallya sickly or humble deity named NANAHUATL(the diseased one). Also (4)Ollin; Ollintonatiuh.NaiGod of the ocean. Gan [Accra, Ghana, WestAfrica]. The second-in-command to the supremegod ATAA NAA NYONGMO. His eldest daughter isthe goddess ASHIAKLE.NagualTutelary deity. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A generic name for a personal god. ANaiadesAnimistic water spirits. Greco-Roman. Femalepersonalities assigned the guardianship of

NAMMU 211fresh waters by the great gods, and invokedlocally at sacred pools and springs. They werealso regarded as minor patrons of music andpoetry.NaigameyaGod. Hindu. Either the son or the brother of thegod SKANDA. Generally depicted with the head ofa goat.Na’ininenCreator being. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].Known as “outer one,” or “world,” he is perceivedas a remote but benevolent spirit comparable tothe Supreme Being, TA’YAN. Also Na’rninen(Chukchee).Nai-No-KamiEarthquake god. Shinto [Japan]. One of the RAI-JIN deities responsible for thunder, storms andrain. His worship began in AD 599.NainuemaCreator god. Uitoto Indian [South America]. Hecreated the earth from his own imagination andstamped upon it until it was flat. He then engenderedthe forests and other living things from hissaliva.Nairamata (no soul)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA. A SAKTI of HERUKA and a personificationof knowledge. She bears five or six arms indifferent gestures and often stands upon a corpse.Color: blue or black. Attributes: arrows, club, cupand knife. Three-eyed.Naksatra(s)Generic title for a group of astral goddesses.Hindu. Stars or constellations which became personifiedas deities, accounted as twenty-sevendaughters of DAKSA and consorts of CANDRA orSOMA. They can exert benign or evil influence.Namasangiti (the chanting of the name)God. Buddhist. A form of AVALOKITESVARA, butalso a distinct emanation of VAIROCANA. Thepersonification of a sacred text. He stands upon alotus. Color: white. Attributes: club, lotus, sword,half-staff and waterjar.NAMMUORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Chthonic creator andbirth goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 4000 BC untilcirca 1750 BC.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF WORSHIP mainly identified with Ur.ART REFERENCES stele of Ur-Nammu (circa2050-1950 BC), etc.LITERARY SOURCES creation epics, including Enkiand the World Order; Sumerian and Akkadiantemple hymns and poems.Nammu is identified in various texts as the goddessof the watery deeps. As a consort of AN sheis the mother of ENKI and the power of theriverbed to produce water. Alternatively Nammuis the progenitrix of An and KI, the archetypaldeities of heaven and earth. She also engenderedother early gods and in one poem is the mother ofall mortal life. She molded clay collected by creaturescalled sig-en-sig-du and brought it to life,thus creating mankind. She is attended by sevenminor goddesses and may ultimately have becomesyncretized with NINHURSAG˜ A.

212 NamtarNamtar (fate)Messenger god(dess). Mesopotamian (Sumerian).A go-between and either minister ormaid-servant of the underworld goddessEREŠKIGAL, who brings death to mankind at theappropriate time.NanaMother goddess. Pre-Christian Armenian. Hercult became widespread and she may be equatedwith the Phrygian goddess KYBELE.NanabozhoHeroic god. Ojibwa [Canada]. A god of hunterswho directly influences the success or failurewhich determines whether individuals survive orperish. His brothers are the four winds whichexert changes in the seasons and weather. Nanabozhogained control over them to ensure goodhunting and fishing for the Ojibwa tribe.Nanahuatl (rumor)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. In cosmogony, when on the fifth dayof creation the gods sat in judgment to elect thenew sun god, Nanahuatl and TECCIZTECATLcremated themselves in the sacred fire. Theheart of Nanahuatl ascended to become the newsun and that of Tecciztecatl became the moon.Tradition suggests that Nanahuatl is diseasedand impoverished but of great courage, whileTecciztecatl is wealthy and a coward. In an alternativetradition, in which Nanahuatl is the sonof QUETZALCOATL and Tecciztecatl is the son ofTLALOC, both deities are hurled into the fire bytheir fathers.NOTE: eventually all the gods sacrificed themselvesso that mankind might be engendered fromtheir remains. Also Nanahuatzin.NanajaFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). She is also a war goddess who becamesyncretized with the Babylonian TAŠMETU.Nandi(n) (rejoicing)Bull god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Generallyassociated with ŠIVA as a bull-vehicle and anembodiment of fertility. Color: white. The imageusually stands in an anteroom of the templeguarding the place where the statue of Šiva islocated. A Šiva devotee touches the image’s testicleson entry to a shrine. In anthropomorphicform he may be known as Nandisa.Nang LhaHouse god. Tibetan. A personal family guardiandepicted with the head of a pig. He is propitiatedwith libations.NANNA (1) (full moon)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq]. Moongod.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC untilcirca 1750 BC.SYNONYMS As-im-babbar (new light), Suen orSIN (crescent moon) (Akkadian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Ur.ART REFERENCES glyptics, etc.LITERARY SOURCES creation epics including Enkiand the World Order and other texts.A major astral deity in the Sumerian pantheon,probably originating in very early pre-agriculturaltimes, Nanna is the tutelary god of Ur. He is thefirstborn son of ENLIL. His wife is NINGAL and heis the father of the gods UTU and IŠKUR and of thegoddess INANA. During the Third Dynasty of Ur,the New Year akitu festival was performed in his

Nara 213honor. He was considered to light up the night, tomeasure time and to provide fertility. He isdepicted as traveling in a carriage across the skybringing light to the darkness.Nanna (2)Vegetation goddess. Nordic (Icelandic). The consortof Balder. According to some legends shedied of a broken heart after BALDER was slain byHODER and went with him to HEL.See also HODER.frequently holds a pole surmounted by a dove-cote.In addition she carries the cornucopia of a fertilityor mother goddess, but is also a domestic guardiandeity and is often depicted with ravens, which maysuggest further links with the underworld.NapaeaeAnimistic spirits of valleys. Greco-Roman.Female personalities assigned the guardianshipof fertile green valleys by the great gods andinvoked locally in small country shrines.Na’nqa-ka’leGuardian spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].He is one of the sons of QUIKINNA’QU and,according to tradition, sits in one place all thetime painting his belly. He is, nonetheless, perceivedas a strong and heroic figure.NanšeGoddess of justice. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Adaughter of ENKI (or EA), she is linked with theinterpretation of dreams. Mentioned sporadicallyin texts and most closely identified with the cityof Lagaš with a cult center at Sirara, but also thesubject of a highly ethical hymn from Nippur.Also Naš, Nina.Nan-Sgrub (the black one)God. Buddhist [Tibet]. Possibly a counterpart ofthe Hindu god KALA. In Lamaism he is a form ofYAMA. He stands upon a man. Color: dark blue.Attributes: cup and knife.Nantosuelta (winding river)Goddess of water. Celtic (Gallic). Identified asa possible consort of the god SUCELLOS. SheNapirMoon god. Elamite [Iran]. Known from inscriptions.Nappatecuhtli (four-times lord)Minor god of mat-makers. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the group ofdeities belonging to the TLALOC complex generallyassociated with rain, agriculture and fertility.NappinnaiLocal goddess. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil). Consortof KRSNA. Mentioned in the Vaisnavite andSaivite literature, the Krsna-Nappinnai cult wasprominent in Tamil-speaking areas of southernIndia in the seventh to ninth centuries. Accordingto tradition Krsna wed Nappinnai after a bullbaitingcontest during which he took on anddefeated seven bulls. Nappinnai may be a localizedform of Sri-Laksmi. Also Pinnai.Nara (man)Minor incarnation(s) of the god VIŠNU. Hindu(Epic and Puranic). Some authorities place theseas separate avataras, but they are usually linked.

214 NaradaTwo of the sons of DHARMA, who was born fromthe heart of BRAHMA, they spent a thousand yearsas severe ascetics in the Himalaya, where theywere subject to various temptations by INDRA.They are described as sages. The texts depictNara colored green and bearing two hands, whileNARAYANA has four hands and is colored blue.They may also be paralleled by HARI and Krsna.Also NARAYANA.Narada (giver of advice)Minor but popular deity. Hindu (Vedic, Epic andPuranic). Narada is depicted as a sage who is alsoa messenger and teacher. Born from the head, orthroat, of BRAHMA, and alternatively a minorincarnation of VIŠNU. In various roles he is aguardian deity of women, a musician and a wanderer.Narada, often bearded, is generallydepicted standing with the musical instrumentwhich is his invention, the vina (lute). By contrastto his benign nature he is also described as a“maker of strife” and as “vile.” Also Kali-karaka;Pisuna.Naradatta (daughter of Nara)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.Narasinha (man-lion)Incarnation of the god Višnu. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The fourth avatara of the god isdepicted as a man-lion hybrid. According to legend,the demonic king Hiranyakasipu had takenon a dangerous invulnerability. To thwart this,VIŠNU took the form of Narasinha and hid insidea pillar of the king’s palace whence he sprang,capturing Hiranyakasipu and tearing out hisentrails. IconographicalIy, the scene is portrayedwith the victim thrown across Narasinha’s lap andthe god’s claws plunged into his body. Narasinhamay also appear seated in a yoga position with thegoddess LAKSMI on his knee.NarasinhiMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI of NARASINHA who is one of a group ofASTAMATARA mothers. In another grouping, oneof nine NAVASAKTIS who, in southern India, rankhigher than the SAPTAMATARAS. Also CANDIKA.NarayanaCreator god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). More orless synonymous with VIŠNU, but specificallydescribing the embodiment of the “abode ofman.” He is said to have sucked his toe while sailingthe primeval ocean on a banana leaf, until hisown inspiration created the world. Often depictedsupported by the bird god GARUDA.See also NARA.NareuCreator god. Melanesia [Vanuatu]. As in manycomparable legends, he created the world insidethe shell of a mussel. He engendered a son fromsand and water who, in turn, created the sun andmoon from his father’s eyes, rocks from his fleshand bones and mankind from his spine.NarisahGoddess of light. Manichaean. The so-called“virgin of the light,” she may also be androgynousas the father of the virgins of light who equatewith the twelve zodiac signs.NarkissosMinor god. Greek. The son of the river godKephissos, he wasted away after falling in lovewith his own image reflected in water. The gods

Nebethetpet 215took pity on him and changed him into the flowerof the same name. In Roman religion he becomesNarcissus.Nataraja (lord of the dance)Form of the god ŠIVA. Hindu (Puranic). Emergingfrom AD 1200 onward, this form depicts Šiva as“lord of the dance” ringed by fire and with one footon a demon in the form of a black dwarf. Natarajaarguably epitomizes the moving power in the cosmos.Largely seen in southern Indian bronzeswhich display the dance-form anandatandava.NathaTutelary god. Buddhist [Sri Lanka]. One offour local emanations of the BODHISATTVAAVALOKITESVARA.Nayenezgani (slayer of alien gods)God of war. Navaho [USA]. The most powerfulof the Navaho war gods. The son of the sungod TSOHANOAI and the fertility goddessESTSANATLEHI. According to tradition, he vanquisheda race of giants who had nearly destroyedthe human race. He is a benevolent god, ready tohelp mankind in times of trouble. He also curesdiseases brought about through witchcraft. Saidto live at the junction of two rivers in theSan Juan valley, he is invoked by warriors preparingfor battle. His priest wears a buckskin bagmask, painted black and adorned with five zigzaglightning streaks, the eye and mouth holescovered with white sea shells. He also wears afox skin collar, a crimson cloth around the hipsand a leather belt with silver ornamentation, butis otherwise naked. No depictions are made ofthis deity.NaunetPrimordial goddess. Egyptian. One of the eightdeities of the OGDOAD representing chaos, she iscoupled with the god NUN and appears in anthropomorphicform but with the head of a snake.The pair epitomize the primordial abyss. She isalso depicted greeting the rising sun in the guiseof a baboon.NdaulaPlague god. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa]. Particularlyassociated with smallpox. His shrines areusually situated on the edge of a community andon the frontiers of the tribal land so that he maybe invoked to keep the disease in neighboringterritory.Navadurga(s)Generic title of a group of deities. Hindu. Thenine forms of the god DURGA. The commonvehicle is a chariot shaped like a lotus. Each carriesa wide assortment of attributes.NdjambiSky god. Herero [Namibia, southwest Africa]. Abenevolent deity who protects and lifts up all whodie natural deaths. The utterance of his name isgenerally forbidden.Navasakti(s)Generic title of a group of goddesses. Hindu.The nine MATARAS or mothers. In southern Indiathey are considered virgin goddesses and are heldin higher esteem that the comparable group ofSAPTAMATARAS.NebethetpetLocal primordial goddess. Egyptian. She wasworshiped in Heliopolis and is a female counterpartto the sun god ATUM in creation mythology.Specifically she is the hand with which he graspedhis penis to self-create the cosmos.

216 NeboNeboGod of writing and wisdom. Western Semitic.Known from Syrio-Palestinian inscriptions andequating to the Akkadian NABU. Mentioned inthe Vetus Testamentum.NediyonCreator god. Early Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. Equates with a syncretization of VIŠNUand KRSNA. The name implies a deity of tallstature. Sangam texts describe him wearing agolden robe. Attributes: conch, prayer wheel andlotus. Also Neduvel.fertility—a basket of fruit or cornucopia. Shemay also often have a small lapdog. Alternatively,she stands with one foot on the prow of a boatand grasps an oar or the rope.Nehebu-KauMinor snake god. Egyptian. Known from circa1500 BC. Essentially a chthonic deity he is,according to tradition, the son of the god GEB.Allegedly having eaten seven cobras, Nehebu-Kau offers protection against snake bite and scorpionsting. He is also one of the guardians of theEgyptian king in the afterlife.NefertumMinor god of primordial creation. Egyptian(Lower). Specifically he is the blue lotus blossom ofRE. Nefertum was worshiped in the Nile delta asthe son of the cobra goddess WADJET. At Memphishe is the son of the goddess SAKHMET, while elsewherein Lower Egypt his mother is considered tobe the goddess BASTET. Also Nephthemis (Greek).NegunMinor goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Known from limited references and of uncertainfunction. Possibly associated with the goddessSIRARA. Her brother is Ašai and they are linkedwith the cities of Adab and Keš. Also Lisin.NehalenniaGoddess of seafarers. Romano-Celtic. Worshipedextensively between the second and thirteenthcenturies AD, particularly in the Netherlandswith sanctuaries at Domberg at the mouth of theRhine and Colijnsplaat on the Scheldt. Probablybegan as a tribal deity of the Morini tribe. Sheis generally depicted with the attributes ofNeitGod of war. Celtic (Irish). A minor deity identifiedas the consort of the goddess MORRIGAN inher aspect as Nemain. Also the grandfather ofBalor, he was killed at the second legendary Battleof Moytura.NEITHORIGIN Egyptian. Creator goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilthe end of Egyptian history circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULTSais [Sa el-Hagar] in theNile delta.ART REFERENCES various sculptures, reliefs andwall paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; a papyrusfrom Dynasty XX; etc.Neith is a goddess of Lower Egypt specificallyassociated with Sais but soon becoming part of thenational pantheon with a sanctuary at Memphis.According to legend, when Neith emerged fromthe primeval ocean to create the world, she followedthe course of the Nile down toward the sea

Nephthys 217and, on reaching the delta, founded the city of Sais.She is also a birth goddess both of the cosmos andof other deities when she is depicted as the greatcelestial cow. She is the mother of Egyptian rulers.Neith is depicted in human form wearing thered crown of Lower Egypt and in ancient timesher pre-anthropomorphic symbol was a shieldbearing crossed arrows. She was sometimes calledupon for advice and judgment, as in the case ofthe eighty-year battle of the gods between SETHand HORUS, when she advised the sun god RE infavor of Horus. In other legends she becomes theconsort of Seth and the mother of the crocodilegod SOBEK.NekhbetLocal mother goddess. Egyptian (Upper). Knownfrom Nekhab (el-Kab), she is generally depictedin the form of a vulture with one or both wingsspread and holding the symbols of eternity in hertalons. Nekhbet is known from at least 3000 BCand is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as the“great white cow”—a familiar epithet in respectof Egyptian mother or creator goddesses.Nekmet AwaiGoddess of justice. Egyptian. Locally knownfrom Hermopolis, she later became syncretizedwith the goddess HATHOR.NemausiusGod of water. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Associatedlocally with a sacred spring at Nimes inFrance.NemesisGoddess of justice and revenge. Greco-Roman.The dreaded deity who, with the Furies, isresponsible for transporting the souls of the guiltyto Tartarus. She is also described as the deificationof indignation. Her presence may be symbolizedby the fabulous winged griffon. Her cult was predominantlyat Rhamnus (Attica), where a magnificenttemple was built in her honor in the fifthcentury BC, and in Smyrna. She also had a templeat Iconium in Asia Minor. According to legend,ZEUS raped her and she bore HELEN in consequence.In certain respects she provides a parallelwith the goddess ERINYS. Her cult became oneof morality.NemetonaGoddess of sacred groves. Romano-Celtic. Consortto the Roman deity MARS. Evidenced atplaces such as Bath (England) and Mainz (Germany);but also in place names which include theetymological base nemeton (a shrine).Ne’nenkicexCreator god. Kamchadal [southeastern Siberia].The name given to the Christian god by theKamchadals under influence of the RussianOrthodox church.NeperGod of grain crops. Egyptian. The son of thesnake spirit RENENUTET, he is subservient toHAPY, the god of the Nile flood, and has linkswith OSIRIS as a vegetation deity who dies and isreborn to the afterlife. In female form the deitybecomes Nepit.Nephthys [Greek]Funerary goddess. Egyptian. Nephthys is theyounger sister of ISIS, OSIRIS and SETH, who arethe offspring of the chthonic god GEB and the

218 Neptunussky goddess NUT in the Ennead genealogy ofEgyptian deities defined by the priests ofHeliopolis. Nephthys is depicted in human formwearing a crown in the style of the hieroglyphicfor a mansion, the translation of her Egyptianname. She can also take the form of a hawkwatching over the funeral bier of Osiris. Accordingto legend Nephthys liaised briefly with Osirisand bore the mortuary god ANUBIS. She is said toguide the dead Egyptian ruler through the darkunderworld and to weep for him. Also Neb-hut(Egyptian).NeptunusGod of irrigation. Italic and Roman. Identifiedwith the planet Neptune, but thought to haveoriginated as an agricultural deity concerned withwatering. He was celebrated in the festival of Neptunaliaon July 23. Also the patron deity of horseracing.He became syncretized with the Greekgod POSEIDON, but Neptune’s modern associationwith the sea is a misrepresentation.NereidesAnimistic spirits of the sea. Greco-Roman.Female personalities, the best known of whom isAMPHITRITE, assigned the guardianship of theoceans by the great gods and invoked by seafarers.Also attendants of the god POSEIDON.NereusMinor sea god. Greek. The son of PONTOS andGAIA, and the father of the NEREIDES.See also PROTEUS.NERGALORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Chthonic underworld god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC tocirca 200 BC.SYNONYMS Erakal, Lugalgirra, Meslamtaea.CENTER(S) OF CULT Kuthu and Tarbisu.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae andglyptics.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts particularlyNergal and Ereškigal.The son of ENLIL and NINLIL and the consort ofthe underworld goddess EREŠKIGAL. He isdepicted as a god of war and sudden death as wellas being ruler of the underworld. He may be alsoseen as a plague god. His sanctuary is known asthe Emešlam. He is usually depicted as a beardedfigure emerging from the ground and carryinga double-edged mace-scimitar typically embellishedwith lion heads. By the Hellenic period heis identified with the god HERAKLES.NerrivikSea goddess. Inuit. The mother of all sea creatures,invoked by fishermen and seal hunters.See also SEDNA.NERTHUS (north)ORIGIN probably Danish [Sjaeland, Denmark].Fertility goddess associated with peace.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 100, thoughprobably much earlier, until AD 400 or later(difficult to determine).SYNONYMS none known.CENTER(S) OF WORSHIP a sacred grove “in anisland of the ocean” identified only by thewriter Tacitus.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Germania 40 (Tacitus).Some authors argue that Nerthus is a femalecounterpart, possibly the sister, of the Viking god

Nike 219NJORD. Tacitus alludes to her as TERRA MATERand describes how her cult statue was carriedaround in a covered sacred wagon drawn by oxen(see also FREYR).The vehicle was taboo to all but the priest ofthe goddess and, after each tour, was returned tothe grove where it was washed and stored.All ministering attendants were immediatelyslaughtered. A pair of elaborate ceremonial wagons,dated to about AD 200, were excavated froma peat bog at Dejbjerg (Denmark) and arethought to be of a type that carried such a deity.NesuTutelary god of royalty. Fon [Benin, West Africa].The guardian of the tribal chiefs, his shrine, theNese-we, is located close by royal palaces.NethunsGod of fresh water. Etruscan. Identified withwells and springs and depicted as a naked beardedfigure. He is probably to be equated with theRoman god NEPTUNUS.NetiChthonic underworld god. Mesopotamian(Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). Chiefgatekeeper of the netherworld. The servant ofthe goddess EREŠKIGAL. Neti features prominentlyin the epic legend of Inana’s Descent intothe Underworld when he opens the seven gatesof the realm and admits the goddess, removingone emblem of her power at the threshold ofeach gate.Nextepehua (ash-scatterer)Minor chthonic underworld god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupof deities belonging to the MICTLANTECUHTLIcomplex.NgaiCreator god. Kikuyu and Masai [East Africa]. Thename given to a single god in the heavens, influencedby the spread of Christianity. He is also perceivedas, and may have evolved from, a weathergod whose presence is symbolized by lightning.NgunuwoGeneric title of guardian deities. Ewe [Togo,West Africa]. The name means, approximately,the fates.NiSea god. Chimu Indian (pre-Columbian SouthAmerica) [coastal areas of Peru]. A significantdeity in the pantheon, revered by fishermen.Often linked with SI, the moon god.NiamyeCreator god. Baule [Ivory Coast, West Africa].He engendered a consort for himself andproceeded to create all other living things onearth. His anger is evidenced by lightning andthunderbolts.Niha-Tsu-Hi-No-KamiFire god. Shinto [Japan]. Specifically the fire KAMIresponsible for household fires in the yard.NikeGoddess of victory. Greco-Roman. Depicted as awinged messenger bringing the laurel wreath tothe victor of battle. Though of Greek origin,

220 Nikkalappearing in the Theogony of Hesiod, she wasadopted by the Romans and worshipedextensively throughout Asia Minor, includingSardis. In some depictions the goddess ATHENAcarries NIKE as a small winged figure. AlsoVICTORIA (Roman).NikkalMoon goddess. Western Semitic (Syrian). Theconsort of the moon god Jarih and probablyevolved from the Mesopotamian pantheon.NiladandaGod. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian deity of thesouthwestern quarter. Color: blue. Attributes:jewel, lotus, staff, sword and trident.Niladevi (black goddess)Consort of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Puranic).Mentioned only in the Vaikhanasagama text as thethird wife of Višnu, no art representation of thisgoddess has been discovered. She may be identicalwith the goddess Pinnai known in Tamilspeakingregions.NilalohitaGod. Hindu. One of the EKADASARUDRAS oreleven forms of the god RUDRA.Nin Ezen (La)Goddess. Sumerian. An alternative name for thegoddess of healing, GULA.Nin Mar KiGoddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). SeeNINMAH.Nin Me EnGoddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Probablyequating to NINMENA.Nin UrGod. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Probably synonymouswith NINURTA.NinazuChthonic god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Lessfrequently encountered in the texts than NER-GAL. Son of ENLIL and NINLIL or, in alternativetraditions, of EREŠKIGAL and the father ofNing-is-zida. The patron deity of Ešnunna untilsuperseded by TISPAK. His sanctuaries arethe E-sikil and E-kurma. Also identified as agod of healing, he is (unlike Nergal) generallybenevolent.NindaraGod. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). The consort ofthe goddess NANŠE.NindubGod. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Locally knownand identified with the city state of Lagaš.Ninegal (strong-armed lord)God of smiths. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). A minor patron deity.Ningal (great queen)Reed goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Ningal is the daughterof ENKI and NINGIKUGA and the consort ofthe moon god NANNA by whom she bore UTU

NINHURSAG˜ A 221the sun god. She was probably first worshipedby cow-herders in the marsh lands ofsouthern Mesopotamia. Chiefly recognizedat Ur.Ningikuga (lady of the pure reed)Goddess of reeds and marshes. Mesopotamian(Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). One of theconsorts of ENKI and the daughter of AN andNAMMU.NingilinObscure deity. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). His symbol is probablythe mongoose. Also Ninkilim.NingiramaGod of magic. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). A minor deity invokedparticularly as a protection against snakes.NingirsuTutelary god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). His mother is NINHUR-SAG˜ A. Known from the city of Lagas (Girsu)where Gudea built a major temple in his honor,the Eninnu. His symbol is a lion-headed eagle andhis weapon the mace Šarur. Texts describeNingirsu making a journey to Eridu to notify thegod ENKI of Gudea’s achievement.NingiszidaThe god of light coming from the horizon.Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). Tutelary god of Gudea of Lagaš, theson of NINAZU. Identified in Akkadian texts andon a seal of Gudea. Also GISZIDA.NINHURSAG˜ A (queen of the mountain)ORIGIN Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC untilcirca 1750 BC.SYNONYMS NINMAH (great queen); NINTU (ladyof birth); Mama or MAMI (mother); ARURU(sister of ENLIL); BELET-ILI (lady of the gods—Akkadian). Minor SYNONYMS include Ninziznak(lady of the embryo); Nin-dim (ladyfashioner); Nagar-sagak (carpenter of insides);Nin-bahar (lady potter); Nin-mag (lady vulva);Nin-sig-sig (lady of silence); Mud-kesda(blood-stauncher); Ama-dug-bad (motherspreading the knees); Ama-ududa (mother whohas given birth); Sag-zu-dingirenak (midwifeof the gods); Ninmenna (lady of the diadem).CENTER(S) OF WORSHIP Tell el ‘Ubaid [Ur]. Mari.Other temples, according to literature, werelocated at Keš, Adab (modern Bismaya) andHiza, none of which have been found. Smallertemples and shrines scattered around southernMesopotamia and beyond.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae, glyptics.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts—epics includingEnki and World Order and Creator of the Hoe,temple hymns, etc.Ninhursag˜a is one of seven great deities of Sumer.Assuming her symbol to be the §omega, it hasbeen depicted in art from circa 3000 BC, thoughmore generally from early second millennium. Itappears on some kudurru boundary stones—onthe upper tier, which indicates her importance.She is principally a fertility goddess though technicallyany female deity could take on the role.Temple hymn sources identify her as the “true andgreat lady of heaven” and kings of Sumer were“nourished by Ninhursag˜a’s milk.” Distinct fromthe goddess INANA, she enjoys closer links withfecundity and birth and is sometimes portrayed asa midwife, or with bosom bare and carrying a

222 Ninigibaby on her left arm. She is typically depictedwearing horned headdress and tiered skirt; oftenwith bow cases at her shoulders; not infrequentlycarrying a mace or baton surmounted by theomega motif or a derivation; sometimes accompaniedby a lion cub on a leash. The tutelary deityto several Sumerian rulers, in Creator of the Hoeshe completed the birth of mankind after theheads had been uncovered by ENKI’s hoe.Most Mesopotamian gods lived in mountains andthe name Ninhursag˜a bears significance because,according to legend, it was changed from NINMAHby her son NINURTA to commemorate his creationof the mountains. Her name “lady of silence”derives from the notion that the child in the wombis susceptible to both good and bad influence. Thusthe wrong incantations may jeopardize the child’swell-being. As “lady of the diadem,” according toa Babylonian investiture ritual, she placed thegolden crown on the king in the Eanna temple.Ninigi (Prince)Ancestral god. Shinto [Japan]. The deity who,according to tradition, is the heir apparent of thesun goddess Amaterasu. He was sent to earthfrom heaven to rule at the behest of the gods. Hisparents are Taka-Mi-Musubi and Ame-No-Oshi-Ho-Mimi and he takes the title of “divine grandchild.”He is the ancestral deity of the imperialdynasties.Nin-IlduGod of carpenters. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Minor tutelary deity.Nin-ImmaFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Deification of the femalesex organs, fathered by Enki with Ninkurra.Nin’insinnaFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). A daughter of An andUraš and probably an alternative name for Ištar.She is the consort of the god Pabilsag and is mentionedin respect of a sanctuary built by WaradSin during the Isin dynasty. Texts describe hergoing to present Enlil with gifts in Nippur. Otherinscriptions suggest she was the mother of thegod Damu (Dumuzi).NinkarnunnaBarber god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). An attendant of the godNinurta.NinkigalChthonic god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Worshiped at Ur and Ummaduring the period of the third dynasty of Ur.Celebrations included the eses monthly lunarfestivals.NinkurraMinor mother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Ninkurra is linkedbriefly as consort to Enlil (her grandfather), bywhom after nine days of gestation she gave birthto the goddess Uttu. In alternative mythology shewas the mother of Nin-imma, the deification offemale sex organs.NinlilGoddess of the air and of grain. Mesopotamian(Sumerian). She is the daughter of the god ofstores, Haia, and the barley goddess, Ninsebargunnu.The consort of the air god Enlil, whoimpregnated her with water to create the moon

Nintu 223god Nana, she also conceived the underworld godNergal when Enlil impregnated her disguised asthe gateman of Nippur. In a similar manner sheconceived the underworld god Ninazu when Enlilimpregnated her disguised as the “man of theriver of the nether world, the man-devouringriver.” According to some texts she is also themother of Ninurta, the god of the plough andthunderstorms.NinsikilThe goddess of Dilmun. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).The patron deity of the mythical paradiseland of Dilmun which seems to have been perceivedas somewhere off the coast of the PersianGulf but firmly beyond the frontiers of Sumer. Itis Ninsikil who pleads with Enki to provide theearth with the boon of fresh water in the sacredrivers Tigris and Euphrates.NinmahMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Probably an earlysyncretization with Ninhursag˜a. Identified increation texts acting as midwife while themother goddess Nammu makes differentkinds of human individuals from lumps of clayat a feast given by Enki to celebrate thecreation of humankind. Also regarded asthe mother of the goddess Uttu by Enki.See also Ninhursag˜a.Ninmena (lady of the crown)Mother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Probably became syncretized with Ninhursag˜a.NinniGoddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). A modernmis-reading of Innin, which is itself an outmodedversion of the name Inana.Nin-šar (lady plant)Minor mother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Nin-šar is linked briefly as consort to eitherEnlil (her father) or Enki by whom, after ninedays of gestation, she gave birth to the goddessNinkurra who, in turn, became the mother of thegoddess Uttu.NinšuburMessenger god(dess). Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). The servant of thegoddess Inana, she is particularly prominent inthe legend of Inana’s Descent and the Death ofDumuzi. In Akkadian texts the sex changes to amale personality, the minister of Anu.Ninsun(a) (lady wild cow)Cow goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Tutelary goddess ofGudea of Lagaš. Consort of the Sumerian heroicking Lugalbanda and also identified as the motherof the hero Gilgameš.NinšušinakNational god. Elamite [Iran]. Derived from aSumerian model.NintinuggaGoddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). See Gula.NintuMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). According to legend shepinched off fourteen pieces of primordial claywhich she formed into womb deities, seven on

224 NINURTAthe left and seven on the right with a brickbetween them, who produced the first seven pairsof human embryos. She is closely identified withthe goddess Ninhursag˜a and may have becomeBelet Ili (mistress of the gods) when, at Enki’ssuggestion, the gods slew one among themselvesand used his blood and flesh, mixed with clay, tocreate mankind.NINURTA (lord plough)Orgin Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. God of thunderstormsand the plough.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3500 BC to200 BC.SYNONYMS probably Ningirsu.CENTER(S) OF CULT Nippur and, as Ningirsu, atGirsu.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae, glyptics,etc.LITERARY SOURCES creation epics including Atrahasisand Anzu; temple hymns, etc.Ninurta is the Sumerian god of farmers and isidentified with the plough. He is also the god ofthunder and the hero of the Sumerian pantheon,closely linked with the confrontation battlesbetween forces of good and evil that characterizemuch of Mesopotamian literature. He is one ofseveral challengers of the malignant dragon orserpent Kur said to inhabit the empty spacebetween the earth’s crust and the primeval seabeneath. Ninurta is the son of Enlil and Ninhursag˜a,alternatively Ninlil, and is the consort ofGula, goddess of healing. He is attributed withthe creation of the mountains which he is said tohave built from giant stones with which he hadfought against the demon Asag.He wears the horned helmet and tiered skirtand carries a weapon Šarur which becomes personifiedin the texts, having its own intelligenceand being the chief adversary, in the hands ofNinurta, of Kur. He carries the double-edgedscimitar-mace embellished with lions’ heads and,according to some authors, is depicted in nonhumanform as the thunderbird lmdugud (slingstone), which bears the head of a lion and mayrepresent the hailstones of the god. His sanctuaryis the E-padun-tila.Ninurta is perceived as a youthful warrior andprobably equates with the Babylonian heroic godMarduk. His cult involved a journey to Eridufrom both Nippur and Girsu. He may be comparedwith Iškur, who was worshiped primarily byherdsmen as a storm god.NirmaliBirth goddess. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Goddess ofthe childbirth but usually separated from the restof the village. She is invoked by women duringlabor or menstruation. Her sacred animal is theram. There is an argument that she is, in fact, amanifestation of the goddess Disani rather than adistinct deity. Also Shuwe.Nirrti (destruction)1. Destructive goddess of darkness. Hindu (Vedicand Puranic). Known chiefly from the Rg-veda,Nirrti has a generally malignant aspect and isassociated with pain, misfortune and death. She isbelieved to live in the south (the land of the dead).She is dark-skinned, wears dark dress and receivesthe “dark husks” of sacrifice. She is feared bymany Hindus, whose offerings are frequent andrepeated. In later Hinduism, Nirrti changes sexand becomes a dikpala god of terrifying appearance,guarding the southwestern quarter; he hasvarious consorts including Davi, Kalika andKrsnangi. He stands upon a lion, a man or acorpse. Attributes: javelin, shield, staff, sword andteeth.

Nona 2252. God. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian. Color:blue. Stands upon a corpse. Attributes: shieldand sword.NiruktipratisamvitGoddess of etymological analysis. Buddhist(Vajrayana). One of a group of four. Color: red.Attributes: chain and lotus.NissabaGoddess of writing and wisdom. Mesopotamian(Sumerian). A daughter of AN and probably originallya vegetation deity. Her symbol is theinscribing stylus. She is a patron deity of Unug[Warka].NispannataraMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana).NJORD (north)ORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). God of the sea andwinds.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period circaAD 700 and earlier, until Christianization (circaAD 1100).SYNONYMS possibly NERTHUS, though withchange of sex from female to male.CENTER(S) OF CULT none known, but many placenames along the Norwegian coast and inland bylakes and fjords suggest a widespread devotion.ART REFERENCES none known, but probably thesubject of anonymous carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; ProseEdda (Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); runicinscriptions.Njord originates as a VANIR deity, but duringthe war between Vanir and AESIR he is handedover as a hostage and becomes the pledge oftruce between the two races. He is a god ofseafarers and fishermen, and brings the wealthof the sea to mankind. He also controls thewinds and storms. Consort of SKADI, the daughterof the giant Thiassi, he is the father of FREYRand FREYJA. According to one poem, he livesamong an enclosure of ships, Noatun. Theuse of ships as burial chambers was probablyclosely associated with Njord, and further linksbetween ships and fertility seem well established,strengthening the connection with thisVanir deity.NodotusMinor god of cereal crops. Romano-Celtic.Specifically the deity responsible for the wellbeingof grain stalks.Nomi-No-SukuneGod of Sumo wrestlers. Shinto [Japan]. Accordingto tradition in the Nihongi text he cameto prominence during the reign of theemperor Suinin-Tenno when he matched andworsted a strong man, Kuyahaya, in a wrestlingcontest. He killed the latter by aiming a kickat his ribs.NommoGeneric title of a group of gods. Dogon [WestAfrica]. The primordial spirits at the head ofwhom is the creator god AMMA. They are associatedwith rain and fertility and have imparted certainskills to mankind.NonaMinor goddess of birth. Roman. Responsible forthe ninth month of gestation, she is often linked

226 Nongwith the goddess DECIMA. In later Roman timesshe becomes one of a trio of goddesses of fate,with Decima and MORTA, the goddess of death,collectively known as the PARCAE.Nrtya (dance)Mother goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof the ASTAMATARAS. Color: green or various.Attribute: staff.NongGod of winter and cold weather. Kafir[Afghanistan]. Nong lives in a glacier. He cracksthe ice and is seen in the melt water. He is perceivedas a misogynist and depicted in a woodeneffigy, though whether in human form isunclear. His cult center seems to have been thevillage of Zumu in the southern Hindukush.Also Zuzum.NortiaGoddess of fate. Etruscan. She enjoyed an importantsanctuary at Volsini, where her presence wassymbolized by a large nail. In a New Year rite, thenail was hammered into a block of wood, probablyderived from an old fertility ritual symbolizingthe impregnation of life into the new year. Shehas been identified with the Greek goddessTYCHE.NsongoMoon goddess. Bangala [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. The sister and consort ofthe supreme sun god LIBANZA. In the epic legendof Nsongo and Lianja she is the twin sister andconsort of a deified folk-hero.Nu KuaCreator goddess. Chinese. A primordial deitywho may be androgynous and who engenderedmankind out of lumps of yellow clay. The inventionof the flute is also attributed to her. Also Nu-Gua.Nu Mus DaTutelary god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Thepatron deity of the lost city of Kazallu, mentionedin texts.NosengaTribal god. Korekore (Shona) [Zimbabwe, southernAfrica]. He is accessible to mankind througha mortal medium or oracle known as Hore, wholives in the town of the tribal chief and is consultedonly with the chief’s permission. Nosengahas several human priestess consorts who arewedded to him in chastity in the fashion ofChristian nuns.NotusGod of the southwest winds. Roman. Derivedfrom a Greek model. Also Auster.NUADU (wealth)ORIGIN Celtic (Irish). Tribal war god associatedwith healing.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Nuada argatlam; Nodens (Romano-Celtic); Nudd (Welsh).CENTER(S) OF CULT the best known is the sanctuaryof Nodens at Lydney, Gloucestershire,England.ART REFERENCES none specific, though possiblythe subject of anonymous carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings; votive inscriptions.

NUT 227One of the TUATHA DE DANANN who lost anarm at the Battle of Moytura against the Fir Bolg.The arm was replaced by the physician godDIANCECHT who made a prosthesis out of silver,hence Nuada argatlam (Nuadu of the silver hand).The original sanctuary at Lydney in Gloucestershirewas taken over and enlarged by the Romanswho renamed the god Nodens. Also considered tobe the father of the Irish royal dynasty.NudimmudCreator god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Rapidlysyncretized with the Akkadian god EA.Nuli’rahak (big woman)Sea spirit. Siberian Inuit. A fearsome old womanwho lives in the ocean depths and owns all the seacreatures. She feeds off the bodies of drownedfishermen.See also ARNA’KUAGSAK.NunPrimordial god. Egyptian. One of the eightdeities of the OGDOAD representing chaos, he iscoupled with the goddess NAUNET and appears inanthropomorphic form but with the head of afrog. No cult is addressed to Nun but he is typicallydepicted holding aloft the solar barque orthe sun disc. He may appear greeting the risingsun in the guise of a baboon. Nun is otherwisesymbolized by the presence of a sacred cistern orlake as in the sanctuaries of Karnak and Dendara.NunbarsegunuObscure mother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerianand Babylonian-Akkadian). Mentioned in creationtexts as the “old woman of Nippur,” she isidentified as the mother of NINLIL, the air goddess.Nunbarsegunu allegedly instructs her daughter inthe arts of obtaining the attentions of ENLIL.Nurelli (Nooralie)Creator god. Australian aboriginal. Chieflyrevered among the Wiimbaio aborigines living inthe area of the Murray River, he is believed tohave created the land of Australia and thenbrought law and order to humankind. His son isGnawdenoorte.NuškuGod of light. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). The son of ENLIL. Also agod of fire, he is symbolized by a lamp. Sanctuarieshave been identified at Harran and Neirab.NUTORIGIN Egyptian. Creator goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC andprobably earlier, until the end of Egyptian historycirca AD 400.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT Heliopolis, Karnak andmany other sanctuaries throughout Egypt.ART REFERENCES wall paintings in the royaltombs at Thebes; sarcophagi, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts, etc.Nut is the most important female principle of thecreation force in Egyptian cosmogony. Accordingto the Ennead genealogy of the Heliopolis priests,she is the daughter of the god ŠU and the goddessTEFNUT. Generally, however, she is seen as thecreator goddess who, with the sun god, gives birthto the other deities of the pantheon. In legend shebecomes the consort of her brother, the chthonicgod GEB. Their partnership generates ISIS,OSIRIS, SETH and NEPHTHYS. In her earliest

228 Nu’tenutappearances Nut is a celestial cow stretchingacross the sky, often held aloft by the figure of theair god Šu. This depiction continues into latertimes. In human form she often appears as a slim,arched figure, nude and balanced on her toes andfingertips, which touch the four cardinal points ofthe compass. In this posture she forms an archover Geb, whose erect penis points upwardstoward her. She is alternatively often supportedand separated from Geb by Šu.Nut is perceived as the barrier of the firmamentwhich separates the ordered cosmos fromprimordial matter. The thunder is her laughter.The solar barque travels along the arch of herbody, entering her mouth as night falls to passthrough her and emerge at dawn from hervulva.In a funerary context, when the ruler dies he issaid to be enfolded by the arms of Nut and to passwithin her body: “the doors of the sky are openedto him.”Nu’tenutEarth spirit. Chukchee [eastern Siberia]. Theowner of the world who sits in a large house builtof iron. He is surrounded by the spirits of sun,moon, sky, sea, dawn, darkness and world whoare suitors for his daughter (unnamed).NyakayaCrocodile goddess. Shilluk [Sudan]. A deity residingin the Nile, she is the consort of Okwa and themother of the first Shilluk king. Shilluks continueto sacrifice to Nyakaya.NyameCreator god. Akan [southern Ghana, WestAfrica]. An androgynous being symbolized in hismale aspect by the sun, and his female aspect bythe moon. He gave mankind its soul and is thecontroller of destiny. He enjoys a dedicatedpriesthood and is worshiped in the form of a treetrunk. Also Odomankoma; Onyame; Onyankopon;Totrobonsu.gNyanTree spirits, Tibetan. Malevolent forces residingin the mountains which can bring sickness ordeath.NyavireziLion goddess. Rwanda [central Africa]. Accordingto legend she was originally a mortal daughter ofthe tribal chief. While walking, she was transformedinto a lioness. Though returning tohuman form, she occasionally became leonineagain and, in this guise, slew at least one husbandwho discovered her secret.NyxPrimordial goddess. Greek. The essence of thenight whose sons were the twin brothers HYPNOS,god of sleep, and THANATOS, god of death.NzambiCreator god. Bakongo [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. He created the first mortalpair or, in alternative tradition, an androgynousbeing in the guise of a palm tree calledMuntu Walunga (the complete person). He alsoendowed this being with intelligence. In woodensculptures the tree bears a woman’s head andbreast on one side and a bearded face on theother. Eventually the tree divided into two separatesexes. Also Nyambi; Nzambe; Yambe; Zambi.

Nze 229NzapaCreator god. Ngbandi [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. One of seven deitiesinvoked at sunrise each morning. The progenitorof all life on earth, he also gave mankindlaws and controls destiny or fate. He has fourchildren who specifically appear in the guise ofpalm trees.NzeMoon god. Ngbandi [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. One of the seven childrenof KETUA, the god of fortune and LOMO, the goddessof peace. He is closely linked with womenand fertility. At menstruation he is said to have“cut the girl” and, during pregnancy, “the moonis dark for her.”

O6ObaratorGod of agriculture. Roman. Specifically responsiblefor overseeing the top-dressing of crops.ObatalaFertility god. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa]. Thefirst deity engendered by the creator god OLODU-MARE. His consort is Yemowo. Among otherresponsibilities, he makes barren women fertileand shapes the fetus in the womb. He is consideredto be the sculptor of mankind. He is depicted wearingwhite robes and symbolizes cleanliness. Offeringsinclude coconuts and maize fruits. A jar ofclean water is carried by a priestess to his sanctuaryeach morning and the water is drunk by womento make them fertile. Also Orishanla (archaic);Orisha-Popo; Orisha-Ogiyan; Orisha-Ijaye.OccatorGod of agriculture. Roman. Specifically responsiblefor overseeing growth and harvesting ofcrops.OcelotlCreator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The sun deity representing the first ofthe five world ages, each of which lasted for 2,028heavenly years, each heavenly year being fiftytwoterrestrial years. Assigned to the earth andpresided over by TEZCATLIPOCA. According totradition, the age was populated by a race ofgiants and it ended in a catalclysmic destructioncaused by huge and ferocious jaguars whichdevoured them. Illustrated by the Stone of the FourSuns [Yale Peabody Museum]. Also Ocelotonatiuh;Yoaltonatiuh; Tlalchitonatiuh.OcelusGod of healing. Romano-Celtic (British). Hebecomes largely syncretized with the Roman godMARS, thus there is an inscription to Mars Ocelusat Carlisle.OdinSee OTHIN.OduduwaCreator goddess. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].The consort, or alternatively the daughter, ofthe supreme god OLODUMARE. She is perceivedas the substance, or matrix, of the earth whichOlodumare impregnated to generate life. She isalso a goddess of war and her sons include the230

Okeanides 231great heroic Yoruba god OGUN. According tosome traditions Oduduwa is also perceived asa god.OgdoadPrimordial forces. Egyptian. The elements ofchaos, eight in number, which existed beforethe creation of the sun god and which areknown from Khemnu in Middle Egypt (GreekHeliopolis). The Ogdoad also had a sanctuaryat Medinet Habu. They created, out of themselvesrather than by sexual coupling, themound which emerged from the primevalwaters and upon which rested the egg fromwhich the young sun god emerged. They areusually depicted as baboons heralding the sun asit rises. They are grouped in pairs and includeNUN and NAUNET representing the primordialabyss, KEK and KAUKET representing darkness,HEH and HAUHET representing infinity, andAMUN and AMAUNET representing hiddenpower.OgmaOgmiosSee OGMIUS.See OGMIUS.OgmiusGod of poetry and speech. Celtic (Irish). Very littleis known of him, but the Roman writerLucian mentions a Romano-Celtic god ofwisdom, Ogmios, apparently assimilated withHERCULES and described as an old man withlion’s skin holding a crowd of people chained tohis tongue by their ears.NOTE: a goddess Ogma is also mentioned; shemay have been a mother goddess in the originalIrish pantheon.OgiuwuGod of death. Edo [Benin, West Africa]. Believedto own the blood of all living things which hesmears on the walls of his palace in the otherworld.Until recent times human sacrifice wasmade regularly to this deity in the capital of theEdo region, Benin City.OgunGod of war, hunting and metalwork. Edo [Benin,West Africa]. This rather loosely defined deitywas sent by the god OSANOBUA to cut open theland to allow crops to be planted. He is thestrength inherent in metals and piles of metalobjects are left beside his sanctuaries. As a god ofwar he defends the tribe and is depicted wearingarmor and with red eyes. As a god of hunters andfarmers he is generally benevolent.Ohoroxtotil (god almighty)Creator god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The creator of the sun and thedeity who made the world inhabitable for mankindby destroying the jaguars which once infested it.OiSickness god. Suk [western Kenya, East Africa]. Aspirit of personal illness rather than plague. Thesick person’s house is emptied and the priest exorcizesOi out of the dwelling.O-lwa-Dai-MyojinGod of stoneworkers. Shinto and Buddhist[Japan]. Probably more a Buddhist deity, but alsorevered in Shintoism.OkeanidesSea deities. Greco-Roman. Minor goddessesassigned the guardianship of oceans by the great

232 Okeanosgods and invoked by seafarers. In alternativetradition, they are river gods, the sons ofOKEANOS.OkeanosGod of the oceans. Greek. A deity who remainedat his post when most of the other gods weresummoned to Olympus by ZEUS. His consort isTETHYS and he fathered children who includedthe OKEANIDES, mainly river gods, and a largenumber of daughters headed by STYX, and includingDORIS, METIS, and TYCHE.Oki-Tsu-Hiko-No-KamiGod of kitchens. Shinto [Japan]. One of the offspringof O-Toshi-No-Kami, the god of harvests.The consort of Oki-Tsu-Hime-No-Kami andresponsible for the caldron in which water isboiled.Oko (hoe)God of agriculture. Yoruba [Nigeria, WestAfrica]. According to tradition he descendedfrom heaven and lived at a farm near the townof Irao, where he attained a great age. Oneday he disappeared, leaving only his staffwhich was taken as a symbol of his presence.Annually, at the start of the rainy season, afestival with strong fertility emphasis is heldin his honor.O-Kuni-Nushi-No-MikotoCreator god. Shinto [Japan]. The great organizerand consolidator of the earth in thecreation mythology of Shintoism. He took uphis duties after IZANAGI and IZANAMI had createdthe land. Tradition has it that he firstunderwent a series of ordeals and then reignedover the world. He has many consorts and innumerableoffspring.Ola BibiLocal plague goddess. Hindu. Worshiped in Bengalwhere she is associated with cholera.OlodumareCreator god. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa]. Heengendered the god OBATALA as his deputy. Thesouls of the dead are expected to make confessionto Olodumare. When he created the earth, hefilled a snail’s shell with dirt, placed inside it ahen and a pigeon and threw it down, whereuponthe hen and pigeon began to scatter the earth andcreate land. Olodumare then sent a chameleonto report on progress. Sand was added, followedby a palm, a coconut and a kola nut tree. Whenthese were established the god placed on earth thefirst sixteen humans. Also Alaaye; Elemii; OlojoOni; Olorun; Orishanla.OlokunGod of fresh waters and oceans. Fon and Yoruba[Benin and Nigeria, West Africa]. The eldest sonof the creator god OSANOBUA. He is symbolizedin the sacred river Olokun, which runs almost thelength of Benin and from the source of whichcome the souls of unborn children. A girl baby isgiven a shrine of the god which includes a pot ofriver water and which she takes with her to hernew home when she marries. The god is particularlypopular among women and has a cult ofpriestesses. Olokun is also a guardian deity ofmariners.OlorunSee OLODUMARE.

Onuris 233OmacatlMinor god of feasting and revelry. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the TEZCATLIPOCA complex. Also(2)Acatl.Ome TochtliFertility god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Slaughtered and then revived by TEZ-CATLIPOCA. Head of the group classed as the Ometochtlicomplex of fertility deities who personifiedthe maguey plant and the intoxicating drinkbrewed from it, pulque or octli. Also (2) Tochtli.O’mealTribal spirit. Na’kwaxdax Indian [British Columbia,Canada]. The chief of the ancients who livesin “Narrow Entrance at Open Plain” and whosesiblings are the “myth people.”OMETECUHTLI (two lord)ORIGIN Toltec-Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Supreme deity.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 750 toSpanish conquest circa AD 1500 but probablymuch earlier.SYNONYMS Olin-Tonatiuh.CENTER(S) OF CULT None.ART REFERENCES codex illustrations; stonecarvings.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.The supreme being of Aztec religion, the godrepresents dual aspects of all living things and ofthe fecundity of the natural world. One of thegroup classed as the OMETEOTL complex. Probablyof Toltec origin, “he” is perceived as androgynous.He has no sanctuaries, but is personified inthe moment of birth, or in the conception of life.He is depicted in human form and is often accompaniedby the further depiction of a coupleengaged in sexual intercourse.The household hearth is sacred to Ometecuhtliand he is closely linked with the fire god XIUHTE-CUHTLI. For alternative creation mythology seeTEZCATLIPOCA.Ometeotl (two god)Primordial being. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. According to some traditions, the dualprinciple personified in a bisexual force which theAztecs believed to be the only reality, all elsebeing illusory. Ometeotl rules in the highest (thirteenth)heaven, Omeyocan (place of duality)which rests above sun, moon, wind and otherelements. Ometeotl impregnated itself to engenderthe four TEZCATLIPOCAS (aspects of the sun).Another female aspect, COATLICUE, gave birth tothe national Aztec god HUITZILOPOCHTLI. Noformal cult existed for Ometeotl, but he was consideredto be present in every aspect of ritual.See also TONACATECUHTLI and TONACACIHUATL.OmichlePrimordial principle. Phoenician (Hellenic). Theelement of darkness in chaos which fuses, or consorts,with POTHOS to engender the spiritual andphysical elements of the cosmos.OnuavaFertility goddess. Celtic (Gallic). Associated withthe earth and known only from inscriptions.Onuris [Greek]God of hunting and war. Egyptian. Onuris is firstknown from This, near Abydos in Upper Egypt.

234 OpoIn later times his main cult center was at Samannudin the Nile delta. His consort is the lion goddessMekhit. Onuris is generally depicted inhuman form as a bearded figure wearing a crownwith four plumes and wielding a spear or occasionallyholding a rope. He is sometimes accompaniedby Mekhit in iconography. Seen as ahunter who caught and slew the enemies of RE,the Egyptian sun god, some legends place himclose to the battle between HORUS and SETH. Inclassical times, Onuris became largely syncretizedwith the Greek war god ARES. Also Anhuret(Egyptian).OpoGod of the ocean. Akan [Ghana, West Africa].One of the sons of the creator god NYAME, he isalso considered to be the god of the great inlandlakes and rivers of Ghana.Opochtli (left)Minor god of lake fishermen and hunters. Aztec(classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of thegroup classed as the TLALOC complex.OpsGoddess of harvests. Greco-Roman. Honored inan annual festival on August 25. She is also concernedwith regulating the proper growth ofseeds. A sanctuary is dedicated to her in the Regiain Rome.Oraios (wealth)Primordial deity. Gnostic Christian. One of theandrogynous elements born to YALDABAOTH, theprime parent, and ruler of the seven heavens ofchaos in Gnostic mythology.OrcusChthonic underworld god. Roman. Modeled onthe Greek god HADES.OrdogChthonic malevolent god. Pre-Christian Hungarian.After Christianization he became syncretizedwith the devil.OreadesAnimistic spirits of the mountains. Greco-Roman. Female personalities assigned theguardianship of mountains by the great gods.Invoked by travelers to ensure their safety.Ori (mind)God of wisdom. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].The deity who, in heaven, guides the soul butwho also acts as a personal guardian, controllingindividual mental ability, so that one personbecomes wise and another foolish.OrisanlaSky god. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa]. Delegatedby OLODUMARE as a creator of earth and livingthings.OroGod of war. Polynesian [Tahiti]. One of the sonsof TANGAROA.OrotaltTutelary god. Pre-Islamic Arabian. Thought toequate with the northern Arabian god RUDA(Ruldaiu). Mentioned by Herodotus in Hellenic

OSIRIS 235times as a supreme god and possibly syncretizedwith DIONYSOS.OrthiaMother goddess. Sparta. Locally worshiped andprobably soon syncretized with the more widelyrecognized maternal deities of Asia Minor such asKYBELE.OrunmilaGod of destiny. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].He accompanied the creator god OLODUMARE atthe creation of the world and when the destiniesof mankind were decided. He is consulted in anoracular capacity at IFA and makes decisions onsuch matters as choice of sacrificial animals. He isalso a god of healing and in many householdsenjoys personal shrines which include palm nuts,fragments of ivory and sea shells.OsandeGuardian deity. Ovimbundu [central Angola,southwest Africa]. A benign elderly god whoforms an integral part of ancestor worship. Consideredto be the founder of each family lineage.OsanobuaCreator god. Edo [Benin, West Africa]. Thefather of the god OLOKUN, he is regarded as abenevolent deity controlling prosperity, healthand happiness.OSIRISORIGIN Egyptian. Chthonic god of the underworld,also a corn or vegetation god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilthe end of Egyptian history circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none, but many epithets are applied,reflecting the universality of his cult.CENTER(S) OF CULT many throughout Egypt butchiefly at Abydos (Ibdju) in Upper Egypt andBusiris (Djedu) in the Nile delta of LowerEgypt. Other important sanctuaries are locatedat Biga (Senmet) in Upper Egypt south ofAswan, and at the Karnak complex of Thebes.Outside Egypt there is a major sanctuary atPhilae in Greece.ART REFERENCES innumerable sculptures, stonereliefs, wall paintings and papyrus illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; coffin textsincluding the Book of the Dead, etc.Osiris is among the most significant and widelyrevered deities of the Egyptian pantheon. Accordingto the genealogy drawn up by the priests atHeliopolis, he was born at Rosetau in the necropolis(gate of the underworld) of Memphis. Hisparents were GEB and NUT and he was the eldestof four siblings including his sister and consortISIS, his adversary SETH and younger sister NEPH-THYS. Isis bore the god HORUS having impregnatedherself with the semen of Osiris after hisdeath. Though Osiris is most closely linked withIsis, he is also associated with ANUBIS, the mortuarygod of embalming and the scorpion-likemortuary goddess SERKET.Osiris is depicted in human form but oftentightly wrapped in mummy linen with only hisarms free, He holds the crook and flail. Hiscrown, the atef, is distinctive, consisting of theconical white crown of Lower Egypt framed bytall plumes and rams’ horns. Often his skin is coloredgreen. Osiris was perceived as the counterpartin death of the sun god RE.As a grain god, Osiris was worshiped in theform of a sack filled with seed which sproutedgreen. He is also depicted by models with articulatedmembers which women paraded throughthe streets at festivals and manipulated to demon-

236 Ostarastrate the god’s virility. His relationship with theEgyptian kingship was crucial. Each king was thedivine embodiment of Horus in life, but becameOsiris on his death.The Osirian legend is known from pure Egyptiantextual sources and from an embellishedaccount of the Greek writer Plutarch. The latterdescribes how Osiris was persuaded by Seth tostep into an exactly fitting sarcophagus during adrunken party. The coffin was nailed tight andthrown into the Nile. It was washed ashore atByblos in the Lebanon where it became encasedin the trunk of a growing tree. Eventually, thetrunk was cut down and incorporated as a pillar inthe palace of the local ruler. After years of searching,Isis found Osiris and brought his body home.She breathed life into it and impregnated herselfwith Osiris’s semen. She bore his son Horus.Meanwhile Seth found the body and once moredestroyed it by hacking it into fourteen piecesand scattering them along the Nile valley. Withthe exception of Osiris’s penis, which Seth hadthrown to a crocodile, Isis found all the piecesand buried them at the sites of various sanctuaries.She restored the penis with a replica whichsubsequently became a focus of the Osirian cult.The scattering of the body was allegorized withthe winnowing and scattering of grain in thefields.The purely Egyptian account omits the incidentof the sarcophagus and the discovery at Byblos.Isis is sometimes represented in the form of ahawk being impregnated by the erect phallus ofthe dead god. The reference to the fate of thepenis with a crocodile is also omitted. In theEgyptian version, the god’s phallus was buried atMemphis.OstaraSun goddess. Germanic. Associated with thecoming of spring and one of the derivations of theterm Easter, she equates with the Anglo-Saxondeity EOSTRE.Ostaraki (covering)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.OsunRiver goddess. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].The daughter of Oba Jumu and Oba Do and theconsort of the god SHANGO. The guardian deityof the river Osun, revered particularly in thetowns and villages along the banks of the riverwhere sacred weapons are kept in her shrines.Also a goddess of healing. She is worshiped particularlyby women and is honored in an annualfestival, the Ibo-Osun, during which new culticpriestesses are selected.OTHIN (all father)ORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic) and Germanic. Headof the Aesir sky gods and principal god ofvictory in battle. God of the dead.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period (circaAD 700) and earlier through to Christianization(circa AD 1100) and beyond.SYNONYMS Odin; Sigtyr (god of victory);Val-father (father of the slain); One-eyed;Hanga-god (god of the hanged); Farmagod(god of cargoes); Hapta-god (god ofprisoners).CENTER(S) OF CULT Uppsala (Sweden).ART REFERENCES various stone carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; ProseEdda (Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); votiveinscriptions.Othin is the chief among the Viking AESIR skygods, the lord of hosts and god of victory who

Oxlahun Ti Ku 237lives in the Hall of Valhalla in Asgard. He rulesover an army of warrior spirits, the Valkyries.Othin peoples Valhalla with chosen heroes, slainin battle on earth, who will defend the realm ofthe gods against the Frost Giants on the final dayof reckoning, Ragnarok, the doom of the gods.Othin passes out magic weapons to his selectedearthly heroes including Sigmund the Volsung(see also BAAL). In spite of his eminence Othin isconsidered to be untrustworthy, a breaker ofpromises. He rides a winged eight-legged horse,Sleipnir, and is able to change shape at will, anindication that he derives from an older, shamanisticreligion.His symbol is the raven and his weapon is aspear carved with runes or treaties said, whenhurled by the god, to influence the course of combat.He is also symbolized by a knotted device, thevalknut, probably representing his power to bindor unbind the minds of warriors and thus influencethe outcome of battle. Othin is perceived asa shaman, his constant desire the pursuit of occultknowledge through communication with thedead. He wanders the earth disguised as a traveler,and once pierced himself with his own spear andhung himself from the World Tree, Yggdrasill, tothis end. He gave an eye to the god MIMIR as paymentfor permission to drink from the well ofknowledge which rises from a spring beneath thetree.Othin has links with the goddess FREYJA in literature.The goddess SKADI, wife of NJORD insome legends, was reputed also to have bornechildren to Othin, thus linking him with theVANIR gods. Adam of Bremen reports a specialfestival of the gods in Uppsala when men and animalswere slaughtered and hung in trees. Followersof Othin were also burnt on funeral pyres.Othin is thought to have evolved as a syncretizationof the Germanic war gods WODAN andTIWAZ. He was the patron god of a fanatical warriorcult, the Berserks.As Wotan, the image of Othin was popularizedby Richard Wagner in his epic operaticcycle “Der Ring des Nibelung.” The god’s mythicalbiography is, however, most extensivelydrawn by the 12th-century Icelandic poet andhistorian Snorri Sturluson. He refers to Othinas “a mighty one,” but describes, in detail, howhe was instrumental in the breaking of importantoaths to the giants. It was this shortcomingthat led eventually to the downfall of the Aesirpantheon.O-Toshi-No-KamiGod of harvests. Shinto [Japan]. The son ofSUSANO-WO and Kamu-O-Ichi-Hime, he headsthe pantheon of agricultural deities and is generallythe guardian of rice fields.OuranosPrimordial god of heaven. Greek. The creator andincestuous consort of the earth mother GAIA withwhom he engendered six giant sons—OKEANOS,Koeos, Kreos, HYPERION, IAPETOS andKRONOS—and six daughters—Klymene, RHEA,THEA, THETIS, MNEMOSYNE and Phoebe—thetwelve collectively being known as the TITANS.Fearing their power, Ouranos hurled them intothe abyss of Tartaros and chained them up.OwiotMoon god. Luiseno Indian [California, USA].The ancestral deity of the tribe.Oxlahun Ti KuSky gods. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].The collective name for a group of thirteencelestial deities who are probably still invoked byMesoamerican Indians today.

238 OyaOyaRiver goddess. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa]. Theconsort of the god SHANGO, she is the guardiandeity of the river Niger. Also a goddess of stormsand thunder. Her sacred animal is the buffalo andher presence is symbolized by its horns.O-Yama-Tsu-MiGod of mountains. Shinto [Japan]. The most seniorapotheosis of mountains in Japan, he is one ofthe sons of IZANAGI and IZANAMI and is worshipedextensively.

6 PPa-bil-sagTutelary god of Isin. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). The consort of the goddessNIN’INSINNA. Identified with the city of Larak(lost), texts describe Pabilsag journeying to Nippurand presenting the god ENLIL with gifts. He is giventhe epithet of “the wild bull with multicolored legs.”Paca-Mama (earth mother)Chthonic earth goddess. Inca (pre-ColumbianSouth America) [highlands of Peru]. Worshipedextensively by farmers but now largely syncretizedwith the Christian Virgin Mary.Pachacamac (earth creator)Creator god. South American Indian [Limaregion of Peru]. Near the town of Pachacamac isthe site of a huge pyramidal sanctuary dedicatedto the god. In origin he is pre-Inca but the Incarulers who took over the region allowed his worshipto continue; eventually he became syncretizedwith the god VAIRACOCHA.2. Goddess. An incarnation of LAKSMI, the consortof an avatara of VIŠNU. She is depicted asemanating from the padma or lotus (Nelumbiumspeciosum) which is the symbol of creation and oneof the most important iconographic devices inHinduism. Also KAMALA.Padmantaka (destructive to the lotus)God. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian of the westerndirection. Color: red. Attributes: jewel, redlotus, prayer wheel and sword. Three-headed.Padmapani (with lotus in hand)God. Buddhist. A BODHISATTVA or buddhadesignate,and a distinct form of AVALOKITES-VARA. Color: white or red. Attributes: book, imageof Amitabha on the crown, knot of hair, lotus,rosary, trident and waterjar. Three-eyed.Padmatara (lotus Tara)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana).Padma (lotus)1. Snake god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One ofa group of seven MAHANAGAS. Attributes: rosaryand water jar. Three-eyed.PadmosnisaGod. Buddhist. Apparently connected with theguardian deities or dikpalas and associated withthe western direction. Color: red.239

240 PaeanPaeanSee PAIAWON.Pahteeatl (medicine lord)Minor fertility god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group of deities knownas the Ometochtli complex and concerned withthe brewing of the alcoholic drink pulque fromthe maguey plant.PaiawonWar god. Greek and Cretan. Known from Knossosand mentioned in the Iliad (Homer) as Paean.Painal (hasty)Minor god of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group of deitiesknown as the HUITZILPOCHTLI complex towhom sacrifice of captured prisoners was regularlyoffered.PajainenGod. Pre-Christian Finnish. The deity who killsthe great bull in Finnish legend.PajonnGod of thunder. Pre-Christian Lappish. Thename is derived from “the one who dwells in theheaven.”PAK TAIORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). Astral god of war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP probably fromShang Dynasty (second millennium BC) untilpresent.SYNONYMS Hsuan T’ien Shang Ti; Shang-ti yeh(Taiwanese).CENTER(S) OF CULT Palace of Jade Vacuity onCheung Chau Island.ART REFERENCES paintings and sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES various philosophical andreligious texts, mostly inadequately researchedand untranslated.As first general of heaven’s armies, he is regardedas a guardian of the Chinese state comparable toKUAN TI, but older in mythology and identifiedwith the north. According to tradition he livedcirca 2000 BC and was deified during the warbetween the Chou and Shang dynasties. During hismortal lifetime he was allegedly responsible for theintroduction of flood control and land drainagesystems. Alternatively, he spent much of his lifeseeking a Buddhist-style perfection on the mountainof Wu T’ang Shan. He was taken to heaven toassist the established pantheon in defeating twotraditional monsters, the tortoise and the snake.Pak Tai hurled them into a deep chasm and, on hisreturn, was made first lord of heaven.He is also titled emperor of the north. His fulltitle, Hsuan T’ien Shang Ti, means superior rulerof the dark heaven, as distinct from the movingand more accessible heaven ruled by the godHUANG TI. Before his deification, the north ofChina was believed to be ruled by the tortoise, theso-called dark warrior.Pak Tai is also closely connected with death andfertility. He is a guardian of society who maydescend from heaven to restore stability in timesof unrest or destruction. On the island of CheungChau he is believed to have been responsible forending a plague which afflicted the islanders atthe end of the nineteenth century.PakhetGoddess of hunting. Egyptian. Known locallyfrom the eastern desert regions with a sanctuaryat Beni Hasan.

Pancanana 241PalaemonMinor sea god. Greco-Roman. Originally Melikertes,the son of Ino, Palaemon was deified by thegods when his mother hurled herself from a cliffwith her son in her arms. According to versions ofthe legend she was either insane or escaping thewrath of Athanas, King of Thebes.PalaniyantavanLocal god. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil). Known onlyfrom southern India and considered to be a formof SKANDA or of MURUKAN, who is an old Tamiltribal snake god.PalesPastoral goddess. Roman. A guardian of flocksand herds. Her festival was celebrated annually inRome on April 21.Pallas (Athene)Goddess. Greek. The full name of the deity whois thus Pallas of Athens. The origin and meaningof the word Pallas is unknown.See also ATHENA.PANORIGIN Greco-Roman. God of shepherds andpersonification of undisciplined procreation innature.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC andearlier until Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Consentes.CENTER(S) OF CULT Arcadia; Marathon (Attica).ART REFERENCES stone reliefs and carvings.LITERARY SOURCES Theogony (Hesiod), etc.According to tradition, Pan is the son of HERMES(Mercury) and a nymph, Penelope. One of thecompany of SATYRS, Pan possesses the horns andfeet of a goat, is typically shown with phallic connotationsand is reputed to live in caves. Wellknownas a pipe player, an interest stemmingfrom an infatuation with the nymph Syrinx,whom the earth goddess GAIA changed into aclump of reeds to protect her from Pan’s amorousadvances. The pipes of Pan are cut from hollowreeds and called the syrinx. The name Pan mayalso be applied in a pluralistic sense. Pan’s reputationextended to sudden frightening of travelers,whence derives the term “panic.” Pan is depictedwearing a garland of pine boughs and bearing thesyrinx pipes and a shepherd’s crook.PanaoCreator god. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Local deity worshipedin Ashkun villages in southwestern Kafiristan.Also a generic title for deities controlling thenatural world and said to live in the mountains.These include Lutkari Panao (fertility), SaramunPanao (health), Plossa Panao (rain and goodhealth), Passamun Panao (rain and good health),Indermun Panao (fruit and wine), and Malek Panao(nut trees). These gods were generally worshiped insacred open spaces where their wooden imageswere regularly drenched with blood sacrifices.PancabrahmaCollective name for five aspects of ŠIVA. Hindu.The five aspects are Aghora, Isana, Sadyojata,Tatpurusa and Vamadeva. Also Isanadayas.Pancamukha-PatradevaGod. Buddhist. A “bowl-god.” Attributes: an almsbowl in each of sixteen hands. Five-headed.PancananaDemonic deity. Hindu (Puranic). Regarded as aform of the god ŠIVA possessing five faces, each

242 Pancaraksaface having three eyes. Depicted with the nakedbody of an ascetic, wearing a necklace of snakes.Shrines symbolize the god with a stone, its toppainted red and usually placed beneath a tree.Pancanana is worshiped extensively in Hindu villagesthroughout Bengal where women makeinvocations and anoint the stones, particularlywhen sickness strikes. There is a belief that childrenin the throes of epilepsy have been seized bythe god.Pancaraksa (five-fold protection)Group of goddesses. Buddhist. Five tutelary orguardian deities who personify protective spells ormagic formulae. They are thus known as “spellgoddesses.”PandaraGoddess. Buddhist. The SAKTI of AMITABHA anda female BODHISATTVA or buddha-designate. Sheoriginates from the Tantric syllable PAM. Color:rose. Attributes: blue lotus, cup, knife and prayerwheel.PaneuA collective term for seven gods. Kafir [Afghanistan].The divine brothers are cast as the huntersand henchmen of the supreme goddess DISANI.Each is equipped with a golden bow and quiver.They are generally portrayed as merciless andmalignant forces. Also Paradik, Purron.Pansahi MataMother goddess. Hindu. A SAKTI and one ofseven SAPTAMATARAS (mothers) who in later Hinduismbecame regarded as of evil intent, inflictingsickness on children under the age of seven. Particularlyknown from Bengal.Pao KungGod of magistrates. Chinese. Lived as a mortalfrom AD 999-1062 during the Sung Dynasty.Depicted with a dark face, implying impartiality,and wearing yellow and purple robes. Attributesinclude a wooden scepter. He is attended by twominor deities, one holding his seal of office andthe other holding the rod of punishment.PapasLocal god. Phrygian [northwestern Turkey].According to tradition, he inseminated a rock andso engendered the hermaphrodite being Agdistis.Later became syncretized with ZEUS.PapatuanukuChthonic mother goddess. Polynesian (includingMaori). According to tradition she evolvedspontaneously in the cosmic night personified byTE PO and became the apotheosis of papa, theearth. In other traditions she was engendered,with the sky god RANGINUI, by a primordialandrogynous being, ATEA. Paptuanuku and Ranginuiare regarded as the primal parents of the pantheonwho, through a prolonged period ofintercourse, produced at least ten major deities astheir children. In Maori culture Papatuanuku, likeall deities, is represented only by inconspicuous,slightly worked stones or pieces of wood and notby the large totems, which are depictions ofancestors.Pap-nigin-gara (lord of the boundary stone)God of war. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Syncretized with NINURTA.PapsukkalMessenger god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Identified in late Akkadian texts and

Parna-Savari 243known chiefly from Hellenistic Babylonian times.His consort is AMASAGNUL and he acts as bothmessenger and gatekeeper for the rest of the pantheon.A sanctuary, the E-akkil, is identified fromthe Mesopotamian site of Mkiš. He becomes syncretizedwith NINŠUBUR.Paramasva (great horse)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). Considered to be aform of HAYAGRIVA depicted with four legs andtrampling the four major Hindu deities underfoot.Color: red. Attributes: arrow, bow, head ofa horse, great lotus, lotus, staff and sword. Threeeyed.ParcaeGoddesses of fate. Greco-Roman. Originally apair of birth goddesses, DECIMA and NONA, laterjoined by a goddess of death, MORTA.ParendiMinor goddess of prosperity. Hindu (Vedic).Associated with the acquisition of wealth.PariacacaWeather god. Pre-Inca central Andean [SouthAmerica]. The deity responsible for rain andthunder, personified by the falcon.ParamitaDescriptive name of a philosophical deity.Buddhist. Applied to one of the group oftwelve whose spiritual father is RATNASAMBHAVA.Common attributes: banner with a pearl, anda lotus.Parasurama (Rama-with-the-ax)Incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The sixth avatara of Višnu (see alsoRAMA) in which form he saved the world from anarmy of tyrannical warriors. According to legend,Rama, the son of a wise man, became a skilledbowman and in gratitude he went to theHimalaya where he stayed, devoting himself toŠIVA. His consort is DHARANI. Though withouthis bow, Rama acted as a champion of the gods ina war against the demons and was rewarded withan ax. In another legend, Višnu took the form ofParasurama to rid the world of despotic rulers.This avatara appears in human form, withtwo arms and with an ax in the right hand. Otherattributes: arrow, bow, knife, skin and sword. AlsoParasuramavatara.Pariskaravasita (control of purification)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group ofVASITAS personifying the disciplines of spiritualregeneration. Color: yellow. Attribute: jeweledstaff.Parjanya (rain giver)God of rain. Hindu (Vedic). Became replacedby, or syncretized with, INDRA in later Hinduism,but in the Vedas he is seen as a god ofgentle, fructifying rain. May be regarded as anADITYA.Parna-Savari (dressed in leaves)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA and BODHISATTVA or buddha-designate.Also one of a group of DHARANIS (deifications ofliterature). She is particularly recognized in thenorthwest of India. Her vehicle is GANESAsurmounting obstacles. Color: yellow or green.Attributes: arrow, ax, bow, flower, noose, peacockfeather, skin and staff. She is depicted as havingthree eyes and three heads.

244 ParsvaParsvaJain. The 23rd tirthankava and therefore thepenultimate in the line of mythical salvationteachers. Possibly a historic person who lived inthe 8th century BC, he was succeeded by Mahavivaor Vardhamana, who was definitely a personin history. Parsva has been credited as the mythicalfounder of Jainism.PartulaMinor goddess of birth. Roman. Concerned withparturition.PARVATI (daughter of the mountain)ORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India].Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 400 untilpresent times.SYNONYMS Sakti; Ahladini-Sadini; SATI; UMA.Many epithets including Amba (mother); Aja(she goat); GAURI (corn goddess aspect);BHUTAMATA (mother of goblins).CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES sculptures, chiefly in bronzebut also in stone; reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana epic and variousPuranic texts.Parvati may have originated from the mountaintribes in the Himalaya. As a goddess of fertility sheis the youngest of the benign aspects of the goddessSakti. She also appears as a reincarnation of Sati.She is the daughter of HIMAVAN (the Himalaya)and MENA, a sister of VIŠNU and the younger sisterof GANGA. She becomes the consort of the godŠIVA and, as such, personifies the extreme exampleof the devoted and steadfast Hindu wife. Her sonsinclude GANESA and SKANDA.She is presented to Šiva, the ascetic, as a beautifuldancing girl. On becoming aware of his lackof interest, she pursues a life of self-denial until hefinally appears to her as an old Brahman and takesher as his consort.Parvati is depicted with two arms when accompanyingŠiva, but four when standing alone; shemay be elephantheaded or carrying Ganesa as ababy, and appears in many varieties. Attributes:conch, crown, mirror, ornamented head-band,rosary and occasionally a lotus.Pasupati (lord of animals)God of animals. Hindu [India]. His consort isSvaha and his son is SANMUKHA. He is thought tohave been derived from an earlier pre-Indo Aryandeity worshiped by the Indus Valley civilization asa horned god with three faces, sitting surroundedby animals. In Hindu culture regarded as anaspect of ŠIVA and depicted standing upon acorpse.Patadharini (bearing a cloth)Goddess of passage. Buddhist. She watches overcurtains and doorways. Color: blue. Attribute: acurtain.Pattinidevi (queen of goddesses)Mother goddess. Hindu (Singhalese) [Sri Lanka].A deification of Kannaki, the consort of Kovolanwho, according to ancient Tamil tradition, journeyedto the town of Madurai to sell a gold anklet.Through trickery she was convicted of theft andexecuted, but was canonized. According toanother tradition, she was born from a mangopierced by a sacred arrow. In southern India andSri Lanka a goddess of chastity and fidelity inmarriage. Also a guardian against diseases, includingmeasles and smallpox. She is associated withfire-walking rituals. Attributes: cobra-hoodbehind the head, and a lotus.

Penates 245Pavana (purifier)God of the winds. Hindu. His consort is Anjana.Also VAYU.goddess, HINA, since one of her alternativenames is Hina-Ai-Malama (Hina who devoursthe moon).PaxSpirit of peace. Roman. Became well-known asPax Romana and Pax Augusta from the secondcentury BC and was accorded a shrine onthe Field of Mars. Depicted as a young womanbearing a cornucopia, an olive branch and asheaf of corn.PeithoGoddess of persuasion. Greek. A minor attendantof the goddess APHRODITE.Peju’lpeGuardian spirits. Yukaghir [southeastern Siberia].Attendant deities who look after the well-being ofanimals in their care. They are benevolent towardthe hunter so long as he observes certain regulationsand kills only when necessary.PekkoGod of cereal crops. Pre-Christian Finnish andBaltic regions. In Finland he is PELLON PEKKOand specifically a god of barley used in brewingbeer. In Estonia he is a corn god whose image,made of wax, was kept in the corn chest. He wasoriginally honored on a day taken over by aChristian festival for St. Peter.PeleVolcano goddess. Polynesian [Hawaii]. Accordingto tradition she arrived in Hawaii in a canoe,having sailed from Tahiti. She may derivelocally from the more familiar Polynesian moonPellon PekkoVegetation god. Pre-Christian Finnish. The deityresponsible for the germination and harvestingof barley used to make beer. The first brewing isdedicated to Pellon Pekko. He may have largelybecome syncretized with St. Peter under Christianinfluence.See also PEKKO.Pemba (great thing)Creator god. Bambara and Mande [Mali, WestAfrica]. He was created out of the empty or Fuand his first task was to form the egg of theworld. He descended to earth as an acacia seed(Acacia albida) which first grew to a mighty treeand then died. From the wood Pemba generatedhuman souls and a female being whom heimpregnated to engender all human and animallife. His brother is the god FARO, creator of theriver Niger.Pen AnnwenUnderworld god. Celtic (Welsh). Virtually synonymouswith PWYLL and PRYDERI.PenatesHearth deities. Roman. These gods are a peculiarlyRoman innovation, unknown to the Greeks.The penates, chosen individually by the head ofthe household, oversaw the domestic affairs ofmost Roman families. They were considered sufficientlyimportant that, if a move was anticipated,they were taken to and established in the new residencea priori. They are represented in the form

246 Perendeof small statues made of anything from clay togold according to the wealth of the owner, andwere provided with regular offerings of scraps offood.PerendeStorm god. Pre-Christian Albanian. In theancient Illyrian culture his presence wasannounced by thunder and lightning. The namesubsequently became adopted to identify God inthe Christian sense.PerkonsGod of thunder. Pre-Christian Latvian. Depictedarmed with iron weapons, he is also a fertility godwho brings beneficial rain. Also Perkunas(Lithuanian).PerkunasSee PERKONS.PerseChthonic underworld goddess. Greek. The consortof the sun god Helios and the mother ofKirke and Pasiphae, she personifies the underworldaspects of the moon. Also Neaira.PERSEPHONEORIGIN Greek. Chthonic goddess of death.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1200 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS KORE; Persephassa; Pherrephatta(Attic); PROSERPINA (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT Eleusis; temple to Demeterand Persephone in Syracuse.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Hymn to Demeter, Iliad(Homer); Theogony (Hesiod).The daughter of ZEUS and the corn goddessDEMETER, Persephone’s persona is intricatelyentwined with that of her mother; the two maybe seen as aspects of each other, though Persephone’sname suggests an earlier, independentidentity as a major goddess in prehistory. Persephoneis perceived as Kore, the immature daughter,or aspect, of the corn mother, but alsospecifically as mistress of the dead and ill-fatedconsort of the underworld god HADES-Aidoneusor Aides.According to tradition Persephone leaves hermother’s house to pick flowers with a group ofgirls, the OKEANIDES. As she bends to collect aparticularly beautiful bloom, the earth suddenlyopens and the god of the underworld rides out ina chariot drawn by black horses to seize her andabduct her to Hades, where she is to reign as hisqueen. The flower meadow is traditionallybelieved to lie on the island of Sicily close to theLago di Pergus at Enna, though other sites,including one near Syracuse, contest the claim.Subsequently, Demeter wanders the earth infruitless search for her child. Eventually shelocates Persephone and HERMES is allowed tobring her back to the upper world but, becausePersephone has tasted the pomegranate of death,she may return only for two thirds of each year.When Persephone returns to her mother as Kore,the girl, nature flourishes, but when she descendsto Hades as his queen, Demeter is distraught andangry and the living world shrivels and dies.According to one legendary source, Zeus in theform of a snake raped Persephone and siredDIONYSOS, though Dionysos’s mother is moregenerally regarded as SEMELE.Perun (striker)God of thunder. Pre-Christian Slavonic (Balkan).His attribute is a club and his sacred animal is thebull. He is known to have been worshiped at Kiev.

Pidray 247PeruwaHorse god. Hittite. Known only from inscriptions.Also Pirwa.Phanebal (face of Baal)Minor attendant god. Western Semitic. A youthfulwarrior deity with right hand raised who appears oncoins struck at Ascalon from the time of Augustus.PhanesPrimordial sun god. Greek. The first god to emergefrom the cosmic egg engendered by KRONOS, hepersonifies light emerging from chaos. Accordingto one tradition, his daughter is NYX, the night.blue, yellow or white. Attributes: noose, prayerwheel and staff surmounted by a skeleton.PicullusChthonic underworld god. Romano-Celtic(Prussian). He becomes syncretized with the devilin Christian times.Picvu’cinGod of hunters. Chukchee [Eastern Siberia]. Adiminutive figure who rides on a sled drawn bymice. He is the guardian of reindeer and otheranimals and is invoked by sacrifice, usually ofcamp dogs.PhorkysMinor sea god. Greek. According to Hesiod, he isthe son of PONTOS and GAIA. The consort of asea-serpent, Keto, and the father of the Gorgonsand Graii. Also Phorkos.PhosphorosGod of the morning star. Greek. His mother isEOS, the dawn, and he is depicted as a nakedyouth running ahead of her, carrying a torch. InRoman culture he becomes Lucifer.Phul MataMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who in later Hinduism became one of theSAPTAMATARAS regarded as of evil intent, inflictingsickness on children under seven years old.Particularly known from Bengal.Phyi-Sgrub (the external one)God. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. A form of thegod YAMA who rides a buffalo or a bull. Color:Pidari (snake-catcher)One of the consorts of ŠIVA. Hindu (Puranic andlater). A benevolent NAVASAKTI. The cult ofPidari probably evolved in the sixth and seventhcenturies AD and is generally restricted to southernIndia. She is considered an aspect of the goddessKALI and is invoked in many villages toward off evil and demons. She has most of theattributes of Kali and may also have snakesaround her breasts, but may additionally berepresented by a stone. Her cult moved at onetime and reached a climax in eastern Indiabetween the eighth and twelfth centuries.Attributes: cup, fire, noose and trident. AlsoPitali; Kala-Pidari.PidrayMinor fertility goddess. Canaanite and Phoenician.Mentioned in epic creation texts and treatiesat Ugarit (Ras Šamra) as the first daughter ofBAAL. She is the consort of BAAL SAPON, themother of Tly and may be the goddess Peraiadescribed by the Greek writer Philo.

248 PietasPietasMinor god. Roman. A sanctuary dedicated to himcirca 191 BC is still in existence in Rome. Hebecame Pietas Augusta and is associated with familysolidarity and patriotism.Pilumnus (staker)Minor guardian god. Roman. Concerned withthe protection of an infant at birth. A ceremonyto honor the deity involved driving a stake intothe ground.PinikirzMother goddess. Elamite [Iran]. Known onlyfrom inscriptions.PISTIS (faith)ORIGIN Gnostic Christian. Primordial female force.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP probably circa 200BC to circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Pistis Sophia.CENTER(S) OF CULT undefined cells in areas ofearly Christian influence.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Nag Hammadi codices.The exact origin of Pistis is never made clear andthe Nag Hammadi narratives are in places confusedand contradictory. It is, however, an unmistakablyfemale principle typical of most religionsin their concept of the origin of the world. Pistisappears to be a benign female element among theprimordial immortals who ruled before even thecosmos was created. She is closely allied withSOPHIA (wisdom). Pistis appears to have beenformed out of infinity before the “shadow” whichwas to evolve into chaos, and from which the cosmoswould take shape, defined itself within limitlesslight.See also SOPHIA and YALDABAOTH.Pitao CozobiMaize god. Zapotec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Worshiped by the Monte Alban cultureof Zapotec-speaking peoples in the Valley ofOaxaca. Sculptures were often adorned with castsof maize ears.PiyusaharanaObscure physician god. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). Identified in the texts as the eighteenthof the thirty-nine minor incarnations of the godVIŠNU; said to be a “carrier of nectar.”PlutoGod of the underworld. Roman. Derived fromthe Greek model of HADES, he abducted thedaughter of CERES, PROSERPINA, to reign as hisqueen. The three-headed dog Cerberus wasset to guard the gate of Hades and throughthe kingdom flowed the two rivers of death, theCocytus and the Acheron which could be crossedonly by the ferryman Charon. According toRoman tradition, the entrance to the underworldwas at Avernus in Rome where the Christianchurch of St. Maria del Inferno was built.See also HADES.PlutosMinor god of riches. Greek. A son of DEMETERwho was abandoned in childhood and reared bythe goddess of peace, EIRENE, who is sometimesdepicted holding him in her lap. Plutos wasblinded by ZEUS because of his discrimination infavor of the righteous.PoeninusMountain god. Romano-Celtic (Continental European).Known locally from the alpine regions andgenerally thought to be assimilated with JUPITER.

POSEIDON 249PolerammaPlague goddess. Telegu [India]. Associated withsmallpox and offered blood sacrifices.PolluxHorse god. Roman.See also POLYDEUKES.PoluknalaiGoddess of animals. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Locallyrevered, with the goddess DISANI, among Askunvillages in the southwest of Kafiristan.SYNONYMS Pon-yu’lec (something got dark);Pon-o’moc (something has become good);Pon-ti’boi (something makes rain); Cu’kun.CENTER(S) OF CULT no fixed sanctuaries.ART REFERENCES none known.LITERARY SOURCES Jochelson Memoirs of theAmerican Natural History Society Vol. 10 (1905).Pon is a vague and indefinite creator spirit who controlsall visible phenomena of nature. As far as canbe ascertained, no specific cult was ever addressed tothis deity; he seems to be a remote figure, largely outof touch with everyday life. No invocations orprayers are addressed to Pon, nor are sacrifices.PolydeukesHorse god. Greek. One of the Dioskouroi twins;the other is Kastor. According to tradition, theyare together associated with a Spartan cultwhence they originated. The pair probably derivefrom the Indo-European model of the ASVINS inVedic mythology. Kastor is mortal while Polydeukesis immortal. Thus, during battle, Kastor ismortally wounded but, even in death, the twobrothers remain inseparable. They rescue individualsfrom distress and danger, particularly atsea, and are thought to be embodied in the electricaldischarges known as St. Elmo’s Fire. AlsoCastor and POLLUX (Roman).PomonaGoddess of orchards and gardens. Roman. Consortof VERTUMNUS generally represented by gardenimplements and offered fruits and flowers.PON (something)ORIGIN Yukaghir [central Siberia]. Supreme creatorgod.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from prehistorictimes until circa AD 1900.PontosGod of the sea. Greek. His mother and consort isGAIA and he is the father of the sea gods NEREUSand PHORKYS.PoreCreator god. Guyanan Indian [South America].Engendered the earth and all living things. AlsoPura.PortunusGod of passage. Roman. The deity responsiblefor guarding the entrance of the city and thehouse alike. He was celebrated in the Portunaliafestival, held annually on August 17, when keyswere thrown into a fire to bless them. He is alsothe guardian of the Tiber estuary, the main accessby sea to the city of Rome.POSEIDONORIGIN Greek. God of the sea and mariners.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 1600 BCthrough Minoan Crete (art evidence only) until

250 Posis Dascirca AD 400. SYNONYMS Poseidaon (Mycenaean);Poteidan (Dorian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Cape Sunium [southernGreece]; Pylos [Crete]; Mount Mykale[Turkey]; early sanctuary on the island ofKalauria; otherwise widespread through areasof Greco-Roman influence, particularly atBerytus [Syria].ART REFERENCES sculpture, plaques, coins, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad (Homer); Theogony(Hesiod), etc.Poseidon is perceived as a sea god, one of thethree sons of KRONOS and RHEA. His brothers areZEUS and HADES. He is the father of Theseuswho became king of Athens, and is also linkedwith the ancestral king of the city, Erechtheus,whom he supposedly rammed into the ground.Among his other sons are Neleus, king of Pylos,and Pelias of Iolkos in Thessaly. He is also, by tradition,the father of the ancestors of the Aeolianand Boeotian races.The horse is sacred to him and he is said tohave inseminated the ground from which wasconceived the first horse. Poseidon’s chief consortis AMPHITRITE, but other consorts emphasize theaffinity with horses. They include the infamousGorgon, Medusa, from whose dead body camethe winged horse Pegasus and the warriorChrysaor. A liaison with the goddess ERINYS producedanother fabulous winged horse, Areon. Ina parallel legend Areon’s mother is DEMETERwhile in the guise of a mare.Poseidon appears never to have been envisagedin youthful form, but always as an elderly, beardeddeity who carries the emblem of a trident harpoon.According to tradition, Zeus took the sky, Poseidonthe sea, and Hades the underworld, while theearth was shared between all three. Poseidon wasa popular oracular deity, suggested in one legend tobe the first keeper of Delphi. Another oracle atCape Tainaron is dedicated to Poseidon.There exist ruins of a striking Poseidon sanctuary,constructed of white marble, on the cliffs ofCape Sunium at the extreme southern tip ofGreece, past which all ships sail when making forAthens. Regattas were held there in honor of thegod and he was particularly invoked during thetuna-hunting season which was conducted usingtraditional trident harpoons.On Argos horses were sacrificed to Poseidon,drowned in a whirlpool, while on Pylos and elsewherehe received the offering of slaughteredbulls.Posis DasSky god. Greek. In pre-Hellenic times the consortof the earth mother GAIA. One of the primordialpartnership identified in Theogony(Hesiod). He later becomes syncretized withZEUS.PothosPrimordial being. Phoenician (Hellenic). Accordingto the cosmogony, he is desire, and consortswith OMICHLE, darkness, to engender out ofchaos the spiritual force Aer, and its living physicalmanifestation Aura.PotinaMinor goddess. Roman. Associated with the safedrinking ability of infants.PoxlomGod of disease. Mayan (Tzeltal Indian, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. Apparently perceivedas a star in the sky or a ball of fire. He may also bedepicted as a fertility god shelling maize or as afisherman, doctor, musician or hunter. An imageof the god was discovered in the Christian church

Prajnavardhani 251in Oxchuc, and the Indians were forced to revokeand spit on the icon before it was publicly burnt.Prabhakari (light-maker)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One of severaldeified BHUMIS recognized as different spiritualspheres through which a disciple passes.Color: red. Attributes: sun disc on a great lotusand staff.Prabhasa (shining dawn)Attendant god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One ofa group of VASU deities answering to the godINDRA. Attributes: cup, hook, Sakti and staff.Pracanda (furious)Distinct form of the goddess DURGA. Hindu(Epic and Puranic). One of a group of NAVADUR-GAS or “nine durgas.”Pradhana (most important)Mother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof a group of nine NAVASAKTIS who, in southernIndia, rank higher than the SAPTAMATARAS.PradipataraMinor goddess of light. Buddhist (Mahayana).PradyumnaGod of love. Early Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. The son of KRSNA and RUKMINI, and theelder brother of SAMA. Equating withKAMADEVA, or Kama returned to life after beingkilled by ŠIVA. In later Hinduism regarded as anavatara of VIŠNU with consorts includingMAYADEVI and Kakudmati.Prajapati (lord of creatures)Primordial being. Hindu (Vedic, Epic andPuranic). In the Vedic legends he is described variouslyas the creator of the world and the creatorof heaven and earth. He is an androgynous beingwho impregnated himself by fusing elements ofmind and speech. In later epics he is the guardiandeity of the sexual organ. Prajapati is also a nameof the god BRAHMA in later Hinduism.Prajna (wisdom)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Regarded as theSAKTI of a number of Mahayana gods, or specificallyof ADIBUDDHA.PrajnantakaGod. Buddhist. One of the dikpalas, guardians ofthe southern direction. Color: white. Attributes:jewel, lotus, sword, trident and white staff.PrajnaparamitaGoddess. Buddhist. The personification of the religioustext Prajnaparamita and the SAKTI of VAJRAD-HARA. An emanation of the deity AKSOBHYA. Alsoa philosophical deity, the spiritual offspring of RAT-NASAMBHAVA. The embodiment of transcendentalintuition. She stands upon a lotus. Color: white,reddish white or yellow. Attributes: blue lotus,book, cup, knife, jeweled staff and red lotus.Prajnapti (teaching)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.Prajnavardhani (growth of wisdom)Deification of literature. Buddhist. One of agroup of DHARANIS. Color: white. Attributes:staff and sword on blue lotus.

252 PrakdePrakde (parade)Local deity. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Known fromAshkun villages in southwestern Kafiristan andperhaps one of the seven divine PANAO or Paradikbrothers.Pramudita (delighted)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). Oneof several deified BHUMIS recognized asdifferent spiritual spheres through which adisciple passes. Color: red. Attributes: jewel andstaff.PranasaktiGoddess. Hindu. A terrifying deity ruling the“centers of physical life.” She stands upon a lotus.Attribute: a cup filled with blood.PrasutiGoddess. Hindu. The daughter of SvayambhuvaMANU and one of the consorts of DAKSA.Pratibhanakuta (excellent intelligence)God. Buddhist. A BODHISATTVA or buddhadesignate.Color: yellow or red. Attribute: swordon lotus.PratibhanapratisamvitGoddess of context analysis. Buddhist (Vajrayana).One of a group of four. Color: green. Attributes:three-pronged staff and bell.Pratisamvit (analytical science)Generic name for four goddesses. Buddhist(Vajrayana). The personifications of logical analysis.PranidhanaparamitaPhilosophical deity. Buddhist. Spiritual offspringof RATNASAMBHAVA. Color: blue. Attributes: jeweland sword on blue lotus.Pratyangira (whose speech is directed westward)Goddess of terrifying aspect. Hindu. She ridesupon a lion. Attributes: cup, drum, flaming hair,snake noose and trident.Pranidhanavasita (control of abstractcontemplation)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group ofVASITAS personifying the disciplines of spiritualregeneration. Color: yellow. Attributes: blue lotusand jeweled staff.Prasannatara (the gracious Tara)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Regardedas a form of RATNASAMBHAVA who tramples onHindu gods including INDRA, BRAHMA, RUDRAand Upendra. Color: yellow. Carries a large varietyof attributes. Three-eyed.Pratyusa (scorching)Attendant god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One ofa group of VASU deities answering to the godINDRA. Attributes: hook, knife, Sakti and sword.PrendeGoddess of love. Pre-Christian Albanian. Theconsort of the thunder god Perendi who becameabsorbed into Christianity as a saint.PriaposFertility god. Greco-Roman and Phrygian. Theson of DIONYSOS and APHRODITE, he was also a

Proserpina 253guardian of mariners. Priapos was not regardedas a significant deity in Greece until very latetimes—during the Macedonian period, circafourth to second century BC—and was onlylocally popular during the Roman Empireperiod. He is particularly known from Phrygiaand is depicted as a satyr-like creature withpronounced genitals.PriapusGod of the shade. Roman. A rural deity whoseworship appears to have been restricted to theshores of the Hellespont and clearly derives fromthe god PRIAPOS.PrithiviSee PRTHIVI.Priti (pleasure)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A daughterof DAKSA and consort of the god of loveKAMADEVA. One of twelve SAKTIS associated withthe god VIŠNU in his various incarnations.Priyadarsana (pleasant to the eye)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.PROMETHEUS (forethought)ORIGIN Greek. Heroic god and creator of man.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC andprobably earlier until Christianization circaAD 400.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT predominantly Athens.ART REFERENCES sculptures, relief carvings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Theogony (Hesiod);Aeschylus drama.Prometheus, one of four sons of the TitanIAPETOS and his consort Klymene, is probablybest known as a heroic opponent of ZEUS. Hestole fire from the latter and gave it to mankindas the boon which separates the human racefrom all other living creatures. Legend accordsto Prometheus, and his brother EPIMETHIUS(afterthought), the creation of mankind and therole of its protector, in response to which Zeuscreated Pandora and her box of problems, setloose to afflict the human race. Zeus alsoimprisoned Prometheus by fastening him to agreat rock in the Caucasus mountains withadamantine chains and sending an eagle to consumehis liver. He was rescued by HERAKLES,who killed the eagle and liberated the god fromhis torment.PromitorMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Responsiblefor the growth and harvesting of crops.Pronoia (forethought)Primordial being. Gnostic Christian. Thefeminine aspect of one of the androgynousprinciples born to YALDABAOTH, the prime parent,and ruling the seven heavens of chaos inGnostic cosmogony. Also described in otherGnostic tracts as Protennoia, the voice of thethought, and alternatively the voice of LOGOS(logic), who descends to earth in humanform and plays a part in the primordial salvationof the world.ProserpinaGoddess of death. Roman but derived froma Greek model. Abducted by the underworldgod PLUTO to reign as his queen (see PERSE-PHONE).

254 ProteusProteusMinor sea god. Greek. Depicted as an old manwho attends Triton and whose principal concernis the creatures of the oceans. He also has oracularpowers. The poet Cowper wrote:“In ages past old Proteus, with his drovesOf sea calves sought the mountains and thegroves.”Also known as GLAUKOS, NEREUS andPHORKYS.ProvidentiaGoddess of forethought. Roman. Recognizedfrom the reign of Tiberias in second century BC.ProxumaeGeneric title of a group of goddesses. Romano-Celtic. Personal guardian deities.PrsniPrimordial earth goddess. Hindu (Vedic). The socalled“dappled cow” of the Rg Veda. She is alsoperceived as the brightly colored soma stalk and islinked with a male counterpart, also Prsni, thedappled bull of the sun.PRTHIVI (earth mother)ORIGIN Hindu (Vedic) [India]. Mother goddessof earth.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1500 BC andprobably earlier through to present day.SYNONYMS Bhudevi.CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES sculptures in bronze and othermetals; stone reliefs, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda and other textsincluding the Atharva-veda.In Vedic literature Prthivi is the female aspect ofthe creator god DYAUS PITAR. The two formedthe once inseparable primordial cosmos until separatedby the god VARUNA. According to oneillogical legend of Prthivi’s genealogy, she was thedaughter of Prithu who had granted the blessingof life on earth and who, in her turn, had emergedfrom the arm of the corpse of King Vena.Prthivi is a chthonic or earth goddess withwhom the sky god Dyaus couples when he fertilizesher with rain. She is said to kiss the center ofthe world and she symbolizes the eternal patienceand resilience of the earth, permitting herself tobe abused without rancor. She is also a vegetationgoddess, the source of all plant life. In some legendsPrthivi is perceived as the consort of the raingod INDRA, who protects her, and of lesser-knowncreation deities including PARJANYA, Prajapait andVisvakarma. VIŠNU strides over her body. As theinseparable partner of Dyaus she is rarelyaddressed alone, though in the Atharva-vedaDyaus is not mentioned. Usually the pair arereferred to as Dyavaprthivi. Though the goddesswas present in early Indian culture, she persistsinto late Hinduism and may be associated withVišnu as one of the personifications of his Sakti.Many Hindus worship Prthivi at dawn andbefore ploughing and sowing. In the Punjab, thefirst milk from a cow is offered to the goddess byallowing it to soak into the earth. With similarsentiment a dying man may be laid on the earthto be received by Prthivi.Prthu (broad)Creator god. Hindu (Vedic). The head of thesolar pantheon who introduced agriculture to thehuman race and who, in later Hinduism, is identifiedas an avatara of VIŠNU.PryderiChthonic god. Celtic (Welsh). The son of PWYLLand RHIANNON. According to tradition, he was

Pu’gu 255abducted as an infant from his cradle by a hugetalon or claw, with the implication that theabduction was instigated by an adversary fromthe underworld, perhaps the family of Gwawl, arejected suitor of Rhiannon. Pryderi was foundin a stable and rescued by Teirnyon, whobrought the child up as his son. Eventually thetrue parents of Pryderi were identified and hewas returned to his family. His consort is Cigfaand he succeeded Pwyll to the title ‘Lord ofDyfed.’PTAHORIGIN Egyptian. Creator god and god ofcraftsmen.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC, possiblyearlier, until the end of Egyptian historycirca AD 400. SYNONYMS Ptah-Nun; Ptah-Naunet; Khery-bakef.CENTER(S) OF CULT chiefly at Memphis, but withsanctuaries throughout the Nile valley.ART REFERENCES sculptures, relief carvings, wallpaintings, papyrus illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts, etc.; theShabaka Stone.Ptah is the patron deity of Memphis in LowerEgypt at the southerly approach to the Niledelta. With ATUM, the sun god of Heliopolis,he is the main rival claimant to seniority as acreator god in the Egyptian pantheon. His consortis the lion-goddess SAKHMET and, by implicationonly, his son is NEFERTUM, the god of theprimeval lotus flower. Ptah is depicted in humanform wearing a closely fitting robe with only hisarms free. His most distinctive features are theinvariable skull-cap exposing only his face andears, and the was or rod of dominion which heholds, consisting of a staff surmounted by theankh symbol of life. He is otherwise symbolizedby his sacred animal, the bull.According to the genealogy laid down by theMemphis priests, Ptah upstaged Atum as the“father of the gods.” He generated not onlyAtum but the whole Heliopolis pantheon (seeENNEAD) by thinking and speaking the cosmosinto existence. All life and matter was generatedby the heart and the tongue of Ptah. Inthis cosmogony, NUN represents the amorphousprimeval matter out of which Ptah generatedhimself as a bisexual entity, the maleness ofwhich is Ptah-Nun and the femaleness Ptah-Naunet. Ptah is occasionally known by the titleKhery-bakef, meaning “he who is under histree,” suggesting that he was syncretized with aolder local tree god at Memphis whose symbolis the moringa tree.In addition to his role as creator god, Ptah isalso the patron deity of craftsmen and his presenceis often denoted in art by dwarfish craftsmenwho work at various trades includingjewelry. Ptah is envisaged as molding mankindout of base materials. In Greco-Roman times hebecame identified with the Greek god ofsmithies, HEPHAISTOS.Pu MaGeneric name for deities. Polynesian. The titlegiven to any god of high rank.PudicitaGoddess of chastity. Roman. Depicted as amatronly lady, her cult fell from popularity asthe Roman Empire veered increasingly towarddecadence.Pu’guSun god. Yukaghir [eastern Siberia]. A spiritassociated with justice and honorable living whopunishes those who are evil or violent.

256 PukkasiPukkasiGoddess of terrifying appearance. Buddhist(Vajrayana) and Lamaist [Tibet]. One of agroup of gauri. Color: yellowish white or blue.Attribute: waterjar.PunarvasuMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). Concernedwith restoring lost or stolen property.Punitavati (purified)Local goddess. Hindu. Worshiped at Karaikkalnear Ammaiyar. The deification of a Brahmanbusinessman’s wife.Puranai (fullness)Mother goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. A NAVASAKTI and one of the consorts ofAiyanar.PurandhiMinor goddess of prosperity. Hindu (Vedic). Associatedwith the acquisition of wealth and sometimesidentified with Indra or other male deities.PurusaPrimeval creator god. Hindu (Vedic). Describedas the primordial being from whom the cosmoswas formed, possibly the male component of thegreat mother, MATA. In later Hinduism regardedas an avatara of VIŠNU.PurvabhadrapadaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).PurvaphalguniMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A moderately disposed NAKSATRA;daughter of DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).PurvasadhaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A moderately disposed NAKSATRA;daughter of DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).Pusan (nourisher)Sun god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). The originalVedic list of six descendants of the goddessADITI or ADITYAS, all of whom take the role of sungods, was, in later times, enlarged to twelve,including Pusan. He is the charioteer of the sunand a guardian deity of journeys and pathways.Color: golden. Attributes: four lotuses.PusiFish god. Polynesian [Tikopia]. The apotheosis ofthe reef eel who probably accompanied the Tonganancestors who migrated to Tikopia.Puspa (flower)Mother goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Oneof the group of ASTAMATARAS (mothers). Color:white. Attribute: a flower.Puspatara (flower-Tara)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Color:white. Attribute: a forest garland.Pustí (growth)Fertility goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Innorthern India she is the second consort ofVIŠNU, but elsewhere may also be linked withSARASVATI and named as a consort of GANESA.

Pwyll 257PusyaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).PutaGoddess of agriculture. Roman. Specificallyresponsible for the proper pruning of trees andshrubs.PwyllChthonic god. Celtic (Welsh). The so-called“Lord of Dyfed” who, according to tradition,brought the pig to Wales having received it as agift from ARAWN, the underworld god. He earnedthe reward by substituting for Arawn and fightinghis enemy Hafgan, in payment for an unintendedslight to Arawn, whom he met one day while outhunting. His consort is RHIANNON and his son isPRYDERI.

Q6QaitakalninGuardian spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].The brother of Big Raven, QUIKINNA’QU, and ofthe mother spirit Ha’na (A’na).Qamai’tsCreator goddess. Bella Coola Indian [BritishColumbia, Canada]. Said to live in the upper heaven,Atsa’axl, from where she controls the earth. Accordingto tradition the mountains were once malevolentbeings who made the world uninhabitable, until sheconquered them and reduced them in size. She isnever invoked or prayed to. Also Tsi Sisnaaxil (ourwoman); Ek Yakimtolsil (afraid of nothing).Qa’wadiliqualaSupreme god. Dza’wadeenox Indian [BritishColumbia, Canada]. The guardian of the tribe butalso a river deity responsible for bringing thesalmon each year. Said to live in the river Gwae. Hiseldest son is TEWI’XILAK, the god of goat hunters.His attributes include a headband of red cedar bark.QaynanGod of smithies. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian.Known from inscriptions.Qeskina’qu (big light)Sky spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia]. One ofthe sons of QUIKINNA’QU, he is the apotheosis ofdaylight, a precious commodity during the longwinter months.QosLocal weather god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Apparently known as the deification of anoutcrop of black basalt on the north side of theWadi Hesa [near Kirbet Tannur]. Also a god ofrainbows. Depicted seated on a throne flankedby bulls. Attributes include a branched thunderboltheld in the left hand. A worshiper is seenoffering him an eagle.Quadeš (the holy one)Fertility goddess. Western Semitic, probablyoriginating in Syria. She epitomizes female sexualityand eroticism in the mold of ASTARTE. Shewas adopted by Egypt with the fertility godsMIN and REŠEP and became partly associatedwith the goddess HATHOR. She is usuallydepicted nude standing on the back of a lion (seealso INANA and NINHURSAG˜ A) between Min towhom she offers a lotus blossom, and Rešep forwhom she bears snakes. Her cult followed the258

Quiahuitl 259typically ancient Near Eastern pattern of asacred marriage carried out by her votary priestessesand their priests or kings.QuatCreator god. Polynesian [Banks Islands]. As withmany Polynesian deities, the god is depicted asbeing very inactive, sitting around all day doingnothing.QudsuPersonification of holiness. Western Semitic.Known from inscriptions at Tyre where a humanfigure stands naked on a lion, wearing a spiralheaddress and holding lotus blossoms and serpents.QUETZALCOATL (the feathered serpent)ORIGIN Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 750 toAD 1500 and probably much earlier.SYNONYMS nine-wind; White Tezcatlipoca;TLAHUIZCALPANTECUHTLI.CENTER(S) OF CULT Teotihuacan, Cholula,Xochicalco, Malinalco and others.ART REFERENCES stone sculptures, murals,codex illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.One of the four suns which are manifestations ofthe sun god TEZCATLIPOCA. He presided over thesecond of the five world ages represented by thesun EHECATL. The heroic creator god of theAztecs, he is also identified as the god of the wind.According to one of many traditions he fashionedmankind from his own blood and provided foodby turning himself into an ant so as to steal a grainof maize which the ants had hidden inside amountain. A titanic struggle between Quetzalcoatland the black Tezcatlipoca resulted in thecreation and destruction of four worlds or sunsprior to the current sun. Conversely, Quetzalcoatland Tezcatlipoca together bore the responsibilityfor restoring the shattered universe andinitiating the fifth sun, Ollin. They are said tohave passed through the body of the earth monsterTLALTECUHTLI and split it in two to formheaven and earth.Later Quetzalcoatl descended to the underworldMictlan to obtain from its rulers the bonesand ashes of generations of mankind to create thehumanity of the fifth sun. He is said to havedropped the bones and broken them, thusaccounting for the differing statures of men.First depicted as a feathered serpent, he wasknown to the Nahua Indians as Quetzalcoatl whoalso revered him for his gift of science and arts.Worshiped at Teotihuacan from circa AD 750 orearlier. Temples of Quetzalcoatl include a sixtieredstep-pyramid at Teotihuacan, and the hugemanmade pyramid of Cholula on the Pueblaplain, the largest ancient structure in the NewWorld. The bearded Spanish conquistadorCortez was believed by the emperor Motecuhzomato be Quetzalcoatl.Represented iconographically as a compositefeathered hybrid, his aspect or avatara Tlahuizcalpantecuhtliwas perceived as the Morning Star.NOTE: Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl was also a historicalfigure born circa AD 935.QuiahuitlCreator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The sun deity representing the third ofthe five world ages each of which lasted for 2,028heavenly years, each heavenly year being fiftytwoterrestrial years. Assigned to the element fireand presided over by the rain god TLALOC.According to tradition, the age ended in a cataclysmicdestruction caused by a great fiery rain.

260 QUIKINN.A’QUThe human population perished and in doing sowere transformed into dogs, turkeys and butterflies.Illustrated by the “Stone of the Four Suns”[Yale Peabody Museum]. Also Quiauhtonatiuh;Tletonatiuh.QUIKINN.A’QU (big raven)ORIGIN Koryak [Kamchatka peninsula, southeasternSiberia]. Founder of the world.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from earlytimes until circa AD 1900.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT no fixed sanctuaries.ART REFERENCES none specific, though woodencarvings may relate.LITERARY SOURCES Jochelson Memoirs of theAmerican Natural History Society Vol. 10(1905).A spirit of a primitive culture still heavily influencedby animism. Quikinn.a’qu is not only adeity but also the first man and a powerfulshaman. Everything had existed before, but hewas responsible for revealing that which hithertohad been concealed. He is married to MITI andsaid to have twelve children, the most significantof whom are EME’MQUT and Yina-a-naut (see alsoAESIR) who are in constant conflict with the evilspirits or Kalau.Quikinn.a’qu is the subject of many heroicadventures in which he undertakes to make safethe activities of mankind. He possesses a ravencloak with which he can indulge in shape-changingand fly to the heavens. Acts as a celestialmajordomo and an intercessor with the creatorgod. According to legend, he died when heswallowed the sun. His daughter took it fromhis mouth and returned it to the sky.Little of this deity was known to the outsideworld until the turn of the 20th century. In 1900the Swedish-American ethnologist WaldemarJochelson spent a considerable time livingwith Siberian tribes, including the Kovyak inthe Kamchatka Peninsula, and discovered anextensive repertoire of tradition surroundingQuikinn.a’qu.Quinoa-MamaMinor goddess of the quinoa crop. Pre-Columbian Indian [Peru]. Models of the deitywere made from the leaves of the plant and keptfor a year before being burned in a ritual to ensurea good quinine harvest.QuirinusGod of war. Roman. One of a triad of warriorgods including JUPITER and MARS. He originatedas the tutelary god of the Sabines, living on theQuirinal, one of the seven hills of Rome. His warriorstatus is primarily one of defense and he isdepicted bearded and in a compromise of militaryand clerical clothing. The myrtle is sacred to him.Quzah (archer)Mountain and weather god. Pre-Islamic northernArabian. Probably equating to QOŠ and worshipedby the Idumaean tribe to the south ofJudea as a storm god. Also claimed to have beenknown near Mecca. Attributes include a bowwhich shoots arrows of hail.

6 RRADHA (prosperity)ORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India]. Goddessof emotional love.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1000 BC andearlier until present day.SYNONYMS BHUMIDEVI [southern India].CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES virtually none.LITERARY SOURCES later Puranic literature—theworks of Vidyapati (1352-1448), including theBrahma-vaivarta-purana.Radha is a goddess whose role is limited to that ofa favored mistress of KRSNA. She only emergesfully as a goddess from the twelfth century ADonward and she is one of the central figures in thepoetry of Vidyapati, who places her as a cosmicqueen. One of the creation accounts describeshow Krsna divides himself into two parts, one ofwhich is Radha. They make love for an age andtheir sweat and heavy breathing become theworld’s oceans and winds. Radha gives birth to thegolden egg of the universe, which floats on theprimal waters for a year until the god VIŠNUemerges.Other mythology accounts that Radha enjoysan illicit relationship with an adolescentKrsna. Their tryst is set in the village of Vrajaand in the surrounding forests at a time beforeKrsna takes as his consort RUKMINI and laterSATYABHAMA.Radha is sometimes considered to be anavatara of LAKSMI and thus a consort of Krsna,and in southern India, as Bhumidevi, shebecomes associated with SARASVATI. She alwaysstands as the personification of emotional love instark contrast to SATI, the faithful and legitimateconsort of Višnu’s other avatara, RAMA. In thebhakti cult she symbolizes the yearning of thehuman soul to be drawn to Krsna. Attribute: alotus.Rahu (seizer)Primordial cosmic deity. Hindu. The son ofKASYAPA or RUDRA, according to legend he seizesthe sun and moon to generate eclipses.Rahu is depicted with four hands and a tail,or as a head alone, his body having beendestroyed by VIŠNU. He stands upon a lion or ina chariot drawn by eight black horses. Color:dark blue. Attributes: half moon, knife, swordand trident.RaijinWeather god(s). Shinto [Japan]. A generictitle for a large group of deities controlling thun-261

262 Rajamatangider, storms and rain. Among the mostsignificant is RYUJIN, the dragon god of thunderand rain.is popularly known as the “Red Lord.” Hisattributes include a hook, bow, red lotus flower,arrow and noose.RajamatangiGoddess. Hindu. She stands upon a lotus. Attributes:blue lotus, lute, moon and parrot.Raka (1)Minor goddess of prosperity. Hindu (Vedic.).Associated with the acquisition of wealth.Raka (trouble) (2)God of winds. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. Thefifth child of VARI-MA-TE-TAKERE, the primordialmother.His home is Moana-Irakau (deep ocean). Hereceived as a gift from his mother a great basketcontaining the winds, which became his children,each allotted a hole in the edge of the horizonthrough which to blow. The mother goddess alsogave him knowledge of many useful things whichhe passes on to mankind.Rakib-ElMoon god. Western Semitic (Syrian). Knownchiefly from inscriptions circa eighth century BC.Rakta-Yamari (red Yamari)God. Buddhist. An emanation of AKSOBHYA anda variety of YAMARI. Color: red.RaktalokesvaraGod. Buddhist. A variety of the BODHISATTVAAVALOKITESVARA. he is generally depicted sittingbeneath an asoka tree with red blossoms andRaluvimbhaCreator god. Baventa [northern Transvaal,South Africa]. The tribal chief converses withthe god, who is responsible for all natural phenomenafrom thunderstorms to floods andplagues.Rama (pleasing)Incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The seventh avatara (sun aspect) ofVišnu. Rama began as a comparatively minorincarnation who became one of the great heroes ofthe Ramayana epic, as well as featuring in theMahabharata. The son of Dasaratha and Kausalya,he was a king of Ayodhya who, in the Ramayana,slew the demon Ravana that had captured hisconsort SITA and was upheld as a deity par excellencein respect of manhood and honor, though hissubsequent treatment of his wife might beregarded as cavalier (see Sita).The Ramayana epic was composed by the poetand sage Valmeeki during the reign ofRamachandra and it gave form to a story thathad been in existence for many centuries as anoral tradition. Valmeeki portrayed Rama not asan incarnate deity but as a great mortal hero.The saga is strongly political and serves to unitea vast and fragmented people in a commonfocus, irrespective of caste and language. Itdefines the historical schism between the Hinduculture of India and the largely Buddhist traditionof Sri Lanka.Rama rides in a chariot and is depicted inhuman form with two arms, typically holding asugar cane bow and with a quiver at his shoulder.Also Ramacandra.

RATNASAMBHAVA 263RanStorm goddess. Nordic (Icelandic). The consortof the god AEGIR. She was presumed to gathermariners in her net having carried them to thebottom of the sea in whirlpools. She was propitiatedwith money and other offerings thrownoverboard.RangGod of hunting. Nuer [Sudan]. The rays of thesun are his flaming spears. Also Garang.RanginuiSky god. Polynesian (including Maori). The socalledsky father of the Polynesian culture whoseconsort is PAPATUANUKU, the earth mother.During a prolonged period of inseparable intercoursethey became the prime parents of thePolynesian pantheon of gods. The children foundlife between the bodies of the parents toocramped and conspired to force them apart.Though one offspring, TUMATAUENGA, wantedto slay them, the advice of TANEMAHUTA, the forestgod, prevailed and RANGINUI and Papatuanukuwere merely forced apart.RasnuGod of passage and justice. Persian [Iran]. Theguardian of the bridge which leads to the otherworld.He weighs souls in the scales at the finaljudgment.RatiGoddess of sexual desire. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A daughter of DAKSA (in some textsŠIVA) and the consort of the god KAMADEVA. Oneof twelve SAKTIS associated with the god VIŠNU inhis various incarnations. Attribute: a sword.Ratnapani (with a jewel in the hand)God. Buddhist. A form of RATNASAMBHAVA andalso a dhyanibodhisattva or meditation BUDDHA.Color: yellow or green. Attributes: a jewel andthe moon disc.RatnaparamitaPhilosophical deity. Buddhist. Spiritual offspringof RATNASAMBHAVA. Color: red. Attributes: jeweledstaff and moon on a lotus.RATNASAMBHAVA (born of a jewel)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. The third DHYANIBUD-DHA or meditation BUDDHA.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC untilpresent.SYNONYMS Ratnaheruka.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESmetal and stone sculptures;paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Sadhanamala and Tantric ritualtexts.One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of ahuman buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. A productof the ADIBUDDHA who represents thebranch of the cosmos concerned with sensation.He originates from the yellow mantra symbolTRAM and lives in the southern paradise. Thehead of a group of deities who carry jewels andare family symbols, his SAKTI is MAMAKI and heis normally accompanied by two lions or horses.Color: yellow. Attributes: jewel and threemonkish robes.Ratnasambhava is also taken as a tutelary deityin Lamaism [Tibet] in which case his attributesinclude a bell and a jewel. Emanationsinclude APARAJITA, JAMBHALA, MAHAPRATISARA, thePARAMITAS, PRASANNATARA, RATNAPANI, VAJRATARA,VAJRAYOGINI and VASUDHARA. (See also AKSOBHYA,

264 RatnolkaAMITABHA, AMOGHASIDDHI and VAIROCANA.)Color: yellow. Attributes: bell and jewel.Ratnolka (jewel meteor)Goddess of light and deification of literature.Buddhist. One of a group of DHARANIS. Color:yellow. Attribute: jeweled staff.RatnosnisaGod. Buddhist. An USNISA deity apparently linkedwith the guardian sky deities or dikpalas in thesouthern direction. Color: blue.RatriGoddess of the night. Hindu (Vedic). Ratri is thepersonification of darkness bedecked with stars.Her sister is USAS, the dawn goddess, who, withAgni the fire god, chases her away. She is perceivedas the guardian of eternal law and order inthe cosmos and of the waves of time.Ratri is generally regarded as a benign deitywho offers rest and renewed vigor, and who maybe invoked to ensure safety through the hours ofdarkness. She deposits the gift of morning dew.However she also offers a bleaker aspect as onewho brings gloom and barrenness.Raudna (rowan tree)Goddess. Pre-Christian Lappish. The consort ofthe thunder god HORAGALLES.RaudriMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof a group of nine NAVASAKTIS who, in southernIndia, rank higher than the SAPTAMATARAS. Shemay also equate with the terrifying aspect ofPARVATI as DURGA or KALI.RauniStorm goddess. Finno-Ugrian. Consort of thethunder god UKKO and responsible for rainbowsafter storms.Rbhus (skilful)Sun gods. Hindu (Vedic). Identified in the RgVeda as the craftsmen of the gods and linked withthe Maruts. They are led by INDRA.REORIGIN Egyptian. Creator god and sun god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BCuntil the end of Egyptian history, circa AD400.SYNONYMS Ra (Roman and Greek); Re-Atum;Re-Khepri; Amun-Re.CENTER(S) OF CULT Heliopolis and elsewherethrough the Nile valley.ART REFERENCES sculpture, stone reliefs, carvings,wall paintings, papyrus illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts, coffin texts,etc; the Westcar Papyrus.Re is one of several manifestations of the sungod and creator god of Egypt, emphasizing afragmented tribal past in the pre-Dynasticperiod. According to legend he created himselfout of the mound that emerged from theprimeval ocean. In other depictions he arose asa child from the primeval lotus blossom. He isgenerally depicted in the form of a falcon wearingthe sun disc on its head, surrounded by theserpentine form of the cobra-goddess WADJET.Re is also perceived as god of the underworld.He is known in some inscriptions as “Re inOSIRIS, Osiris in Re,” in which case he oftenrides in his barque as a human figure with a ram’shead surmounted by a sun disc and accompaniedby the cobra goddess. The notion of the

Revanta 265“Eye of Re” is a very complex one, suggestingseveral things including, in essence, his powerand perfection.The cult of Re took on major importance atHeliopolis from the middle of the third millenniumwhen the V Dynasty rulers entitled themselvesas the sons of Re. Closely linked with theunderworld god Osiris, the notion took shapethat the combined deity was Re by day as the sunclimbed above the eastern horizon and becameOsiris, lord of the western horizon, at the onset ofnight.Re was regarded with a considerable amount offear. The cobra element suggests his ability todeliver instant nemesis. By contrast, he is said tohave created mankind from his tears. Severalminor deities were also, by repute, generated outof drops of blood falling from Re’s penis which heself-mutilated (see SIA).RedaratorMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Associatedwith second ploughing and invoked by sacrifice,generally with TELLUS and CERES.RenenutetSnake goddess. Egyptian. Also possessing fertilityconnotations, she guarded the pharaoh in theform of a cobra. There is some evidence thatshe enjoyed a cult in the Faiyum, the highly fertileregion of the Nile valley. She is depictedeither in human form or as a hooded cobra, inwhich case she bears close association with thegoddess WADJET who is embodied in the uraeus.Her gaze has the power to conquer enemies. Inher capacity as a fertility goddess she sucklesinfant rulers and provides good crops and harvests,linked in this capacity to OSIRIS and themore ancient grain god NEPER. She is also amagical power residing in the linen robe of thepharaoh and in the linen bandages with which heis swathed in death.At Edfu Renenutet takes the title “lady of therobes.” In the Greco-Roman period, she becameadopted by the Greeks as the goddess Hermouthisand was syncretized with ISIS.ReretSee TAWERET.Rešep (A)MukalWar and plague god. Western Semitic (Canaaniteand Phoenician), originating in Syria. Introducedinto Egypt by the XVIII Dynasty duringthe sixteenth century BC and rapidly achievedsome prominence. His wife is Itum and hewas also known as Rešep-Amukal and Rešep-Sulman.Rešep is probably modeled on the MesopotamianNERGAL. He is depicted as a youthful,warlike god, often with a gazelle’s head springingfrom his forehead, and with a spear in his righthand. In Egyptian iconography he is depictedwearing the crown of Upper Egypt surmountedin front by the head of a gazelle. He has linkswith the Theban war god MONTU and wasthought of as a guardian deity in battle by manyEgyptian pharaohs; he is said to have shot firebrandswith a bow and arrow. He also exerted abenign influence against disease. The influence ofRešep extended to Cyprus during the pre-Hellenic period and at the time of Hellenizationhe was allied to and perhaps syncretized withAPOLLO. Also Rašap, Rešef.Revanta (with wealth)God of hunters. Hindu. The son of SURYA andSANJNA. Known mainly from eastern India andGujarat, he protects mankind against the dangersof the forest. Infrequently depicted in art.

266 RevatiRevatiMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).Riddhivasita (control of prosperity)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group ofVASITAS personifying the disciplines of spiritualregeneration. Color: green. Attribute: moon disc.RhadamanthosMinor chthonic underworld god. Greco-Roman.One of three judges attending the goddess ofjustice THEMIS evaluating the souls of the deadentering Hades.RheaPrimordial goddess. Greek. The daughter ofOURANOS and GAIA, she is the consort ofKRONOS and mother of ZEUS and other gods ofOlympus, known only from the Theogony(Hesiod) and Iliad (Homer). She is also recognizedin Roman literature under the same name.Also Rheie.RheieSee RHEA.RhiannonChthonic horse goddess. Celtic (Irish). Thedaughter of Hefaidd Hen and consort of PWYLL,she rides upon a white mare and is associatedwith the underworld and with fertility. May bevirtually synonymous with the Romano-Celticgoddess Rigantona whose name means “greatqueen.” Authors suggest she is modeled on thegoddess MODRON and she partly equates withEPONA.RigisamusGod of war. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Assimilatedwith MARS.RindChthonic goddess. Northern Germanic andNordic (Icelandic). She is mentioned as a consortof OTHIN and mother of VALI. Also Rinda; Rindr.RitonaGoddess of river fords. Romano-Celtic. Knownfrom inscriptions and associated with the Treveritribe.Rohini (red)1. Minor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). She is themother of BUDHA.2. Goddess of learning. Jain. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.RomaTutelary goddess. Greek and Roman. The deitywas actually conceived by the Greeks and shrineswere set up at centers including Smyrna andEphesus.Riddhi (prosperity)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of theconsorts of GANESA, but otherwise very close inappearance to LAKSMI. She carries Laksmi’sattributes when standing alone.RongomaiWhale god. Polynesian and Maori. He is theson of TANGAROA, the creator deity responsiblefor the oceans and the fish, and the father ofKAHUKURA, the deity responsible for the appear-

Rudra 267ance of the rainbow. He is also regarded as theancestor of several Maori clans.Various traditions are associated with Rongomai.In some regions of New Zealand he is alsoregarded as a god of war and is thought to havediscovered the magic arts during a visit to theunderworld, including the power of kaiwhatu, apreventative charm against witchcraft. Rongomaiis sometimes mistakenly identified with RONGO-MATANE, or Rongo, though the latter is generallyconsidered a distinct personality. As the godresponsible for the well-being of whales Rongomaimay take the form of a whale, a guise in whichhe once challenged MARU, a more widely recognizedNew Zealand war god. Separate mythologyplaces him in the heavens in the form of a comet.RongomataneGod of agriculture. Polynesian (including Maori).He is the father of cultivated food and the specialgardener of the kumara or sweet potato which isa vital crop in Polynesia. In New Zealand the firstsweet potatoes are offered to Rongomatane. Inthe traditions of the Hervey Islands, Rongo is oneof the five sons of the moon god, Vatea, and themother goddess, Papa.Rosmerta (great provider)Fertility goddess. Romano-Celtic (Gallic andBritish). Consort to the god Mercury. Probablylocally worshiped and often depicted carrying abasket of fruit, purse or cornucopia. She and Mercuryfrequently appear together. In addition toher purse, she may bear a twin-headed ax or,alternatively, she may carry Mercury’s caduceus(snake-entwined wand).See also MERCURIUS.Rsabha (the bull)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). An unusualavatara of VIŠNU. Said to be similar to the Jaindeity Rsabhanatha and therefore may representan attempt to meld the two religions by absorbingJainism locally.RuamokoGod of volcanoes and earthquakes. Polynesianand Maori. According to tradition, Ruamoko isthe youngest son of RANGINUI and PAPATUANUKUand is possessed by a formidable temper. Whenhis older siblings set about separating the primeparents from their eternal lovemaking in order toallow light into the space between sky and earth,he was enraged and his boisterous tantrumbecame revealed in the violence of volcanic eruptionsand earthquakes.Ruamoko is of less importance than PELE, thechief volcano goddess of Polynesia, who isrevered mainly in Hawaii.RubangaCreator god. Alur [Uganda and DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Africa]. His sacred bird isthe ibis.RudaTutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian. Anandrogynous being symbolized by the eveningstar. Also ARSU (Palmyra).RudiobusProbably a horse god. Romano-Celtic (Gallic).Known from an inscription at Neuvy-en-Sulliaswhich includes a depiction of a stallion.Rudra (howler)Weather god. Hindu (Vedic). An early deity,largely superseded by ŠIVA, who controls the galesand storms. Often linked with the fire god AGNIand the rain god INDRA. Generally a malignant

268 Rudracandragod, Rudra lives in the mountains and is deemed tobe either tall or dwarf, depending on the severity ofthe storm. He brings death and disease to man anddomestic animals through his “thousand shafts,”and is considered to be highly unpredictable.RudracandraDistinct form of the goddess DURGA. Hindu. Oneof a group of nine NAVADURGAS, known as the“nine durgas.”RudracarcikaMother goddess. Hindu (Puranic). One of theASTAMATARAS, alternatively a variety of the goddessDURGA.RudraniGoddess. Hindu. An epithet of DURGA, impersonatedby a young pre-menstrual girl in theDurga festivals.RugievitLocal tutelary and war god. Slav. Identified bythe historian Saxo Grammaticus as inhabiting theisland of Rügen, depicted with seven heads andcarrying a sword.RuhangaCreator god. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa]. Theinitiator of the world, he is regarded as a distantfigure and seldom invoked.Rukmini (with gold ornaments)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The daughterof Bhismaka, she is the first consort of KRSNAand typically stands to his right. Her son is KAMA.She is also an avatara of LAKSMI. Attribute: alotus. Also Rukmabayi.RuminaMinor goddess. Roman. Associated with breastfeeding.RundasGod of fortune. Hittite and Hurrian. Also associatedwith hunting, he is symbolized by a doubleeagle carrying prey in its talons.RupiniMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.RyangombeTutelary god. Rwanda [East Africa]. An ancestraldeity and king of the spirit world who has an oracularcapacity.RyujinDragon god. Shinto [Japan]. A deity controllingthunder and rain and probably the mostsignificant of the group of weather godsknown as the RAIJIN. He is of Chinese originand more Buddhist than Shinto. He does notappear in the sacred Shinto texts Kojiki orNihongi, but enjoys shrines in many Shintosanctuaries and is worshiped by farmers, particularlyin times of drought. He lives in thesea, lakes and large ponds from which heascends in mists and winds. He generates darkrain clouds which then burst. His main festivaltakes place in June.

6 SSaChthonic creator god. Kono [eastern Guinea,West Africa]. One of a pair of creator deities, withALATANGANA. Sa inhabited the primeval swampsbefore the sky or the light existed and before therewere any living things on earth. He had a daughterwho eloped with Alatangana and bore fourteenchildren, three pairs of black and four pairs ofwhite, all of whom spoke different languages andto whom Sa gave the tools of survival.SABAOTHORIGIN Gnostic Christian [easternMediterranean]. Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP uncertain originsuntil circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none, but see below.CENTER(S) OF CULT undefined cells within thearea of early Christian influence.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Nag Hammadi codices.Sabaoth, in Gnostic cosmogony, is one of theseven offspring of the “primal parent” YALD-ABAOTH. The narrative which emerges in suchworks as Origin of the World is confused and inplaces contradictory. Sabaoth rebelled against hisfather, who had become arrogant and impious,and backed the primordial female force SOPHIAwho, having been responsible for Yaldabaoth, washorrified at what she had created. She describesYaldabaoth as “a blind god, SAMAEL.” Sabaoth isjoined by seven benign archangels and in the firstgreat battle of the cosmos comes to rule over all,including the forces of chaos. Arguably Sabaothequates to the god of Israel, YHWH.SabaziosGod. Phrygian [northwestern Turkey]. EventuallyHellenized, identified with ZEUS and DIONYSOSand linked with Dionysiac mysteries, appearingin Athens from circa 400 BC. His device is a righthand cast in bronze and decorated with symbolsrepresenting his benevolence. His influenceextended into Roman culture where he reached aheight of popularity circa AD 200. As late as AD 300there are frescoes of Sabazios in the tomb of Vibiawhose husband was a priest of the god’s cult.Sadaksari (Lokesvara)Variety of AVALOKITESVARA. Buddhist-Lamaist[Tibet]. The form of Avalokitesvara that is incarnatein the succession of Dalai Lamas. Color:white. Attributes: book, conch, jewel, lotus androsary.269

270 Sadbhuja-SitataraSadbhuja-SitataraGod. Buddhist. An emanation of AMOGHASIDDHIand a variety of SITATARA. Color: white. Attributes:arrow, blue lotus, bow, image of Amoghasiddhi oncrown, lotus and rosary. Three-headed.Sadhumati (good)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One of severaldeified BHUMIS recognized as different spiritualspheres through which a disciple passes.Color: white. Attributes: staff, and sword on ablue lotus.SadrapaGod of healing. Western Semitic (Syrian) andPontic. He is depicted on reliefs as a youth holdinga scorpion or snake. Known originally fromPalmyra, his popularity spread to Carthage and,during the Hellenic period, to the Greek coast.Also Satrapis (Greek).Sagaramati (mind of the ocean)God. Buddhist. A BODHISATTVA or buddhadesignate.Color: white. Attributes: conch, andsword with staff.SaharMoon god. Western Semitic (Aramaic). Knownfrom inscriptions.Sai’ Al Qaum (the good and beautiful godwho does not drink wine)Local guardian deity. Western Semitic (Nabataean).Known from two inscriptions at Palmyra whichsuggest him to be a protector of caravans. Attributesinclude a helmet. He may have developed from anEgyptian god Sai (Greek: Psais).SajaraRainbow god. Songhai [eastern Mali, WestAfrica]. Perceived as a rainbow-colored snake andsymbolized by a tree where white rams are sacrificedand hung. The animals’ blood is sprinkledon the tree. The ritual is accompanied by a raindance.SAKHMET (the powerful one)ORIGIN Egyptian. Goddess of war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilthe end of Egyptian history circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Sachmet; possibly ŠESMETET.CENTER(S) OF CULT Heliopolis, Memphis andother sanctuaries along the Nile valley.ART REFERENCES sculptures, particularly at Karnakfrom sixteenth century BC onward; wallpaintings, royal tombs at Thebes, etc.LITERARY SOURCES coffin texts, royal tombs atThebes, etc.Sakhmet is a significant deity in the EgyptianNew Kingdom at Memphis. Her father is thesun god RE and she is the consort of PTAH. Sheis, by implication, the mother of the god ofthe primordial lotus blossom, NEFERTUM. Iniconography Sakhmet is generally depicted inhuman form, but with the head of a lionesssurmounted by a sun disc. Occasionally she isdrawn with a rosette pattern over each breast(see IŠTAR).Sakhmet is, to an extent, syncretized with thegoddess MUT, who is the consort of the sun godof Thebes, AMUN. In the Karnak complex largenumbers of Sakhmet’s statues, typically hewn inblack granite and in which she holds the ankhsymbol of life or a papyrus stem, were raised inthe precinct of the Mut sanctuary.She is said to breathe fire against the enemies ofthe pharaoh and, like HATHOR in her attempt todestroy the human race, she can be the vengeful

Salus 271“eye of Re.” She is sometimes linked with Hathorwho is described as the “mistress of the house ofSakhmet.” In a more benign aspect, Sakhmet is aguardian goddess against disease.ŠalaWar goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).A consort of ADAD, she carries a doubleheadedmace-scimitar embellished with lion heads.Šakka(n)God of cattle. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). A patron god of herdsmen, probablyderiving from the Sumerian god LAHAR. AlsoAmakandu, Sumuqan.SalagramaAniconic form of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (late). Afossil ammonite shell embodying the god andforming a part of daily ritual in many Vaisnavahouseholds as well as appearing in monasteries.Sakra (the mighty one)God. Buddhist. The god of the month asvina andan epithet of the Vedic god INDRA.Sakti (energy)Personification of a god. Hindu, Jain and Buddhist.The effective power, or creative force, ofa deity in the form of a female aspect. In amore specific context, the SAKTI identifies thecreative force of the god ŠIVA, particularly theugra or violent aspects DURGA and KALI. TheSakti may frequently have the same characteristicsand carry the same attributes as theprincipal god. In Tantrism, the unity ofopposites is defined by the Sakti, which is theyoni or female sexuality that unites with themale lingam of Šiva.SakumoGod of war. Gan [Accra region, Ghana, WestAfrica]. The guardian deity of the Gan tribe.Sakyamuni (the sage of the Sakyas)God. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. The historicalBUDDHA, known mainly from Tibet. He standsupon a lotus. Color: golden. Attribute: a bowl.SalevaoPrimordial god of rocks. Polynesian. He is thebrother of SAVEA SI’ULEO, god of the dead, andthe consort of PAPATUANUKA, the earth mother,who became pregnant and gave birth to Moa inthe center of the earth. (Moa may have been theancestor of mankind, roughly equating to Adam.)ŠalimGod of evening. Western Semitic (Syrian). Generallylinked with ŠAR, the god of dawn.Salm of Mahram (image of Mahram)Local tutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Correspondence of the Babylonian king Nabonidus(559-539 BC) mentions that this deity was worshipedat Taima, an important trade and religiouscenter where he was head of the pantheon. Gods inthe region were often named after local places andpersonified by a stone stele carved with schematicanthropomorphic features and a winged disc showingstrong Egyptian influence. Also Salman.Salus (salvation)Minor god of health. Roman. A sanctuary datedto 302 BC on the Quirinal, one of the seven hills

272 Samaof Rome, is dedicated to the deity. He was alsoworshiped within the colonies of the empire.There is an altar at Corbridge in Northumberland,England with a votive inscription to Salus.Attributes include a bowl and a snake.SamaObscure heroic god. Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. Known circa first to fifth century AD.The younger brother of the god of love KAMAand equating to SAMBA, worshiped in northernIndia.SamaelCreator god. Gnostic Christian. The “blind god.”See also YALDABAOTH.Samantabhadra (all-good)God. Buddhist. A form of VAIROCANA and adhyanibodhisattva (spiritual meditation buddha).He sits on a throne carried by a white elephant.Color: blue, green or white. Attributes: bell, cup,jewel, lotus with prayer wheel or sword. In Tibethe is also known as Kun-tu-bzan-po.See also BO HSIAN.Samantaprabha (possessing universal splendor)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One ofseveral deified BHUMIS recognized as differentspiritual spheres through which a disciple passes.Color: red. Attributes: an image of AMITABHAcarried in the hand, and a staff.the god UTU in the Sumerian pantheon. He isassociated with justice. His symbol is the sun discand a star surrounded with radiating sunbeams.He may carry a single-headed scimitar embellishedwith a panther head. His sanctuary isknown as the E-babbar. Also associated withhuman-headed bulls. His attendant deitiesinclude Mešaru, justice, and Kettu, righteousness.He came to much greater prominence in thepantheon at Babylon from about the eighteenthcentury BC.SambaHeroic god. Hindu [northern India]. The son ofKRSNA and RUKMINI, alternatively the son ofVIŠNU. The younger brother of the god KAMAand consort of INDUKARI. Also one of the minorincarnations of Višnu worshiped in the cult of thepancaviras by the Vrisni clans.SamkarsanaLocalized form of BALARAMA. Dravidian (Tamil)[southern India and Sri Lanka]. Has a complexion“white like milk,” wears a blue robe with a redgarland and carries a nanjil (plough).Sampsa (sedge)Vegetation god. Pre-Christian Finnish. He is perceivedas a giver of life to seed which lies dormantthrough the winter months. His unnamed consort,to whom he is wed in a form of sacredmarriage which takes place at sowing time, is alsohis stepmother.ŠamašSun god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The patron deity of Sippar and Larsa. His consortis the mother goddess A-A. Šamaš derives fromŠamsSun deity. Pre-Islamic Arabian. In the north thebeing is male, in the south female. Probablyderived from ŠAMAŠ.

Saning Sari 273Samvara (keeping out)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). One of the emanationsof AKSOBHYA and also of HEVAJIRA. InLamaism he is a four-headed tutelary yi-dam god.His SAKTI is VAJRAVARAHI. He stands upon one ormore four-armed Hindu deities including Kalaratriand BHAIRAVA. Color: blue or black. Attributes:ax, bell, cup, drum, image of Aksobhya onthe crown, image of four-faced BRAHMA, knife,moon disc, skin, staff and trident.San Chou Niang NiangMother goddess. Chinese. First deified duringthe Sung Dynasty (AD 960-1279) to combat thepopularity of KUAN YIN, no mortal existence isrecognized for this deity who is referred tosimply as “heavenly mother.” By tradition sherules over the “islands of the blessed,” the threemythical islands which are the home of the gods.She is depicted wearing a yellow robe signifyingimperial rank and carries the attribute of ascepter. Typically she displays an enigmatic smile.gSan SgrubGod. Bon and Lamaist [Tibet]. Originally a Bondeity who became syncretized as a variety of thegod YAMA in Lamaism. His animal is the bull andhe may appear bull-headed. Color: red. Attributes:cup, knife and prayer wheel.SandhyaGoddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The daughterof BRAHMA and consort of ŠIVA or other deities.San-DuiTutelary god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. One of agroup of Lamaist tutelary or yi-dam deities chosenon an individual basis as personal guardians.Color: blue. Attributes: bell, jewel, lotus, prayerwheel, regal trappings, staff and sword. Threeeyedand three-headed.SangariosRiver god. Phrygian [northwestern Turkey]. AHellenized version of an Asiatic god whosedaughter, NANA, is, according to some traditions,the mother of the vegetation god ATTIS. Sheimpregnated herself with an almond seed.SangoGod of thunder. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].His sacred animal is the ram whose bellowing islikened to the noise of thunder. Attributes includean ax which is worn on the head and bears six eyes.Sani1. Astral god. Hindu. The son of SURYA andCHAYA and the personification of the planetSaturn. Stands upon a lotus or rides in an ironchariot drawn by eight piebald horses. Color:black or blue. Attributes: arrow, bow, rosary, staffand trident.2. Astral god. Buddhist. Stands upon a tortoise.Color: blue-black. Attribute: a staff.Saning SariRice mother. Javan. Represented by parts of therice plant known as indoea padi (mother of therice). At planting, the finest grain is picked outand sown in the nursery bed in the form of thegoddess, after which the rest of the grain is sownround about. At transplanting, the shoots makingup the rice mother are given a similar specialplace in the paddy field. At harvesting, the ricemother plants are “found” and brought home forthe following year’s planting.

274 SanjnaSanjna (conscience)Goddess. Hindu. The daughter of TVASTAR, aconsort of SURYA and, in some texts, the motherof YAMA.Santa (appeased)Mother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who is one of a group of both SAPTAMATARAand ASTAMATARA mothers. Also CAMUNDA.SanjuHarvest goddess. Kafir [Afghanistan]. A littlereporteddeity, the consort of the war god GISHand daughter of SANU. She controls the harvesting,threshing and winnowing of grain andthe safe storage of wheat and butter. She carriesa golden winnow and is either depicted inhuman form or as a goat. Her cult is knownchiefly from the village of Pronz in the southernHindukush where she enjoyed an importantsanctuary with stone seats around the icon, partof which reportedly still exists. Wooden statuesdepict her in human form, nude to the waist.Alternatively, she is perceived as a bird that actsas a messenger. The blood of sacrificial animalswas poured over the figure. Also Sulmech;SANU.SankariMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof the SAPTAMATARAS.Sankha(pala)Snake god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One ofa group of seven MAHANAGAS or nagadevas.Attributes: cup and rosary. Three-eyed.Sanmukha (six-headed)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A form ofSKANDA and the son of PASUPATI and Svaha. Godof the month asadha. His SAKTIS include VIJAYAand Jaya. He holds a large variety of attributes.Also Arumukan.Santana (offspring)Minor god. Hindu. The son of Ugra and DIKSA.Also the personification of one of the five trees ofparadise.Santi (peace of mind)Goddess. Hindu. The consort of TRIVIKRAMA.Santoshí MataMother goddess. Modern Hindu. She firstappeared in northern India in 1960 and has sincedeveloped a sizeable cult following. She isinvoked to assist in gaining personal advancementand prosperity.SanuGod of obscure affinities. Kafir (Afghanistan).The father of the goddess SANJU and an adversaryof the war god GISH. Described as a “Muslim,” soperhaps of foreign import. Also Sanru.Sao Ching Niang NiangMother goddess. Chinese. One of the “nine darkladies” of the pantheon who adopt a protectiverole. She removes rain clouds when they threatento flood crops.ŠapašSun god. Western Semitic (Canaanite). Modeledon the Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian)god ŠAMAŠ.

SARASVATI 275SaptamataraGeneric title of a group of mother goddesses.Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Seven deities of evilinfluence, who generally inflict disease or otherharm on children. Common color: red. Attributes:cup and lotus.ŠarGod of the dawn. Western Semitic (Syrian).Generally linked with the god of evening, ŠALIM.ŠaraMinor war god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Mainly identified with thecity of Umma, north east of Unug (Uruk), andidentified in some texts as the son of INANA (IŠTAR).Saraddevi (goddess of autumn)Fertility and vegetation goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Associated with autumn, andan attendant of the goddess SRIDEVI. Her sacredanimal is an antelope. Attributes: cup, knife andpeacock feather.Sarama (the nimble one)Attendant goddess. Hindu (Vedic, Epic andPuranic). She acts as a messenger to the godINDRA and guards his herds. In later Hindu textsSarama is reputedly the mother of all dogs and isgiven the epithet the “bitch of heaven.” The RgVeda accounts her as having punished the minordeity Panis for stealing cows.Saranyu (the fleet one)Primordial goddess of uncertain affinities. Hindu(Vedic). Saranyu is the daughter of the god TVAS-TAR, and the sister of VISVARUPA. Her consort isVivasvat, by whom she is said to be the mother ofYAMA and YAMI, the twin progenitors of thehuman race. Little else is known of her, but she isaccounted as having an impetuous nature.See also VIVASVAN.SarapisGod. Late Egyptian. Known only from theGreco-Roman period of the early Ptolemies(fourth century BC) but persisting in Europe untilsecond or third century AD. In Egyptian religionSarapis is a hybridization of certain aspects ofOSIRIS, the underworld god, and APIS, the bullgod, who symbolizes the earthly presence ofPTAH. Sarapis is perceived to epitomize both thefertility of the land and the life of the sacred bullafter death. In Greek mythology he takes onaspects of ZEUS, HELIOS, ASKLEPIOS andDIONYSOS. He was worshiped extensively in theRoman Empire period. A sanctuary at York inEngland was dedicated by a soldier of the sixthlegion, and magnificent statues were discoveredin the Walbrook Mithraeum in London, and atMerida in Spain. Also Seraphis (Greek).SARASVATI (flowing water)ORIGIN Hindu (Vedic, Epic, and Puranic) [India].Mother goddess and goddess of wisdom. Later,patron of the arts.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 600 BC, butundoubtedly based on much earlier prehistoricmodels, until present.SYNONYMS Brahmi; Vagdevi (goddess of speech).Other epithets include BHARATI.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout India.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronze,but also in stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda and other Vedictexts; Ramayana epic and Puranic texts.Sarasvati, as an identifiable personality, may havebegun as a Vedic river goddess (the actual river

276 Sarpanitu(m)Sarasvati has now disappeared but she may also belinked with the Indus, etc). In the Vedic capacityher waves are said to smash mountains and hervoice is the roar of the torrent. Since her sourceof strength is the primeval water, she is inexhaustibleand she is a bringer of fertility andbountiful harvests. Thus, by inference, she alsoprovides prosperity. Her presence purifies and,in antiquity, she slew VRTRA, the demonic god ofchaos. In her capacity as a Vedic goddess she isinvoked on the sacrificial field with the lessergoddesses ILA, BHARATI, MAHI and HOTRA.In later Puranic literature Sarasvati (Brahmi)becomes the first consort of the creator godBRAHMA (see also GAYATRI). Other texts offer herin contention with LAKSMI as consort of VIŠNU.She also became syncretized with the goddessVAC. She is said to have invented Sanskrit and isidentified as goddess of wisdom and of the arts.The Vedas are her inspiration and she may beknown as the “mother of the Vedas.” A Hindu festivalin her honor is celebrated in early January orlate February. She is a patron goddess of students,and books, pencils and pens are offered to her bychildren before they begin classes. Her imageoften appears on the portals of school gates.She is generally depicted with either two orfour arms. Color: white. She may be seated orride upon a swan or a peacock or a lotus. Attributesinclude particularly the lute but also arrow,bell, book, bow, conch, club, hook, prayer wheel,rosary, waterjar and other items. She may offer apiece of sugar cane or a flower to Brahma. Infrequentlythree-headed.Sarpanitu(m)See ZARPANITUM.Šarra ItuFertility goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Originally the tutelarydeity of the city of Šu-Sin. By Hellenistic timesshe probably became the more important goddessSarrahitu who is included in the pantheon atUruk and mentioned in various cult texts whereshe is described as “the bride” and was presumablyinvolved in a sacred marriage ceremony.ŠarrahituSee ŠARRA ITU.SarritorMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Invoked duringgrowing and harvesting of crops.ŠarrumaGod. Hittite and Hurrian. Originally a Hurriandeity adopted by the Hittite state religion. The sonof the weather god TEŠUB and his consort HEBAT.His sacred animal is a panther. Attribute: ax.Sarvabuddhadharma-Kosavati (with thevirtues of all the buddhas)God of literature. Buddhist. The deification oftexts. One of a group of DHARANIS. Color: yellow.Attributes: basket of jewels and staff.Sarvakarmavaranavisodhani (washingaway the obstruction of all deeds)God of literature. Buddhist. The deification oftexts. One of a group of DHARANIS. Color: green.Attribute: staff.Sarvanivaranaviskambhin (remover of stain)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). A dhyaniboddhisattvaor spiritual meditation buddha. Color: white.Attributes: book, jewel, moon disc, sword andstaff.

Satis 277Sarvapayanjaha (remover of miseries)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). A dhyaniboddhisattvaor spiritual mediation buddha. Color: white.Attribute: hook in two hands.Sarvasokatamonirghatamati (destroyer ofsorrow)God. Buddhist. A dhyanibodhisattva or spiritualmeditation buddha.Sarvastramahajvala (the great blaze of allweapons)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.SasanadevataMessenger goddess. Jain [India]. Generic namefor one of a group of twenty-four who minister tothe tirthankaras or saints of Jainism.SasuratumMidwife goddesses. Western Semitic (Canaanite).A group of seven female deities fathered by BAAL.Also Kosharot (Hebrew).SatabhisaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A malevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).Satarupa (with a hundred forms)Minor goddess. Hindu (Puranic). The daughterof BRAHMA with whom he committed incestand whose beauty caused him to generatefour heads so that he might view her from alldirections.SATI (truth)ORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India].Mother goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 400 untilpresent.SYNONYMS Sakti, PARVATICENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronze,but also in stone.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana and other texts.Sati is the older incarnation of the benignaspect of the goddess Sakti. Alternatively she isperceived as an incarnation of LAKSMI. Accordingto legend her father was DAKSA and hermother PRASUTI. She bore sixteen daughters,the youngest of whom was Sati. She is perceivedas an ideal Hindu wife and mother who, as amaiden, falls in love with the god ŠIVA. At herchoosing-of-a-husband ceremony she is distressedthat her father has not invited Šiva andthrows her bridal wreath into the air, whereuponŠiva appears in front of her. She becomes theconsort of Šiva, but the marital association isgenerally recognized when he is in his formknown as Bhava, an epithet meaning “existence.”Eventually she dies at Daksa’s feet from the selfimmolatingheat of her own purity and zeal. Sheis reincarnated as Parvati.The mythology is the basis of the practice ofself-sacrifice which came to be known as sati orsuttee. She is also connected with fire-walkingrituals.Satis (she who shoots; she who pours)Minor goddess. Egyptian. A guardian of thesouthern (Nubian) border of Upper Egypt. Theconsort of the ram god KHNUM and, by implication,the mother of ANUKIS. She is depicted wearingthe conical white crown of Upper Egypt,bearing tall plumes or antelope horns. Satis is

278 Satrughnadescribed in Pyramid Texts, particularly the StepPyramid at Saqqara, and there is reference to asanctuary built for her at Elephantine. Also Satjit;Satet (both Egyptian).Satrughna (destroyer of foes)Minor god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Thebrother of LAKSMANA and a half-brother to thegod RAMA. His mother is Sumitra. He may bedepicted holding a fly whisk in each hand.See also LAKSMANA.SaturnusAstral god. Roman. Identified with the planetSaturn, but thought to have originated as anagricultural deity concerned with sowing ofseed. A sanctuary existed on the Roman forumfrom as early as 450 BC, also functioning as theimperial treasury. Saturnus was celebratedin the Saturnalia festival (December 17-19) duringwhich masters and slaves exchanged rolesand candles were given as gifts to symbolize thewinter darkness.Satyabhama (with true luster)Goddess. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil). Knownparticularly from southern India as the secondconsort of KRSNA, who stands on her left;also as the secorid consort of VIŠNU. Attribute:a flower.SatyrWoodland god. Greco-Roman. Generic termfor an assortment of divine beings with ahuman torso and the legs, hair and horns ofa goat. They include the god PAN and thedemigod Silenus who raised the adolescentBACCHUS.Saubhagya-Bhuvanesvari (buddha of goodfortune)Goddess of good fortune. Buddhist. A gentle andbenevolent deity. Color: red. Attributes: red lotus,and waterjar with jewels.SauleSun goddess. Pre-Christian Latvian. Also havingagricultural links, she is perceived as living on aheavenly farm atop a mythical mountain andinvoked to induce fertility and ripening amongcrops. Her consorts are the sky god DIEVS and themoon god MENESS.ŠauškaFertility goddess. Hittite and Hurrian. Of Hurrianorigin, Šauška was adopted by the Hittitestate religion. She is also identified with war andis particularly renowned as a goddess of healing.She is depicted in human form with wings, standingwith a lion and accompanied by two attendants.Šauška is known in detail only because shebecame the patron goddess of the Hittite kingHattusilis II (1420-1400 BC).SavariGoddess of terrifying appearance. Buddhist-Lamaist[Tibet]. One of a group of gauris. Color: white.Attributes: holding the mountain known as Meru.Savea Si’uleoGod of the dead. Polynesian. The brother ofSALEVAO, god of rocks.Savitar (impeller)Sun god. Hindu (Puranic). The original Vediclist of six descendants of the goddess ADITI or

Semele 279ADITYAS, all of whom take the role of sun godswas, in later times, enlarged to twelve, includingSavitar. The god of the rising and setting sun.Color: golden. Attributes: club, prayer wheel andtwo lotuses.SaxnotTutelary god. Saxon. He is mentioned besideWoden and Thunor as one of the deities to berenounced at Christian baptism. As Saxneat hewas allegedly the founder of the Saxon royaldynasty in Essex. The name may derive fromthe word sahsginot meaning “companion of thesword.” He may also equate with the Germangod Tyr.ŠedGuardian god. Egyptian. Popular as a personaldeity and often identified on protective amulets.SednaSea goddess. Inuit [Baffin Land]. The mother ofall the creatures of the sea and invoked by fishermen.Sefkhet-Abwy (she who has seven horns)Local goddess of libraries and writing. Egyptian.Probably a form of the goddess SEŠAT. Depictedin human form bearing a seven-pointed star orrosette on her head below a bow-shaped object.ŠayMinor god of destiny. Egyptian. Depictedwholly in human form. Šay is mentioned in theAni papyrus as being present at the ritual ofthe weighing of the heart, in company withfunerary goddesses including Meskhenet,ŠEPSET and RENENUTET. In Greco-Romantimes he was syncretized with the snake godAgathodaimon.Sekhet-HorCow goddess. Egyptian (Lower). The fostermotherof the god HORUS and particularlyinvoked to safeguard cattle.SelardiMoon god. Urartian [Armenia]. The counterpartof the Mesopotamian deity SIN.SebittiGroup of minor war gods. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The children of the god ANUwho follow the war god ERRA into battle. Theyare, in alternative traditions, of good or evil influence.In Greek tradition they become thePleiades.SecuritaGuardian goddess. Roman. She was invoked toensure the continuing stability of the Romanempire.Selene (radiant)Moon goddess. Greek. The daughter of HYPER-ION (a TITAN) and sister of the sun god HELIOS.The tutelary deity of magicians, she rides in achariot drawn by two horses. According to legendshe fell in love with the sleeping Endymion. Shebecomes largely syncretized with HEKATE and inRoman culture equates with the goddess LUNA.Semele (earth)Mother goddess. Greco-Roman but probably ofThracian or Phrygian origin. According to legend

280 Semnocosusshe was the mortal daughter of Cadmos andbecame the mother of the god DIONYSOS (BAC-CHUS) after a brief liaison with ZEUS (JUPITER),also in mortal guise. Semele was burned to deathon Olympus, unable to withstand the presence ofZeus in godly form, but was subsequently deifiedby him.SemnocosusGod of war. Romano-Iberian. Popular locallywith troops of the Roman legions who occasionallysacrificed prisoners to him.remedial properties. A bronze statuette of a goddesswas found wearing a diadem, with armsspread and standing in a boat. The prow is in theshape of a duck, her sacred animal, with a cake inits mouth. Also found were models of dogs, ananimal specifically associated with healingthrough its affinity with the Greco-Roman physiciandeity AESCULAPIUS.ŠeridaMother goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Became known as AYA in the Akkadian pantheon.SenxSun god. Bella Coola Indian [British Columbia,Canada]. The ruler of the lower heaven, Sonx, inwhich is situated the home of the gods, Nusmeta(the house of myths). The only deity to whom theBella Coola pray and make offerings. Huntersthrow small pieces of mountain goat or seal fleshinto a sacrificial fire. Also Ta’ata (our father);Smai’yakila (sacred one).ŠepsetLocal funerary goddess. Egyptian. Known chieflyat Memphis, where she appears as an attendant atthe ritual of the weighing of the heart.Serket(-hetyt)Minor mortuary goddess. Egyptian. Knownfrom the middle of the third millennium BC, sheprotects the throne of the king in the guise of ascorpion. She is depicted in human form wearinga headpiece in the form of a scorpion withits sting raised. In the Pyramid Texts she is themother of the scorpion god NEHEBU-KAU. Inher role as a mortuary goddess she is partlyresponsible for guarding the jars containing theviscera of the deceased. Although she is neveridentified as warding off the effect of scorpionstings, her influence has been regarded as effectiveagainst other venomous attacks. Also Selkis(Greek).SequanaRiver goddess. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). The tutelarygoddess of the Sequanae tribe. A pre-Romansanctuary northwest of Dijon near the source ofthe Seine has yielded more than 200 woodenvotive statuettes and models of limbs, heads andbody organs, attesting to Sequana’s importance asa goddess of healing. During the Roman occupationthe site of Fontes Sequanae was sacred toher and was again considered to have healing andSesa(naga) (remainder)Snake god or naga. Hindu (Vedic, Epic andPuranic). The great serpent lying in the primevalsea and encircling the world. The son of KASYAPAand KADRU. A many-headed attendant on VIŠNUwho uses the snake as a couch on which to restbetween cycles of the universe. Its many hoodsovershadow and protect him. Not technically adeity but important enough in literature to beincluded here. Also Adisesa; ANANTA.

SETH 281SešatGoddess of libraries and the art of writing. Egyptian.Known from 2500 BC, or earlier, until the endof Egyptian history circa AD 400. She is depictedanthropomorphically bearing a seven-pointed staror rosette on her head, sometimes atop a wand andbelow a bow-shaped object. Early in her career shewas associated with the ritual of “stretching thecord” during which boundary poles were rammedinto the ground by the king before measuring outthe foundations of a sanctuary. As a scribe sherecorded the lists of foreign captives and their tributes.At Karnak in Upper Egypt and at Dendara sherecorded the royal jubilees on a notched palm stem.See also SEFKHET-ABWY.SeseChthonic goddess. Ngbandi [Democratic Republicof Congo, central Africa]. One of seven deitiesinvoked at sunrise each day.ŠesmetetEgyptian goddess.See also SAKHMET.SetaFertility goddess. Pokot and Suk [Uganda andwestern Kenya, East Africa]. The consort of thecreator god TORORUT who is embodied in thePleiades. Their children are ILAT, the rain god;ARAWA, the moon goddess; and Topoh, theevening star. The appearance of the Pleiades in thenight sky marks the start of the planting season.SETHORIGIN Egyptian. God of chaos and adversity.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from 3000 BC orearlier until the end of Egyptian history, circaAD 400.SYNONYMS Set, Setekh, Seteš, SUTEKH, Suty.CENTER(S) OF CULT chiefly a sanctuary in UpperEgypt at Ombos-Naqada, but also in LowerEgypt, in the northeast of the Nile delta.ART REFERENCES sculptures, stone reliefs, wallpaintings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts, coffin texts,Book of the Dead, etc.Seth is a deity who generally represents hostilityand violence, but who has also claimed considerablerespect. His parents are GEB and NUT andhis fellow siblings include ISIS, OSIRIS and NEPH-THYS, who at times is also seen as his consort.More typically he is linked with Semitic war goddessesincluding ANAT and ASTARTE. Legend hasit that he tore himself violently from his mother’swomb. He is depicted in human form with thehead of an animal that seems to bear faint similarityto an aardvark with erect ears and a longcurving snout. He is also depicted in wholly animalform, in which case the beast bears no realsimilarity to any living creature, but has a stifflyerect tail. Other animals symbolizing the godinclude the oryx, pig, boar and the hippopotamuswhen it is a disruptive element of the river. Sethis also represented by the crocodile (see Geb).Sometime during the middle of the third millennium,in the II Dynasty, there was a break withthe tradition whereby the kings of Egypt werelinked with the god HORUS. The falcon symbolismof Horus was replaced with that of the creatureof Seth. Several Egyptian rulers followed hiscult closely. Tuthmosis III in the XVIII Dynasty,for example, titled himself “the beloved of Seth.”In the Osirian legend first recorded in the PyramidTexts and later popularized and embellishedby the Greek writer Plutarch, Seth is the jealousadversary of his brother Osiris (see Osiris fordetails). Later he fought an eighty-year war ofattrition with the son of Osiris, the falcon godHorus (see also Horus). During this time, the

282 Seyonimplication remains that he was favored by thesun god and only forceful wrangling resulted invictory falling to Horus as rightful overlord ofthe two Egyptian kingdoms. A separate mythologycredits Seth with defense of the sun god REas he is about to be swallowed by Apophis, theperennially hostile serpent god of the underworld.The so-called Book of the Dead accountsSeth as the “lord of the northern sky” who controlsthe storm clouds and thunder.Rameses II, in a treaty with the Hittites,implied a fusion of Seth with the Hittite stormgod TEŠUB.Seyon (the red one)Creator god. Dravidian (Tamil) [southern Indiaand Sri Lanka]. An early deity associated particularlywith hilly regions in parts of southern Indiaand thought to live in trees. Also Muruga.ŠezmuMinor god of wine and oil presses. Egyptian.Known from circa 3000 BC until the end ofEgyptian history, circa AD 400. In later iconographyhe is depicted as a lion, but more generally isin human form. Šezmu had a definite cult followingin the fertile Faiyum region of the Nile valley,but was probably represented in most sanctuaries,particularly where ritual unguents were made andstored. He is recognized in both benign andmalevolent roles. In the latter he is reputed tosqueeze human heads like grapes, but in beneficentmood he provides aromatic oils and ointments.Sga’naSea god. Haida Indian [Queen Charlotte Island,Canada]. Embodied in the killer whale (Orca).The universe is believed to be inhabited by supernaturalbeings called Sga’na Qeda’s for whom theland was first created. Also Masset San.Shadanana-SubrahmanyaForm of the god KARTTIKEYA. Hindu (Puranic).The form possesses six heads and twelve arms.According to legend, the six heads arose becausethe fire god AGNI had an adulterous relationshipwith the six consorts of the risis (astral gods) whoall needed to suckle the offspring. Like Karttikeya,he is usually depicted riding on a peacock.Shang Kuo-LaoImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, traditionhas it that he was embodied as a bat whichachieved immortality in human form. His sacredanimal is an ass. Attributes include drum anddrumsticks.See also BA XIAN.Shang TiCreator god. Taoist (Chinese).See also YU HUANG SHANG TI.ShangoChthonic storm god. Yoruba [Nigeria, WestAfrica]. As an earth deity he was once a mortalman, the king of Oyo, who transformed himselfinto an immortal. According to tradition, duringhis life he breathed tongues of fire. He thenascended into the sky by climbing a golden chainand became the god of thunder and lightning. Heis also god of justice, punishing thieves and liars.His consorts include OYA, Oshun and Oba. Cultfollowers of Shango are believed to be able tomake lightning strike an adversary. In shrines toShango, the image of the god is adorned with aram’s head. Also SANGO.

Shina-Tsu-Hime 283ShaniAstral god and bringer of misfortune. Hindu(late). The cult of Shani evolved in about theeighth century AD with the advance of Indianastronomy. He is propitiated frequently to wardoff ill-luck and may be depicted sitting on a lotusor riding in a chariot. Attribute: a staff.ShankpanaPlague god. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa]. Theson of SHANGO, he is credited with having oncebeen a god of war who invaded the country (as adisease). He is particularly identified with smallpox.His symbol is the sesame plant which takesthe form of a taboo and brings disease to thosewho take it into their house. A festival is held inSeptember to propitiate Shankpana with sacrificesof animals and fruit.Sheela Na GigMother goddess. Celtic (Irish). The primal earthmother closely associated with life and death. Oneof the rare depictions of Irish Celtic deities thathave survived into the Christian era. She is shownnaked, with large breasts, with her legs apart andholding open her vagina. The image frequentlyadorns walls of Irish churches. Also Sheila naCioch.Shen NungGod of agriculture. Chinese. Known as the divinefarmer. According to tradition, during his lifetimehe invented the plough and taught basicagriculture and the use of herbs. In a moredestructive aspect, he is also the god of the hotwinds. He is depicted with the head of an ox andis regarded by some authors as a successor to NUKUA. Also Shen Nong.gShen-Lha-OdkharGod of light. Bon (pre-Lamaist) [Tibet]. In theancient religion he is a creator deity from whomall other gods are engendered. In Lamaism heevolves into a god of wisdom.gShen-RabSupreme god. Bon (pre-Lamaist) [Tibet]. In theancient religion he is the remote and barelydefined creator deity. Attributes include a lotusand swastika.Shichi-Fuku-JinGods of luck. Shinto [Japan]. The seven principaldeities concerned with fortune: EBISU, DAIKOKU,BENTEN-SAN, BISHAMON, FUKUROKUJU, HOTEIand JUNROJIN. The group is often representedtogether on their treasure ship Takara-Bune,which carries various magical devices including ahat of invisibility, a roll of brocade, an inexhaustiblepurse, keys to the divine treasure houseand so on.Shina-Tsu-NikoGod of winds. Shinto [Japan]. The most senior ofhis group of wind deities, he disperses the morningmists and brings soft rustling breezes. Hisconsort is Shina-Tsu-Hime and the couple areextensively worshiped by farmers and seafarers.They were allegedly responsible for bringingabout a miracle in the thirteenth century AD whenthey kept at bay, with off-shore winds, the army ofGengis Khan. They are honored in the main Ise-Jingu temple of Shintoism but their chief sanctuaryis at Tatta, a small town in Yamamoto. AlsoShina-Tobe-No-Mikoto.Shina-Tsu-HimeSee SHINA-TSU-NIKO.

284 ShomdeShomdeCreator god of localized observance. Kafir[Afghanistan]. Known from various villages in thesouthern Hindukush. Shomde is regarded eitheras equating or senior to the more generally recognizedgod IMRA. According to observers heprovides gold, silver and silk as well as butter,cheese, cream and flour. The main sanctuary wasprobably at the village of Dewa and in variouswooden sculptures Shomde is depicted in humanform. Also Wushum; Usum.Shong Li-KuanImmortal being. Taoist (Chinese). One of the“eight immortals” of Taoist mythology, he wasonce a mortal being who achieved immortalitythrough his lifestyle. Attributes include a fanwhich he waves over the dead to revive them.See also BA XIAN.Shong-KuiGod of literature. Taoist (Chinese). According totradition he committed suicide when he failed inhis examinations. Also a guardian deity againstdemons, his attribute is a sword.Shou LaoGod of longevity. Chinese. He originates as anastral deity but comes to head the heavenly ministryresponsible for setting the span of a person’slife. He is also known as Nan-ji Hsian Weng, “theancient of the South Pole.” His sacred animal isthe crane, embodiment of long life.ShurdiStorm god. Illyrian [Albania]. Believed to sendthunder and lightning and revered into morerecent times.SiMoon god. Chimu Indian (pre-Columbian)[coastal regions of Peru]. The head of the pantheonand guardian of weather and of harvests.He is depicted subtended by a sickle moon,wearing a feathered crown and an armoredprojection on his back. May also be representedas a goddess.SiaGod of perception. Egyptian. Minor deitydepicted at RE’s right hand where he holds thepapyrus of intellect. He travels in the sun god’sbarque. According to legend he was one of severaldeities formed in drops of blood falling from Re’spenis.Ši’aMinor attendant goddess. Western Semitic(Phoenician). The personification of the holinessof sanctuaries of BAAL ŠAMIN. In Hellenic timesshe may have become syncretized with TYCHE.Siddhi (accomplishment, success)Minor goddess of good fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A deity who grants favors. Sometimesassociated with the elephant god GANESA orMAHA-GANAPATI, on whose knee she may sit. Inearlier times she was described as a consort ofBHAGA.Si’dukuMother spirit. Kamchadal [southeasternSiberia]. The daughter of KUTKHU, Si’duku isthe consort of her brother TI’ZIL-KUTKHU andthe mother of Amle’i. Amle’i married anotherunnamed daughter of Si’duku and fathered theKamchadal race.

Sina 285SiduriMinor goddess of brewing. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).Also identified with wisdom.SifCorn goddess. Nordic (Icelandic) and Germanic.The consort of THOR. She is mentioned in theEddaic Lay of Lokasenna and in the Lay of Harbarth.According to Snorri Sturluson she wasoriginally a prophetess called Sibyl. She possessesgreat beauty and has long golden hair. Her sonsare ULL and Loridi. According to tradition, LOKIcut off Sif’s hair in mischief, but when confrontedand threatened by Thor, he had the dwarfs makeher a magical hairpiece of pure gold which, whenit touched her head, became a living part of herand grew.SigynGoddess. Nordic (Icelandic). The consort ofLOKI and listed among the AESIR goddesses. Herson is Nari or Narfi. According to tradition,SKADI, the consort of NJORD, set a poisonoussnake to drip poison on to a captive Loki butSigyn collected most of the venom in a bowl andthrew it away.Sikhandin (with a tuft of hair)Minor deity. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof a group of emancipated VIDYESVARAS (lords ofknowledge) considered to be aspects of ŠIVA.Attributes: knife and sword.SikhinPhysician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted among one of a series of medicinebuddhas or SMAN-BLA. Typically depicted withstretched earlobes. Color: yellowish red.NOTE: the term also defines the symbolic useof fire.Silaparamita (perfection of character)Philosophical deity. Buddhist. Spiritual offspringof RATNASAMBHAVA. Color: white. Attributes:floral prayer wheel and jeweled staff.Silma InuaSupreme god. Inuit. A remote and vaguelydefined figure only rarely invoked or prayed to.SilvanusMinor god of woodlands and forests. Roman. Worshipof Silvanus seems largely to have been limitedto northern Italy. He became incorporated into theCeltic pantheon where his symbolism includes abill-hook, pots and hammers. His sacred animal isthe stag. The name was extended to embracegroups of woodland deities, the Silvani or Silvanae.Si’mskalinGuardian spirit. Kamchadal [southeastern Siberia].One of two sons of KUTKHU.SinMoon god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Derived from the older Sumerianmodel of NANNA. His consort is NIKKAL (NIN-GAL). He is symbolized by the new moon andperceived as a bull whose horns are the crescentof the moon. Cult centers are identified at Ur,Harran and Neirab. Also Suen (archaic).SinaMoon goddess. Polynesian (Samoan).See also HINA.

286 SindhuSindhuRiver goddess. Hindu (Vedic). Identified only inthe Rg Veda and of unknown source.SingalaLocal god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Mentioned only in name by the Babylonianking Nabonidus, worshiped at Taima and influencedstrongly by Egyptian culture.See also SALM OF MAHRAM.Sipe GialmoMother goddess. Bon (pre-Lamaist) [Tibet]. Theso-called “queen of the world.” Her animal is amule. Attributes: banner, bowl, parasol, swastika,sword and trident. Three-eyed.SipyleneMother goddess. Smyrna (Anatolia) [west coast ofTurkey]. The localized name of the great mother,worshiped in the Metroon sanctuary.Sinhanada (lion’s roar)Physician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. A varietyof AVALOKITESVARA. Typically depicted withstretched earlobes and attended by a lion. Color:white. Attributes: cup, fly whisk, image of theAMITABHA on the crown, lotus, moon disc, rosary,skin, snake, sword and trident. Three-eyed. Alsoaccounted among one of a series of medicinebuddhas or SMAN-BLA.SinivaliMinor goddess of prosperity. Hindu (Vedic).Associated specifically with the boon of children.The mistress of the nuclear family. She is depictedas a matronly lady.Sins Sga’nagwai (power of the shiningheavens)Supreme god. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. The god who gives power to allthings.SiraraGoddess of the Persian Gulf. Mesopotamian(Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian). In creationmythology she is given charge over the waters ofthe Gulf by the god ENKI.SironaLocal goddess of healing. Romano-Celtic (Gallic).Known from limited inscriptions in whichshe is usually associated with the god GRANNUS orwith the Celtic APOLLO. A sculpture fromHochscheid in the Moselle basin in Germanydescribes her with a snake round her wrist reachingtoward a bowl of three eggs in her left hand.She may also have a small lapdog. Some authorssuggest she has sky associations.See also DIVONA and ONUAVA.SirsirGod of mariners. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). The guardian of boatmen.SiofnGoddess. Nordic (Icelandic). Listed by Snorri(Prose Edda) as one of the AESIR goddesses.SirturSheep goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian andBabylonian-Akkadian). Known from inscriptions

Sitatara 287and passing comments in texts. Syncretized withNINSUN.SisyphosSun god. Corinthian. Specifically the god of thefaded sun, probably equating to the Hittiteweather god TEŠUB.SITA (furrow)ORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India].Chthonic or earth goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 300 BC andearlier through to present day times.SYNONYMS an avatara of LAKSMI.CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronze,but also in stone.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana of Valmiki and laterPuranic literature.In Vedic mythology Sita is strictly an earth deity,born from a furrow and associated with ploughingand ploughed fields. She appears as the consortof the rain gods INDRA and PARJANYA. Sheusually stands to the right of RAMA. In latertimes, effectively from AD 200 onward, Sita (seealso RADHA) is the consort of Rama, one of themajor reincarnations of the god VIŠNU, thoughshe is generally eclipsed by the goddess Laksmiwith whom she is seen as a separate aspect.Legend gives Sita an unhappy life, though sheepitomizes the perfect Hindu wife. Early in hermarriage to Rama she is abducted by the foreigngod Ravana, who carries her off to Lanka [SriLanka], where he imprisons her in a garden.Maintaining total fidelity to her husband, shereturns to him inviolate, but he is skeptical ofher purity and rejects her. Eventually, when shehas threatened to immolate herself through theinner fire of her purity, Rama grudgingly has herback, though only briefly. His doubts return and,pregnant, she is banished to exile where she givesbirth to twin sons. Rama’s rejection finally takesits toll. Sita begs her mother, the earth, for salvation,whereupon a golden throne rises fromthe ground. She takes her place on it anddescends forever while Rama is left eternally tomourn his loss. Attributes: blue lotus and a singlebraid of hair.Sitala(mata) (possibly meaning ‘mother cold’)Mother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof seven SAKTIS who in later Hinduism becameregarded as of evil intent, inflicting sickness. Particularlyknown from Bengal where she may beidentified with the goddess KALI. Usually standingnaked upon a lotus or riding an ass. Alternativelysymbolized by a stone on which a face ispainted. Attribute: waterjar.Sitapatra (with a white umbrella)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofVAIROCANA and a female BODHISATTVA or buddhadesignate.Color: white. Attributes: arrow, bow,hook, noose, parasol, prayer wheel and whitestaff. Sometimes three-eyed and three-headed.Sitatara (the ‘white Tara’)Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Of mild disposition,she is regarded as one of the forms of thegoddess TARA and an emanation of AMOGHASID-DHI or VAIROCANA. In later times she became identifiedas a female variety of AVALOKITESVARAPADMAPANI. By tradition she is the incarnation ofa Chinese princess. Color: white. Attributes: arrow,blue or white lotus, bow, image of Amoghasiddhi,jewel, moon disc and rosary. Three- or seven-eyed.

288 ŠIVAŠIVA (the destroyer)ORIGIN Hindu [India]. Principal creative anddestructive god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 300 BC, andprobably earlier as Rudra, until present.SYNONYMS accredited with more than a thousandepithets in Hindu writings (see also BHAIRAVA,KHANDOBA).CENTER(S) OF CULT Benares, etc.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronze,but also in stone; reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana epic and Puranictexts.ŠIVA is a deity with the linked roles of both creatorand destroyer of life, more generally the latter. Hepersonifies the inexorable passage of time and outof destruction he creates new life. He may haveevolved from the Vedic storm god RUDRA, thoughhe is now thought to be an older pre-Indo-Europeandeity whose attributes appear on seals fromthe Indus Valley civilization. His consort, or moreprecisely his female aspect, is Sakti, but he is alsoclosely linked with the terrible KALI and the goddessSATI.He is generally depicted in the role of an asceticwith a blue-painted throat, attributed to holdingthe primal poison HALAHALA in his throatbefore swallowing it to save mankind from itsdeadly effect. His sacred animal is the bullNANDI. He bears four arms (less commonly two)which hold a variety of attributes including abow, a club to which is fastened a skull, a drum(damaru), representing the rhythm of creation,and a noose. He has a strong association withfire and may hold a ball of flame—the destructivecorollary to creation. His symbol is the linga(phallus), often accompanied by the female yoniand these objects in stone may form the focus ofworship.The Saivite sect envisage Šiva as creator, preserverand destroyer and he is manifest in threeaspects of his own divine power. As the ascetic,represented by the Yogi, he is in his destructiveaspect. His consorts are Kali and DURGA. Hedestroys without emotion. The Yogi is naked,smeared with ashes and with matted hair, sittingunder a banyan tree holding a beggar’s bowl. Asthe “lord of the dance,” NATARAJA, Šiva’s stepsfollow the rhythm of the universal forces. Hedances in a circle of fire, treading upon thedwarfish figure who is the personification ofignorance (see also VAMANA). In this aspect hecan be drawn as a jolly figure, a drinker of wineand a hunter. As the linga, the form of Šiva whichdevotees generally worship, he is the symbol ofcreative powers. In his cosmic capacity heappears as Nataraja.Legend has it that Šiva lives in Kailas, a placebeyond the Himalaya. The Lingayats, a particularSaivite sect founded in the twelfth century AD,may carry a small stone linga mounted in a silverbox and worn round the neck or arm. Chieflycentered on southern India, sanctuaries to Šivaare often home to devadasis, troupes of dancinggirls who also serve as cultic prostitutes. Šiva alsoenjoys popular worship as a domestic deity.See also PANCANANA.SiviniSun god. Urartian [Armenia]. Known frominscriptions.Sivottama (highest Šiva)Minor god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One ofa group of emancipated VIDYESVARAS (lords ofknowledge) considered to be aspects of ŠIVA.SkadiGoddess. Nordic (Icelandic). One of the AESIRgoddesses. The daughter of the giant Thiassi and

Sobek 289consort of the god NJORD. By tradition she livesapart from her husband, he preferring the coastand she the mountains. She is described as “skilady,” a huntress who travels on skis and huntsgame with a bow. She is constantly at odds withthe god LOKI and on one occasion, when he hadbeen captured and held down with stones, shetried to poison him by suspending a poisonoussnake over his face. Loki’s consort SIGYN savedhim by collecting the venom in a bowl.SKANDAORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India]. God ofwar.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 300 BC orearlier until present.SYNONYMS Kumara; KARTTIKEYA; SUBRAHMANYA;many other minor epithets.CENTER(S) OF CULT various.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronze,but also in stone.LITERARY SOURCES Ramayana and Mahabharataepics; Puranic texts.Regarded as the leader of the divine army of gods.One of the sons of ŠIVA, his birth is accounted inbizarre fashion. The gods persuaded Šiva andPARVATI to curb their incessant love-making. Thevast quantity of unused semen then had to be disposedof. After shuttling it between fire (AGNI)and water (Ganges), BRAHMA placed it on themountain of the rising sun where, after ten millennia,it became Skanda.His consorts include KAUMARI (DEVASENA) andVALLI, and his sons are Sakha, Visakha andNAIGAMEYA. Perceived as virile and youthful, hisname may signify the emission of semen. He isalso seen as “one who jumps” while fighting andhis sacred animals include the peacock and thecockerel, the latter being both aggressive and ajumper. Attributes: banner, cockerel, hatchet,peacock feather and staff. He may also carry awider assortment of objects and weapons. AsKarttikeya he is often depicted bearing six headsand twelve arms.SmertriosGod of war. Celtic (Gallic). The tutelary deity ofthe Treveri. Allegedly the subject of a votive monumentwhich depicts a bearded god holding asnake.Smrti (tradition)Minor god. Buddhist (Mahayana).Snulk’ulxa’IsArchetypal god. Bella Coola Indian [BritishColumbia, Canada]. The old ruler of mankind,who provided a conflict of benign and malevolenttreatment. He was superseded by the gods SENXand ALK’UNTA’M.SoWeather god. Ewe and Hua [Togo and southeasternGhana, West Africa]. An emanation ofthe combined personae of the deities SOGBLENand SODZA.Sobek (rager)God epitomizing the might of the pharaohs.Egyptian. Said to be the son of NEITH, the creatorgoddess of Sais. He is depicted as a crocodilewearing a plumed headdress, or as a part-humanhybrid. The crocodile imagery suggests an abilityto attack and kill with sudden speed. Sobek’s cultwas extensive along the Nile valley, but was particularlyprominent in the fertile Faiyum region.Near Aswan in Upper Egypt a sanctuary dedi-

290 Sodasicated to Sobek identifies him as the consort ofHATHOR and the father of KHONSU. Also Suchos(Greek).Sodasi (girl of sixteen)Minor goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof a group of MAHAVIDYAS personifying the SAKTIof ŠIVA. Aspects include Divyaratri.SodzaSky god. Ewe [Togo, West Africa]. Propitiatedwith yams and the sacrifice of a white sheep in anannual festival and his priests pray to him weeklyto send rain. The priests wear white robes.SogblenMessenger god. Ewe and Hua [Togo and southeasternGhana, West Africa]. Considered torelay the prayers of devotees to the greatgods and to return with blessings or punishment.Generally benevolent, bringing the boonof fertile crops and children. He is propitiatedwith the sacrifice of a white sheep in an annualfestival.SogboStorm god. Fon [Benin, West Africa]. The siblingof the gods LISA and MAWU, he controls thunderand lightning and is a god of fire and rain.Sohodo-No-KamiGod of scarecrows. Shinto [Japan]. Identified asthe apotheosis of the actual scarecrow made byJapanese farmers and known as a kakashi. Traditionallyit is constructed from reeds and wears around peasant hat. According to the sacred texts,“though his legs do not walk he knows everythingunder heaven.”SokarChthonic underworld god. Egyptian. Guardiandeity of the necropolis at Memphis with possiblefertility connotations and with strong links toOSIRIS beside whom he is also perceived as arestored god of the dead. He is also syncretizedwith the Memphis creator god PTAH in the OldKingdom (circa 4500 BC), where he may haveoriginated as a god of various crafts associatedwith the manufacture of funerary trappings. He isdepicted either as a hawk on a boat, or in humanform with the head of a hawk and an elaborate atefcrown (see Osiris). Sokar also enjoyed a majorcult at Thebes where, in an annual festival celebratingthe healthy continuation of the divinekingship, he was conveyed in an elaborate barque.Also Sokaris (Greek).SokoSky god. Nupe [Nigeria, West Africa]. The namerefers specifically to the dark sky at the beginningof the rainy season which stimulates thegrowth of crops.Sol (1)Sun god. Roman. Known by the full title of SolIndiges, meaning “the indigenous Sol,” which maysuggest a purely Roman cult on the Quirinal Hill,but there are also inferences that this deity is ofmore ancient origin. Coins from southern Italydepicting the god with a radiate image date backto circa 200 BC but he rose to particular prominenceduring the republican period. His festivalwas celebrated annually on August 9. Nero had ahuge statue of himself, as Sol, erected in Rome

SOPHIA 291and the emperor Aurelian elevated Sol tosupreme god in the Roman pantheon whenJupiter Conservator gave way to Sol Invictus (theunconquered sun). Sol may sometimes be linkedwith AURORA, the goddess of dawn.Sol (2)Sun goddess. Nordic (Icelandic). One of theAESIR goddesses. The daughter of Nubdilfaeri(Mundilferi). She drives the horses which drawthe sun chariot across the sky.Soma (essence)Minor god. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic).The deification of the sacred yellow drink soma.Also the consort of SURYA. Regarded in later Hinduismas the dikpala of the northern direction andas one of a group of VASU deities answering to thegod INDRA. Attributes: hook, lotus and prayerwheel.See also CANDRA.SomaskandaGod. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Aspect ofthe god ŠIVA. Of uncertain origin, but possiblyrepresenting a composite trio of Šiva withhis consort UMA (PARVATI) and his son SKANDA (asa boy). Four-armed. Attributes of Šiva: ax, corpseand hatchet. Attribute of Uma: lotus. Attributesof Skanda: book, headdress, mango fruit andornament.SomnusMinor god of sleep. Roman. He equates withthe Greek god HYPNOS. According to legendhe is one of the two sons of NYX, goddess ofnight, and lives in a remote cave beside theLethe river. He is depicted by Ovid dressed inblack but with his robe scattered with stars,wearing a crown of poppies and holding a gobletof opium juice. His attendant is MORPHEUSand he oversees the spirits of dreams and nightmares.Particularly noted from the art of theLacedaemonians who placed statues of Somnusand MORS side by side.SomtusSee HARSOMTUS.SopeduGuardian deity. Egyptian. A god who protects theeastern border, usually depicted as a falcon or aBedouin with a headdress of tall plumes. His cultwas followed chiefly at Saft el-Henna in the Niledelta. Sopedu is linked in Pyramid Texts with thehawk god HORUS. He also acted as a patron deityof the turquoise mines in the Sinai with inscriptionsat Serabit el-Khadim. Also Sopdu.SOPHIA (wisdom)ORIGIN Greek principle adopted by GnosticChristians. Primordial female force in thecosmos.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP unknown originsto circa AD 400.SYNONYMS PISTIS SOPHIA.CENTER(S) OF CULT undefined cells within thearea of early Christian influence.ART REFERENCES none.LITERARY SOURCES Plato and other Greekphilosophers; Nag Hammadi codices.According to the Gnostic Christian writers whosethoughts were a syncretization of Jewish, ancientNear Eastern and Greek philosophical elements,SOPHIA descended from PISTIS (faith) before the

292 Sore-Gusformation of the cosmos. She is described as a likenessof Pistis and seems to be the primeval elementof light. She acts as a mediator or “veil”between the immortal beings (Archons) andmankind. She is also the challenger to the primordial“shadow” which becomes chaos. In the NagHammadi text On the Origin of the World, PistisSophia generates YALDABAOTH, the father or“prime parent” of the seven androgynous beingswho rule the heavens in the likeness of the originalauthorities so that the likeness may persist forever.See also Pistis and Yaldabaoth.Sore-GusSky god. Hottentot [Namibia, southern Africa].The sun god, embodied in the shape of a goldenram with long fluffy wool.SorsGod of luck. Roman. Derived from the Greekmodel of TYCHE, he is less prominent in the pantheonthan the goddess FORTUNA.Sothis [Greek]Astral goddess. Egyptian. She heralds the Nileinundation as the personification of the starSirius which rises coincidentally in the dawnsky in July. She is depicted as a nude figure wearingthe conical white crown of Lower Egyptsurmounted by a star. Late in Egyptian historyshe becomes largely syncretized with ISIS. AlsoSopdet (Egyptian).SouluiVegetation god. Hua [southeastern Ghana, WestAfrica]. A benevolent deity who can bestowwealth as well as good harvests. He is also godof medicine and of the sounds of music. Hisdevotees wear white and daub white chalk ontheir faces. His symbol is the cowrie shell.SpandarametChthonic goddess. Pre-Christian Armenian.Concerned with the fertility of the earth and withdeath. Under Christian influence, her nameequates with hell.SpesGoddess of hope. Roman. Foundations of a sanctuarywere commenced by the emperor Tiberius,linked with a similar building dedicated to thegod JANUS. She is associated with gardens anddepicted as a young woman bearing a bunch offlowers.SpiniensisMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Mentioned bythe writer Fabius Pictor, he is the deity responsiblefor the uprooting of thorn bushes.Sravana (lame cow)Minor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). Also Srona.SouconnaRiver goddess. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Guardianof the river Saône and known chiefly frominscriptions at Chalon.SravisthaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).

Subhadra 293Sri(devi) (prosperity)1. Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). An earlyname which was syncretized with that of LAKSMIto form Sri-Laksmi.2. Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. One of agroup of DHARMAPALA with terrible appearance androyal attire who protect the Dalai Lama. A manifestationof the goddess DEVI sometimes seen in companywith VIŠNU, when conventionally she stands onhis right. Her breasts are covered by a narrow bandof cloth. She may be invoked to provide wealth (seealso Laksmi). Her retinue includes the goddesses ofthe seasons and her animal is a mule. Color: blue.Attributes: chiefly cup and staff but on occasion severalother objects including a pink lotus. Three-eyedand may be three-headed. Also LHA MO.3. Goddess. Jain.Srikantha (beautiful throat)Minor deity. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of agroup of emancipated VIDYESVARAS (lords ofknowledge) considered to be aspects of ŠIVA, inthis instance referring to his darkish blue neck.Also one of the EKADASARUDRAS or eleven formsof RUDRA. Attributes: hatchet and trident.Srivasumukhi (excellent-faced)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof VASUDHARA.Srivasundhara (earth)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof VASUDHARA.Srividyadevi (of excellent knowledge)Minor goddess. Hindu. A deity of terrifyingappearance. Attributes: necklace of bones, teeth.StanitakumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the deities groupedunder the general title of BHVANAVASI (dwelling inplaces). Of youthful appearance.SterculiusMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Concernedwith the manuring of the fields.StribogGod of winds. Slav. Mentioned in the Chronicle ofNestor, and the euphemism “Stribog’s grandchildren”refers to the winds.StyxChthonic underworld goddess. Greek. A daughterof OKEANOS and TETHYS, and mother ofNIKE. The deity of the river Styx beside which thegods swear their oaths.ŠuPrimordial god of the air. Egyptian. According tothe genealogy of the priests of Heliopolis, he isthe first born of the creator sun god ATUM and byhis sister TEFNUT is the father of the chthonicgod GEB and the sky goddess NUT. Šu is typicallyrepresented in human form standing over thesupine form of Geb and holding Nut aloft withhis raised arms. He can also, as one of severalmanifestations of the “eye of RE,” be representedas a lion, as can his sister.Subhadra (very splendid)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The daughterof VASUDEVA and sister of KRSNA. She mayappear standing beside JAGANNATH.

294 SubhagaSubhagaMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.Subhamekhala (with a marvellous girdle)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.SubrahmanyaMinor warrior deity. Hindu (Epic and Puranic).A form of KARTTIKEYA which is depicted withsix heads and twelve arms. Also SHADANANA-SUBRAHMANYA; see also SKANDA.SUCELLOS (the good striker)ORIGIN Romano-Celtic (Gallic).KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization, circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Sucellus.CENTER(S) OF CULT various.ART REFERENCES bronze and stone sculpture andreliefs.LITERARY SOURCES votive inscriptions.Sucellos carries a long-handled hammer and acup or dish which is arguably the equal of theIrish Celtic Dagda’s caldron. He is knownprincipally from the valleys of the Rhone andSaône and is often coupled in art and votiveinscriptions with the river goddess NANTO-SUELTA. In at least two instances, Unterseebach[Lower Rhine] and Varhely [Romania], Sucellos isaccompanied by a raven and a three-headed dogsuggesting the Roman guardian of the underworld,Cerberus, and a link with funerarypractices. Sucellos also has associations withthe woodland god SILVANUS, suggesting afertility connotation and, in France, is associatedboth with springs and with dogs and snakes,which suggest healing and rejuvenating powers(dogs were more generally linked with the Romanhealing god AESCULAPIUS than with death).Suddhodana (having pure rice)Primordial god. Buddhist. The father of the BUD-DHA. The deified king of the Sakya tribe fromwhich the Buddha descended; his consort isMAYADEVI.SudremWeather god. Kafir [Afghanistan]. Little is knownof this deity. He was created from the breath of thesupreme god IMRA. Alternatively he sprang from ajuniper branch. His wife is the goddess Nangi-Wutr and he is the father of the major fertility goddessDISANI. He is depicted as a great golden buckwith horns reaching to the sky. As a deity specificallyconcerned with rain, he lives in a sacred lake,Sudrem Sur, at which all wild animals must drinkonce to survive. Also Sujum; Sudaram; Sataram.Sudurjaya (very difficult to conquer)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One of severaldeified BHUMIS recognized as different spiritualspheres through which a disciple passes.Color: yellow. Attributes: emerald and staff.Sugriva (beautiful strong neck)Monkey god. Hindu. The son of the sun god andleader of the monkey army which, according toepic tradition, supported RAMA.SuijinCollective name for water gods. Shinto [Japan].These deities are worshiped at shrines at the

Šulman(u) 295sources of irrigation canals, lakes and ponds.They are depicted as snakes, eels and fish andinvoked particularly by women. Chief amongthem is the goddess MIZU-HA-NO-ME.Sukarasya (face of a sow)Minor goddess. Buddhist.Sukla-TaraGoddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Considered tobe an emanation of all the DHYANIBUDDHAS(meditation buddhas), but also regarded as beingindistinguishable from the “white Tara” (see alsoTARA). Color: white.Sukra (bright)Astral god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The personificationof the planet Venus and the tutor ofthe demons. He may, on occasion, be representedas female, owing to the fact that he was once madeto swallow his attendant Kaca and then restorehim to life. Color: white. Rides in a golden or silverchariot drawn by eight or ten horses. Attributes:book, prayer wheel, purse, staff, treasure andwaterjar.Suksma (very small)Minor deity. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of agroup of emancipated VIDYESVARAS (lords ofknowledge) considered to be aspects of ŠIVA.Attributes: hatchet and trident.SukuCreator god. Ovimbundu [central Angola, WestAfrica]. He created the sky, the rivers and mountains,and the people on earth.Sukuna-HikonaGod of healing. Shinto [Japan]. With the godO-KUNI-NUSHI-NO-MIKOTO, he established thevarious methods of healing diseases and the meansfor control of, and protection against, wild beasts,snakes, insects, etc. He is also worshiped as a tutelarygod of traders, both maritime and on land. Heis the KAMI of communications and, during theJapanese Empire period, was often installed by theauthorities in the temples and shrines of conqueredlands. He is worshiped in Buddhism asYakushi-Bosatsu-Hyojin.SuleviaeGoddesses of passage. Romano-Celtic (Gallic).Collective name for female deities associated withcrossroads.SuliniMinor goddess. Hindu. Of terrible appearance.Animal: lion. Attribute: trident.SulisChthonic underworld goddess. Romano-Celtic.Also a deity concerned with knowledge andprophecy. The tutelary goddess of the thermalwaters at Bath, England, she is closely linked withthe Roman goddess MINERVA.ŠullatMinor god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). An attendant of the sun god ŠAMAŠ.Šulman(u)Chthonic and fertility deity. Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian) and western Semitic. Also

296 Šulmanituidentified as a war god. Found in Assyria circa1400 BC to 700 BC and known from Bronze Ageinscriptions at Sidon.ŠulmanituFertility goddess. Western Semitic. Concernedwith love and war; also has underworld connections.Recognized chiefly at Sidon, but includedin the Ugaritic pantheon. Thought by someauthors to be the immediate derivation of the biblical“Shulamite woman” (Vetus Testamentum Songof Solomon 6:13).Šul-pa-e (youthful radiance)Fertility and astral god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Identified as the personification of the planetJupiter and, in one list, the consort of the mothergoddess NINHURSAG˜ A.ŠulsagaAstral goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).Šul-utulaTutelary god. Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Knownonly as a personal deity to Entemena, king of thecity of Eninnu.Sumalini (well-garlanded)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.SumbhaGoddess. Buddhist. A female dikpala or guardianof the nadir direction (her male counterpart isSUMBHARAJA). Color: blue. Attribute: snakenoose.SumbharajaGod. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian of the nadirdirection. Color: blue. Attributes: jewel, lotus,staff and sword. Three-headed.Sumiyoshi-No-KamiSea gods. Shinto [Japan]. A general name forguardian deities of seafarers, including fishermen,they include the three MUNAKATA-NO-KAMI.They are the focus of special worship by theJingu-Kogo sect, whom they escorted to Korea.They are also patrons of poets and have a purifyingrole. The main sanctuary is the SumiyoshiTaisha at Osaka.SummamusStorm god. Etruscan. Specifically a deity responsiblefor lightning and thunderbolts. A sanctuarywas dedicated to him in Rome.ŠumuganGod of the river plains. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).In creation mythology he is given charge bythe god ENKI over the flat alluvial lands of southernMesopotamia.Sumati (very wise)Deification of literature. Buddhist. One of agroup of DHARANIS. Color: yellow. Attributes: earof rice and staff.Sun Hou-ShiMonkey god. Chinese. He emerged froma cosmic egg conceived out of emptinessand engendered by the wind; he provides

SURYA (1) 297various arts and skills to mankind. Accordingto tradition he discovered the elixir of immortalityin a fruit which he consumed. Also SunWu-Kong.Sundara (charming)1. Goddess. Hindu (Puranic). A prosperousaspect of the god ŠIVA.2 Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Anattendant of BUDDHAKAPALA.Suparikirtitanamasri (lord with a celebratedname)Physician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted among a series of medicine buddhasor SMAN-BLA. Typically depicted with stretchedearlobes. Color: yellow.SuparnakumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHVANAVASI (dwelling in places). Ofyouthful appearance.Sura (wine)Goddess of wine. Hindu. She is considered to beof terrible appearance and has no consort. Threeeyed.SuraksiniMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.Surangama (bright colored)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). A BODHISATTVA orbuddha-designate. Color: white. Attribute: sword.Suresvara (lord of the gods)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of theeleven EKADASARUDRAS or RUDRA gods. Attributes:arrow, ax, bell, bow, bowl, club, drum, hook,iron rod, lotus, prayer wheel and trident.Survarnabhadravimalaratnaprabhasa(the bright, pure jewel splendor)Physician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted as one of a series of medicine buddhasor SMAN-BLA. Typically depicted with stretchedearlobes. Color: yellowish white.SURYA (1)ORIGIN Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic)[India]. Sun god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1700 BC untilpresent.SYNONYMS Diakara (day-maker); Grahapati (kingof planets); Surya Narayana.CENTER(S) OF CULT the “Black Pagoda” shrine atKonorak in Orissa; also throughout India.ART REFERENCES sculptures from circa AD 600,including erotic reliefs at the “Black Pagoda,”usually in bronze, less frequently in stone.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda and other Vedictexts, Epic and Puranic texts.In the Vedas Surya is a prominent figure, not onlythe personification of the sun in the heavens andof cosmic order, but also a source of infiniteknowledge. Considered to have been introducedfrom Iran, he is head of the ADITYA group of sundeities. He is the son of Dyaus and ADITI and hisconsorts include LAKSMI, CHAYA and SANJNA. Hischildren include MANU, REVANTA, YAMA andYAMUNA, and a sun goddess also called SURYA.Surya is depicted either standing or seated,sometimes driving a one-wheeled chariot drawn

298 Surya (2)across the sky by up to seven horses. He bearsfour arms. In northern India he is usually foundwearing knee-length boots. In the south he goesbarefoot. Attributes: band, club, conch, knife, twolotuses, prayer wheel, staff with lion, trident andwar drum. May be three-eyed.Surya (2)Sun goddess. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic).The daughter of the sun god SURYA. Accordingto legend she was courted by all the gods,but won finally by the twin ASVIN gods withwhom she rides in a chariot. Other legendsaccount her consorts to include SOMA andPUSAN. She is the essence of the cosmos. AlsoSavitr.SUSANO-WOORIGIN Shinto [Japan]. Chthonic andweather god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 600 andprobably earlier until present.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Japan.ART REFERENCES sculptures and paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Nihongi and Kojiki texts.The brother of the sun goddess AMATERASU, hewas born from the nose of the primordial creatorgod IZANAGI and represents the physical, materialworld. His consorts include the goddessInada-Hime, by whom he fathered a son, Ya-Shima-Ji-Nu-Mi, the eight-island ruler, and thegoddess Kamu-O-Ichi-Hime. His offspring byher include the great harvest god O-TOSHI-NO-KAMI.The appearance of Susano-Wo and Amaterasuin the creation account marks the final separationof the ethereal cosmos into a vast multiplicity ofmaterial objects. The god and goddess areobliged to join each other in order to survive,but while Susano-Wo recognizes the necessityfor this union, Amaterasu finds his excessesrepugnant. When he tries to enter her house inthe heavens she hides herself away in a cave fromwhich she emerges only after considerable effortand ruse on the part of the other members of thepantheon. Susano-Wo is expelled from heavenand takes up residence on earth where he first hasto beg food from the goddess O-Ge-Tsu-Hime-No-Kami.See also AMATERASU.SusinakLocal god. Elamite [Iran]. The patron deity ofSusa.ŠutekhWeather god. Hittite and Hurrian. Of Hurrianorigin, but incorporated into the Hittite statepantheon. Identified on the seal of a Hittite/Egyptian treaty between Hattusilis II and RamesesII in 1271 BC. Probably another name for thegod TEŠUB.Svadha (invoked with offerings)Minor goddess. Hindu. The daughter of DAKSAand PRASUTI. Sometimes identified as a consort ofRUDRA or AGNI.SvantevitGod of war. Pre-Christian Latvian. Mentionedby the author Saxo Grammaticus as riding upona white horse and holding a cornucopia, he isknown locally from the island of Rügen. Also aguardian deity of crops.

Syamatara 299SvaraghosarajaPhysician god. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Accounted among a series of medicine buddhasor SMAN-BLA. Typically depicted with stretchedearlobes. Color: yellowish red.SvatiMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughterof DAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). AlsoNistya.SvarozicSun god. Slav. Also the giver of fire and the smithgod, and further linked with marriage. Also Svarog.Svasthavesini (entering a natural state)Goddess. Hindu. One of terrifying appearance.Color: scarlet. Attribute: drum. Three-eyed andthree-headed.Syamatara (the “black Tara”)Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. A graciousform of the goddess TARA. Also an emanation ofAMOGHASIDDHI and a form of AVALOKITESVARA.Color: black, possibly green. Attribute: bluelotus.

6 TTabitiGoddess of fire. Scythian. Also the guardian deityof all animals. The Romans syncretized her withthe hearth goddess VESTA.Ta-BitjetScorpion goddess. Egyptian. In incantations againstscorpion bite she is identified as a consort of thegod HORUS. Her blood, which flowed when Horusruptured her hymen, is considered to possess magicaland remedial properties against the poison.Taditkara (lightning)Goddess of light. Buddhist. Color: green. Attributes:lightning in the form of a creeper. AlsoVidyddhara.T’ai ShanGod. Chinese. The senior deity in the heavenlyministries, he is the immediate controller of theearth and mankind. Titled the “god of the easternpeak.” Also Di Zang.T’ai YiPrimordial god. Chinese. The spirit of theuniverse who was present before the cosmos wascreated and who is known as the great unity.During the Sung Dynasty (AD 960-1279) he waselevated to the head of the ranks of astral godsand he is embodied in the Pole Star, otherwiseidentified in Chinese mythology as the PurplePlanet.TailtiuGoddess. Celtic (Irish). By tradition the consortof Eochaid of the TUATHA DE DANANN, she isthe foster mother of the god LUG and associatedwith the Lughnasad festival on August 1.TaipanSnake god. Australian aboriginal. His consortsinclude the snake goddesses Mantya, Tuknampaand Uka. He is revered mainly by tribal groupsliving on the western seaboard of the Cape Yorkpeninsula in northern Queensland. Taipan hasthe typical attributes of many other Australiansnake gods, including the rainbow snake. Heexercises judgment over life or death and possessesgreat wisdom, a universal characteristic ofserpents. He is able to kill or cure and is the deitywho originally fashioned the blood of livingthings during the Dreamtime. The imagery ofthe snake god is closely linked with aboriginal300

Tam Kung 301shamanism and with the healing rituals ofshamans.Tai-Sui-JingGod of temporal time. Chinese. The apotheosisof the planet Jupiter which orbits the sun in atwelve-year cycle.TajinGeneric title for a group of rain gods. Totonac(Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. Worshiped by a moderntribe and believed to reside in the ruins of ElTajin, a classic Veracruz site whence they controlthe thunder clouds.See also TLALOC.Taka-Mi-Musubi-No-Kami (high augustproducing wondrous deity)Primordial creator being. Shinto [Japan]. Thesecond of the deities listed in the sacred Kojikitext. He appeared in the Takama-No-Hara (plainof high heaven) after AME-NO-MINAKA-NUSHI-NO-KAMI. A remote and vaguely defined being,he was-born alone in the cosmos and hides himselffrom mankind.Taka-Okami-No-Kami (great producer ofrain in the mountains)Rain god. Shinto [Japan]. Specifically the god ofrain generated in mountains. A god of fierce rain,also known as the “god of the dividing of thewaters.”See also KURA-OAKMI-NO-KAMI.Take-Mika-Dzuchi-No-KamiGod of thunder. Shinto [Japan]. One of the RAI-JIN gods of thunder, storms and rain, he is alsoone of the warrior deities who guarded PrinceNINIGI on his descent from heaven to earth. Atutelary god of swordsmen and judoka artists.See also FUTSU-NUSHI-NO-KAMI.TakkirajaGod. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian of thesoutheastern quarter. Color: blue. Attributes: bluestaff, jewel, lotus staff, sword and trident. AlsoVajrajvalanalarka and Vajrayaksa.Takotsi Nakawe (our grandmother growth)Chthonic vegetation goddess. Huichol Indian(Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. The earth and all plantlife belong to her and she is regarded as the motherof the gods, particularly of the fire god TATEVALI.She is very old and is invoked to give the boon oflongevity. Her sacred tree is a form of fig, the salate.TaksakaSnake god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). One of agroup of seven MAHANAGAS. Attributes: rosary,swastika and waterjar.Ta’labMoon god. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian. Healso has an oracular function.Tam KungLocal sea god. Chinese. A deity with control overrain and water and who extinguishes fires. Hisworship is restricted to a coastal region betweenHong Kong and Macau. According to traditionhe was an eight-year-old boy emperor, the last ofthe Sung Dynasty, who committed suicide byjumping over a cliff in the face of Kublai Khan’sadvance in AD 1276. His attendant is Ho Wang,who joined him in death. A sanctuary in Coloane

302 Tama-No-YaTown in Macau, sited at the end of a narrowpeninsula, is dedicated to him.Tam Kung is strongly linked with the symbolismof dragons and the shrine contains a sacredwhale rib which is modeled into the shape of adragon boat. The god is normally depicted seatedand holding a bell, which may be interpreted as aninstrument of warning or as a means of callingattention to the voices of the ancestors.Tama-No-YaGod of jewelers. Shinto [Japan]. The deity whomade a complete string of curved jewels nearlythree meters long, one of the lures which enticedthe sun goddess AMATERASU from the cave whereshe hid herself.Tamats Palike Tamoyeke (our eldestbrother walking everywhere).God of wind and air. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The messenger of the gods, healso put the world into its present form and shape.TanaraSky spirit. Yakut [central Siberia]. The apotheosisof the sky.Tana’aoWeather and sea god. Polynesian [MarquesasIslands]. A local variation on the Polynesian godTANGAROA, known as a god of winds and a tutelarydeity of fishermen.Tane(mahuta)God of light. Polynesian (including Maori). Oneof the children of the prime parents RANGINUIand PAPATUANUKU. Also god of trees, forests andboat-builders, his consort is the goddess HINE-AHU-ONE and he is the father of HINE-ATA-UIRAwho descended to the underworld to become thegoddess of death, HINE-NUI-TE-PO. In othertraditions he is the consort of Hine-Nui-Te-Po,whom he joins each evening when he descends tothe underworld. It was he who proposed that hisparents should be pushed apart rather thanslaughtered. In Maori culture Tanemahuta, likeall deities, is represented only by inconspicuous,slightly worked stones or pieces of wood and notby the large totems, which are depictions ofancestors. Also KANE (Hawaiian).TangaroaSea and creator god. Polynesian (including Maori).The deity responsible for the oceans (moana) andthe fish (ika) within them. In Hawaiian beliefhe was the primordial being who took the formof a bird and laid an egg on the surface of theprimeval waters which, when it broke, formed theearth and sky. He then engendered the god of light,ATEA (cf. TANE). According to Tahitian legend, hefashioned the world inside a gigantic mussel shell.In a separate tradition Tangaroa went fishingand hauled the Tongan group of islands from thedepths of the ocean on a hook and line. He is theprogenitor of mankind (as distinct fromTUMATAUENGA who has authority over mankind).His son Pili married SINA, the tropic bird andthey produced five children from whom the restof the Polynesian race was born. In Maori cultureTangaroa, like all deities, is represented only byinconspicuous, slightly worked stones or pieces ofwood and not by the large totems which aredepictions of ancestors.TangoGod. Polynesian [Hervey Islamds] The thirdchild of the primordial mother VARI-MA-TE-

Tara 303TAKERE, he was plucked from her right side andlived in Enua-Kura, the land of the red parrotfeather immediately below the home of TINIRAUin the world coconut.Ta’ngwanla’na (greatest one in the sea)Supreme sea god. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. His home is said to be inthe deeps.TanitMoon goddess. Phoenician and Pontic (Carthaginian).Known largely from inscriptions at varioussites along the North African coast and linked withthe goddess ASTARTE. Her symbol is a triangulardevice with horizontal bars supporting a moon disc.Both deities are described as “ladies of the sanctuary.”Tanit was the supreme goddess at Carthage,known as the “face of BAAL,” until usurped by theRoman goddess JUNO; she survived under the nameCAELESTIS. The goddess CERES was also worshipedin the TANIT temple at Carthage. Also Tenit.She is primarily a guardian deity who defendsagainst evil. A figure of the goddess was traditionallybrought by a mother for the protection ofa bride and she is closely connected with marriage,which involves potential danger for thefamily with the introduction of an unknown element.The wedding ceremony includes a ritualizedkidnapping of the bride. The figure is alsoplaced in a doorway to ward off evil.T’ao Hua Hsiennui is depicted in warlike posturewearing a skirt with four black flags, eachrepresenting an army and bearing the characterfor wealth. She holds a sword by its scabbard end.One of her cult centers, the Temple of Jade Vacuityin Cheung Chan, holds a celebrated statue inwhich she is depicted holding the scabbard only.Taoki-Ho-Oi-No-KamiGod of carpenters. Shinto [Japan]. One of thegods who built the beautiful sacred hall designed,in part, to lure the sun goddess AMATERASU fromthe cave in which she hid herself.See also HIKO-SASHIRI-NO-KAMI.Ta-No-KamiAgricultural deity. Shinto [Japan]. A generic namefor several gods of crops and harvests. May also beidentified as a mountain KAMI.TapioHunting god. Pre-Christian Finnish. Believed toinhabit forests and invoked before a hunt.Tanu’taEarth spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia]. Aguardian of the earth and its plants and animals,Tanu’ta is the consort of YINE’ANE’UT (in otherlegends she is married to the son of the supremebeing TA’YAN).T’ao Hua Hsiennui (peach blossom girl)Goddess. Chinese. The spirit of the peach blossomand the deity of the second spring month.TarChthonic earth god. Tiv [Nigeria, West Africa].Engendered by the creator god AONDO, Tar isdepicted as a prostrate figure with his head towardthe east, comparable with the Egyptian god GEB.Tara (power of hunger)1. Goddess. Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic).May originally have had astral connotations, sincethe word can be interpreted as “star.” One of a

304 Taranisgroup of MAHAVIDYAS personifying the SAKTI ofŠIVA. She may also be the consort of CANDRA(SOMA). Aspects include Krodharatri. Attributes:knife, skin, skull, snakes and sword. Three-eyed.2. Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana andVajrayana). An epithet of the mother of the BUD-DHA, Maya. Also one of a series of female deities,the DHYANIBUDDHASAKTI considered to be aspectsof the Sakti of AVALOKITESVARA or of AMO-GASHIDDHI. She may also be the Sakti of ADIBID-DHA and of the various DHYANIBUDDHAS, in whichcase she is characterized by their colors. TheseTaras thus become “White Tara” and so on.See also BHRKUTI, EKAJATA, KURUKULLA,SITATARA and SYAMATARA. In Tibetan Buddhismshe is known as sGrol-ma.TaranisThunder god. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Knownonly from limited inscriptions, but may emulatethe Germanic god DONAR and is possibly thesame as Taranucos. The Romans equated himwith JUPITER and a Jupiter Tanarus inscription atChester in England may refer to Taranis. Hissymbol is a spoked wheel and he is presumed tobe the object of savage rites. The modern Bretonword for thunder is taran. Also Taranos.TarhuntWeather god. Hurrian (Anatolian). Known frominscriptions as the father of TELEPINU.Tari PennuChthonic goddess. Indian (Khond). Created bythe sky gods BOORA PENNU and BELLA PENNUso as to conceive the rest of the pantheon. Sheis identified as a malevolent deity, the subject ofregular propitiation human sacrifices in thenotorious meriah rituals in Orissa province.TaruWeather god. Hittite and Hurrian. Knownfrom inscriptions and equating with IŠKUR.Probably of Hurrian origin.See also TARHUNT; TELEPINU.Tarvos TrigaranosBull god. Romano-Celtic (Gallic). Knownchiefly from a four-sided monument erectednear Paris by boatmen of the Seine during thereign of the emperor Tiberius. It depicts ESUS,VULCANUS, JUPITER and Tarvos. As Tarvos Trigaranos,he is drawn as a bull with three craneson its back and can be seen at such places asDorchester in England. The bull may alternativelybear three horns.TasenetnofretGoddess. Egyptian. The consort of HORUS asHAROERIS and regarded as a minor emanation ofthe goddess HATHOR. Known from the sanctuaryof Kom-Ombo.Tašmetu(m)Goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The consort of the god NABU.TašmišuAttendant god. Hittite and Hurrian. The siblingof the weather god TEŠUB.TateCreator god. Sioux [USA]. He appears in theclouds, his voice is the wind and he controls thechanging of the seasons. He is also the guide ofthe spirits of the dead. He is the deity with whomthe Sioux shamans intercede.

Tatosi 305Tate Hautse Kupuri (mother north water).Rain and water goddess. Huichol Indian(Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. Similar to TATEKYEWIMOKA, but also responsible for mistsand fogs.Tate Kyewimoka (mother west water)Rain and water goddess. Huichol Indian(Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. Appears in lightningand is said to resemble a red snake. She lives in adeep gorge with caves, in Santa Catarina, andbrings the rain from the west. Her animalsinclude deer and ravens and she is also the goddessof the corn.Tate Naaliwahi (mother east water)Rain and water goddess. Huichol Indian(Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. Appears in lightningand brings rain from the east. She lives in a deepgorge with caves, in Santa Catarina.Tate Oteganaka (mother corn)Corn goddess. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The mother of the sun god TAYAU.guards it. In human form the night sky with itsstars are her dress.Tatenen (exalted earth)Chthonic god. Egyptian. Originates as a vegetationgod from Memphis, the apotheosis of the Nile siltwhich appears after the inundation has subsided.As a vegetation god, he is depicted anthropomorphicallywith green face and limbs and wearing acrown with plumes subtended by ram’s horns. Bythe time of the Old Kingdom (twenty-seventh totwenty-second centuries BC) he is recognized as anemanation of the god PTAH, involved in the creationprocess and mentioned on the Shabaka Stone(Memphis), where he is described as “father of thegods” and is perceived as an androgynous being.He also protects the royal dead.Tatevali (our grandfather)God of fire. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Also a deity of life and health, perceivedas a shaman who prophesies and cures disease. Heis the tutelary god of shamans and is said to havebuilt the first Huichol temple with the godTATOSI. His animals include the macaw, royaleagle, cardinal bird, puma and opossum.Tate Rapawiyema (mother south water)Rain and water goddess. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Similar to TATE KYEWIMOKA,but also the patron goddess of Laguna de Magdalena,where she is believed to take the form ofa water lizard.Tate Velika VimaliSun goddess. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Perceived as a young girl or as a royaleagle who holds the world in her talons andTathatavasita (control of the such-ness)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a group ofVASITAS personifying the disciplines of spiritualregeneration. Color: white. Attribute: white lotus.Tatosi (great grandfather deer tail)God of fire. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A deity regarded as the son of TATEVALI,having been created from the plumes of his father,but also the chief god of deer. His sacred animalis the white-tailed hawk. Also Mara Kwari.

306 Tatqa’hicninTatqa’hicnin (root man)Vegetation spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].A vaguely defined being who is chthonic and livesunder the ground, presumably controlling edibleroots and their availability.Taumata-AtuaVegetation god. Polynesian (including Maori).He presides over the fields and may be thegod Rongomatane under an alternative name. InMaori culture Taumata-Atua, like all deities, isrepresented only by inconspicuous, slightlyworked stones or pieces of wood and not by thelarge totems, which are depictions of ancestors.TawaCreator god. Pueblo Indian [USA]. The apotheosisof the sun and father of the tribe.TAWERET (the great one)ORIGIN Egyptian. Goddess of childbirth.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP probably circa 2500BC until the end of Egyptian history circa AD400.SYNONYMS Thoueris (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT no obvious cult centers, butrepresented in the Karnak complex at Thebes.ART REFERENCES a favorite subject for amuletsand perforated vases.LITERARY SOURCES generally in texts includingmagical spells.Taweret is a goddess who enjoyed popularityamong rank-and-file Egyptians and whose protectionwas sought particularly by women inpregnancy. She is depicted either in human formor as a hybrid with the head of a hippopotamus,human breasts and swollen belly, leonine limbsand a crocodile tail. This unusual aspect isintended to frighten off malignant forces beforeand during childbirth. Taweret often holds theSA symbol of protection clasped over her vulva.Talismanic vases are fashioned in the shape of thegoddess, with holes at the nipples through whichmilk could be poured during rites.Her benign nature contrasts with that of SETH,often depicted as a male hippopotamus, an animalwhose destructive behavior in the river and adjacentfields was well known.TawhakiHeroic god. Polynesian and Maori. A descendantof the creator god Rehua and grandson of Whatitiri,the goddess of thunder, Tawhaki is the thirdchild of Hema and Urutonga. He is the youngersibling of the goddess Pupu-mai-nono and thegod Karihi. In some Polynesian traditionsTawhaki is thought of as a mortal ancestor whoseconsort was the goddess Tangotango on whom hefathered a daughter, Arahuta. Tawhaki’s fatherwas killed during tribal warfare with a mythicalclan known as the Ponaturi and he himself wasthe subject of jealous rivalry concerning the goddessHine-Piripiri. During this time attemptswere made to kill him. He fathered children byHine-Piripiri, including Wahieroa, who is generallyperceived as being embodied in comets.TawhirimateaGod of winds. Polynesian (including Maori). Oneof the children of the prime parents RANGINUI andPAPATUANUKU. He was uniquely opposed to theseparation of his mother and father, sky and earth,at the time of the creation of the cosmos, and inconsequence spends his time harassing and troublingmankind. In Maori culture Papatuanuku, likeall deities, is represented only by inconspicuous,slightly worked stones or pieces of wood and not bythe large totems, which are depictions of ancestors.

Tecciztecatl 307Ta’xetGod of death. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. The deity responsible for thosewho die violently.See also TIA.Ta’yanSupreme being. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].An indefinite character living somewhere in thezenith and generally out of touch with ordinarymortals. His consort is Supervisor Woman, Lapna’utand his son is Cloud Man, YA’HALAN. Heconducts business with the physical earth throughhis majordomo Big Raven, QUIKINNA’QU.See also TENANTO’MWAN.Tayau (father sun)Sun god. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican) [Mexico].According to tradition, he was created bythe ancient shamans, who threw the youthful sonof the corn mother TATE OTEGANAKA into anoven in full ceremonial attire. He traveled undergroundand emerged in the east as the sun. Inlate May, the Huichol sacrifice a sheep and aturkey in a ritual fire, after which they sing allnight until sunrise. Also Tau; Taverik.Tayau SakaimokaSun god. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican) [Mexico].The deity of the setting sun in the west,regarded as the assistant of TAYAU.Te-Aka-la-Roe (root of all existence)Creator being. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. Perceivedin the form of a giant worm, this being isone of three spirits which govern and ensure thepermanence of the universe. He lives in the lowestpart of the root of the coconut shell whichrepresents the world.Te-Manava-Roa (long-lived)Creator being. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. Perceivedin the form of a giant worm, this being isone of three spirits which govern and ensure thepermanence of the universe. He lives in the highestpart of the root of the coconut shell whichrepresents the world.Te Kore (the void)Primordial being. Polynesian (including Maori).The personification of the darkness of chaosbefore light came into being. Usually coupledwith TE PO, the unknown night.Te PoPrimordial being. Polynesian (including Maori).The personification of the night which existed inchaos before the creation of light. Usually coupledwith TE KORE, the void.Te-Tanga-Engae (breathing)Creator being. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. Perceivedin the form of a giant worm, this being isone of three spirits which govern and ensure thepermanence of the universe. He lives in the middlepart of the root of the coconut shell whichrepresents the world.Tecciztecatl (conch shell lord)Moon god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].In cosmogony, when on the fifth day of creationthe gods sat in judgment to elect the newsun god, NANAHUATL and Tecciztecatl crematedthemselves in the sacred fire. The heart ofNanahuatl ascended to become the new sun andthat of Tecciztecatl became the moon. Traditionsuggests that Nanahuatl is diseased and impoverishedbut of great courage, while Tecciztecatl is

308 Tefnutwealthy and a coward. Alternatively, the pair aresons of QUETZALCOATL and of TLALOC and werehurled into the fire by their fathers. Also one ofthe group classed as the TEZCATLIPOCA complex.NOTE: eventually all the gods sacrificed themselvesfor mankind.TefnutPrimordial goddess of moisture. Egyptian.According to the genealogy laid down by thepriests of Heliopolis, Tefnut was created out ofthe breath or spit of the creator sun god ATUM.She is the sister of ŠU, god of the air, and themother of GEB and NUT. Her main cult sanctuarywas at Heliopolis. Tefnut, like Šu, can becomeone of several manifestations of the “eye of RE” inwhich case she appears as a lion, or in humanform but with a leonine head. According to thePyramid Texts, she creates pure water from hervagina. In a different context she takes the form ofa snake encircling a scepter.Tegid FoelWater goddess. Celtic (Welsh). One of a pair withCERIDWEN, identified by the poet Taliesin.Teharon(hiawagon) (he who holds heavenin his hands)Creator god. Mohawk Indian [USA and Canada].He engendered the world and all living thingsand is invoked by shamans to provide good healthand prosperity. His adversary is the demonic figureTawiskaron, symbolizing darkness.Teicauhtzin (younger brother)Minor god of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A patron god of Mexico and one of thegroup classed as the HUITZILPOCHTLI complex.TeisbasTutelary god. Urartian [Armenia]. Known frominscriptions.Tejosnisa (sharp)God. Buddhist. Apparently connected with theguardian deities or dikpalas in the southeasternquarter. Color: whitish red. Attribute: sun disc.TELEPINUORIGIN Hittite and Hurrian (Anatolia) [Turkey].Vegetation and fertility god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1800 BC orearlier until 1100 BC or later.SYNONYMS Telipuna.CENTER(S) OF CULT associated with at least fourcities in the Turus region, including Nerik, butalso known down into the Syrian plain.ART REFERENCES seals and seal impressions;sculptures; monumental rock carvings.LITERARY SOURCES texts from Boghazkoy, etc.Telepinu is a fertility god, the son of TEŠUB or,in alternative tradition, TARU, who brings thunder,lightning and rain. He may be of Hurrianorigin. He goes missing and is rediscovered tosymbolize the annual demise and restoration ofnature.The story of his disappearance is told in severaldiffering narratives, and his role is sometimestaken by the weather god Tešub. Essentially thelegend describes how Telepinu departs from theHittite kingdom in a rage with boots on thewrong feet. The sun god gives a feast for thethousand gods of Hatti, but is unable to feed allthe guests because there is not enough food inthe land. First an eagle, then Tešub himself, goout to search. Finally the goddess HANNAHANNASsends a bee which finds and stings the sleepingTelepinu, provoking still further rage in nature

Terra Mater 309(the Finnish legend of the hero Lemminkainentells a comparable story). Telepinu eventuallyreturns home, calmed, and nature returns toprosperity.The god may have received a form of tree worshipin which a hollow trunk was filled with harvestofferings.TelikoGod of hot winds. Bambara [Mali, West Africa].According to tradition the water god FARO challengedhim in a primordial struggle and smashedhim against a mountain.which was then transformed into its present stateby the raven-like majordomo KU’URKIL.Tenanto’mwanCreator spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].Identified particularly with the reindeer-huntingKoryak on the Taigonos peninsula. An indefiniteand remote character living somewhere in thezenith of the sky. He created the world which wasthen transformed into its present state byQUIKINNA’QU. Tenanto’mwan is the name alwaysused when addressing the creator in incantations.See also YA’QHICNIN.TeljavelikCreator god. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. Heengendered the sun god SAULE and is described asthe heavenly smith.TellusChthonic primordial earth mother. Roman. Acorn deity, generally regarded as benevolent, butalso a goddess of the dead. Enemy armies wereoffered to her and cursed in her name. Both sheand the corn goddess CERES were propitiatedwith human sacrifice. Also TERRA MATER.Telpochtli (male youth)Omnipotent god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A universal and generally malevolentpower. One of the group classed as the TEZ-CATLIPOCA complex.Tepeyollotl (hill heart)Minor chthonic or earth god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the TEZCATLIPOCA complex. He wasoriginally an earthquake god, symbolized by thejaguar and later adopted into the Aztec pantheon.TepoztecatlMinor fertility god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as theOmetochtli complex concerned with the magueyplant and the brewing of the alcoholic drinkpulque.TerminusGod of passage. Roman. Embodied in boundarymarker stones. He was celebrated in the Terminaliafestival on February 23.Tenanto’mniCreator spirit. Chukchee (eastern Siberia]. Anindefinite and remote character living somewherein the zenith of the sky. He created the worldTerra MaterChthonic primordial earth mother. Roman.Derived from Greek model.See also TELLUS.

310 TESUBTESUBORIGIN Hittite and Hurrian (Anatolia) [Turkey].Weather god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1800 BC orearlier until circa 1100 BC or later.SYNONYMS TEŠUP and possibly ŠUTEKH.CENTER(S) OF CULT Hattusas (Boghazköy);Arinna; many other sanctuaries in the Taurusregion and northern Syrian plain.ART REFERENCES seals and seal impressions;sculpture; rock carving.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform and hieroglyphictexts from Boghazköy and elsewhere.Tešub is the most important deity in Hittite statereligion, although he may be subservient to theSun God(dess) of ARINNA. Principally a weathergod, as befits a mountainous region experiencingfrequent storms and otherwise changeable climate.Also a god of battle and “king of heaven,lord of the land of Hatti.” His consort is generallyidentified as HEBAT. According to legend, Tešubis involved in a typical confrontation battle withthe forces of disorder in the form of a dragon,Illuyankas. He defeats the dragon, thus symbolizingthe re-invigoration of the earth after winterand the triumph of life over death. The dramaseems to have been enacted in a New Year springfestival of Purulliyas.The king of the Hittite kingdom was Tešub’shigh priest. A fragmented document describes aritual in which the statue of the god is taken, incompany with temple prostitutes, to a Tarnu (culticor bath) house in a sacred grove where variousrites are performed over it. Tešub sometimesplays the role of the missing vegetation god (seeTELEPINU). Sculptures at Malatya identify ramsacrifices. Tešub is depicted holding a bow andstanding on a horned animal or in a chariot drawnby bulls.Tešub was imported into Greece during theMycenaean period (circa 1500-1200 BC). Bronzestatuettes of the god have been discovered atMycenae, Tiryns, Phylakopi and Delos.Teteo Innan Teteo (gods their mother)Minor god of fire. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A paternalistic deity associated withfire. One of the group classed as the XIUHTE-CUHTLI complex.TeteoinnanGoddess of curers and medical diviners. Aztec(classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. The head ofthe group classed as the Teteoinnan complex.Teteoinnan-TociGoddess of midwives. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Known locally in the Valleyof Mexico and invoked by women in childbirth.One of the group classed as the TETEOINNANcomplex.TethysSea goddess. Greek. One of the TITANS, thedaughter of OURANOS and GAIA and both thesister and the consort of OKEANOS.Tetzahauteotl (god of fearful omen)Minor god of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A patron god of Mexico andone of the group classed as the HUITZILPOCHTLIcomplex.Tetzahuitl (fearful omen)Minor god of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A patron god of Mexico and one of thegroup classed as the HUITZILPOCHTLI complex.

TEZCATLIPOCA 311Teuhcatl (he of Teutlan)Local god of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Also a hunting god and one of thegroup classed as the Mixcoatl complex.TeutatesLocal tribal deity. Romano-Celtic (Gallic).Known only from limited inscriptions. Teutatesmay be less the name of a deity than an epithetmeaning “great.” According to the Roman writerLucan, he is one of three Celtic gods encounteredby Caesar’s army in Gaul and the object ofsavage rites in which victims were drowned insacrificial lakes. He may equate with a British god,Totatis. He becomes assimilated variously toMercury or MARS. Also Teutatis.Tewi’xilakGod of goat-hunters. Dza’wadeenox Indian[British Columbia, Canada]. The eldest sonof the supreme god QA’WADILIQALA. Said tokill goats with great ease and feed the tribe.Attributes include a head band of red cedarbark.Tezcacoac Ayopechtli (mirror serpenttortoise bench)Birth goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. An aspect of XOCHIQUETZAL. One ofthe group classed as the TETEOINNAN complex.TEZCATLIPOCA (smoking mirror)ORIGIN Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Sun god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 750 toAD 1500, but probably much earlier.SYNONYMS Moyocoya.CENTER(S) OF CULT none.ART REFERENCES stone sculptures; murals; codexillustrations.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.According to creation mythology, the greatmother in the thirteenth heaven became pregnantand the 400 star gods who were jealous ofher child plotted to destroy it at birth. They wererestrained in a cavern, however, until the momentwhen Tezcatlipoca emerged, fully armed, fromhis mother and destroyed his enemies. His onlyally was his sister COYOLXAUHQUI, who was lostin the battle and whose head the god hurled intothe heavens to live there as the moon. Alternativetradition describes Tezcatlipoca as the product ofthe self-created primordial beings TONACATE-CUHTLI and TONACACIHUATL.He presides over the first of the five world agespersonified by the sun 4 OCELOTL. He is also theruler of the tenth of the thirteen heavens knownat the time of the Spanish conquest, Teotl Iztacan(the place of the white god).Tezcatlipoca and QUETZALCOATL are, in somecontexts, antagonists, but alternatively they worktogether to restore the shattered universe andinitiate the fifth (present) sun. Tezcatlipocatransformed himself into an avatara MIXCOATL-CAMAXTLI, the “red Tezcatlipoca” (also said tobe his son), to create fire. He is also the greatmagician who dragged the earth mother fromthe primordial waters in the form of a hugealligator, CIPACTLI. In the struggle she bit offhis left foot, but to prevent her from sinkingback into the waters of creation he tore out herlower jaw.Tezcatlipoca is the patron deity of young warriorsand is capable of excesses of cruelty. A sacrificialvictim was chosen annually and killed byhaving his heart torn out.The god is perceived in various aspects and colors,according to the position of the sun. In theeast he is yellow or white, in the south blue (see

312 Tezcatlipoca-Itztlacoliuhquialso HUITZILPOCHTLI), in the west red and in thenorth black.Tezcatlipoca-ItztlacoliuhquiTemple deity. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of four described in the codicesBorgia, Cospi and Fejervary-Mayer.See also TONATIUH, CENTEOCIHUATL andMICTLANTECUHTLI.TezcatzoncatlMinor fertility god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as the Ometochtlicomplex concerned with the maguey plantand the brewing of the alcoholic drink pulque.ThatmanituLocal goddess of healing. Western Semitic. Recognizedchiefly at Sidon, but also included in theUgaritic pantheon.TheaGoddess. Greek. One of the TITANS, consort ofHYPERION and mother of the sun god HELIOSand of the goddesses EOS (dawn) and SELENE(moon). Also Theia.TheandrosGod. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian. Known onlyfrom Greek and Roman inscriptions.Thab-IhaHearth god. Bon (pre-Lamaist) [Tibet]. Color:red. Attribute: a snake in the form of a noose.Thakur DeoLocal god. Hindu. Known from various villagesin northern India. His consort is DHARTI MATA.May appear with a white horse. Also Thakkur.ThalnaGoddess of childbirth. Etruscan. Depicted as ayouthful woman, often associated with the skygod TIN.ThanatosMinor god of death. Greek. According to legend,he is one of the two sons of NYX, the goddess ofnight, and lives in a remote cave beside the riverLethe which he shares with his twin brotherHYPNOS, god of sleep.ThemisGoddess of justice and order. Greco-Roman. Adaughter of the sky god OURANOS and earthmother GAIA, though not classed as one of theTitans. A consort of ZEUS and the mother ofthe Horae and Moires. She is the impartial deitywho sits blindfolded in Hades and judges thesouls of the dead to determine whether they willpass to the Elysian fields or to the fires of Tartarus.Attended by three lesser judgmentdeities, AEACOS, MINOS and RHADAMANTHOS.The guilty are handed over to the Furies—theDirae, Erinyes or Eumenides. At Rhamnus inAttica, Themis was accorded a sanctuary builtin the sixth century BC beside which that ofNEMESIS, goddess of indignation, was built in thefifth century.ThesanGoddess of the dawn. Etruscan. Also invoked atchildbirth, since she brings new life into the worldeach day with her light.

THOTH 313ThetisGoddess of rivers and oceans. Greek. One of thedaughters of NEREUS, Thetis takes responsibility,with OKEANOS, for the oceans and rivers. She isamong the lesser known deities; according tomythology she is a mermaid, but she is particularlysignificant as the mother of Achilles by anunnamed mortal. According to legend sheattempted to render him immortal by immersinghim in the waters of the Styx. She failed becausethe heel by which she held him had remained dry.His education she entrusted to the centaur Chiron.She was surrounded by attendant sea creaturesknown as Nereids and after Achilles’s deathshe returned to the ocean depths.champion wearing iron gloves and a girdle ofmight, and wielding a short-handled hammer,Mjollnir, which creates lightning when struckagainst stone and becomes a thunderbolt whenthrown. He may also carry an ax and both mayrepresent fertility symbols. The swastika, thoughtto derive from the ax, becomes associated withhim and he may be further symbolized by a sacredgold or silver arm-ring.Thor possesses a prodigious appetite for foodand drink. He rides the heavens in a chariotdrawn by two goats, Tanngniost and Tanngrisnir,whose wheels cause the sound of the thunder. Heis strongly linked with trees and sacred groves.The name Thor is the origin of Thursday.THOR (thunder god)ORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). Primarily god of warbut also a deity of the sky, storms, sea journeysand the administration of justice.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period circaAD 700 and earlier, until well into the Christianera, probably until AD 1100 or later.SYNONYMS HORAGALLES (Lappish); Thunor(Anglo-Saxon).CENTER(S) OF CULT Uppsala (Sweden); Dublin(Ireland); many others throughout the Nordicregion.ART REFERENCES small sculptures and reliefs;probably the subject of other anonymouscarvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; ProseEdda (Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); votiveinscriptions; place names.Thor is one of the more important AESIR sky godsin Norse religion, the chief defender of the realmsof Asgard. His mother is said to be lord, the primamateria of earth, and he lives in the hall Bilskirnir.He probably achieved greater popularity thanOTHIN. Described as a massive red-beardedTHOTHORIGIN Egyptian. God of the moon and ofwisdom.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilthe end of Egyptian history circa AD 400.SYNONYMS Djeheuty (archaic).CENTER(S) OF CULT Khemnu [el-Ashmunein] orHermopolis (Greek). Also in the Sinai, inNubia and in the Dakhleh oasis in the westerndesert.ART REFERENCES sculpture; stone reliefs; wallpaintings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; coffin texts,etc.Thoth is the patron deity of scribes and of knowledge,including scientific, medical and mathematicwriting, and is said to have given mankindthe art of hieroglyphic writing. He is important asa mediator and counselor among the gods and isthe scribe of the Heliopolis ENNEAD pantheon.Thoth is described in some inscriptions as a sonof RE, but according to mythology he was bornfrom the head of the god SETH. He may bedepicted in human form with the head of an ibis,

314 Thuremlinwholly as an ibis, or as a seated baboon sometimeswith its torso covered in feathers. Hisattributes include a crown which consists of acrescent moon surmounted by a moon disc.Thoth is generally regarded as a benign deity.He is also scrupulously fair and is responsible notonly for entering in the record the souls who passto the afterlife, but of ajudicating in the Hall of theTwo Truths. The Pyramid Texts reveal a violentside of his nature by which he decapitates theadversaries of truth and wrenches out their hearts.ThuremlinGod of passage. Australasia. Local deity of severaltribes in New South Wales. Said to oversee thetransition from adolescence to manhood. The initiatewas taken away by the god, “killed,” restoredto life and endured a tooth being knocked out tosignify the arrival of adulthood and full incorporationinto the society of the tribe. Also Daramulun.Tia (death by violence)God of death. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. Those who are about to die aviolent death are said to hear him groaning aboutthe camp and see him as a headless corpse withblood flowing endlessly from his severed neck.He flies through the air.See also TA’XET.TIAMATORIGIN Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian)[Iraq]. Primordial creator goddess.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 2000 BC untilcirca 200 BC.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT Babylon.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae; glyptics,etc.LITERARY SOURCES cuneiform texts, particularlythe creation epic Enuma Eliš.Tiamat is the power of the ocean waters and isintimately involved with the Babylonian creationstory. She combines with the underground freshwaters of APSU to give birth to eleven monstrousbeings and is said to have been enraged by thedeath of Apsu at the hands of ENKI and at thebehest of a group of gods headed by MARDUK. Inrevenge she forms other deities in the primordialcosmos into a rival group and chooses, as her secondconsort, the minor god Kingu to lead herarmy against Marduk. Marduk ultimately splitsher in two, making the vault of heaven out of onehalf, using her eyes as the sources of the Tigrisand Euphrates, and heaping the mountains overher head.TiberinusRiver god. Roman. The deity of the river Tiber.His consort is one of the Vestal Virgins sacrificedby drowning. His sanctuary was built on an islandin the river and, until some time during theRepublican period, all bridges across the riverwere made wholly of wood so as not to offendhim. The adverse connotations of iron are unclear,but its use was forbidden by official decree.Tien MuGoddess of lightning. Chinese. She is said to flashher mirror at an intended victim of the god LEIKUNG’S thunderbolts to ensure his aim.T’ien Tsun (heavenly and honored)Generic title of gods. Taoist (Chinese). The namegiven to each of the three holy images in a Taoisttemple: the “perfect holy one,” the “highest holyone” and the “greatest holy one.” Also Tian-zhu.

TIN HAU 315TienoltsodiGod of oceans and fresh water. Navaho [USA].He controls the waters which have fallen onearth, as distinct from those in the heavens, whichare ruled by the rain god TONENILI.Tifenua (lord of the land)Chthonic fertility god. Polynesian [Tikopia]. Heis linked with the sea god FAIVARONGO and withthe sky god ATUA I KAFIKA. His father is Pusiuraura,a powerful deity personified by the reef eel,and his mother is one of the Sa-Nguti-Te-Moana.Also Pu-I-Te-Moana.Ti’hmarSupreme god. Kolyma Tungus [Siberia]. Thename by which the Christian god was stilladdressed after local culture was influenced byRussian Orthodoxy.TikiCreator god. Polynesian (including Maori). Oneof the children of RANGINUI and PAPATUANUKUwho created mankind. In some Polynesian traditionshe is represented as the first man, akin toAdam. The word is also incorporated in tikiwanangaor “god stick,” which describes thewooden or stone images of deities that are usuallyminimally worked and stand about 19.5 inchestall. Only thirty or so examples of these areknown, most having been destroyed by Christianmissions. The celebrated large Maori totems aredepictions of ancestors who appear as human/birdor reptile hybrids. Also Ki’i (Hawaiian).Tiksnosnisa (hot and sharp)God. Buddhist. Apparently connected with theguardian deities or dikpalas in the northwesternquarter. Color: sky green (possibly meaning“overcast”). Attributes: book and sword.TillaBull god. Hittite and Hurrian. The attendant andvehicle of the weather god TEŠUB.Timaiti-Ngava Ringavari (soft-bodied)Primordial being. Polynesian [Hervey Islands].The female principle which, with TIMATEKORE,engendered the earth mother PAPATUANUKU.Timatekore (nothing more)Primordial being. Polynesian [Hervey Islands].The male principle which, with TIMAITI-NGAVARINGAVARI, engendered the earth mother PAPAT-UANUKU.TinSky god. Etruscan. His attribute is a bunch oflightning flashes and he may appear in associationwith THALNA, goddess of birth. In Roman culturehe becomes syncretized with JUPITER.TIN HAU (queen of heaven)ORIGIN Taoist (Chinese). Goddess of waters.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 1300 untilpresent.SYNONYMS Lin Ma-Tzu; Ma-Niang; Ma-Tzu.CENTER(S) OF CULT Hangchow and throughoutChinese culture.ART REFERENCES paintings and sculptures.LITERARY SOURCES various philosophical andreligious texts, mostly inadequately researchedand as yet untranslated.Tin Hau originates as a mortal born on the islandof Mei-Chou in the Fukien province of China,

316 Tinirauthe daughter of a minor official. She died at theage of twenty-eight, having perfected herself andhaving experienced recurrent dreams of savingfishing boats from the waters close to her village.This tradition was inscribed on the walls of asanctuary in Hangchow in AD 1228.Tin Hau was deified in 1278 by the Mongolemperor Kublai Khan, who introduced the title“queen of heaven.” The first of the Ch’ingemperors subsequently conferred on her the title“imperial consort.” She was thus subordinate onlyto Yu Huang Shang Ti, the Jade Emperor.Tin Hau was first worshiped as a guardian goddessof boats and fishermen, but her role wasextended so that she became the deity of oceansand fresh waters. She is celebrated in a festival onthe twenty-third day of the third month. In artshe is frequently depicted with two grotesqueattendant figures known as “Thousand LeagueEyes” and “Favoring Wind Ears.”Tinirau (innumerable)Fish god. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. The secondoffspring of the great mother VARI-MA-TE-TAKERE and the younger sibling of AVATEA. He issaid to live in the coconut of the world on a sacredisle called Motu-Tapu immediately below thehome of Avatea and to own ponds full of all kindsof fish. He is depicted as half man (right side) andhalf fish (left side) in the form of a sprat.TinnitGoddess. Pontic (Carthaginian).See also TANIT.Tino TaataCreator god. Polynesian [Society Islands]. Probablyregarded as the tutelary deity who engenderedmankind and equating therefore to the morewidely recognized Polynesian god TANGAROA.TirGod of wisdom. Pre-Christian Armenian. Alsoconcerned with writing and revered as an oracle.TirawaCreator god. Pawnee Indian [USA]. A remoteand vaguely defined figure who is present inthe elements of wind and storm. Lightning isthe flashing of his eye. He provides the tribewith all their needs and is invoked by the Pawneeshamans.Tirumal (the excellent black one)Creator god. Early Dravidian (Tamil). Thoughtto reside in trees and equating with VIŠNU. Inlater Hinduism used as an epithet of Višnu.TišpakGod. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Thetutelary deity of the city of Ešnumma.TitansA race of gods. Greek. The secondary group ofdeities in the pre-Hellenic pantheon, headed bythe sky god OURANOS and the earth motherGAIA. They have six pairs of children: OKEANOSand TETHYS, KRONOS and RHEA, HYPERION andTHEA, Koeos and Phoebe, IAPETOS and Klymene,Kreos and Eurybe. According to legend the childrenusurped their father but were eventuallybeaten by ZEUS, heading the major group ofthe pantheon, who hurled them into the abyss ofTartaros.Titlacahuan (we his slaves)Ominoptent god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A universal and generally malevolent

Tlalehitonatiuh 317power. One of the group classed as the TEZ-CATLIPOCA complex.Tuesley in Surrey, England, derive from the nameof the god.TIWAZ (derives from Indo-European wordfor god, dieus)ORIGIN Germanic (northwestern Europe). Chiefsky god; god of war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC andprobably earlier until Christianization circa AD1100.SYNONYMS Tyr; Tiw or Tig (Anglo-Saxon);Teiwa (archaic).CENTER(S) OF CULT scattered forest sanctuaries.ART REFERENCES reliefs in stone and metal.LITERARY SOURCES runic inscriptions (seeWodan).Germanic war god and probably chief amongtheir sky gods, one of two contenders onwhich OTHIN may have been modeled inNordic (Icelandic) culture. Classical writersidentified the Roman war god MARS withTiwaz, thus for the third day of the week wehave mardi in French but Tuesday in English.The runic symbol for Tiwaz is sometimes cuton spears, presumably to offer talismanic protection.Tiwaz represents law and order andappears as a more honest judiciary than Othin(see Othin).According to legend, Tiwaz is a one-armed god,having sacrificed his hand to the jaws of the wolfFenrir so that it might be bound up. This mayhave been the origin of a practice by which,according to Tacitus, the Germanic Semnonestribe bound the hands and feet of those enteringa woodland sanctuary, probably dedicated toTiwaz. At Ragnarok (doom) it is believed thatFenrir will break free and swallow the sun.According to Snorri (Prose Edda) the wolf Garm,possibly Fenrir by another name, kills Tiwaz inthe final battle of the gods. Place names such asTi’ykitiySun spirit. Yakut [southeastern and centralSiberia]. Often identified with the supreme beingAYI’URU’N TOYO’N.Ti’zil-KutkhuGuardian spirit. Kamchadal [southeasternSiberia]. One of the sons of the creator spiritKUTKHU, his consort is SI’DUKU and he isconsidered to be the progenitor of the Kamchadaltribe.Tlacahuepan (human beam)Minor god of war. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A patron god of Mexico and one of thegroup classed as the HUITZILPOCHTLI complex.Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (lord of the dawn)God of the morning star (Venus). Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. An incarnation oravatara of the god creator QUETZALCOATL andone of the group classed as the Mixcoatl complex.The ruler of the twelfth of the thirteen heavensknown at the time of the Spanish conquest, TeotlTlatlauhcan (the place of the red god). In othertraditions (described in codices Borgia and VaticanusB) he is one of the four gods supporting thelowest heaven at each cardinal point; he resides inthe east.Tlalehitonatiuh (on the earth sun)Chthonic underworld god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed asthe MICTLANTECUHTLI complex.

318 TLALOCTLALOCORIGIN Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Rain god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP mainly circa AD 750to AD 1500, but probably much earlier and stillcontinuing among peasants in rural areas.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT Tenochtitlan, Teotihuacan,Tula, etc.ART REFERENCES stone sculptures; murals andcodex illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.One of the principal personalities in Aztec creationmythology, Tlaloc was fashioned with thewater goddess CHALCHIUHTLICUE. According tosome traditions he is the father of the moon godTECCIZTECATL, whom he sacrificed in the greatfire to engender the moon. He is also perceived asthe ruler of the eighth of the thirteen heavensknown at the time of the Spanish conquest,Ilhuicatl Xoxouhcan (the blue heaven). He is afertility god who created water and rain andpresided over the third of the five world ages,which he ended with a great fiery rain. He hascontrol over lightning. He is perceived in fourforms—black, white, blue and red—but typicallyblue with “goggles” over the eyes and serpentfangs. It has been suggested that he evolved froma jaguar-type animistic deity worshiped by theOlmecs. He was propitiated to bring rain at theend of the dry season by sacrificing large numbersof small children on mountain altars.At Tenochtitlan, the Great Temple is dedicatedjointly to HUITZILOPOCHTLI and Tlaloc. One ofthe best sculptures is from Cuilapan, Oaxaca(early classic period). A tableau among the palacemurals of Tepantitla is allegedly dominated bythe god from whose hands flow droplets of waterwith a background of trees, butterflies andhuman figures. Wall paintings including a muraldepiction exist at Zacuala. At Tula, Hidalgo,Pyramid B used by the Toltecs includes humansculptures known as chacmools, holding disheswhich are believed to have held human heartsfor Tlaloc.Tlaloque-Tepictoton (the small moldedones)Fertility and rain god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The personification of small, rainbearinghills. One of the group classed as theTLALOC complex.TlaltecuhtliChthonic creator goddess. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. In Aztec cosmogony,Tlaltecuhtli is a monstrous, toad-like figurewhose body is cleaved in two by the gods TEZ-CATLIPOCA and QUETZALCOATL to fashion heavenand earth. The ruler of the second of the thirteenheavens known at the time of the Spanish conquest,Ilhuicatl Tlalocan Ipan Metztli (the heavenof the paradise of the rain god over the moon),she is also one of the group classed as the MICT-LANTECUHTLI complex. She is said to swallow thesun each evening and disgorge it in the dawn. Shealso devours the blood and hearts of sacrificialvictims and the souls of the dead.See also CIPACTLI.Tlazolteotl (Ixcuiname)Chthonic or earth goddess. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. Known locally from thegulf coast region of Huaxteca. A maternal goddesslinked with sexual sin and personifying filth. Oneof the group of fertility deities classed as theTETEOINNAN complex.

Tomwo’get 319Tloque Nahauque (ruler of the near andthe adjacent)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as the Omeotlcomplex.through the magical power of a waterfall. Hispriest wears similar attire to that of Nayenezgani,but the mask is painted with red ocher except fora triangular black area bordered with white. Italso has a fringe of yellow or red wool.Tna’nto (dawn coming out)Spirit of the dawn. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].The apotheosis of the first light of dawn in theeastern sky.TokakamiGod of death. Huichol Indian (Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. His chief antagonist is the moon goddessMETSAKA.Tnecei’vune (dawn walking woman)Spirit of the dawn. Chukchee [southeasternSiberia]. The female consort of the dawn.See also TNE’SGAN, MRATNA’IRGIN, LIETNA’IR-GIN and NA’CHITNA’IRGIN.Tne’sgan (top of the dawn)Spirit of the dawn. Chukchee [southeasternSiberia]. One of four beings controllingthe dawn in different directions. Sacrifice ismade and blood is sprinkled in the appropriatedirection.Toa’lalitGod of hunters. Bella Coola Indian [BritishColumbia, Canada]. Oversees the hunting ofmountain goats. He is invisible, but great huntersmay catch a glimpse of his hat, moccasins ormountain staff moving about. His animals are thelynx and raven.Tobadzistsini (child of the water)War god. Navaho [USA]. Considered youngerand inferior to NAYENEZGANI, the chief wargod of the Navaho. His mother conceived himToko’yoto (crab)Guardian spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].In Koryak tradition, one of the “owners” of theworld, the master and creator of the PacificOcean. His name is that of a large sea crab. Insome legends he is the father of MITI, the motherof the Koryak people.Tomiyauhtecuhtli (our male maizeefflorescence lord)Fertility and rain god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as theTLALOC complex.TomorCreator god. Illyrian [Albania]. Also a god of thewinds. Depicted in human form attended byeagles and still invoked by rural peasants.Tomwo’get (self-created)Archetypal creator being. Koryak [southeasternSiberia]. The consort of Ha’na and father ofSupreme Being, TENANTO’MWAN, and of BigRaven, QUIKINNA’QU.

320 TonacacihuatlTonacacihuatl (our flesh lady)Primordial deity. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. In the most widely accepted Aztec cosmogony,this is the self-created, eternal, femaleprinciple who combines with TONACATECUHTLIto create all life, transferring souls from heaven tothe mortal womb. It exists in the highest, thirteenthheaven and once engendered the sun godTEZCATLIPOCA, from whom all other deities inthe pantheon stemmed. One of the group classedas the Omeotl complex. Also Omecihuatl.Tonacatecuhtli (our flesh lord)Primordial deity. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. In the most widely accepted Aztec cosmogony,this is the self-created, eternal, maleprinciple who combines with TONACACIHUATLto create all life. It exists in the highest, thirteenthheaven and once engendered the sun god TEZ-CATLIPOCA, from whom all other deities in thepantheon stemmed. Also one of the group classedas the OMETEOTL complex. According to traditionTonacatecuhtli drove four roads through thecenter of the earth after the cataclysm of thefourth world age (Atl) to disperse the flood watersof the deluge. His four sons, aided by fourunnamed beings, raised the fallen sky which theypropped up on great trees created by Tezcatlipocaand QUETZALCOATL at the four cardinal points.See also TLAHUIZCALPANTECUHTLI, EHECATL-QUETZALCOATL and MICTLANTECUHTLI.In alternative mythology Tonacatecuhtli is theruler of the sixth of the thirteen heavens known atthe time of the Spanish conquest, Ilhuicatl Yayauhcan(the blackish heaven). Also OMETECUHTLI.Ilhuicatl Huixtotlan (heaven of the salt fertilitygoddess).Tonatiuh (soaring eagle)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. He presides over the fifth (present)world age, personified by the sun Ollin and destinedto end in a cataclysmic earthquake. He is theruler of the fourth of the thirteen heavens knownat the time of the Spanish conquest; also calledIlhuicatl Tonatiuh (the heaven of the sun). Inother texts, specifically codices Borgia, Cospi andFejervary-Mayer, he is depicted as a temple deity.ToneniliRain god. Navaho [USA]. The so-called “lord ofthe celestial waters,” he controls the rain fromthe skies as opposed to that of lakes, rivers andseas. He is said to scatter his waters to the fourcardinal points and storm clouds begin to gather.He is also the water-carrier for the other gods inthe pantheon. He wears a blue mask with a fringeof hair and a spruce collar, but is otherwise nakedsave for a scarlet loin-cloth and a leather belt withsilver ornamentation and a fox skin dangling atthe back. His attributes, in mythology only, aretwo wicker water-bottles, one blue and one black,whose strings are rainbows.TopohAstral god. Pokot and Suk [Uganda and westernKenya, East Africa]. The son of the creator godTORORUT and his consort SETA, he is god of theevening star.TonalequeGoddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].The ruler of the fifth of the thirteen heavensknown at the time of the Spanish conquest,TorkMountain god. Pre-Christian Armenian. Of terrifyingappearance, he is the guardian deity ofmountains and their inhabitants.

Toyo-Uke-Bime 321Tornarssuk (big tornak or shaman)Supreme being. Inuit. The master of the tornat,the group of controlling deities. He is essentiallybenevolent and can be communicated withthrough the individual tornak of a shaman. Hishome is in the underworld in the land of souls. Heis described as being of vague appearance, possiblyin the guise of a huge bear, though in GreenlandInuit tradition he lives in the sea, appearingas a large fat seal with long tentacles (i.e. possiblya cuttlefish). He devours the souls of those he cancapture. With the introduction of Christianity hewas syncretized with the devil.ToroCreator god. Ngbandi [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. He is perceived as a greatserpent, the son of KANGALOGBA, who is both thespirit of the dragonfly and the symbol of thesacred river Oubangui.TororutCreator god. Pokot and Suk [Uganda and westernKenya, East Africa]. He is invoked in a specialannual ceremony, which involves the sacrifice ofan ox, to ensure safety of crops and cattle. Thesame ritual is performed in times of drought,famine or plague. His brother is ASIS the sun god.His consort is SETA and their children includethe rain god ILAT, ARAWA the moon and TOPOHthe evening star.TotatisSee TEUTATES.Totilma’il (father-mother)Creator being. Mayan (Tzotzil, classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. An androgynous personalitywho represents the ancestral source of creation.TotoltecatlFertility god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as theOmetochtli complex concerned with the magueyplant and the brewing of the alcoholic drinkpulque.Tou MouGoddess of measure. Chinese. Usually depictedwith many arms and with a caste mark on herforehead, suggesting that she derives from thegoddess of the aurora, MARICI, in Indian Buddhism.She is considered to live in the constellationof Ursa Major and may also be an aspect ofthe astral goddess TIN HAU.Touia Fatuna (iron stone)Earth goddess. Polynesian [Tonga]. The daughterof Kele (slime) and Limu (seaweed), she is theapotheosis of rock deep in the earth and isperiodically in labor, at which time she rumblesand shakes and produces children.ToumouGod of uncertain function. Egyptian. A deitywhose mummy was allegedly kept at Heliopolis.Toyo-Uke-BimeGoddess of foodstuffs. Shinto [Japan]. Anambiguous deity often identified with Inari, she issaid in the Kojiki to be a daughter of Waku-Musubi-No-Kami and a great granddaughter ofIZANAGI and IZANAMI. Her main sanctuary is theGeku in Ise, whither she was allegedly removedfrom Tamba after the emperor had received adream-message from the sun goddess AMATERASUin AD 478.

322 ToziToziGoddess of healing. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Also the deity of sweet waterremedial baths.Trailokyavijaya (lord of three worlds)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). Seen standing on theHindu deities Mahesvara (ŠIVA) and GAURI.Color: blue. Attributes: arrow, bell, bow, club,hook, noose, prayer wheel, staff and sword. Alsoan alternative name for ACALA.Trayastrinsa (the thirty-three)Collective name for the group of deva gods.Hindu (Vedic). One of the many lists ofdeities in Hinduism, this one is contained inthe Rg Veda and includes thirty-three namesdivided into three groups of eleven in each ofthe three worlds. Subsequently, the DEVASwere separated into eight VASUS, twelveADITYAS, eleven RUDRAS and two ASVINS. In laterHinduism the number thirty-three is increasedhyperbolically to 330 million and deva refers togods excluding the major triad of BRAHMA,VIŠNU and ŠIVA.TriglavGod of war. Slav (Baltic). The head of the pantheonin Stettin and also mentioned in associationwith Brandenburg, he is described in chronicles asbearing three heads.Trikantakidevi (goddess of three thorns)Goddess. Hindu. Of terrible appearance. Color:part red, part black. Attributes: conch, two lamps,prayer wheel and teeth.TrimurtiCollective title for the major triad. Hindu. Athree-headed representation of BRAHMA, VIŠNUand ŠIVA as one entity. Contested by someauthors, who argue that Brahma, who is almostinvariably represented with four heads, would beincluded here with only one.Tripura (lady of the three cities)Mother goddess. Hindu and Jain. In Jainismregarded as one of the ASTAMATARAS. In Hinduismthe SAKTI of Tripurantaka, an ugra (terrible)representation of the god ŠIVA, alternativelya form of the goddess PARVATI. The “three cities”are the cities of gold, silver and iron, one inheaven, one in the air and one on earth, whichŠiva destroyed in his form as Tripurantaka.Tripura is depicted attended by vultures. Attributes:book, hook, noose and rosary.Trita (Aptya)God(dess). Hindu (Vedic). Known from the RgVeda. An obscure form of Indra with strong waterattributes. Also Aptya.TritonsMinor sea gods. Roman. The children of POSEI-DON and AMPHITRITE who are depicted as hybridfish-men. Generally included in the royal court ofthe god Neptune. Attributes: conches.See also NEPTUNUS.Trivikrama (taking three steps)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). It may originallyhave been the name of a sun god, but is taken asthe incarnation of VIŠNU which strides the worldin three steps in his dwarfish manifestation, and islinked with the Hindu perception of the three

Tu (2) 323parts of the world—heaven, air and earth. HisSAKTI is SANTI. Normally depicted with the leftleg raised. Attributes: arrow, bow, club, conch,knife, lotus, noose, plough, prayer wheel, staffand sword.TrograinMinor god. Celtic (Irish).Tsai ShenGod of wealth. Chinese. The deity associatedwith mandarins. He is depicted wearing a pinkrobe associated with Yin and the season of spring.His attributes include a ring of coins around thehem of the robe, a lotus motif of fertility on thebreast and a golden mushroom, a symbol oflongevity, carried in the hand. One of his attendantscarries a deer horn, symbol of potency,while the other carries a bowl of money and asheaf of golden grass.Tsai Shen may appear in company with FUSHEN, god of luck, and SHOU LAO, god oflongevity.Tsa’qamaeGod of salmon migration. Qwe’gsotenox Indian[British Columbia, Canada]. The so-called “headwinter dancer,” his attributes include head ringand neck ring of bark to which heads areattached.Tsohanoai (day bearer)Sun god. Navaho [USA]. Not regarded as asupreme god, Tsohanoai moves across the sky,invisible, behind the disc of the sun, sa, which is hisshield. His consort is the fertility goddess EST-SANATLEHI and he is the father of the wargod NAYENEZGANI. He is also attributed with thecreation of all the big game animals. He is thoughtto walk on a rainbow and ride a blue steed. He isnever depicted in art nor impersonated.Tsuki-YomiMoon god. Shinto [Japan]. Engendered from theright eye of IZANAGI immediately after AMAT-ERASU was engendered from the left. There isvery little reference to him in the sacred texts andhis is a highly aesthetic form of worship. Allegedlyhe slew the food KAMI Uke-Mochi. He is depictedriding a horse and a number of sanctuaries areaddressed to his cult, including the two Tsuki-Yomi-No-Miya shrines in the Ise Jingu temple.He also enjoys an ancient sanctuary on the islandof Iki. Also Tsuki-Yomi-Otoko.Tsunigoab (wounded knee)Creator god. Khoi [Namibia, southwesternAfrica]. As his name suggests, he walks with alimp. His injury was sustained in a primordial battlewith his arch rival GAUNAB, the god of darkness,who was eventually driven away to live in theblack heaven. Tsunigoab used to be invoked atdawn each day.Tu (1)Chthonic earth goddess. Chinese. A fertility spiritalso identified as she who was invoked to bringgood harvests by phallic-shaped mounds of earthleft in the fields.Tu (2)Primordial god. Polynesian. One of three elements,with TANE and LONO, who existed inchaos and night which they broke into pieces,

324 TUATHA DE DANANNallowing day to come in. Tu represents stability. Heis also regarded as a war god. Also KU (Hawaiian).An association of deities probably going back topre-tribal times. The deities include the DAGDA,LUG, GOBNIU, Nuadu Argatlam and others andrepresent a possibly non-tribal hierarchy of thesupernatural joined against a common foe, thepowers of destruction and misfortune, theFomoire, and the Fir Bolg who were allegedly anagricultural tribe from Greece. These were prehistoricinvaders of Ireland who were defeated intwo battles fought at Moytura.Tradition claims that the Tuatha arrived in Irelandunder the leadership of the god NUADA fromsomewhere in the north. Four places relating totheir country of origin are mentioned in oldtext—Falias, Finias, Gorias and Murias. Nofurther details are given. Having defeated theFomoire and the Fir Bolg, they are said to havebecome the rulers of Ireland.The Tuatha de Danann mythology is familiarto all the Celtic races and the names of the godsand goddesses, with local variations, are alsoknown from Welsh mythology. Under Christianinfluence the position of the pantheon was denigratedand individual members were placed in theranks of fairies.TUATHA DE DANANN (peoples of thegoddess Danu)ORIGIN Celtic (Irish). Collective name for thepantheon.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT various throughout Ireland,but chiefly Tara.ART REFERENCES various stone sculptures andreliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Books of Invasions; Cycles ofKings; votive inscriptions.TuleSpider god. Zande [Sudan and DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Africa]. He descended fromthe sky on a rope, carrying all plants and seeds.He was also responsible for giving mankind waterand the tools of cultivation.TumatauengaGod of war. Polynesian (including Maori). One ofthe children of the prime parents RANGINUI andPAPATUANUKU, he proposed the slaughter of hisparents when it was decided to separate them assky and earth. He was subsequently given chargeover mankind (tangata), which he imbued withhis lust for the warfare and violence that was acharacteristic part of Maori culture. AlsoKumatauenga (Hawaiian).Tu-Metua (stick-by-parent)God. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. The sixth childof VARI-MA-TE-TAKERE, the primordial mother.Torn from her right side, he stays with her in theconfined space at the bottom of the worldcoconut and lives in endless silence.Tumuteanaoa (echo)Goddess. Polynesian [Hervey Islands]. Thefourth child of VARI-MA-TE-TAKERE, the primordialmother. Torn from her right side,Tumuteanaoa lives in Te-Parai-Tea (hollow grayrocks) below the home of the god TANGO.TunekGod of seal hunters. Inuit. A fearsome being ofhuge stature (13 feet tall) who lives on the ice

Tzultacah 325fields and is capable of running very fast. He alsosits in his kaiak in the fog and catches seal in hugetraps.TuranGoddess of love. Etruscan. The tutelary deity ofVulci, she is depicted bearing wings and withattributes including a swan, a dove and a blossom.TurmsChthonic underworld god. Etruscan. Modeled onthe Greek messenger god HERMES, with caduceus(winged rod), winged shoes and cloak, he leadsthe souls of the dead toward the underworld.TutuGod. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). Thetutelary god of Borsippa, near Babylon, duringthe reign of Hammurabi in the old Babylonianperiod, but later superseded by NABU.Tvastar (carpenter)Creator god. Hindu (Vedic). The “divine builder”who fashions living creatures on earth. TheHindu equivalent of the Roman god VULCANUS.An ADITYA or sun god and the father of SARANYU.Attributes: homajakalika (an uncertain fire device),ladle and two lotuses. Also Tastar; Tvashtri;VISVAKARMAN.TycheGoddess of fortune. Greco-Roman. She appearsas a nereid in the Hymn to Demeter (Homer).According to Hesiod’s Theogony she is the daughterof OKEANOS. Elsewhere she is identified asthe daughter of ZEUS and HERA. She is depictedcarrying a rudder or, alternatively, cornucopiae.Also mentioned as Agathe Tyche, the consort ofAgathos Daemon. She became widely identifiedwith the Asian mother goddess KYBELE but wasreplaced, in Roman times, by the goddess FOR-TUNA and associated symbolically with a wheeldevice. She retained popularity for a long time.There is a record that the Emperor Julian sacrificedto Tyche at Antioch in AD 361-2 and hertemple was still intact during the reign of Theodosius(379-95).TyrSee TIWAZ.Tzontemoc (head-descending)Minor underworld god. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the MICTLANTECUHTLI complex.Tzu Sun NiangniangMother goddess. Chinese. One of the “nine darkladies” of the pantheon who are regarded ashaving a protective role. She was the mortal wifeof a minor official and, having borne himfive sons and two daughters, committed suicidein order to ensure her future chastity. She isinvoked at weddings to provide children,especially sons, and special cakes are eaten bythe bride and groom. One of her more famoussanctuaries, on the island of Taiwan, is the YinYang Stone.Tzultacah (mountain valley)Chthonic and thunder gods. Mayan (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. A group of deities whocombine the features of earth and rain gods.Although there are considered to be an indefinite

326 Tzultacahnumber of Tzultacahs, only thirteen are invokedin prayers. They live in, and may personify,springs and rivers, but each is the owner of a specificmountain. They are attended by snakeswhich are dispatched to punish mankind forwrongdoing. Non-poisonous varieties are sent todiscipline against minor offenses, rattlesnakes formore serious depravity.

U6Ua-IldakVegetation goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). The deity responsible for pastures andpoplar trees.UgarVegetation god. Western Semitic (Syrian). Possiblylinked with the Canaanite city of Ugarit [RasŠamra].UbertasMinor god of agriculture. Roman. Knownparticularly from the reign of Tiberias inthe second century BC and associated withprosperity.UcchusmaGod. Buddhist. An emanation of AKSOBHYA orRATNASAMBHAVA. Also a form of JAMBHALA. He isdepicted as pot-bellied and stands upon Kubera,the Hindu god of riches, who lies with jewelsspewing from his mouth. Attributes: cup, ichneumonfly, image of Aksobhya in the hair, moondisc and snakes. Three-eyed.UdadhikumaraGeneric name of a god. Jain [India]. One of agroup of deities under the general title ofBHVANAVASI (dwelling in places). They have youthfulappearance.Ugracandika (violent Canda)Distinct form of the goddess DURGA. Hindu(Epic and Puranic). One of a group of NAVADUR-GAS, the “nine durgas.”Ugratara (violent Tara)Goddess. Hindu (Puranic). A terrible deity whocarries a cup and a corpse upon her head.UkkoThunder god. Pre-Christian Finnish. Drives acart which generates flashes of lightning as thehorses’ hoofs hit stones along the way; the noiseof thunder comes from the wheels or from Ukkogrinding corn with a big stone. Attributes: ax,blue robe, hammer and sword.UkurChthonic underworld god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).327

328 ULLULL [Gothic] (glory)ORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic) and Germanic. Mayhave originated as an early northern Germansky god, but also connected with fertility andwith the sea.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil Christianization circa AD 1100.SYNONYMS Ullr.CENTER(S) OF CULTnone known, but severalplace names in Norway and Sweden allude.ART REFERENCES possibly the subject of anonymouscarvings.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); place names.A sky god of Asgard, but with some links to theVANIR gods. The son of SIF and stepson of THOR,he is responsible for justice, and oaths were oncesworn over the “ring of Ull.” He may also have arole in the fertility of crops. Skaldic verse mentionsthe “ship of Ull,” presumed to be a referenceto the use of Ull’s shield as a boat. A scabbardexcavated in Denmark in the third century ADbears a runic inscription “servant of Ull.” Accordingto Snorri he wears a bow and snow shoes.Saxo describes him crossing the sea on a magicbone—a ski? He may have a sister, Ullin.ULU’TUYAR ULU TOYO’N (titularhorrible lord)ORIGIN Yakut [central Siberia]. Malevolentcreator spirit.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil circa AD 1900.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT no fixed sanctuaries.ART REFERENCES possibly wood carvings.LITERARY SOURCES The Yakut (Jochelson).A creative being superintending the ICCI (mastersor owners) and generally seen in a destructivecapacity. He lives in the upper world, and “in thewest.”See also URU’N AJY TOYO’N.UmaA form of the goddess PARVATI. Hindu (Puranic).Uma is identified as the consort of Chandrashekhara,a form of ŠIVA which includesthe moon among his attributes. The meaning ofher name is unclear, but possibly has maternalconnotations. As Uma Maheshvara she foughtwith demons including Mahisha. Attributes:lotus, mirror, rosary and waterjar.See also SOMASKANDA.Umashi-Ashi-Kabi-Hiko-Ji-No-Kami(pleasant reed shoot prince elder deity)Creator being. Shinto [Japan]. The fourth of thedeities to be listed in the Kojiki sacred text. He wasengendered from the reeds floating on the primordialwaters and is perceived as a remote andvague figure who hides himself from mankind.UmvelinkwangiCreator god. Zulu [South Africa]. He engenderedall plants and animals on earth and is the father ofthe god UNKULUNKULU, who was born from areed and engendered mankind.UniTutelary goddess. Etruscan. The consort of thesky god TIN and linked with the region of Perugia.UnkulunkuluCreator god. Zulu [South Africa]. The androgynousson/daughter of UMVELINKWANGI, and theprogenitor of mankind, he was born from a reed.

Usas 329UnumboteCreator god. Bassari [Togo, West Africa]. Engenderedall living things on earth.UnxiaGoddess of marriage. Roman. Concerned withanointing the bridegroom’s door.UpakesiniMinor god. Buddhist. An attendant of ARA-PACANA.Upapattivasita (control of fitness)Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of a groupof VASITAS personifying the disciplines of spiritualregeneration. Color: mixed. Attribute: acreeper.Upayaparamita (perfecting success againstenemies)Philosophical deity. Buddhist. Spiritual offspringof RATNASAMBHAVA. Color: green. Attributes:jeweled staff and staff on yellow lotus.Upulvan (like the blue lotus)Local god. Singhalese [Sri Lanka]. The most seniorof the four great gods of the Singhalese pantheon.Identified with VIŠNU, according to onetradition his specific task was to protect the cultureof Sri Lanka from Buddhism. Conversely hestood by Gautama BUDDHA against the HinduMARA.UranosSee OURANOS.UrašChthonic earth goddess. Mesopotamian (Sumerian).One of the named consorts of the sky godAN and the mother of NIN’INSINNA.URU’N AJY TOYO’N (white creator lord)ORIGIN Yakut [central Siberia]. Creator spirit.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil circa 1900 AD.SYNONYMS AYI’-URU’N TOYO’N (lord brightcreator).CENTER(S) OF CULT no fixed sanctuaries.ART REFERENCES possibly sculptures in wood.LITERARY SOURCES The Yakut (Jochelson).A creator being said to live in the zenith of theupper world, and also “in the northeast,” superintendingthe ICCI (masters or owners). He may alsopersonify the sun. He tends to act for good andhorses were sacrificed to him. Generally addressedby a beneficent or white shaman (ajy ayuna).See also ULU’TUYAR ULU TOYO’N.UsasGoddess of the dawn. Hindu (Vedic). Thedaughter of Dyaus and, according to some texts,the consort of the sun god SURYA. An auspiciousdeity, Usas brings the dawn, heralding Surya,and drives away darkness. She is the all-seeingeye of the gods. In the Rg Veda she is depicted asa beautiful young virginal figure who rides in ahundred chariots. She sets all things in motionand can render strength and fame to her devotees.In addition to being perceived as a skygoddess, she is also drawn as a mother goddessin the guise of a cow. Epithets include “motherof the gods” and “mother of cows.” She isinvoked to give the boon of longevity, but a

330 Usinsmore malignant aspect reveals her as a huntresswho wastes human life. Usas sometimesenjoys a domestic worship as a guardian hearthgoddess who drives away darkness and evilspirits. She disappears, however, from thelater traditions of Hinduism.UsinsAstral god. Pre-Christian Latvian. Associatedwith both the morning and evening star and alsohas links with bee-keepers and spring. UnderChristian influence he becomes absorbed into thefigure of St. George.jewel, noose, prayer wheel, staff and waterjar.Three-eyed, three-headed and with eight arms.UttarabhadrapadaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A moderate NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).UttaraphalguniMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A moderate NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).UsloSpirit of mountains. Yakut [central Siberia]. Oneof the guardians of the natural world answering tothe mountain owner XAYA ICCITA.UttarasadhaMinor goddess of fortune. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). A benevolent NAKSATRA; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA).UsnisaGod. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian of thezenith direction. Also a collective term for agroup of eight deities, including Usnisa, who areperceived as extensions of the DHYANIBUDDHAS.NOTE: the word describes, additionally, a typeof curled hairstyle found in the characteristiciconography of buddhas. Color: yellow. Attributes:jewel, lotus, prayer wheel and sword. Threeheaded.Usnisavijaya (victorious)Primordial goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Formof VAIROCANA, widely worshiped in Tibet.Regarded as a female BODHISATTVA or buddhadesignate,and a dikpala or guardian of the zenithdirection. Also a deification of literature. One ofa group of DHARANIS. Color: white. Attributes:arrow, bow, image of the BUDDHA on a lotus leaf,UttuVegetation goddess and goddess of weaving.Mesopotamian (Sumerian). Not to be confusedwith UTU the sun god, Uttu is a minor deitywhose father is ENKI. According to legend, Enkifirst impregnated the mother goddess NINHUR-SAG˜ A, whose nine-day gestation produced thegoddess NIN-ŠAR. She in turn was impregnated byEnki and, after a similar nine-day gestation, gavebirth to the goddess NINKURRA. Through thesame procedure with her grandfather, Ninkurraconceived the goddess Uttu. She is depicted as thegoddess of weaving and of spiders.UTUORIGINgod.Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq]. SunKNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIPcirca 1750 BC.circa 3500 BC to

UTU 331SYNONYMS ŠAMAŠ (Akkadian).CENTER(S) OF CULT Sippar.ART REFERENCES plaques, votive stelae and glyptics.LITERARY SOURCES various creation epics andother texts.Utu is the power of sunlight and, in a socialcontext, of justice and the implementation of law.He is the son of the moon god NANNA and thegoddess NINLIL. His brother and sister are IŠKURand INANA. He rises “in the mountains of theeast” and sets “in the mountans of the west.” Heis usually depicted wearing a horned helmet andcarrying a saw-edged weapon not unlike a pruningsaw, which it is thought he has used to cutthrough the side of a mountain from which heemerges, symbolizing the dawn. He may alsocarry a mace and stand with one foot on themountain.

V6Vac (speech)1. Goddess of the spoken word. Hindu (Vedic).In some texts she is a daughter of DAKSA and consortof KASYAPA. Alternatively she is the daughterof Ambhrna. Also known by the epithet “queen ofthe gods,” Vac is the personification of the phenomenonof speech and oral communication. Shegives the boon of hearing, speech and sight andshe can lead a man to become a Brahman. Shealso personifies truth and sustains soma—the liquidessence of vision and immortality. She is saidto have created the four Vedas, the basis of theearliest Hindu mythology.Though she takes a prominent place in the RgVeda, Vac largely disappears from later Hindutraditions. She may have become syncretized withthe goddess of wisdom, SARASVATI. She is generallydepicted as an elegant womanly figuredressed in gold, but in the secondary capacity ofa mother goddess she is also drawn as a cow.2. God. Buddhist. An emanation of AMITABHAand a variety of MANJUSRI.VacunaMinor goddess. Sabine. A sanctuary dedicated tothis deity is known to have existed near the villabelonging to the poet Horace. She may be synonymouswith DIANA or MINERVA.VadaliMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof MARICI. Attributes: flower, needle, nooseand staff.Vagbija (seed of speech)Minor goddess. Hindu (Puranic). An aspect ofthe goddess SARASVATI in the form of a bija mantra.The embodiment or apotheosis of consciousnessrepresenting the sacred word.Vagisvara (lord of speech)God of speech. Buddhist. The tutelary deity ofNepal. An emanation of all DHYANIBUDDHAS(spiritual meditation buddhas) and a variety ofMANJUSRI. Accompanied by a lion or seated upona lion throne. Attribute: blue lotus.VagitanusMinor god of passage. Roman. The guardian ofthe infant’s first cry at birth.VahagnGod of victory. Pre-Christian Armenian. Consideredto epitomize bravery, he is depicted bornfrom a fire and with flames for hair.332

VAIROCANA 333VahguruCreator god. Sikh. Worshiped in the GoldenTemple of Amritsar, in northern India. He has noicons.VaikunthaAspect of VIŠNU. Hindu (Puranic). Višnu isdepicted under this title residing in his ownheaven, known as Vaikuntha. He is seen with fourheads in an attribute known as caturmukha,where the central head is human, that to the leftis Sakti, to the right NARASINHA, and facingbehind, VARAHA. As such Višnu’s vehicle is eitherthe mythical bird, GARUDA, or he reposes on theserpent ANANTA (SESA). The aspect may also beknown as Trailokyamohana.VaimanikaGeneric title for a group of deities. Jain [India]. Aclass of gods said to be borne by, or living within,a flying palace, the vimana.VAIRACOCHAORIGIN Inca [Peru]. Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 400 tocirca AD 1500.SYNONYMS Huiracocha; Viracocha.CENTER(S) OF CULT CuzcoART REFERENCES various sculptures in stone andprecious metals and carvings (all lost).LITERARY SOURCES none.The creator of all other supernatural beings andof men and animals, Vairacocha is perceived torule the heavens in the fashion of an Incaemperor. He is the source of all divine power, butnot immediately concerned with administrationof the world and appears only in times of crisis.He is also depicted as a heroic figure who oncetraveled the world teaching mankind various artsand crafts. He is said to have crossed the PacificOcean walking upon the water.In the chief sanctuary at Cuzco the deities ofthe pantheon were represented in gold statues,that of Vairacocha being the most important. Itis described as having been the size of a smallboy, right hand upraised with fist clenched, butwith the thumb and forefinger stretched out. Hisfull Inca name, contracted by the Spanishinvaders, is Ilya-Tiqsi Wiraqoca Pacayacaciq(ancient foundation, lord, instructor of theworld). The title Vairacocha has been used bySouth American Indians into recent times toaddress white people.Va’irgin (I exist)Supreme being. Chukchee [eastern Siberia]. Aremote and poorly defined character who livesin the zenith of the sky and who createdthe world. Comparable with the Koryak deityTENANTO’MWAN.VAIROCANA (coming from the sun)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. The first and oldestdhyanibuddha or meditation buddha.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent.SYNONYMS Buddhaheruka.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCES metal and stone sculptures,paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Sadhanamala and Tantricritual texts.One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of ahuman buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. A productof the ADIBUDDHA who represents the

334 Vairotyabranch of the cosmos concerned with bodilyform. He originates from the white mantra syllableOM and lives in the zenith paradise. Hisicon is normally placed in the innermost part ofa stupa or shrine. His SAKTI is VAJRADHATVISVARIand he is normally accompanied by a lion or twodragons. Color: white. Attributes: three monkishrobes and prayer wheel. He is also taken as atutelary deity in Lamaism [Tibet] in which casehis attributes include bell and prayer wheel.Emanations include chiefly SAMANTABHADRAbut also CUNDA, GRAHAMATRKA, MAHASAHAS-RAPRAMARDANI, MARICI, NAMASANGITI, SitatapatraAparajita,USNISAVIJAYA and Vajravahi. Seealso AKSOBHYA, AMITABHA, AMOGHASIDDHI andRATNASAMBHAVA.Vairotya (having an ax and a goad)Goddess of learning. Jain [India]. One of sixteenVidyadevi headed by the goddess Sarasvati.VaisnaviMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI of VIŠNU, also regarded as a form ofLAKSMI. In later Hinduism she became one of agroup of MATARAS regarded as of evil intent. Alsoone of a group of eight ASTAMATARAS. In anothergrouping one of nine NAVASAKTIS who, in southernIndia, rank higher than the SAPTAMATARAS.Her vehicle is the hybrid beast GARUDA. Attributes:child, club, conch, lotus and prayer wheel.VajracarcikaGoddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA, she stands upon a corpse. Color: red.Attributes: cup, image of Aksobhya on the crown,jewel, lotus, skull with noose, staff and sword.Three-eyed.VajradakaGod. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA bearing one, three or four heads.VajradharaGod. Buddhist. An epithet of the ADIBUDDHA butalso an allegory for the highest buddha. Knownparticularly from Nepal and Tibet. His SAKTI isPRAJNAPARAMITA. Attributes: cup, hook, noose,regal ornaments and staff. Three-headed.Vajradhatvisvari (lady of the adamantineworld)Goddess. Buddhist. The SAKTI of VAIROCANA andalso a variety of MARICI. Attributes: many, includingan image of Vairocana on the crown.VajragandhariMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Color:blue or gold. Attributes: arrow, ax, bell, bow,hook, image of AMOGHASIDDHI, knife, noose,prayer wheel, staff, sword, and trident.Vajragarbha (substance of a thunderbolt)God. Buddhist (Vajrayana). A BODHISATTVA orbuddha-designate. Color: blue. Attributes: bluelotus, book and staff.VajraghantaMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). A femaledikpala or guardian of the northern direction.Color: green or white. Attributes: staff with bell.Vajramrta (immortal of the Vajra sect)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAMOGHASIDDHI. His vehicle is an animal of

Vali 335uncertain identity. Color: green. Attributes: bell,club, hook, prayer wheel, staff and sword.VajrapaniGod. Buddhist [mainly Tibet]. An emanation ofAKSOBHYA but also sometimes identified withADIBUDDBA. Generally thought to reflect the secondDHYANIBUDDHA or spiritual meditation buddha.Sometimes depicted with a peacock.Alternatively considered to be a counterpart ofthe Hindu god INDRA. Color: dark blue or white.Attributes: noose, snake and staff. Also Acala-Vajrapani; Acarya-Vajrapani.VajrapasiMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). A femaledikpala or guardian of the southern direction.Color: yellow. Attributes: staff with noose.VajrasphotaGoddess. Buddhist. A female dikpala or guardianof the western direction. Attribute: staff.Vajrasrnkhala (personification)1. Minor goddess. Buddhist. One of the Mahayanadeities said to be an emanation of AMOGHASIDDHI.Some texts describe her as the SAKTI of HEVAJIRA.Color: green. Attributes: arrow, bow, cup, image ofAmoghasiddhi on the crown, mane, noose skin,and staff. Three-eyed and three-headed.2. Goddess of learning. Jain. One of sixteenVIDYADEVI headed by the goddess SARASVATI.VajrataraGoddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Considered tobe an emanation of all the DHYANIBUDDHAS orspiritual meditation buddhas. Also identified as anemanation of RATNASAMBHAVA or a form ofBhrkuti. She stands upon a lotus. Color: golden.Attributes: arrow, blue lotus, bow, conch, hook,images of the five Dhyanibuddhas on the crown,noose and staff. Three-eyed.Vajravarahi (diamond sow)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana) and Lamaist[Tibet]. An emanation of VAIROCANA and sometimesidentified as the SAKTI of HEVAJIRA. InLamaism she accompanies VAJRADAKA. She isdepicted treading on a man. Color: red. Attributes:principally club, cup, image of Vairocana onthe crown and knife, but with an assortment ofother attributes from time to time. Three-eyedand three-headed.Vajravidarani (tearing asunder)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Attributes:arrows, banner, bow, hook, noose, shield, staffand sword. Five-headed.VajrayoginiMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). She cansometimes be identified carrying her severed headin her hand. Color: yellow. Attributes: club, cup,knife and staff. Three-eyed.VajrosnisaGod. Buddhist. Apparently connected with theguardian deities or dikpalas in the easterly direction.Color: white.See also PADMANTAKA.ValiGod. Nordic (Icelandic). One of the sons ofOTHIN, his mother is RIND. A hardened, bold

336 Valliwarrior and an excellent shot. He slew HODERand thus avenged the death of BALDER. One ofthe survivors of Ragnarok destined to live in theland which replaces Asgard, Idavoll. Also Ali.ValliGoddess. Hindu. The second consort of SKANDA,usually depicted standing to his right. In its originalcontext the word Valli may mean “earth.”ValtamGod. Nordic (Icelandic). According to the PoeticEdda (Balder’s Dreams) Valtam is the father ofOTHIN.VamanaIncarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The fifth avatara of Višnu whichappears as a dwarf, symbolizing the puny state ofmankind in the cosmos. According to legend, thegod took the guise in order to trick BALI, a greatgrandsonof Hiranyakashipu (see NARASINHA),whose prestige had begun to overshadow that ofINDRA. To restore a proper balance Vamanarequested from Bali a plot of land three paceswide on which to meditate. Višnu returned tohis proper stature and claimed heaven andearth in two steps. He declined to take the thirdwhich would have also claimed the underworld,but instead gave its rule to Bali. The dwarfishform bears two arms. Attributes: umbrella andwaterpot.Vana-DurgaAspect of DURGA. Hindu (Puranic). A form ofthe goddess invoked by woodsmen and foresters.She often wears an elephant skin, is eight-armedand carries an assortment of weapons.VANIRORIGIN Nordic (Icelandic). A major group ofNorse deities concerned primarily with peaceand prosperity and with the fertility of the land.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Viking period circaAD 700 and earlier, until Christianization circaAD 1100 and in some instances beyond.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT various throughout areas ofNordic influence, but particularly at Uppsala inSweden.ART REFERENCES stone carving and sculpture;artwork on weapons, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Icelandic codices; Prose Edda(Snorri); Historia Danica (Saxo); various classicalauthors.A smaller race of deities than the AESIR gods ledby OTHIN. The most important among them areFREYR and FREYJA. The sea god, NJORD, hadoriginally been a Vanir but became hostage to theAesir when the two races were at war.Varaha (boar)Incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The third avatara of Višnu, whichappears as a boar. According to legend, hedescends in this guise to the bottom of theprimeval sea to rescue the earth, which has beenremoved there by a demon. He retrieves it in theshape of a girl. The avatara may be depicted inwholly animal form or as a human with a boar’shead. Epithets include Adivaraha.VarahiMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). ASAKTI who in later Hinduism becomes one of agroup of MATARAS regarded as of evil intent.Also one of a group of eight ASTAMATARAS. Inanother grouping, one of nine NAVASAKTIS who,

Vasudeva 337in southern India, rank higher than the SAPTA-MATARAS. She sits upon a boar, buffalo or elephant.Attributes: boar’s head, bow, club, cup,knife, noose, plough, sword and trident.Varahmukhi (having a boars head)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof MARICI. Attributes: arrow, bow, flowerand staff.VaraliMinor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendanton MARICI. Color: white. Attributes: flower,needle, noose and staff.Varuna is one of the major Vedic gods, concernedwith the secure operation of the world’s systemsand of water. Lord of the ASURA class of deities, heis thought to equate with the Persian deity AhuraMAZDA. In later times, a dikpala or guardian of thewestern direction. He is also regarded as anADITYA or sun god, the son of Kardama and consortof GAURI.In southern India he is still worshiped duringperiods of drought, particularly in coastal regionswhere he is thought to live in trees.In Vedic times his sacred animal was the ram. Herides upon a fish or sea monster, or in a chariotdrawn by seven horses. Attributes: conch, lotus,parasol, sacred thread, snake noose, trident andwater jar with jewels. Pot-bellied and four-headed.Vari-Ma-Te-Takere (the very beginning)Mother goddess. Polynesian [Hervey Islands].The creator being who lives at the very bottom ofthe world coconut, sitting in a cramped spacewith her knees and chin touching. She lives inTe-Enua-Te-Ki (mute land) in eternal silence andis the mother of six children, all deities, three ofwhich she plucked from her right side and threefrom her left.See also AVATEA, TINIRAU, TANGO, TUMU-TEANAOA, RAKA and TU-METUA.VasantadeviGoddess of spring. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].Particularly known from Tibet, where sheappears in the retinue of SRIDEVI. Her animal is amule. Attributes: cup and sword.Vasita (willpower)Generic title for a group of goddesses. Hindu.Twelve deities who personify the disciplineswhich result in spiritual regeneration.VARUNA(coverer)ORIGIN Hindu (Vedic, Puranic and early Tamil)[India]. Major guardian deity.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1700 BC untilpresent.SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout India but as arain god in the south.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs in metaland stone.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda, etc.Vasu(s) (excellent)Generic title for a group of gods. Hindu (Vedic).Eight deities attendant on the Vedic weather godINDRA, comprising day, dawn, fire, moon, polestar, sun, water and wind. Generally carrying arosary and with a SAKTI.VasudevaGod. Hindu. The princely father of KRSNA andBALARAMA. Consorts include DEVAKI, ROHINI, etc.

338 VasudharaVasudhara (treasurer)1. Fertility goddess. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). The SAKTI of Kuvera.See also KUBERA.2. Goddess. Buddhist. A female bodhisattva orbuddha-designate who is the Sakti of Vajrasattvaand a form of AKSOBHYA or RATNASAMBHAVA.Color: yellow. Attributes: book, ear of rice,images of Aksobhya and Ratnasambhava on thecrown, parasol, pearl and waterjar with jewels.Vasumatisri (beautiful with an excellent mind)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof VASUDHARA.Vasusri (beautiful one)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof VASUDHARA.Vasya-tara (the subjected Tara)Goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAMOGHASIDDHI and considered to be indistinguishablefrom ARYA-TARA. Color: green. Attributes:blue lotus and image of Amoghasiddhi onthe crown.VataGod of wind. Hindu (Vedic) and Persian [Iran].The name appears in the Rg Veda as a deity of violentpersonality. According to Asvestan traditionthe god of victory, VERETHRAGNA, appeared toZarathustra in the guise of Vata.Vatapattrasayin (reclining on a fig leaf)Aspect of VIŠNU. Hindu (Puranic). The image isfound in classical bronze sculptures and representseither Višnu in a violent form, or KRSNA,reposed on a fig leaf that floats upon the primevalocean of a new cosmos after the previous worldorder has been destroyed.VAYU (1) (the wind)ORIGIN Hindu [India]. God of the winds.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1700 BC topresent.SYNONYMS PAVANA.CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific.ART REFERENCES sculptures and carvings inmetal and stone.LITERARY SOURCES the Vedic texts, including RgVeda.One of the most important deities of the Vedas. Inlater Hinduism he evolves into a dikpala orguardian of the northwestern quarter. He is alsodepicted in some texts as a chariot-driver for thegod AGNI. Color: dark blue. Attributes: arrow,hook, prayer wheel, staff and waterjar.Vayu (2)God. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian of thenorthwestern quarter.VayukumaraGod. Jain [India]. One of the groups under thegeneral title of BHVANAVASI (dwelling in places). Ofyouthful appearance.VeGod. Nordic (Icelandic). Listed by Snorri in theProse Edda as one of the sons of Bori and, amongthe gods of Asgard, the brother of OTHIN andVILI. The three gods are said to have made theland and sea out of the flesh and blood of theprimeval giant Ymir.See also BURI.

Verbti 339Ve’ai (grass woman)Vegetation spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].The personification of the grasslands and theirguardian deity. She is perceived as a shamanka andis the consort of EME’MQUT.VeiveMinor god. Etruscan. A youthful deity whoseattributes include arrows. His animal is a goat.Veja MateGoddess of winds. Pre-Christian Latvian. Alsoresponsible for birds and woodlands.Velaute’mtilan (sedge man)Vegetation spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].The personification of the sedges and thereforeguardian of the boggy tundras and theiranimals.VelesChthonic underworld god. Slav. Also identified asthe “cattle god.” Also Volos.Velu MateChthonic underworld goddess. Pre-ChristianLatvian. The “queen of the dead.” She is depictedwearing white and she greets the dead at thecemetery.VendaCreator god. Dravidian (Tamil) [southern India].An ancient vegetation deity. Worshiped in villageson the plains, thought to live in trees andequated with Indra.VenkataForm of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). According to the Aditya Purana,Venkata is a deity of considerable importance insouthern India. The name does not occur in thenorth. He is worshiped extensively by Hindus butparticularly in the Tamil shrine of Tirupati wherethere is argument that the deity depicted is ŠIVAor KARTTIKEYA. The image appears to carryattributes of Višnu on the left and Šiva on theright. Also Venkatesa.VENUSORIGIN Roman. Goddess of sexual love andbeauty.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS APHRODITE (Greek); Dione; Cytherea.CENTER(S) OF CULT various; Eryx [Sicily] (asVenus Erycina).ART REFERENCES various sculptures including theVenus of Milo.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil), etc.The name is neuter in form but Venus is modeledon the Greek goddess Aphrodite. In Romanmythology she is a daughter of JUPITER and Dione.Her consorts include Mars and the ill-fated ADO-NIS. She is also linked romantically with Anchises,King of Troy. She is a goddess of gardens. In thesecond century AD the Emperor Hadrian dedicateda sanctuary to her on the Via Sacra in Rome; it wasrestored as late as the fourth century.Venus was celebrated in the Veneralia festival onApril 1.VerbtiGod of fire. Pre-Christian Albanian. He is associatedwith the north winds. Under Christianinfluence he becomes identified with the devil.

340 VerethragnaVerethragnaGod of victories. Persian [Iran]. He is embodiedby the wild boar which possesses iron-shod feet tocrush opponents and is perceived to be present inthe wind.VervactorMinor god of ploughing. Roman. Associated withsacrifices to TELLUS and CERES.VertumnusMinor god of gardens and orchards. Roman. OfEtruscan origin, he is the consort of the goddessPOMONA. Usually represented with gardenimplements and offered fruit and flowers. He wascelebrated annually in the Vertumnalia festival onAugust 13.VESTAORIGIN Roman. Goddess of fire and the hearth.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC toAD 400.SYNONYMS HESTIA (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT many sanctuaries throughoutItaly, but centered on the circular templein Rome where allegedly the Palladium ofTroy with the sacred flame of the gods waspreserved.ART REFERENCES sculptures and reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil), etc.Vesta was worshiped with considerable celebrationin the various public Vestalia festivals, but shewas also popular as a household guardian. Sheenjoyed a small sanctuary at the foot of the PalatineHill. She is generally depicted as a woman ofgreat beauty holding a lighted torch and a votivebowl.Her mortal attendants are the Vestal Virgins,selected for office as guardians of the sacred flamefrom the age of six for a minimum of thirty years,during which they were expected to maintainstrict vows of chastity on penalty of burial alive.The Vestals dressed in white gowns edged withpurple and were highly respected members ofRoman society, enjoying many privileges. DuringVestalia festivals, donkeys were decked withwreaths. The worship of Vesta was abolished bythe Emperor Theodosius in AD 380.VetaliGoddess of terrifying appearance. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. One of a group of gauri. Color:red. Attribute: a chain.VictoriaGoddess of victory. Roman. Known particularlyfrom the second century BC and closely linkedwith JUPITER. Became adopted by the Christianchurch in an angelic capacity.VidarGod of war. Nordic (Icelandic). A little knownAESIR god, described as the silent one. One of thesons of OTHIN. An alternative tradition placeshim as the offspring of a brief liaison betweenTHOR and the giantess Gird. A god of greatstrength and support in times of danger. Theprospective avenger of Othin’s death by the wolfFenrir at Ragnarok, he is said to wear a shoemade of material collected throughout timewhich he will place between Fenrir’s jaws beforehe tears them apart and runs the beast throughwith his sword. One of the survivors of the finalgreat fire and flood, destined to live in Asgard’ssuccessor, Idavoll.

Vimala 341VidyadeviGeneric title for a group of goddesses. Jain[India]. Sixteen deities led by SARASVATI who areassociated with knowledge or learning.Vidyapati-LokesvaraGod. (Buddhist). A variety of the BODHISATTVAAVALOKITESVARA. Depicted resting on a lotus, hisattributes include a fly-whisk.VidyesvaraGeneric title for a group of deities. Hindu. Eightliberated or emancipated “beings” who are consideredto be aspects of ŠIVA.VidyrajaTutelary god. Buddhist (Mahayana). One of severaldeities who are concerned with the implementationof the law.Vidyujjvalakarili (tongues of fire)Goddess. Buddhist. A twelve-headed form ofAkajata who is said to have been formed in theBUDDHA’s sweat. She is often depicted tramplingthe four Hindu deities BRAHMA, INDRA, ŠIVA andVIŠNU. Color: blue or black. Attributes: manyand varied.VidyutkumaraGod. Jain [India]. Belonging to one of the groupsunder the general title of BHVANAVASI (dwelling inplaces). Of youthful appearance.Vighnantaka (remover of obstacles)God. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanation ofAKSOBHYA who may equate with the Hindu godGANESA. Color: blue. He is also seen as a dikpalaor guardian of the northerly direction, in whichcase his color is green. Attributes: cup, drum,hook, knife, noose and staff. Three-headed. AlsoAnalarka.VighnesvaranugramurtiFamily of deities. Hindu (Puranic). A populardepiction in art of ŠIVA (colored black) and Parvatiwith their son GANESA after he has beendecapitated by his father and given the head of anelephant by way of replacement.Vijaya (victory)God. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). An EKADASARU-DRA (one of the eleven RUDRA deities).Hiranyaksa is considered one of his incarnations.Attributes: club, knife, rosary and staff. Vijaya isalso the name of the bow of INDRA.Vikalaratri (twilight night)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An attendantof BUDDHAKAPALA.ViliGod. Nordic (Icelandic). Listed by Snorri in ProseEdda as one of the sons of Bori and, among thegods of Asgard, the brother of OTHIN and VE.The three gods are said to have made the land andsea out of the flesh and blood of the primevalgiant Ymir.See also BURI.Vimala (stainless)Minor goddess. Buddhist (Vajrayana). One of severaldeified BHUMIS recognized as different spiritualspheres through which a disciple passes.Color: white. Attributes: lotus and staff.

342 VinaVinaGoddess of music. Buddhist. The personificationof a lute. Color: yellow. Attribute: a lute.VirtusGod of military prowess. Roman. Known particularlyfrom the second century BC.VindhyaMountain god. Hindu. Personification of the hillsforming the northern edge of the Deccan area ofcentral India.Virabhadra (great hero)War god. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Consideredto be a form of ŠIVA, and occasionally of VIŠNU,Virabhadra acts as a martial aspect of Šiva againstthe god DAKSA, who according to some accountsabused Šiva’s wife SATI and drove her to angry suicideby self-immolation to avenge the slight. Heis depicted bearing four arms. Attributes: arrow,bow, shield and sword. He sometimes wears anecklace of skulls. Three-eyed and three-headed.VirajPrimordial goddess. Hindu (Vedic). Identified asthe active female creative principle in the Rg Veda.Viraratri (night of courage)Hindu.See also CHINNAMASTAKA.VirbiusMinor chthonic god. Roman. A malevolentunderworld deity who was frequently invokedduring the worship of Diana in the Arician woodlandssurrounding her sanctuary at Nemi. Virbiuswas reputed to prowl these woods and to bean emanation of Hippolytus, a mortal who hadbeen trampled to death by his horses and madeimmortal by Aesculapius. For this reason the Aricianwoods were barred to horses.Virudhaka (sprouted)God. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian of thesoutherly direction. Color: blue or green. Attributes:skin from the head of an elephant and sword.Also identified as the head of a group of demons,the kumbhandas.Virupaksa (misinformed eyes)1. God. Hindu. Epithet of ŠIVA and one of theEKADASARUDRAS or eleven RUDRA deities. Attributes:ax, bell, club, cup, drum, hook, knife, lotus,prayer wheel, rosary, Sakti and sword. Threeheaded.2. God. Buddhist. A dikpala or guardian of thewestern direction. God of snakes. Color: red.Attributes: jewel, snake and stupa or domedshrine.ViryaparamitaPhilosophical deity. Buddhist. Spiritual offspringof RATNASAMBHAVA. Color: green. Attributes: bluelotus and jeweled banner.VIŠNUORIGIN Hindu (Vedic, Epic and Puranic) [India].One of a triad of creator gods.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP possibly from circa1700 BC until the present day.SYNONYMS appearing as ten major incarnationsor avataras: MATSYA, KURMA, Varcha,Narashima, VAMANA, PARASURAMA, RAMA,KRSNA or BALARAMA, BUDDHA, and KALKI(N).Other epithets include Abjaja, Abjayoni,Adhoksaja, Anantasayana, Aniruddha.

Visvamitra 343CENTER(S) OF CULT many sanctuaries throughoutthe subcontinent.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronze;but also in stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda; Mahabharata andRamayana epics; Puranic literature.Višnu began, according to the Vedas, as a minorcosmic deity imagined striding the sky in threegiant steps—rising, zenith and setting. He wasnever a solar god, but became briefly associatedwith the movements of the sun in the sky.Višnu’s prestige developed with the Epics and ofthe three deities making up the apex of the modernHindu pantheon, he is the most widely worshipedand pre-eminent (see also BRAHMA and ŠIVA). Thekeeper of civilized morality and order. In theMahabharata, he is partly identified with Krsna.According to one Puranic legendary source, Višnuwas created from the left side of the primordial creatorforce. The Puranas also provide complex classificationsfor various aspects of Višnu. His mostfrequent consort is the goddess of fortune, LAKSMI,with whom he is often depicted standing or restingon a lotus. His sacred animal is GARUDA.Višnu is the preserver of the world. He rules realtime, or history, and through the concept of karmahe maintains a moral balance which he correctsoccasionally in the guise of one of his incarnations.He is a chief adversary of YAMA, the god ofthe dead, and has the power to repel death. He isalso closely identified with sacred water or NARA,his presence pervading the Ganges. He is believedto sleep for four months each year, resting on theserpent SESA with a lotus sprouting from his navel,after which he is roused by a special rite.The followers of Višnu are the Vaisnavas andare mainly in the north of India, though thereexists a strong following among the Tamils in thesouth. The Vaisnava caste mark is a V-shaped signidentified with water which has a property ofdescending.Višnu is depicted with many heads or with fourheads, generally with four arms, typically holdinga wide assortment of attributes including conchand prayer wheel. He may also carry a discus,which reflects a destructive aspect, a mace ofauthority and a lotus. Around his neck may bethe sacred stone, the kausrabha, and typically hehas an obvious shock of chest hair.Višnu TrivikramaForm of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). Trivikrama is the transformation into agiant from Višnu’s dwarf avatara VAMANA, inorder to confirm his dominance over the world bycovering it in three huge strides.Visvakarman (architect of the universe)Poorly defined creator god. Hindu (Vedic). Similarto DYAUS PITAR, he is described as the artistof the gods who may be linked or identified withTVASTAR. He evolved, as the son of PRABHASAand Yogasiddha, into an occasional consort of themother goddess SARASVATI.Visvaksena (the all-conquering)Minor god. Hindu (Puranic). The bodyguardand gatekeeper of VIŠNU. Tradition maintainsthat Visvaksena was slain by ŠIVA when herefused the latter an audience with Višnu. Forthis reason he is generally depicted in the formof a skeleton impaled on the trident weaponcarried by Šiva in his aspect of KANKALAMURTI.His attributes include a wheel, club and conchshell.VisvamitraMinor god. Hindu (Puranic). According tolegend, the father of the god NARADA.

344 VisvarupaVisvarupaLesser known incarnation of the god VIŠNU.Hindu. In Vedic literature he is identified as theson of TVASTAR. Višnu took the avatara at therequest of ARJUNA. His animal is GARUDA. Attributes:many. Also Viratapurusa.VisvosnisaGod. Buddhist. An USNISA apparently connectedwith the guardian deities or dikpalas in thesoutherly direction. Color: green.VitthaliGod. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). A lesser knownincarnation of the god VIŠNU (or KRSNA). Thecult of Vitthali is centered mainly on Panharpur,near Bombay, where he is the object of devotionby the Varkari sect. Generally depicted standingon a brick, wearing a fez-like hat and with handson hips. Also Vithoba; Panduranga.VitzilipuztliAspect of HUITZILPOCHTLI. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican). Invoked twice a year, in Mayand December, during an agrarian festival.Virginal female worshipers created an image ofthe deity from dough consisting of maizeflour, beet seed and honey. The image was giveneyes and teeth using pieces of colored glass andwhole maize seeds and was paraded, beforebeing broken into pieces and eaten as a form ofsacrament.Vivasvan (shining)Sun god. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). The originalVedic list of six descendants of the goddessADITI or ADITYAS, all of whom take the role ofsun gods was, in later times, enlarged to twelve,including Vivasvan. One of his titles is the“embodiment of ancestral law.” His consort isSARANYU and he is identified as the father ofYAMA and YAMI, as well as MANU and theASVINS. His color is golden and his attributes aforest garland, two lotuses and a trident. AlsoVivasvat.VoduCollective name for gods. Fon [Benin, WestAfrica]. The origin of the term voodoo in theCaribbean region.VoltumnaTutelary god. Etruscan. Originally a vegetationdeity who was elevated to the position of supremegod in the Etruscan pantheon and known inRoman culture as VERTUMNUS.VolumnaNursery goddess. Roman. The guardian deity ofthe nursery and of infants.VorGoddess. Nordic (Icelandic). Of Germanic origin,one of the AESIR goddesses listed by Snorri inProse Edda. He suggests that Vor may be concernedwith the making of oaths and of marriageagreements, punishing those who break them.Possibly also Var(a), though Snorri lists her as aseparate Aesir goddess.VosegusMountain god. Romano-Celtic. A local deityfrom the Vosges known only from inscriptions.

Vyasa 345VrtraDemonic god of chaos. Hindu (Vedic). A primordialbeing who existed before the formationof the cosmos and who was slain by the mothergoddess SARASVATI.VULCANUSORIGIN Roman. God of fire and forges.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS HEPHAISTOS (Greek).CENTER(S) OF CULT tutelary god at the sea portof Ostia.ART REFERENCES various sculptures and reliefcarvings.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil), etc.The patron god of artisans and blacksmiths,Vulcanus is modeled closely on the GreekHephaistos. Attached to the smithy and rarelyascending Olympus, in Roman genealogy he isthe son of JUPITER and JUNO. He is generallydepicted as a rather grotesque figure with oneleg shorter than the other, a deformity gained asa result of being hurled to earth by Jupiter whiletrying to protect his mother from the god’swrath. Thereafter he determined to shun thecompany of other gods and set up home in theheart of Mount Etna, where he fashioned agiant forge. His workers are the one-eyedCyclopes. He created a golden throne forJuno and he fashioned both Jupiter’s magicalthunderbolts and Cupid’s arrows. He enjoyedshort-term relationships with various goddesses,including VENUS and MINERVA, and with oneof the Graces. His offspring seem generallyto have been monstrous. He was celebratedin the Vulcanalia festival on August 23, whichcoincides with the period of greatest droughtand the highest risk of fire in Italy.VyasaMinor incarnation of the god VIŠNU. Hindu(Vedic, Epic and Puranic). Vyasa is said to be theauthor of the Vedas, the Mahabharata epic andthe Puranas. He ranks with Hyagriva and SARAS-VATI as a lord of knowledge and wisdom, and isresponsible for dividing the Tree of Knowlegeinto parts. In the texts he is depicted as darkskinnedand accompanied by four students,Sumanta, Paila, Vaisampayana and Jaimini. Hemay be bearded. Also Vedavyasa.

W6WaddMoon god. Pre-Islamic southern Arabian. Hissacred animal is the snake.Wadj Wer (the mighty green one)Fertility god. Egyptian. Sometimes depicted inandrogynous form, he personifies the MediterraneanSea or the major lakes of the Nile delta.He is depicted carrying the ankh symbol of life,and a loaf. The figure often appears pregnant andis associated with the richness of the Nile deltawaters.WadjetGoddess of royal authority. Egyptian. Wadjettakes the form of a fire-breathing cobra and, asthe uraeus symbol worn on the headdress ofthe ruler, she epitomizes the power of sovereignty.She is a goddess of Lower Egypt equatingto NEKHBET in Upper Egypt, with her maincult center at Buto (Tell el-Farain) in the Niledelta. She forms an integral part of the symbolismof the sun god RE, coiling around the sundisc to symbolize Re’s powers of destruction.According to mythology, she created thepapyrus swamps of the delta. She is described asa wet nurse to the god HORUS and is the motherof the god of the primeval lotus blossom,NEFERTUM.WaiSun god. Ntomba [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. Probably originating as agod of hunters who protects and controls theanimals in the forest. He has a son, Mokele.WakaCreator god. Oromo [Ethiopia]. Largely syncretizedwith the Christian god, but regularlyinvoked in the morning.Waka-Hiru-MeSun goddess. Shinto [Japan]. Arguably theyounger sister of the great Shinto sun goddessAMATERASU, or an early manifestation, she is associatedwith the morning sunrise. Also involvedwith weaving the garments of the KAMI.Wakan TankaCreator god. Dakota Indian [USA]. A remote andvaguely defined deity invoked by the shamans ofthe tribe. Also a generic term equating to the346

Wer 347spirit which, in an animistic and shamanistic religion,all things existing in nature possess.stone or boulder (HUACA) set upright in the centerof a field.Waka-Sa-Na-Me-No-KamiAgricultural goddess. Shinto [Japan]. The deityspecifically concerned with the transplanting ofyoung rice. A daughter of Ha-Yama-To-No-Kamiand O-Ge-Tsu-Hime. Generally served by Buddhistpriests. See also WAKA-TOSHI-NO-KAMI andKUKU-TOSHI-NO-KAMI.Waka-Toshi-No-KamiAgricultural god. Shinto [Japan]. The deityspecifically concerned with the growing of youngrice. A son of Ha-Yama-To-No-Kami and O-Ge-Tsu-Hime. Generally served by Buddhist priests.See also WAKA-SA-NA-ME-NO-KAMI andKUKU-TOSHI-NO-KAMI.Waralden OlmaiTutelary god. Lappish [Finland]. Revered as acreator and guardian deity.WawkiGuardian spirit. Inca (pre-Columbian SouthAmerica) [Peru, etc]. The apotheosis of a stone orHUACA which each Inca emperor carried with himas a personal tutelary deity. The object was knownas a “brother.”Weng ShiangGod of literature. Taoist (Chinese). His nametablet hangs on the wall in many Chinese houses.WakondaCreator god. Omaha Indian [USA]. A remote andvaguely defined deity invoked by the shamans ofthe tribe. Also a generic term equating to thespirit which, in an animistic and shamanistic religion,all things existing in nature possess.WamalaGod of plenty. Bunyoro [Uganda, East Africa]. Asanctuary has existed near the royal palace andWamala is propitiated to give the boon of children,domestic animals and crops. He is also seenin an oracular capacity and has an official intermediary.WankaGuardian spirit. Inca (pre-Columbian SouthAmerica) [Peru, etc]. The apotheosis of a tallWepwawetGod of passage. Egyptian. Depicted as a jackal,Wepwawet began as a god of Upper Egypt, buthis cult spread along the whole of the Nile valley.According to Pyramid Texts, he was born beneatha tamarisk tree in the sanctuary of the goddessWADJET at Buto. He is also closely linked with thefalcon god HORUS. He is perceived preceding theruler either to or from battle, or to the afterlife,when his adze is used to break open the mouth ofthe dead person. In a similar context he is linkedto the sun god RE when he “opens the dawn sky”to the deceased. As a god of passage, he also opensthe way to the womb.WerStorm god. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).A minor deity linked with ADAD andAMURRU. His attendant is the fierce guardian of

348 Weri Kumbambathe pine forest, Huwawa, the focus of one of theGilgameš epic sagas. Cult centers include Afis,south of Aleppo.WiSun god. Sioux [USA]. The father of the goddessWHOPE, his sacred animal is the bison.Weri KumbambaCreator god. Gishu [Uganda, East Africa]. A deityembodied in rocks and specifically invoked beforeand after circumcision to ensure the speedyrecovery of the patient.WhiroGod of death. Polynesian and Maori. Regarded asan errant son of the creator deities, RANGINUIand PAPATUANUKU, Whiro stands as the chiefantagonist of TANEMAHUTA, the creator god oflight. He is, therefore, the personification of darknessand evil. During the time of creation fromchaos, Whiro is said to have fought an epic battleagainst Tanemahuta in the newly formed heavens.He was vanquished and forced to descend into theunderworld where he became ruler over the deadand chief among the lesser underworld deitieswho are responsible for various forms of diseaseand sickness. In the temporal world the lizard, asymbol of death, embodies him, and various creaturesof the night, including the owl and the bat,are earthly representatives from his kingdom, asare such malignant insect pests as the mosquito.This deity is not to be confused with the legendaryhuman voyager and adventurer of thesame name whose traditions have, in the past,often been muddled with those of the god.WhopeGoddess. Sioux [USA]. The daughter of WI, thesun god, and consort of the south wind. She iscredited with giving the Sioux Indian the pipe ofpeace through which (narcotic) they communewith the great spirit WAKAN TANKA.WindigoIce god. Ojibwa [Canada]. A terrible beingformed of ice who symbolizes the starvation ofwinter. There are said to be many windigos, butthey are always referred to in the singular. Cannibalistic,the windigo appears as an ice skeletonand a human being can be turned into onethrough possession.WiuGod of war. Nuer [Sudan]. The word meansspear.WODANORIGIN Germanic. God of war.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP prehistoric timesuntil circa AD 500.SYNONYMS Wotan; Woden (Anglo-Saxon).CENTER(S) OF CULT scattered forest sanctuaries.ART REFERENCES stone carvings and engravingson metal.LITERARY SOURCES Germania (Tacitus); GothicWar (Procopius); History of the Goths (Jordanes);Geography (Strabo); History of the World(Orosius).Wodan may have possessed similar characteristicsto OTHIN, believed to have been a Norse descendantof Wodan. Germanic tribes including theHeruli, the Celtic Cimbri and the Goths all practicedsacrificial appeasement rites to Wodan,including stabbing and burning. The Cimbrihung their captives over bronze caldrons whilepriestesses cut their throats. Booty, includingmutilated weapons, gold and silver, animals and

Wu’squus 349human sacrifices who had been hanged, strangledor had their throats cut, was also thrown intosacred lakes as sacrifices for Wodan.The classical writers substituted the name ofthe Roman god Mercury, thus the same day of theweek is called Wednesday in English but mercrediin French. Many Anglo-Saxon kings traced theirroyal lineage back to Wodan as divine ancestor.WuSea god. Ewe [Benin, West Africa]. His priest,the Wu-no, invokes the god whenever theweather is too severe for the fishing boats to land.He is propitiated with offerings delivered fromthe shore and in past times was occasionallyappeased with human sacrifice taken out to seaand thrown overboard.Wong Taisin (the great immortal Wong)God. Chinese. Probably an incarnation oravatara of the god HUANG TI (the yellowemperor), he is considered benevolent. Closelyassociated with a district in Kowloon which isnamed after him. His cult arrived in Hong Kongin 1915 from Kwangtung in the form of a paintingbrought by a man and his son. It was installedin a small temple in Wanchai. In 1921 a largersanctuary was built, from public funds, facing thesea and backed by Lion Rock.WosretLocalized guardian goddess. Egyptian. With acult center at Thebes, Wosret is, according tosome inferences, an early consort of the creatorgod AMUN and was superseded by MUT. She isidentified with the protection of the young godHORUS. Also Wosyet.WuriupraniliSun goddess. Australian aboriginal. The positionof Wuriupranili in the godly hierarchy isunclear, but mythology explains that she carriesa burning torch made from tree bark andthat she travels from east to west each daybefore descending to the western sea and usingthe embers to light her way through the underworldbeneath the earth. The colors of thesunrise and sunset are said to be a reflection ofthe red ocher body paints with which she adornsherself.Wu’squusSpirit of darkness. Chukchee [eastern Siberia].The personification of the night and the siblingof NA’CHITNA’IRGIN, the spirit of the left-handdawn.

X6Xaya IccitaMountain spirit. Yakut [central Siberia]. Theowner or master of the mountains.XewiosoThunder god. Ewe. [Benin, West Africa].Depicted as a ram accompanied by an ax, he isalso perceived as a fertility deity whose thunderand lightning are accompanied by rain.Xil Sga’nagwaiMedicine god. Haida Indian [Queen CharlotteIsland, Canada]. Said to appear as a raven.XilonenMinor vegetation goddess. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. An aspect of the maizegoddess Chicomecoatl, personifying the youngmaize plant.XIPE TOTEC (our lord the flayed one)ORIGIN Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].Vegetation god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa AD 750 toAD 1500, but probably much earlier.SYNONYMS Red Tezcatlipoca.CENTER(S) OF CULT Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan.ART REFERENCES stone sculptures, murals andcodex illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES pre-Columbian codices.A major deity of the Mesoamerican pantheons.The red avatara of the sun god TEZCATLIPOCA(see also MIXCOATL-CAMAXTLI). God of springand a symbol of the annual renewal of vegetation.Often represented in ritual by a priest wearing theflayed skin of a human sacrifice, seen to be thenew vegetation of the earth which emerges afterthe rains. The skin was worn for twenty-one days.Xipe Totec is also the tutelary god of preciousmetallurgists, including goldsmiths.XiuhtecuhtliAstral god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico].The ruler of the first or lowest of the thirteenheavens known at the time of the Spanishconquest, Tlalticpac (on the earth).XochiquetzalGoddess of fertility and childbirth. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The mother of thedemigoddess (unnamed) whose consort was Piltz-350

Xolotl Nanahuatl 351intecuhtli and who engendered the first mortalsOxomoco and CIPACTONAL. One of the groupclassed as the TETEOINNAN complex. A populardeity among Aztec women, the goddess is invokedparticularly to make a marriage fruitful. The brideplaits her hair and coils it around, leaving two“plumes” representing the feathers of the Quetzalwhich is sacred to Xochiquetzal. Pottery figurinesare adorned with plumes of feathers. Worshipedat various sites, including Tula (Hidalgo). Alsorecognized as the patron goddess of weavers.Xochiquetzal-Ichpuchtli (maiden)Minor fertility goddess. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of the groupclassed as the TETEOINNAN complex. Depictedas a youthful deity associated with sexual love,flowers and pleasure.Xolotl (monster)Monstrous deity. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. He performed the role of executionerwhen the gods sacrificed themselves to createmankind. He then sacrificed himself. In alternativetradition he tried to evade his own fate, but washimself executed by EHECATL-QUETZALCOATL.Also one of a pair of twins in the group classed asthe XIUHTECUHTLI complex, regarded as patronof the ball game.Xolotl Nanahuatl (rumour)Monstrous deity. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as theXIUHTECUHTLI complex, described as a twin ofXOLOTL and co-patron of ball games.

6 YYacacoliuhqui (curved nose)Minor god of commerce and merchants. Aztec(classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of thegroup classed as the YACATECUHTLI complex.Yacahuiztli (nose spine)Underworld goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. With her consort YACATECUHTLIshe engendered the night in Aztec cosmogony.One of the group classed as the MICTLANTE-CUHTLI complex.Yacapitzahuac (sheep-nose)Minor god of commerce and merchants. Aztec(classical Mesoamerican) [Mexico]. One of thegroup classed as the YACATECUHTLI complex.Yacatecuhtli (nose lord)God of commerce and merchants. Aztec (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. Head of the groupclassed as the Yacatecuhtli complex.YahMoon god. Egyptian. Yah may have been animport to Egypt brought by Semitic immigrantswho based his profile on the Mesopotamian godSIN. He is mentioned largely from the twentiethcentury BC onward and is depicted in humanform, but can also be represented by the falconand the ibis.Ya’halan (cloud man)Guardian spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].The son of the supreme being TENANTO’MWAN,his consort is YINE’ANE’UT. In alternative traditionhe is the son of the supervisor being,INA’HITELAN. He is a protector of young couples,and youths beat a sacred drum invoking the spiritto turn the heart of a girl.Ya’halna’utGuardian spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].Ya’china’ut (moon woman)Moon spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia]. Thepersonification of the moon.Yajna (sacrifice)God. Hindu. A minor avatara of VIŠNU andembodiment of the Brahmanic ritual.352

Yamm 353YaksasTree spirits. Hindu. Generic title for animisticbeings mentioned circa fifth century BC byPanini.YamadutiMessenger goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). Anattendant of YAMA. Her vehicle is a buffalo. Color:blue. Attributes: cup, fly whisk, knife and lotus.YaldabaothCreator God. Gnostic Christian. The so-called“prime parent” of Gnostic cosmogony, engenderedby PISTIS SOPHIA out of the nothingness ofchaos, provided with form and given charge overthe substance of the cosmos.Yaldabaoth is, at first, unaware of the existenceof Pistis Sophia and, by his own powers, engendersseven androgynous beings, placing them inseven heavens. He decrees himself alone and allpowerful,whereupon Pistis Sophia names himSAMAEL (blind god). Of his offspring, the mostsignificant is SABAOTH, who stands against hisfather and on the side of Pistis Sophia. When sheeventually reveals herself to Yaldabaoth as pureradiant light, he is humbled.Yama (twin; alternatively the restrainer)1. God of death. Hindu (Vedic). The son ofVavasvan and Saranju, or of SURYA and SANJNA,his consort is DHUMORNA or YAMI. Yama is alsothe judge of the dead and the twin sibling of Yami,goddess of death.When KRSNA is perceived as the embodimentof the cosmos, his eye-teeth are Yama. He evolvedinto a dikpala or guardian of the southerly direction.His animal is a black buffalo. Color: black.2. Guardian deity. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet].One of a group of DHARMAPALA with terribleappearance and royal attire who guard the DalaiLama. He stands upon a man. His colors may bered, blue, white or yellow. His attributes aremost commonly a noose and staff, but may alsobe a club, a net, a shield, a sword, a trident andtwo tusks.Yama-No-KamiMountain god. Shinto [Japan]. Specifically thedeity who comes down to the rice paddies inspring and returns in autumn. The festival of Nolde-No-Shinjimarks his descent.Yamantaka (destroyer of Yama)Guardian deity. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. Anemanation of AKSOBHYA and one of a group ofDHARMAPALA with terrible appearance and royalattire who guard the Dalai Lama. By tradition hestifled the great rage of YAMA. His SAKTI isVidyadhara. He is also a dikpala or guardian of theeasterly direction. He tramples a number of creaturesincluding a man, and possesses thirty-twoarms and sixteen legs. Color: red, blue, black orwhite. Attributes: many.Yamari (enemy of Yama)God. Buddhist (Vajrayana). Probably influencedby the Hindu deities ŠIVA and YAMA. His vehicleis a buffalo, his color red and his attributes a club,a cup, a noose and a staff.YamiMother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Oneof seven SAKTIS who in later Hinduism becameregarded as of evil intent. Also CAMUNDA.YammGod of the ocean. Semitic. A Syrian deity who ismentioned briefly in an Egyptian papyrus as anextortioner of tribute from other deities.

354 YamunaYamunaMinor river goddess. Hindu. A daughter of SURYAand SANJNA and the sister of YAMA. She isdescribed in Puranic texts and associated with theriver Yamuna on which lies the city of Mathura.Color: blue.YAW (enemy)Omnipotent god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A universal and generally malevolentdeity. One of the group classed as the TEZ-CATLIPOCA complex.Ya’qhicninCreator god. Koryak [southeastern Siberia]. Thename given to the Christian god by the Koryaksto distinguish him from their own supreme being,TENANTO’MWAN.YayuSky god. Ngbandi [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. One of seven godsinvoked at daybreak.YelojeSun god. Yukaghir [Siberia]. A benevolent deitywho personifies justice and morality. The rainbowis said to be his tongue. Also PU’GU; Ye’rpeyen.YemekonjiCreator god. Mongo and Nkundo [DemocraticRepublic of Congo, central Africa]. According totradition, he gave the sun god Nkombe threeparcels when the people complained the worldwas too dark; two were brightly colored and onewas a dull gray. Realizing that he was about to betricked, Nkombe opened the gray parcel and theworld was flooded with light.YaroCreator god. Kafa [Ethiopia]. A sky god towhom sacrifice is still possibly enacted on hilltops and river banks in rural areas. Becamelargely syncretized with the Christian god. AlsoYero.Yasodhara (preserving glory)Goddess. Buddhist. The daughter of Dandapaniand the consort of the BUDDHA before he attainedhis full status.YauhquemeFertility and rain god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group of deities classedas the TLALOC complex.YemojaGoddess of water. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].The creatrix of all the rivers in the area, particularlythe river Ogun. She is chiefly worshiped by womenand the sacred river water is considered a remedyfor infertility. She is propitiated with animal andvegetable sacrifices. Attributes: cowrie shells.Yen Kuang Niang NiangMother goddess. Chinese. One of a group of“nine dark ladies” who have a protective function.She cures the eye disease ophthalmia.YhiSun goddess and bringer of light. Australian aboriginal.She is said to have been jointly responsi-

Yine’ane’ut 355ble, with BAIAME, for the creation of humankindand in particular for the Karraur group of aborigines.Mythology records that she was asleep inthe darkness of the primordial Dreamtime untilshe was awakened by a loud roaring or whistlingnoise from Baiame. As she opened her eyes theworld became light and as she walked the earthplants grew in her footprints, to be followed byanimals and, finally, humankind.YHWH (I am what I am)ORIGIN Judaic [Israel]. Creator god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1200 BC untilpresent day.SYNONYMS Yahweh; JEHOVAH.CENTER(S) OF CULT Hebron, Jerusalem until 587BC but subsequently throughout the Christianworld.ART REFERENCES none extant.LITERARY SOURCES Vetus Testamentum; Qum’Ran manuscripts.The creator god of the southern tribes of Israelheaded by Levi and Benjamin. Possibly a copy ofthe Egyptian deity ATUM (ATEN), introduced bythe pharaoh Amenhotep IV in the fifteenth centuryBC. The object of monolatrous but not necessarilymonotheistic worship by the Hebrewsettlers in Palestine. Arguably the first survivingconcept of a truly universal deity.Yhwh is the god who, according to tradition,was revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai (MountHoreb) and who provided the Covenant, theten tablets of law. He is said to sit in judgmentbetween two facing cherubim on the MercySeat which rested above the focal point ofIsraelite worship, the Ark of the Covenant (VTExodus 25). Yhwh eventually superseded thenorthern god, EL, to become supreme deity ofIsrael. During the period of Hellenic occupation,the sanctuary of Yhwh on Mount Gerizimin Samaria (northern kingdom) was re-dedicatedto ZEUS.The name Yhwh is an enigmatic “no name.” Itsurvived into Christian religion, though it appearsregularly only in the Jerusalem Bible. Elsewhere,in English translation, it is now generally replacedby the term “Lord.” “Jehovah” is a corruptionintroduced circa AD 1200-1300.The Old Testament writings, particularly thePsalms, are littered with references indicatingacceptance of many gods in the pantheon. Translatorshave substituted euphemisms such as“saints” and “holy men.”Although Yhwh is perceived in human form, hewas not represented other than in romanticizedChristian art. His presence is identified in Jewishtradition only by the empty space of the MercySeat. He is wholly transcendent, without physicalneeds, and, according to Judao-Christian tradition,has no consort. This universal deity becameknown as ALLAH in Islamic tradition.Yina’mna’ut (fog woman)Spirit of mists and fogs. Yakut [southeasternSiberia]. Her consort is fog man YINA’MTIAN andshe is believed to live in a mythical settlementwith other spirits.Yina’mtian (fog man)Spirit of mists and fogs. Yakut [southeasternSiberia]. His consort is fog woman YINA’MNA’UTand he is believed to live in a mythical settlementwith other spirits.Yine’ane’utGuardian spirit. Koryak [southeastern Siberia].One of the daughters of Big Raven, QUIKINN.A’QU,

356 Yngregarded as a shamanka engaged in a constantstruggle with the underworld demons, the kalau.Her sister is Cana’ina’ut and she is the consort ofthe earth spirit TANUTA.YngCreator god. Nordic (Icelandic). Progenitor ofthe earliest Swedish kings. Also, in Germanic tradition,ING, the father of the Baltic coastal tribe,the Ingwaeones.Yoalli Ehecatli (night wind)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. One of the group classed as the Omeotlcomplex.Yoaltecuhtf (lord of night)Creator god. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. With his consort YACAHUIZTLI heengendered the night in Aztec cosmogony.The ruler of the sixth of the thirteen heavensknown at the time of the Spanish conquest,Teotlcozauhcan (the place of the yellow god).One of the group classed as the MICTLANTE-CUHTLI complex.Yobin-PogilForest spirit. Yukaghir [southeastern Siberia].The apotheosis of the woodlands and theirguardian deity.YocahuTutelary god. Puerto Rico and Haiti. A benevolentdeity, the son of the universal mother,and known as the “great spirit.” Believed tolive in the sun. Also Marcoti; Jocakuvague-Maorocon.YogesvariMother goddess. Buddhist (Epic and Puranic).Personifying desire and listed among both theSAPTAMATARAS and the ASTAMATARAS. Attributes:bell, club, drum, shield, sword and trident.Yolkai EstanFertility goddess. Navaho [USA]. The sister ofthe principal fertility goddess, ESTSANATLEHI, shewas engendered by the gods, who gave life to animage made from white shells.Yspaddaden PencawrGod. Celtic (Welsh). Possibly the counterpart ofthe Irish deity Balor and the Icelandic BALDER. Inthe legend of Culhwch and Olwen, Olwen is identifiedas his daughter. He sets Culhwch severaldifficult tasks before he can obtain Olwen’s hand.Culhwch retaliates by wounding him severely, buthe cannot be killed until Olwen marries. This ispresumably a distorted fertility legend, the originalmeaning of which is lost.Yu Huang Shang TiSupreme god. Taoist (Chinese). He achievedparamount prominence during the Sung Dynastyand the Jade Emperor is his earthly, mortal incarnation.As a deity he is remote and out of touchwith ordinary people. No iconography is appliedto him and he has no physical description. Heengendered the universe from chaos and is theunifying principle of the cosmos which is perceivedto be divided into thirty-six heavens abovethe earth. Also SHANG TI; Shang Di.Yu ShihRain god. Taoist (Chinese). The so-called “masterof the rain,” he provides rain to ripen the harvest.

Yu-ti 357He is often accompanied by the god of thunder,LEI KUNG.Yu-ChiangGod of ocean winds. Chinese. He is depicted withthe body of a bird and a human face.Yum CimilGod of death. Mayan (Yucatec, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. Depicted with a skullhead, bare ribs and spiny projections from thevertebrae, or with bloated flesh marked by darkrings of decomposition. He wears bell-like ornamentsfastened in the hair. Sacrificial victims wereoffered to the god by drowning in the sacred poolor cenote. Also God A.Yum KaaxVegetation god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. The deity concerned with the growingand harvesting of maize, but also of husbandry ingeneral. Depicted as a youthful figure with an earof corn in his headdress. Also God E.Yu-tiSky god. Taoist (Chinese). The title by which the“Jade Emperor,” the most senior deity in theTaoist pantheon, is commonly known. Heemerges as a deity circa AD 1000-1100 during theSung Dynasty. The Chinese emperor is hisearthly and more accessible incarnation.See also Yu HUANG SHANG TI.

6 ZZababaGod of war. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). The tutelary god of the city of Kiš,whose sanctuary is the E-meteursag. AlsoZamama.Zarpanitu(m)Birth goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian).The consort of MARDUK whose marriagewas celebrated annually at New Year in Babylon.Also Erua; SARPANITUM.ZalmoxisSky god. Thracian. Known from the writings ofHerodotus. According to tradition he lived forsome time on earth and then became ruler of theunderworld. His makeup may have been influencedby the Osirian cult in Egypt.ZapotlantenanHealing goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Deity of medicinal turpentine and ointment-dealers.One of the group classed as theTLALOC complex.Zara-MamaMaize goddess. South American Indian [Peru]. Aminor deity, models of whom were made fromthe leaves of the plant and kept for a year beforebeing burned in a ritual to ensure a good maizeharvest.ZemepatisChthonic god. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. A tutelarydeity of farmers and guardian of cattle.ZemiOne of a pair of primordial beings. Puerto Ricoand Haiti. Known as Morobo and Binatel, theyare the parents of all other deities, though theydid not create the cosmos which, according tobelief, has always been in existence. They aredepicted in stone, wood or clay figures and areinvoked in prayers. Two wooden ZEMIS used to bekept in a sacred cave at Toaboyna in Haiti andwere the subject of several annual pilgrimages.The sun and the moon were believed to haveemerged from the cave.ZemynaChthonic goddess. Pre-Christian Lithuanian. Adeity with responsibility for vegetation and358

ZEUS 359crops. She was invoked at sowing and harvestingtimes.ZephyrusGod of the south winds. Roman. Announces thearrival of spring.ZethosGod. Greek. Theban twin god who had mortalweaknesses. Comparable to Kastor.ZEUS (sky father)ORIGIN Greek. Head of the Greek pantheon.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC butundoubtedly earlier until Christianization circaAD 400.SYNONYMS Dyaus (Indo-European); Diu-pater,JUPITER (Roman).CENTER(S) OF CULT Athens (sanctuary begun byPisastratus and completed by Hadrian) andthroughout Greek sphere of influence where, inevery city, the major temple is that of Zeus.ART REFERENCES abundant sculpture and carving;votive inscriptions, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Iliad (Homer); Theogony(Hesiod).Zeus leads the pantheon of twelve great Greekgods illustrated on the Parthenon frieze and isprobably modeled on a western Asiatic precedent.His father is KRONOS, his mother RHEA, or inalternative tradition METIS (wisdom). His officialconsort, though barely more so than in name, isHERA. He is a universal deity and through himcomes all mortal sovereignty. He earned the finestand most opulent sanctuaries throughout theGreek world. According to tradition, he lives onthe mountain in Thessaly which came to be knownas Olympus and where the storm clouds are said togather. Tradition also has it that his grave is onMount Yuktas, near Knossos on the sand of Crete,where he was “buried” by the KOURETES.Symbolized by the eagle and earning the sacrificeof bulls, Zeus is the strongest among thedeities, but in origin he is a weather god parallellingIŠKUR (Sumerian), TEŠUB (Hittite) andHADAD (Semitic). He rules the clouds and rain,delivers lightning and hurls thunderbolts forgedby the one-eyed Cyclopes, the thunderbolt beinghis invincible weapon. In the same vein he is saidto determine the outcome of battle; victors oncedraped his statues and other monuments withspoils of war. The great and enduring festival ofZeus is that of Olympia, which became the modernOlympic Games.The father of gods and men alike, according totradition, Zeus won his position of authority in aprimeval battle against the TITANS who had heldsway in the time of his father Kronos; Kronosswallowed all his other children, but Zeus’s motherRhea saved him by turning him into a stone andZeus overthrew his father. He swallowed Metis,thus combining strength and wisdom in a singlegodly entity. His noos, his ability for pragmatism,became renowned and infallible and his judgmentwas beyond criticism. Homer pictures him carryingthe golden scales of justice. Zeus is surroundedfrom birth by attendant youthful warriors knownas Kouretes or Korybantes.He is possessed of enormous sexual vigor andsired a vast number of offspring through an incessantparade of goddesses and mortal partners. Inthis respect his philandering became an embarrassmentin the late Hellenic philosophical age.His fathering of other deities included APOLLOand ARTEMIS through LETO, HERMES whosemother is MAIA, PERSEPHONE and DIONYSOS byDEMETER, and ATHENA whose mother was said tobe Metis, but who emerged in full armor from herfather’s forehead. Among the more notable of hismortal children are HERAKLES, Perseus, ZETHOS

360 Zhang Guo-laoand AMPHION, HELEN and MINOS. He was alsosuspected of homosexuality with the young TrojanGanymede.ZibelthiurdosStorm god. Thracian. Believed to send thunderand lightning.Zhang Guo-laoGod. Taoist (Chinese). One of the “eight immortals”of Taoist mythology. Once mortal beings,they achieved immortality through their lifestyle.According to tradition, Zhang Guo-lao was a batbefore he took human form. Attributes include abamboo drum and sticks and his attendant animalis an ass.See also BA XIAN.ZhiwudMessenger goddess. Kafir [Afghanistan]. A deityconnected and possibly syncretizing with the goddessDISANI but who, according to legend, carriedvital messages to the heroic god MON during aprimordial battle between gods and giants. Monlives by a lake surrounded by fire, and the goddess’swings (a solitary inference that she canappear in the form of a bird) are scorched in theprocess until Mon heals them. In some variationsMon lives in the form of a bull which breathesfire. Also Zhuwut.Zhong-li QuanGod. Taoist (Chinese). One of the “eight immortals”of Taoist mythology. Once mortal beings,they achieved immortality through their lifestyle.Attributes include a fan.See also BA XIAN.ZipaknaEarthquake god. Mayan (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. Usually coupled with the godKABRAKAN and identified as a creator of mountainswhich Kabrakan subsequently destroys.Zoe (life)Goddess of life. Greek and Gnostic Christian.The daughter of PISTIS SOPHIA who, according toGnostic mythology, became the consort ofSABAOTH to create the angels, Israel and JesusChrist.ZotzTutelary god. Mayan (Zotzil Indian, Mesoamerican)[Guatemala]. Manifest in the form of a bat.ZurvanGod of temporal time and fate. Persian [Iran].Once the focus of a cult of Zervanism in whichhe appeared as the father of AHURA MAZDA, thegod of light, and AHRIMAN, god of darkness, inZoroastrianism. He is perceived as a god of destinyand the controller of all roads whichmankind may take, leading ultimately to theotherworld. He was adopted into Manichaeanreligion. Also Zervan.

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366 BibliographyTaoist and early ChineseChamberlain, J. Chinese Gods. Princeton, N.J.: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1983.———. Chinese Religions. Princeton, N.J.: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1986.Cheng Manchao. The Origin of Chinese Deities. SolanaBeach, Australia: Acacia, 1997.Day, C. B. Chinese Peasant Cults. Shanghai: Kelly andWalsh, 1940.Fisher, L. E. The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient China.New York: Holiday House, 2003.Hanson, Valerie. Changing Gods in Medieval China1127–1276. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton UniversityPress, 1990.Joachim, C. Chinese Religions. Englewood Cliffs, NewJersey: Prentice Hall, 1986.Jordan, Michael. Spirit of the East (new edition). London:Carlton, 2003.Legge, James. The Religions of China. London: R. West,1880.Legge, James (transl.). I Ching: Book of Changes. Secaucus,N.J.: Citadel, 1964.O’Brien, Joanne. Chinese Myths and Legends. London:Arrow, 1990.Schwartz, Benjamin I. The World of Thought in AncientChina. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press,1985.Scott Littleton, C. (ed.) Eastern Wisdom. New York:Henry Holt, 1996.Stephens, K. G. Chinese Mythological Gods. Oxford,U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2001.Walters, D. Chinese Mythology. London: Aquarian/Thorsons, 1992.Wong, Eva. Taoism. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.Zen BuddhistDumoulin, H. Zen Enlightenment. New York: Weatherhill,1979.Jordan, Michael. Spirit of the East (new edition). London:Carlton, 2003.———. Buddha: His Life in Images. London: Carlton,2003.Watts, Alan W. The Way of Zen. London: Vintage, 1999.General referenceBickerman, E. J. Chronology of the Ancient World (revisededition). London: Thames & Hudson, 1980.Brandon, S. G. F. (ed.). Dictionary of Comparative Religion.Princeton, N.J.: Scribner, 1970.Frazer, J. G. The Golden Bough: a Study in Magic andReligion (abridged edition). London: Papermac,1988.Grimal, Pierre. Dictionary of Classical Mythology. London:Blackwell, 1990.Hinnells, J. R. Dictionary of Religions. London: Penguin1984.Jordan, Michael. Myths of the World (paperback edition).London: Kyle Cathie, 1995.Keenan, Sheila. Gods, Goddesses and Monsters. Danbury,Conn.: Scholastic Reference, 2000.Lurker, Manfred. Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devilsand Demons. London & New York: Routledge,1989.Maxwell, T. S. The Gods of Asia. Oxford, U.K.: OxfordUniversity Press, 1997.

INDEX6Note: Boldface numbersindicate major treatmentof a topic.AA-a 1A’aš 1Abandinus 1Abasy 29Abellio 1Abeona 1Abgal 1Abhijit 1Abhijnaraja 1Abhimukhi 1Abibuddha 251, 263, 335Abnoba 2Abonsam 2Aborigines. See AustralianaboriginesAbu 2Abundantia 2Abzu 2, 26Ac Yanto 2Acacila 2Acala 2, 322Acan 2Acat 2Acca Larentia 2Acchupta 3Achilles 37, 121, 123Acolmiztli 3Acolnahuacatl 3Adad 3, 89, 111, 136, 271,347Adamas 3Adeona 1, 3Adhimukticarya 3Adhimuktivasita 3Adibuddha 3, 4, 11, 16, 77,176, 304, 333, 334Adidharma 4Adikia 4, 78Adimurti 4Aditi 4Aditya 4Agni 7Ansa 21Aryaman 31Bhaga 50Daksa 71Dhatar 76Diti 80Iksvaku 135Mitra 201Pusan 256Savitar 278Surya (1) 297Vivasvan 344Aditya 4Ansa 21Aryaman 31Bhaga 50Daksa 71Dhatar 76Parjanya 243Pusan 256Savitar 279Surya (1) 297Trayastrinsa 322Tvastar 325Varuna 337Venkata 339Vivasvan 344Adonis 4, 82, 159, 161Adrastea 4–5Adro 5Aeacos 5, 312Aed 5, 175Aegir 5, 53, 263Aeneas 24Aeneid (Virgil) 43Aengus 5–6, 71Aeolos 6, 6, 91Aeolus 6Aequitas 6Aericura 6Aesculapius 6, 194, 280, 294Aesir 6Aegir 5Bor 53Buri 57Frigg 98Gefjon 103Hoder 127Hoenir 127Ing 139Kvasir 169Mimir 199Njord 225Othin 236Sigyn 285Siofn 286Skadi 288Vanir 336Vidar 340Vor 344Aether 7, 92, 93, 100Afghanistan. See KafirAfrica xi. See also Fon; Ibo;YorubaAbonsam 2Adro 5Age 7Akonadi 11Akongo 11Ala 11–12Alatangana 12Amma (2) (African) 16Aondo 23Apap 23Apedemak 24Arawa 26Arebati 27Asase Yaa 31Ashiakle 32Asis 32Astar 34Ataa Naa Nyongmo35Atete 36Bacax 43Bagba 44Banga 46Buadza 55Buk 56–57Bumba 57Cagn 58Cghene 62Chikara 65Col 68Dedwen 73Deng 74Dongo 81Emeli Hin 89Esu 94Faro 95Fidi Mukullu 96Gibini 104Hammon 111Hara Ke 112Huvi 131Ifru 134Ilat 135Imana 136Inkanyamba 139Iruva 140Isa (2) 140Itonde 143Jakomba 147Jokinam 149Ka Tyeleo 151Kaikara 152Kalunga 154Kangalogba 156Ketua 159Khadir 159Kianda 161Kibuka 161Kwoth 169Kyumbe 169Lesa 173–174Libanza 174–175Lisa 175Lomo 177Lubangala 178Mamlambo 187Mawu 193367

368 IndexMbomba 194Mbombe 194Mbongo 194Mbotumbo 194Mlentengamunye 201Mugasa 205Mugizi 205Muhingo 205Mujaji 205Mukasa 206Mulindwa 206Mungu 206Munume 207Musisi 207Na Cha 209Nai 210Ndaula 215Ndjambi 215Ngai 219Niamye 219Nommo 225Nsongo 226Nyakaya 228Nyame 228Nyavirezi 228Nzambi 228Nze 229Ogiuwu 231Ogun 231Oi 231Opo 234Osande 235Osanobua 235Pemba 245Raluvimbha 262Rang 263Rubanga 267Sajara 270Sakumo 271Seta 281So 289Sodza 290Sogblen 290Sogbo 290Soko 290Sore-Gus 292Soului 292Suku 295Teliko 309Toro 321Tororut 321Tsunigoab 323Tule 324Umvelinkwangi 328Unkulunkulu 328Unumbote 329Wai 346Waka 346Wamala 347Weri Kumbamba 348Wiu 348Wu 349Xewioso 350Yayu 354Yemekonji 354afterlife 66Agamemnon 37Agathos Daimon 7Age 7Aglibol 7, 185Agni 7, 29, 102, 192, 267,282, 289, 298, 338Agnibhavanavasi 51Agnikumara 7Agnostos Theos 7agriculture. See also harvests;vegetation deities; specificgods, e.g.: ObaratorAmaethon 13Aralo 26Hastehogan 114Kahukura 152Lauka Mate 172Mi-Toshi-No-Kami201Occator 230Oko 232Puta 257Rongomatane 267Shen Nung 283Ta-No-Kami 303Waka-Sa-Na-Me-No-Kami 347Waka-Toshi-No-Kami347Agu’gux 7Ah Bolon Dz’acab 7–8Ah Cancun 8Ah Chun Caan 8Ah Ciliz 8Ah Cuxtal 8Ah Hulneb 8Ah Kin 8Ah Kin Xoc 8Ah Kumix Uinicob 8Ah Mun 8Ah Muzencab 8–9Ah Patnar Uinicob 8, 9,65Ah Peku 9Ah Tabai 9Ah Uincir Dz’acab 9Ah Uuc Ticab 9Aha 9Ahriman 9, 9, 200, 360Ahriman 27Ahura Mazda 9, 9–10, 20,73, 104, 200, 360Ahurani 10Ai Apaec 10Aides. See HadesAine 10air 90, 200, 222–223, 293,302Ajalamo 10Ajaya 10Aje 10Aji-Shiki-Taka-Hiko-Ne 10Ajysyt 10Akasagarbha 10Akelos 10–11Aken 11Aker 11Akeru 11akitu (festival) 21, 22, 48,190Akkaidia. See BabylonAkonadi 11Akongo 11Aksayajnana-Karmanda 11Aksobhya 11Buddhakapala 56Candarosana 59Dhvajagrakeyura 77Ekajata 87Hayagriva 117Heruka 123Jambhala 148Jnanadakini 149Locana 176Mahacinatara 181Mahamantranusarini182Mahapratyangira 183Mamaki 186Manjughosa 188Manjusri 188Nairamata 211Parna-Savari 243Prajnaparamita 251Rakta-Yamari 262Samvara 273Ucchusma 327Vajracarcika 334Vajradaka 334Vajrapani 335Vasudhara 338Vighnantaka 341Yamantaka 353Ala 11–12Alad Udug Lama 12Alaisiagae 12Alalu 12Alatangana 12, 269Alaunus 12Alcis 12ale-brewing 105Alemona 12Alisanos 12Al-Khidir. See KhadirAlk’unta’m 12, 289Allah 12–13, 13, 187, 355Allat 13Allatu(m) 13, 29, 92Almaqah 13Alpanu 13Ama-arhus 13Amaethon 13amaethwr (farmer) 13Amašagnul 13, 243Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami13–14Ama-Tsu-Mara 14Ame-No-Uzume 15Futo-Tama 99Hiruko 126Ishi-Kori-Dome 141Izanagi-No-Kami 146Kushi-Dama-Nigi-Haya-Hi 168Mika-Hiya-Hi 198Susano-Wo 298Tama-No-Ya 302Taoki-Ho-Oi-No-Kami 303Toyo-Uke-Bime 321Tsuki-Yomi 323Waka-Hiru-Me 346Ama-Tsu-Mara 14Amaunet 14, 17, 207, 231Ame-No-Kagase-Wo 14,208, 301Ame-No-Mi-Kumari-No-Kami 14Ame-No-Minaka-Nushi-No-Kami 14–15Ame-No-Tanabata-Hime-No-Mikoto 15, 125Ame-No-Toko-Tachi-No-Kami 15Ame-No-Uzume 15Ame-Waka-Hiko 15, 117Am-Heh 15Amida 15Amimitl 15Amitabha 15–16Amida 15Bhrkuti-Tara 51Dharmadhatuvagisvara75Ekajata 87Halahala 111Hayagriva 117Khasaparna 160Kurukulla 168Lokesvara 176Mahabala 181Mahasitavati 183Manjusri 188Pandara 242Sinhanada 286Vac 332Amm 16, 20, 37Amma (1) (Tamil) 16, 225

Index 369Amma (2) (African) 16Ammavaru 16Ammut 16Amoghapasa 16Amoghasiddhi 16–17Arya-Tara 31Dhanada 74Mahamayuri 182Mahasri-Tars 183Sadbhuja-Sitatara 270Sitatara 287Syamatara 299Tara 304Vajragandhari 334Vajramrta 334Vajrasrnkhala 335Vasya-tara 338Amor 17, 93Amorite 31–32Amphion 17, 360Amphitrite 17, 81, 218,250, 322Amun 17–18, 36, 47, 160,207, 231, 270, 349amuna 297, 354Amurru 18, 347An (1) (male principle) 18An (2) 18Ašnan 33Enki 89Enlil 90Gatumdug 102Gibil 104Inana 137Iškur 142Jabru 147Kišar 161Marduk 190Nammu 211Ningikuga 221Nissaba 225Uraš 329An (2) (female principle) 18Anaitis 18Anala 18anandatandava 215Ananke 19Ananta 19, 333Anantamukhi 19Anantesa 19Anat 19, 42, 205, 281Anatolia 117–118Anaulikutsai’x 19Anbay 20Ancamna 20Andarta 20Andjety 20Andrasta 5, 20Anextiomarus 20Anglo-Saxon 91, 139, 236Angru Mainyu 9, 20Anhouri 20Ani 20Anila 20animals 7, 30, 244, 274animistic spirits viiAcacila 2Anjea 20Arnakua’gsak 29Bagba 44Eme’mqut 89I’lena 135Katajalina 157–158Kutji 168Lebien-Pogil 173Naiades 210–211Napaeae 213Nereides 218Anjea 20Ankalamman 21ankh symbol 118, 141, 255,270, 346Anna Kuari 21Annamurti 21Anna Perenna 21Ansa 21Anšar 18, 21, 152, 161, 170Anti 21Antu 21Antu(m) 18, 21An(u) 12Anu (1) (Mesopotamian)21–22Adad 3An (1) 18Anšar 21Antu 21Dagan (1) 70Danu (1) 72Gerra 104Ilabrat 135Ištar 143Kakka 152Lahamu 170Lahmu 170Sebitti 279Anu (2) (Celtic) 22Anubis 22, 124, 136, 141,159, 218, 235Anukis 22, 277Anu-Mate 23Anunitu 21, 23, 104Anunnaki 23, 134, 138Anuradha 23Aondo 23, 303Apa 23Apacita 23Apam Napat 23Apap 23, 86Aparajita 23–24, 51, 82, 263Apedemak 24Aphrodisias 24Aphrodite xi, 24Adonis 4Allat 13Aphrodisias 24Ares 28Astarte 34Caelestis 58Harmonia 113Hathor 116Hephaistos 121Hermaphroditos 122Hermes 122Himerus 125Hymenaios 132Peitho 245Priapos 252Venus 24Apis 24–25, 275Aplu 25Apo 25Apollo 25–26Amphitrite 17Anextiomarus 20Asklepios 32Belenus 48Daphne 72Eileithyia 87Gaia 100Grannus 106Hermes 122Hyakinthos 132Janus 148Leto 174Mabon 180Maponos 189Mercurius 196Mlk-Amuklos 201Rešep (A)Mukal 265Sirona 286Zeus 359Apsaras 26, 154Apsu 2, 26, 190, 314Aquae Granni 106Aquilo 6, 26A’ra 26ArabiaAmm 16Anbay 20Arsu 30Asar 31Basamum 47Datin 72Hilal 125Malakbel 185Nahi 210Qaynan 258Quzah 260Šams 272Ta’lab 301Theandros 312Wadd 346Arachne 26Aralo 26Aranyani 26Arapacana 26, 159, 329Arawa 26, 281, 321Arawn 13, 26, 108, 123, 257Aray 26, 27Archon(s) 27Arcismati 27Ardhanari(svara) 27Ardra 27Arduinna 27Arebati 27Areimanios 27Arensnuphis 28Ares 28Aphrodite 24Aray 27Athena 37Eileithyia 87Eris 93Harmonia 113Harpina 113Hera 121Hermes 122–123Kemoš 159Onuris 234argatlam (silver hand/arm)78, 227Ariadne 28Arianrhod 28, 176Arimanius 28Arinna 28–29, 118, 310Aristaios 29Arjuna 29, 51, 344Ark of the Covenant 355Arma 29Armaz 29Arnakua’gsak 29Arnemetia 29Arom 29ar (ploughed land) 20Arsan Duolai 29Arsay 13, 29Arsu 30Artemis 30Aphrodite 24Apollo 25Ašpalis 33Baphomet 46Bastet 47Bendis 49Ceres 61Diana 77Eileithyia 87Hekate 119Leto 174Muso Koroni 207Zeus 359Arthapratisamvit 30Artio of Muri 30–31

370 Indexartisan deities 151, 177–178artos (bear) 20Arundhati 31Aruru 31, 221Arvernus 31Aryaman 31Arya-Tara 16, 31, 338Aš 31asadha 274Asalluha 31, 89Asar 31Asase Yaa 31Ašerah 31–32, 33, 109, 205Ašertu 32, 88Asgard 6, 97, 118Ashiakle 32, 210Asira 32Asis 32, 321Asklepios xi, 6, 25, 32–33,94, 132, 275Aslesa(s) 33Ašnan 33, 170Asokottamasri 33Asopos 33, 113Ašpalis 33Ašratum 33Assur 33, 90, 190, 206, 208Astabi 33Astamatara 33Brahmani 54Camunda 59Candika 60Dhupa 77Dipa 79Gita 105Indrani 139Kaumari 158Lasya 172Mahesvari 184Mala 185Matara 192Narasinhi 214Nrtya 226Puspa 256Rudracarcika 268Santa 274Tripura 322Vaisnavi 334Varahi 336Yogesvari 356Astaphaios 33–34Astar 34Aštaroth 34, 34Astarte 34Allat 13Aphrodite 24Aštaroth 34Aštoreth 34Attar 38Melqart 195Milkastart 198Quadeš 258Seth 281Tanit 303Astlik 34Aštoreth 24, 34astral deities. See also sky;specific gods, e.g. : MangalaAkasagarbha 10Allat 13Ame-No-Kagase-Wo14Arundhati 31Astar 34Candamius 59Hikoboshi 125Hokushin-O-Kami127Huang Ti 129–130Marici 190Myoken-Bodhisattva208Sani 273Saturnus 278Shani 283Sothis 292Sukra 295Šul-pa-e 296Šulsaga 296Topoh 320Usins 330Xiuhtecuhtli 350Asuha-No-Kami 34Asurabhavanavasi 51Asurakumara 34–35Asuras 35, 337Asvayujau 35asvina 271Asvins 35, 249, 298, 322,344Ataa Naa Nyongmo 35,210Ataecina 35Atargatis 35, 47, 74, 109Ataršamain 35Ate 35Atea 35–36, 156, 242, 302atef (crown) 20, 124, 235Aten 18, 36, 355Atete 36Atharva-veda 254Athena 13, 28, 36–37, 120,197, 200, 220, 359Athirat 18, 19, 31, 33, 37,205Aticandika 37Atl 37Atlahua 37Atlas 133Atrahasis 89Atropa belladonna (deadlynightshade) 37Atropos 37, 162, 170, 202Attar 38Attis 12, 38, 169, 273Atua Fafine 38Atua I Kafika 38, 95, 315Atua I Raropuka 38, 38Atum 36, 38–39, 49, 91,144, 215, 255, 293, 308,355Atunis 39Aufaniae 39Augean stables 122Aurora 39, 291Aurora australis (SouthernLights) 206Auseklis 39Australian aboriginesBaiame 44Birrahgnooloo 52Daramulum 72Darawigal 72Gunabibi 107Katajalina 157–158Kutji 168Mungan Ngour 206Nurelli 227Taipan 300–301Wuriupranili 349Yhi 354–355Avalokitesvara 39Amoghapasa 16Bodhisattva 52Halahala 110Khasaparna 160Kuan Yin 165Kwannon 169Lokesvara 176Namasangiti 211Natha 215Padmapani 239Raktalokesvara 262Sadaksari (Lokesvara)269Sinhanada 286Sitatara 287Syamatara 299Tara 304Vidyapati-Lokesvara341avatara x, xiAh Bolon Dz’acab 7Ah Kin Xoc 8Arjuna 29Balarama 45Bali 45Bhumidevi 51Colop U Uichkin 68Coyolxauhqui 69Devaki 74Dhanvantari 75Dharani 75Dharma 75Dhruva 76Goraknath 106Hansa 111Hayagriva 117Mandhata 187Matsya 193Narasinha 214Parasurama 243Pradyumna 251Prthu 254Purusa 256Quetzalcoatl 259Radha 261Rama 262Rsabha 267Rukmini 268Sita 287Tezcatlipoca 311Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli317Vamana 336Varaha 336Višnu Trivikrama 343Visvarupa 344Wong Taisin 349Xipe Totec 350Yajna 352Avatea 36, 39–40, 316Aveta 40Avrikiti 40Awonawilona 40Axo-Mama 40Aya 40, 280Ayaba 40, 177Ayi’-Uru’n Toyo’n 40, 317,329Ayiyanayaka 40Ayurvasita 40Ayyappan 40Azizos 30, 40Aztecs ix. See also specificgods, e.g.: ChalmecatlAh Bolon Dz’acab 7–8Amimitl 15Cailleach Bheur 58Chalchiuhtlicue 62–63Chalmecacihuilt 63Cipactli 66Coatlicue 67Huehuecoyotl 130Huehuecoyotl-Coyotlinahual130Huehuetotl 130Huitzilpochtli 130Huixtocihuatl 130Intal 139Ipalnemoani 140Itzcuintli 144Ixcozauhqui 145Ixnextli 145

Index 371Ixquimilli-Itzlacoliuhqui145Kukulcan 166Mayahuel 193Mixcoatl-Camaxtli201Nahui Ollin 210Nanahuatl 212Ocelotl 230Ome Tochtli 233Ometeotl 233Pahteeatl 240Quetzalcoatl 259Quiahuitl 259–260Tecciztecatl 307–308Teteoinnan 310Teteoinnan-Toci 310Tezcacoac Ayopechtli311Tezcatlipoca 311–312Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli317Tlaloc 318Tlaloque-Tepictoton318Tomiyauhtecuhtli 319Tonacacihuatl 320Tonacatecuhtli 320Tonaleque 320Tonatiuh 320Totoltecatl 321Tozi 322Xipe Totec 350Xiuhtecuhtli 350Xochiquetzal 350–351Xolotl 351Xolotl Nanahuatl 351Yacacoliuhqui 352Yacahuiztli 352Yacapitzahuac 352Yacatecuhtli 352Yauhqueme 354Yoalli Ehecatli 356Yoaltecuhtf 356Zapotlantenan 358Aztlan 130Bba (soul) 124Ba (1) (Chinese) 41Ba (2) (Egyptian) 41, 160Ba Xian 41Baal 41–42Anat 19Arsay 29Ašerah 32Aštaroth 34Attar 38Dagan (2) 70Hadad 109Il 135Kotar 162Mot 204Pidray 247Sasuratum 277Tanit 303Baal Malage 42Baal Šamin 34, 42, 47, 83,195, 284Baal Sapon 42, 198, 247Baba 42Babi 43baboon god 117Babylon (Babylon-Akkaidia)viiiA-a 1Adad 3Antu 21Dumuzi 82Ea 85Ereškigal 92Ilabrat 135Išara 141Ištar 142–143Marduk 189–190Nammu 211Nergal 218Ninhursaga 221–222Ninurta 224Tiamat 314Bacabs 43, 64Bacax 43Bacchus 43, 78, 174, 278,280Badb 43, 204Badi Mata 43baetyls (stone stelae) 34Bagala 43Bagba 44Bagisht 44, 80, 83Bagvarti 44Baiame 44, 52, 72, 355Bala 44Balakrsna 44, 163Balam 44Balaparamita 44Balarama 45, 74, 272, 337,342Bala-Sakti 45balche 2Balder viii, 45, 97, 98, 123,127, 177, 213, 336, 356Bali 45, 336Baltis 45Banba 46Banebdjedet 46, 116Banga 46Bangputys 46Ba-Pef 46Baphomet 46Barastar 47barbers, god of 222Baršamin 47Basamum 47Basque 185, 190Bastet 47, 198, 216Bat 47Baubo 47bears 30–31beauty 339bees 8–9, 111Beg-Tse 47Behanzin 48Bel 48Belatucadros 48Belenus 48Belet-Ili 48, 221Belet-Seri 48Belili 48Bella Coola Indians 12, 171,258, 280, 289, 319Bella Pennu 48, 304Bellona 49, 180, 191Beltine 58Beltiya 49Bendis 49Benten-San 49, 283Benu 49Beowulf Saga 123Bera Pennu 49Bes 49–50Bethel 50Bhadra 50Bhaga 4, 50, 284Bhagavan 50Bhagavata-Purana 163Bhairava 50, 50Bhaisajyaguru 50bhakti 261Bharani 50Bharat Mata 51Bharati 51, 275, 276Bhavanavasi 7, 51, 78, 83,210Bhima 29, 51, 79Bhrkuti-Tara 51Bhumi 51Abhimukhi 1Acala 2Adhimukticarya 3Arcismati 27Dharmamegha 76Durangama 82Prabhakari 251Pramudita 252Sadhumati 270Samantaprabha 272Sudurjaya 294Vimala 341Bhumi Devata 51Bhumidevi 51, 76, 261Bhumiya 51Bhutadamara 51Bhutamata 52Bhuvanesvari 52Bhvanavasi 34, 293, 297,327, 338, 341Bia 52, 163Bible 32Bi-har 52bija mantra 332Birdu 52, 189Birrahgnooloo 44, 52, 72birth. See also specific gods,e.g.: NirmaliAdeona 3Ah Cuxtal 8Ajysyt 10Alemona 12Anukis 22Bes 49–50Eileithyia 86–87Hesat 124Išara 141Nammu 211Tawhaki 306Tezcacoac Ayopechtli311Thalna 312Xochiquetzal 350–351Zarpanitu(m) 358Bishamon 52, 283biwa instrument 49blacksmithingAmaterasu-O-Mi-Kami13–14Ama-Tsu-Mara 14Hasameli 114Hephaistos 120–121Kabeiroi 151Kabeiroi (blacksmithgods) 120Kinyras 161Kotar 162Kurdaligon 168Ninegal 220Qaynan 258Vulcanus 345blind god 127blood sacrifice. Seehuman/blood sacrificeBo Hsian 52Boann 5, 52, 71boars 62, 98, 168boats. See shipsBodhisattva 52Akasagarbha 10Arapacana 26Avalokitesvara 39Bhrkuti-Tara 51Bhumi 51Cunda 69

372 IndexGaganaganja 100Hevajira 124Jalinprabha 147Ksitigarbha 164Mahamayuri 182Maitreya 185Mamaki 186Manjusri 188–189Marici 190Mi-Lo Fo 198Natha 215Padmapani 239Pandara 242Parna-Savari 243Pratibhanakuta 252Raktalokesvara 262Sagaramati 270Sitapatra 287Surangama 297Usnisavijaya 330Vajragarbha 334Vasudhara 338Vidyapati-Lokesvara341Boldogasszony 53Bolon Ti Ku 53Bombay Kamayan 53Bonchor 53Book of Maccabees 70Book of the Dead 16, 17, 22,39, 115, 281, 282Books of Invasions 55, 71, 72,78Boora Pennu 48, 53, 304Bor 53Boreas 6, 53Borgia codice 61, 86, 312,317, 320Borvo 53Bragi 53, 133Brahma 54Ammavaru 16Arundhati 31Cathubodua 60Daksa 71Deva 74Gayatri 103Hari 113Hayagriva 117Hevajira 124Kama(deva) 154Kamalasana 155Mara 189Marici 190Matsya 193Nara 214Narada 214Prajapati 251Prasannatara 252Samvara 273Sandhya 273Sarasvati 276Satarupa 277Skanda 289Trimurti 322Vidyujjvalakarili 341Brahmani 54–55Bres Macelatha 55Brhaspati 55Brhati 55Brigantia 55Brigit 55, 55, 71Brihaddharma-Purana 101Brisingamen (necklace) 97Britannia 55Britian and British 1, 68–69,133Buadza 55Buddha viii, ix, 56Abhijnaraja 1Adibuddha 3Akasagarbha 10Aksobhya 11Amitabha 15Amoghasiddhi 16Asokottamasri 33Avalokitesvara 39Bhaisajyaguru 50Bhrkuti-Tara 51Bhumi 51Bodhisattva 52Buddhalocana 56Cunda 69Dharmakirtisagaraghosa76Dhyanibuddha 77Dipankara 79Gaganaganja 100Ghantapani 104Hevajira 124Kotisri 162Kuan Yin 165Locana 176Lokesvara 176Mahakapi 182Mahapadma 182Maitreya 185Mamaki 186Mandah 187Mara 189Marici 190Maya(devi) 193Mucalinda 205Ratnapani 263Ratnasambhava263–264Sakyamuni 271Sarvanivaranaviskambhin276Sarvapayanjaha 277Sarvasokatamonirghatamati277Sikhin 285Sinhanada 286Suddhodana 294Sukla-Tara 295Suparikirtitanamasri297Survarnabhadravimalaratnaprabhasa297Svaraghosaraja 299Tara 304Upulvan 329Usnisa 330Vagisvara 332Vairocana 333–334Vajradhara 334Vajrapani 335Vajratara 335Vidyujjvalakarili 341Višnu 342Yasodhara 354Buddhabodhiprabhavasita 56buddha-designate. SeeBodhisattvaBuddhakapala 56Ajaya 10Bhima 51Citrasena 67Kamini 155Kapalini 157Karini 157Mahayasa 184Mahodadhi 184Ostaraki 236Priyadarsana 253Rupini 268Subhaga 294Subhamekhala 294Sumalini 296Sundara 297Suraksini 297Vikalaratri 341Buddhalocana 56Buddhi 56, 181Buddhism viii, ix, x. See alsoBuddha; specific gods, e.g.:AcalaAksobhya 11Amitabha 15–16Amoghasiddhi 16–17Avalokitesvara 39Buddha 56Dhanada 74–75Dharmadhatuvagisvara75Dombi 81Ekajata 87Ghasmari 104Halahala 110–111Isa (1) 140Janguli 148Karai-Shin 157Kulisankusa 167Lokapala 176Mahapratisara 183Maharaksa 183Mahasitavati 183Maitreya 185sMan-Bla 187Manjusri 188–189Mara 189Mari (1) 190Marici 190Maya(devi) 193Muraja 207Myoken-Bodhisattva208O-lwa-Dai-Myojin231Patadharini 244Prajnavardhani 251Pukkasi 256Ratnasambhava263–264Ratnolka 264Saraddevi 275Sarvabuddhadharma-Kosavati 276Sarvakarmavaranavisodhani276Saubhagya-Bhuvanesvari278Savari 278Sikhin 285Sinhanada 286Suddhodana 294Sumati 296Suparikirtitanamasri297Survarnabhadravimalaratnaprabhasa297Svaraghosaraja 299Taditkara 300Tara 303–304Usnisavijaya 330Vagisvara 332Vairocana 333–334Vasantadevi 337Vayu (2) 338Vetali 340Vina 342Yama 353Yamaduti 353Yamantaka 353Yogesvari 356Budha 56, 60, 266Bugid Y Aiba 56buildings/builders 167, 207Buk 56–57bull gods 24–25, 212, 275,304, 315

Index 373‘bull roarer’ instrument 44Buluc Chabtan 57Bumba 57Buri 53, 57Buriyas 57CCacoch 58, 152caduceus (winged baton) 6,196, 267, 325Caelestis 55, 58, 94, 303Cagn 58Cailleach Bheur 55, 58Cakra 45, 58, 152–153, 185Cakresvari 58‘caldron of abundance’ 71Camaxtli 58Camulos 59Camunda 33, 59, 59, 106,164Canaanite 19, 31–32, 41–42,135, 204–205canals and ditches 90Canda 59Candali 59Candamius 59Candanayika 59Candarosana 59Candarupa 59Candavati 59Candelifera 59, 60, 178Candesvara 59Candesvari 59Candika 60Candogra 60Candra 60Abhijit 1Anuradha 23Ardra 27Aslesa(s) 33Asvayujau 35Bharani 50Budha 56Citra 67Dhanistha 75Hasta 114Jyestha 150Kaumudi 158Magha 181Mrgasiras 205Mula 206Naksatra(s) 211Punarvasu 256Purvabhadrapada 256Purvaphalguni 256Purvasadha 256Pusya 257Revati 266Rohini 266Satabhisa 277Sravana 292Sravistha 292Svati 299Tara 304Uttarabhadrapada 330Uttarasadha 330Candrasekhara 60Cankilikkaruppan 60Cao Guo-jiu 60Carcika 60Cariociecus 60Carmentes 59, 60, 178carnal love. See lovecarpenter 125, 222, 303cat 47Catalogues (Hesiod) 119Catalogues (Hesoid) 32, 78Cathubodua 60Caturmurti 60Cauri 60Cautha 61Ce Acatl 61Celts xi. See also Gallic gods;Ireland; Romano-Celticgods; specific gods, e.g.:MabonAbandinus 1Aengus 5–6Andarta 20Anu (2) 22Belenus 48Brigit 55Ceridwen 61Cernunnos 61–62Coventina 68–69Dagda 70–71Danu (1) 72Diancecht 77–78Epona 91–92Gobniu 105Govannon 106Ialonus 133Icauna 133Iccovellauna 133Lenus 173Lug 178Macha 180–181Manannan (Mac Lir)187Manawyddan 187Matres 192Mor 203Morrigan 203–204Morvran 204Nantosuelta 213Neit 216Nuadu 226–227Ogmius 231Onuava 233Pen Annwen 245Rhiannon 266Sheela Na Gig 283Sucellos 294Tailtiu 300Tegid Foel 308Tuatha de Danaan 324Yspaddaden Pencawr356Cenkalaniyammal 61cenote (sacred pool) 357Centeocihuatl 61Cerberus 122cereal crops. See corn; graindeitiesCeres 61, 175, 248, 265,303, 309, 340Ceridwen 61, 204, 308Cernunnos 48, 61–62Cghene 62Chac 62chacmools 318Chac Uayab Xoc 62Chaitanya 62Chalchiuhtlatonal 37, 62,318Chalchiuhtlicue 62–63Chalchiutonatiuh. See AtlChalchiutotolin 63Chalmecacihuilt 63Chalmecatl 63Chamer 63Chang Fei 63, 175, 176Chang Hs’ien 63Chang Tao Ling 64, 66Chantico 64Chaob 64Chaos 64, 92, 93chaos 281–282, 345Charis 64, 121Charon 123chastity 255Chattrosnisa 64Chaya 64, 273, 297Chibirias 64Chiccan 65Chicomecohuatl 65Chicomexochitl 65Chiconahui 65Chiconahuiehecatl 65Chiconahui Itzcuintli-Chantico65Chikara 65childbirth. See birthchildren 23, 63, 86, 344,350China. See also Taoism;Tibet; specific gods, e.g.:Shen NungBa (1) 41Chang Fei 63Chang Hs’ien 63Chu Jung 65Erh Lang 92–93Feng Po 96Fu Shen 98Han Xiang-Zhi 111Huang Ti 129–130Hung Sheng 131Kuei Shing 166Lu Pan 177–178Ma-zu 194Men Shen 195Nu Kua 226Pao Kung 242San Chou NiangNiang 273Sao Ching NiangNiang 274Shou Lao 284Sun Hou-Shi 296–297Tai-Sui-Jing 301T’ai Yi 300Tam Kung 301–302Tien Mu 314Tou Mou 321Tsai Shen 323Tu (1) 323Tzu Sun Niangniang325Yen Kuang NiangNiang 354Yu-Chiang 357Chinnamastaka 65Chi Sung Tzu 64Chiuke 65Chors 65Chos-Skyon 65Christ 45, 142Christianity 139, 149, 355.See also Gnostic ChristianityChronicle of Nestor 293chronology xiiichthonic deities x. See alsoearth; underworld; specificgods, e.g.: ChibiriasAh Uuc Ticab 9Aken 11Aker 11Akeru 11Ala 11–12Alisanos 12Alpanu 13Am-Heh 15Ammut 16Andjety 20Angru Mainyu 9, 20Anu (2) 22Arawn 26Areimanios 27Arianrhod 28Arsay 29

374 IndexAsase Yaa 31Ceridwen 61Cernunnos 61–62Ereškigal 92Geb 103Hine-Ahu-One 126Shango 282Susano-Wo 298Tzultacah 325–326Chu Jung 65Chul Tatic Chites Vaneg 66Chung K’uei 66Cihuacoatl-Quilaztli 66Cinxia 66Cipactli 66, 197, 311Cipactonal 66, 351Cit Chac Coh 66cities, patron of Greek36–37Citlalatonac 66Citlalicue 66, 66–67Citra 67Citrasena 56, 67Cittavasita 67Cizin 67Clementia 67Coatlicue 67, 69, 130, 233Coca-Mama 68Cocidius 68Cocijo 68Co(co)chimetl 68Col 68Colel Cab 68, 145Colop U Uichkin 68colwic 68Condatis 68confrontation theme 42contracts 29Contrebis 68cornAh Mun 8Chicomecohuatl 65Gabjauja 100Halki 111Kore 162Osiris 235–236Pekko 245Pitao Cozobi 248Sif 285Tate Oteganaka 305Zara-Mama 358Corus 68Cospi codice 61, 312, 320courtyards 34Coventina 68–69cows/cattle 78, 104, 170,223, 271, 279Coyolxauhqui 67, 69, 311crafts, domestic 37craftsmen 255crane 129Cratos 69creationAdro 5Agu’gux 7Akongo 11Alatangana 12Amma (2) 16Amun 17–18An (1) 18An (2) 18Antu 21Aondo 23Apap 23Archon(s) 27Arebati 27Ataa Naa Nyongmo35Aten 36Atua Fafine 38Atum 38–39Awonawilona 40Brahma 54Bumba 57Cagn 58Cghene 62Coatlicue 67Dyaus Pitar 83–84E Alom 85E Quaholom 85El 87–88Emeli Hin 89Enki 89–90Fidi Mukullu 96Gunabibi 107Huracan 131Imana 136Imra 137–138Itzam Na 143–144Ix Zacal Nok 145Jehovah 149Ka Tyeleo 151Kalunga 154Keawe 158Kitanitowit 161Kiya’rnarak 161Kukulcan 166Kumarbi 167Kumokums 167Kwoth 169Kyumbe 169Lesa 173–174Libanza 174–175Lisa 175Mal 185Malamanganga’e185–186Manito 188Manitu 188Manohel-Tohel 189Marduk 189–190Mayon 194Mbomba 194Mbotumbo 194Moma 202Mungan Ngour 206Mungu 206Nahui Ollin 210Na’ininen 211Nainuema 211Nammu 211Nanahuatl 212Nediyon 216Neith 216–217Ngai 219Niamye 219Nu Kua 226Nurelli 227Nut 227–228Nyame 228Nzambi 228Ocelotl 230Oduduwa 230–231O-Kuni-Nushi-No-Mikoto 232Olodumare 232Orunmila 235Osanobua 235Panao 241, 252Pemba 245Pon 249Pore 249Prometheus 253Prthu 254Ptah 255Qamai’ts 258Quat 259Quiahuitl 259–260Raluvimbha 262Re 264–265Rubanga 267Sabaoth 269Samael 272Šiva 288Suku 295Tangaroa 302Tate 304Tawa 306Te-Aka-la-Roe 307Teharon(hiawagon)308Te-Manava-Roa 307Te-Tanga-Engae 307Tiamat 314Tiki 315Tino Taata 316Tirawa 316Tirumal 316Tomwo’get 319Tonatiuh 320Toro 321Tororut 321Totilma’il 321Tsunigoab 323Ulu’tuyar Ulu Toyo’n328Umvelinkwangi 328Unkulunkulu 328Unumbote 329Uru’n Ajy Toyo’n 329Vahguru 333Vairacocha 333Višnu 342–343Waka 346Wakan Tanka346–347Wakonda 347Weri Kumbamba 348Yaldabaoth 353Yemekonji 354Yhwh 355Yng 356Yoalli Ehecatli 356Yoaltecuhtf 356crocodile 228Crowley, Aleister 46Cum Hau 69Cunda 69, 334Cunina 69Cupid. See AmorCybele 38, 69, 169Cycles of Kings 55, 71, 72, 78Cypriot 24DDabog 70Dadimunda 70Dagan (1) (Mesopotamian)41, 70Dagan (2) (Semitic) 70Dagan (3) (Kafir) 70Dagda 5, 52, 55, 70–71,178, 203, 324Daikoku 71, 85, 283Dakota Indians. See NativeAmericansDaksa 71Abhijit 1Aditi 4Anuradha 23Ardra 27Aslesa(s) 33Asvayujau 35Bharani 50Citra 67Danu (2) 72Dhanistha 75Dharma 75Diti 80Hasta 114Jyestha 150Kadru 151

Index 375Kasyapa 157Khasa 159Ksama 164Magha 181Mrgasiras 205Mula 206Naksatra(s) 211Prasuti 252Priti 253Punarvasu 256Purvabhadrapada 256Purvaphalguni 256Purvasadha 256Pusya 257Rati 263Revati 266Rohini 266Satabhisa 277Sati 277Sravana 292Sravistha 292Svadha 298Svati 299Uttarabhadrapada 330Uttarasadha 330Vac 332Virabhadra 342Dalai Lama 56, 269, 293,353damaru (drum) 288Damgalnuna 71, 189Damkina 71, 71, 85, 89,190Danaparamita 72dancing 15, 125, 170–171Danish 218–219Danu (1) (Celtic) 72, 81Danu (2) (Hindu) 72Daphne 25, 72Daramulum 44, 52, 72Darawigal 72darkness 349Datin 72dawn 39, 175, 205, 210,275, 312, 319, 329–330Daya 72death and the dead. See alsounderworldChamer 63Cizin 67Cum Hau 69Disani 80Fe’e 96Giltine 105Hades 110Hunhau 131Ikal Ahau 134Itonde 143Kala 152Morta 204Mot 204–205Na Cha 209Ogiuwu 231Persephone 246Proserpina 253Savea Si’uleo 278Ta’xet 307Tia 314Tokakami 319Whiro 348Yama 353Yum Cimil 357Decima 72–73, 204, 226,243Dedwen 3, 73Delphi 25, 250Demeter 73Ceres 61Erinys 93Gaia 101Gunabibi 107Hades 110Hekate 119Kore 162Kybele 169Persephone 246Plutos 248Poseidon 250Zeus 359demetreioi 73demonic deities 45, 136,184, 203–204, 241, 345.See also evil deitiesDena 73Deng 74Dercetius 74Derceto 74dergflaith 96desert 1desire 60, 125desolation 175destiny 19, 157, 187, 235destroyer/destruction 153,224–225, 288. See also specificgods, e.g.: NirrtiDeva 35, 74, 74Devaki 45, 74, 163, 337Devananda 74Devapurohita 74Devasena 74, 289Deverra 74Devi 74, 184, 293Dhanada 74–75Dhanistha 75Dhanvantari 75, 156Dhara 75Dharani 75Aksayajnana-Karmanda11Anantamukhi 19Arapacana 26Cunda 69Janguli 148Mari (1) 190Parasurama 243Parna-Savari 243Prajnavardhani 251Ratnolka 264Sarvabuddhadharma-Kosavati 276Sarvakarmavaranavisodhani276Sumati 296Usnisavijaya 330Dharma 75, 113, 214Dharmadhatuvagisvara 75Dharmakirtisagaraghosa 76Dharmamegha 76Dharmapala 47, 54, 76,117, 166, 182, 293, 353Dharmapratisamvit 76Dharmavasita 76Dharti Mata 76, 312Dhatar 76Dhisana 76Dhrtarastra 76Dhrti 76Dhruva 76Dhumavati 76–77Dhumorna 77, 353Dhumravati 77Dhupa 77Dhupatara 77Dhurjati 77Dhvajagrakeyura 77Dhvajosnisa 77Dhyanaparamita 77Dhyanibodhisattva 104,183, 272, 277Dhyanibuddha 77Adibuddha 3Aksobhya 11Amitabha 15–16Amoghasiddhi 16–17Dhanada 74Dhyanibuddhasakti 77Gundari-Myoo 107Jambhala 148Locana 176Lokesvara 176Mahakala 182Mahamantranusarini182Mahapratisara 183Mahapratyangira 183Mahasitavati 183Maitreya 185Mayajalakrama-Kurukulla 193Ratnasambhava263–264Sukla-Tara 295Tara 304Usnisa 330Vagisvara 332Vairocana 333–334Vajrapani 335Vajratara 335Dhyanibuddhasakti 77, 304Diana 27, 77, 332Diancecht 77–78, 198, 227Diang 78Dictynna 78Didi Thakrun 78Dievs 78, 278Digambara 78Dikbhavanavasi 51Dike 4, 78, 87, 94Dikkumara 78dikpala (guardian deities)Acala 2Agni 7Candra 60Chattrosnisa 64Dhrtarastra 76Dhvajosnisa 77Niladanda 220Nirrti 224, 225Padmosnisa 239Prajnantaka 251Ratnosnisa 264Soma 291Sumbha 296Sumbharaja 296Takkiraja 301Tejosnisa 308Tiksnosnisa 315Usnisa 330Usnisavijaya 330Vajraghanta 334Vajrapasi 335Vajrasphota 335Vajrosnisa 335Varuna 337Vayu (1) 338Vayu (2) 338Vighnantaka 341Virupaksa 342Visvosnisa 344Yama 353Yamantaka 353Diksa 78, 274Dionysos 78–79Ariadne 28Bacchus 43Dušara 83Hera 121Indr 138Leukothea 174Liber 175Orotalt 235Persephone 246Priapos 252Sabazios 269

376 IndexSarapis 275Semele 280Zeus 359Dioskouroi 79Dipa 79Dipa Tara 79Dipankara 79Dipti 79Dirghadevi 79Dis Pater 79Disa 79Disani 44, 79–80, 138, 242,249, 294, 360Disciplina 80Discordia 80, 93disease 156, 250–251. Seealso plague; sicknessDisir 80ditches. See canals andditchesDiti 80divine judgment 187Divona 80Djila’qons 81dogs 22, 92–93Dogumrik 81Dolichenus 81, 150Dombi 81Don 13, 28, 72, 81, 106Donar 81, 304Dongo 81Donn 81Doris 17, 81, 232Doudoun 81dragon 268Dravidians (Tamils)Amma (1) 16Ammavaru 16Ankalamman 21Bala-Sakti 45Cankilikkaruppan 60Cenkalaniyammal 61Katavul 158Korravai 162Manmatha 189Mariyamman 190Mayon 194Murukan 207Muttalamman 208Nediyon 216Pradyumna 251Tirumal 316Venda 339Dreamtime 44, 72drought 41, 160Dsahadoldza 81Duillae 81Dulha Deo 82Dumuzi viii, 4, 38, 45, 82,104, 107, 137, 138Dur 82Durangama 82Durga 82–83Aparajita 23Aticandika 37Camunda 59Candanayika 59Candarupa 59Candavati 59Candogra 60Chinnamastaka 65Gramadevata 106Jaya-Vijaya 149Kalika 153Katyayani 158Kumari 167Mahisasuramardini184Maya(devi) 193Navadurga(s) 215Pracanda 251Raudri 264Rudracandra 268Rudracarcika 268Rudrani 268Sakti 271Šiva 288Ugracandika 327Vana-Durga 336Durjaya 83Dušara 35, 83Duzhi 83Dvipabhavanavasi 51Dvipakumara 83Dyaus Pitar 83–84, 139,150, 254, 343dying god 45Dzivaguru 84EE Alom 85, 85, 107E Quaholom 85, 85, 107Ea 1, 71, 85, 89, 189, 213,227Eacus 85E-akkil (sanctuary) 243earth 100–101, 103, 254,287, 321, 323. See alsochthonic; specific gods, e.g.:Tanu’taearthquake 151, 211, 267,360Easter 38E-babbar 272Ebisu 71, 85–86, 162, 283Edda. See Prose EddaEdeke 86Edusa 86Eee-A-O 86E-engurra (sanctuary) 89Egeria 86Egres 86Egypt viii. See also pharaohs;specific gods, e.g.: BanebdjedetAmun 17–18Anat 19Anubis 22Aten 36Atum 38–39Ba (2) 41Baal 41–42Bastet 47Bes 49–50Geb 103Hapy 112, 160, 217Hathor 115–116Hauhet 116, 118, 231Heh 116, 118, 231Heryšaf 123–124Hesat 124He Zur 117Horus 128Ihy 134Imiut 136Inmutef 139Ipy 140Isdes 141Isis 141–142Ištar 143Kauket 158Kebechet 159Kek 159Khons(u) 160Mihos 198Min 199Naunet 215Neith 216–217Nekmet Awai 217Neper 217Nephthys 217–218Nun 227Nut 227–228Ogdoad 231Osiris 235–236Pakhet 240Ptah 255Re 264–265Renenutet 265Sakhmet 270–271Šed 279Sefkhet-Abwy 279Sekhet-Hor 279Šepset 280Sešat 281Seth 281–282Sia 284Sobek 289–290Sopedu 291Šu 293Ta-Bitjet 300Tatevali 305Taweret 306Tefnut 308Thoth 313–314Wadj Wer 346Wepwawet 347Yah 352Ehecatl 86, 86, 259Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl 86,351Eileithyia 86–87, 121Eirene 87, 94, 248Eji Ogbe 87Ek Chuah 87Ekadasarudra 23, 87, 112,140, 148, 156, 181, 220,293, 297, 341, 342Ekajata 87, 181Ekanetra 87, 87Ekarudra 87, 87Ekur (sanctuary) 90El 87–88, 88Elagabal 88El’eb 88, 88elephants 56, 102, 181, 284Eleusinian Mysteries 61, 73Elim 88, 88, 89Elkunirsa 32, 88Ellaman 88Ellel 88Ellil 88, 89, 91, 206, 208Eloai 89Elohim 88, 89Emeli Hin 89Eme’mqut 89, 201, 260,339Emeš 89, 91Emešlam 218E-meteursag 358Enbilulu 89Endouellicus 89Endursaga 89Eninnu 221Enki 89–90A’aš 1Abgal 1Abu 2An (1) 18Apsu 26Asalluha 31Ašnan 33Enbilulu 89Enkimdu 90Inana 137Isimud 141Iškur 142Lahar 170Marduk 189Musdamma 207Nammu 211Nanše 213

Index 377Ningal 220Ningikuga 221Ningirsu 221Ninhursaga 222Sirara 286Tiamat 314Uttu 330Enkimdu 90Enlil 90An (1) 18Ašnan 33Damgalnuna 71Emeš 89Enki 89Ennugi 91Enten 91Huban 130Igigi 134Ki 161Lahar 170Marduk 190Mulliltu 206Musdamma 207Nanna (1) 212Nergal 218Ninazu 220Ninhursaga 221Nunbarsegunu 227Nušku 227Pa-bil-sag 239Enmesarra 90Ennead 39, 91, 103, 313Ennead (genealogy) 218, 227Ennugi 91Enten 91Enuma Eliš 21, 26, 33, 85Enundu 91, 104Enzu 91Eos 6, 39, 53, 91, 247, 312Eostre 91, 236E-padun-tila (sanctuary ofNinurta) 224Epic Cycle (Hesiod) 7Epic of Gilgameš 85Epimetheus 91, 253Epona 91–92, 204, 266equestrian. See horsesErebos 7, 92Ereškigal 92Allatu(m) 13Anunnaki 23Dumuzi 82Enki 89Galla 101Geštin-Ana 104Grismadevi 106Inana 137, 138Lelwani 173Namtar 212Nergal 218Nergal and Ereškigal 85Neti 219Ninazu 220Erh Lang 92–93Erinys 93, 217, 250Eris 80, 93, 128, 191Eriu 55, 93, 203Erkilek 93Eros 17, 93Erra 93, 104, 178, 279Erua. See Zarpanitu(m)Es 93Eshu 93–94Eskimo. See InuitsEšmun 94, 195Estsanatlehi 94, 215, 323,356Esu 94Esus 94, 304Etruscans. See also specificgods, e.g.: VeiveAlpanu 13Ani 20Aplu 25Atunis 39Cautha 61Laran 172Nethuns 219Nortia 226Summamus 296Thalna 312Thesan 312Tin 315Turan 325Uni 328Voltumna 344Eunomia 87, 94Euros 94Eurynome 94evening 271evil deities 2, 43, 186, 189.See also demonic deities‘eye of Horus’ 128FFabulinus 95Faivarongo 95, 315falcon 128Faraguvol 95Faro 95, 245, 309fate 170, 173, 226, 243, 360father of the tribe 70–71Fauna 95, 95Faunus 95, 95Fe 95–96Fe’e 96Fei Lian. See Feng PoFejervary-Mayer codice 61,312, 320Felicitas 96feline goddess 47female force 248, 291–292femininity 144Feng Po 96fertility. See also specific gods,e.g.: Nin-ImmaAdonis 4Ala 11–12Anat 19Aphrodisias 24Asase Yaa 31Aštaroth 34Astarte 34Aštoreth 34Atete 36Brigit 55Ceridwen 61Cernunnos 61–62Disani 79–80Epona 91–92Estsanatlehi 94Fjorgyn 96Freyja 97Freyr 97–98Hapy 112Inana 137–138Ištar 142–143Jumis 149Kronos 163Kshumai 164Ma 180Macha 180–181Min 199Mokos 202Myrrha 208Nanaja 212Nerthus 218–219Nin’insinna 222Obatala 230Ome Tochtli 233Onuava 233Priapos 252–253Pusti 256Quadeš 258–259Rosmerta 267Saraddevi 275Šarra Itu 276Šauška 278Seta 281Šulmanitu 296Šulman(u) 295–296Šul-pa-e 296Telepinu 308–309Tlaloque-Tepictoton318Tomiyauhtecuhtli 319Totoltecatl 321Ull 328Wadj Wer 346Xochiquetzal350–351Yauhqueme 354Yolkai Estan 356Feryha 225fever 153Fides 96Fidi Mukullu 96Finland 86, 126fire. See also hearth; specificgods, e.g.: TatevaliAgni 7Anala 18Chu Jung 65Gabija 100Gerra 104Gibil 104Hastsezini 115Hephaistos 120–121Hi-No-Kagu-Tsuchi126Ho-Musubi-No-Kami127Ho-No-Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami 127Huehuecoyotl 130Intal 139Ixcozauhqui 145Jagaubis 147Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami152Lo’cin-po’gil 176Mahuikez 184Me’mdeye-Eci’e 195Niha-Tsu-Hi-No-Kami 219Tabiti 300Tatosi 305Verbti 339Vesta 340Vulcanus 345fishermen/fish 15, 40, 48,62, 134–135, 199, 234,256, 302, 316. See also specificgods, e.g.: OpochtliFjorgyn 96Flaitheas 96flood waters 44, 80, 83Flora 96–97florists 67flowers 96–97fog 355Fon 7, 40, 48, 173, 175,177, 193, 232, 344foodstuffs 321forests 2, 27, 162, 356forethought 254Forseti 45, 97Fortuna 97, 292, 325fortune 7, 23, 87, 97, 135,159, 268, 278, 325. See alsoluck; specific gods, e.g.:Abhijit

378 Indexfounders 72, 260Freyja 97, 98, 119, 177,237, 336Freyr 97, 97–98, 225, 336Frigg 45, 96, 98, 99, 103Fu Shen 98, 323Fujin 98Fukurokuju 98–99, 149,283Fulla 99funerary 22, 217–218, 280Futo-Tama 99Futsu-Nushi-No-Kami 99GGabija 100, 147Gabjauja 100Gad 100Gaganaganja 100Gaia 100–101Eros 93Kronos 163Meter 197Nereus 218Ouranos 237Pan 241Phorkys 247Pontos 249Rhea 266Tethys 310Themis 312Titans 316Gajavahana 101Gal Bapsi 101Galla 101Gallic gods 20, 61–62,91–92, 133. See also specificgods, e.g. : BorvoGanapati 101, 101Ganapatihrdaya 101Ganaskidi 101Gandha 101Gandhari 101Gandha Tara 101Ganesa 101–102Aparajita 24Bharati 51Buddhi 56Durga 83Ganapati 101Gauri 103Heruka 123Kubuddhi 166Maha-Ganapati 181Parna-Savari 243Parvati 244Pustí 256Riddhi 266Siddhi 284Vighnantaka 341Vighnesvaranugramurti341Ganga 102, 125, 195, 244Gangir 102Garmangabis 102Garuda 102Amoghasiddhi 16Khyung-Gai mGo-Can160Krsna 164Lei Kung 173Narayana 214Vaikuntha 333Vaisnavi 334Višnu 343Visvarupa 344Gatumdug 102Gaunab 102–103, 323Gauri 59, 60, 103, 103Gautama Buddha. See BuddhaGayatri 54, 103, 276Geb 103Ennead 91Isis 141Khnum 160Nehebu-Kau 216Nephthys 217Nut 227, 228Osiris 235Seth 281Šu 293Tar 303Tefnut 308Gefjon 103Gemini 102, 104genia loci 55Genius 104Germanic gods ix. See alsoNordic gods; VikingsAlcis 12Donar 81Freyja 97Freyr 97–98Frigg 98Irmin 140Mani 188Ostara 236Othin 236–237Tiwaz 317Ull 328Wodan 348–349Gerra 104, 104Geštin-Ana 104Geštu 104Geus Tasan 104Geus Urvan 104Ghantakarna 104Ghantapani 104Ghasmari 104Ghentu 104Gibil 104Gibini 104Giltine 105Gish 105, 138, 274Giszida 105, 221Gita 105, 172Glaucus 105Glaukos 94, 105Gleti 105Gnostic ChristianityAdamas 3Archon(s) 27Astaphaios 33–34Eloai 89Oraios 234Pistis 248Pronoia 253Sabaoth 269Samael 272Sophia 291–292Yaldabaoth 353Zoe 360goats 311Gobniu 5, 105, 324Gonaqade’t 106Gon-Po Nag-Po 106good fortune. See fortuneGoraknath 106Govannon 105, 106Graces. See GratiaeGrahamatrka 106, 334grain deities 162, 166, 217,222–223, 245. See also cornGramadevata 106Grannus 106, 286Gratiae 64, 106, 118Grdhrasya 106Greco-Roman period. Seealso Greek gods anddeities; Roman gods anddeities; specific gods, e.g.:ErebosAnubis 22Baal 42Bes 50Hephaistos 120–121Himerus 125Hymenaios 132Isis 141, 142Iunones 144Leukothea 174Mandulis 187–188Minos 200Mithra 200Naiades 210–211Napaeae 213Nemesis 217Nereides 218Nike 219–220Okeanides 231–232Ops 234Oreades 234Pan 241Parcae 243Priapos 252–253Satyr 278Semele 279–280Themis 312Greek gods and deities viii,ix, xi. See also Greco-Roman period; specific gods,e.g.: EireneAphrodite 24Apollo 25–26Ares 28Artemis 30Asklepios 32–33Athena 36–37Attis 38Daphne 72Demeter 73Dike 78Dionysos 78–79Eileithyia 86–87Gaia 100–101Glaukos 105Harpina 113Hebe 118Hekate 119Helen 119–120Helios 120Hera 121Herakles 121–122Hermes 122–123Hestia 124Horkos 128Horus 128Hyakinthos 131–132Hygieia 132Iapetos 133Iris 140Kabeiroi 151Kinyras 161Klotho 162Kore 162Kouretes 162Kratos 163Lachesis 170Leto 174Logos 176Meter 197Metis 197Mnemosyne 201Okeanos 232Onuris 233–234Ouranos 237Paiawon 240Peitho 245Perse 246Persephone 246Phanes 247

Index 379Phosphoros 247Polydeukes 249Pontos 249Poseidon 249–250Posis Das 250Prometheus 253Rhea 266Selene 279Sophia 291–292Sothis 292Tethys 310Thetis 313Titans 316Zeus 359–360Zoe 360Grismadevi 106guardian deities. See also dikpala;specific gods, e.g.:Kunado-No-KamiAlad Udug Lama 12Ankalamman 21Anna Perenna 21Anti 21Apacita 23Bes 49–50Chalchiuhtlicue 63Ganesa 102Heimdall 118–119Hung Sheng 131Ina’hitelan 137Kuan Yin 165Kuku-Ki-Waka-Muro-Tsuna-Ne-No-Kami166Kushi-Iwa-Mado-No-Mikoto 168Kutkhu 168–169Lokapala 176Mahapratisara 183Maharaksa 183Mahasitavati 183Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami 198Mulindwa 206Na Cha 209Nahi 210Na’nqa-ka’le 213Osande 235Peju’lpe 245Qaitakalnin 258Securita 279Šed 279Si’mskalin 285Sopedu 291Toko’yoto 319Varuna 337Wanka 347Wawki 347Ya’halan 352Ya’halna’ut 352Yama 353Yamantaka 353Yine’ane’ut 355–356Guari 81, 104, 256Gugulanna 92, 106Gujo 106Gukumatz 85, 107Gula 13, 107, 110, 220Gul-Šeš 107Gulsilia Mata 107Gunabibi 107Gundari-Myoo 107Gunnodoyak 107Gunura 107Gur-Gyi Mgon-Po 106,107guru 55Gusilim 107Gwydion 13, 108, 176Gwynn Ap Nudd 26, 108,123HHa 109Hachacyum 2, 58, 109, 110Hachiman 109Hadad 35, 41, 109–110,359Hades 27, 73, 79, 110, 119,122, 123, 196, 234, 246,248, 250, 312Hahana Ku 110Hahanu 110Haida Indians. See NativeAmericansHaili’laj 110Hakea 110Hala 110Halahala 110–111, 288Haldi 44, 111Halki 111Hamadryades 111Hamavehae 111Hammon 111Hammu Mata 111Hammurabi viiiHani(s) 111Hani-Yasu-Hiko 111, 111Hani-Yasu-Hime 111, 111Hannahannas 111, 118,308Hansa 111Hanui-o-rangi 111–112Hanuman 112Han Xiang-zi 41, 111Hao 112Hapy 112, 160, 217Hara 112Hara Ke 112Harakhti 112, 128Hara-Yama-Tsu-Mi 112Hardaul 112–113Harendotes 113, 113Hari 4, 113, 214Hariti 113Harmachis 113, 128Harmonia 28, 113, 191Haroeris 113, 119, 128,304Harpina 113Harpokrates 46, 113, 113,114, 128, 142Harsa 114, 129Harsiese 114, 128Harsomtus 114, 128harvests 152, 234, 237, 274Hasameli 114Hasta 114Hastehogan 114Hastsbaka 114Hastsebaad 114Hastseltsi 114Hastseoltoi 115Hastseyalti 115Hastsezini 115Hatdastsisi 115Hathor 115–116Anat 19Anti 21Anukis 22Bastet 47Harsomtus 114Horus 128Ihy 134Inmutef 139Isis 141Khons(u) 160Nekmet Awai 217Quadeš 258Sakhmet 270Sobek 290Tasenetnofret 304Hatmehyt 46, 116Hatthi 116Haubas 116Hauhet 116, 118, 231Haukim 116Haumea 116, 124Haumiatiketike 116–117Haurun 117Hawaiian gods 116,124–125, 156, 158, 164,170–171, 177, 245. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: PapatuanukuHayagriva 117, 190, 193,243Haya-Ji 117Hayasum 117Hayasya 117Hazzi 117healing. See also health; midwives;physician deities;specific gods, e.g.: OcelusAesculapius 6Ah Uincir Dz’acab 9Apollo 25–26Asklepios 32–33Basamum 47Belenus 48Borvo 53Endouellicus 89Ešmun 94Geb 103Ghantakarna 104Gula 107Hala 110Kamrusepa 156Lenus 173Meditrina 194Nuadu 226–227Sadrapa 270Sirona 286Sukuna-Hikona 295Teteoinnan 310Tozi 322Zapotlantenan 358health 33, 132, 178hearth 40, 64, 124, 144,172, 176, 188, 245–246,312, 340. See also specificgods, e.g.: Hestiaheaven 149Hebat 29, 117–118, 276,310Hebe 87, 118, 121, 149,150Hegemone 118Heh 116, 118, 231Heimdall 118–119, 177Hekate 119, 179, 279Heket 119Hel 45, 119, 123, 127, 213Helen 24, 119–120, 217,360. See also Trojan War;TroyHelios 91, 120, 132, 275,279, 312Hemantadevi 120Hendursaga 120Hephaistos 24, 28, 64,120–121, 151, 255, 345Hera 21, 28, 30, 86, 87,110, 118, 120, 121, 121,140, 174, 325, 359Herakles 10, 28, 37, 118,121, 121–122, 124, 195,218, 253, 359Hercules 2, 122, 231. Seealso Heraklesherdsmen. Seeshepherds/herdsmen

380 IndexHeret-Kau 122Hermaphroditos 122Hermes 37, 73, 122,122–123, 241, 246, 325,359Hermod 123Hermus 123Herne 108, 123heroes/heroic deities 29,107, 121–122, 201–203,253, 272, 306. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: NanabozhoHeros 123Heruka 11, 56, 123, 124,211Heryšaf 123–124Hesat 124Hestia 124, 340Hetepes-Sekhus 124Hevajira 124, 273, 335Hexchuchan 124He Xian-gu 41, 117He Zur 117Hi’aika 116, 124–125Hi-Hiya-Hi 125Hiisi 125Hikoboshi 15, 125Hiko-Sashiri-No-Kami125Hilal 125Hi’lina 125Himavan 102, 125, 195,244Himerus 125Hina 125, 126, 189, 245Hina-Uri 126Hinduism ix, x. See alsoDravidians; specific gods,e.g.: DharaniAditi 4Agni 7Ankalamman 21Brahma 54Danu (2) 72Deva 74Dhara 75Dharma 75Durga 82–83Dyaus Pitar 83–84Ellaman 88Ganesa 101–102Ganga 102Ghantakarna 104Hanuman 112Hardaul 112–113Hatthi 116Himavan 125Iksvaku 135Ila 135Indra 138–139Indrani 139Indukari 139Isa (1) 140Jagannath 147Jvaraharisvara 150Jyestha 150Kala 152Kalavikarnika 153Kali (1) 153Kalki(n) 154Kama(deva) 154–155Karkota 157Kasyapa 157Kaumudi 158Krsna 163–164Ksetrapala 164Kubera 166Kubjika 166Kulika 167Kundalini 167Kurukulla 168Laksmi 171Lokapala 176Mahabala 181Maha-Ganapati 181Mahanaga 182Mahapadma 182Mahisa 184Mangala 188Manu 189Mari Mai 190Marici 190Marutgana 191Mata 191Matara 192Mater Matuta 192Mena 195Minaksi 199Nagaraja 210Naksatra 211Nandi(n) 212Nirrti 224–225Ola Bibi 232Padma 239Pancanana 241–242Parendi 243Parjanya 243Parvati 244Pasupati 244Pattinidevi 244Pavana 245Phul Mata 247Pradhana 251Prajapati 251Pratyangira 252Prsni 254Prthivi 254Prthu 254Pusan 256Pusti 256Radha 261Rahu 261Raka (1) 262Rama 262Rati 263Ratri 264Raudri 264Rbhus 264Revanta 265Rudra 267–268Samba 272Sani 273Sankari 274Sankha(pala) 274Santa 274Santoshí Mata 274Sarasvati 275–276Sati 277Savitar 278–279Sesa(naga) 280Shani 283Sindhu 286Sita 287Šiva 288Skanda 289Sugriva 294Sukra 295Sura 297Surya (1) 297–298Taksaka 301Tara 303–304Tripura 322Usas 329–330Vac 332Vaisnavi 334Valli 336Varaha 336Varuna 337Vata 338Vayu (1) 338Vindhya 342Virabhadra 342Viraj 342Višnu 342–343Vrtra 345Yaksas 353Yama 353Yami 353Hine-Ahu-One 126, 126,302Hine-Ata-Uira 126, 126,302Hine-Nui-Te-Po 125, 126,126, 193, 302Hinglaj(-Mata) 126Hinkon 126Hi-No-Kagu-Tsuchi 126,146, 201Hiranyagarbha 126Hiruko 86, 126, 146Historia Dancia (Saxo) 45,98, 127History of Races 72Hittavainen 126Hittites and Hurrians viiiA’aš 1Alalu 12Halki 111Hasameli 114Hebat 117–118Inara 138Jarri 148Kamrusepa 156Kumarbi 167Kušuh 168Peruwa 247Rundas 268Šauška 278Šutekh 298Taru 304Telepinu 308–309Tesub 310Tilla 315Hlothyn 126Hoder 45, 127, 213, 336Hoenir 127, 199Hokushin-O-Kami 127homajakalika (fire device)325Ho-Musubi-No-Kami 127Ho-No-Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami 127Honus 127hope 292Ho-Po 127Horae 312Horagalles 127, 264, 313Horkos 93, 128horsesAsar 31Belenus 48Epona 91–92Freyr 98Hayasya 117Kalki(n) 154Peruwa 247Pollux 249Polydeukes 249Rhiannon 266Rubanga 267Horus xi, 128Anti 21Banebdjedet 46Geb 103Harakhti 112Harendotes 113Harmachis 113Haroeris 113Harpokrates 113Harsiese 114Harsomtus 114Hathor 115Hekate 119

Index 381Ihy 134Isis 142Min 199Neith 217Onuris 234Osiris 235, 236Sekhet-Hor 279Seth 281, 282Sopedu 291Ta-Bitjet 300Tasenetnofret 304Wadjet 346Wepwawet 347Wosret 349Hotei 283Hotel 128Hotra 276Hotr(a) 128Hours 129household/home 102, 124,155, 185, 198, 212, 232HRIH mantra 15Hrsikesa 114, 129Hsi Wang Mu 129Hu 129Huaca 129, 347Huanacauri 129Huang Ti 41, 129–130,240, 349Hubal 130Huban 130Huehuecoyotl 130Huehuecoyotl-Coyotlinahual130Huehuetotl 130Huichol Indians. See MexicoHuiracocha. See VairacochaHuitzilpochtli 130Coatlicue 67Coyolxauhqui 69Mexitli 197Ometeotl 233Painal 240Teicauhtzin 308Tetzahauteotl 310Tetzahuitl 310Tezcatlipoca 312Tlacahuepan 317Tlaloc 318Vitzilipuztli 344Huixtocihuatl 130human/blood sacrifice 30,38, 304. See also meriahritualsHUM mantra 11, 16Hun Hunapu 131, 131Hunab Ku 131, 131, 144Hunapu 131, 131Hunaunic. See ChaobHung Sheng 131Hunhau 131hunting. See also specific gods,e.g.: OnurisAh Cancun 8Ah Tabai 9Apollo 25–26Arduinna 27Ašpalis 33Erkilek 93Hastseoltoi 115Hinkon 126Hittavainen 126Huvi 131Igalilik 134Murukan 207Opochtli 234Pakhet 240Picvu’cin 247Rang 263Revanta 265Tapio 303Tewi’xilak 311Toa’lalit 319Tunek 324–325Hurabtil 131Huracan 131Hurrians. See Hittites andHurriansHuvi 131Hyakinthos 131–132Hygieia 33, 132Hyksos Dynasty 19Hymenaios 132Hyperion 91, 120, 132,237, 279, 312, 316Hypnos 132, 203, 228, 291,312Hypsistos 12, 132Ialonus 68, 133Iapetos 91, 133, 237, 253,316Ibo (Africa) 11–12, 65, 135Icauna 133Icci 133, 328Iccovellauna 133ice 348Icelandic gods. See Nordicgods; VikingsIdunn 53, 133Ifa 133–134Ifru 134Igalilik 134Igigi 23, 134Ignerssuak 134Ihoiho 134Ih P’en 134, 145Ihy 134ika (fish) 302IIkal Ahau 134Ikatere 134–135Ikenga 135Iksvaku 135Iku-Ikasuchi-No-Kami 135Il 88, 135Ila 135, 276Ilaalge 135Ilabrat 135Ilat 135, 281, 321I’lena 135Illiad and Odyssey (Homer)Aphrodite 24Ares 28Artemis 30Asklepios 32Athena 37Erinys 93Gaia 100Hades 110Hephaistos 120, 121Hera 121Hermes 122Paiawon 240Rhea 266Ilmarinen 136Ilyapa 136Im 136Imana 136Imbolc 55Imiut 136Immap Ukua 136Immat 136immortals 41, 60, 111, 117,171–172, 174, 178, 360Imporcitor 136Imra 80, 81, 105, 136–137,203, 206, 284, 294Ina 126Ina’hitelan 137, 352Inana 137–138Anunnaki 23Ceres 61Dumuzi 82Enki 89Ereškigal 92Geštin-Ana 104Grismadevi 106Lilith 175Nanna (1) 212Ninhursaga 221Quadeš 258Šara 275Utu 331Inana’s Descent 82, 219, 223Inara 138Inari 138Inazuma 138Inca. See also specific gods, e.g.:Mama-KilyaApacita 23Apo 25Huaca 129Huanacauri 129Ilyapa 136Initi 140Mama Qoca 186sun gods 140Vairacocha 333Wanka 347Wawki 347India ix. See also Buddhism;Dravidians; Hinduism;JainismAcchupta 3Agni 7Aksobhya 11Amitabha 15–16Amoghasiddhi 16–17Avalokitesvara 39Brahma 54Buddha 56Dharma 75Durga 82–83Dyaus Pitar 83–84Gandhari 101Ganesa 101–102Kali (1) 153Kama(deva) 154–155Krsna 163–164Laksmi 171Mahakali 182Maitreya 185Manjusri 188–189Parvati 244Poleramma 249Prthivi 254Ratnasambhava263–264Sarasvati 275–276Sati 277Sita 287Šiva 288Skanda 289Vairocana 333–334Varuna 337Vayu (1) 338Višnu 342–343indoea padi (mother of rice)273Indr 80, 105, 138Indra 138–139Aditi 4Anala 18Anila 20Apa 23Arjuna 29Danu (2) 72Dhara 75Dhruva 76Dyaus Pitar 83Gish 105Hevajira 124

382 IndexIndr 138Indrani 139Mara 189Marutgana 191Meghanada 194Nara 214Parjanya 243Prabhasa 251Prasannatara 252Pratyusa 252Prthivi 254Rbhus 264Rudra 267Sakra 271Sarama 275Sita 287Soma 291Vajrapani 335Vamana 336Vasu(s) 337Vidyujjvalakarili 341Vijaya 341Indrani 139, 139Indukari 139, 272infants. See childrenIng 97, 139, 356injustice 4Inkanyamba 139Inmar 139Inmutef 139Insitor 139inspiration 61, 198–199,204, 308Intal 139Intercidona 139Inti 140, 186intoxication. See wineInuitsErkilek 93Igalilik 134Ignerssuak 134Immap Ukua 136Ka’cak 151Kiya’rnarak 161Nerrivik 218Nuli’rahak 227Sedna 279Silma Inua 285Tornarssuk 321Tunek 324–325Iord 140Ipalnemoani 140Ipy 140Iran 57, 213, 248. See alsoPersiaIraq. See also Babylon;MesopotamiaAn (1) 18Dumuzi 82Ea 85Enki 89–90Enlil 90Ereškigal 92Hala 110Marduk 189–190Nanna (1) 212–213Nergal 218Ninurta 224Utu 330–331Ireland ix. See also specificgods, e.g.: Sheela Na GigAengus 5–6Belenus 48Brigit 55Dagda 70–71Danu (1) 72Diancecht 77–78Gobniu 105Lug 178Morrigan 203–204Nuadu 226–227Tuatha de Danaan 324Iris 140Irmin 140Iroquois. See Native Americansirrigation 218Iruva 140Isa (1) (Hindu) 140Isa (2) (African) 140Išara 141Isdes 141Ishi-Kori-Dome 141Isimud 141Isis 141–142Anubis 22Apis 25Arensnuphis 28Ennead 91Geb 103Harpokrates 113Harsiese 114Heret-Kau 122Horus 128Mandulis 188Min 199Nephthys 217Nut 227Osiris 235, 236Renenutet 265Seth 281Sothis 292Isis knot. See ankhIškur 3, 136, 137, 142, 212,304, 331, 359Islam viii, 12–13Israel and Israelites 19, 34,41–42, 87–89. See alsoJudaism; Semitic gods anddeitiesIssaki 142Istadevata 142Ištanu 142Ištar 24, 34, 61, 142–143,270, 275Ištaran 143Isten 143Išum 143Isvara 143Itonde 143, 194Itzam Cab 143, 144Itzam Na 8, 64, 131, 143,143–144Itzcuintli 144Itzpapalotl 144Itzpapalotl-Itzcueye 144,144Itztapal Totec 144Itztli 144Iunones 144Iusaas 144Iuturna 145Ix Chebel Yax 64, 145Ix Chel 145, 145Ixcozauhqui 145Ix Kanan 134, 145Ixnextli 145Ixpuztec 145Ixquimilli-Itzlacoliuhqui 145Ixtab 145Ixtlilton 145Ix Zacal Nok 64, 68, 145Izanagi-No-Kami 13, 146,146, 199, 232, 238, 298,321, 323Izanami-No-Kami 111, 126,135, 146, 146, 156, 199,232, 238, 321Izquitecatl 146Jabru 147jackal 22Jagannath 147, 293Jagaubis 147Jahwe. See YhwhJainism. See also specific gods,e.g. : DvipakumaraAcchupta 3Agnikumara 7Asurakumara 34–35Bala 44Bhavanavasi 51Buddhi 56Devananda 74Dhrti 76Kali (2) 153Manasa 187Manasi 187Manavi 187Nagaraja 210JNarada 214Parsva 244Prajnapti 251Sarvastramahajvala277Sasanadevata 277Stanitakumara 293Suparnakumara 297Tripura 322Udadhikumara 327Vaimanika 333Vairotya 334Vayukumara 338Vidyutkumara 341Jakomba 147Jalinprabha 147Jambhala 148, 263, 327Janguli 148Janus 20, 148, 292Japan. See ShintoJarri 148Jayakara 148Jayanta 139, 148Jayatara 148Jaya-Vijaya 149Jehovah 149Jerusalem 34jewelers 302Jnanadakini 149Jnanaparamita 149Jnanavasita 149Jok 149Jokinam 149Judaism 89, 355. See alsoSemitic gods and deitiesJumis 149Juno 104, 149, 150, 191,199, 303, 345. See alsoHeraJunrojin 149–150, 283Jupiter xi, 150Baal 42Bacchus 43Ceres 61Devapurohita 74Dolichenus 81Egeria 86Epimetheus 91Juno 149Maia 185Mars 191Mercurius 196Minerva 199, 200Poeninus 248Quirinus 260Semele 280Taranis 304Tarvos Trigaranos 304Victoria 340Vulcanus 345Zeus 359

Index 383justice 78, 145, 213, 217,263, 312Juventas 118, 150Jvaraharisvara 150Jyestha 150KKa Tyeleo 151Kabeiroi 120, 151Kabrakan 151, 360Kabta 151Ka’cak 151Kacchapesvara 151Kadeš 151Kadru 151, 187, 280Kafir (Afghanistan). See alsospecific gods, e.g.: Dagan (3)Disani 79–80Immat 136Imra 136–137Indr 138Kshumai 164Lunang 179Mon 202–203Nirmali 224Nong 226Panao 241, 252Sanju 274Sudrem 294Zhiwud 360Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami 125,152, 198Kahilan 152Kahukura 152, 266kaiak 325Kaikara 152kaiwhatu 267Kai Yum 152Kakaku 152kakashi 290Kakasya 152Kakka 152Kakupacat 152Kala 152Kala-Bhadra 152Kalacakra 152–153Kaladuti 153kalau 356Kalavikarnika 153Kali (1) (Hindu) 153Ankalamman 21Digambara 78Gramadevata 106Katyayani 158Laksmi 171Mahakali 182Maharatri 183Mariyamman 190Pidari 247Raudri 264Sakti 271Sitala(mata) 287Šiva 288Kali (2) (Jain) 153Kaligni-Rudra 153Kalika 153Kalisia 154Kaliya 154, 164Kalki(n) 154, 185, 342Kalligeneia 154kalpa (day) 54Kaltesh 154Kalunga 154, 207Kama(deva) 153, 154–155,189, 251, 253, 263, 268,272Kamado-No-Kami 155Kama-Gami 155Kamaksi 155Kamala 155, 183, 239Kamalasana 54, 155Kamantakamurti 155Kami 155Hachiman 109Hi-Hiya-Hi 125Ho-Musubi-No-Kami127Ho-No-Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami 127Ishi-Kori-Dome 141Izanagi-No-Kami 146Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami152Kamo-Wake-Ikazuchi156Kana-Yama-Biko-No-Kami 156Kana-Yama-Hime-No-Kami 156Kunado-No-Kami 167Michi-No-Kami 197Mika-Hiya-Hi 198Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami 198Munakata-No-Kami206Niha-Tsu-Hi-No-Kami 219Sukuna-Hikona 295Ta-No-Kami 303Tsuki-Yomi 323Waka-Hiru-Me 346Kami-Musubi-No-Kami 15,155Kamini 155Kamo-Wake-Ikazuchi 10,156Kamrusepa 156Kana-Yama-Biko-No-Kami156, 156Kana-Yama-Hime-No-Kami156, 156Kane 125, 156, 158, 164,177Kangalogba 156, 321Kankala(murti) 156, 343Kankar Mata 156Kantatman 75, 156Kanti 156Kapali 156Kapalini 157Karaikkal Ammaiyar 157Karai-Shin 157Karini 157Karkota 157karma 157, 343Karmavasita 157Karta 157Karttikeya 83, 157, 282,289, 339Karttiki 157, 157Kašku 157, 168Kasyapa 157Aditi 4Agni 7Danu (2) 72Diti 80Garuda 102Kadru 151Khasa 159Manasa 187Matara 192Rahu 261Sesa(naga) 280Vac 332Katagogia 79Katajalina 157–158Kataragama 158Katavul 158Katyayani 158Kauket 158, 159, 231Kaumari 158, 289Kaumudi 60, 158kausrabha (sacred stone) 343Kavra’nna 158Kazyoba 158Keawe 125, 158Kebechet 159Kek 158, 159, 231Kemoš 159Kere’tkun 159kerykeion (intertwined serpents)123Kesava 159, 161Kesini 159Ketua 159, 229Khadir 159Khandoba 159, 197Khasa 159Khasaparna 160Khen-Ma 160, 160Khen-Pa 160Kherty 160Khipa 160Khnum 22, 81, 160, 277Khon-Ma 160Khons(u) 160, 207, 290Khyung-Gai mGo-Can 160Ki 18, 21, 90, 104, 161,161, 211Kianda 161Kibuka 161Kingras 162Kini’je 161Kinnar 161Kinyras 161Kirti 159, 161Kišar 18, 21, 161, 161, 170Kitanitowit 161kitchens 232Kiya’rnarak 161Klehanoai 161–162Klotho 37, 162, 170, 202Knights Templar 46Kojiki (Shinto text) 13–15,85, 268, 321, 328Kollapura-Mahalaksmi 162Kondos 162Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime-No-Kami 162Kore 61, 73, 101, 110, 162,246. See also PersephoneKorravai 162Koryak. See SiberiaKotar 162Kotisri 162Koto-Shiro-Nushi 86, 162Kouretes 162, 359Kourotrophos 163Koyote 163Kratos 52, 163Krishna. See KrsnaKronos 163Aphrodite 24Ceres 61Hades 110Hera 121Hestia 124Ouranos 237Phanes 247Poseidon 250Rhea 266Titans 316Zeus 359Krsna 163–164Balakrsna 44Balarama 45Bhagavan 50Bhumidevi 51Cakra 58Chaitanya 62Devaki 74

384 IndexHari 113Jagannath 147Kaliya 154Kama(deva) 154Laksmi 171Mal 185Mayon 194Nappinnai 213Nara 214Nediyon 216Pradyumna 251Radha 261Rukmini 268Samba 272Satyabhama 278Subhadra 293Vasudeva 337Vatapattrasayin 338Višnu 342Vitthali 344Yama 353Krsodari 164Krttika(s) 164Ksama 164Ksantiparamita 164Ksetrapala 50, 164Kshumai 164Ksitigarbha 164Ku 156, 158, 164, 177Kuan Ti 63, 164–165, 175,176, 240Kuan Yin 131, 165, 194,273Kubaba 118, 165Kubera 52, 113, 148, 166,199Kubjika 166Kubuddhi 166Kucumatz 166kudurru 221Kuei Shing 166Kuju 166Kuku-Ki-Waka-Muro-Tsuna-Ne-No-Kami 166Kukulcan 166, 166Kuku-Toshi-No-Kami 166Kuladevata 166, 166Kuladevi 166Kulika 167Kulisankusa 167Kulisesvari 167Kulla 167kumara 51, 267Kumarbi 118, 167Kumari 82, 167kumbhandas (group ofdemons) 342Kumokums 167Kunado-No-Kami 167Kundalini 167Ku’nkunxuliga 167Kun-Rig 167Kuntu bXan Po 168Kura-Okami-No-Kami 168Kurdaligon 168Kurma(vatara) 151, 168,342Kurukulla 168Kus 168Kushi-Dama-Nigi-Haya-Hi168Kushi-Iwa-Mado-No-Mikoto 168Kušuh 157, 168Kutji 168Kutkhu 168–169, 284, 285,317Ku’urkil 169, 309Kvasir 169Kwannon 39, 169Kwoth 169Kybele 38, 47, 58, 61, 79,111, 169, 212, 235, 325Kyknos 28Kyumbe 169LLachesis 37, 162, 170, 202Lactanus 170Laghusyamala 170Lahamu 21, 170, 170Lahar 33, 170, 271Lahmu 170, 170Laima 170Laka 125, 170–171lakes 149, 205Laksmana 171, 278Laksmi 171Durga 83Jyestha 150Kama(deva) 154Maha-Sarasvati 183Maya(devi) 193Narasinha 214Padma 239Radha 261Riddhi 266Rukmini 268Sarasvati 276Sati 277Sita 287Sri(devi) 293Surya (1) 297Vaisnavi 334Višnu 343Lalaia’il 171Lamaria 171Lan Cai-He 41, 171–172Lao-Tsze 172Lara. See LarundaLaran 172Lares 2, 172, 172Lar Familiaris 172Larunda 172Lasya 172, 172Latipan 172Lau 172Lauka Mate 172Laukika-Devatas 172Laverna 172law and order 75, 89, 120.See also justicelearning. See also wisdomAcchupta 3Cakresvari 58Gandhari 101Kali (2) 153Kulisankusa 167Mahakali 182Manasi 187Manavi 187Narada 214Prajapati 251Prajnapti 251Sarvastramahajvala277Vairotya 334Lebanon 19, 34, 41–42,87–88Lebien-Pogil 173Legba 173The Legend of Baal and Anat32, 41Lei Kung 173, 314, 357Lelwani 173Lendix-Tcux 173Lenus 173Lesa 173–174, 175Leto 25, 30, 174, 359Leukothea 43, 174Lha 174Lha-Mo 174Lianja 143, 174Libanza 174–175, 226Liber 43, 78, 175Libera 175, 175Liberalitas 175Libertas 175Líbitina 175libraries 279, 281Lietna’irgin 175life 360light. See also dawn; specificgods, e.g.: NingiszidaAether 7Ahura Mazda 9–10Belenus 48Boora Pennu 53Hine-Ata-Uira 126Hyperion 132Kane 156Mirsa 200Narisah 214Nušku 227Ratnolka 264gShen-Lha-Odkhar283Taditkara 300Tane(mahuta) 302lightning 138, 157, 314. Seealso thunderLilith 175Liluri 175Linga 175linga 271, 288lions 198, 228Lir 5, 175Lisa 105, 173, 174, 175,193, 290literature. See also writingAksayajnana-Karmanda11Anantamukhi 19Kuei Shing 166Mari (1) (Buddhist)190Prajnavardhani 251Ratnolka 264Sarvabuddhadharma-Kosavati 276Sarvakarmavaranavisodhani276Shong-Kui 284Sumati 296Weng Shiang 347Li Tie-guai 41, 174Liu Pei 63, 175–176Llew Llaw Gyffes 28, 176Loa 176Loba 176Locana 11, 176Lo’cin-coro’mo 176Lo’cin-po’gil 173, 176Lodur 176logical analysis 30Logos 176, 253Lokapala 176Lokesvara 176Loki 45, 119, 123, 127, 133,176–177, 285, 289Loko 40, 177Lomo 177, 229Lone 164longevity 98, 129, 284, 323Lono 156, 158, 177, 323lot-casting 170Lothur 177love (including sexual love)Amor 17Aphrodite 24Astarte 34Eros 93

Index 385Freyja 97Hathor 115–116Kama(deva) 154–155Manmatha 189Pradyumna 251Prende 252Radha 261Rati 263Turan 325Venus 339Lu Dong-bin 41, 178Lu Pan 177–178Lubanga 178Lubangala 178Lucina 59, 60, 178luck 49, 71, 85–86, 98–99,149–150, 162, 283, 292.See also fortuneLug 78, 176, 178, 300, 324Lugal-Irra 178, 196Lulal 178Luna 179, 279Lunang 179Lupercus 179MMa 160, 180Maat 180Mabinogion texts 28, 72, 81Mabon 180Macha 180–181, 203Madhukara 181Maeve 181, 203Mafdet 181Magha 181magic 221magistrates 242Mah 181Mahabala 181Mahabharata ix, 29, 51, 54,75, 82, 101, 163, 262, 343,345Mahabja 181Mahacinatara 181Mahadeva 181Maha-Ganapati 56, 181,284Mahakala 50, 71, 106, 107,182, 182Mahakali 182Mahakapi 182Mahamanasika 182Mahamantranusarini 182Mahamataras 182Mahamayuri 182Mahanaga 19, 157, 167,181, 182, 239, 274, 301Mahapadma 182Mahaparinirvanamurti 182Mahaprabhu 183Mahapratisara 183, 263Mahapratyangira 183maharajas 52Maharaksa 182, 183, 183Maharatri 155, 183Mahasahaspramardani 183,334Maha-Sarasvati 183Mahasitavati 183Mahasri-Tars 183Mahasthama(prapta) 183Mahavidya 43, 50, 52, 65,76, 153, 155, 184, 290,304Mahayasa 184Maheo 184Mahes 184Mahesvari 184Mahi 51, 184, 276Mahisa 83, 184, 184Mahisasuramardini 59, 184,184Mahodadhi 184Mahrem 184, 184Mahuikez 184Maia 122, 185, 196, 359Maitreya 52, 154, 185, 198maize. See cornMajas Gars 185Maju 185, 190Make Make 185Ma Kiela 180Mal 185Mala 172, 185Malakbel 185Malamanganga’e 185–186Malamangangaifo 185, 186malevolent deities. See evildeitiesMalhal Mata 186Malik 186Mam 186Mama. See MamiMamaki 186, 263Mama-Kilya 140, 186Mama Qoca 186Mami 186, 221Mamitu 186Mamlambo 187Manannan (Mac Lir) 175,187, 187Manasa 187, 210Manasi 187Manat 187Manavi 187Manawat 187Manawyddan 187sMan-Bla 1, 33, 50, 76,187, 285, 286, 297, 299Mandah 187Mandanu 187Mandhata 187Mandulis 187–188Manes 188Mangala 188Mani 188Manidhara 188Manito 188, 188Manitu 188Manjughosa 188Manjusri 11, 16, 26, 52, 75,188, 188–189, 332Manmatha 189Manohel-Tohel 189mantra(s)Aksobhya 11Amitabha 15Amoghasiddhi 16bija 332HRIH 15HUM 11, 16Mahamantranusarini182Mahamayuri 182Mahapratisara 183Maharaksa 183Maitreya 185Mamaki 186Ratnasambhava 263TAM 31Vairocana 334Manu 189, 193, 252, 297,344Manungal 52, 189manusibuddhas 50, 185Maori. See PolynesiaMaponos 189Mara 189, 329mar (agricultural tool) 190Marama 189Maramalik 189Maras 124mardi 317Marduk 26, 31, 33, 49, 71,85, 90, 189–190, 209, 314,358Mari (1) (Buddhist) 185,190Mari (2) (Basque) 190Mari Mai 190Marici 117, 190, 321, 332,334, 337mariners 95, 216, 249–250,286, 315. See also shipsMariyamman 190, 190Marnas 190–191marriage 132, 141, 329Mars 191Belatucadros 48Cariociecus 60Harmonia 113Juno 149Jupiter 150Mangala 188Mullo 206Nemetona 217Ocelus 230Quirinus 260Rigisamus 266Teutates 311Martu 18, 191Maru 191, 267Marutgana 191Mata 191, 256Matara 101, 113, 139, 158,184, 192, 215, 334, 336Matarisvan 192Mater Matuta 192Matlalcueye 192Matres 81, 111, 144, 192Matsuo 192Matsya 193, 342Maturaiviran 193Maui 126, 193Mawu 173, 193, 290Maya(devi) 56, 193, 251,294Mayahuel 193Mayajalakrama-Kurukulla193Mayans ix, xi. See also PopolVuh; specific gods, e.g.: AhChun CaanAcan 2Ac Yanto 2Ah Bolon Dz’acab 7–8Ah Cancun 8Bacabs 43Chac 62Chac Uayab Xoc 62Chamer 63Chaob 64Chiccan 65Cit Chac Coh 66Cizin 67Cum Hau 69E Alom 85E Quaholom 85Ek Chuah 87Gukumatz 107Hahana Ku 110Hunab Ku 131Hunapu 131Hunhau 131Hun Hunapu 131Huracan 131Ih P’en 134Ikal Ahau 134Itzam Na 143–144Ix Chebel Yax 145Ix Chel 145Ix Kanan 145

386 IndexIx Zacal Nok 145Ixtab 145Kabrakan 151Kaikara 152Kucumatz 166Kukulcan 166Mam 186Manohel-Tohel 189Menzabac 196Oxlahun Ti Ku 237Poxlom 250–251Totilma’il 321Tzultacah 325–326Yum Cimil 357Yum Kaax 357Zipakna 360Zotz 360Mayin 194Mayon 194Mazda 337Ma-zu 194Mbomba 194Mbombe 194Mbongo 194Mbotumbo 194meadows 68, 133measurement 321Medeine 194Medha 194medical divination 310medicine 350. See alsophysician deitiesmedicine buddha 187meditation buddha. See Bodhisattva;DhyanibuddhaMeditrina 194Meghanada 194Mehen 194Meher 194–195Mehet-Weret 195melissai (bees) 111Mellonia 195Melqart 94, 195, 198Me’mdeye-Eci’e 195memory 201Men 195Men Ascaenus 195Men Shen 195Mena 102, 125, 195menat ‘necklaces” 116Menechen 196Meness 196, 278Menulis 196Menzabac 110, 196merchants 87, 352mercredi (Wednesday) 348Mercurius 12, 196Meretseger 196meriah rituals 49, 53, 304Mes An Du 196Mes Lam Taea 178, 196Mesoamerica. See Aztecs;Mayans; MexicoMesopotamia viii. See alsoBabylon; Sumer; specificgods, e.g.: EnkimduA-a 1Adad 3An (1) 18Antu 21Anu (1) 21–22Aphrodite 24Dagan (1) 70Dumuzi 82Ea 85Enki 89–90Enlil 90Ereškigal 92Gerra 104Gibil 104Gula 107Hendursaga 120Ilabrat 135Im 136Inana 137–138Išara 141Isimud 141Iškur 142Ištar 142–143Kabta 151Kišar 161Kulla 167Kus 168Lahamu 170Lahar 170Lahmu 170Lilith 175Mami 186Mamitu 186Mandanu 187Marduk 189–190Mes Lam Taea 196Musdamma 207Nabu 209–210Nammu 211Namtar 212Nanaja 212Nanna (1) 212–213Nanše 213Nergal 218Ninegal 220Ningal 220–221Ningikuga 221Ningirama 221Ningiszida 221Ninhursaga 221–222Nin-Ildu 222Nin-Imma 222Nin’insinna 222Ninkarnunna 222Ninlil 222–223Ninmah 223Ninšubur 223Ninsun(a) 223Ninurta 224Nissaba 225Nušku 227Papsukkal 242–243Šakka(n) 271Šala 271Šamaš 272Šarra Itu 276Sin 285Sirara 286Sirsir 286Sirtur 286–287Šulman(u) 295–296Šul-pa-e 296Šulsaga 296Tiamat 314Ua-Ildak 327Uttu (vegetation andweaving) 330Utu (sunlight) 330–331Wer 347–348Zababa 358Zarpanitu(m) 358messengers. See also specificgods, e.g.: NinšuburHahana Ku 110Hermes 122–123Hermod 123Iris 140Isimud 141Mercurius 196Mlentengamunye 201Musisi 207Namtar 212Papsukkal 242–243Sasanadevata 277Sogblen 290Yamaduti 353Zhiwud 360Messor 197metalwork. See blacksmithingMeter 197Metis 37, 197, 232, 359metope 37Metsaka 197, 319Metztli 197Mexico ix. See also Aztecs;MayansChalchiuhtlicue 62–63Coatlicue 67Huitzilpochtli 130Metsaka 197Pitao Cozobi 248Quetzalcoatl 259Tajin 301Takotsi Nakawe 301Tamats PalikeTamoyeke 302Tate Hautse Kupuri305Tate Naaliwahi 305Tate Oteganaka 305Tate Rapawiyema 305Tate Velika Vimali305Tatosi 305Tayau 307Tayau Sakaimoka 307Tezcatlipoca 311–312Tlaloc 318Tokakami 319Xipe Totec 350Mexitli 197Mhalsa 159, 197Micapetlacoli 197Michi-No-Kami 167, 197Mictecacihuatl 66, 197,197, 318Mictlantecuhtli 197–198Acolmiztli 3Chalmecacihuilt 63Chalmecatl 63Cipactli 66Micapetlacoli 197Mictecacihuatl 197Nextepehua 219Tlalehitonatiuh 317Tzontemoc 325Yacahuiztli 352Yoaltecuhtf 356Midir 198midwives 277, 310Mihos 47, 198Mika-Hiya-Hi 198Mikal 198Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami198military prowess 342Milkastart 198Milkom 198Mi-Lo Fo 198milpas (smallholdings) 44,62Mimir 198–199Min 199, 258Minaksi 199Minato-No-Kami 14, 199miners 156Minerva 37, 55, 150,199–200, 295, 332, 345.See also Athena; PallasMing Dynasty 209Minos 28, 200, 312, 360Mirsa 200misfortune 33, 150, 283mist 355mistletoe 45, 127Mithra 9, 194, 200, 200,201

Index 387Mithras 9, 200, 201Miti 201, 260, 319Mi-Toshi-No-Kami 201Mitra 201Mi-Wi-No-Kami 201Mixcoatl-Camaxtli 11, 15,201, 201, 350Mizu-Ha-No-Me 201, 295Mkulumncandi 201, 201Mlentengamunye 201Mlk-Amuklos 201Mnemosyne 201, 237moana (oceans) 302Moccus 201Modimo 202modius (turban) 17Modron 180, 202, 266Mogounos 202Mohawk Indians. See NativeAmericansMohini 202Moirai 37, 162, 170, 202moisture 308Mokos 202Molek 202Moma 202Mombo Wa Ndhlopfu 202Mon 81, 164, 202–203Moneta 203monkeys 112, 294, 296–297monstrous deities 351Montu 203, 265moon. See also specific gods,e.g. : ManiArawa 26Avatea 39–40Diana 77Hekate 119Hilal 125Hina 125Hina-Uri 126Ix Chel 145Kašku 157Khon-Ma 160Khons(u) 160Klehanoai 161–162Kušuh 168Luna 179Mah 181Mama-Kilya 186Marama 189Mawu 193Men 195Meness 196Menulis 196Metsaka 197Nanna (1) 212–213Napir 213Nikkal 220Nsongo 226Nze 229Owiot 237Rakib-El 262Sahar 270Selardi 279Selene 279Si 284Sin 285Sina 285Ta’lab 301Tanit 303Tecciztecatl 307–308Thoth 313–314Tsuki-Yomi 323Wadd 346Ya’china’ut 352Yah 352Mor 203morality 147moringa tree 255Morpheus 203, 291Morrigan 43, 46, 71, 93,180, 202, 203–204, 216Mors 204, 291Morta 73, 204, 226, 243mortuary. See funeraryMorva 204Morvran 204Mot 19, 41, 42, 204–205mother deities. See also Vari-Ma-Te-Takere; specific gods,e.g.: Acca LarentiaAditi 4Ammavaru 16Artemis 30Ašerah 31–32Ceres 61Coatlicue 67Demeter 73Disani 79–80Frigg 98Hathor 115–116Hebat 117–118Isis 142–143Ix Chebel Yax 145Kankar Mata 156Kundalini 167Kybele 169Leto 174Mami 186Mari (2) 190Mata 191Matara 192Matres 192Maya(devi) 193Mbombe 194Meter 197Ninhursaga 221–222Ninmah 223Parvati 244Pattinidevi 244Pinikirz 248Pradhana 251Prthivi 254Raudri 264San Chou NiangNiang 273Sankari 274Santa 274Santoshí Mata 274Sao Ching NiangNiang 274Sati 277Semele 279–280Sheela Na Gig 283Si’duku 284Tripura 322Tzu Sun Niangniang325Vaisnavi 334Varaha 336Yami 353Yen Kuang NiangNiang 354Yogesvari 356mountainsAdrastea 4–5Amurru 18Apo 25Hara-Yama-Tsu-Mi112Himavan 125Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime-No-Kami 162Liluri 175Mena 195Oreades 234O-Yama-Tsu-Mi 238Poeninus 248Quzah 260Tork 320Uslo 330Vindhya 342Vosegus 344Xaya Iccita 350Yama-No-Kami 353Moyocoyani 205Mratna’irgin 205Mrgasiras 205Muati 205dMu-bDud Kam-Po Sa-Zan205Mucalinda 205Mugasa 205Mugizi 205Mu Gong 205Muhammad 13Muhingo 205Mujaji 205Mukasa 161, 206Mula 206mule 206Mulindwa 206Mulliltu 90, 206, 208Mullo 206Munakata-No-Kami 206Mungan Ngour 206Mungu 206Munisvara 206Munjem Malik 136,206–207Muntu Walunga (the completeperson) 228Munume 207Muraja 207Murukan 162, 207, 241Musdamma 207Muses 25music 134, 152, 207, 342Musisi 154, 207Muso Koroni 207Mut 14, 160, 207, 270, 349Mutinus 207Muttalamman 208Mycenaean 86–87Mylitta 208Myoken-Bodhisattva 208Myrrha 4, 208NNabataean 12–13Nabu 205, 209–210, 216,304, 325Na Cha 209Na Ngutu 209Na tri dee dana (three godsof skill) 105Na’chitna’irgin 210, 349Nachunde 210Nag Hammadi codices 27,248, 269, 291, 292Nagabhavanavasi 51nagadevas 182, 274Nagakumara 210Nagaraja 210nagas (snake-like demons)102, 280Nagini 210Nagual 210Nahi 210Nahui Ehecatl 210Nahui Ollin 210Nai 32, 210Naiades 210–211Naigameya 211, 289Na’ininen 211Nai-No-Kami 211Nainuema 211Nairamata 123, 124, 211Naksatra(s) 211Abhijit 1Anuradha 23

388 IndexArdra 27Aslesa(s) 33Asvayujau 35Bharani 50Candra 60Citra 67Dhanistha 75Hasta 114Jyestha 150Krttika(s) 164Magha 181Mrgasiras 205Mula 206Punarvasu 256Purvabhadrapada 256Purvaphalguni 256Purvasadha 256Pusya 257Revati 266Rohini 266Satabhisa 277Sravana 292Sravistha 292Svati 299Uttarabhadrapada 330Uttarasadha 330Namasangiti 211, 334Nammu 18, 89, 211, 221Namtar 212Nana 38, 212, 273Nanabozho 188, 212Nanahuatl 210, 212, 307Nanaja 212Nandi(n) 212, 288Nang Lha 212nanjil (plough) 272Nanna (1) (Mesopotamian)212–213Balder 45Enlil 90Forseti 97Hoder 127Inana 137Ningal 220Sin 285Utu 331Nanna (2) (Nordic) 213Na’nqa-ka’le 201, 213Nanše 213, 220Nan-Sgrub 213Nantosuelta 213, 294Napaeae 213Napir 213Nappatecuhtli 213Nappinnai 213Nara 29, 113, 213–214Narada 157, 214, 343Naradatta 214Nara (sacred water) 343Narasinha 214, 214, 333,336Narasinhi 214Narayana 4, 113, 156, 171,214, 214Nareu 214Narisah 214Narkissos 214–215Nataraja 215, 288Natha 215national god 41–42Native Americans. See alsoBella Coola Indians; Inuits;NavahoAgu’gux 7Anaulikutsai’x 19Awonawilona 40Gunnodoyak 107Haili’laj 110Hi’lina 125Kitanitowit 161Koyote 163Kumokums 167Manito 188Manitu 188Nanabozho 212O’meal 233Owiot 237Qa’wadiliquala 258Sga’na 282Sins Sga’nagwai 286Ta’ngwanla’na 303Tate 304Tawa 306Ta’xet 307Teharon(hiawagon)308Tewi’xilak 311Tia 314Tirawa 316Tsa’qamae 323Wakan Tanka346–347Wakonda 347Whope 348Wi 348Windigo 348Xil Sga’nagwai 350Naunet 215, 231Navadurga(s) 59, 60, 215,251, 268, 327Navaho. See also specific gods,e.g. : HastehoganEstsanatlehi 94Hastsbaka 114Hastsebaad 114Hastseltsi 114Hastseoltoi 115Hastseyalti 115Hastsezini 115Hatdastsisi 115Klehanoai 161–162Nayenezgani 215Tienoltsodi 315Tobadzistsini 319Tsohanoai 323Yolkai Estan 356Navasakti(s) 215Brahmani 54Camunda 59Ellaman 88Indrani 139Karttiki 157Mahesvari 184Mariyamman 190Matara 192Narasinhi 214Pidari 247Pradhana 251Puranai 256Raudri 264Varahi 337Nayenezgani 94, 115, 215,319, 323Ndaula 215Ndjambi 215Nebethetpet 215Nebo 210, 216Nediyon 216Nefertiti 36Nefertum 216, 255, 270,346Negun 216Nehalennia 216Nehebu-Kau 216, 280Neit 216Neith 14, 216–217, 289Nekhbet 217, 346Nekmet Awai 217Nemausius 217Nemesis 119, 217, 312Nemetona 217Ne’nenkicex 217Neper 217, 265Nephthys 22, 91, 141,217–218, 227, 235, 281Neptunus 218, 219Nereides 218, 218Nereus 17, 81, 218, 249,313Nergal 218Birdu 52Dur 82Ereškigal 92Erra 93Gerra 104Mamitu 186Melqart 195Mes Lam Taea 196Nergal and Ereškigal 85Ninazu 220Rešep (A)Mukal 265Nerrivik 218Nerthus 218–219Nestor Chronicle 65Nesu 219Nethuns 219Neti 219Nextepehua 219Ngai 219Ngunuwo 219Ni 219Niamye 219night 264Niha-Tsu-Hi-No-Kami 219Nihongi (Shinto text) 14, 15,85, 225, 268Nike 219–220, 293Nikkal 220, 285Niladanda 220Niladevi 220Nilalohita 220Nin Ezen (La) 220Nin Mar Ki 220Nin Me En 220. See alsoNinmenaNin Ur 220Ninazu 92, 220, 221Nindara 220Nindub 220Ninegal 220Ningal 212, 220–221, 285Ningikuga 220, 221Ningilin 221Ningirama 221Ningirsu 221Ningiszida 221Ninhursaga 48, 89, 116,186, 211, 221, 221–222,258, 296, 330Ninigi (Prince) 99, 141,162, 222, 301Nin-Ildu 222Nin-Imma 222Nin-imma 89Nin’insinna 107, 222, 239,329Ninkarnunna 222Ninkigal 222Ninkurra 89, 222, 330Ninlil 90, 206, 218, 220,222–223, 227, 331Ninmah 89, 221, 222, 223Ninmena 223Ninni 223Nin-Šar 89, 223, 330Ninsikil 223Ninšubur 137, 223, 243Ninsun(a) 223, 287Ninšušinak 223Nintinugga 107, 223Nintu 221, 223–224Ninurta 107, 121, 142, 220,222, 224, 242Nirmali 224

Index 389Nirrti 79, 153, 224–225Niruktipratisamvit 225nirvana (eternal bliss) 123,182Nispannatara 225Nissaba 225Njord 97, 98, 219, 225,237, 285, 289, 336Nodotus 225Nomi-No-Sukune 225Nommo 225Nona 72, 204, 225–226,243Nong 226Nordic (Icelandic) gods viii,ix. See also VikingsAegir 5Aesir 6Balder 45Bragi 53Fjorgyn 96Freyja 97Freyr 97–98Frigg 98Heimdall 118–119Hermod 123Hoder 127Idunn 133Iord 140Loki 176–177Lothur 177Mani 188Mimir 198–199Nanna (2) 213Njord 225Othin 236–237Ran 263Sif 285Sigyn 285Sol (2) 291Thor 313Ull 328Vali (Icelandic)335–336Valtam 336Vanir 336Ve 338Vidar 340Vili 341Vor 344Yng 356Norsemen. See Nordic godsNortia 226Nosenga 65, 226Notus 6, 226Nrtya 172, 226Nsongo 226Nu Kua 226, 283Nu Mus Da 226Nuadu 78, 226–227, 324Nudimmud 89, 227Nuli’rahak 227Nun 227, 231, 255Nunbarsegunu 227Nurelli 227nursery goddess 344Nušku 227Nut 91, 103, 141, 218,227–228, 235, 281, 308Nu’tenut 228Nyakaya 78, 228Nyame 228, 234gNyan 228Nyavirezi 228Nyx 7, 64, 92, 132, 204,228, 247, 291, 312Nzambi 228Nzapa 229Nze 229Ooaths 93, 128, 186Obarator 230Obatala 230, 232Occator 230oceans. See sea gods anddeitiesOcelotl 230, 311Ocelus 230Odin. See OthinOduduwa 10, 230–231Odyssey (Homer). See Illiadand OdysseyOgdoad 14, 17, 116, 118,158, 159, 215, 231Ogiuwu 231Ogmius 231Ogun 231, 231Ohoroxtotil 231Oi 231Okeanides 73, 231–232,232, 246Okeanos 10, 81, 197, 232,232, 237, 293, 310, 313,316, 325Oki-Tsu-Hiko-No-Kami232Oko 232O-Kuni-Nushi-No-Mikoto232, 295Ola Bibi 232Old Testament 355Olodumare 93, 133, 230,232, 234, 235Olokun 232, 235Olorun. See OlodumareO-lwa-Dai-Myojin 231Omacatl 233Ome Tochtli 233O’meal 233Ometecuhtli 233Ometeotl 66, 67, 140, 233,233, 320Omichle 233, 250Onuava 233Onuris 233–234Opo 234Opochtli 234Ops 234oracular deities 11, 25, 72,89Oraios 234orca (killer whale) 282orchards and gardens 249Orcus 110, 234Ordog 234Oreades 234Ori 234Origin of the World 27, 269,292Orisanla 234Oro 234Orotalt 234–235Orthia 235Orunmila 235Osande 235Osanobua 231, 232, 235Osiris 235–236Andjety 20Balder 45Ennead 91Geb 103Harendotes 113Haroeris 113Harsiese 114Hathor 115Heryšaf 123, 124Hetepes-Sekhus 124Horus 128Isis 141, 142Khnum 160Neper 217Nephthys 217Nut 227Re 264Renenutet 265Sarapis 275Seth 281Ostara 236Ostaraki 236Osun 236Othin 236–237Aesir 6Balder 45Bor 53Bragi 53Buri 57Frigg 98Hermod 123Hoenir 127Iord 140Loki 177Lothur 177Mimir 199Rind 266Thor 313Vali 335Vanir 336Ve 338Vidar 340Vili 341Wodan 348O-Toshi-No-Kami 201,237, 298Ouranos 7, 22, 24, 100, 133,163, 237, 266, 310, 312,316Owiot 237Oxlahun Ti Ku 237Oya 238, 282O-Yama-Tsu-Mi 162, 238Oyise (sacred wooden totem)62PPa-bil-sag 239Paca-Mama 239Pachacamac 239Padma 193, 239Padmantaka 239Padmapani 16, 39, 239, 287Padmatara 239Padmosnisa 239Pahteeatl 240Paiawon 240Painal 240Pajainen 240Pajonn 240Pak Tai 130, 240Pakhet 240Palaemon 174, 241Palaniyantavan 241Pales 241Palestinian 34Pallas (Athene) 37, 241. Seealso AthenaPan 95, 241, 278Panao 241, 252Pancabrahma 241Pancamukha-Patradeva241Pancanana 241–242Pancaraksa 242pancaviras, cult of 272Pandara 15, 39, 242Paneu 242Pansahi Mata 242Pao Kung 242Papas 242papa (the earth) 242

390 IndexPapatuanuku 242Haumea 116Hine-Ahu-One 126Ranginui 263Ruamoko 267Salevao 271Tane(mahuta) 302Tawhirimatea 306Tiki 315Timaiti-NgavaRingavari 315Timatekore 315Whiro 348Pap-nigin-gara 242Papsukkal 13, 242–243papyrus reeds 128Paramasva 243Paramita 44, 72, 77, 164,243, 263Parasurama 75, 243, 342Parcae 73, 204, 226, 243Parendi 243Pariacaca 243Pariskaravasita 243Parjanya 243, 254, 287Parna-Savari 243Parsva 244Partula 244Parvati 244Bhutamata 52Durga 83Ganesa 102Ganga 102Gauri 103Himavan 125Kama(deva) 155Kamantakamurti 155Katyayani 158Khandoba 159Manasa 187Mangala 188Mena 195Mhalsa 197Minaksi 199Raudri 264Sati 277Skanda 289Somaskanda 291Tripura 322Uma 328passage deities. See also specificgods, e.g.: VagitanusAdeona 3Alemona 12Ellaman 88Esu 94Janus 148Ksetrapala 164Men Shen 195Michi-No-Kami 197Patadharini 244Portunus 249Rasnu 263Suleviae 295Terminus 309Thuremlin 314Wepwawet 347pastorial deities 48, 241Pasupati 244, 274Patadharini 244pathways 119patron goddess 117–118Pattinidevi 244Pavana 112, 245, 338Pax 245payasa (sweetened milk andrice) 21peace 87, 94, 177, 245,248Peitho 245Peju’lpe 173, 245Pekko 245Pele 116, 124, 245, 267Pellon Pekko 245, 245Pemba 207, 245Pen Annwen 245Penates 245–246peplos 37perception 284Perende 246Perkons 246Perkunas. See PerkonsPerse 246Persephone 73, 92, 110,119, 123, 162, 246, 359.See also KorePersia viii. See also Zoroastrianism;specific gods, e.g.:Geus TasanAhura Mazda 9–10Anaitis 18Apam Napat 23Dena 73Geus Urvan 104Mah 181Mithra 200Rasnu 263Verethragna 340Zurvan 360Persian Gulf 286persuasion 245Peru 68, 186, 284, 333,358Perun 246Peruwa 247petasus (cap) 196Phaedra (Plato) 124Phanebal 247Phanes 247pharaohs 17, 36, 39, 41,115–116, 124, 289–290Philistine 34Phoenician 4, 19, 24, 31–32,34, 195, 204–205Phorkys 247, 249Phosphoros 247Phrygian. See TurkeyPhul Mata 247Phyi-Sgrub 247physician deities. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: PiyusaharanaAbhijnaraja 1Asklepios 32–33Asokottamasri 33Asvins 35Bhaisajyaguru 50Dharmakirtisagaraghosa76Diancecht 77–78Sikhin 285Sinhanada 286Suparikirtitanamasri297Survarnabhadravimalaratnaprabhasa297Svaraghosaraja 299Picullus 247Picvu’cin 247Pidari 247Pidray 42, 247Pietas 248Pilumnus 248Pinikirz 248pipes of Pan 241Pistis 248, 291Pistis Sophia 291, 353, 360Pitao Cozobi 248Piyusaharana 248plagueAyiyanayaka 40Didi Thakrun 78Gibini 104Haili’laj 110Hardaul 112–113Hatthi 116Jarri 148Jvaraharisvara 150Mari Mai 190Mariyamman 190Muttalamman 208Ndaula 215Ola Bibi 232Poleramma 249Rešep (A)Mukal 265Shankpana 283Plataea 121Plato 5, 124plenty 347plough 224, 340Pluto (god of underworld)61, 248, 253Plutos (god of riches) 110,248Poeninus 248poetry 8, 53, 231poison 110–111, 288Pokot and Suk tribes. SeeAfricaPoleramma 249Pollux 120, 249, 249Poluknalai 249Polydeukes 17, 249Polynesia. See also Hawaiiangods; specific gods, e.g.: AtuaI KafikaAnu-Mate 23Atea 35–36Atua Fafine 38Avatea 39–40Faivarongo 95Fe’e 96Hakea 110Hanui-o-rangi111–112Haumiatiketike116–117Hina 125Hina-Uri 126Hine-Ahu-One 126Hine-Ata-Uira 126Hine-Nui-Te-Po 126Ihoiho 134Ikatere 134–135Kahukura 152Ku 164Laka 170–171Mahuikez 184Make Make 185Malamanganga’e185–186Marama 189Maru 191Maui 193Opo 234Oro 234Pusi 256Quat 259Raka (2) 262Ranginui 263Rongomai 266–267Rongomatane 267Ruamoko 267Salevao 271Savea Si’uleo 278Sina 285Tana’ao 302Tane(mahuta) 302Tangaroa 302Tango 302–303Tawhaki 306Tawhirimatea 306Te Kore 307

Index 391Te Po 242, 307Te-Aka-la-Roe 307Te-Manava-Roa 307Te-Tanga-Engae 307Tifenua 315Tiki 315Timaiti-NgavaRingavari 315Timatekore 315Tinirau 316Tino Taata 316Touia Fatuna 321Tu (2) 323–324Tumatauenga 324Whiro 348pomegranate 73Pomona 249, 340Pon 249Pontos 100, 218, 247, 249Popol Vuh (sacred Mayabook) 85, 131Pore 249Portunus 249Poseidon 6, 33, 37, 91, 93,94, 218, 249–250, 322Posis Das 250potatoes 40Pothos 233, 250Potina 250pottery/potters 111, 155Poxlom 250–251Prabhakari 251Prabhasa 251, 343Pracanda 251Pradhana 251Pradipatara 251Pradyumna 75, 155, 156,251Prajapati 157, 251Prajna 251Prajnantaka 251Prajnaparamita 188, 251,334Prajnapti 251Prajnavardhani 251Prakde 252Pramudita 252Pranasakti 252Pranidhanaparamita 252Pranidhanavasita 252Prasannatara 252, 263Prasuti 71, 252, 277, 298Pratibhanakuta 252Pratibhanapratisamvit 252Pratisamvit 76, 252Pratyangira 252Pratyusa 252Prende 252Priapos 252–253, 253Priapus 253prima materia 313primordial deities and spirits.See also specific gods, e.g.:OgdoadAbzu 2Cipactli 66Danu (2) 72Eloai 89Erebos 92Hauhet 116Heh 118Heryšaf 123–124Kangalogba 156Kasyapa 157Kauket 158Kek 159Kišar 161Ku 164Lahamu 170Lahmu 170Lono 177Manu 189Naunet 215Nun 227Ometeotl 233Omichle 233Oraios 234Ouranos 237Pothos 250Prajapati 251Pronoia 253Rahu 261Rhea 266Suddhodana 294T’ai Yi 300Taka-Mi-Musubi-No-Kami 301Te Kore 307Te Po 242, 307Timaiti-NgavaRingavari 315Timatekore 315Tonacacihuatl 320Tonacatecuhtli 320Tu (2) 323–324Usnisavijaya 330Viraj 342Zemi(s) 358Priti 155, 253Priyadarsana 253Prometheus 91, 122, 133,253Promitor 253Pronoia 253Prose Edda 45, 53, 96, 98,103, 126, 127, 286, 317,336, 338, 341, 344Proserpina 35, 61, 246, 248,253. See also Persephoneprosperity. See wealthprotective deities. Seeguardian deitiesProteus 254. See alsoGlaukos; Nereus;PhorkysProvidentia 254Proxumae 254Prsni 254Prthivi 7, 51, 76, 139, 254Prthu 254prudence 101–102Pryderi 108, 245, 254–255,257Ptah 24, 91, 255, 270, 275,290, 305Pu Ma 255Pudicita 255Pu’gu 255Pukkasi 256Punarvasu 256Punitavati 256Puranai 256Purandhi 256Puranic. See HinduismPurusa 256Purvabhadrapada 256Purvaphalguni 256Purvasadha 256Pusan 256, 298Pusi 256Puspa 256Puspatara 256pustaka 188Pusti 51Pustí 256Pusya 257Puta 257Pwyll 26, 245, 254, 257,266QQaitakalnin 258Qamai’ts 258Qa’wadiliquala 258, 311Qaynan 258Qeskina’qu 258Qos 258Quadeš 258–259Quat 259Qudsu 259Quetzalcoatl 259Ce Acatl 61Chiconahuiehecatl 65E Alom 85E Quaholom 85Ehecatl 86Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl86Gukumatz 107Tecciztecatl 308Tezcatlipoca 311Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli317Tlaltecuhtli 318Tonacatecuhtli 320Quiahuitl 259–260Quikinn.a’qu 6, 168, 169,201, 213, 258, 260, 307,309, 319, 355Quinoa-Mama 260Quirinus 150, 260Qur’an 12, 13Quzah 260Rracing 114Radha 163, 171, 261, 287Rahu 261Raijin 156, 157, 211,261–262, 268, 301rainbows 152, 178, 270rain gods and deities. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: TateKyewimokaAji-Shiki-Taka-Hiko-Ne 10Bagba 44Chac 62Chiccan 65Cocijo 68Col 68Ilat 135Kamo-Wake-Ikazuchi156Kura-Okami-No-Kami168Mujaji 205Parjanya 243Tajin 301Taka-Okami-No-Kami301Tate Hautse Kupuri305Tate Naaliwahi 305Tate Rapawiyema305Tlaloc 318Tlaloque-Tepictoton318Tomiyauhtecuhtli 319Tonenili 320Yauhqueme 354Yu Shih 356–357Rajamatangi 262Raka (1) (Hindu) 262Raka (2) (Polynesian) 262Rakib-El 262Raktalokesvara 262Rakta-Yamari 262Raluvimbha 262

392 IndexRama 45, 82, 112, 171, 261,262, 278, 287, 294, 342Ramayana epic ix, 54, 75,82, 112, 262ram god 46, 116Ran 5, 263Rang 263Ranginui 23, 111, 242, 263,263Rasnu 263Rathayatra 147Rati 154, 263Ratnapani 263, 263Ratnaparamita 263Ratnasambhava 263–264Aparajita 24Balaparamita 44Danaparamita 72Dhyanaparamita 77Gundari-Myoo 107Jambhala 148Jnanaparamita 149Ksantiparamita 164Mahamantranusarini182Mahapratisara 183Mahasitavati 183Mamaki 186Paramita 243Prajnantaka 251Pranidhanaparamita252Prasannatara 252Ratnapani 263Ratnaparamita 263Silaparamita 285Ucchusma 327Upayaparamita 329Vajratara 335Vasudhara 338Viryaparamita 342Ratnolka 264Ratnosnisa 264Ratri 264Raudna 264Raudri 264Rauni 264Rbhus 139, 264Re 264–265Anat 19Anubis 22Anukis 22Aten 36Atum 39Bastet 47Hathor 116Heryšaf 123, 124Hours 129Hu 129Kherty 160Mehen 194Nefertum 216Neith 217Osiris 235Sakhmet 270Seth 282Šu 293Tefnut 308Thoth 313Wepwawet 347reason 176Redarator 265reeds 128, 220–221Renenutet 217, 265, 279Reret. See TaweretRešep 26, 258Rešep (A)Mukal 265Revanta 265, 297Revati 45, 266revenge 217Rg VedaAditi 4Agni 7Apam Napat 23Asuras 35Brahma 54Deva 74Dharma 75Diti 80Dyaus Pitar 83Gayatri 103Hiranyagarbha 126Indra 139Nirrti 224Prsni 254Rbhus 264Sarama 275Sarasvati 275Sindhu 286Surya (1) 297Trayastrinsa 322Trita 322Uru’n Ajy Toyo’n329Vata 338Viraj 342Višnu 343Rhadamanthos 266, 312Rhea 61, 78, 110, 124, 149,163, 169, 237, 250, 266,316, 359Rheie. See RheaRhiannon 108, 187, 203,254, 257, 266rice 273riches. See wealthRiddhi 266Riddhivasita 266Rigisamus 266Rig Veda. See Rg VedaRind 266, 335Ritona 266river gods and deities. Seealso specific gods, e.g.:LunangAbnoba 2Akelos 10–11Anaulikutsai’x 19Asopos 33Boann 52Buk 56–57Condatis 68Enbilulu 89Faro 95Ganga 102Harpina 113Hermus 123Ho-Po 127Icauna 133Isa (2) 140Kakaku 152Mamlambo 187Mbongo 194Minato-No-Kami 199Osun 236Oya 238Ritona 266Sangarios 273Sequana 280Sindhu 286Souconna 292Šumugan 296Thetis 313Tiberinus 314rocks 271Rohini 45, 56, 74, 266, 337Roma 266Roman gods and deities viii,ix, xi. See also Greco-Roman period; Romano-Celtic gods; specific gods,e.g.: LunaAdeona 3Ahura Mazda 9, 10Anubis 22Attis 38Baal 42Bacchus 43Bes 50Ceres 61Hephaistos 120–121Herakles 122Ifru 134Imporcitor 136Insitor 139Intercidona 139Iris 140Isis 141, 142Iuturna 145Janus 148Juno 149Jupiter 150Juventas 150Kybele 169Lares 172Lupercus 179Manes 188Mars 191Meditrina 194Mercurius 196Minerva 199–200Morta 204Neptunus 218Notus 226Obarator 230Occator 230Pales 241Pan 241Pax 245Penates 245–246Pomona 249Portunus 249Priapus 253Proserpina 253Providentia 254Puta 257Quirinus 260Saturnus 278Securita 279Sol (1) 290–291Sors 292Spes 292Terminus 309Tiberinus 314Unxia 329Venus 339Vesta 340Victoria 340Virtus 342Vulcanus 345Zephyrus 359Romano-Celtic gods ixAbandinus 1Coventina 68–69Ialonus 133Icauna 133Matres 192Mullo 206Nehalennia 216Nemausius 217Ocelus 230Poeninus 248Rigisamus 266Ritona 266Rosmerta 267Rubanga 267Sequana 280Sirona 286Souconna 292Sucellos 294Suleviae 295Taranis 304Tarvos Trigaranos 304Vosegus 344

Index 393Romano-Iberians 280Romulus 191Rongomai 152, 266–267Rongomatane 152, 267Rosmerta 267Rsabha 139, 267Ruamoko 267, 267Rubanga 267Ruda 234, 267Rudiobus 267Rudra 267–268Aparajita 23Ekadasarudra 87Jayanta 148Kalacakra 153Kapali 156Mahadeva 181Marutgana 191Nilalohita 220Prasannatara 252Rahu 261Šiva 288Suresvara 297Svadha 298Vijaya 341Virupaksa 342Rudracandra 268Rudracarcika 268Rudrani 268Rudras 322Rugievit 268Ruhanga 268Rukmini 154, 171, 251, 261,268, 272Rumina 268Rundas 268Rupini 268Ryangombe 268Ryujin 262, 268SSa 12, 269sa (disc of the sun) 323SA symbol 50Sabaoth 269, 353, 360Sabazios 269sacred stone. See kausrabhasacrifice. See human/bloodsacrificeSadaksari (Lokesvara) 188,269Sadbhuja-Sitatara 270Sadhanamala 56Sadhumati 270Sadrapa 270Sagaramati 270Sahar 270sahsginot ‘companion of thesword’ 279Sai’ Al Qaum 270Sajara 270sake brewers 192Sakhmet 207, 216, 255,270–271Šakka(n) 271Sakra 271Sakti 271Adidharma 4Aksobhya 11Amitabha 15Amoghasiddhi 16Ardhanari(svara) 27Arya-Tara 31Avalokitesvara 39Badi Mata 43Bagala 43Bhairava 50Bhuvanesvari 52Brahmani 54Buddhakapala 56Chinnamastaka 65Citrasena 67Daya 72Dhumavati 76Dhyanibuddhasakti 77Digambara 78Durga 82Ganapatihrdaya 101Gauri 103Gulsilia Mata 107Halahala 111Harsa 114Hayagriva 117Heruka 123Hevajira 124Hrsikesa 129Indrani 139Jambhala 148Jnanadakini 149Kalacakra 153Kali (1) 153Kalika 153Kamaksi 155Kamala 155Kankar Mata 156Kanti 156Karttikeya 157Kaumari 158Kesava 159Kirti 161Kurukulla 168Laksmi 171Locana 176Mahakala 182Mahakali 182Mahamataras 182Mahavidya 184Mahesvari 184Maitreya 185Malhal Mata 186Mamaki 186Marici 190Matara 192Medha 194Minaksi 199Nairamata 211Narasinhi 214Pandara 242Pansahi Mata 242Phul Mata 247Prabhasa 251Prajnaparamita 251Pratyusa 252Priti 253Prthivi 254Rati 263Ratnasambhava 263Sakti 271Samvara 273Sanmukha 274Santa 274Sitala(mata) 287Sodasi 290Tara 304Tripura 322Trivikrama 323Vaikuntha 333Vairocana 334Vaisnavi 334Vajradhara 334Vajradhatvisvari 334Vajrasrnkhala 335Vajravarahi 335Varahi 336Vasudhara 338Vasu(s) 337Virupaksa 342Yamantaka 353Yami 353Sakumo 271Sakyamuni 165, 190, 271Šala 271Salagrama 271Salevao 271, 278Šalim 271, 275Salm of Mahram 271salmon migration 323salt-makers 130sal (tree) 75Salus 271–272Sama 251, 272Samael 269, 272, 353Samantabhadra 52, 272,334Samantaprabha 272Šamaš 1, 40, 143, 272Samba 139, 272, 272Samhain 58Samkarsana 272Sampsa 272Samvara 273San Chou Niang Niang273Sandhya 273San-Dui 273Sangarios 273Sango 273, 282Sani 64, 273Saning Sari 273Sanjna 64, 265, 274, 297,353, 354Sanju 105, 274, 274Sankari 274Sankha(pala) 274Sanmukha 244, 274gSan Sgrub 273Santa 274Santana 78, 274Santi 274, 323Santoshí Mata 274Sanu 274, 274Sao Ching Niang Niang274Šapaš 274Saptamatara 275Badi Mata 43Camunda 59Candika 60Indrani 139Kankar Mata 156Karttiki 157Mahesvari 184Malhal Mata 186Matara 192Narasinhi 214Navasakti(s) 215Pansahi Mata 242Phul Mata 247Pradhana 251Raudri 264Sankari 274Santa 274Vaisnavi 334Varahi 337Yogesvari 356Šar 271, 275Šara 275Saraddevi 275Sarama 275Saranyu 35, 275, 325, 344Sarapis 275Sarasvati 275–276Acchupta 3Benten-San 49Bharati 51Brahma 54Cakresvari 58Durga 83Gandhari 101Gauri 103Hotr(a) 128Ila 135

394 IndexKali (2) 153Kulisankusa 167Mahakali 182Mahamanasika 182Maha-Sarasvati 183Mahi 184Manasi 187Manavi 187Naradatta 214Prajnapti 251Pustí 256Radha 261Rohini 266Sarvastramahajvala277Vac 332Vagbija 332Vajrasrnkhala 335Vidyadevi 341Visvakarman 343Vrtra 345Vyasa 345Sargon viiiSarpanitu(m) 49Šarra Itu 276Šarrahitu. See ŠarraItuSarritor 276Šarruma 276Sarvabuddhadharma-Kosavati276Sarvakarmavaranavisodhani276Sarvanivaranaviskambhin276Sarvapayanjaha 277Sarvasokatamonirghatamati277Sarvastramahajvala 277Sasanadevata 44, 58, 101,103, 277Sasuratum 41, 277Satabhisa 277Satarupa 54, 277Sati 71, 261, 277, 288, 342Satis 22, 277–278Satrughna 278Saturnus 278Satyabhama 261, 278Satyr 241, 278Saubhagya-Bhuvanesvari278Saule 196, 278, 309Šauška 165, 278Savari 278, 278Savea Si’uleo 271, 278Savitar 278–279Saxnot 279Šay 279Scandinavia. See Germanicgods; Nordic (Icelandic)godsscarecrows 290scorpions 103, 300Scotland 55, 58seafarers. See marinerssea gods and deities. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: MamaQocaAegir 5Amphitrite 17Glaukos 105Ignerssuak 134Immap Ukua 136Ka’cak 151Kere’tkun 159Kianda 161Leukothea 174Make Make 185Manannan (Mac Lir)187Manawyddan 187Ma-zu 194moana 302Munakata-No-Kami206Nai 210Nereides 218Nerrivik 218Ni 219Njord 225Nuli’rahak 227Okeanides 231–232Okeanos 232Olokun 232Opo 234Pontos 249Poseidon 249–250Sedna 279Sga’na 282Sumiyoshi-No-Kami296Tam Kung 301–302Tana’ao 302Tangaroa 302Ta’ngwanla’na 303Tethys 310Thetis 313Tienoltsodi 315Ull 328Wu 349Yamm 353Yu-Chiang 357Sebitti 279Securita 279Šed 279Sedna 279Sefkhet-Abwy 279seior (witchcraft) 97Sekhet-Hor 279Selardi 279Selene 91, 132, 179, 279,312Semele 43, 79, 113, 246,279–280Semitic gods and deitiesviiiA-a 1Amurru 18Ašpalis 33Astarte 34Baal 41–42Dagan (2) 70El 87–88Ilaalge 135Kini’je 161Kotar 162Liluri 175Manawat 187Mlk-Amuklos 201Myrrha 208Nebo 216Nikkal 220Quadeš 258–259Rakib-El 262Rešep (A)Mukal 265Sadrapa 270Sahar 270Šalim 271Šapaš 274Šar 275Sasuratum 277Šulmanitu 296Ugar 327Yamm 353Semnocosus 280senses 177Senx 12, 280, 289Šepset 279, 280Sequana 280Šerida 40, 280Serket(-hetyt) 235, 280Sesa(naga) 4, 280, 333Sešat 279, 281Sese 281Šesmetet 270, 281Seta 26, 281, 320, 321Seth 281–282Banebdjedet 46Ennead 91Geb 103Haroeris 113Horus 128Isis 141, 142Neith 217Nephthys 217Nut 227Onuris 234Osiris 235, 236Tawhaki 306Thoth 313sexuality. See loveSeyon 282Šezmu 282Sga’na 282Shadanana-Subrahmanya282shade 253shamanka 339, 356shamans viiBagba 44Dharma 75Kutji 168Lalaia’il 171Quikinn.a’qu 260Taipan 301Tate 304Tatevali 305Tayau 307Teharon(hiawagon)308Tirawa 316Tornarssuk 321Wakan Tanka 346Wakonda 347Shang Kuo-Lao 282Shango 236, 238, 282, 283Shang Ti 282Shani 283Shankpana 283shape changing 204Sheela Na Gig 283sheep 286–287Shen Nung 283gShen-Lha-Odkhar 283gShen-Rab 283shepherds/herdsmen 29, 82,168, 241Shichi-Fuku-Jin 283Shina-Tsu-Hime. See Shina-Tsu-NikoShina-Tsu-Niko 283Shinto (Japan) xi. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: Shichi-Fuku-JinAji-Shiki-Taka-Hiko-Ne 10Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami13–14Ame-No-Mi-Kumari-No-Kami 14Ebisu 85–86Fujin 98Fukurokuju 98–99Hani-Yasu-Hiko 111Hani-Yasu-Hime 111Hara-Yama-Tsu-Mi112Haya-Ji 117Hiko-Sashiri-No-Kami125Hi-No-Kagu-Tsuchi126Hokushin-O-Kami127

Index 395Ho-Musubi-No-Kami127Ho-No-Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami 127Hotei 283Iku-Ikasuchi-No-Kami135Inari 138Inazuma 138Ishi-Kori-Dome 141Junrojin 149–150Kagu-Tsuchi-No-Kami152Kakaku 152Kamado-No-Kami155Kama-Gami 155Kamo-Wake-Ikazuchi156Kana-Yama-Biko-No-Kami 156Kana-Yama-Hime-No-Kami 156Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime-No-Kami 162Koto-Shiro-Nushi162Kuku-Ki-Waka-Muro-Tsuna-Ne-No-Kami166Kuku-Toshi-No-Kami166Kunado-No-Kami167Kura-Okami-No-Kami168Kushi-Iwa-Mado-No-Mikoto 168Matsuo 192Michi-No-Kami 197Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami 198Minato-No-Kami 199Mi-Toshi-No-Kami201Mi-Wi-No-Kami 201Mizu-Ha-No-Me 201Munakata-No-Kami206Nai-No-Kami 211Niha-Tsu-Hi-No-Kami 219Oki-Tsu-Hiko-No-Kami 232O-Kuni-Nushi-No-Mikoto 232O-lwa-Dai-Myojin231O-Toshi-No-Kami237O-Yama-Tsu-Mi 238Raijin 261–262Ryujin 268Shichi-Fuku-Jin 283Shina-Tsu-Niko 283Sohodo-No-Kami 290Suijin 294–295Sukuna-Hikona 295Sumiyoshi-No-Kami296Susano-Wo 298Taka-Mi-Musubi-No-Kami 301Taka-Okami-No-Kami301Take-Mika-Dzuchi-No-Kami 301Tama-No-Ya 302Ta-No-Kami 303Taoki-Ho-Oi-No-Kami 303Toyo-Uke-Bime 321Tsuki-Yomi 323Waka-Hiru-Me 346Waka-Sa-Na-Me-No-Kami 347Waka-Toshi-No-Kami347Yama-No-Kami 353ships 98, 168. See alsomarinersShomde 284Shong Li-Kuan 284Shong-Kui 284Shou Lao 98, 284, 323Shurdi 284Si 284Sia 284Ši’a 284Siberia. See also Yakut; specificgods, e.g.: KalteshAjysyt 10Eme’mqut 89Hinkon 126I’lena 135Ina’hitelan 137Ka’cak 151Kere’tkun 159Kuju 166Kutkhu 168–169Lietna’irgin 175Lo’cin-coro’mo 176Lo’cin-po’gil 176Me’mdeye-Eci’e 195Miti 201Mratna’irgin 205Na’chitna’irgin 210Na’ininen 211Na’nqa-ka’le 213Peju’lpe 245Picvu’cin 247Pudicita 255Pu’gu 255Qaitakalnin 258Qeskina’qu 258Quikinn.a’qu 260Si’duku 284Si’mskalin 285Tanara 302Tatqa’hicnin 306Taumata-Atua 306Ta’yan 307Ti’hmar 315Tna’nto 319Tnecei’vune 319Tne’sgan 319Toko’yoto 319Tomwo’get 319Uslo 330Va’irgin 333Ve’ai 339Velaute’mtilan 339Wu’squus 349Xaya Iccita 350Ya’china’ut 352Ya’halan 352Ya’halna’ut 352Yeloje 354Yina’mna’ut 355Yina’mtian 355Yine’ane’ut 355–356Yobin-Pogil 356sickness 231Siddhi 50, 284Siddi 181Si’duku 168, 284, 317Siduri 285Sif 285, 328Sigyn 285, 289Sikh 333Sikhandin 285Sikhin 285Silaparamita 285Silma Inua 285Silvanus 285, 294Si’mskalin 168, 285Sin 91, 126, 143, 279, 285,352Sina 126, 285, 302Sindhu 286Singala 286Sinhanada 286Sinivali 286Sins Sga’nagwai 286Siofn 286Sioux. See Native AmericansSipe Gialmo 286Sipylene 286Sirara 216, 286sirenes 10Sirona 286Sirsir 286Sirtur 286–287sistrum rattles 116Sisyphos 287Sita 112, 171, 262, 287Sitala(mata) 190, 287Sitapatra 287Sitatara 270, 287Šiva 288Agni 7Ammavaru 16Anantesa 19Ardhanari(svara) 27Bagala 43Bhadra 50Bhairava 50Bhuvanesvari 52Brahma 54Candesvara 59Candrasekhara 60Cathubodua 60Chinnamastaka 65Daksa 71Deva 74Dhanvantari 75Dhumavati 76Dhurjati 77Disa 79Durga 82, 83Ekanetra 87Ekarudra 87Ganesa 102Ganga 102Gauri 103Ghantakarna 104Goraknath 106Hara 112Heruka 123Hevajira 124Isa (1) 140Kacchapesvara 151Kala 152Kali (1) 153Kaligni-Rudra 153Kama(deva) 155Kamaksi 155Kamala 155Kamantakamurti 155Kankala(murti) 156Katyayani 158Khandoba 159Linga 175Lokesvara 176Mahakala 182Mahamataras 182Mahavidya 184Mangala 188Manu 189Mara 189Minaksi 199Mohini 202Nandi(n) 212Nataraja 215

396 IndexPancabrahma 241Pancanana 241–242Parasurama 243Parvati 244Pasupati 244Pidari 247Pradyumna 251Rati 263Rudra 267Sakti 271Sandhya 273Sati 277Sikhandin 285Sivottama 288Skanda 289Sodasi 290Somaskanda 291Srikantha 293Suksma 295Sundara 297Tara 304Trailokyavijaya 322Trayastrinsa 322Trimurti 322Tripura 322Uma 328Venkata 339Vidyesvara 341Vidyujjvalakarili 341Vighnesvaranugramurti341Virabhadra 342Virupaksa 342Visvaksena 343Yamari 353Sivini 288Sivottama 288Skadi 225, 237, 285,288–289Skaldskaparmal 96Skanda 289Agni 7Devasena 74Gajavahana 101Karttikeya 157Kataragama 158Kaumari 158Krttika(s) 164Murukan 207Naigameya 211Palaniyantavan 241Parvati 244Sanmukha 274Somaskanda 291Valli 336skills 105, 106, 178sky. See also astral deitiesAesir 6Ani 20Baršamin 47Chikara 65Chiuke 65Colop U Uichkin 68Deng 74Feng Po 96Gukumatz 107Horus 128Ilmarinen 136Inmar 139Jabru 147Kini’je 161Kuju 166Mater Matuta 192Mawu 173Morva 204dMu-bDud Kam-PoSa-Zan 205Mugasa 205Ndjambi 215Orisanla 234Othin 236–237Oxlahun Ti Ku 237Posis Das 250Qeskina’qu 258Ranginui 263Sodza 290Soko 290Sore-Gus 292Tanara 302Tin 315Tiwaz 317Ull 328Yayu 354Yu-ti 357Zalmoxis 358sleep 132Smertrios 289smiths. See blacksmithingSmrti 289snakes. See also specific gods,e.g. : MahanagaAmun 17Ananta 19Athena 37Cernunnos 62Janguli 148Karkota 157Kebechet 159Kulika 167Mahabala 181Mahapadma 182Manasa 187Nagaraja 210Padma 239Renenutet 265Sankha(pala) 274Sesa(naga) 280Taipan 300–301Taksaka 301Snanayatra 147Snulk’ulxa’Is 289So 289Sobek 160, 217, 289–290Sodasi 290Sodza 289, 290Sogblen 289, 290Sogbo 290Sohodo-No-Kami 290Sokar 290Soko 290Sol (1) (Roman) 290–291Sol (2) (Nordic) 291Sol Invictus 291solar eclipses 8soldiers 200Solomon 34Soma 291Abhijit 1Anuradha 23Ardra 27Aslesa(s) 33Asvayujau 35Bharani 50Budha 56Citra 67Dhanistha 75Hasta 114Jyestha 150Magha 181Mrgasiras 205Mula 206Naksatra(s) 211Punarvasu 256Purvabhadrapada 256Purvaphalguni 256Purvasadha 256Pusya 257Revati 266Rohini 266Satabhisa 277Sravana 292Sravistha 292Svati 299Tara 304Uttarabhadrapada 330Uttarasadha 330soma (fermented drink) 60,76, 254Somaskanda 291Somnus 204, 291Somtus. See HarsomtusSonghai. See AfricaSopedu 291Sophia 248, 269, 291–292Sore-Gus 292Sors 292Sothis 292Souconna 292Soului 292South American ix, 196,202, 211, 219, 243, 249.See also Inca; PeruSouthern Lights 206space 23Spandaramet 292speech 231, 332Spes 292spider 324Spiniensis 292spinning 37, 162springs and wells 145, 201spring (season) 48, 91, 337Sravana 292Sravistha 75, 292Sri(devi) 174, 275, 293, 337Srikantha 293Srivasumukhi 293Srivasundhara 293Srividyadevi 293stag 61Stanitabhavanavasi 51Stanitakumara 293star, evening and morning34, 38, 247, 317Stella Maris 141, 142Sterculius 293Stone of the Four Suns 230stoneworkers 141, 231storm gods and deities. Seealso lightning; thunder;specific gods, e.g.: PerendeAeolos 6Aeolus 6Donar 81Dongo 81Im 136Inkanyamba 139Iškur 142Marutgana 191Ninurta 224Ran 263Rauni 264Shango 282Shurdi 284Sogbo 290Summamus 296Thor 313Wer 347–348Zibelthiurdos 360strength 163Stribog 293strife 80, 93stupa 334, 342Styx 52, 163, 232, 293Šu 39, 91, 103, 228, 293,308Subhadra 147, 293Subhamekhala 294Subrahmanya 289, 294Sucellos 213, 294sudarshan (spoked disc)82–83Suddhodana 56, 294Sudrem 80, 294

Index 397Sudurjaya 294Sugriva 294suicide 145Suijin 294–295Sukarasya 295Sukla-Tara 295Sukra 295Suksma 295Suku 295Sukuna-Hikona 295Suleviae 295Sulini 295Sulis 295Šullat 111, 295Šulman(u) 295–296Šulmanitu 296Šul-pa-e 296Šulsaga 296Šul-utula 296Sumalini 296Sumati 296Sumbha 296Sumbharaja 296, 296Sumer viii. See also Babylon;specific gods, e.g.: EndursagaAdonis 4An (1) 18Dumuzi 82Enki 89–90Enlil 90Ereškigal 92Inana 137–138Isimud 141Iškur 142Nammu 211Nanna (1) 212–213Nergal 218Ninhursaga 221–222Ninurta 224Utu 330–331Sumiyoshi-No-Kami 206,296Summamus 296sumo wrestlers 225Šumugan 296Sundara 297sun gods and deities. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: OstaraA-a 1Aditya 4Ah Kin 8Alk’unta’m 12Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami13–14Amun 17Asis 32Aten 36Atum 38–39Bastet 47Belenus 48Cautha 61Hammon 111Helios 120Huitzilpochtli 130Inti 140Iruva 140Mandulis 187–188Mor 203Phanes 247Pu’gu 255Pusan 256Rbhus 264Re 264–265Šamaš 272Šams 272Šapaš 274Saule 278Savitar 278–279Senx 280Sisyphos 287Sol (1) 290–291Sol (2) 291Surya (1) 297–298Svarozic 299Tate Velika Vimali 305Tayau 307Tayau Sakaimoka 307Tezcatlipoca 311–312Tsohanoai 323Utu 330–331Wai 346Waka-Hiru-Me 346Wi 348Wuriupranili 349Yeloje 354Yhi 354–355Sun Hou-Shi 296–297Suparikirtitanamasri 297Suparnabhavanavasi 51Suparnakumara 297supreme deitiesAi Apaec 10Ame-No-Mi-Kumari-No-Kami 14Armaz 29Atea 35–36Katavul 158Kiya’rnarak 161Kucumatz 166Menechen 196Mukasa 206Ometecuhtli 233Qa’wadiliquala 258gShen-Rab 283Silma Inua 285Sins Sga’nagwai 286Ta’yan 307Ti’hmar 315Tornarssuk 321Va’irgin 333Yu Huang Shang Ti356Sura 297Suraksini 297Surangama 297Suresvara 297Survarnabhadravimalaratnaprabhasa297Surya (1) (male) 297–298Aditya 4Chaya 64Manu 189Marici 190Revanta 265Sani 273Sanjna 274Soma 291Surya (1) 297Surya (2) 298Uru’n Ajy Toyo’n 329Yama 353Yamuna 354Surya (2) (female) 298Susano-Wo 13, 14, 141,146, 237, 298Susinak 298Šutekh 110, 281, 298, 310suttee 277Svadha 298Svantevit 298Svaraghosaraja 299Svarozic 299Svasthavesini 299Svati 299Syamatara 299Syria 4, 19, 34, 87–88syrinx (pipes of Pan) 241TTabiti 300Ta-Bitjet 300Taditkara 300Tahiti. See PolynesiaTailtiu 300Taipan 300–301T’ai Shan 300Tai-Sui-Jing 301T’ai Yi 300Tajin 301Takama-No-Hara (plain ofhigh heaven) 14Taka-Mi-Musubi-No-Kami15, 301Taka-Okami-No-Kami 301Take-Mika-Dzuchi-No-Kami 99, 301Takkiraja 301Takotsi Nakawe 301Taksaka 301Ta’lab 301talaria (winged sandals) 196Tama-No-Ya 302Tamats Palike Tamoyeke302TAM bija or seed 31Tamils. See DravidiansTam Kung 301–302Tanara 302Tana’ao 302Tane(mahuta) 302, 302Atea 36Hine-Ahu-One 126Hine-Ata-Uira 126Hine-Nui-Te-Po 126Ikatere 135Ranginui 263Tangaroa 302Tu (2) 323Whiro 348Tangaroa 23, 112, 125, 134,135, 189, 234, 266, 302,302, 316tangata (mankind) 324Tango 302–303, 324Ta’ngwanla’na 303Tanit 58, 303, 303Ta-No-Kami 71, 303Tanu’ta 303, 356T’ao Hua Hsiennui 303Taoism (Chinese). See alsospecific gods, e.g.: Cao GuojiuBa Xian 41Han Xiang-zi 111He Xian-gu 117Ho-Po 127Hsi Wang Mu 129Kuan Ti 164–165Kuan Yin 165Lan Cai-He 171–172Lao-Tsze 172Lei Kung 173Li Tie-guai 41Lu Dong-bin 178Na Cha 209Pak Tai 240Shong-Kui 284Tin Hau 315–316Weng Shiang 347Yu Huang Shang Ti356Yu Shih 356–357Yu-ti 357Zhang Guo-Lao 360Zhong-Li Kuan 360Taoki-Ho-Oi-No-Kami125, 303Tapio 303Tar 303Tara 31, 51, 55, 56, 60, 74,87, 287, 295, 299,303–304

398 IndexTaranis 304taran (thunder) 304Tarhunt 304Tari Pennu 53, 304Taru 304, 308Tarvos Trigaranos 304Tasenetnofret 304Tašmetu 212Tasmetu(m) 209Tašmetu(m) 304Tašmišu 304Tate 304Tate Hautse Kupuri 305Tate Kyewimoka 305, 305Tate Naaliwahi 305Tate Oteganaka 305, 307Tate Rapawiyema 305Tate Velika Vimali 305Tatenen 305Tatevali 197, 301, 305, 305Tathatavasita 305Tatosi 305, 305Tatqa’hicnin 306tattooers 2Taumata-Atua 306Tawa 306Taweret 306Tawhaki 306Tawhirimatea 135, 306,306Ta’xet 307Ta’yan 211, 303, 307Tayau 305, 307, 307Tayau Sakaimoka 307Te-Aka-la-Roe 307Te-Manava-Roa 307Te Kore 307Te Po 242, 307Te-Tanga-Engae 307Tecciztecatl 212, 307–308,318Tefnut 39, 91, 103, 227,293, 308Tegid Foel 204, 308Teharon(hiawagon) 308Teicauhtzin 308Teisbas 308Tejosnisa 308Telepinu 45, 111, 156, 304,308–309Teliko 95, 309Teljavelik 309Tellus 265, 309, 340Telpochtli 309Tenanto’mni 309Tenanto’mwan 135, 309,319, 333, 352, 354tents 106, 107Tepeyollotl 309Tepoztecatl 309Terminus 309Terra Mater 219, 309, 309terrifying appearance/aspect60, 81, 104, 252, 256, 278,340Tešub 310Arinna 28Hebat 118Inara 138Indra 139Šarruma 276Seth 282Sisyphos 287Šutekh 298Tašmišu 304Telepinu 308Tilla 315Zeus 359Teteo Innan Teteo 310Teteoinnan 67, 144, 145,310, 310, 311, 318, 351Teteoinnan-Toci 310Tethys 10, 81, 197, 232,293, 310, 316Tetzahauteotl 310Tetzahuitl 310Teuhcatl 311Teutates 311Tewi’xilak 258, 311Tezcacoac Ayopechtli 311Tezcatlipoca 311–312Chalchiutotolin 63Cipactli 66Huitzilpochtli 130Itztli 144Ixquimilli-Itzlacoliuhqui145Metztli 197Mixcoatl-Camaxtli 201Moyocoyani 205Ocelotl 230Omacatl 233Ome Tochtli 233Ometecuhtli 233Ometeotl 233Quetzalcoatl 259Tecciztecatl 308Telpochtli 309Tepeyollotl 309Titlacahuan 317Tlaltecuhtli 318Tonacacihuatl 320Tonacatecuhtli 320Xipe Totec 350Yaw 354Tezcatlipoca-Itztlacoliuhqui312Tezcatzoncatl 312Thab-Iha 312Thakur Deo 76, 312Thalna 312Thanatos 132, 204, 228,312Thatmanitu 312Thea 91, 132, 237, 312, 316Theandros 312Thebes 28, 36, 116, 122,199Themis 37, 87, 94, 162,170, 202, 266, 312Theogony (Hesiod)Aeacos 5Aphrodite 24Ares 28Artemis 30Athena 37Boreas 53Doris 81Eileithyia 87Gaia 100Hades 110Hekate 119Helen 119Helios 120Hephaistos 120Hera 121Hermes 122Nike 220Posis Das 250Rhea 266Tyche 325Thesan 312Thetis 81, 237, 313Thor 96, 126, 127, 140,177, 285, 313, 328, 340Thoth 313–314thunder. See also lightning;specific gods, e.g.: PerkonsAh Peku 9Iku-Ikasuchi-No-Kami135Lei Kung 173Ninurta 224Pajonn 240Perun 246Sango 273Take-Mika-Dzuchi-No-Kami 301Taranis 304Tzultacah 325–326Ukko 327Xewioso 350Thuremlin 314thyrsus (wand) 43Tia 314Tiamat 26, 170, 190, 314Tiberinus 314Tibet. See also Buddhism;specific gods, e.g.: MahakalaAbhijnaraja 1Adidharma 4Gon-Po Nag-Po 106Gur-Gyi Mgon-Po107Khon-Ma 160sMan-Bla 187dMu-bDud Kam-PoSa-Zan 205Nang Lha 212gNyan 228gSan Sgrub 273Savari 278gShen-Lha-Odkhar283gShen-Rab 283Sikhin 285Thab-Iha 312Tien Mu 314T’ien Tsun 314Tienoltsodi 315Tifenua 95, 315Ti’hmar 315Tiki 315, 315tikiwananga (god stick) 315Tiksnosnisa 315Tilla 315Timaiti-Ngava Ringavari315, 315Timatekore 315, 315time 301, 360Tin 312, 315Tin Hau 165, 315–316, 321Tinirau 39, 303, 316Tinnit 316Tino Taata 134, 316Tir 316Tirawa 316tirthankava 244, 277Tirumal 316Tispak 220Tišpak 316Titans 100, 132, 133, 163,174, 237, 279, 310, 312,316, 359Titlacahuan 316–317Tiwaz 140, 237, 317Ti’ykitiy 317Ti’zil-Kutkhu 168, 284, 317Tlacahuepan 317Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli 259,317Tlalehitonatiuh 317Tlaloc 318Chalchiuhtlicue 63Huixtocihuatl 130Matlalcueye 192Nahui Ehecatl 210Nanahuatl 212Nappatecuhtli 213Opochtli 234Quiahuitl 259Tecciztecatl 308Tlaloque-Tepictoton318Tomiyauhtecuhtli 319Yauhqueme 354Tlaloque-Tepictoton 318Tlaltecuhtli 66, 259, 318

Index 399Tlazolteotl (Ixcuiname) 318Tloque Nahauque 319Tna’nto 319Tnecei’vune 319Tne’sgan 319Toa’lalit 319Tobadzistsini 319Tokakami 197, 319Toko’yoto 319Tomiyauhtecuhtli 319Tomor 319Tomwo’get 319Tonacacihuatl 311, 320, 320Tonacatecuhtli 311, 320,320Tonaleque 320Tonatiuh 210, 320Tonenili 315, 320Topoh 320, 321Tork 320Tornarssuk 321tornat 321Toro 321Tororut 26, 32, 135, 281,320, 321Totatis. See TeutatesTotilma’il 321Totoltecatl 321Tou Mou 321Touia Fatuna 184, 321Toumou 321Toyo-Uke-Bime 138, 321Tozi 322Trailokyavijaya 322, 322Trayastrinsa 322treaties 186trees 1, 75, 125, 177, 228,353Triglav 322Trikantakidevi 322Trimurti 322Tripura 322Trita 322Tritons 322Trivikrama 102, 274,322–323Trograin 178, 323Trojan War 120, 121Troy 24, 119–120Tsai Shen 98, 323Tsa’qamae 323Tsohanoai 94, 215, 323Tsuki-Yomi 323Tsunigoab 323Tu (1) (Chinese) 323Tu (2) (Polynesian)323–324Tuatha de Danaan 22, 55,72, 78, 105, 227, 300, 324Tule 324Tumatauenga 263, 302, 324Tu-Metua 324Tumuteanaoa 324Tunek 324–325Turan 325Turkey. See also specific gods,e.g.: SabaziosAdrastea 4–5Aphrodisias 24Attis 38Kybele 169Ma 180Men 195Papas 242Priapos 252–253Sangarios 273Telepinu 308–309Tesub 310Turms 325Tutu 325Tvastar 274, 275, 325, 343,344Tyche 7, 35, 97, 100, 226,232, 284, 292, 325tyet (bloodstone amulet) 141Tyr 83Tzontemoc 325Tzu Sun Niangniang 325Tzultacah 325–326UUa-Ildak 327Ubertas 327ubhaga 294Ucchusma 327Udadhibhavanavasi 51Udadhikumara 327Ugar 327ugra 50, 271, 322Ugracandika 327Ugratara 327Ukko 264, 327Ukur 327Ull 285, 328Ulu’tuyar Ulu Toyo’n 328Uma 291, 328Umashi-Ashi-Kabi-Hiko-Ji-No-Kami 328Umvelinkwangi 328, 328unborn children 10underground waters 2, 26,190, 314underworld. See alsochthonic deities; death andthe dead; Hades; specificgods, e.g.: Pen AnnwenAcolmiztli 3Acolnahuacatl 3Alpanu 13Arsan Duolai 29Dumuzi 82Ereškigal 92Hakea 110Hine-Nui-Te-Po 126Minos 200Nergal 218Osiris 235–236Perse 246Persephone 246Pluto 248Yacahuiztli 352Uni 328Unkulunkulu 328, 328Unumbote 329Unxia 329Upakesini 329Upapattivasita 329Upayaparamita 329Upulvan 70, 329uraeus 36, 39, 265, 346Uranos. See OuranosUraš 161, 329Uru’n Ajy Toyo’n 329Usas 264, 329–330Usins 330Uslo 330Usnisa 64, 77, 264, 330,344Usnisavijaya 330, 334Uttarabhadrapada 330Uttaraphalguni 330Uttarasadha 330Uttu (vegetation and weaving)89, 330Utu (sun god) 137, 142,212, 220–221, 272, 330,330–331VVac 332Vacuna 332Vadali 332Vagbija 332Vagisvara 332Vagitanus 332Vahagn 332Vahguru 333Vaikhanasagama 220Vaikuntha 333Vaimanika 333Vairacocha 239, 333Va’irgin 333Vairocana 333–334Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami14Grahamatrka 106Kun-Rig 167Locana 176Mahasahaspramardani183Marici 190Namasangiti 211Samantabhadra 272Sitapatra 287Sitatara 287Usnisavijaya 330Vajradhatvisvari 334Vajravarahi 335Vairotya 334Vaisnavi 334Vajracarcika 334Vajradaka 334, 335Vajradhara 251, 334Vajradhatvisvari 334, 334Vajragandhari 334Vajragarbha 334Vajraghanta 334Vajramrta 334–335Vajrapani 11, 12, 102, 335Vajrapasi 335Vajrasphota 335Vajrasrnkhala 335Vajratara 263, 335Vajravarahi 124, 273, 335Vajravidarani 335Vajrayana. See BuddhismVajrayogini 263, 335Vajrosnisa 335Valhalla 53, 237Vali (Icelandic) 127, 266,335–336Valli (Hindu) 289, 336Valtam 336Vamana 45, 288, 336, 342,343Vana-Durga 336Vanir 6, 97, 98, 119, 127,169, 199, 225, 237, 328,336Varaha 51, 333, 336Varahi 336–337Varahmukhi 337Varali 337Vari-Ma-Te-Takere 36, 39,262, 302–303, 316, 324,337Varuna 4, 9, 103, 201, 254,337, 337Vasantadevi 337Vasita 337Adhimuktivasita 3Ayurvasita 40Buddhabodhiprabhavasita56Cittavasita 67Dharmavasita 76Jnanavasita 149Karmavasita 157Pariskaravasita 243Pranidhanavasita 252Riddhivasita 266Tathatavasita 305Upapattivasita 329Vasu(s) 322, 337

400 Indexvasu deities 18, 20, 23, 75,76, 251, 252, 291Vasudeva 45, 74, 163, 293,337Vasudhara 51, 148, 166,263, 293, 338, 338Vasumatisri 338Vasusri 338Vasya-tara 338Vata 338Vatapattrasayin 338Vaticanus B codices 86, 317Vayu (1) (Hindu) 51, 245,338Vayu (2) (Buddhist) 338Vayubhavanavasi 51Vayukumara 338Ve 57, 338, 341Ve’ai 339Vedas 54, 117, 193, 297Vedic. See Hinduismvegetation deities. See alsospecific gods, e.g.: PellonPekkoAdonis 4Anna Kuari 21Ariadne 28Ašnan 33Attis 38Baal 41–42Bres Macelatha 55Chalchiuhtlicue 63Demeter 73Disani 80Dumuzi 82Freyja 97Geb 103Haumiatiketike116–117Hyakinthos 131–132Ix Kanan 145Khadir 159Ma 180Malakbel 185Nanna (2) 213Osiris 235–236Sampsa 272Saraddevi 275Soului 292Takotsi Nakawe 301Tatqa’hicnin 306Taumata-Atua 306Telepinu 308–309Ua-Ildak 327Ugar 327Uttu 330Uttu (goddess of vegetationand weaving)330Ve’ai 339Velaute’mtilan 339Xipe Totec 350Yum Kaax 357Veive 339Veja Mate 339Velaute’mtilan 339Veles 339Velu Mate 339Venda 339Venkata 339Venus xi, 24, 58, 113, 125,132, 191, 339, 345Verbti 339Verethragna 338, 340Vertumnus 249, 340, 344Vervactor 340Vesta 300, 340Vestal Virgins 340Vetali 340, 340Vetus Testamentum Song ofSolomon 18, 32, 41, 48,88, 89, 100, 132, 296Victoria 220, 340victory 24, 219–220,236–237, 332, 340Vidar 340Vidyadevi 341Acchupta 3Cakresvari 58Gandhari 101Gauri 103Kulisankusa 167Mahakali 182Mahamanasika 182Manasi 187Manavi 187Naradatta 214Prajnapti 251Rohini 266Sarvastramahajvala 277Vairotya 334Vajrasrnkhala 335Vidyapati-Lokesvara 341Vidyesvara 19, 87, 285, 288,293, 295, 341Vidyraja 341Vidyujjvalakarili 341Vidyutbhavanavasi 51Vidyutkumara 341Vienna codex 144Vighnantaka 341Vighnesvaranugramurti 341Vijaya 274, 341Vikalaratri 341Vikings ix. See also NordicgodsAegir 5Aesir 6Bragi 53Freyja 97Freyr 97–98Frigg 98Heimdall 118Hoder 127Idunn 133Iord 140Loki 176–177Mimir 198–199Njord 225Othin 236–237Thor 313Vanir 336Vili 53, 57, 338, 341Vimala 341vimana 333Vina 342Vindhya 342violent 59Virabhadra 342Viraj 342Viraratri 43, 65, 342Virbius 342Virgin Mary 30, 53, 142,145, 186, 202Virtus 342Virudhaka 342Virupaksa 342Viryaparamita 342Višnu 342–343Adimurti 4Ammavaru 16Annamurti 21Arjuna 29Avalokitesvara 39Balarama 45Bali 45Bhagavan 50Bhumidevi 51Bhumiya 51Brahma 54Buddha 56Cakra 58Cathubodua 60Chaitanya 62Daya 72Deva 74Devaki 74Dhanvantari 75Dharma 75Dhruva 76Durga 82Ganesa 102Ganga 102Garuda 102Hansa 111Hanuman 112Hari 113Hayagriva 117Hevajira 124Hrsikesa 129Jagannath 147Kacchapesvara 151Kalki(n) 154Kama(deva) 154Kamalasana 155Kankala(murti) 156Kantatman 156Kesava 159Krsna 163Kurma(vatara) 168Laksmi 171Lokesvara 176Mal 185Mandhata 187Mara 189Matsya 193Mayon 194Mohini 202Nara 213Narada 214Narasinha 214Narayana 214Nediyon 216Niladevi 220Padma 239Parasurama 243Parvati 244Piyusaharana 248Pradyumna 251Priti 253Prthivi 254Prthu 254Purusa 256Pustí 256Radha 261Rahu 261Rama 262Rati 263Rsabha 267Salagrama 271Sarasvati 276Satyabhama 278Sesa(naga) 280Sita 287Sri(devi) 293Tirumal 316Trayastrinsa 322Trimurti 322Trivikrama 322Upulvan 329Vaikuntha 333Vaisnavi 334Vamana 336Varaha 336Vatapattrasayin 338Venkata 339Vidyujjvalakarili 341Virabhadra 342Višnu Trivikrama 343Visvaksena 343Visvarupa 344Vitthali 344Vyasa 345Yajna 352

Index 401Višnu Trivikrama 343Visvakarman 147, 343Visvaksena 156, 343Visvamitra 343Visvarupa 29, 275, 344Visvosnisa 344Vitthali 344Vitzilipuztli 344Vivasvan 35, 344Vodu 344volcanoes 116, 124, 125,245, 267Voltumna 344Volumna 344Voluspa 96, 119, 127voodoo 344Vor 344Vosegus 344Votyak (Finno-Ugric) 139Vrtra 72, 276, 345Vulcanus 185, 304, 325, 345Vyasa 345WWadd 346Wadj Wer 346Wadjet 216, 264, 265, 346,347Wai 194, 346Waka 346Waka-Hiru-Me 346Wakan Tanka 346–347, 348Waka-Sa-Na-Me-No-Kami347Waka-Toshi-No-Kami 347Wakonda 347Wamala 347Wanka 347Waralden Olmai 347war gods and deities. See alsovictory; specific gods, e.g.:NeitAh Hulneb 8Anat 19Apedemak 24Aphrodite 24Ares 28Astarte 34Athena 36–37Chang Fei 63Huitzilpochtli 130Inana 137–138Ištar 142–143Kibuka 161Korravai 162Kuan Ti 164–165Laran 172Mars 191Maru 191Mes Lam Taea 196Minerva 199–200Mixcoatl-Camaxtli201Morvran 204Muhingo 205Murukan 207Nayenezgani 215Nuadu 226–227Ogun 231Onuris 233–234Opo 234Oro 234Paiawon 240Pak Tai 240Quirinus 260Rešep (A)Mukal 265Rigisamus 266Sakhmet 270–271Sakumo 271Šala 271Semnocosus 280Skanda 289Svantevit 298Thor 313Tiwaz 317Tobadzistsini 319Triglav 322Tumatauenga 324Vidar 340Virabhadra 342Wiu 348Wodan 348–349Zababa 358warriors 82–83, 202–203was (rod of dominion) 255water. See also rain gods anddeities; river gods anddeities; sea gods anddeitiesAh Kumix Uinicob 8Ah Patnar Uinicob 9Banga 46Chalchiuhtlatonal 62Chalchiuhtlicue62–63Cit Chac Coh 66Coventina 68–69Ea 85Enki 89–90Hara Ke 112Iccovellauna 133Mizu-Ha-No-Me201Nantosuelta 213Nemausius 217Nethuns 219Olokun 232Suijin 294–295Tate Hautse Kupuri305Tate Kyewimoka 305Tate Naaliwahi 305Tate Rapawiyema 305Tegid Foel 308Tienoltsodi 315Tin Hau 315–316Yemoja 354Wawki 347wealth 10, 32, 73, 166, 243,248, 323weather. See also rain godsand deities; storm godsand deities; specific gods,e.g.: MenzabacAdad 3Aplu 25Aquilo 26Baršamin 47Eacus 85Hadad 109–110Hanui-o-rangi111–112Horagalles 127Ilyapa 136Indr 138Munume 207Nong 226Pariacaca 243Quzah 260Raijin 261–262Rudra 267–268So 289Sudrem 294Susano-Wo 298Šutekh 298Tana’ao 302Tarhunt 304Taru 304Tesub 310weaving 15, 145, 330wells. See springs and wellsWelsh. See CeltsWeng Shiang 347Wepwawet 347Wer 347–348Weri Kumbamba 348whale 152, 266–267Whiro 348, 348white men 2Whope 348, 348Wi 348, 348wind. See also specific gods,e.g.: PavanaAdad 3Aeolos 6Aeolus 6Bagba 44Boreas 53Buadza 55Chaob 64Corus 68Fujin 98Hanui-o-rangi111–112Haya-Ji 117Njord 225Notus 226Raka (2) 262Shina-Tsu-Niko 283Stribog 293Tamats PalikeTamoyeke 302Tawhirimatea 306Teliko 309Vata 338Vayu (1) 338Veja Mate 339Zephyrus 359Windigo 348wine 2, 43, 78–79, 297winter 55, 58, 226wisdom. See also learningA’aš 1Enki 89–90Ganesa 101–102Ifa 133–134Metis 197Mimir 198–199Nabu 209–210Nebo 216Nissaba 225Ori 234Thoth 313–314Tir 316witchcraft 97, 267Wiu 348Wodan 237, 348–349wolves 179Wong Taisin 349woodland 194, 278Wosret 349wrath 139writing 166, 209–210, 216,225, 279, 281. See also literatureWu 349Wuriupranili 349Wu’squus 209, 349XXaya Iccita 330, 350Xewioso 350Xilonen 350Xil Sga’nagwai 350Xipe Totec 350Xiuhtecuhtli 350Chantico 64Chiconahui 65Coyolxauhqui 69Huehuecoyotl 130

402 IndexHuehuecoyotl-Coyotlinahual130Huehuetotl 130Intal 139Itzcuintli 144Ixcozauhqui 145Ixtlilton 145Ometecuhtli 233Teteo Innan Teteo 310Xolotl 351Xolotl Nanahuatl 351Xochiquetzal 311, 350–351Xochiquetzal-Ichpuchtli351Xolotl 86, 351, 351Xolotl Nanahuatl 351YYacacoliuhqui 352Yacahuiztli 352, 356Yacapitzahuac 352Yacatecuhtli 68, 352, 352Ya’china’ut 352Yah 352Ya’halan 137, 307, 352Ya’halna’ut 352Yajna 352Yaksa 102Yaksas 353Yakut (Siberia) 9, 29, 328,329Yaldabaoth 33, 86, 89, 234,253, 269, 292, 353Yama 353Dhumorna 77Kala 152Nan-Sgrub 213Phyi-Sgrub 247Sanjna 274gSan Sgrub 273Saranyu 275Surya (1) 297Višnu 343Vivasvan 344Yamaduti 353Yamantaka 353Yamari 353Yamuna 354Yamaduti 353Yama-No-Kami 353Yamantaka 353Yamari 262, 353Yami 59, 275, 353, 353Yamm 162, 353yantra (geometric magicaldiagram) 45Yaro 354Yasodhara 56, 354Yauhqueme 354Yaw 354Ya’qhicnin 354Yayu 354Yeloje 354Yemekonji 354Yemoja 354Yen Kuang Niang Niang354Yggdrasil (world tree) 119Yhi 354–355Yhwh 355yi-dam god 273Yina’mna’ut 355, 355Yina’mtian 335, 355Yine’ane’ut 201, 303, 352,355–356Yng 97, 356Yoalli Ehecatli 356Yoaltecuhtf 356Yobin-Pogil 173, 356Yocahu 356Yogesvari 356Yogi 288Yolkai Estan 94, 356yoni 271, 288YorubaAge 7Ajalamo 10Aje 10Eshu 93–94Ifa 133–134Obatala 230Oduduwa 230–231Oko 232Olodumare 232Olokun 232Ori 234Orisanla 234Orunmila 235Osun 236Oya 238Sango 273Shango 282Shankpana 283Yemoja 354youth 118, 150, 180, 195Yspaddaden Pencawr 356Yu Huang Shang Ti 356Yu Shih 173, 356–357Yu-Chiang 357Yukaghir (southeasternSiberia) 173, 249Yum Cimil 357Yum Kaax 357Yu-ti 357ZZababa 358Zalmoxis 358Zapotlantenan 358Zara-Mama 358Zarpanitu(m) 49, 190, 209,358zbl (prince) 42Zemepatis 358Zemi(s) 56, 95, 358Zemyna 358–359Zephyrus 6, 96, 359Zethos 359, 359Zeus xi, 359–360Aeacos 5Anu (1) 22Aphrodite 24Apollo 25Ares 28Ariadne 28Artemis 30Asklepios 33Ate 35Athena 37Atropos 37Baal 42Baal Šamin 42Demeter 73Dike 78Dyaus Pitar 83Egeria 86Eileithyia 87Eirene 87Eunomia 94Hebe 118Hekate 119Helen 119, 120Hera 121Herakles 121Hermes 122Jupiter 150Klotho 162Kouretes 162Kronos 163Kybele 169Lachesis 170Leto 174Maia 185Marnas 191Metis 197Minerva 200Mnemosyne 201Moirai 202Nemesis 217Okeanos 232Papas 242Persephone 246Plutos 248Poseidon 250Posis Das 250Prometheus 253Rhea 266Sabazios 269Sarapis 275Semele 280Themis 312Titans 316Tyche 325Yhwh 355Zhang Guo-Lao 360Zhiwud 360Zhong-Li Kuan 41, 360Zibelthiurdos 360Zipakna 151, 360Zoe 360Zoroastrianism viii, 9–10,20, 200. See also PersiaZotz 360Zurvan 360

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