Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

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