Guide to the Gods 1.0
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Ataa Naa Nyongmo
Gan creator god of Ghana.
Ataecina
Old Hispanic (Romano-Iberian) goddess of the underworld.
Ataentsic
(Ataensic)
Iroquois/Huron mother goddess from heaven.
Ataguchu
Inca god who played a role in their creation myth.
Ataokoloinona
Son of the supreme god of Madagascar.
Atar
Zoroastrian god of fire, son of Ahura Mazda.
Atargatis
Syrian fertility goddess. Consort of Hadad. Her cult center was at Bambyke (Hierapolis), near Aleppo in Syria. Her cult spread to the Greek world, where she was regarded as a form of Aphrodite. She was depicted seated on a throne flanked or supported by lions and holding a sheaf of wheat.
Atarsamain
Pre-Islamic Arabian astral deity.
Ate
Greek goddess of evil and misfortune. In Hesiod's account, she is the daughter of Zeus and Eris. She was banished from Olympus for causing mischief among the gods.
Atea
(Atea Rangi, Rangi)
Polynesian primeval god, who divided in two, became the god Rangi and the goddess Papa, who were the parents of all the other gods.
Aten
(Aton)
"Disk" or "Sun Disk". Egyptian sun god. Originally a manifestation of the sun god, later a deity separate from the sun gods Atum and Re. Aten was depicted as a winged sun disk or as a sun disk from which rays ending in hands extended. The sun disk was also subtended by the uraeus (cobra amulet) and some of the hands held the ankh ("life") symbol. His main sanctuaries were in Thebes, Heliopolis, and Akhetaten.
His cult reached a peak under the pharaoh Akhenaten, who attempted to establish a monotheistic cult with Aten as the sole object of worship. This monotheistic cult antagonized the powerful priests of Amun-Re, who lost much of their influence during Akhenaten's reign. Akhenaten built the city Akhetaten (modern Tel el-Amarna) to serve as Aten's cult center. However, Egypt returned to polytheism after Akhenaten's death. Akhetaten was abandoned, the priests of Amun-Re regained their power and influence, and Aten's significance dwindled to that of a minor god.
Atete
Kafa (Ethiopia) fertility goddess.
Athena
(Athene)
Greek goddess of wisdom and tutelary goddess of Athens. Also a goddess of war, peace and agriculture. In contrast to some of the other Greek gods, many of whom were famed for their rash and often ignoble acts, Athena was noted for her self-control and for many instances in which she aided human beings in their endeavours. Also, in contrast to the reckless passions of the other gods, Athena remained a virgin throughout her life, forming no romantic attachments. According to Hesiod, Athena sprang fully armed from the head of Zeus, who had swallowed her mother Metis (wisdom). In Pindar's version, it was Hephaistos who struck Zeus in the head with an axe to relieve the god's headache, wherupon Athena emerged. It was Hephaistos who later attempted to rape Athena, but she evaded him and his semen fell to the ground, giving birth to the serpent Erichthonius. Much of Athena's reputation as a war goddess is based on Homer's Iliad, where she took an active part in the fighting on the side of Greeks against the Trojans. In battle, she bore the aegis, the goat-skin shield upon which the head of Medusa was mounted. She generally proved more successful in battle than her brother Ares, the Greek war god who sided with the Trojans.
Athena won the allegiance of Athens in a contest with Poseidon to determine who could bestow the greater gift upon humanity. Poseidon gave either the horse or a spring of water. Athena gave the olive, and won the contest, in consequence of which she gave her name to the city. The Acropolis, upon which the Parthenon was constructed in her honour, was said to be her dwelling place. Athens also honoured her in the Panathenaia festival, in which she seems to have figured as a vegetation goddess. She was referred to as Pallas Athene in her capacity as a protective goddess. Her icon, the palladium, was believed to protect the city from harm. In addition to the olive, Athena's gifts to humanity included the plough, the loom, and the flute. Among the many heroes to whom she gave assistance were Odysseus on his long voyage home from Troy, Perseus in killing the Medusa, Epeius in the construction of the wooden horse, and Herakles in his many labours. Her epithets included Parthenos (virgin), Promachos (protectress), Glaukopis (owl-eyed), Ergane (worker or craftsman) and Mechanitis (one who undertakes things). She was also known as Athena Polias in her capacity as goddess of the people or polity of Athens. The owl was the symbol both of Athena and Athens. She was also associated with the snake, and their is some speculation that she originated as a snake goddess, perhaps in Crete. Athena's worship was widespread, despite her close association with Athens.
Athirat
West Semitic (Canaanite) fertility goddess.
'Athtar
(Ilumqah)
South Arabian goddess of morning & evening star.
Athyr
See Hathor.
Aticandika
Hindu (Puranic) form of goddess Durga.
Atira
Pawnee earth-mother.
Atirat
West Semitic goddess, perhaps of the sun. Associated with moon god Amm in south Arabia.
Atl
Aztec creator god.
Atlahua
Aztec god of lakes and fish hunters.
Atlas
One of the Greek Titans, condemned by Zeus to uphold the vault of the heavens for his part in the revolt of the Titans.
Atlaua
Old Mexican water god.
Aton
See Aten.
Atrahasis
Akkadian flood hero.
Atri
A deified bard of ancient India. Hindu son of Brahma, renowned sage.
Atropos
"Unbending". Oldest of the Greek Moires (Fates), a trio which included Klotho and Lachesis. She was the one who severed the thread of life. According to Hesiod, she was the daughter of Zeus and Themis. As her name suggests, she represented the inevitability of death.
Atse Hastin and Atse Estsan
Navaho first man and woman.
'Attar
Pre-Islamic war god of south Arabia. Associated with the morning star, he is also the giver of water.
Attis
(Atys)
Phrygian god of vegetation. Son and/or lover of Kybele, the Phrygian mother goddess. A figure whose story had many similarities with those of the Greek Adonis and the Mesopotamian Dumuzi (Tammuz). Attis fitted the model of the "dying god" who annually dies and is resurrected, reflecting the annual cycle of vegetation. In one version of his story he died as the result of being gored by a wild boar. In another version he was driven mad by his love for Kybele, and castrated himself under a pine tree. One of the features of his cult was the ritual self- castration of his priests at his annual festival. His cult was prominent in Greek Anatolia and was introduced to Rome in 204 BC in conjunction with that of Kybele.
Atua Fafine
Polynesian (Tikopia) creator being.
Atua I Kafika
Polynesian (Tikopia) supreme god.
Atua I Raropuka
Polynesian (Tikopia) creator being.
Atum
(Tem, Tum)
Primeval Egyptian sun god, creator of heaven and earth. Evening aspect of the sun, representing the setting sun. He was later syncretized with Re, the god of the rising sun, as the god Atum-Re. His principal cult center was at Heliopolis, which he shared with Re. Both Atum and Re were represented by the black bull Mnevis, bearing the the sun disk and uraeus (cobra) between its horns. The Egyptians regarded him as the father of the pharaoh, and he played an important part in the rites of coronation. Atum was depicted in human form, usually as an older man symbolizing the setting sun. Among the animals sacred to him were the bull, lion, ichneumon, snake and lizard.
Atum was said to have engendered himself out of the primeval waters. He then created the deities Shu and Tefnut, either from his semen in the act of masturbation or, alternatively, from his spittle. From those two the remainder of the nine gods of the Heliopolitan Ennead were descended.
Atunis
Etruscan form of the Greek god Adonis.
Auchimalgen
Araucanian (Chile) moon goddess.
Auf
(Efu Ra)
Name of Egyptian sun-god Re during night journey through underworld.
Aufaniae
Continental Celtic deities, they seem to have been matron-like figures.
Aulanerk
A friendly Eskimo deity who brought men joy.
Aumanil
A good spirit of the Eskimo.
Aurora
Roman goddess of the dawn, equivalent to the Greek goddess Eos.
Ausaas
Egyptian wife of Herakhty (Horus).
Auseklis
(Ausrine)
Latvian stellar god.
Auster
The Roman name for the southwest wind, equivalent to the Greek Notus.
Auxo
See Horae.
Avalokitesvara
(Avalokita, Lokesvara)
In Buddhism, the most popular of the Bodhisattvas (Buddhas-to-be). An emanation of the Dhyani-Buddha ("self-born" Buddha) Amitabha. Also the Dhyani-Bodhisattva of the present age.
Avatea
Polynesian (Hervey Islands) moon god.
Aveta
Gallic goddess of birth and midwifery.
Avrikiti
Fon (Benin) god of fishermen.
Avya
Sun/moon deity of Cuboe people of Colombia.
Awhiowhio
Australian god of whirlwinds.
Awonawilona
Zuni (Pueblo) creator god, supreme god. After the Deluge, he spread a green scum upon the waters which became the earth and the sky.
Awun
Taiwanese god of destruction.
Axo-Mama
Peruvian goddess of potato crops.
Aya
Babylonian-Akkadian mother goddess.
Ayabba
(Ayaba)
Fon (Benin) hearth goddess.
Ayida
Haitian rainbow goddess.
Ayi'-Uru'n Toyo'n
Yakut creator spirit.
Ayiyanayaka
(Ayiyan)
Beneficent god of woodland and countryside among the Dravidians and the Singhalese. Dravidian and Singhalese plague god?
Ays
Armenian evil spirit of the wind.
Ayurvasita
Buddhist: 1 of 12 vasitas.
Ayyappan
Hindu god of growth, esp. in Kerala.
Azacca
Haitian god of agriculture.
Azazel
Islamic devil. According to Islam, he was cast out of Heaven for refusing to worship God's creation: man.
Azi Dahaka
(Azhdahak, Azdahak, Azhi Dahaka)
Old Iranian snake-like creature with three heads. Embodiment of falsehood and accomplice of Ahriman, with whom he will be defeated at the end of time.
Azizos
Pre-Islamic north Arabian astral tutelary god.
Azizos and Monimos
Syrian deities associated with the morning star and the evening star.
Azrael
The Muslim angel of death.
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