Guide to the Gods 1.0
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God D
Mayan god of unknown name, associated with the night and the moon.
Dabog
South Slavonic sun god. Known from the Ukraine, Poland and Serbia. He was equated with Satan after the advent of Christianity.
Dadimunda
Singhalese Buddhist god of temples, regarded as the defender of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. He is said to be the 'treasurer' of the god Upulvan. He rides an elephant, which is his sacred animal.
Daemon
See Daimon.
Daena
Old Iranian goddess, daughter of Ahura Mazda and Armaiti.
Daevas
(Devas)
The powers of evil in ancient Iran (Persia).
Dagan
(Hebrew Dagon)
West Semitic corn god of the Philistines, Canaanites and Amorites. His name means 'corn' or 'grain'. He was regarded as the father of Baal in Ugaritic creation myths. His cult spread to Mesopotamia after the Canaanites were conquered by the Babylonians.
Dagda
Irish (Celtic) 'Good God', earth and father god, leader of the Tuatha De Danann. One of his epithets was Ollathir, which is generally interpreted as meaning 'All-father'. He is paired with the goddesses Morrigan and Boann, and is the father of Brigit and Aengus Mac Oc. The Dagda is portrayed as possessing both super- human strength and appetite. Among his possessions were an enormous club which could both kill and restore men to life, and a great cauldron which provided an inexhaustible source of food.
Dagon (Dagan)
The Hebrew name for the West Semitic god Dagan (q.v.).
Dahhak
Iranian evil spirit.
Daho
A Pyrenean (northwestern Spain) deity, equated with the Roman Mars.
Daikoku
Japanese god of wealth. One of the seven gods of good luck in Shintoism. He is depicted as fat and prosperous, bearing a hammer which dispenses money when shaken. He is also manifested as a rat. He is the father of Ebisu, the god of labour. See also Shichi-Fukujin.
Daimon
(Daemon)
Greek collective name for beings intermediate between gods and humans. Beginning with Hesiod the term designated the spirits of dead heroes. These spirits were later interpreted by the Christians as devils. The term also signified the spirit determining a person's fate (akin to the Roman term genius).
Dainichi
Japanese Buddhist personification of purity and wisdom.
Daityas
In Indian (Hindu) mythology, demonic Titans, sons of the goddess Diti, who became the enemies of the gods.
Dajoji
Iroquois god of the west wind.
Dakini
Buddhist demonic beings possessing magical powers and capable of flying through the air.
Daksha
(Daksa)
Hindu sun god. He is the son of Brahma and Aditi, and is one of the Adityas. An prominent early god who later became subordinate to Shiva.
Daktyloi
Greek demonic beings who were associated with the working of metal.
Dala Kadavara
Demon in Singhalese Buddhism, bringer of illness and misfortune.
Damballa
(Damballah)
Haitian snake deity, father of the Loa (voodoo spirit beings).
Damgalnunna
(Akkadian Damkina, Greek Dauke)
Mesopotamian (Sumerian and Babylonian-Akkadian) goddess. Originally the consort of Enlil, later the consort of Ea and mother of Marduk.
Damkina
(Sumerian Damgalnunna; Ninki)
Babylonian-Akkadian spouse of Ea (El?).
Damona
Gallic goddess, known as the "Divine Cow"; spouse of Borvo (Bormanus).
Damu
Sumerian god of exorcism. The son of Nin'insina.
Dana
See Danu.
Danavas
In Indian mythology, demonic beings of the ocean.
Danh
(Dan Ayido Hwedo)
Snake god of Benin (Dahomey).
Dan Petro
Haitian god of farmers; originally African god Danh.
Danu
(Anu, Dana)
Irish (Celtic) earth mother. Matriarch of the Tuatha de Danaan ('People of the Goddess Danu)', the gods of Ireland. The Dagda, one of the 'People of Danu', was sometimes referred to as her father. Her Welsh equivalent was the goddess Don.
Danu
Hindu goddess of the primordial waters.
Daphne
Greek goddess personifying the laurel tree. She is said to be the daughter of a river god, either Ladon or Peneius. Legend has it that she was changed into a laurel to avoid the sexual advances of the god Apollo, to whom the laurel thus became sacred.
Daramulum
God of the Wiradyuri and Kamilaroi peoples of Australia, son of the supreme god Baiame. He acted as an intermediary between Baiame and humans. He is now one of the sources of the supernatural power tapped into by medicine men.
Darana
Primordial being of Australian Dieri.
Darawigal
The force of evil in Australian myth, opposed to Baiame, the force of good.
Da-shi-zhi
Female Bodhisattva of Chinese Buddhism.
Dasyus
One of the races of the Asuras in Vedic myth who were defeated by Indra.
Datin
Pre-Islamic god of northern Arabia. Frequently attested to in inscriptions, but of uncertain function. (H2>Dea Dia Roman goddess of the fields, honoured with three feast days in May.
Dea Matrona
Celtic deity at source of Marne.
Dea Sequana
Celtic deity at source of Seine.
Debata
Deity of Toba-Batak in Sumatra.
Decima
Roman goddess of childbirth. Later Decima, with the goddesses Nona and Morta (Parca), formed the Parcae, the Roman goddesses of fate.
Dedun
(Dedwen)
Egyptian-Nubian god of wealth and incense, associated with the riches of the southern lands. Usually depicted in human form but occasionally as a lion.
Dei Consentes
Roman council of 12 gods.
Deimos
"Panic" or "Fear". Minor Greek god of war. Son of Ares and Aphrodite. His siblings were Anteros, Enyo, Eros, Harmonia, Phobos and Terror (Pallor). Deimos and Phobos accompanied Ares in battle.
Deino
One of the Greek Graiae, guardians of the Gorgons. Daughter of Phorkys and Ceto, she was the sister of Enyo and Pephredo. The three Graiae collectively had one eye and one tooth which they shared among themselves.
Deive
Lithuanian name for a god or spirit, particularly associated with certain stones which were objects of worship.
Demarus
Father of Melkart, god of Tyre.
Demeter
Greek mother and corn (grain) goddess associated with the earth, vegetation and agriculture. She is also a goddess of death, as exemplified by the story of Persephone. Daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Sister of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades and Hestia. Mother of Persephone by Zeus, and of Plutos by Iasion.
Demeter is particularly prominent in the Greek legend of the abduction of her daughter Persephone (Kore) by the underworld god Hades. Distraught at her loss, Demeter neglected her duties as a vegetation deity while she searched for her daughter. Fearing catastrophe, the gods intervened, and Hades agreed that Persephone would be returned provided that she had tasted nothing while in the underworld. However, Persephone had tasted a pomegranate. As a result, she was released only on condition that she should spend three months of each year in the underworld with Hades, the rest in the world of the living. The three months spent in Hades are believed to coincide with the three dry summer months in Greece. This legend formed the basis of an important Greek fertility cult, known as the Eleusinian Mysteries after the famous cult centre at Eleusis. Demeter was also honoured in the feast of the Thesmophoria, a fertility rite from which men were excluded and whose rites were a carefully guarded secret. She was depicted as a matronly figure, often riding a chariot or seated upon a throne. Her attributes included ears of corn (grain) and a basket filled with flowers, grain and fruit. The pig and the snake were sacred to her.
Dena
Iranian (Persian) goddess, daughter of Ahura Mazda.
Deng
Sky god and creator of the Dinka people in the Sudan. He is also a god of rain and thus of fertility.
Deohako
Seneca spirits of maize, beans and gourds.
Dercetius
Ancient Hispanic mountain deity.
Derceto
West Semitic (Phoenician) mother goddess.
Despoina
(Despoena)
"Mistress". An honorific title among the Greeks, notably applied to the goddess of the underworld in Arcadia. We know of no other name for this Arcadian goddess, perhaps attesting to the secrecy of her rites. She was later identified with Persephone.
Dev
Armenian spirit beings, equivalent to the Iranian daevas.
Deva
(pl. Devas)
Vedic (early Hindu) term for a god, or that which is divine. In later Hinduism, the term was applied to deities other than the primary triad of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu.
Devaki
Hindu mother goddess. Consort of the mythical king Vasudeva, mother of Krishna and Balarama (born of hairs from the head of Vishnu which that god placed in her womb).
Devanada
Jain goddess, mother of Mahavira.
Devapurohita
Hindu astral god associated with the planet Jupiter.
Devaputra
Buddhist gods of the lower rank.
Devas
Iranian evil deities. See Daevas.
Devasena
Hindu goddess, one of the consorts of Skanda.
Devel
(Del)
Supreme being of the Gypsies.
Deverra
Roman goddess of birth.
Devi
General term for female deities in Indian religion.
Devi
The major goddess of Hinduism: Mahadevi. Originally a vegetation and mother goddess. She is worshipped in many forms representing both her benevolent and terrible aspects.
Dhakeshvari
The Hidden Goddess.
Dhakhan
The rainbow god of the Kabi people of Australian Queensland.
Dhanada
Buddhist (Mahayana) goddess. An emanation of Amoghasiddhi.
Dhanistha
Hindu goddess of misfortune, a malevolent nakshatra. Daughter of Daksha and consort of Chandra (Soma).
Dhanvantari
Hindu physician to the gods. Originally a sun god, prominent in the Vedas. He was identified as the carrier of ambrosia from the primeval ocean and as the teacher of medicine to mankiind. In later Hinduism he was regarded as an avatara of Vishnu.
Dhara
In Hinduism, one of the eight vasu deities who attended the god Indra.
Dharana
See Parsva.
Dharani
Minor Hindu goddess, an avatara of the goddess Lakshmi and consort of Parasurama.
Dharani
Buddhist deities who were regarded as the personification of mystical religious texts.
Dharma
Hindu god, personification of the divine inner 'law' (dharma). He was originally a creator god and the son of Brahma. Also considered as an avatara of Vishnu.
Dharmadhatuvagisvara
Buddhist god of the 'law' (dharma). A form of the bodhisattva Manjushri and an emanation of Amitabha. Depicted with four heads and seated on the wheel of the law.
Dharmakirtisagaraghosa
Buddhist-Lamaist physician god of Tibet. One of the medicine buddhas known as sMan-bla.
Dharmamegha
Buddhist (Vajrayana) goddess, one of twelve deified bhumis.
Dharmapala
(Chinese Fu Ha)
A group of eight protective deities in Buddhism, particularly in Tibetan Buddhism. Terrible in appearance, they were said to be protectors of the faithful from evil demons as well as guardians of the law.
Dharmapratisamvit
Buddhist (Vajrayana) goddess of nature analysis. One of a group of four pratisamvits.
Dharmavasita
Buddhist goddess, one of a group of twelve vasitas of spiritual regeneration.
Dharti Mata
Hindu mother goddess who first appears in the Puranic texts.
Dhatar
Hindu sun god. One of the adityas or descendants of the goddess Aditi.
Dhisana
Hindu goddess of prosperity who appears in the Vedas.
Dhritarashtra
(Pali Dhatarattha; Chinese Chi Guo)
One of the four Buddhist guardians of the world.
Dhrti
Minor Jain goddess.
Dhruva
Hindu god of the Pole Star. An avatara of Vishnu and one of the Vasu deities who attend the god Indra.
Dhumavati
Hindu goddess, one of the ten mahavidyas personifying the Sakti of Shiva.
Dhumorna
Hindu goddess, consort of Yama.
Dhumravati
Hindu demonic goddess.
Dhupa
Buddhist-Lamaist mother goddess of Tibet. One of the astamataras.
Dhupatara
Buddhist (Mahayana) goddess.
Dhurjati
Hindu god, a manifestation of Shiva.
Dhu-Shara
Nabataean deity.
Dhvajagrakeyura
Buddhist (Mahayana) goddess, an emanation of Aksobhya.
Dhyanaparamita
Buddhist philosophical deity.
Dhyani-Bodhisattvas
The five bodhisattvas of meditation and the spiritual sons of the Dhyani-Buddhas. They include Avalokiteshvara, Ratnapani, Samantabhadra, Vajrapani and Visvapani.
Dhyani-Buddhas
The five Buddhas of meditation.
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