Guide to the Gods 1.0
Ha... to Hd...
Ha
Egyptian god of the western desert.
Hachiman
Shinto god of war in Japan.
Hactcin
Jicarilla Apache primordial beings.
Hadad
(Had, Hadda, Haddu)
West Semitic god of storms, thunder, and rain.
Hades
(Aides, Dis, Plutos)
"The Unseen One". Greek god of the underworld. Since riches were commonly buried in the ground, he also figured as a god of wealth, Plutos, although the latter is often considered a separate deity. Son of Kronos and Rhea. Brother of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter and Hestia. After Zeus killed Kronos, dominion over the underworld fell to Hades, while Zeus claimed the heavens and Poseidon the seas. He became the husband of Persephone after abducting her (for this story see the entries for Demeter and Persephone). His home in the underworld was often referred to as the "House of Hades". The tasks of judging the souls of the deceased and of punishing sins were assigned to other underworld deities. His cult was restricted to Pylos. He was depicted as dark bearded, bearing a sceptre and a key.
Hadur
Hungarian War Lord.
Ha'iaka
Sister of the goddess Pele.
Hainuwele
Dema-deity Wemale people of Moluccas.
Hala
Kassite goddess of healing.
du-l Halasa
Pre-Islamic god of SW Arabia.
Haldi
National god of Urartu, Anatolia.
Halki
Hittite corn god.
Hamadryads
Greek tree nymphs. See Dryads.
Hammon
Lybian god of the setting sun.
Hananim
Old Korean god of the sky.
Hanhau
Maya god of the underworld, Mitnal.
Han Hsiang
China: one of the eight Immortals of Taoism.
Hannahanna
Hittite mother goddess.
Hanuman
Hindu divine monkey chief. Son of Vayu. In the Ramayana, he built the causeway to Ceylon which allowed Rama and his army to rescue Sita from Ravana.
Hanwasuit
Tutelary goddess of Hittite throne.
Han Xiang-zi
1 of 8 Chinese Immmortals.
Haokah
Sioux thunder god. He was also a god of hunting.
Haoma
Zoroastrian personification of the Soma herb.
Hapi (1)
(Hapy, Hap, Hep)
Egyptian god of the Nile. Particularly associated with the annual floods which were responsible for the fertility of the land adjacent to the river. Although he had no specific cult centers, he was believed to live in caves near the Nile cataracts. Depicted in androgynous human form with a beard, large belly, pendulous breasts and a crown of aquatic plants. He often bore a tray of produce symbolizing the abundance and prosperity brought by the Nile floods. His court included a retinue of crocodile-gods and a harem of frog-goddesses.
Hapi (2)
Egyptian god. One of the four sons of Horus. Protector of the lungs of mummified corpses. Depicted as an baboon or in human form with the head of a baboon.
Harakhti
(Harachte)
"Horus of the Horizon". Egyptian god of the morning sun rising on the eastern horizon. One of the manifestations of Horus. Depicted in the form of a falcon. The Egyptian pharaoh was said to be born on the eastern horizon as Harakhti and to rule over the two horizons (east and west) in that form. Harakhti coalesced with Re as Re-Harakhti, in which form he was worshipped at Heliopolis.
Harendotes
(Egyptian Har-nedj-itef)
"Horus the saviour of his father". A special form of the Egyptian god Horus. In this form Horus guards his father Osiris in the underworld. He was one of the protective gods typically depicted on the Egyptian sarcophagi. It is this form that also referes to Horus's vindication of his father and triumph over his enemy Seth.
Harihara
(Hari Hara)
Hindu syncretic deity combining Visnu and Siva.
Hari
One of the names of Vishnu.
Hariti
Buddhist child-devouring ogress.
Harmachis
(Egyptian Har-em-akhet)
"Horus in the horizon". A form of the Egyptian god Horus in which he figures as a sun god. Inscriptions from the New Kingdom (1550- 1000 BC) identify the sphinx at Giza, originally made in the image of Pharaoh Khephren, as Harmachis looking toward the eastern horizon.
Harmerti
Egyptian tutelary god of Seden.
Haroeris
(Egyptian Har-wer)
"The Elder Horus". One of the manifestations of the Egyptian god Horus, in which form Horus reaches maturity and avenges his father Osiris against his enemy Seth. In this form Horus defeats Seth and seizes control of the throne of Egypt. Depicted in the form of a falcon.
Harpies
(Harpy)
"Snatchers". Greek winged female monsters or demons. They may have originated as wind spirits: in Homer they were merely described as winds that swept people away. They were usually three in number, the most common names being Aello, Kelaino (Podarge) and Okypete. Daughters of Thaumas and Elektra, or of Poseidon and Gaia. In early myths they were described as beautiful, but later writers depicted them as ugly bird-like monsters with large claws. In one version, the Harpies were eventually killed by Calais and Zetes.
Harpokrates
(Harpocrates, Egyptian Har-pa-khered)
"Horus the Child". The form of the Egyptian god Horus as a child. Depicted as a naked child sitting on the knee of his mother Isis, wearing the juvenile side-lock of hair. Often, he is either sucking his thumb or suckling at his mother's breast. Harpokrates was invoked to ward off dangerous creatures.
Harsaphes
See Heryshaf.
Harsiesis
(Harsiese, Egyptian Har-sa-iset)
"Horus the son of Isis". A form of the Egyptian god Horus which emphasizes his role as the son of Isis and Osiris. In this form he exemplifies the ideal of the dutiful son. In the Pyramid Texts Harsiesis performed the 'opening of the mouth' rite on the dead pharaoh, ensuring that the pharaoh would have the use of his faculties in the afterlife.
Harsomtus
(Egyptian Har-mau)
"Horus the uniter". A manifestation of the Egyptian god Horus. This form celebrates Horus's achievement in uniting the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Harun and Haruna
Water-spirits in Morocco.
Hasameli
(Hasammeli)
Hittite god of blacksmiths.
Hastshehogan
Navaho house-god.
Hastsheyalti
Navaho god of dawn and the east.
Hathor
(Athyr)
Egyptian cow goddess. Daughter of Nut and Re. In early Egyptian mythology she was the mother of the sky god Horus, but was later replaced in this capacity by Isis. Hathor then became a protectress of Horus. She was depicted either as a cow or in human form wearing a crown consisting of a sun disk held between the horns of a cow.
Her name appears to mean "house of Horus", referring to her role as a sky goddess, the "house" denoting the heavens depicted as a great cow. Hathor was often regarded as the mother of the Egyptian pharaoh, who styled himself the "son of Hathor". Since the pharaoh was also considered to be Horus as the son of Isis, it might be surmised that this had its origin when Horus was considered to be the son of Hathor.
Hathor took on an uncharacteristically destructive aspect in the legend of the Eye of Re. According to this legend, Re sent the Eye of Re in the form of Hathor to destroy humanity, believing that they were plotting aganist him. However, Re changed his mind and flooded the fields with beer, dyed red to look like blood. Hathor stopped to drink the beer, and, having become intoxicated, never carried out her deadly mission.
Hathor was often symbolized by the papyrus reed, the snake, and the Egyptian rattle known as the sistrum. Her image could also be used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Her principal sanctuary was at Dandarah, where her cult had its early focus, and where it may have had its origin. At Dandarah, she was particularly worshipped in her role as a goddess of fertility, of women, and of childbirth. At Thebes she was regarded as a goddess of the dead under the title of the "Lady of the West", associated with the sun god Re on his descent below the western horizon. The Greeks identified Hathor with Aphrodite.
Hatmehyt
(Hatmehit)
Egyptian fish goddess. Her worship centered on the Nile delta, particularly at Mendes.
Hatuibwari
Serpent god of San Cristobal in the Solomons.
Haubas
(Hobas)
Pre-Islamic Sabaean god.
Haukim
Old South Arabian deity.
Haumea
(Haumia)
Polynesian god of wild plants.
Haumea
Hawaiian goddess of childbirth. Mother of Pele.
Hauravatat
(Haurvatat)
One of the Zoroastrian Beneficent Immortals; Iranian goddess of water.
Hayagriva
In Indian Vedism, one of the demonic Daityas. He stole the Vedas, but was defeated by Vishnu in the form of a fish.
Hayagriva
Fierce Buddhist protective deity.
Haya-Ji
(Haya-Tsu-Muji-No-Kami)
Japanese god of whirlwind.
Hay-Tau
Phoenician vegetation god of Nega.
Hazzi
Mountain god of Hittites and Hurrians.
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