Aakuluujjusi 

The great creator mother among the Inuit people. 
  







Aatxe 

A Basque evil spirit in the form of a bull, but who sometimes also appears in the shape of a human being. At night, especially during stormy weathers, he emerges from his hole. 
  







Ab Kin Zoc (Ppiz Hiu Tec) 

The Mayan god of poetry. He is also known as Ppiz Hiu Tec. 
  







Aba 

The Choctaw creator deity. 
  







Abaangui 

A Native American god who cut off his huge nose. The nose then flew into the sky and became the moon. 
  





[Guarani Indian]



Abaasy 

In the mythology of the Yakut tribe, the inhabitants of the underworld. They have teeth of iron and travel in packs of seven. 
  







Ababinili 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Ababinili ("Sits Above") is the spirit of fire as distinct from that of the Sun. 
  





[Southeast Woodlands, Chickasaw]



Abaddon 

by Acharya S. 
In medieval myth the synonym for Hell and/or the ruler thereof, and in Revelations 9:7-11 it is the Christian angel of Hell. The Hebrew word abaddon means "place of destruction" (Job 26:8 and Psalm 88:11). 
Prior to its corruption by the Judeo-Christian tradition, "Abaddon" referred to the pit or cave that was used in mystery religions and schools as a rite of passage into the greater mysteries. Often, the experience would entail the use of ritual substances that put the aspirant into an altered state in which he or she could receive divine revelation. Because the experience was sometimes unpleasant, this rite came to be viewed as being "hellish." However, it was considered absolutely necessary so that the seeker may become pure enough to encounter the "mind of God." 
  







Abadir 

"Mighty Father", a Phoenician name for the highest deity. 
  







Abandinus 

A Romano-Celtic god of whom is little known, except for an inscription found in Cambridgeshire, England. 
  







Abaris 

Abaris was a priest of Apollo who, with the help of the god, fled from Scythia (in the Caucasus) to Greece to avoid a plague. Apollo gave him a golden arrow which cured diseases and gave oracles. The arrow also rendered the priest invisible. 
  







Abarta 

"Performer of Feats". An Irish/Celtic god, a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. 
  







Abathur (Abatur) 

In old-Iranian mythology, a creature that acts as the judge of the dead. His name means something like 'he with the scales'. He weighs the souls of the departed and/or their deeds and determines accordingly if they are send to heaven or to the underworld. Among the ancient peoples of southern Iraq and southwest Iran, Abathur personifies the 'third life'. 
  



Other
Similar article



Abatur 

In Gnosticism the father of Demiurgos. 
  



Other
Similar article



Abba Amona 

Aramaic: "Father, Mother", the supreme divine couple in the Cabala. 
  







Abderus 

He guarded the horses of Diomedes for Heracles but was eaten by them. In honor of his memory Hercules founded Abdera. 
  







Abdiel 

The faithful seraph who withstood Satan when he urged the angels to revolt, according to Milton's Paradise Lost. 
  







Abel 

The second son of Adam and Eve, the first man to sacrifice a lamb to God. It pleased God, so Cain became jealous and killed his brother. 
  







Abellio 

The Gallic god of apple trees. A local deity of the Garonne valley. 
  







Abeona 

The Roman goddess who protects children when they leave the parental house for the first time. 
  







Abere 

A Melanesian demoness. 
  







Abgal 

Seven Sumerian wise men, the attending deities of the god Enki. They emerged from the sweet-water Apsu and are portrayed as fish-men. In Akkadian myth they are called Apkallu. 
  







Abhean 

An Irish/Celtic god, harper of the Tuatha Dé Danann. 
  







Abhijit 

The Hindu goddess of fortune. She is the daughter of Daksha and consort of Chandra. 
  







Abinadab 

A Levite in whose house the ark of the Lord stood for twenty years (I Samuel 7:1). 
  







Abnoba 

The Gallic river and forest goddess, specifically in the region of the Black Forest. From her name, the name of the English river "Avon" is derived. 
  







Abora 

The supreme god of the heavens among the Canary Islanders on the island of Palma. 
  







Abracadabra 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
A Cabbalistic charm that was supposed to get rid of any illness if inscribed on an amulet as follows: 
Abracadabra
Abracadabr
Abracadab
Abracada
Abracad
Abraca
Abrac
Abra
Abr
Ab
A 
This may be from the Hebrew Ab (Father), ben (Son), and ruach acadsch (Holy Spirit). Another possibility is that is from the first few letters of the Phoenician alphabet (A-Bra-Ca-Dabra) or from the name of an old disease demon. It could also be derived from the Aramaic avada kedavra, meaning "may the thing be destroyed." The term is still used by modern-day conjurers. 
  







Abu Jahl 

"Father of Ignorance". His true name was Amr ibn Hisham of Mecca. He had nothing but scorn for Muhammed. (Koran 22:8) 
  







Abundantia 

A minor Roman goddess of abundance, prosperity and good fortune. Her attribute is a cornucopia ("horn of plenty") with which she distributes grain and money. After the Roman occupation of France, she remained in French folklore as Lady Hobunde. 
  







Abydos 

The holy city of Osiris, who was buried there himself, as were many other pharaohs. 
  







Ac Yanto 

The Mayan god of white men. 
  







Acacia 

by Alex Hopson 
The gods are said to have been born underneath the goddess Saosis' Acacia tree, north of Heliopolis. Horus was supposed to have emerged from the tree, according to the pyramid text 436. The book of the dead refers to the tree as: 
'I betook myself to the Acacia Tree of the [divine] Children.' 
[The Chapter Of] Entering into the Hall Of Maati to praise Osiris Khenti-Amenti. 
'Homage to thee, O Lord of the Acacia Tree, whose Seker Boat is set upon its sledge, who turnest back the Fiend, the Evildoer, and dost cause the Eye of Ra (utchat) to rest upon its seat,' 
- A hymn of praise to Ra when he riseth upon the horizon, and when he setteth in the land of life. 
Later legends linked the tree not only with birth but also with death and the afterlife. According to the 'Book of the Dead' some children lead the deceased to the Acacia tree. The coffin texts also refer to the Acacia tree; they state that parts of the Sacred Acacia tree of Saosis 'squashed and bruised' by the deceased. These parts were then said to have a magical healing effect. 
The Ancient Egyptians put the acacia to many uses. The 'Sont' (Arab name) or 'Acacia Nilotica' (Latin name), was used for: handles of tools, wooden pegs or nails, cramps, idols and small boxes or parts of cabinets for which a hard compact wood was required. The seed pods of the 'Acacia Nilotica' and the bark of the 'Sealeh Acacia' were both used for tanning. Other varieties of Acacia found in the interior or on the confines of the desert were used as the shafts for spears. The Acacia tree also produces a gum. 
  








Academus 

A hero from Attica. An sacred area (northwest of Athens) dedicated to him was called the Academy. In the school that was situated there Plato founded his school. His students where called academics. 
  







Acan 

The god of wine in Mayan mythology. 
  







Acanthis 

The sister of Acanthus. When she cried over the death of her brother the gods turned her into a thistle finch. 
  







Acanthus 

The son of Autonous and Hippoamia. The horses of his father tore him to pieces. 
  







Acarnan 

The son of Alcmaeon. After his father's death he fled to South-Epirus, which was also known as Acarnia, derived from his name. 
  







Acat 

The Mayan god of tatooers. 
  







Acca Larentia 

In Roman myth a loose woman and a mistress of Hercules. She married the wealthy Tarutius and after his death she donated his money to the Roman people. In return, Rome celebrated the festival of the Larentalia (possible a feast of the dead in honor of the goddess Larentia) on December 23. In another version, Acca Larentia is the wife of the shepherd Faustulus who raised the twins Romulus and Remus. 
  







Acestes 

A hero of Trojan origin, who founded Segesta on Sicily. Here he welcomed Aeneas. 
  







Achaemenides 

One of the companions of Odysseus who remained on Sicily with the Cyclopes. When Aeneas arrived on the island he took Achaemenides with him. 
  







Achates 

A loyal friend and companion of Aeneas. 
  







Achelous (Acheloüs) 

In Greek mythology, Achelous is the deity of the river of that name, and ruler of all rivers. He is the eldest son of Oceanus and Tethys. He fought with Heracles for Deianira, a Greek princess. Despite assuming many forms, among which that of a bull, Achelous was eventually vanquished. Heracles broke off one of his horns and nymphs fashioned it into the Cornucopia ("horn of plenty"). Achelous is usually depicted as a bull with the torso of a man and a bearded face (common for river gods, especially on coins), but also as an old, grey man with horns. 
  





Achelous is the name of the largest river in Greece (in ancient times called Aspropotamos). 
The story of Achelous and Hercules, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.



Acheri 

According to folk tradition of India, an acheri is the ghost of a little girl, and who comes down at night from her mountain haunts to bring sickness to children in human habitations. A protection against such a molestation would be to wear a bright-red thread around the neck. 
  









Acheron 

The name of one of the five rivers (occasionally also regarded as a lake) that flow through the realm of Hades. The name means "river of woe", and is often metaphorically used for Hades itself. Here the shades are ferried across by Charon. (Virgil VI, 107). 
  



Pronunciation
{ack-uh-ron}

The river is identified with the Epirus river in Greece that flows underground in several places.





Achilles (Achilleus) 

by James Hunter 
Achilles was the son of the mortal Peleus and the Nereid Thetis. He was the mightiest of the Greeks who fought in the Trojan War, and was the hero of Homer's Iliad. 
Thetis attempted unsuccessfully to make her son immortal. There are two versions of the story. In the earlier version, Thetis anointed the infant with ambrosia and then placed him upon a fire to burn away his mortal portions; she was interrupted by Peleus, whereupon she abandoned both father and son in a rage. Peleus placed the child in the care of the Centaur Chiron, who raised and educated the boy. In the later version, she held the young Achilles by the heel and dipped him in the river Styx; everything the sacred waters touched became invulnerable, but the heel remained dry and therefore unprotected. 
When Achilles was a boy, the seer Calchas prophesied that the city of Troy could not be taken without his help. Thetis knew that, if her son went to Troy, he would die an early death, so she sent him to the court of Lycomedes, in Scyros; there he was hidden, disguised as a young girl. During his stay he had an affair with Lycomedes' daughter, Deidameia, and she had a son, Pyrrhus (or Neoptolemus), by him. Achilles' disguise was finally penetrated by Odysseus, who placed arms and armor amidst a display of women's finery and seized upon Achilles when he was the only "maiden" to be fascinated by the swords and shields. Achilles then went willingly with Odysseus to Troy, leading a host of his father's Myrmidons and accompanied by his tutor Phoenix and his close friend Patroclus. At Troy, Achilles distinguished himself as an undefeatable warrior. Among his other exploits, he captured twenty-three towns in Trojan territory, including the town of Lyrnessos, where he took the woman Briseis as a war-prize. Later on Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks, was forced by an oracle of Apollo to give up his own war-prize, the woman Chryseis, and took Briseis away from Achilles as compensation for his loss. This action sparked the central plot of the Iliad, for Achilles became enraged and refused to fight for the Greeks any further. The war went badly, and the Greeks offered handsome reparations to their greatest warrior; Achilles still refused to fight in person, but he agreed to allow his friend Patroclus to fight in his place, wearing his armor. The next day Patroclus was killed and stripped of the armor by the Trojan hero Hector, who mistook him for Achilles. 
Achilles was overwhelmed with grief for his friend and rage at Hector. His mother obtained magnificent new armor for him from Hephaestus, and he returned to the fighting and killed Hector. He desecrated the body, dragging it behind his chariot before the walls of Troy, and refused to allow it to receive funeral rites. When Priam, the king of Troy and Hector's father, came secretly into the Greek camp to plead for the body, Achilles finally relented; in one of the most moving scenes of the Iliad, he received Priam graciously and allowed him to take the body away. 
After the death of Hector, Achilles' days were numbered. He continued fighting heroically, killing many of the Trojans and their allies, including Memnon and the Amazon warrior Penthesilia. Finally Priam's son Paris (or Alexander), aided by Apollo, wounded Achilles in the heel with an arrow; Achilles died of the wound. After his death, it was decided to award Achilles' divinely-wrought armor to the bravest of the Greeks. Odysseus and Ajax competed for the prize, with each man making a speech explaining why he deserved the honor; Odysseus won, and Ajax then went mad and committed suicide. 
During his lifetime, Achilles is also said to have had a number of romantic episodes. He reportedly fell in love with Penthesilia, the Amazon maiden whom he killed in battle, and it is claimed that he married Medea. 
  



Pronunciation
{uh-kil'-eez}




Achiyalatopa 

A celestial giant monster from Zuni mythology with feathers of flint knives. 
  







Achor 

Said by Pliny to be deity invoked by the Cyreneans for the averting ot insect pests. 
  







Acidalia 

An epithet of Aphrodite, named after the spring with the same name in Boeotia, where she used to bathe. 
  







Acis 

A Sicilian shepherd youth, occasionally regarded as a son of Dionysus. He was in love with Galatea but rival, the Cyclops Polyphemus, killed him with a boulder. Galatea turned his blood into the river of the same name. (Ovid XIII, 750) 
  





The story of Acis and Galatea, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.



Acmon 

A companion of Aeneas. 
  







Acolmiztli 

An Aztec underworld god. 
  







Acolnahuacatl 

Another underworld god from Aztec mythology. 
  







Acoran 

The supreme god of Canary Islanders (the Guanche; a Berber people) on the island of Gran Canaria. 
  









Actaeon 

The legendary huntsman of Greek myth, a grandson of Cadmus. During a hunt, he left the party and wandered alone through the forest when he suddenly came upon a clearing. There he saw the goddess Artemis bathing in a large pool, surrounded by her nymphs. When they noticed the hunter they flew themselves before the goddess, but he had already seen her splendid nakedness. Angered, she turned him into a stag for she refused to let any mortal say that he had seen Artemis naked. 
Actaeon moved away from the clearing feeling different and confused, not yet realizing what had happened to him. The truth hit him when he saw his own reflection in a river and he knew he was no longer human. In the distance he heard the sound of his own hounds. A brief moment of joy quickly turned into fear when he realized they were hunting him now, not recognizing their former master. He fled but was eventually overrun and torn to pieces. 
A different version of the myth tells that Artemis turned him into a stag because he boasted of excelling her in hunting. 
  



Pronunciation
{ak'-tee-uhn}

The story of Diana and Actaeon, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.



Ad 

A city and its people in southern Arabia. The prophet Hud warned them to convert but they ignored his warnings. God detroyed them all. (Koran 7:63, 89:5). 
  







Adaheli 

A sun-god of Surinam. 
  







Adam 

The first human being, who was created by God on the final day of Creation (Genesis 1-2). He was made in the image of God from the dust od the earth. From his rib, a female, Eve, was later formed and made his wife. Adam and Eve had power over all living things, but as a result of disobedience they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and condemned to work for a living. 
  







Adam Beliyya'al' 

Hebrew: "The evil man". A devil, contrasted with the primordial man Adam Kadmon. 
  







Adam Kadmon (Adam Kadman) 

Hebrew: "The primordial man."The first man of the Jewish Kabbala, who first appeared in 13th century texts. He was the perfect prototype man created by God. The Kabbalists took up the concept using it to describe the divine symbolism of the human body. Later Adam Kadmon came to be identified with the messiah and was contrasted with the devil Adam Beliyya'al'. He is symbolized by the Sephiroth or ten circles of creation. There are some similarities with the Persian Adam Kasia. 
  







Adam Kasia (Adam Qadmaia) 

In Iranian mythology the soul of the first man, 'the hidden Adam'. Also called Adam Qadmaia ("the first Adam"). Among the Mandean (south Iraq and south-west Iran) it is the soul of every human. He shows many similarities with the Jewish Adam Kadmon. 
  







Adaox 

by Gerald Musinsky 
A tale-type with animal spirits in human form concerning origin myths of the world. The concept of animal spirits transforming into humans is widely spread among Native America and linked with certain narrative myths about the "world" before human populations. 
  





[Pacific Northwest, Tsimishian] 



Adar (Adrammelech) 

The god of the Sepharvites from Assyria, for whose whorship they burnt their children in the fire. (2 Kings 17:31) 
  







Adaro 

In Melanesian belief (San Christoval, Ulawa, southern Mala island), the bad part or soul-substance of a man which remains after death as a ghost. Distinguished from the figona or spirits which were never human. See also Aunga. 
On the Solomon Islands, an adaro is a malevolent sea-spirits in the shape of a fish-man, a man with tail fins on his feet and gills behind his ears. He has a horn like a shark's back fin and a pike on his head like a sword fish or sawfish. It is believed that the adaro travels along rainbows and kills men by shooting poisenous flying fish at them. 
  







Adeona 

The Roman goddess who guides the child back home, after it has left the parental house for the first time. 
  







Adi Putra 

A Malay saint. His name is probably a corruption of Adi-Buddha, the Eternal Teacher. 
  







Adimurti 

Hindu avatar of Vishnu. 
  







Aditi 

by Stephen Naylor 
In Hindu mythology, Aditi was the goddess of the boundless sky. Her name means "free from bonds" or "the unfettered" or "Limitless" and the Vedas hint that she was once all-encompassing. She undoubtedly pre-dates them, and was once the goddess of the past and the future, the seven dimensions of the cosmos, the celestial light which permeates all things, and the consciousness of all living things. 
In later times, she was known better for her children, who were called the Adityas in honor of her. She was named as the consort of Kasyapa or Brahma. She is sometimes depicted in the guise of a cow. She eventually was degraded as a guardian goddess who helped her worshippers find a smooth path to what they were looking for. 
  



Other
Used sources



Aditinggi 

The god of the volcano Gunung Awu on Siau, Indonesia. 
  







Adityas 

The Adityas are, in Hindu myth, a group of sun gods and the sons of Aditi and Kashyapa. Originally, there were seven or eight of them, but their number was expanded to twelve in the Vedic period. As the twelve sun gods they represent the twelve months of the year. The Adityas protect against various diseases, and belong to the Devas, a generic term for divine beings. They are: Ansa, Aryman, Bhaga, Daksha, Dhatri, Indra, Mitra, Ravi, Savitri, Surya, Varuna, and Yama. 
  







Adjassou-Linguetor (Adja, Adha Bosu) 

A loa who governs spring water. She has protuberant eyes and a really bad temper. 
  







Adjinakou 

The elephant loa on Haiti. 
  







Adlet 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Adlet are in Eskimo myth (Labrador and Hudson Bay) blood drinking monsters, five of the ten offspring of a woman inter-coupling with a red dog (Dog Husband). 
  







Adlivun 

by Gerald Musinsky 
The Adlivun are in Eskimo myth (Canada and Arctic) "Those Beneath Us" or those in the underworld or the Underworld. A variant of the Christian Hell. 
  







Admete 

The daughter of Eurystheus. For her Heracles stole the girdle of Hippolyta. 
  







Adonai 

Hebrew word meaning "my lord, my master", from adon, "lord, master". From Hellenistic times onward it was used verbally to replace the written Yahweh. When the tetragrammaton (JHWH) appears in the Biblical text, it is usual to read it out load either as Adonai or as Ha-Shem ("The Name"). 
  







Adonis 

by Morgan Upright 
Adonis is a complex figure, for the outlines of his tale were fully as a part of the sub-Olympian Greek mythology by Greek and Roman authors, and yet he also retains many deep associations with his Semitic origins. The name "Adonis" is a variation of the Semitic word "Adonai", which means "lord", and which is also one of the names used to refer to YHWH in the Old Testament. 
At the beginning of his appearance in Greek myth, there is some confusion as to his parentage and his birth. Hesiod considers this Greek hero to be the son of Phoenix and Aephesiboea, while Apollodorus calls him the son of Cinyras and Metharme. The generally accepted version is that Aphrodite compelled Myrrha (or Smyrna) to commit incest with Theias, her father, the king of Assyria. Her nurse helped her with this trickery to become pregnant, and when Theias discovered this he chased her with a knife. To avoid his wrath the gods turned her into a myrrh tree. The tree later burst open, allowing Adonis to emerge. Another version says that after she slept with her father she hid in a forest where Aphrodite changed her into a tree. Theias struck the tree with an arrow, causing the tree to open and Adonis to be born. Yet another version says a wild boar open the tree with its tusks and freed the child; this is considered to be a foreshadowing of his death. 
Once the child was born Aphrodite was so moved by his beauty that she sheltered him and entrusted him to Persephone. She was also taken by his beauty and refused to give him back. 
The dispute between the two goddesses, in one version, was settled by Zeus; in others it was settled by Calliope on Zeus' behalf. The decision was that Adonis was to spend one-third of every year with each goddess and the last third wherever he chose. He always chose to spend two-thirds of the year with Aphrodite. 
This went on till his death, where he was fatally wounded by a wild boar, said to be caused by Artemis. In some versions his death was caused not by Artemis, but by Aphrodite's lover, Ares, who was jealous of Adonis. Apollo is also said to be responsible because his son, Erymanthus, had seen Aphrodite naked and she blinded him for it. The story of Adonis provides a basis for the origin of myrrh and the origin of the rose, which grew from each drop of blood that fell. 
The story of Adonis, despite its variants, is certainly another example of the dying vegetation god (see: Tammuz). The close association with Aphrodite or Persephone also brings his myth into line with the many other mated couples, where the male partener dies and is reborn, that is spread across North Africa and the Near East. 
  



Other
Used sources

The story of Venus and Adonis, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.



Adramelech 

One of the superior devils of hell, and the chancellor of Satan. Adramelech was represented as a centaur who would make love to women. 
  



Other
Similar article





Adrasteia (Adrastea) 

"She whom can escape". Properly an epithet of Rhea Cybele in her attribute of the Mother who punishes human injustice, which is a transgression of the natural right order of things. The Greeks and Romans identified her with Nemesis. 
  



Pronunciation
{a-dras'-tee-uh}
Images
Adrasteia



Adsullata 

A Continental Celtic river goddess. 
  







Advent 

The second coming of Christ as prophesied by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:23-8. 
  







Adya Houn'tò 

The loa that mounts the drums by a process known as àdya. 
  









Aeacus (Aiakos, Aeacos) 

Aeacus is the son of Zeus and Aegina. He was the monarch of the island of Aegina, which was named after his mother. When his country was depopulated by the plague, he prayed to Zeus to grant him new subjects. Zeus then provided a new population by changing ants into people. They were called the Myrmidons ("ant-people"), who later took part in the Greek expedition against Troy, led by Achilles. Aeacus was the father of the heroes Telamon and Peleus and the grandfather of Achilles. 
Aeacus was the favorite of the gods and was so renowned for his piety that after his death he was made one of the judges of the realm of Hades, along with Minos and Rhadamanthys. 
  



Pronunciation
{ee'-uh-kuhs}



Aedon 

The daughter of Pandareus, and wife of Zethus, king of Thebes. She attempted to kill the eldest son of her sister-in-law Niobe, because she envied her for the number of children, but ended up killing her own child Itylus in stead. She was therefor transformed into a nightingale by Zeus. 
  







Aegaeon 

An Homeric epithet for Briareus. He is also represented as a son of Poseidon, and a marine deity of the Aegean Sea. 
  







Aegimius 

The mythical ancester of the Dorians. He battled with the Lapiths and asked Heracles for help, and with Heracles' help they were victorious. Aegimius tried to reward Heracles with a third of his land, but Heracles graciously declined the offer. Aegimius therefor adopted Heracles' son Hyllus as his own son to show his gratitude. Together with the other two sons of Aegimius, namely Pamphylus and Dymas, Hyllus lend his nbame to the three Dorian tribes: Pamphylii, Dymanes, and Hylles. 
  







Aegina 

Aegina is the daughter of the river god Asopus. The girl was abducted Zeus, who carried her off to the island of Attica (in the Sardonic Gulf), which was later named after her. She gave birth to a son, called Aeacus, and he became the monarch of the island. 
  







Aegir 

Aegir is the god of the sea in Norse mythology. He was both worshipped and feared by sailors, for they believed that Aegir would occasionally appear on the surface to take ships, men and cargo alike, with him to his hall at the bottom of the ocean. Sacrifices were made to appease him. 
His wife is the sea goddess Ran with whom he has nine daughters, the different kinds of wave. His two faithful servants are Eldir and Fimafeng. The latter was killed by the treacherous god Loki during a banquet the gods held at Aegir's undersea hall near the island of Hler (or Hlesey). Aegir was known for the lavish entertainment he gave to the other gods. 
  







Aegis 

A protective device that was originally associated with Zeus, but also, and later solely, with Athena. It is variously considered to be a bright-edged thundercloud (because when Zeus used it lightning flashed and thunder sounded) fashioned by Hephaestus, or the skin of the divine goat Amaltheia. It is represented as a sort of cloak, sometimes covered with scales and fringed with serpents, and with the head of Medusa fastened in the middle. The Aegis could also serve as a shield and in that fashion Athena wears it upon her breastplate. 
  







Aegle 

One of the Hesperides. 
  







Aegyptus (Aegyptos) 

The son of Belus and twin brother of Danaus. He was the father of fifty sons who, except for one, fell all victim to the fifty daughters of Danaus. He ruled over Egypt, which took its name from him. 
  







Aello (Aëllo) 

by Clarksville Middle School 
Aello is one of the Greek Harpies who was employed by the gods to make peace and carry out punishments for crimes. Aello was described as a beautiful, winged maiden. Later other writers described her as a winged monster with the face of an ugly old woman, with crooked and sharp talons and claws. She also was described as taking people to the Underworld and torturing them. Aello is known as the Storm Swift of the three. She was also described as a horrid woman with the body of a bird. 
  







Aeneas (Aineias) 

by James Hunter 
Aeneas was the son of Anchises and Venus. He was a cousin of King Priam of Troy, and was the leader of Troy's Dardanian allies during the Trojan War. After the fall of Troy, he led a band of Trojan refugees to Italy and became the founder of Roman culture (although not of the city of Rome itself). He was the mythical progenitor of the Julian gens through his son Ascanius, or "Iulus," and Virgil made him the hero of his epic, the Aeneid. 
In the Trojan War, Aeneas was one of the most respected of the Trojan heroes, perhaps second only to Hector. He engaged in abortive single combat with the Greek heroes Diomedes, Idomeneus, and Achilles; twice he was rescued through the intervention of gods. When Troy was sacked by the Greeks, Aeneas fought on until he was ordered by the gods to flee. He finally left the city, carrying his father and the household gods (see Penates) on his shoulders; his wife Creusa was lost in the confusion, but his son Ascanius escaped with him. 
Aeneas and the Trojan remnant then wandered across the Mediterranean, hounded by the enmity of Juno. In one of the most famous episodes of the Aeneid, they were cast ashore near the north African city of Carthage, where they were hospitably received by Dido, the city's founder and queen. There ensued a love affair between Dido and Aeneas which threatened to distract Aeneas from his destiny in Italy. Mercury was sent to order Aeneas to depart and Aeneas, forced to choose between love and duty, reluctantly sailed away. Dido, mad with grief, committed suicide. When Aeneas later encountered her shade on a trip to the underworld, she turned away from him, still refusing to forgive his desertion of her. 
In Italy, Aeneas allied himself with King Latinus, and was betrothed to Latinus' daughter, Lavinia. Lavinia's former suitor, Turnus, goaded by jealousy and the machinations of Juno, declared war against the intruder, and a period of bloody fighting (the Italian Wars) followed. Aeneas was victorious, eventually killing Turnus in single combat, and went on to found the city of Lavinium. At the end of his life, Aeneas was deified at the request of his mother, Venus, and became the god Indiges. 
In the Aeneid, Aeneas' most common epithet is "pius," and Virgil presents him as the exemplar of the Roman virtues of devotion to duty and reverence for the gods. 
  



Other
Used sources

The adventures of Aeneas, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.





Aeolus (Aeolos, Aiolos) 

Aeolus is the Greek god of the winds, and a son of Poseidon. The gods gave him dominion over the winds, which he kept in vast caves on the mythical island of Aeolia. As a favorite of the gods, they allowed him to join them at dinner. Aeolus gave Odysseus a bag of winds to help him on his voyage back home, but unfortunately his crew opened the bag and the winds escaped. 
  



Pronunciation
{ee'-oh-luhs}



Aequitas 

The Roman god of fair dealing. 
  







Aera Cura 

The Roman goddess of the infernal regions. 
  







Aericura 

A Romano-Celtic chthonic underworld god. 
  







Aesir 

In Norse mythology, the Aesir are the warrior gods who live in Asgard, one of the nine worlds. They were formerly opposed by the Vanir, an elder race of gods, but the Vanir were eventually assimilated are often considered to be Aesir. 
Among the gods and goddesses prominent in the myths are Odin, Frigg, Thor, Balder, Loki, Freya, Forseti, Heimdall, Njord, Vidar, and Ull. 
Aesir might be derived from the old-Teutonic word Ase, the common word for "god". 
  





Old Norse: Æsir



Aesma Daeva (Aesma, Aeshma) 

"Fury". One of the Daevas, Aesma Daeva ("madness") is the demon of lust and anger, wrath and revenge. His wrath is mainly directed towards the cow. He is the personification of violence, a lover of conflict and war. Together with the demon of death, Asto Vidatu, he chases the souls of the deceased when they rise to heaven. The Jewish evil spirit Asmodeus is derived from his image. His eternal opponent is Sraosa. 
  







Aeternitas 

The Roman personification of eternity. He is symbolized a worm or serpent biting its own tail (similar to the Ouroboros) and by a phoenix rising from its ashes. 
  







Aether 

The personification of the pure upper air in which the gods reside, in contrary to the 'aer', the lower air which mortals breathe. In the early Greek cosmologies, Aether is the son of Erebus and Nyx, and the brother of Hemera. He is one of the elements of the cosmos and in the Orphic hymns he is mentioned as the soul of the world from which all life emanates. 
  







Aetna 

A daughter of Uranus and Gaia. She is the personified goddess of Mt. Etna, a volcano on Sicily. Underneath this volcano the giant Typhon lies buried (which explains the volcanic eruptions). When Hephaestus and Demeter were arguing over Sicily, land of volcanoes and corn, Aetna stepped in to act as arbitrator. She is sometimes regarded as the mother of the Palici, the twin Sicilian gods of geysers. 
  







Afa 

The Samoan storm-god. 
  







Africus 

The Roman personification of the south-western wind. 
  







Afrit (Afreet) 

In Muslim theology, the second most powerful of the five classes of Jinn. They are of gigantic stature, malicious and inspiring great dread. 
  









Agamemnon 

by James Hunter 
Agamemnon was the son of Atreus and the brother of Menelaus. He was the king of either Mycenae (in Homer) or of Argos (in some later accounts), and was the leader of the Greek forces during the Trojan War. He married Clytemnestra after killing her former husband, Tantalus, and had several children by her, including Orestes, Electra, and Iphigenia. 
When the Greeks sailed for Troy, their fleet was trapped by unfavorable winds at Aulis. The seer Calchas revealed that their misfortune was due to Agamemnon, who had boasted that he equalled Artemis in hunting; the winds would only change if Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia was sacrificed. Agamemnon reluctantly agreed to the sacrifice, but Artemis herself whisked Iphigenia away from the altar and substituted a deer in her place. 
During the seige of Troy, Agamemnon offended the greatest of the Greek warriors, Achilles, when he took the girl Briseis from him. Achilles' anger with Agamemnon furnished the mainspring of the plot in the Iliad. After the sack of Troy, Agamemnon acquired Cassandra, the daughter of King Priam, as his concubine, and took her home with him to Greece. 
Agamemnon had an unhappy homecoming. He was either blown off course and landed in the country of Aegisthos, or he came home to his own land to find Aegisthos waiting for him. In either case, Aegisthos had become the lover of Clytemnestra, and the two together murdered Agamemnon and Cassandra shortly after their arrival. Aegisthos and Clytemnestra then ruled Agamemnon's kingdom, but were eventually killed by Agamemnon's son, Orestes (or by Orestes and Electra in some accounts). The homecoming of Agamemnon and its aftermath were favorite subjects for Greek tragedy. 
  



Pronunciation
{ag-uh-mem'-nahn}
Images
Agamemnon
Other
Used sources

The story of Agamemnon, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.





Aganippe 

A nymph, the daughter of the river-deity Ternessus. The resides in the well Aganippe near Thespiae, at the base of the mountain Helicon. The horse Pegasus supposedly created this well with his hooves. The water of this well gave inspiration to poets. 
  



Pronunciation
{ag'-uh-nip-ee}



Agas 

A Persian demoness of illness, one of the Drugs. She personifies evil that is perceived or performed by the eye (her name means "evil eye"). 
  







Agassou (Ati-A-Sou) 

The guardian loa of the Dahomean traditions. 
  







Agastya 

Hindu protector of the god Rama. 
  







Agaures 

One of the Oriental devils in hell, commander of legions. 
  







Agave 

by Clarksville Middle School 
In Greek Mythology Agave is the sister of Semele. Agave denied that Zeus was the father of Semeles son Dionysus. She was punished by the gods and became the leader of the Maenads. The Maenads are the loyal servants of Dionysus. The Maenads ripped Agaves son Pertheus to shreds when he spied on their sacred rituals. 
  







Agdistis 

A Phrygian mother goddess sometimes identified with Cybele, the goddess of fertility. Originally hermaphrodite, she was made female by castration. 
  







Agenor 

The king of Tyros and a son of Poseidon. He is the father of Europa and Cadmus. When Europa was abducted by Zeus, he sent his sons in search of her. 
  







Aghora 

Double of the Hindu god Shiva. 
  







Agla 

The ancient Hebrew acronym for the formula that chases evil spirits away. 
  







Aglaia 

The youngest of the three Charites (Graces). Sometimes represented as the wife of Hephaestus. Her name means "the brilliant, splendor, shining one". 
  







Aglibol 

An ancient Syrian (Palmarene) moon-god who forms a powerful triad with Yarhibol and the supreme god Bel. His name means "calf of Bel". He is portrayed with the lunar disk on his forehead, and sometimes on his shoulder. 
  







Agloolik 

A good spirit of the Eskimo. It lives under the ice and helps hunters and fishermen. 
  







Agni 

by Stephen T. Naylor 
Agni is one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire, the messenger of the gods, the acceptor of sacrifice. Agni is in everyone's hearth; he is the vital spark of life, and so a part of him is in all living things; he is the fire which consumes food in peoples' stomachs, as well as the fire which consumes the offerings to the gods. He is the fire of the sun, in the lightening bolt, and in the smoke column which holds up the heavens. The stars are sparks from his flame. He was so important to the ancient Indians that 200 hymns in the Rig Veda are addressed to him, and eight of its ten books begin with praises dedicated to him. 
Agni is closely associated with Indra, and is sometimes said to be his twin brother. Thus Dyaus Pita and Prthivi are named as two of his parents. But he has many more. Sometimes Kasyapa and Aditi are his parents; another time he is the son of a queen who keeps his birth secret from her king. He was born, like Indra, in full power and vigor. Agni is also said to be the son of ten mothers who are all sisters; these are the ten fingers of man. Another story tells that he consumed his parents when he was born, as they could not provide for him; this is symbolic of the fire born when two sticks are rubbed together which quickly are burned up by it. Dawn and Night are his sisters, his wife is Svaha, and he is the father of Karttikeya. 
When Agni is described in anthropomorphic form, he sometimes has two faces which are smeared with butter. He has seven fiery tongues and sharpened, golden teeth. He is red in color, with black eyes and wild, black hair. He has seven arms and three legs, and seven rays of light emanate from his body. He either rides on a ram, or on a chariot, pulled by goats or sometimes parrots. 
Agni loves all his worshipers equally, and so is loved in turn by all of them. He visits everyone's hearth, no matter if they are rich or poor. He is the mediator between the gods and mankind. He is a great consumer of Soma. When people use fire, they must face it toward the proper direction for different uses. When facing East, the fire should be used for sacrifices to the gods; when facing South, the fire should be used for sacrifices to the Manes or spirits of the dead; a cooking fire should always face toward the West. The proper offering to Agni, and hence all the gods, is ghee, which is clarified butter. Agni also had the power to impart immortality on mortals, as well as remove all sins at the time of one's death. 
In later times, Agni's worship fell off dramatically. He became an incarnation of either Shiva or Brahma. Eventually he has come only to be called on by lovers, and by men who wish to increase their virility. 
  



Other
Used sources




Agonalia 

The name for four Roman festivals: January 9, the festival of Janus; March 17, the festival of Mars; May 21, the festival of Veiovis; and one which was observed on December 11 (unknown deity). 
  







Agrona 

The Cltic goddess of strife and slaughter. The river Aeron in Wales is named after her. 
  







Agta (Bawa, Ungo) 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
A Filipino creature, the Agta (also known as Bawa and Ungo) are tall, huge black men that live in large trees. They are usually solitary and seen standing alone, frequently helping fishermen. Agta enjoy smoking cigars and, when it is offended, will steal clothes and firewood. The Agta is usually naked. 
  







Agwe 

The Haitian god of fish and sea plants, the patron of fishermen and sailors. Expensive offerings are made to this proud god. 
  







Ah Bolom Tzacab (Ah Bolon Dz'acab) 

The Mayan god of agriculture, the one who controls the rain and thunder. His name means "the leaf-nosed god", and he was portrayed with a leaf in his nose. He is the so-called 'God K'. 
  







Ah Cancum 

The Mayan god of hunting. 
  







Ah Chun Caan 

The Mayan tutelary deity of the city of Merida. 
  







Ah Chuy Kak 

A Mayan war god, known as the Fire Destroyer. 
  







Ah Ciliz 

The Mayan god of solar eclipses. 
  







Ah Cun Can 

A Mayan war god, known as the Serpent Charmer. 
  







Ah Cuxtal 

The god of birth in Mayan mythology. 
  







Ah Hulneb 

The Mayan god of war. 
  







Ah Kin (Ah Kinchil) 

The Mayan sun god who controls drought and disease. His name means "He of the Sun" 
  







Ah Kumix Uinicob 

The Mayan attendant water gods. 
  







Ah Mun 

The Mayan god of maize. 
  







Ah Muzencab 

The Mayan bee gods. 
  







Ah Patnar Uinicob 

The Mayan attendant water gods. 
  







Ah Peku 

The god of thunder in Mayan mythology. 
  







Ah Puch (Ahpuch) 

by Clare Herlihy, Clarksville Middle School 
Ah Puch was the Mayan god of death and the personification of disaster and darkness. The Mayans were located in the present-day countries of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and also in the Yucatan Peninsula. Their religion stated that the gods would become angry if they did not sacrifice live human flesh. Many people were sacrificed each year at huge festivals. He was considered very important in their religion and culture. 
Ah Puch, also called Hunahau or Hunhau, rules Mitnal, the ninth and lowest of the underworlds. He is associated with the dog, the symbol of death and access to the afterlife, and he himself is portrayed as a man with the head of an owl, as a skeleton, or as a skull. He is also referred to as 'God A'. 
  







Ah Tabai 

A Mayan hunting god. 
  







Ah Toltecat 

A god of the Toltec in Meso-America. 
  







Ah Uincir Dz'acab 

The Mayan god of healing. 
  







Ah Uuc Ticab 

A Mayan chthonic deity. 
  







Ahalya 

by Clarksville Middle School 
In Hindu myth, Ahalya is the wife of a devout sage. Indra, a god in Hindu myths, once made love with Ahalya. As a punishment, Ahalya's husband made her invisible. Rama lifted the spell and persuaded her husband to forgive her. 
  







Ahau-Kin (Ahau Kin) 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
"Lord of the Sun Face". The Mayan sun god, Ahau-Kin possessed both daytime and nocturnal aspects. In his daytime manifestation, the sun god was often depicted with some jaguar features. However, between sunset and sunrise he actually became the Jaguar god, the Lord of the underworld, as he travelled from west to east through the lower regions of the world. 
  







Ahau Chamahez 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
There were two Mayan medicine gods, Ahau Chamahez was one of them. 
  







Ahduth 

In Jewish mysticism the act of union with God, the highest goal. The name means 'unity, concord'. 
  







Ahes (Dahut) 

The beautiful and lascivious daughter of Gralon, king of Ker-Ys. She stole the keys of the sluice-gates from her father and presented them to her lover, who let in the waters of the sea. Her father tried to escape the flood on horseback with Ahes on the crupper behind him, accompanied by St. Guénolé, the kings confessor. When the water tried to engulf them, the confessor bade the king to cast off the she-devil who had caused the mischief. At these words, Ahes fell with a shriek into the waves and disappeared. Her father reached dry land, but Ahes still haunts the seas in the form of a lovely maiden, luring sailors to their doom. 
The legend of the submerged city of Ker-ys circulated as early as the 16th century and various localized forms. 
  







Ahi 

In Hindu myth, one of the forms of the serpent-god, also identified with Vritra, whom Indra slew with his thunderbolt, releasing the fructifying waters which Ahi withheld and was guarding. 
  







Ahimelech 

The high priest of Israel, executed on Saul's orders for treason. 
  





1 Samuel 22:16



Ahmakiq 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
Ahmakiq is a Mayan god of agriculture. He locks up the wind when it threatens to destroy the crops. 
  







Aholi 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
A compatriot of Eototo, Aholi is rare and very beautiful. His cloak has an image of Muyingwa on it, as well as many other colors which represent spring, fertility, brightness and the sun. He rules over the Pikya clan. Many centuries ago, Aholi and Eototo were very close but Aholi allowed himself to have his throat cut so that Eototo could escape. Eventually, they met again at Old Oraibi. 
  







Ahriman 

Alternative name of Angra Mainyu, the personified principle of darkness. 
  







Ahsonnutli 

The creator of heaven and earth among the Navaho. He is regarded as a bisexual deity, and called "the Turquoise Hermaphrodite". 
  







Ahulane 

A Mayan war god, called The Archer. His shrine was located on the island of Cozumel. 
  







Ahura 

In ancient Persia, Ahura ("Lord") is the title of gods, and the name for gods and spirits. The name was used to make a clear distinction between the Ahuras and the Daevas, who originally belonged to the same classification of godlike entities. The Daevas were in later religion degraded to the lesser beings, demons or devils, they are now. 
  







Ahura Mazda (Ormazd, Ohrmazd, Ormuzd) 

In ancient Persian mythology, Ahura Mazda ("Lord Wisdom") created the world of the light. As leader of the Heavenly Host, the Amesha Spentas, he fights against Ahriman and his followers to rid the world of evil, darkness and deceit. His symbol is the winged disc.
He has two sons, the twin gods Spenta Mainyu ("Holy Spirit") and Angra Mainyu ("Fiendish Spirit"), also known as Ahriman. However, in later religion, Ahura Mazda merged with Spenta Mainyu. Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu are still brothers but their father became the primordial god Zurvan. 
  







Ahurani 

by Justin Denton 
Ahurani is a water goddess from ancient Persian mythology. She watches over rainfall as well as standing water. She was invoked for health, healing, prosperity, and growth. She is either the wife or the daughter of the great god of creation and goodness, Ahura Mazda. Her name means "She who belongs to Ahura". 
  







Ai (Aoi Mac Ollamain) 

The Irish poet god, a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. 
  







Ai Apaec 

by Nick Sohr 
Ai Apaec is the supreme god of the Mochican culture like Zeus of the Greek culture (Mochica is located off the coast of Peru). He was originally a cat god, now he is shown as a man with big fangs and whiskers. He supposedly ruled the whole world. He was different from other gods because he lived among his people, but did not appear as man or god. He was a master at all the skills, such as weaving, fishing, fighting, everything! He was portrayed as the protector of man kind. The dog was his friend and a lizard was his servant. He often defeated all kinds of vampires, demons and serpents. 
  







Ai Tojon 

The Yakut (Siberia) creator of life. He is a double-headed eagle perched atop the world tree. 
  







Aias 

The Greek form of the Homeric hero Ajax (which is his Latin name). 
  







Aibell (Aoibhell) 

An Irish 'fairy' goddess. 
  







Aido Quedo 

by Justin Denton 
In Haitian voodoo, Aido Quedo is a female loa who determines man's fate. She is often compared to the Virgin Mary in Christian symbolism. 
  







Aigamuxa 

Man-eating monsters from Khoikhoi (Hottentot) mythology. 
  







Aillen 

A malevolent beast from the Otherworld in Irish mythology. 
  







Ailuros 

A cat-deity of ancient Egypt, also called Bastet. 
  







Aimend 

An Irish sun-goddess. 
  







Aion 

The Phoenician god of time and passing of life. 
  







Aipaloovik 

A sea-living god of the Eskimo. 
  







Airavata 

The elephant-steed of Indra. This animal was always victorious, and had four tusks which resembled a sacred mountain 
  







Airyaman 

The Persian god of friendship and healing. A philosophical concept personified as a god. 
  







Aita 

The Etruscan god of the underworld. He is identical with the Greek Hades and the Roman god Pluto. 
  







Aitu 

Lesser Polynesian deities, such as the many tutelary gods of villages and families. The aitu appear in the shape of plants and animals and are thought to have more demonic than divine characteristics. They are known as atua on the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia). 
  







Aitvaras 

A little Lithuanian demon who appears in the shape of a black cat or a black cock. He will give goods and money to those who sell their souls to him; things he stole from other people. Aitvaras usually nests behind the stove, and the inhabitants often leave food and drink for him. 
  







Aius Locutius (Loquens) 

When in 387 BC the Gauls moved towards Rome, a certain Caedicius heard for several days a mysterious voice from the shrubbery on the Forum Romanum. The voice warned against the Gallic attack and advised to fortify the walls of Rome. Caedicius went to the Roman authorities but they did not believe his story. The attackers found Rome virtually undefended and entered without much resistance. When the enemy was finally driven out, a temple was built on this place in honor of this warning diety, who was named Aius Locutius or Loquens. 
  







Aizen-Myoo (Aizen Myo'o) 

The Japanese god of love, worshipped by prostitutes, landlords, singers and musicians. Despite his ferocious appearance (he has a third eye vertically placed between his two other eyes and a lion's head in his hair) he is considered to be beneficent to mankind. Originally he was a god of the Shingon and Tendia and represented love that changes into desiring 'enlightenment'. 
  







Ajari Joan 

A Japanese priest from the mountain Hakkotsu-San ("Skeleton Mountain"). The priest once loved a girl, which is a sin for Buddhist priests. He became an okuma, a devil, and destroyed his own temple. As an old man he recovered his wits and sat down to pray. He went on muttering prayers after he died, becoming a praying skeleton. 
  







Ajax 

by James Hunter 
Ajax was the son of Telamon, king of Salamis. After Achilles, he was the mightiest of the Greek heroes in the Trojan War. 
Ajax was a huge man, head and shoulders larger than the other Greeks, enormously strong but somewhat slow of speech. In the Iliad, he is often called the "wall" or "bulwark" (herkos) of the Greeks. When Achilles had withdrawn from the fighting at Troy, it was Ajax who went forth to meet Hector in single combat; by the time darkness fell the fight was still a stalemate, but Ajax had wounded Hector without sustaining injury himself. 
After Achilles' death, Ajax competed with Odysseus for the ownership of Achilles' armor. Both men delivered speeches explaining their own merits, but Odysseus was by far the more eloquent and won the prize. Ajax was driven mad by his disappointment. According to one account, he vowed vengeance on the Greeks and began slaughtering cattle, mistaking them for his former comrades-in-arms. He finally committed suicide. 
Ajax is often called "Telemonian Ajax" or "the greater Ajax," to distinguish him from Ajax the son of Oileus, who also fought for the Greeks at Troy. 
  



Other
Used sources



Ajbit 

One of the thirteen Maya gods who created human beings. Ajbit assisted in the actual construction work. 
  







Aje 

The Yoruba goddess of wealth. 
  







Aji-Shiki 

A young Japanese god who cut down the mortuary house of his dead friend. The building fell down from heaven to earth where it became Mount Moyama. 
  







Aji-Suki-Taka-Hi-Kone 

The Japanese god of thunder, one of several. He was born noisy, and when grew up he became even more noisier. To quiet him, the gods carried him up and down a ladder (this explains the approaching and receding sound of thunder). 
  







Aji Saka 

A prince or scholar from Javanese myth who came from the west and who brought science and civilization to the island, including the Javanese script. 
  







Ajilee 

by Gerald Musinsky 
A collective tale(s), erroneously known as the Prostitutionway, that deals with hunting and love magic. 
  





[Southwest, Navaho, Pueblo] 



Ajtzak 

One of the thirteen Maya gods who created human beings. He did mainly the same work as Ajbit did. 

  








Ajysyt 

The Yakut goddess of children and protector of women in childbirth. She is present when a woman gives birth and she brings with her the soul of the child. Ajysyt resides on a seven-storey mountain. Here she writes every new birth into a golden book. She is also the goddess of fate, laughter and nations. 
  







Ak-ana 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
The primordial goddess of Altaic (Mansi and Khanty) myth, Ak-ana arose from the primordial waters to meet Kara-han, her future husband. He was awed by her beauty and her strength, for she sprang from the waters poisonous even to Snake and Scorpion. 
  







Aka-Kanet 

In the mythology of the Araucanian people of South America, the god of fruit and grain. 
  







Aka 

The mother goddess in ancient Turkey. 
  







Aka Manah (Akaman) 

Aka Manah is one of the Daevas. He is the personification of sensual desire who was sent by Ahriman to seduce the prophet Zarathustra. His eternal opponent is Vohu Manah. 
  







Akba-atatdia 

by Gerald Musinsky 
The "One Who Has Made Everything", also known as the "First Doer", is central to Crow Creation Mythology and is the equivelant of "Old Man", "Old Man Coyote", "the One Above". See also Wakan Tanka. 
  







Akbaalia 

by Gerald Musinsky 
The "one who heals" or doctors. A medicine person. An akbaalia can treat and cure both physical and psychological illnesses. See also Alektca. 
  





[Great Plains, Crow] 



Aken 

The custodian of the ferryboat who ferries the souls of the deceased to the Egyptian underworld. 
  







Aker 

The Egyptian personification of the earth and god of the dead. He rules over the meeting point between the eastern and western horizons in the underworld. He is also the guardian of the gate through which the pharaoh passes into the underworld. Aker provides a safe passage for the barque of the sun during its nightly journey through the underworld. 
He is represented as a small strip of land with both ends forming the head of a lion or a human. Alternatively, he is also represented as a pair of lions with the back to each other, with one head facing the east and the other head facing the west, thus seeing the sun rise and set. 
  







Akerbeltz 

The representative of the Basque goddess Mari who is invoked to protect the herds. He assumes the shape of a black billy-goat and is thought to possess healing powers. He himself was worshipped as a god too and his cult involved dances and sacrifices. 
  







Akeru 

A group of chthonic gods associated with the god Aker. 
  







Akh (Khu) 

by Alex Hopson 
The Akh is one of the five constituents of the human personality; the others being Ka, Ba, Name and Shadow. It has been referred to as a kind of glorified being of light (spirit). There seem to be two variations of the relationship between the Ba, Ka and Akh: 
The Akh is the result of the Ka and Ba being reunited in the after life; once reunited the Akh is unchanged for all eternity. The Akh was the form in which the deceased occupied the afterlife, once he had became an Akh, the deceased would become a part of the Akh-Akh (Starry sky) along with the other deceased, gods and birds. The Akh was an entity that co-existed with the Ka and Ba, it could have a positive or negative affect on the living world, in which it still bore responsibilities. 
When someone died their Ka split into two, the Akh and the Ba. The Akh, in the form of a bird flew to the afterlife where it turned back into the Ka. While the Ba remained on earth, inhabiting the physical body of the deceased. 
The physical form of the Akh is represented by a mummiform figure, similar to that of a shabti figure. However the hieroglyph representing the Akh is the sign of the crested ibis (Geronticus Eremita) sometimes called the hermit ibis. The crested Ibis is a less well known variety of Ibis, which is now rare in Egypt although once it was more common. It has long legs and a long neck, with a distinctive ruff that led to its name. The word 'Akh' also means 'to shine', it is from the term 'Radiant light'. The transformation into the Akh is symbolized by the adding of a crest to the normal Ba bird to make it an Akh bird. The largest section of the Pyramid text is devoted to 'Glorifications' (Sakhu) which literally means 'That which makes one an Akh'. 
The following is a chapter from the Book of the Dead, as translated by Wallis Budge, note that the Akh is referred to as Khu in this chapter dedicated to the making of the Akh. 
THE BOOK OF MAKING PERFECT THE KHU 
In the heart of Ra, of making him to have the mastery before Tem, of magnifying him before Osiris, of making him mighty before Khent-Amentet, and of setting awe of him before the Company of the Gods. It shall be recited on the day of the New Moon, on the sixth day festival, on the fifteenth day festival, on the festival of Uak, on the festival of Thoth, on the Birthday of Osiris, on the festival of Menu, on the night of Heker, [during] the Mysteries of the Tuat, during the celebration of the Mysteries in Akertet, at the smiting of the emissions, at the passage of the Funerary Valley, [and] the Mysteries... [The recital thereof] will make the heart of the Khu to flourish and will make long his strides, and will make him to advance, and will make his face bright, and will make it to penetrate to the god. Let no man witness [the recital] except the king and the Kherheb priest, but the servant who cometh to minister outside shall not see it. Of the Khu for whom this Book shall be recited, his soul shall come forth by day with the living, he shall have power among the gods, and it will make him irresistible forever and ever. These gods shall go round about him, and shall acknowledge him. He shall be one of them. This [Book] shall make him to know how he came into being in the beginning. This Book is indeed a veritable mystery. Let no stranger anywhere have knowledge of it. Do not speak about it to any man. Do not repeat it. Let no [other] eye see it. Let no [other] ear hear it. Let no one see it except [thyself] and him who taught [it to thee]. Let not the multitude [know of it] except thyself and the beloved friend of thy heart. Thou shalt do this book in the she chamber on a cloth painted with the stars in colour all over it. It is indeed a mystery. The dwellers in the swamps of the Delta and everywhere there shall not know it. It shall provided the Khu with celestial food upon in Khert-Neter. It shall supply his Heart-soul with food upon earth. It shall make him to live forever. No [evil] thing shall have the master over him. 
This excerpt from the Book of the Dead shows the Akh as one of the four rudders. 
THE ADDRESSES OF THE FOUR RUDDERS 
Hail, Power of Heaven, Opener of the Disk, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Northern Heaven. 
Hail, Ra, Guide of the Two Lands, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Western Heaven. 
Hail, Khu, Dweller in the House of the Akhemu gods, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Eastern Heaven. 
Hail, Governor, Dweller in the House of the Tesheru Gods, thou Beautiful Rudder of the Southern Heaven. 
  



Other
Used sources




Akhlut 

by Gerald Musinsky 
In Eskimo myth (Bearing Strait, Alaska, Arctic), a meta-morphic killer whale that transforms into a wolf on land, known by the wolf's tracks to and from the sea. 
  







Akhushtal 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
Akhushtal is the Mayan goddess of childbirth. 
  







Akkad (Accad) 

The first Babylonian city. Sargon I made it his capital in 2475 BC. 
  







Akna 

"The mother". An Eskimo goddess of childbirth. 
  







Akonadi 

An oracle goddess of justice in Ghana. 
  







Al Ait 

The Phoenician god of fire. His worshippers were called Alethai. 
  







Al Borak 

In Arabian myth, the winged white mare who bore the great prophet Mohammed from earth to the Seventh Heaven. 
  







Al Kadr 

"The divine decree". A particular night in the month Ramadan when Muslims say that angels descend to earth and Gabriel reveals to man the decrees of God. Al Koran, ch. xcviii. 
  







Al Sirat 

"The path". In Muslim tradition, the bridge to Paradise. Al-Sirat is narrower than a spider's thread and sharper than a sword. Only the good pass swiftly over it, while the wicked fall down to the mid-Hell is spans. Also called Bridge of Jehennam. 
  







Ala 

by Justin Denton 
Ala is the Ibo (Nigeria) goddess of the earth. She is the daughter of the High God and is considered to be the mother of all things. She is both the goddess of fertility and the goddess of death. She gives birth in the beginning and welcomes the dead back to her womb. 
In Nigeria, where she is still worshipped, she has temples situated in the center of the villages, where she has a statue surrounded by the images of other gods and animals. Amongst the Ibo people, she is one of the most popular divinities. 
  







Alaghom Naom 

The Mayan mother goddess. She is especially associated with creation of mind and thought, and is known as "Mother of Mind". 
  







Alaisiagae 

Nordic war goddesses (see also Valkyries). 
  







Alalus 

In Hittite mythology, the father of the gods, the eldest god. 
  







Alardi 

A spirit of the Ossetians (central Caucasus). 
  







Alastor 

In Greek mythology, Alastor is an avenging demon, associated with blood feuds between families. It is also an evil genius that leads a man to commit crimes and sin. He was originally a mortal, the son of Neleus, king of Pylos. He became a (minor) demon when he and his brothers were slain by Heracles. 
  







Alaunus 

The Celtic version Apollo, who was venerated in the areas of Mannheim and Salzburg in Germany. 
  







Alberich 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
A dwarven king, Alberich had his castle in a subterranean palace carved out of rock and ornated with gems and precious metal. He guarded the Nibelung hoard and was also a very powerful magician. He gave Siegfried the sword Balmung and a cloak which granted invisibility. Freya received the necklace Brisingamen along with Draupnir, Odin's ring, and the magical sword Tyrfing. 
  







Albino Spirit animals 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Most all every Native American tribe had some manner of "spirit" belief regarding albino animals. The Albino was protected by most Native American customs. Within the Northeastern Woodlands, Leni Lenape, Susquehannock, Iroquois (Six Nations) etc. One primary principle: The Albino was not to be hunted or killed. This taboo carried various curses. 
According to Bear Two Arrows (Eastern Delaware), knowledgeable of owl medicine, the taboo and its various curses are known among more respectful contemporary hunters with or without Native American ancestry. He relates his own experience regarding an albino owl, and it's connection to owl spirit medicine. [Leni Lenape words for: white, Wapsu; owl, Gokhos.] If an albino squirrel were hunted and killed, the hunter would suffer loss of his hunting abilities. If an albino deer were killed (and without remorse) the hunter might later loose his life in a freak accident often involving his hunting or survival skills. The general belief in certain legends concerning various individual animals persists into the 20th century, many of which can be documented. 
Among all tribes, the Albino animal had spirit connections, one of the strongest among the Plains tribe was the White Buffalo, a definite omen of great wisdom. The symbolic significance behind white or the quality of "whiteness" was not associated with purity as in Western culture but also wisdom and ancient knowledge of greater conceptual and spiritual magnitude. 
Depending on the animal species involved and how it corresponds within the greater tribal cosmological context sometimes manifests the extent of the consequences when the taboo is broken. Belief in the "spirit nature" of albino animals and the ritual taboo of protection probably has its roots in the fact that an albino's ability to survive natural predators is greatly reduced by the lack of proper pigmentation for camouflage and keener vision to spot prey. These natural attributes render an albino "unfair" game for the Native hunter, or any hunter aware of the spiritual nature these animals might possess. Even the skin or hides of these animals must be treated with reverence. 
Following the customs of these legends regarding the hunting and trapping restrictions were not in as much out of fear for the taboo but more so with respect to the higher aspect of Nature and the Creator. 
  








Albiorix 

"King of the world". An alternative name of the Gaulish god Teutates, which see. 
  







Alcmene 

The wife of Amphitryon. While he was away, Zeus appeared before her Amphitryon's guise, and seduced her. She became by him the mother or Heracles. 
  









Alcyone (Halcyone) 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
A Greek demi-goddess, sometimes regarded as one of the Pleiades. More often she was thought of as the daughter of Aeolus and wife of Ceyx, son of Eosphorus and the king of Thessaly. They were very happy together, but then Ceyx perished in a shipwreck and Alcyone threw herself into the sea. Out of compassion, the gods changed them into the halcyon birds. Since Alcyone made her nest on the beach, and waves threatened to destroy it, Aeolus restrained his winds and made the waves be calm during seven days in each year, so she could lay her eggs. These became known as the "halcyon days", when storms never occur. The halcyon became a symbol of tranquillity. 
  



Pronunciation
{al-sy'-uh-nee}

The story of Ceyx and Halcyone, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.



Alcyoneus 

One of the Greek Gigantes. He was rendered harmless by Heracles on one of his journeys. 
  







Alecto 

by Clarksville Middle School 
Alecto was one of the Erinyes or Furies in Greek mythology. The Furies were three avenging deities. Their names were Tisiphone (the avenger of murder), Megaera (the jealous one), and Alecto (unceasing in anger). When Cronus killed Uranus, his blood fell on Gaia and created the Furies. 
The Furies had snakes for hair and blood dripped from their eyes. they also had bats' wings and dogs' heads. They were persecutors of men and women who committed parricide, killed a brother, or murdered a fellow clansman. Their effect on their victim was madness. 
A famous legend about the Furies describes their relentless pursuit of the Theban prince Orestes for the murder of his mother, Queen Clytemnestra. Orestes had been told by Apollo to find the killer of his father, King Agamemnon, whom Clytemnestra had murdered. The Furies, heedless of his motives, tormented him until Orestes pleaded to Athena, who persuaded the avenging goddesses accept Orestes' plea that he had been cleansed of his guilt. When they were thus to show mercy, they transformed themselves, from being the Furies of frightful appearance into the Eumenides, meaning "kind-hearted." 
  








Alectryon 

A Greek youth who Ares posted as a guardian by the door when he visited Aphrodite. Alectryon fell asleep during the night so that their lovemaking was discovered by Helios. As punishment, the boy was turned into a cock which since then never stops to announce the arrival of the sun. 
  







Alektca 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Medicine people who are also knowledgeable about the secrets of war. 
  





[Southeast Woodlands, Creek] 



Alele 

by Daniel A. Kelin, II 
A specific type of basket in the Marshall Islands used to store the most precious goods and food. The alele was generally the property of chiefs. 
  







Alemonia 

The Roman goddess who feeds the unborn child. 
  







Aleyin 

A Phoenician god of springs and vegetation. 
  







Alfar 

In old-Scandinavian folklore, a term for a being that is half god, half dwarf. In later mythology it degrades to a demon that only causes nightmares and diseases. In Germany it is pronounced as 'alb'. A reference to the word can be found in the Nibelungen Saga, where the king of the dwarves is called Alberich. 
  







Alfheim 

Alfheim ("elf home"), in Norse mythology, is one of the nine worlds. It is located on the highest level of the Norse universe. Also found on this level are the worlds of Asgard and Vanaheim. Alfheim is the palace of the god Freyr and the homeland of the elves of light. Neither the elves of light nor the elves of darkness, who live in Svartalfheim, participate in any of the events described in the Norse myths. Elves do, however, have active roles in the literature of quite a few of the other branches of Indo-European mythology. 
  







Alfrodull (Alfrothul) 

by Alex Pacheco, Clarksville Middle School 
Alfrodull is the sun in Norse mythology. "Glory of elves" is the meaning of the name. Other names were also used. A chariot driven by a girl was thought to be the sun. Two horses pulled the chariot; their names were Arvak and Alsvid. Because she was being persued by the wolf, Skoll, she drove very fast. Before the world ends, she will have a daughter. Then Skoll will eat her, and her daughter will take her place. The sun does not give off light but gives heat. The horse¹s mane gave off light. 
  





The goddess Sol is also mentioned as the sun.



Alignak 

The Eskimo moon and weather-god who rules over the creatures of the sea and who controls the tides. He is also held responsible for solar and lunar eclipses, earthquakes and other natural phenomena. 
  







Alisanos (Alisaunus) 

The local god of Celtic Gaul, specifically the region of the Cite d'Or. 
  







Alk'umta'm 

The sun god of Bella Coola. 
  







Allah 

The exclusive monotheistic deity in Islam. The name is probably derived from 'al-ilah', which literally means "the god". The prophet Mohammed declared him the one and only god (of the Islam) in the 7th century AD. 
In pre-Islamic times, Allah was the supreme creator-god of the Arabs. The goddesses Allat, Manat, and al-Uzza were considered to be his daughters. 
  









Allanque 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Allanque (Leni Lenape) is Star. The reference is to both any star and/or the North Star. Star sees the world at night and offers her meek light to those in darkness. 
  



Pronunciation
{awl lawn' kay}



Allat 

An ancient mother and fertility goddess of the pre-Islamic Arabs. Her name means "the Goddess". 
  







Allatu 

Semitic form of the name of the Sumero-Babylonian goddess Ereshkigal. Allatu is the Mesopotamian goddess of copulation, the wife of Nergal. 
  







Allatum 

The goddess of the underworld in early Iranian mythology. She is believed to be of Mesopotamian origin (Ellat). 
  







Allowat Sakima 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Allowat Sakima literally means Mighty Chief or Great Chief, an allegorical reference to supreme deity, the Great Spirit. Also a respectful reference to for legendary personages with cultural and historical significance to the tribe. Most often depicted wearing a double-tail eagle bonnet, (symbolic of the eagle and flight), deerskin leggings, (symbolic of the swiftness of the deer), and an eagle feather coupstick. [Note: The headdress is more representative of the Plains tribes possibly since the Delaware Nation was reduced to a meager population prior western expansion and their exodus to Oklahoma Reserve.] 
  





[Leni Lenape; Delaware, Munsee-- Northeastern Woodlands]



Allulu 

A Mesopotamian bird-man who loved Ishtar, the one who broke his wing. 
  







Aloadae (Aloidae) 

The two mythical giants Otus and Ephialtes are the sons of Aloeus and Iphimedea. The Aloadae were renowned for their strength and daring. When they were only nine years old they were each 54 feet tall. They wished to wage war on the Olympian gods and they tried to pile Mt. Ossa upon Mt. Pelion upon Mt. Olympus. However, before they could do so, the brothers were slain by Apollo's arrows. According to some myths, they were friendly towards humanity and expanded civilization and were thought to be the founders of several cities. 
  







Aloeus 

A son of Poseidon and Canace. His wife is Iphimedia, and with her he became the father of Otus and Ephialtes, named Aloadae after him. 
  







Alom 

A Maya god of the sky, and one of the seven gods who created the world and the humans. 
  







Alope 

The daughter of Cercyon, son of Poseidon. She was abducted by her grandfather and gave birth to Hippothon. When Cercyon discovered this he had his daughter buried alive, but Poseidon turned her into the spring Alope near Eleusis. 
  









Alowatsakima 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Leni Lenape for Great Spirit or Everywhere Spirit. Similar to Wakan tanka of the Plains. 
  



Pronunciation
{Ah Lo Wat sa kima}



Alp 

In Teutonic folklore, a tormenting night-demon, or nightmare. 
  







Alpan 

The Etruscan goddess of love and the underworld. She belongs to the Lasas and is usually portrayed naked. 
  







Alpheus 

In Greek myth, Alpheus is a river deity, son of Oceanus and Tethys. He fell madly in love with the Nereid Arethusa and pursued her under the sea to Sicily. Here she pleaded to Artemis who changed her into a fountain. The river Alpheus then worked its way underground to mingle with the waters of Arethusa. 
  





The river Alpheus flows through Arcadia and Elis into the Ionian Sea. 



Altjira 

In the religion and mythology of the Arunta of Australia, Altjira is the sky-dweller or All-Father. He is generally considered to be indifferent to mankind. 
  







Alu 

A Mesopotamian demon with canine features. He was sometimes portrayed without legs, ears, or mouth. Alu preferred silence and darkness. 
  







Aluluei 

On the Caroline Islands the god of knowledge and navigation. He is the son of Palulop. 
  







Walutahanga 

A Melanesian spirit who was born to a mortal woman as a female snake. 
  







Alves 

In old-Norse folklore, the Alves are the spirits of the dead who live close together in hills and mountains. It was generally believed by inhabitants of farmsteads located in the vicinity of such mounds that the Alves who lived there were their ancestors. Sacrifices were made to them in return for favors. It was also believed that the Alves were the spirits of the deceased, who still live in the house were they died. In later folklore, they became earth spirits. 
  







Am-heh 

An Egyptian chthonic god, god of the underworld. 
  







Am-No-Tanabata-Hime (Am-No-Tanabata-Hime-No-Mikoto) 

The Japanese astral goddess of weavers. 
  







Am 

The god of Portangoro of South America. 
  







Ama-arhus 

A Babylonian-Akkadian fertility goddess. 
  







Ama-No-Minaka-Nushi 

The 'Divine Lord of the Middle Heavens' of Japanese mythology. He is associated with the Pole Star. 
  







Ama-Tsu-Mara 

The Japanese Shinto god of smiths. Together with Ishi-Kori-dome this cyclopean blacksmith god made the solar mirror which was used in enticing Amaterasu out of the cave in which she had been hiding. 
  







Amaethon 

The Welsh god of agriculture, son of the goddess Don. He is directly responsible for the war between the deities of the underworld, led by Arawn, and the Children of Don. In the Battle of the Trees (Battle of Cath Godeau) Amaethon's brother Gwydion transformed trees into warriors with whose help the deities of the underworld were defeated. 
  







Amagandar (Orokannar) 

In Tungus myth they are female spirits of protection. 
  







Amaguq 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Wolf, a sly and cunning trickster of Canadian Eskimos (possibly Inuit). 
  







Amala 

by Gerald Musinsky 
The "One who supports the world" is an Atlas-like character holding the world by its axis while it spins. 
  





[Pacific Northwest, Tsimishian] 





Amaltheia (Amalthea) 

The divine goat who suckled Zeus on Crete, his island of birth, when he was still an infant. In other traditions, Amaltheia was a nymph who nourished Zeus with honey and the milk of a goat. Out of gratitude Zeus turned one of the goat's horns into the Cornucopia ("horn of plenty") which was always filled with whatever its possessor wished. In some traditions, the goat's skin became the Aegis, the legendary shield of Athena. 
  



Pronunciation
{am-al-thee'-uh}



Amam 

by Daniel A. Kelin, II 
A big snake living in the waters between Mili atoll in the Marshall Islands and Kiribati. The snake is as big as an island house, long and black. The end of the snake faces Mili and the tail faces Kiribati. It is said if you get lost when sailing, you enter the snake. You get confused , without being able to see stars or feel the waves. Spending one or two days inside, you get scared, try to run away and turn yourself around from south to north. Then you will spend another day or two inside. Finally you die from hunger and thirst. It is said that if you do end up inside, look for the Kaböj bird named Lokto. When the bird sees your canoe, it will fly away. Follow it because it will show you where you entered the snake. If an experienced island navigator enters it, they chant: "Jej tar lok iar lok ke amam en eurok köj jejlä kajen toor en jikin melok in waan jeblak." Roughly translated - "We go inside the snake and he is trying to catch us but we know where to go in and out." 
  







Amashaspan 

"Holy, immortal" in Persian mythology. 
  









Amaterasu (Ama Terasu) 

The Japanese Shinto sun goddess, ruler of the Plain of Heaven, whose name means 'shining heaven' or 'she who shines in the heavens'. She is the central figure in the Shinto pantheon and the Japanese Imperial family claims descent from her 1. She is the eldest daughter of Izanagi. She was so bright and radiant that her parents sent her up the Celestial Ladder to heaven, where she has ruled ever since. 
When her brother, the storm-god Susanowo, ravaged the earth she retreated to a cave because he was so noisy. She closed the cave with a large boulder. Her disappearance deprived the world of light and life. Demons ruled the earth. The other gods used everything in their power to lure her out, but to no avail. Finally it was Uzume who succeeded. The laughter of the gods when they watched her comical and obscene dances aroused Amaterasu's curiosity. When she emerged from her cave a streak of light escaped (a streak nowadays people call dawn). The goddess then saw her own brilliant reflection in a mirror which Uzume had hung in a nearby tree. When she drew closer for a better look, the gods grabbed her and pulled her out of the cave. She returned to the sky, and brought light back into the world. 
Later, she created rice fields, called inada, where she cultivated rice. She also invented the art of weaving with the loom and taught the people how to cultivate wheat and silkworms. 
Amaterasu's main sanctuary is Ise-Jingue situated on Ise, on the island of Honshu. This temple is pulled down every twenty years and then rebuild in its original form. In the inner sanctum she is represented by a mirror (her body). She is also called Omikami ("illustrious goddess") and Tensho Daijan (in Sino-Japanese pronunciation). 
  



Pronunciation
{ah'-mah-tay-rah-soo}

1. She was called the 'illustrious ancestress of the Emperor' prior to 1945. At that time, the Japanese Emperor disclaimed any form of divine ancestry and polytheistic ancestor worship was no longer permitted.



Amathaunta 

The Egyptian goddess of the sea. 
  







Amatsu-Kami 

The Japanese gods of heaven. They are the heavenly kami and are eternal. The Amutsu-Kami live 'above', as opposed to the Kunitsu-Kami, the earthly kami. 
  







Amatsu Mikaboshi 

The Japanese god of evil. His name means "August Star of Heaven". 
  







Amaunet 

An Egyptian mother goddess, called the "Hidden One". She is the personification of the life-bringing northern wind. She belongs to the Ogdoad of Hermopolis. Within this group of gods her consort is the god Amun. She is referred to as 'the mother who is father' and in this capacity she needs no husband. Amaunet was regarded as a tutelary deity of the Egyptian pharaohs and had a prominent part in their accession ceremonies. She is portrayed as a snake or a snake-head on which the crown of Lower Egypt rests. 
  







Amazons 

A legendary race of female warriors in Pontus (Asia Minor). Their capital was believed to be Themiscyra. The Amazons were ruled by a queen, and men were not allowed in their society, unless to secure the existence of the tribe. Only young girls were adopted into the tribe, while boys were either killed or sent back to their fathers. The Amazons removed their right breast to facilitate the use of a bow, hence their name, meaning "without breast" (a mazos). 
The Amazons appear in many mythological works and both the heroes Theseus and Heracles had encounters with them. Heracles, as one of his twelve labors, had to steal Queen Hippolyta's girdle. The weapons of the Amazons were the bow, the double-bladed axe and a moon-shaped shield. 
  



Images
Amazons



Ambat 

A Melanesian god-hero. He taught mankind the art of pottery and various rituals. 
  







Ambika 

One of the names of the Hindu goddess Shakti. She is regarded as the sister and later as the wife of Rudra. 
  







Ambiki 

In Javanese myth, a queen who shut her eyes while she was being embraced by the terrifying ascetic Abiasa, thus causing her son, Drestarata, to be born blind. 
  







Ambisagrus 

A Continental Celtic god. The Romans with equated him with Jupiter. 
  









Ambrosia 

The substance considered to be, with nectar, the food and/or drink of the gods, continually reinforcing their immortality. It is related to the Hindu amrita, which also confers immortality upon the gods. 
  



Pronunciation
{am-broh'-zhuh}

It figures in both Roman and Greek mythology.



Ame-No-Kagase-Wo 

A Japanese Shinto astral deity. 
  







Ame-No-Mi-Kumari (Ame-No-Mi-Kumari-no-Kami) 

A Japanese Shinto water goddess. 
  







Ame-No-Oshido-Mimi 

The son of the goddess Amaterasu. He refused to become the ruler of the earth, when offered this position. 
  







Ame-No-Toko-Tachi 

A primordial being from Japanese Shinto religion. 
  







Ame-No-Wakahiko 

The Japanese god sent to rule the earth. He was killed by the sky god Takami-Musubi. 
  







Amenhotep 

An ancient Egyptian architect who was elevated to the status of god of building. 
  







Amentet (Amenti) 

An Egyptian goddess, the personification of the West (amenti), as well as the western areas where the sun sets and where the entrance to the underworld reputedly lies. Here she welcomes the deceased who enter the city of the dead. 
  





It is also one of the names for the underworld, possibly meaning "the hidden place".



Amenti 

In ancient Egyptian cosmology, the abode of the dead where the souls of the deceased are judged by Osiris and punished or rewarded for their deeds. 
  







Ameretat 

One of the Amesha Spentas, Ameretat ("not dying", "living") is the personification of immortality and the protector of plants. The fifth month is dedicated to her. Her eternal opponent is the archdemon of ageing, Zarich. 
  







Amesha Spentas (Amshaspands) 

The name of the seven divine beings who belong to the retinue of the highest god, Ahura Mazda. The Amesha Spentas ("beneficent immortals"), come directly after him in the hierarchy of gods, and can be compared with archangels. They are gods without being gods and creatures without being creatures. Together they fight for truth and justice. 
The Amesha Spentas all have one of the archfiends, the Daevas, as their eternal opponent and enemy. The deities of the Amesha Spentas are: Ameretat, Armaiti, Asha vahishta, Haurvatat, Khshathra vairya, Sraosa and Vohu Manah. 
  





Related article: Adityas.



Ami-Te-Rangi 

A Polynesian sky deity who 'angles' for mortal men on earth, pulling them up in baskets to devour them. 
  







Amida 

One of the names of Buddha in Japanese myth. 
  







Amimitl 

An Aztec god of lakes and fish hunters. 
  







Amitolane 

In Zuni mythology, Amitolane is the rainbow spirit. 
  







Amm 

A pre-Islamic moon-god of the southern Arabia. He is also a weather-god and the tutelary deity of the kingdom of Qataban, whose inhabitants called themselves 'children of Amm'. His attributes are lightning bolts and the lunar disc. 
  







Amma 

The god of fertility and of rain among the Dagon of Mali and Sudan. He is the supreme god who created the cosmos as an egg with two placenta from which twins (a boy and a girl) were born. They are called the Nommo. They stood model for later creatures. 
Another myth tells of how Amma intended to rape the earth but that his divine penis bumped into an ant's nest (the clitoris) which was then removed by the creator (the first excision). Only then sexual intercourse with the earth was possible. From that union Yurugu was born. Yurugu committed incest with his mother (the earth). This act soiled the earth and menstruation appeared for the first time. Amma decided to leave the un-pure earth and continued his works of creation on his own. He created the first eight ancestors (four men and four women), who had 80 descendants and those form the basis of the world-population. Altars of Amma usually consist of a monolith. 
  







Amma 

A local tutelary god of the Dravidian (traditionally the lower-caste members of Indian society). 
  







Ammit (Ammut) 

An Egyptian demon; sometimes clearly female and human, sometimes with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. Ammit ("devouress of the dead") sits under the Scales of Justice, in the Hall of the Two Truths, in the House of Osiris. When a person dies and after performing the necessary rituals, he is taken there by Anubis, in his role as psychopomp ("conductor of souls"), to be weighed. Here he will have a chance to defend his deeds in his previous existence. The role of the prosecutor is for Thoth, the god of wisdom. Osiris sits on his throne as the judge, accompanied by the goddesses Isis and Nephthys. 
Eventually the heart of the deceased will be placed on one of the scales and a feather, from the headband of Ma'at the goddess of truth on the other. If the heart under the weight of its sins, weights more than the feather, then Ammit will appear from underneath the scales to devour it.
This means the end of the soul and there will be no chance for a further existence. 

The name of Ammit in hieroglyphs. 
  








Ammon 

by James Hunter 
Ammon was one of the many non-Greek gods sometimes identified with Zeus. An Egyptian god associated with the city of Thebes, he had an oracle in Libya whose reputation was on a par with those at Delphi and Dodona. Ammon is the Greek rendering of Amun. 
  



Images
Ammon
Other
Used sources



Amor 

by Mitchell Mendis, Clarksville Middle School 
Amor is the Latin word for "love." Amor was the son of Venus. He was born from a golden egg. He was a small person with wings. Amor carried around a bow and some arrows. He would shoot the arrow at a victim and once it struck the victim¹s heart, the victim would fall in love. Amor is used as a synonym for the Roman god, Cupid 
  



Images
Amor



Amori 

The female kangaroo from a myth of New Guinea. She followed the first couple to where they lay down together. When they had left, Amori licked up the surplus sperm left behind on the beach. She did several times until she was pregnant, as was the woman. Both gave birth to a human boy. Amori's son was called Sisinjori, and the human mother's son was called Maniwori. 
  







Amotken 

The Creator of the Salish Indians. This old, wise man lives alone in the heavens. His messenger is Coyote. 
  







Ampelos 

"Vine". A satyr from Dionysus' retinue. 
  







Amphion 

Amphion is the son of Zeus and the nymph Antiope, the queen of Thebes. His twin brother is Zethus. When they reached maturity, the two brothers exacted a terrible revenge upon king Lycus of Thebes and his wife Dirce, for she had been treating their mother Antiope as a slave. They punished Dirce by tying her to the horns of a wild bull. He later married Niobe, and they had six sons and six daughters, called the Niobids. 
The god Hermes taught Amphion music and gave him a beautiful golden lyre. Both brothers were supposed to have build the walls of Thebes, while Amphion played his lyre. The magic of his music caused the stones to move into place on their own accord. 
  





The story of Amphion, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.



Amphisbaena 

by Matthew Seibert, Clarksville Middle School 
The Amphisbaena is a Greek serpent with two heads and eyes that glow like candles. It has a head at each end of its body. This is how it got its name which means "goes both ways" in Greek. It is also called the "mother of ants", because it feeds on ants. If it is chopped in half, the two parts will join again. The medical properties of the Amphisbaena were recorded by Pliny. The wearing of a live Amphisbaena is a supposed safeguard in pregnancy. The wearing of a dead one is a remedy for rheumatism. Medieval bestiaries also document the Amphisbaena as a two-headed lizard, and even a two-headed serpent-like fowl. 
  







Amphitrite 

The queen of the sea, variously given as the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys or of Nereus and Doris. When the sea god Poseidon wanted her as his bride, she declined the honor and hid from him in the Atlantic Ocean. A dolphin not only located her, but also brought her back to him, and he married her. The dolphin was awarded a place in heaven. Their son is the fish-man Triton. 
Amphitrite was portrayed on Greek amphoras together with her consort, riding in a chariot pulled by sea creatures, or sitting on a sea creature, surrounded by Tritons. She is decorated with the attributes of a queen, her waving hair covered with a net, and sometimes with the pincers of a lobster attached to her temples. 
The Romans referred to her as Salacia. 
  









Amphitryon 

by Adam Garside 
Amphitryon was a great Theban general, who was originally from Tiryns in the eastern part of the Peloponnese. As Hesiod tells us, in the Shield of Heracles, he fled to Thebes after killing Electryon, the father of his sweetheart Alcmene, over a cattle dispute. Though they both went to Thebes, Amphitryon, whose name in Greek means "harassing on both sides", was unable to consummate his love for Alcmene until he had avenged the death of Alcmene's brothers. While this end was being pursued, Zeus, disguised as Amphitryon, came to Alcmene and seduced her. The real Amphitryon soon returned and was finally able to lay with his Alcmene. Two sons were born by Alcmene, one to Zeus, the other to Amphitryon. To the former was born Hercules, greatest of heroes, and to the latter, his twin brother Iphicles. 
Amphitryon is an interesting and unique character, as the tales surrounding him bear witness. His name, as defined above, flows thematically throughout the material we have about him. Not only is he harassed by unrequitable love and duty, he is also harassed by Zeus, who sends him on an errand and then uses his wife to bear Hercules. Furthermore, though Zeus was disguised as Amphitryon while he seduced Alcmene, the real Amphitryon cannot lay claim as progenitor to the great Hercules, who often berates him for offending the gods. 
An interesting source for this tale is Amphitryon by Plautus, the Roman Comedian. Plautus uses this tale to present a Mythological Burlesque, very much in line with latter ristophanic plays, though with an almost tragic side. For this reason, Amphitryon, is possibly one of the only extant examples of Middle Comedy that we have. Furthermore, the long night motif that is prevalent in many of Zeus' seductions is fully exemplified in this Plautine comedy and traces itself through Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. 
  



Pronunciation
{am-fi'-tree-ahn}




Amrita 

In old-Indian (Hindu) mythology, the drink of the gods which gives (and sustains) immortality. Possibly the origin of the later Greek Ambrosia. 
  







Amulet 

An amulet is a small object with the power to protect the wearer against misfortune. It is usually worn around the neck. The objects which are used to make an amulet are thought to have special abilities; part of the human or animal body, roots or seeds, precious stones and metals, coins, or religious symbols. Most often a stone or piece of metal is used, usually with an inscription or figures engraved on it. Popular amulets are the rabbit foot and the cross. A talisman stimulates the positive, while the amulet protects against the negative. 
A different kind of amulet is the written amulet. The holy word or sentence is powerful when spoken, but also when written. In some cases even more because it works automatically and permanently. It was generally believed that the more mysterious the writing (i.e. obscure symbols, strange languages) the more powerful the amulet was supposed to be. Another popular form of the amulet was the bindrune, in which several runes were brought together into one "super-rune", which was supposed to have much greater magic powers than the runes separately. 
The use of amulets is very old. The ancients Egyptians wore them, and so did the Greeks, where it was called phylakterion. In primitive and ancient cultures, the amulet was thought to be protection against both natural and unnatural misfortune: diseases, snake-bites, the evil eye, demons and wizardry, etc. The popularity of amulets was great amongst Christians. So great even, that in 721 the Christian church forbade the making and wearing of them completely. Throughout the Middle East the practice of wearing amulets is almost universal. 
  








Amun-Re (Amun-Ra) 

A combination of Amun and Re from later Egyptian mythology, also called Amon-Ra. The Theban god Amun became the national god of Egypt under this name. 
  







Amun (Amon, Amen, Ammon) 

A primordial Egyptian god, whose name means "the hidden one". As the driving force of the invisible breeze he was originally a god of wind and ruler of the air. During the 11th dynasty (2133 - 2000 BC) he became the powerful sun-god of Thebes, where he was worshipped as Amun-Re. Later he was made the supreme god of the entire realm and king of the gods. 
In the Ogdoad of Hermopolis he forms a pair with the mother-goddess Amaunet. From his union with the goddess Mut came forth the moon-god Chons. Amun's symbol is the ram. He is portrayed as a ram, as a man with a ram's head, or with a beard and a feathered crown. Temples dedicated to him are situated as Karnak and Deir-el-Bahari (near Luxor). In Greece he was worshipped as Ammon. 
  







Amurru 

An Akkadian mountain god and a god of nomads. He is equated with the Sumerian god Martu. His consort is Beletseri. 
  







Amymone 

A daughter of Danaus. She was once assaulted by a satyr near a spring, but was saved by Poseidon. She fell in loved with him and became by him the mother of Nauplius (who later founded Nauplia (the current Nafplion), a port at the gulf of Argolis). Her attribute is a water pitcher. 
  







An 

The Sumerian god of heaven, son of Nammu, father of Enlil, and spouse of Ki. 
  







Anahita (Anaitis, Ardvi Sur, Aredvi Sura) 

The ancient Persian water goddess, fertility goddess, and patroness of women, as well as a goddess of war. Her name means "the immaculate one". She is portrayed as a virgin, dressed in a golden cloak, and wearing a diamond tiara (sometimes also carrying a water pitcher). The dove and the peacock are her sacred animals. 
Anahita was very popular and is one of the forms of the 'Great Goddess' which appears in many ancient eastern religions (such as the Syrian/Phoenician goddess Anath). She is associated with rivers and lakes, as the waters of birth. Anahita is sometimes regarded as the consort of Mithra. 
When Persia conquered Babylonia (in the 6th century BC), Anahita began to show some similarities with the goddess Ishtar. Since then her cult included also the practice of temple prostitution. During the reign of king Artaxerxes (436-358 BC) many temples were erected in her honor; in Soesa, Ecbatana, and in Babylon. 
  



Images
Anahita



Anala 

A Hindu attendant god. He is one of the eight vasu deities who serve the god Indra. 
  







Anan 

The cousin, friend and loyal follower of the Buddha. In Japan widely revered as an immortal. In Indian myth he is called Ananda. 
  









Ananke 

The personification of unalterable necessity, or fate. Her functions are closely related to those of the Moirae, or carried out by them. She was little worshipped until the advent of the Orphic mystery cult. 
  



Pronunciation
{a'-nan-kee}



Ananku 

In ancient Indian mythology, the calamitous, sacred power which, according to Tamil belief, exists in dangerous places such as chasms, waterfalls, mountain passes, etc. but also in animals (tigers, snakes), objects (weapons, temples) and demons. 
  







Anansi (Ananse) 

The Ashanti trickster/culture hero, also called 'the Spider'. He is the intermediary of the sky god Nyame, his father, on whose command Anansi brings rain to quench the forest fires and determines the borders of oceans and rivers during floods. Later Anansi's place as representative was usurped by the chameleon. His mother is Asase Ya. 
Anansi is sometimes regarded as the creator of the sun and the moon and the stars, as well as the one who instituted the succession of day and night. It is also believed that he created the first man, into which Nyame breathed life. A typical trickster, he is crafty, sly, villainous, but he also taught mankind how to sow grain and how to use the shovel on the fields. He set himself up as the first king of the human beings and even managed to marry Nyame's daughter. Anansi is one of the most popular characters in West African mythology. 
  







Ananta 

In Hindu myth, one of the names of Sesha, ruler over the Nagas, the mythical human serpents. 
  







Ananta Thewi 

The Thai goddess of good fortune. Her consort is Phra Sao, the god of fickle fortune. Ananda Devi is her name in Sanskrit. 
  







Anantaboga 

In Javanese wayang myths, the king of the dragons in the underworld. He is the father and husband of Dewi Nagagini. 
  





Wayang: the performances of the shadow play.



Anantesa 

One of the eight vidyesvaras in Hindu mythology. 
  







Anat 

The Phoenician goddess of springs. She received the god Baal when he fell from heaven as rain at the end of the dry season, so that she could cause new springs to rise from the earth. She was both his sister and his wife. 
  



Images
Anat
Other
Similar article



Anath 

by Peter Wyche 
The Phoenician goddess of love and war. She was also the sister and co-consort to the god Baal. Once she slayed all his enemies at a feast. 
  



Other
Similar article



Anatiwa 

A malevolent deity of the Brazilian Karaya. According the Karaya myth, Anatiwa was responsible for the deluge that engulfed the world. 
  







Anaxarete 

A girl from Cyprus who was loved greatly by the shepherd Iphis. She reacted so cooly to his passionate love for her that he killed himself. When she was not even moved by seeing his dead body, the goddess Aphrodite turned her into stone (Ovid XIV, 698). 
  







Anbay 

A pre-Islamic oracular god and judge of South Arabia who is regarded as the 'Lord of Justice'. His name means 'spokesman'. He is often mentioned in combination with the other justice-administering Arabian god Haukim. 
  







Ancamna 

A water goddess from Continental Celtic mythology. 
  







Ancestor worship 

Ancestor worship occurs in ancient cultures all over the world, and even in modern times it plays an important role in primitive religions. It is founded on the belief that the dead live on and are able to influence the lives of later generations. These ancestors can assert their powers by blessing or cursing, and their worship is inspired by both respect and fear. The ancestor cult consists of praying, presenting gifts, and making offerings. In some cultures, people try to get their ancestors' advice through oracles before making important decisions. 
In ancient China and Egypt, the influence of ancestors was very great. They were buried in expensive graves and in Egypt a permanent death cult was instituted. It was generally believed that the lack of veneration would cause the deceased to die a second death, which was for many people an almost unbearable thought. 
In nearly every primitive tribal religions of Africa ancestor worship is common practice. The ancestors of the tribe are honored as spirits who preserve the moral standards of tribal life. They are also regarded as the intermediaries between the living and the divine powers. And the ancestor spirits play an important role in the initiation rites. Among some west-African peoples the belief is current that the ancestors reincarnate in their descendants. 
In Japan, ancestors were worshipped until 1945. At that time, the Japanese Emperor disclaimed any form of divine ancestry and polytheistic ancestor worship was no longer permitted. 
  










Anchises 

by James Hunter 
Anchises was the son of Capys, and a cousin of King Priam of Troy. He was loved by Venus, who bore him a son, Aeneas. Anchises was the owner of six remarkable horses, which he acquired by secretly mating his own mares with the divinely-bred stallions of Laomedon. But he was chiefly remembered because of the career of his son. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas escaped from the burning ruins of the city, carrying his father and the household gods (see Lares and Penates) on his shoulders. Anchises then accompanied Aeneas and the band of Trojan refugees who set sail for Italy, where it was prophesied that they would found the city of Rome. Anchises died before the trip was over, and was buried in Sicily. After his death, Anchisessaw his son once more, when Aeneas visited the underworld to learn more about his own destiny. 
  



Pronunciation
{an-ky'-seez}
Other
Used sources



Ancient Spider 

The creator of the Nauru Islands in Micronesian mythology. See: Areop-Enap. 
  







Andaokut 

by Gerald Musinsky 
A "transformer" figure. Born from the tears or mucas of a woman mourning the loss of her children stolen by Malahas, Woman of the Wood. Andaokut appears from the tears or nasal mucas and quickly becomes full-grown, he ventures forth to rescue the stolen children by slaying Mahalas. 
  





[Pacific Northwest coast; Nootka] 



Andarta 

A Gallic warrior and fertility goddess in Celtic France. 
  







Andhaka 

A Hindu demon. 
  







Andhrimnir 

In Norse mythology, Andhrimnir is the cook of the Aesir and the Einherjar. Every evening he slaughters the cosmic boar Sahrimnir and cooks it in his magical cauldron Eldhrimnir. This boar is restored to life the same night to be slaughtered and eaten again the following day. The milk provided by the goat Heidrun, which stands on top of the world tree and eats its leaves, forms the basic ingredient for the mead drunk by the Aesir. 
  







Andiciopec 

by Gerald Musinsky 
A legendary warrior-hero invincible to bullets, known as Dance-Four-Times, meets a thunderer who buffets him wind and hail until the hail turns to bullets. By withstanding the onslaught he is shown how to do battle in the same manner. 
  





[Plains, Crow] 



Andjety (Anezti, Anedjti) 

An Egyptian god of the underworld. He is responsible for the rebirth of a person in the afterlife. His worship originated in the ninth nome of Lower Egypt, and the center of his cult was located at Busiris. He is depicted with a high conical crown with two feather plumes. The crook and flail are his symbols, and because those are also the symbols of Osiris, Andjety was often associated with him. He also known as Anezti and Anedjti. 
  







Andraste (Andrasta, Adraste) 

The goddess of war in Celtic Britain. In 61 AD the leader of a rebellion against the Roman occupation, the Queen Boudicca, sacriced captive Roman women to this goddess. 
  







Andriamanitra 

A good and even god of Madagascar who created the earth and human beings. 
  







Andrianahary 

A good and even deity of Madagascar who created the earth and human beings together with Andriamanitra. 
  







Abdrianahoabu 

A member of the Zankary family of gods on Madagascar. She is the Lady on High who descends to earth on a silver chain. 
  







Andrianamboatena 

One of the Zankary family of gods on Madagascar. He is the god of the earth. 
  







Andromache 

by James Hunter 
Andromache was the daughter of Eetion, ruler of the Cilician city of Thebe; she was the wife of the Trojan hero Hector and the mother of Astyanax. 
Andromache's father and brothers were killed by Achilles when he captured Thebe during the Trojan War; her mother was spared and ransomed, but died in Troy before its fall. During the seige of Troy, Achilles also killed her husband, Hector, and then desecrated his body. Andromache herself became the slave and concubine of Neoptolemus, Achilles' son, when Troy was captured; her son Astyanax was flung by the Greeks from the walls of Troy. 
After the end of the Trojan War, Andromache was taken to Greece by Neoptolemus and bore him a son, Molossus, who gave his name to the Molossian people. Following Neoptolemus' death, Andromache married Helenus, one of the few surviving children of King Priam of Troy; Helenus became the ruler of the Greek region of Epirus. 
  



Other
Used sources





Andromeda 

by James Hunter 
Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of Ethiopia. Cassiopeia boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, and in revenge Poseidon sent a flood and a sea monster to plague the land. When Cepheus consulted the oracle of Ammon he was told that the problem would end if he exposed his daughter as prey for the monster. His people forced him to comply with the oracle, and he chained Andromeda to a rock by the sea. She was rescued by Perseus who killed the monster and married Andromeda. One of their children, Perses, became the ancestor of the kings of Persia. 
  



Pronunciation
{an-drahm'-uh-duh}
Images
Andromeda
Other
Used sources

The story of Andromeda, as told by Thomas Bulfinch.



Anduruna 

In Mesopotamian cosmology, heaven, where the gods 'play'. 
  







Andvaranaut 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
A sorcelled ring of Norse mythology, andvaranaut seeks out gold and was the possession of Andvari, until Loki stole it. Andvari hexed the ring and into gave bad luck and pain to all who beheld it. Loki gave the ring, which he regretted stealing by now, to King Hreidmar of the dwarves, as reparation for the murder of Otter, Hreidmar's son, accidentally. When Fafnir killed Hreidmar, he took the ring. 
Wagner told the story of the ring in his famous operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which charts the progression of the ring from Andvari to the end, showing the endless stream of misfortunes that befalls those who hold the beautiful ring. 
Some have said that andvaranaut is the basis for the modern urban legend about the Hope diamond, which is also beautiful and worth a fortune, but is said to bring pain and misfortune to all who hold it. 
  







Andvari 

In Norse mythology, Andvari is a dwarf who can assume the shape of a fish if he is pursued. He lives underneath a waterfall and collects great wealth with the help of his ring Andvaranaut. He was caught by Loki with a net provided by the goddess Ran and forced the yield all the gold he possessed. The dwarf tried to withhold his ring so that he could rebuild his wealth. Loki made him give up the ring as well and the dwarf cursed the stolen gold which would from then on bring disaster to all who owned it. The gold was used by the gods to pay a blood-debt to pay Hreidmar, the father of Fafnir, because they had killed his son Otter. This myth formed in later times the prelude to the Niebelungsaga. 
  







Aneka-Warna 

"More than one color". The palace garden of the gods in heaven, described in the wayang myths of Indonesia and Malaysia. 
  







Anerneq 

by Gerald Musinsky 
The breath, spirit, soul; separated from the body after death to go to the underworld. Distinct from Tarneq (taren-raq) the visible semblance of the living and sometimes a "helping spirit". 
  





[Arctic, Alaska] 



Anextiomarus 

A British-Celtic tribal deity. 
  







Angalkuq 

by Gerald Musinsky 
An Eskimo shaman whose powers were derived from a dream, apprentice, or surviving an ordeal of mortal consequences. His major duties were to secure game. 
  





[Arctic; Alaska, Bearing Strait] 



Angels 

In many religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, it is believed that between God and mankind there are intermediary beings, called angels. They are bodiless entities that perform certain tasks for God and are commonly thought of as the messengers of God. Angels are good spirits, unlike their counterparts the demons. They are usually portrayed as having a human form, being dressed in long, white clothes, surrounded by a bright light and with long, swanlike wings. They were portrayed thus by artist, often on Church command, to alert the faithful that angels are more than human. There are cases, however, where angels appeared as ordinary men and were mistaken as such (the story of Lot, for instance). 
History
In the early stages of mankind, the belief in spirits was universal. The primitive man believed that there were no good or bad spirits. A spirit simply had powers, called mana, with which it could do either good or evil. With the emerging of Christianity and other major religions, the belief in these kind of spirits was condemned, and they became demons. The belief in angels and demons can be traced back to ancient Persian religion where there were two supreme beings: Ahura Mazda and his eternal opponent Angra Mainyu. The first represents good and the second represents evil. Both have followers and servants, angels serve Ahura Mazda, while demons (the Daevas) serve Angra Mainyu. Here the distinction was first made between good and evil spirits. 
In the Old Testament angels play a prominent role as the messengers from God. Also in the Old Testament the leading demon, Satan, is introduced. However, it was not until the New Testament that Satan was portrayed as Lucifer, the first of the fallen angels to rebel against God. In the New Testament, angels are present at all the important events in the life of Jesus. Here, they became more than just messengers; they are portrayed as the agents of God in bringing judgement to the world. 
The higher beings
Until the New Testament there were only two orders of angles; the seraphim and cherubim. St. Paul extended the number by adding seven new orders. They are, arranged according to their importance: seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations, virtues, powers, principalities, archangels and angels. Archangels are higher in rank than angels, but still they come eighth in the order of higher beings. Four of the most important ones are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. In Islam, it is believed that there are four archangels who guard the throne of Allah. 
  








Angerona 

The protecting deity of ancient Rome and a goddess of secrecy. She is depicted holding a finger to her closed mouth. 
  







Angiris (Angiras) 

Hindu angels who presided over sacrifices. 
  







Angitia 

A Roman snake-goddess who was especially worshipped by the Marsi, a tribe in central Italy. 
  







Angra Mainyu (Ako Mainyu) 

In ancient Persian (Iran) religion and books of Zoroastrianism, Angra Mainyu is the god of darkness, the eternal destroyer of good, personification and creator of evil, bringer of death and disease. He is also known as Ahriman, and his name means "fiendish spirit". 
In early religion, he was the son of Ahura Mazda (Ormazd) and the twin brother of Spenta Mainyu. The latter merged with Ormazd and they became one and the same god. They remain twins, but their father is now the primordial god Zurvan. 
With his horde of servants, the Daevas (males) and the Drugs (females), Ahriman fights an eternal battle with Ormazd and his Amesha Spentas for dominion over creation. This battle will last for 9000 years, after which Ahriman will be defeated (the fraso-kereti). 
Ahriman lives in darkness, in a place where all those who do evil go to after their demise (the hell) and his symbol is the snake. He is what in Christian religion can be called Satan. 
  







Angrboda (Angerboda) 

A giantess and the wife of the trickster Loki. Angrboda ("herald of sorrow") spawned three monsters: the gigantic wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent Jormungand, and the goddess of the death Hel. The gods abducted the children from her hall when they learned just how dangerous they were. 
  







Anguta 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Anguta, known as "His Father", is responsible for conveying the dead to Adlivun where they must sleep for a year. The supreme being of the Inuit. 
  





[Arctic; Canada] 



Angwusnasomtaka 

by Ryan Tuccinardi 
Crow Mother. Angwusnasomtaka is a wuya, and a mothering kachina figure. She is considered the archetypal mother of all the hú, or, alternatively, of all kachinas. During powamu, she leads the initiation ceremony for the new children. She is also in charge of whipping the initiates with yucca whips. She also often leads other kachinas into a ceremony, often carrying corn kernels and bean sprouts as a symbol of fertility and good luck for the upcoming new planting season. 
  







Anhur 

The Egyptian warrior and hunter god, the personification of the royal warriors. As the champion of Egypt, he hunted and slew the enemies of Re. His consort is the lion goddess Mekhit. The center of his cult was the city of Thinis in Upper Egypt. He is portrayed as a bearded warrior wearing a long robe. On his head he wears a headdress with four tall plumes and in his hand he holds a lance. 
His Greek form is Onuris, derived from the Egyptian anhuret, which means 'he who brings the far near'. Anhur is also identified with the god Shu. 
  







Ani Hyuntikwalaski 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Ani Hyuntikwalaski are Thunder Beings who cause lightning fire in a hollow sycamore tree. An origin of fire tales. 
  





[Southeast Woodlands, Cheokee] 



Ani 

The Etruscan sky god who lives in the highest heaven (in the north). He shows many similarities with the Roman god Janus. 
  







Anila 

One of the eight vasu in Hindu mythology. 
  







Animal spirits (Animalism) 

by Gerald Musinsky 
The spiritual belief throughout Native America regards all living things as having a "spirit" that early ethnographers correlated with the Judeo-Christian soul. Although "soul" is a close correspondent, the nature of animal spiritism is deeper in its cultural context. Animals in particular, along with weather and other elements of nature, possessed particular qualities of power and knowledge. Other than Nature tale-types, the mythlore behind the creatures carries a significance into Native American cosmology and metaphysical perceptions of their relationship to this world and other lives. 
  







Animal worship 

Animal worship is a cult that appears in many ancient (nature) religions. In these cults animals are regarded as representatives or appearances of the deity, or are attributed divine characteristics. It is partly based on the fact that animals possess qualities that humans lack or have in lesser measures, such as strength or speed, and which inspire fear. Another factor is the mysteries that surround certain animals and this also gives cause for worship. An example is the snake. It is feared, yet in many cultures it is held sacred; it has healing properties or is associated with healing (it is the symbol of the healer god Asclepius) and it is a symbol of immortality (the shedding and renewing of the skin). Important snakes in mythology are the Egyptian Apophis, the world-serpent Jormungand, Ananta of the Hindus, and of course the great Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs. 
In ancient Egypt, animal worship was an important part of their religion. The goddesses Hathor and Bastet appeared as a cow and a cat respectively, and Horus as a falcon. Cats were regarded as household deities, and in Memphis the holy bull Apis was worshipped as the companion of the god Ptah. Amon of Thebe was accompanied by a ram, and the scarab was a representation of Khepri, and so forth. 
In Hinduism, but also in, for instance, ancient Persia, the cow is a holy animal. 
  








Anius 

The son of Apollo, and priest on Delus. He offered hospitality to Aeneas and his companions. 
  







Aniwye 

by Gerald Musinsky 
A giant skunk associated with the skunk origin tale. 
  





[Great Lakes, Ojibwa (Chippewa)] 



Anjea 

An animistic fertility spirit of the aboriginals of Queensland. 
  







Anjuman 

A local association of Zoroastrians, later any religious association. 
  







Ankh 

by Cecille Soberano 
Found widely in Egyptian art, the ankh has come to symbolize life after death. Originally an Egyptian hieroglyphic representing the womb with its looped top, its meaning is related to matters concerning life and death, or rather, Eternal Life ("Nem Ankh"). In art, especially that depicting funeral ceremonies, their gods and goddesses are shown clutching the ankh by its loop as if it were a key. In this manner, it is believed that the ankh would open the gates of death on to immortality. 
It is also known as the Key of the Nile, representing the union of Isis and Osiris. It is said that this mystic union would initiate the annual flooding of the Nile, providing Egypt with her various means to survive. The meaning of the ankh as womb, thus fertility and reproduction, is well-illustrated in this particular legend. 
  



Images
Ankh
Other
More information



Anky-Kele 

The god of the sea among the Chukchi of eastern Siberia. He rules over all the creatures in the sea, but also over the live and deaths of humans. 
  







Anna Perenna 

The Roman goddess of the new year. Her festival was celebrated on March 15. The Romans gave various explanations to the origin or her name, amnis perennis ("eternal stream"): she was a river nymph; her name was derived from annis ("year"); she was a moon-goddess of the running year; also, she was equated with Anna, the sister of Dido, who was received in Latium by Aeneas, but drowned herself in a river. In the class-struggle between the patricians and plebeians she chose the side of the plebeians. 
  







Annamurti 

A form of the Hindu god Vishnu. 
  







Anne, St. 

In a certain Breton legend, St. Anne was a duchess who was turned out of doors by her cruel husband. She was wafted in an angel-guided vessel to Jerusalem and there gave birth to the Virgin Mary. She brought the Virgin up in ways of piety, and then returned to Breton. 
  







Annecy 

by Clarksville Middle School 
This is the spider and trickster hero of many West Indian mythologies. The animal is known as Anansi in most African myths, and is also called Ti Malice in Haiti. Annecy can take human or spider form. 
  







Annonaria 

An alternative name of Fortuna as protector of the corn supplies. 
  









Annwn (Annwfn, Annwyn) 

The Welsh (Celtic) nether world, ruled by Arawn. Unlike many other underworlds, Annwn is not a place of eternal torment or punishment, and mortals may visit it. From this place the Wild Hunt rides out. 
  



Pronunciation
{an noon}



Anog Ite 

by Gerald Musinsky 
Anog Ite, also known as Ite, Face or Double Face Woman, is the wife of Tate (Wind) and daughter of Skan (Sky). Her name reflects her two faces; one beautiful, the other ugly, a punishment for her attempt to seduce Wi (Sun). In other Lakota tales she is the bringer of "quilling", the craft of sorting and dyeing porcupine quills. 
  





[Plains; Lakota] 



Anouke 

An elder Egyptian goddess of war, identified with Neith. Anouke was pictured with a bow and arrows and a shuttle. 
  







Ansa 

In Hindu myth, one of the Adityas, the guardian deities of the months. A minor sun god. 
  







Anshitsu 

A Japanese hermitage for a solitary Buddhist monk. The lonely traveler should be wary of asking for shelter there at night, for it may happen that the gloomy figure who opens the door is only the ghost of the monk who once lived there. 
  







Anta Kusuma 

In Javanese and Balinese mythology, a magic jewel in the shape of a flower which belongs to Dewi Sri. Possession of this elusive object secures enduring love, long life, good health and happiness. 
  







Antaboga 

The Indinesian underworld serpent deity who rules over the production of rice. 
  









Antaeus 

Antaeus was the son of Gaia and Poseidon. He was a frightful giant who compelled all strangers to wrestle with him and defeated or killed them all. He was invincible for as long as he remained in contact with his mother (the Earth) for she supplied him with strength. Heracles discovered his secret and lifted Antaeus from the ground and strangled him. The battle with Heracles is depicted on many Greek vases and even on coins. 
  



Pronunciation
{an-tee'-uhs}



Anteros 

In Greek myth, Anteros ("return- or opposite-love") is sometimes the brother of Eros, the god of love. The latter languished of loneliness until Aphrodite gave Anteros to him as a playmate: love must be answered if it is to prosper. Anteros is also the god who punishes those who scorn love or do not return love of others. 
  







Antevorte 

The Roman goddess of the future. 
  







Antheia 

by Clarksville Middle School 
Antheia was the Greek goddess called "the blooming", or "friend of the flowers." Her surname was Hera. Antheia had a temple at Argos. She was used by Cnossis as a surname of Aphrodite. She was considered to be in the form of a goddess as a flower-like adolescent. Also, in Crete, she was the goddess of vegetation, lowlands, gardens, blossoms, the budding earth, and human love. 
  







Anti 

An Egyptian guardian deity, the god of ferrymen. Anti was portrayed as a falcon, or with a falcon's head. 
  







Anticlea 

The daughter of Autolycus, wife of Laertes, and mother of Odysseus. She died of grief over Odysseus' absence. 
  







Antigone 

by Harold Thompson and Dale Grote 
Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, and her best known story is in the Antigone of Sophocles, which is one part of the Theban Saga. 
After Oedipus left the throne, and when he two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, came of age, they agreed to rule Thebes in alternate years. Eteocles, at the end of his first year of rule, reneged on the agreement and refused to step down. Polynices then raised an army of traditional enemies of Thebes and led them against his city. (This story is recounted in Aeschylus' play Seven Against Thebes.) The battle ends with the defeat of the invading army, but Eteocles and Polynices are both dead, killed by each other's hand. Creon, who now assumes power in Thebes, declares that, as he was the protector of the city, Eteocles' body will be properly buried, but Polynices, because he attacked the city, will be left unburied on the battlefield. 
Antigone decides she must disobey, arguing that a law of man which violates religious law is no law at all. She performs a ceremonial burial--a simple sprinkling of dust over the body--is apprehended by the guards, and taken before Creon, who decrees that she will herself be buried by being sealed in a cave. Creon's son, Haemon, however, is betrothed to Antigone, and protests her sentence and lectures his father on wise leadership. Creon refuses to change his mind. When the prophet Tiresias informs Creon that the gods are angry with his pronouncement concerning Polynices, he finally relents, but too late. When the cave is opened to retrieve Antigone, she has already hung herself. In his grief and anger, Haemon tries to kill Creon. He fails, and then kills himself instead. Upon his return to the palace, Creon also learns that his wife, Eurydice, killed herself too when she heard what had happened. Thus at the end of the play, Creon is ruler over an orderly city, but he has lost everything. 
The Antigone is much admired for being the first and most enduring statem