List of water deities
A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Another important focus of worship of water deities has been springs or holy wells.
As a form of animal worship, whales and snakes (hence dragons) have been regarded as godly deities throughout the world (other animals are such as turtles, fish, crabs, and sharks). In Asian lore, whales and dragons sometimes have connections.[1]Serpents are also common as a symbol or as serpentine deities, sharing many similarities with dragons.
Contents
1 Aztec mythology
2 Ainu mythology
3 Armenian mythology
4 Australian aboriginal mythology
5 Benin mythology
6 Canaanite mythology
7 Celtic mythology
8 Chinese mythology
9 Dogon mythology
10 Egyptian mythology
11 Fon/Ewe mythology
12 Fijian mythology
13 Finnish mythology
14 Greek mythology
15 Hawaiian mythology
16 Hittite mythology
17 Hindu/Vedic mythology
18 Incan mythology
19 Indonesian mythology
20 Inuit mythology
21 Japanese mythology
22 Korean mythology
23 Lithuanian mythology
24 Luganda mythology
25 Lusitanian mythology
26 Māori mythology
27 Mayan mythology
28 Mesopotamian mythology
29 Norse/Germanic mythology
30 Ossetian mythology
31 Persian/Zoroastrian mythology
32 Philippine mythology
33 Roman mythology
34 Slavic mythology
35 Island Nations mythology
36 Taíno mythology
37 Tonga mythology
38 Western European mythology
39 Yoruba mythology
40 Vietnamese mythology
41 See also
42 References
Aztec mythology
Tlaloc, god of thunder, rain, and earthquakes
Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of water, lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism
Huixtocihuatl, goddess of salt
Opochtli, god of fishing
Ainu mythology
Amemasu, monster in the lakes
Repun Kamui, god of the sea, often referring to orca
Armenian mythology
Anahita, the divinity of "the Waters" (Aban) and hence associated with fertility
Astghik, goddess of water sources
Tsovinar, goddess of seas and storms
Australian aboriginal mythology
Eingana, mother of all
Rainbow Serpents, creators of dreamtime
Ungud, serpent god bring fortunes
Wirnpa, creator of rain
Yurlungur, the copper serpent
Benin mythology
Ezili, goddess of sweet water, beauty, and love
Canaanite mythology
Lotan, sea monster
Yam (god), god of death for creatures in rivers and the sea
Celtic mythology
Acionna (Gaulish) - a water goddess/genius loci of the Orleanais region and the Essonne
Belisama, goddess of lakes and rivers, fire, crafts and light
Boann - goddess of the River Boyne (Irish)
Condatis, (Gaulish) - god of the River Wear and healing
Danu (Dana) - goddess of the Danube (Celtic overlords ruled Germanic tribes before Rome attacked Gaul). Later her name was added to the Tuath Dé.
Dylan Eil Ton (Welsh)
Grannus, a god associated with spas, the sun, fires and healing thermal and mineral springs
Lí Ban (Irish), water goddess
Lir (Irish), god of the sea
Llŷr (Welsh), god of the sea
Manannán mac Lir (Irish), god of the sea
Nantosuelta, river goddess of fire, the earth, healing, and fertility [2]
Nodens, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
Sinann (Irish), goddess of the River Shannon
Sequana (Gaulish), goddess of the River Seine
Chinese mythology
Gonggong, red-haired dragon with the head of man, and water god who is responsible for the great floods, together with his associate, Xiang Yao
Mazu, goddess of the sea and protector of seafarers
Hebo, God of the Yellow River
Longmu, Goddess of the Xijiang River in the Lingnan area
Ehuang & Nuying, Goddesses of the Xiang River
Tam Kung, sea deity worshiped in Hong Kong and Macau with the ability to forecast weather
Honorable Kings of the Water Immortals (Shuixian Zunwang)
Yu the Great, tamer of China's Great Flood
Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, and Xiang Yu, famous suicides lost in rivers- Han Ao or Lu Ban, the inventors
Dragon Kings of the Four Seas
Ao Kuang, Dragon King of the Eastern Sea- Ao Qin, Dragon King of the Southern Sea
- Ao Run, Dragon King of the Western Sea
- Ao Shun, Dragon King of the Northern Sea
Dogon mythology
Nommos, amphibious spirits that are worshipped as ancestors
Egyptian mythology
Hapi, God of the annual flooding of the Nile
Anuket, Goddess of the Nile, and nourisher of the fields
Nephthys, Goddess of rivers, death, mourning, the dead and night
Nu, uncreated God, personification of the primordial waters
Khnum, God of the Nile River
Satet, Goddess of the Nile River's floods
Sobek, God of the Nile river, depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile.
Tefnut, Goddess of water, moisture and fertility.
Osiris, God of the dead and afterlife. Originally god of water and vegetation.
Fon/Ewe mythology
Agwé, a sea loa
Mami Wata, a water loa
Clermeil, a river loa
Pie, a lake and river loa
Fijian mythology
Daucina, god of seafaring
Dakuwaqa, a shark god
Finnish mythology
Ahti, god of the depths and fish
Iku-Turso, a malevolent sea monster
Vedenemo, a goddess of water
Vellamo, the wife of Ahti, goddess of the sea, lakes and storms.
Greek mythology
Aegaeon, god of violent sea storms and ally of the Titans
Achelous, Greek river god
Alpheus, river god in Arcadia
Amphitrite, sea goddess and consort of Poseidon
Anapos, water god of eastern Sicily
Brizo, goddess of sailors
Carcinus, a giant crab who allied itself with the Hydra against Heracles. When it died, Hera placed it in the sky as the constellation Cancer
Ceto, goddess of the dangers of the ocean and of sea monsters
Charybdis, a sea monster and spirit of whirlpools and the tide
Cymopoleia, a daughter of Poseidon and goddess of giant storm waves
Doris, goddess of the sea's bounty and wife of Nereus
Eidothea, prophetic sea nymph and daughter of Proteus
Electra, an Oceanid, consort of Thaumas
Eurybia, goddess of the mastery of the seas
Galene (Γαλήνη), goddess of calm seas
Glaucus, the fisherman's sea god
Gorgons, three monstrous sea spirits
- Stheno
- Euryale
- Medusa
- The Graeae, three ancient sea spirits who personified the white foam of the sea; they shared one eye and one tooth between them
Hippocampi, the horses of the sea- The Ichthyocentaurs, a pair of centaurine sea-gods with the upper bodies of men, the lower fore-parts of horses, ending in the serpentine tails of fish
Ladon, a one hundred-headed sea serpent who guarded the western reaches of the sea, and the island and golden apples of the Hesperides
Leucothea, a sea goddess who aided sailors in distress
Nerites, watery consort of Aphrodite and/or beloved of Poseidon
Nereus, the old man of the sea, and the god of the sea's rich bounty of fish
Nymphs
Naiades, fresh water nymphs
Nereides, sea nymphs
Oceanides, Ocean water nymphs
Oceanus, Titan god of the Earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth's fresh-water
Pan, Patron God of fishing
Palaemon, a young sea god who aided sailors in distress
Phorcys, god of the hidden dangers of the deep
Pontus, primeval god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures
Poseidon, Olympian God of the Oceans and king of the sea gods; also god of rivers, storms, flood and drought, earthquakes, and horses. He controlled every aspect of the seas. His Roman equivalent is Neptune.
Potamoi, deities of rivers, fathers of Naiads, brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys.
Proteus, a shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god, and the herdsman of Poseidon's seals
Psamathe, goddess of sand beaches
Scylla, a Nereid metamorphosed into a sea monster- The Sirens, three sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with their song
- The Telchines, sea spirits native to the island of Rhodes; the gods killed them when they turned to evil magic
Tethys, Titan goddess of the sources fresh-water, and the mother of the rivers (Potamoi), springs, streams, fountains and clouds
Thalassa, primordial goddess of the sea
Thaumas, god of the wonders of the sea and father of the Harpies and the rainbow goddess Iris
Thetis, leader of the Nereids who presided over the spawning of marine life in the sea, mother of Achilles
Triteia, daughter of Triton and companion of Ares
Triton, fish-tailed son and herald of Poseidon
Tritones, fish-tailed spirits in Poseidon's retinue
Hawaiian mythology
Kanaloa or Tangaroa, god of the ocean and magics and underworld with forms of cephalopod
Kamohoalii, shark god
Nāmaka, sea goddess
Ukupanipo, shark god who controls the amount of fish close enough for the fisherman to catch
Hittite mythology
Aruna, god of the sea
Illuyanka, dragon of the ocean
Hindu/Vedic mythology
Apam Napat, god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes
Ap, group of water goddesses
Danu, goddess of primordial waters, mother of Vritra and the Danavas
Dewi Danu Goddess Danu of the lake and waters of life, Balinese Hinduism
Ganga goddess of the Ganges river and purity.
Makara, mystical creature of waters
Sarasvati, goddess of knowledge and Sarasvati river
Tapti, goddess of Tapti river
Varuna, god of the water and the celestial ocean
Yami, goddess of Yamuna river
Incan mythology
Pariacaca, god of water and rainstorms
Paricia, god who sent a flood to kill humans who did not respect him adequately
Indonesian mythology
Dewi Danu, Balinese goddess of the lakes
Dewi Lanjar, Javanese Queen of the North Sea
Nyai Roro Kidul, Javanese Queen of the South Sea (Indian Ocean)
Inuit mythology
Aipaloovik, an evil sea god associated with death and destruction
Alignak, a lunar deity and god of weather, water, tides, eclipses, and earthquakes
Arnapkapfaaluk, a fearsome sea goddess
Idliragijenget, god of the ocean
Nootaikok, god who presided over icebergs and glaciers
Sedna, goddess of the sea
Japanese mythology
Ebisu, god of fortunes and fishery, often being referred to marine megafaunas such as whales and whale sharks (hence being also called "Ebisu-shark")[3][4]
- Hanzaki Daimyojin, gigantic Japanese giant salamander and master of the water
Kuraokami, one of Suijin
Mizuchi, Japanese dragon and sea god
Ōhoyamatsumi, god of mountains, sea and war
Ryūjin or Watatsumi, Japanese dragon and tutelary deity of the sea
Suijin, Shinto god of water
Sumiyoshi sanjin, god of ocean and sailing
Susanoo, Shinto god of storms and the sea
Watatsumi, dragon king and ocean god
Yamata no Orochi, serpentine monster but also regarded as an incarnation of violent river
Korean mythology
Imoogi or Imugi, giant serpents of Korean folklore which later become true dragons
King Munmu, a king who wished to become a dragon before his death to protect Korea from the East Sea
Dragon King, an undersea deity believed to determine the fortunes of fishermen and sailors
Lithuanian mythology
Bangpūtys, god of sea and storm
Laumė, goddess of wild spaces, including waters
Luganda mythology
Sezibwa, goddess of the Sezibwa River
Lusitanian mythology
Bandua, theonym associated with fountains
Duberdicus, god of the sea and rivers
Durius, personification of the Douro river
Māori mythology
Ikatere, a fish god, the father of all the sea creatures including mermaids
Rongomai, a whale god.
Taniwha, deities or monsters (often take forms resembling dragons)
Tangaroa, god of the sea- Tohora (Maori name for southern right whales), the great whale who saved legendary hero Paikea, famously known as the Whale Rider, (also the Maori name for humpback whales) from drowning and carried him to land. This led to the creation of New Zealand.
Mayan mythology
Chaac, god of rain
Mesopotamian mythology
Abzu, god of fresh water, father of all other gods
Asherah, Mother goddess whose title is "She Who Walks Upon the Sea"
Enbilulu, god of rivers and canals
Enki, god of water and of the River Tigris
Marduk, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic
Nammu, goddess of the primeval sea
Nanshe, goddess of Persian Gulf, social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing
Sirsir, god of mariners and boatmen
Tiamat, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods
Norse/Germanic mythology
Ægir, personification of the sea
Nine Daughters of Ægir, who personify the characteristics of waves
Mímir, god of the spring of Mímisbrunnr, which gives the drinker wisdom, from which Odin sacrificed an eye to drink
Rán, sea goddess of death who collects the drowned in a net
Njord, god of the sea, particularly of seafaring
Nehalennia, goddess of the North Sea
Nerthus, goddess of lakes, springs, and holy waters
Nix, water spirits who usually appear in human form
Sága, goddess in the form of a waterfall
Freyr, god of rain, sunlight, fertility, life, and summer
Tiddy Mun, a bog deity once worshipped in Lincolnshire, England who had the ability to control floods
Ossetian mythology
Donbettyr, master of all waters
Persian/Zoroastrian mythology
Anahita, the divinity of 'the Waters' (Aban) and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom.
Apam Napat, the divinity of rain and the maintainer of order.
Tishtrya, Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility.
Haurvatat, the Amesha Spenta associated with water, prosperity, and health in post-Gathic Zoroastrianism
Ahurani, Ahurani is a water goddess from ancient Persian mythology who watches over rainfall as well as standing water
Philippine mythology
Sirena, mermaid
Siyokoy, merman
Roman mythology
Fontus, god of wells and springs
Juturna, goddess of fountains, wells, and springs
Neptune, King of the sea. Greek counterpart: Poseidon
Salacia, Neptune's queen
Tiberinus, the genius of the river Tiber.
Volturnus, god of the waters
Coventina, Goddess of a sacred spring at Carrawburgh, on Hadrian's Wall
Slavic mythology
Kostroma, goddess of fertility. After discovering that her husband, Kupala, is her brother, she jumped into the forest lake (in other legends into the river Ra). After her death she became a mavka (or rusalka).
Mati-syra-zemla, moist mother, also the earth goddess
Mokosh, moistness, lady of waters, goddess of moisture- Morskoi, the god and king of the sea
Rusalki, female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons that dwell in waterways.
Veles, god of earth, waters, and the underworld
Vodyanoi, water demon who lived in lakes and rivers
Island Nations mythology
Agunua, serpentine god of the sea of Solomon Islands
Ayida-Weddo, serpentine spirit among several island nations
Taíno mythology
Atabey (goddess), Mother goddess of fresh water and fertility. Female counterpart of the god Yúcahu.
Tonga mythology
Nyami Nyami, a river spirit of the BaTonga of Zambia and Zimbabwe
Western European mythology
Aspidochelone, colossal sea monster from the medieval bestiary Physiologus
Davy Jones, the Devil of the seas in Western piratical lore
Yoruba mythology
Yemoja, a river orisha and ocean orisha as well in new world Yoruba religions
Oshun, a river orisha
Olokun, an ocean orisha
Vietnamese mythology
Lạc Long Quân, legendary ancestor of Vietnamese people.
Cá Ông (Vietnamese name for blue whales, also dolphins and whale sharks in some cases), king of the sea and patron of fishermen.
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Water deities. |
- Holy wells
- Nadi (yoga)
- Nature worship
- Sea monster
- Water chakra
- Water spirit
References
^ 謝婧, 下園知弥, 宮崎克則 (2015). "明清時代の中国における鯨資源の利用" (pdf). 西南学院大 学博物館研究紀要 第3号. Seinan Gakuin University: 9–14. Retrieved 2016-01-16.CS1 maint: Uses authors parameter (link) .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/goddess-nantosuelta/
^ 村上健司編著 (2005). 日本妖怪大事典. Kwai books. 角川書店. p. 182. ISBN 978-4-04-883926-6.
^ 大藤時彦他 (1955). 民俗学研究所編, ed. 綜合日本民俗語彙. 第2巻. 柳田國男 監修. 平凡社. p. 763.