List of nature deities
In nature worship, a nature deity is a deity in charge of forces of nature, such as a water deity, vegetation deity, sky deity, solar deity, fire deity, or any other naturally occurring phenomena such as mountains, trees, or volcanoes. Accepted in panentheism, pantheism, deism, polytheism, animism, totemism, shamanism, and paganism, the deity embodies natural forces and can have various characteristics, such as that of a mother goddess, "Mother Nature", or lord of the animals.
African mythology
- Aja, Yoruba orisha, patron of the forest, the animals within it and herbal healers
- iNyanga, Zulu, moon goddess
- Nomhoyi, Zulu, goddess of rivers
- Nomkhubulwane, Zulu, goddess mother of fertility, rain, agriculture, rainbow and beer
- Oko, Yoruba orisha, patron of new harvest of the white African yam and of hunting.
- Oshosi, Yoruba orisha, patron of the forest and of hunting.
- Osanyin, Yoruba orisha, patron of the forest, herbs and healing.
- Unsondo, Zulu, god of the sky, sun, thunder, earthquake
- Ash, god of the oasis and the vineyards of the western Nile Delta
- Geb, Egyptian god of earth with sister/wife Nut, the sky goddess as his consort. He is regarded as the father of Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and in some cases, Horus.
American
- Xochipilli, god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, and song
- Xochiquetzal, goddess of fertility, beauty, female sexual power, protection of young mothers, of pregnancy, childbirth, vegetation, flowers, and the crafts of women
- Tonantzin, mother goddess
- Pachamama, fertility goddess who presides over planting, harvesting and earthquakes
- Yum Kaax, god of agriculture, wild plants and animals
- Asintmah, Athabaskan earth and nature goddess, and the first woman to walk the earth
- Ngen, Mapuche spirits of nature
- Baron Samedi, loa of the dead
- Grand Bois, loa associated with trees, plants and herbs
- L'inglesou, loa who lives in the wild areas of Haiti and kills anyone who offends him
- Loco, loa associated with healers and plants, especially trees
Asian
- Dhat-Badan, Ethiopian, and Yemeni goddess of the oasis
- Dou Mu Niang Niang, Mother Goddess of the Big Dipper
- Tai Sui, Star Deities of sixty years cycle
- Chang'e, Moon Goddess
- Lei Gong, God of Thunder
- Hou Tu Niang Niang, Mother Earth and Overlord of all Tu Di Gong
- Tu Di Gong, Earth Deity of a specific locality and nearby human communities
- Gonggong, ancient God of Water
- Zhurong, ancient God of Fire
- Hebo, God of Yellow River
- San Shan Guo Wang, Lords of the Three Mountains in Southern China
- Prithvi or Bhumi, goddess regarded as "Mother Earth"; Sanskrit for Earth
- Agni, god of fire
- Varuna, god of oceans
- Vayu, god of wind
- Indra, god of rain, lightning and thunders
- Aranyani, goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within it
- Irpitiga, lord of the earth
- Sarruma, god of the mountains
- Amaterasu, goddess of the Sun
- Izanagi, forefather of the gods, god of creation and life and first male
- Izanami, Izanagi's wife and sister, goddess of creation and death, first female
- Konohanasakuya-hime, the blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life
- Shinigami, God of Death
- Suijin, God of Water
- Fūjin, God of wind
- Kagu-tsuchi, God of Fire
- Dangun, god-king of Gojoseon, god of the mountain
- Dokkaebi, nature spirits
- Lady Saso, goddess of the mountain
- Jacheongbi, goddess of the grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment
- Jeonggyun Moju, mother of Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and Ijinashi of Daegaya, goddess of the mountain
- Jik, god of grains
- Sa, god of the earth
- Sansin, local mountain gods
- Abu, minor Sumerian god of plants
- Damu, Sumerian god of vegetation and rebirth
- Emesh, Sumerian god of vegetation
- Kishar, Akkadian goddess representing the earth
- Ningal, Sumerian goddess of reeds
- Ninhursag, Sumerian mother goddess associated with the earth and fertility
- Ningikuga, Sumerian goddess of reeds and marshes
- Ninsar, Sumerian goddess of plants
- Ua-Ildak, Babylonian and Akkadian goddess responsible for pastures and poplar trees
- Spenta Armaiti, goddess of earth.
- Ameretat, goddess of vegetation.
- Haurvatat, goddess associated with water.
- Anahita, goddess of waters.
- Tishtrya, god of rain and lightning.
- Apam Napat, god of waters.
- Umay, the goddess of nature, love and fertility in Turkic mythology. Also known as Yer Ana.
- Tanculpan, the goddess of the forest in Turkic and Altai mythology. She wears a dress that is lighter than air and her body can be seen. She has a wreath of flowers on her head. She is a joyful and playful young girl.
- Baianai, the goddess of the hunt in Turkic mythology.
- Ukulan, the god of water in Turkic mythology, also known as Su Ata.
European
- Medeina, Lithuanian goddess of forests, trees, and animals
- Zemes māte, goddess of the earth
- Abnoba, Gaulish goddess associated with forests and rivers
- Artio, Gaulish bear goddess of the wilderness
- Arduinna, goddess of the Ardennes forest region, represented as a huntress
- Cernunnos, horned god associated with horned male animals, produce, and fertility
- Druantia, hypothetical Gallic tree goddess proposed by Robert Graves in his 1948 study The White Goddess; popular with Neopagans.
- Nantosuelta, Gaulish goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility
- Sucellus, god of agriculture, forests, and alcoholic drinks
- Viridios, god of vegetation, rebirth, and agriculture, possibly cognate with the Green Man
- Karærin, Celtic goddess who protects animals and nature
- Sínann, Irish goddess, embodiment of the River Shannon, the longest river on Ireland, also a goddess of wisdom.
- Apple Tree Man, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchard, from the cider-producing region of Somerset.[1]
- Churnmilk Peg, female guardian spirit of unripe nut thickets. She prevents them from being gathered by naughty children before they can be harvested. Melsh Dick is her male counterpart and performs the same function. Respectively, they derive from the traditions of West Yorkshire and Northern England.[2]
- Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness, wine, health, and growth in all things
- Selvans, god of the woodlands
- Lempo, god of wilderness and archery
- Tapio, god and ruler of forests
- Mielikki, goddess of forests and the hunt. Wife of Tapio.
- Mlande, god of the earth
- Mlande-Ava, goddess of the earth
- Dali, goddess of mountain animals such as ibex and deer
- Ēostre or Ostara, the goddess of spring
- Nerthus, goddess of the earth, called by the Romans Terra Mater.
- Actaeon, god of the wilderness, wild animals, the hunt, and male animals
- Anthousai, flower nymphs
- Apollo, god of the sun, light, healing, poetry and music, and archery
- Aristaeus, god of shepherds, cheesemaking, beekeeping, honey, honey-mead, olive growing, oil milling, medicinal herbs, hunting, and the Etesian winds
- Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the dark, the light, the moon, wild animals, nature, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls, and health and plague in women and childhood
- Aurae, nymphs of the breezes
- Chloris, goddess of flowers
- Cronus, titan of time and harvest
- Cybele, Phrygian goddess of the fertile earth and wild animals
- Demeter, goddess of the harvest, crops, the fertility of the earth, grains, and the seasons
- Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, madness, and festivity. The Roman equivalent is Bacchus.[3]
- Dryads, tree and forest nymphs
- Epimeliades, nymphs of highland pastures and protectors of sheep flocks
- Gaia, the goddess of the earth and its personification. She is also the primal mother goddess.
- Hamadryades, oak tree dryades
- Hegemone, goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed to
- Helios, Titan-god of the Sun
- Horae, goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time
- Meliae, nymphs of honey and the ash tree
- Nymphs, nature spirits
- Naiades, fresh water nymphs
- Nereids, salt-water nymphs
- Oceanides, fresh water nymphs
- Oreades, mountain nymphs
- Oxylus, god of forests & mountains
- Pan, god of shepherds, flocks, mountain wilds, and rustic music
- Persephone (Kore), goddess of spring growth
- Physis, primeval goddess of nature
- Rhea, goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the mountain wilds
- Satyrs, rustic nature spirits
- Selene, Titan-goddess of the Moon
Greek rustic deities
- Jörð, personification of the earth. She is the Icelandic version of Fjörgyn, and the mother of Thor
- Iðunn the goddess of spring who guarded the apples that kept the gods eternally young; wife of the god Bragi[4]
- Fjörgyn, the female personification of the earth. She is also the mother of the goddess Frigg and, very rarely, mother of Thor
- Freyja, goddess of fertility, gold, death, love, beauty, war and magic
- Freyr, god of fertility, rain, sunlight, life and summer
- Skadi, goddess of mountains, skiing, winter, archery and hunting
- Sif, goddess of earth, fertility, and the harvest
- Thor, god of thunder, lightning, weather, and fertility
- Ullr, god of hunting, archery, skiing, and mountains
- Njord, god of the sea, fishing, and fertility
- Rán, goddess of the sea, storms, and death
- Rå, Skogsrå, Huldra, beautiful, female forest spirit, lures men to their death by making them fall in love and marrying them
- Nøkken, male water spirit, lures foolish children into the lakes at the deepest, darkest parts of the lakes
- Elf, beautiful, fairy-like creature that lives in the forest
- Bacchus - god of wine, nature, pleasure and festivity; equivalent to the Greek god Dionysus
- Ceres, goddess of growing plants and motherly relationships; equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter
- Diana, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness and the moon; equivalent to the Greek goddess Artemis
- Faunus, horned god of the forest, plains and fields
- Feronia, goddess associated with wildlife, fertility, health and abundance
- Flora, goddess of flowers and the spring; equivalent to the Greek goddess Chloris
- Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness and health and growth in all things
- Liber, cognate for Bacchus/Dionysus
- Nemestrinus, god of the forests and woods
- Ops, goddess of fertility and the earth
- Pilumnus, nature god who ensured children grew properly and stayed healthy
- Pomona, goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchards
- Silvanus, tutelary spirit or deity of woods and fields and protector of forests
- Terra, primeval goddess personifying the earth; equivalent to the Greek goddess Gaia
- Berstuk, evil Wendish god of the forest
- Jarilo, god of vegetation, fertility, spring, war and harvest
- Leshy, a tutelary deity of the forests.
- Porewit, god of the woods, who protected lost voyagers and punished those who mistreated the forest
- Porvata, Polish god of the woods
- Siliniez, Polish god of the woods for whom moss was sacred
- Tawals, Polish blessing-bringing god of the meadows and fields
- Veles, god of earth, waters and the underworld
- Mokosh, East-Slavic female god of nature
Oceanian
- Papatuanuku, the earth mother
- Ranginui, the sky father
- Ruaumoko, god of volcanoes and seasons
- Tāne, god of forests and of birds
- Nei Tituaabine, Kiribati goddess of trees
- Amihan, Tagalog god of the monsoon
- Apúng Sinukuan (Maria Sinukuan), Kapampangan mountain goddess associated with Mount Arayat
- Dayang Masalanta (Maria Makiling), Tagalog mountain goddess associated with Mount Makiling
- Mayari (Bulan), goddess of the moon
- Kan-Laon, Visayan god of time associated with the volcano Kanlaon
- Tala, Tagalog goddess of the morning and evening star
- Indo' Ongon-Ongon, goddess of earthquakes
- Pong Banggai di Rante, earth goddess
References
- ^ Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books. pp. 9–10. ISBN 0394409183.
- ^ Wright, Elizabeth Mary (1913). Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore. Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 198.
- ^ Walter Burkert, (1985) Greek Religion, Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-36280-2.
- ^ World English Dictionary
