“At one time, all gods were true”
 

ABORA:  The supreme being worshipped by the Canary Islanders on the island of Palma. The god sat in heaven and caused the stars to move.

 

ABRAXIS:  Occult theonym used in Gaeco-Oriental gnoticism. In Greek values the letters add up to 365, the number of days in a year. Abraxas stones were used as amulets and show him with the torso and arms of a man, the head of a cock and serpents' legs.

 

ACHILLES:  Hero of Greek legend. He had been dipped by his mother Thetis into the water of the Styx to make him invulnerable, but the water did not touch the heel by which she held him, hence the phrase "Achilles' Heel." Slain by Paris in the Trojan War, Achilles was venerated as a hero throughout Greece. In the Black Sea he had divine status and was known from the Hadrian era onwards as Pontarchos (ruler of the sea).
 

ADONIS:  Originally a Phoenician-Syrian god (the Semitic word adon, means 'master'); he embodies vegetation scorched by the leaf of the summer sunshine and
was worshipped in mystic cults as a god who dies and is resurrected. According to Greek legend, he was born from a myrrh tree (into which his mother had been
changed). He was the lover of Aphrodite. When he was killed by a boar while hunting, the goddess caused the Adonis rose to spring up from his blood and she was able to secure his release from the underworld for six months of the year. The seeds of the Adonis garden grow readily in a bowl or box, and their blossoming and rapid withering were seen as symbolizing the life and death of the god. Adonis was taken over by the Etruscans under the name 'Atunis.'

 

ADRASTEIA:  Originally, a Trojan-Phrygian mountain divinity who appeared in Greece from 400 B.C. onwards as guardian of righteousness and the goddess who avenges all wrongs. She is connected with Nemesis, but it is not clear whether there is an Indo-German connection with the British-Celtic "Adraste."

 

AEGIR:  A North Germanic sea-giant, husband of Ran. At a carousal for Aesir, he had shining gold brought into the hall, which was lit up, as though by fire. It has been suggested that  the gold represents the shimmering of tranquil seas without wind.

 

AHONE:  The supreme deity of the Indians who once lived in Virginia. He was so far removed from men, so remote, that they did little to honor him.
 

AIOLOS:  Son of Poseidon; in Greek mythology, the progenitor of the Acolians, directed by Zeus to rule the winds. It was he who gave Odysseus a bag containing contrary winds to speed the homeward journey.

 

AKSOBHYA:  One of the five Dhyani Buddhas, probably a hypostasis of the historical Guatama Buddha, with reference to his withstanding the temptations of the satanic Mara. He is celestially oriented in the east. In Tantric iconography he may have six or eight arms. His main attribute is the Vajra, or thunderbolt and he rides on a pair of
elephants. Some of the entities that emanate from him include Heruka, Jambhala and
Yamari.

 

ALAKO:  God of the Norwegian gypsies. His original name was "Dundra" and he was sent to Earth to reveal the secret law and lore to the gypsies. He returned later to his own realm on the moon. The name is etymologically related to the Finnish word Alaku (waning moon).

 

ALALU:  First of the heavenly kings according to the pantheon of the Hurrians who lived in North Syria in the second millennium BC. For nine years he occupied his divine throne before being overthrown by Anu. He was called Hypsistos by the Greeks.

 

ALARDI:  In the popular belief of the Ossetians in the Central Caucasus, a spirit who on the one hand causes smallpox and on the other hand, protects women. In songs, he is given the epithet "The winged one."

 

ALLAH:  In the pre-Islamic period the supreme deity, creator of Earth and giver of water; today worshipped by over 1 billion people. Interpreted monotheistically by Mohamed as the one true God to whom it is  incumbent upon men to submit. Allah is totally and essentially different from all he created, hence the prohibition of any attempt to portray him — the 'beautiful names' of God correspond to the epithets which to paraphrase Allah in the Koran. 99 names are known, but the greatest name, the one that completes the hundred, is known to no mortal. In Sufism, Allah is compared to a sun which send forth its rays. Since graphical representation of Allah is forbidden it is only in calligraphy that he can be spiritually 'represented.'

 

AL-UZZA:  The Bedouin tribes in ancient central Arabia regarded al-Uzza as the youngest daughter of Allah. She dwells in an acacia-like tree. Her cult can be shown to have spread to north Arabia where she is known as Han-Uzzai. Her identification with the morning star is also attested.

 

ALMAQAH:  Moon-god and the South Arabian kingdom of Suba. Members called themselves 'children of Almaqa. He is symbolized by a number of lightning flashes and a weapon which looks like a slightly bent 'S'. In some texts he is called 'Lord of the horned gods.'

 

ALPAN:  An Etruscan goddess portrayed as being winged and unwinged, belonging to female demons known as Lasas. She is naked, except for a cloak which hardly conceals her body. She is bejeweled and wears sandals. Evidence suggests she was a goddess of the art of love and possess traits marking her as a goddess of the underworld.
 

AMMA:  The divine creator in the religious system of the Dogon of Mali. He created the universe in the form of a world-egg which was divided into two placentas; from these, the bisexual world arose. According to an occult tradition, the god raped the Earth, whose sexual organ was an anthill.

 

ANANKE:  Greek goddess of fate, the personification of ineluctable necessity and inevitability, she is set above the gods. In Orphic teachings, she is incorporeal but universally present. On occasion she fuses with the figures of Adrasteia. In her capacity as 'she who guides the worlds,' she is portrayed holding a spindle. 

 

ANBAY:  A pre-Islamic god in south Arabia. His name may have originally been a regal plural, and may be connected with the name of the Mesopotamian god Nabu. Anbay is "lord of justice." In his capacity as spokesman he acts for the moon-god Amm, who ranks above him in the pantheon.
 

ANEZTI:  God of the ninth nome of lower Egypt. from whom Osiris seems to have borrowed the crook and scourge as symbols of overlordship.

 

ANU:  Celtic-Irish goddess of the Earth and of fertility. She was said to be the mother of the gods. Two hills near Killarney in Munster are called after her Da Chich Annan — i.e., the two breasts of Ana.

 

ANUKET:  Egyptian goddess of the Cataract area. Particularly venerated un Elephantine, she was known as "mistress of Nubia." Her sacred animal was the gazelle.
 

ANUBIS:  Egyptian god of the dead, in the shape of a dog or jackal; occasionally in human shape with a dog's head. It is not certain what the name means: "little dog" has been suggested. At Assiut, Anubis was known by the epithet'lord of the cave mouth': i.e., the entrance into the city of the dead. As god of the dead he is ' Lord of the divine
hall' and hence in charge of mummification, in which capacity he undertakes the ritual preparation of the corpse and its transfiguration. With the rise of Osiris, Anubis was demoted vis-à-vis the new Lord of the Dead and put in charge of weighing the hearts at the last judgment. The Greeks gave the name Kynopolis to important centers of worship. In the interpretatio graeca, Anubis was identified with Hermes.

 

APARAJITA:  Belongs to the Krodhadevatas of Indian Buddhism. He is white in color and decorated with snakes. He has three faces: white, black and red. In pre-Buddhist beliefs, he seems to have figured as leader of the demons and as such was trampled underfoot by Bhutadamara.

 

APHRODITE:  Greek goddess of beauty and love, identified by the Romans with Venus. Her name is derived from the Greek, "aphros" or foam: "she who is born of the foam." Her cult is pre-Greek and probably Oriental in origin. She was also as Kypris, after the main shrine in Cyprus. According to Homer, she was the daughter of Zeus and Dione, married to Mephaistos, but in love with Ares, from which Eros was born. Her attribute was the dove. Her aegis covered fertility in the plant world, and she was venerated in Athens as the goddess of gardens.

 

APOLLON (APOLLO):  A Greek god, probably of Asia Minor origin. He fulfills several functions: as protector of cattle, he keeps wolves away; as promoter of agriculture he gets rid of field mice and as a stone pillar standing in front of a house he protects both it and its inhabitants. He is a god of healing (with a snake as attribute) and a god of expiation, whose arrows bring sickness and death. He is the god of oracles, his most celebrated oracular shrines being Delphi and Delos. The laurel plant is sacred to him. As god of the muses (Apollon Musagetes); he is often represented with a lyre. and singing and music are in his gift. From the 16th century onwards he was demonstrably venerated as a sun-god. His epithet Phoebus (the bright or pure one) was originally understood in a purely cultic sense but it soon acquired ethical connotations. The myth relates how he slew the Python dragon only a few days after his birth. His parents were Zeus and Lelo, his twin sister was Artemis and his son was the healing god Asklepios. Apollo was the first Greek god to be introduced in into Italy (Etruscan name: Aplu. Augustus saw him as his personal tutelary god.

 

ARALEZ:  The ancient Armenians believed in the existence of these dog-like creatures gifted with super-natural powers. Their specific function was to lick the wounds of those killed or wounded in battle, who then recovered or resurrected to new life. They were beneficent dog-like spirits who lived in heaven; at an earlier date they may well have been seen as god-like creatures of a menial order.

 

ARAMAZD:  Supreme deity of the ancient Armenians, Creator of heaven and Earth. He was taken over by the pre-Christian Georgians under the name Armaz. In the ascendancy of the Greek pantheon he was identified with Zeus.
 

ARES: Greek god of war. Etymologically, his name is not clear but probably means destroyer or avenger. His original homeland was Thrace and few temples were devoted to him in Hellas. He was not a popular god and is not often portrayed in Greek art. His parents were Zeus and Hera and his mistress was Aphrodite. The Amazons were supposed to be his daughters and the Romans identified him with their god Mars.

 

ARGOS:  In Greek mythology, a many-eyed giant entrusted by Hera to keep guard on Io; he was lulled to sleep by Hermes and killed. His name has become proverbial for 'eyes which miss nothing.'

 

ARSU:  One of the most popular gods of Palmyra (ancient North Arabia). He is the twin brother of Azizu; together they represent the evening and the morning star, and are pictured in Palmyra as riding on camels or on horses.

 

ASKLEPIOS:  The Greek god of healing. His oldest known temple was at Trikka in Thessaly. It was only from the 5th Century BC that his cult spread over the whole of Hellas and he began to oust his father Apollon as a divine healer. He is pictured as a
bearded man with a staff around which a sacred snake is entwined. Doctors in antiquity called themselves "Asklepiades" and according to myth, Asklepios learned the art of healing from the wise centaur Cheiron. He was particularly esteemed by the Romans, and in Hellenistic-Roman Egypt, his name was transferred to Imhotep.

 

ASOPOS:  Boeohan river god (named after the river in central Greece). Son of Poseidon. When Zeus adopted one of his daughters, Asopos himself was struck
by lightning.

 

ASSUR:  Originally the tutelary god of the town of Assur; god of Assyria. From the 13th century B.C., he gains ascendancy over Enlil, wrests him from his dominant role and takes over the epithets of 'Great Mountain' and " Father of the Gods'. From the 9th century B.C. he is equated with Ansar. Among his functions were judicial office,  otherwise reserved to the sun-god, and the conduct of war. In Assyrian art, he is shown
standing in a winged disc of the sun.

 

ASTAR:  Often mentioned as a god of heaven or a sky-god in inscriptions dating from the time of the empire of Asum (Ethiopia, 3rd to 5thCenturies A.D.). The name is etymologically related to the South Arabian Attar.

 

ASTLIK:  Armenian goddess of astral nature, equivalent to the Old Mesopotamian
"Istar" and to Aphrodite; she is seen as a goddess of love. With the coming of Christianity Astlik's status was reduced to that of progenitrix of fairies and nymphs.

 

ATAECINA:  Old Hispanic goddess, venerated in the region between the Tagus and the Guatalquivir. Interpreted by the Romans as equivalent to Proserpina. She was regarded as a goddess of the underworld; one depiction of her shows her holding a cypress branch.
 

ATE:  Greek goddess of disaster--the embodiment of blind folly, benightedness, which stupefies man. mind and soul, and lands one in disaster. She was supposed to be a
daughter of Zeus.

 

ATIRAT:  A West Semitic goddess described by the Babylonian King Hammurabi as "a daughter-in-law of the king of heaven." The name derives from either "atir" (friend) or an Arabic word meaning "brilliance." In South Arabia, Atirat appears in association with the moon-god Amm.

 

ATLAS:  Son of the Titan Iapetos and Oceanid Klynene, Atlas was sentenced to carry the vault of heaven because he took part in the campaign against the Gods. He is also often portrayed as carrying the planet Earth on his shoulders.

 

BA:  Chinese goddess, a personification of drought. In some literary sources she is referred to as the daughter of the mythical Emperor Huang-di.
 

BAAL:  Storm-god and god of fecundity of the West Semites, represented in human shape and as a bull. The word means owner or lord, and can be a generic term for
gods in general. It is applied to various local deities, such as Baal-Sidon or Baal-Lebanon. (Baal-Hadad occupied a central position in Syria as a whole). Belief in Baal came with the Hyksos to Egypt, where the god is specifically depicted as wearing a conical cap, a long beard and bull's horns. Afterwards, Baal was identified with Seth.

 

BABA-YAGA:  A witch in East European folklore, also known as Jezi-Baba. Sometimes, she appears as a forest spirit, sometimes as the leader of a host of spirits, in which capacity she acquires demonic status. One White Russian tradition describes her as traveling through the air in an iron kettle with a fiery broom.

 

BACAB:  The gods of the four heavenly directions in the Mayan religion. Their names and associated colors are: Kan (yellow); Chac (red); Zac (white); and Ek (black).

 

BACCHUS:  The Roman god of fertility and wine. The Latin name is derived from the Greek Bakchos (Dionysus), whose cult was implanted in Rome at a comparatively early date. It was a secret cult and its rites, the Bacchanalia, were marked not only by sexual excesses, but by crimes of every description, so much so that from time to time the cult was prohibited. The most significant portrayal of Dionysiac mysteries is to be found in Pompeii.

 

BAGA:  Old Persian designation for God, etymologically connected with the Sanskrit bhaga. In Parthian usage, the word 'baga' could also signify a dynastic state.

 

BALARAMA:  A god of agriculture whose cult reaches back to the very earliest times in India. His attribute is the plough and he was regarded as the elder brother of Krishna.

 

BALI:  An Indian demon. In the second 'world-age', he ruled over all three worlds, but had to yield sovereignty over heaven and Earth to Vishnu. Since then he has ruled over the underworld. According to "The Mahabharata," Bali, enemy of the gods, lives in the shape of an ass in a dilapidated hut.

 

BANGPUTYS:  Lithuanian god of the sea, whose name means 'he who blows the waves.' In folk song he is simply called 'god of the waves.'
 

BARDHA:  In Albanian belief, whitish nebulous figures who dwell under the earth. They may be compared with elves. To propitiate them, one had to strew cakes or sugar upon the ground.

 

BATA:  Taurine god, tutelary deity of the seventeenth nome of Upper Egypt. He is known from the New Kingdom legend of the two brothers.

 

BAUBO:  A personification in Asia Minor of female fecundity. According to Greek tradition she is an old woman. who makes the grieving Demeter weep by showing her her pudenda. The obscene gesture is intended to be a protective charm against death. As a demon, Baubo was portrayed as headless or with her head between her legs. The name's interpretations have included belly, hole and womb.

 

BEELZEBUB:  The well-known derivation from baal-zebub (Lord of the Flies) is not proven ...it is more probable that the names means 'Baal The Prince', thus  corresponding to the Phoenician concept of the god. He was a tutelary god in the land of the Philistines. Rabbinical texts interpreted the name as 'Lord of the dung hill.' The word zabal, is used in rabbinical literature as a synonym for idolatry. In the New Testament, Beelzebub is chief of the demons.

 

BELENUS:  A Celtic god revered, especially in the eastern Alpine area, though his cult extended into north Italy and south Gaul. The root name "bel" probably meant shine, which suggests that Belenus was a god of light. In Aqueila, the god was presented as Apollon.

 

BELILI:  Old Mesopotamian goddess; probably a denizen of the underworld. She was a sister of Dumuzi, the god of vegetation. Several attempts have been made to derive the Biblical figure of Belial from her.

 

BENDIS:  Virgin, arms-bearing goddess of the Thracians, equated by the Greeks with Artemis. Her cult was introduced to Athens in the time of Pericles.

 

BENTEN:  In Japan, the Buddhist goddess of eloquence and music, patron saint of geishas and reckoned as one of the seven Shichi-Fukujin (gods of good luck). She is represented wearing a jeweled diaden and holding a stringed instrument. Her name is
sometimes written as Benzaiten.

 

BES:  In Egypt, a half-demonic, half-divine figure which also occurs in the plural, with a grotesque face and dwarfish body. He carried a lion-skin on his back of which only the ears and tail survived into later times. His most important attributes are the Sanoose knives as defensive weapons, and musical instruments, whose sounds scare away evil spirits.
 

BESTLA:  In the "Edda," the daughter of the giant Bolthorn and mother of Odin. Her name is interpreted as "giver of bast", which would identify her as a goddess of the yew tree; alternatively as "tree bark," a reading which would have made Odin a god born from a tree.

 

BIA:  A child of the queen of the Greek underworld Styx and the constant companion of Zeus. His name suggests that he may be no more than a hypostatization of the father of the gods.

 

BOCHICA:  Culture hero of the Muisca Indians in Colombia. He gave his people laws and taught them handicrafts. His figure finally coalesced with that of the sun-god.

 

BORVO:  A Gallic god. The root of his name is supposed to signify "boil," "bubble" and Borvo himself is associated with curative mineral springs. He was also known as "Berw" and "Borbanus."

 

BRESS:  Irish god of fertility. He is a son of the King of Fomore, but is adopted in The Tuatha De Danann. In the sequel Bress becomes king and oppresses the Tuatha De Danann until the latter wins in a final battle. Bress won freedom from the gods thanks to his services in instructing the people of Ireland in the art of agriculture.
 

BRIGIT:  Daughter of the god Dagda and patroness of smiths, poets and doctors. She was associated with the ritual fires of purification and the feast of Imbolc on February 1st was in her honor. She was taken over by Christian hagiography and was venerated in Kildare as the holy Brigit, who was supposed to tend the holy fire along with 19 nuns.

 

BUDDHA:  The designation of one who has achieved illumination or enlightenment. the highest aim in Buddhism. The Buddha can be recognized by 32 cardinal and 80 secondary bodily characteristics: e.g., on the sole of each foot is a wheel with a thousand spokes. The most important Buddha is the historical one (Gautama Buddha). Three or six Buddhas were supposed to have lived before him and he will be followed by a fifth Buddha. No less than 54 Buddhas are mentioned in the Lalitavistara, and their number becomes infinite in later tradition. Once a Buddha has entered Nirvana, he ceases to have any sort of relationship with the world and can no longer be reached, even by prayer. In Hinduism, Buddha is reckoned to be the ninth Avatara of Vishnu — he who introduces the present age of decadence. The Chinese name for Buddha is Fo ; the Japanese name is Butsu.

 

BULUGA:  Supreme god of the Negritos on the Andaman Islands. He is regarded as immortal, omniscient and invisible; he has created the world and mankind and sees to it that his commandments are obeyed. His female counterpart, Biliku, is the supreme being of female sex, and lives in the northern part of the archipelago. The wind is supposed to be Buluga's breath and his voice is heard in thunder. 

 

CACUS:  A pre-Roman god of fire whose cult at the Palantine was ousted by the Greek hero Euandros. Cacus was seen then as the son of Vulcanus: a fire-spitting fiend who lived in a cave on Aventine Hill and killed passers-by.

 

CANDAMIUS:  Old Hispanic god, whose name lives on in many place-names in central and northwest Spain. He was probably a mountain god who had celestial connections. He was claimed by the Romans as a variant of Jupiter.

 

CERES:  Goddess of earth and a goddess of corn. Her daughter was Persephone.

 

CERES AFRICANA:  A North African goddess of the harvest, mentioned by Tertullian. She is also known as Ceres Punica. The Latin name hides an autochthonous fertility goddess.

 

CERNUNNOS:  A Celtic god who sits in the so-called Buddha attitude. He is thus portrayed on the Gundestrup cauldron. His name has been taken to mean 'the horned one.' He seems to have been mainly concerned with fertility and wealth, though he has been associated with the underworld. Cernunnos may in fact be a pre-Celtic god of game preservation.

 

CGHENE:  Supreme being in the religious beliefs of the Isoko in south Nigeria. Cghene is regarded as creator and father of all Isoko. He is remote and inaccessible and has neither temples nor priests. There is a mediator between him and mankind, a post or stake carved from a tree (Oyise).

 

CHAMAIRA:  A monster of Greek mythology with a Lion's forequarters and the body of a goat and a snake's tail. Homer claimed it was native to Lycia, and it may have been a demon symbolizing Lycian "earth-fire." It lived at the entrance of the underworld and was slain by Bellerophon.

 

CHARON:  In Greek mythology, the ferryman who rows the dead over the border river (Styx) to the underworld and delivers them at the entrance to Hades. He is paid by putting a coin in the mouth of the dead person. Originally, Charon was a demon of death in the shape of a dog. He persists in modern Greek folklore as Charos, only now he rides a black horse which sweeps the dead along with it by means of its wooden saddle.

 

CHEIRON THE CENTAUR:  Fabulous creatures in Greek mythology, wild and half-animal, they had a human torso and the body of a horse. They dwelled in forests and mountains and seem to have been nature-demons. One of the best known of the centaurs was "Cheiron."

 

CHENSIT:  Goddess of the twentieth nome of Lower Egypt, who took the form of the uraeus snake and was associated with the deity Sopdu. She may be portrayed bearing the crown of Haathor, the feather of Maat, or both.

 

CHNUBIS:  In Roman times a god combining Greek and Egyptian characteristics. He is portrayed as a snake with a lion's head, usually surrounded by a halo of rays.

 

CHORS:  A god of the Eastern Slavs, known for being mentioned in the 'Nestor Chronicle' along with other sources. He was probably a sun god. The etymology of his name is not clear, but Chors seems to have been a sort of hybrid with a dog's head and horns.

 

CINETEOTL:  Aztec god of maize; the most important plant in ancient Mexico; Cineteotl represents a specific aspect of Quetzalcoatl.

 

CIRCE:  The daughter of the Greek sun-god Helios; a highly-skilled mathematician who turned the companions of Odysseus into pigs. Circe also has the powers for spiritual purification as she purifies the Argonauts for the murder of Apsyrtus.

 

CITIPATI:  Graveyard demons in Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism. They are represented as two dancing skeletons.

 

CONCORDIA:  Roman goddess, personification of concord. When civil disputes were settled, shrines were dedicated to her. She is portrayed on coins as bearing a cornucopia and a sacrificial bowl. Montreal's Concordia University takes its name from her.

 

CONFUCIUS:  Chinese philosopher; in the year 1274 BC, one of the Han Emperors made sacrifices to him for the first time at his grave. Not long afterwards the first Confucian temple was erected. In a decree issued in the closing years of the Chinese Empire in 1906 Confucius was placed on the same footing as the supreme deities of heaven and Earth. Tradition has it that at his birth, two dragons hovered over the home of his parents.

 

CONSUS:  Roman god of the safely-gathered harvest. He had an underground altar in a circus to the south of the Palatine Hill. By virtue of his character, he was also connected with the dead.
 

CUNDA:  In Buddhism, Cunda is an emanation of the Buddha Vajrasattiva, whose image she bears on her crown. She has one face, four arms and she is white, like the
moon in autumn. One of her right hands is in the "mudra" of donation and one of her left hands holds a lotus, on which a book lies. The other pair of hands holds a bowl.

 

DABOG: A South slavonic sun-god. The root bog can mean both riches and god.
In the epic poetry of the Serbians, Dabog appears as ruler over the Earth. He is mentioned among the gods, statues to whom were  erected in Kiev, and in the Sons of Igor, we are told that the Russians are Dabog's grandchildren. Under Christian influence Dabog was reduced to playing the part of Satan. The Poles have an equivalent in the god Dazbog.

 

DADIMUNDA:  One of the most popular gods of the Sinhalese people. To begin with, he was a god who looked after temples. then became "treasurer" of the god Upulvan. Finally, he emerged as protector of Buddhism in Ceylon. He rides on an elephant, and there are many "Yaksas" (semi-divine beings) in his retinue.

 

DAPHNE:  Daughter of the river-god Peneios, she was a beautiful nymph who fled from Apollo when he was making advances on her; when Apollo persisted in pursuing her, she was changed at her own wish into a laurel tree.
 

DAGAN:  A west Semitic god of corn. His name was confused by the Israelites with the Hebrew "dag" (fish) — hence, he is illustrated with a fish tail. The Canaanites brought his cult to Mesopotamia where he acquired Salas as his consort. From certain texts we may deduce that he was also equated with the god Enlil. Dagan occupied a special position in the religion of the Amorites in Mari.

 

DAGDA:  An old Irish god whose name means 'the good god'. He occupies a predominant position in the race of gods known as the Tuatha De Danann. The epithet associated with him, Ollahtur, can be translated as "All-father." He is the god of contracts and is equipped with three attributes: an enormous club which slays and can also restore life; a magic harp on which a melody for sleep, a melody for laughter and a melody for woe can be played; and a cooking pot from which no one is turned away hungry.

 

DAKINI:  Spiritual beings in Buddhism who fly in the air. They are invested with magical powers and can initiate novices into the secret learning of the Tantra. They can be of assistance to a Yogin who wishes to further his spiritual insight. They appear
as young girls hideously disguised or with the head of a lion or bird and with the face of a horse or dog. They are supposed to eat human beings.

 

DAMBALLA:  A divine being venerated in Haiti whom all Loa regard as their father. His sacred color is white and his symbolical creature is the snake. St. John the Evangelist who is portrayed with a snake (because of the legend of the beaker of poisoned wine) is regarded as a manifestation of the still-worshipped Damballa.

 

DAMU:  Sumerian god, son of the goddess of prosperity Nin'ninsina. The centre of his cult was at Isin; one of his epithets was "great priest of exorcism."

 

DEDUN:  Egyptian god, lord and giver of incense. To the monarch, Dedun brings the peoples and riches of southern lands. He was usually portrayed in human guise, but could also assume the form of a lion.

 

DEIVE:  Lithuanian appellation for divinity; certain stones which were the objects of veneration were called "deyves." With the coming of Christianity, the word came to mean 'a heathen deity' or a fairy of some kind.

 

DEMETER:  Greek goddess of the Earth and fertility, daughter of Rheia and Kronos; While searching for her daughter Persephone, she was well received in Attika and
showed her thanks by teaching the king's son how to organize the fields and planting. Her epithet Melissa (bee), indicates her maternal and nourishing function. Her main feast was the Thesmorphia, a fertility rite from which men were excluded. The mysteries enacted in honor of Demeter at Eleusis took place in a shrine which was accessible only to initiates who were bound by solemn vows to secrecy.

 

DEVEL:  This is what gypsies call their highest being. Contact with Christianity led to a distinction between 'baro devel" (great or old god) and "tikno devel" (small or young god), the latter being Christ. The word devel is cognate with the Sanskrit deva, or “god.”
 

DIANA:  Ancient Italian goddess of woods and forests; in Rome and Latium she was also held to be protectress of virginity and was worshiped as a moon-goddess. Her name is derived from Diviana (the female shining one). As goddess of the federal cult of the Latins, she had a temple on Aventine Hill. Tales from Greek myth about the
divine huntress Artemis were taken over by the Romans and applied to Diana.

 

DIEVINI:  In Latvian belief, a body of minor gods entrusted with looking after houses.

 

DIEVS:  This Latvian representation of a sky-god is sometimes shown mounted on a horse and sometimes riding on a wagon, as a well-to-do farmer. He is often shown with
a cap and bearing a sword. In Latvian mythology, he is regarded as the essence of
all gods.

 

DIKE:  In Greek, meaning "manner" or "usage," The personification of righteousness,
belonging to the Horae. Aeschylos shows the prosperous sinner coming to grief on the rock of Dike.

 

DISIR:  Collective name for certain goddesses of fertility and destiny in Germanic mythology. The disir sacrifice is performed in the autumn and recalls the vegetarian gods and goddesses. Among West Germans, the disir took over the role of goddesses
of destiny and fate as well as that of goddesses of battle. In the "Edda," Valkyries and Norns are described as disir.

 

DRUDEN:  Drude is a term, widespread in south Germany and Austria for a demon that harries you in your sleep. It means "Ghost" in Middle High German. In folklore the pentagram (or"drudenfusz") is regarded as a protective charm against evil spirits.

 

DUILLAE:  Ancient Hispanic goddesses, occurring in pairs. They were nature goddesses who protected vegetation. They have been compared with the Gallic Matres, whose role seems to be very similar.

 

DURGA:  HIndu goddess of the Great Mother type, Revered by the broad masses in the Bengal, Assam and the Deccan. The spouse of Siva, she is a giver of food. In her friendly aspect, she is called 'Gauri', in her fearsome aspect she appears as 'Candi' or as 'Kali'. These names indicate that Durga is a composite figure incorporating various goddesses, once independent, who merged with her cult. Her main feast, "Durgapuja," is celebrated in autumn.

 

EA:  Babylonian god corresponding to the Sumerian Enki. Ea's realm was the sweet
water ocean under the Earth and his temple was in the house of Apsu. A god of wisdom, he was an artist whose hands formed Man. He was known as A'as to the Hittites and regarded as keeper of the tablets of destiny.

 

EGERIA:  A nymph associated with springs and wells in Roman mythology, who gradually assumed the functions of a birth-goddess, Legend has it that she was a counselor for King Numba Pompilius, to whom she came during the night to reveal the will of the gods.

 

EGRES:  God of vegetation and fertility venerated by the ancient Finns, especially in Karelia. He was first, and foremost, the protector and donator of turnips. The twin fruit of the turnip was his symbol and he was known as "Holy Akras."

 

EKCHUAH:  The Mayan god of traveling merchants. In specialist literature he is known as "god M." He is represented as black in color with a dangling lower lip and a scorpion's tail.

 

EPONA:  A goddess worshipped in Gaul, usually shown riding a horse. Her attribute is a cornucopia, sometimes also a dog. It is uncertain whether the horse and the dog are to be interpreted as dead animals, and Epona herself as a goddess of the underworld. The cornucopia also suggests a fertility cult.

 

ERATO:  One of the nine Muses. She is the muse of lyric poetry, especially love poetry, and is usually portrayed holding a stringed instrument in her hands.

 

ERGE:  In Basque folklore, and attested in myth; a spirit that takes men's lives.

 

ERIS:  Greek goddess of dissension and strife, sister of the war-god Ares. One of the best-known scenes in Greek mythology shows Eris throwing the "apple of contention" on which is written for the fairest among the wedding guests, thus provoking a quarrel among the goddesses present. Roman writers took Eris over, using the name Discordia ("dissension").

 

ERRA:  Babylonian god of plagues. Stung by the demonic Sebettu, he brings plague and misfortune to mankind. His advisor, who succeeds in pacifying him, is Issum. It is not certain whether there is any connection between the Akkadian word Erra and the Hittite Jarri.

 

ES:  Sky-god of the Ket people of the Yenisei in Siberia. He is invisible but is portrayed
as an old man with a long black beard. He kneaded the first humans from clay: whatever he threw with his right hand toward the left became a man, and whatever he threw with his left hand toward the right became a woman.

 

ESHU:  A trickster god who directs traffic along the "road of life" who can act as a go-between to carry messages between this world and the spirit world and to any living thing. He can offer advice to those faced with important choices, and symbols associated with him include a red feather and a large staff. 

 

ESUS:  Gallic god, whose name remains unexplained. The writer Lukianos reported the god's desire for human blood. Two altars have been found which show him using an axe against a tree; it is not known exactly why.

 

EUROS:  Greek god of the southeast wind. His epithet is Argestes; "He who cleans up," like the other wind gods associated with different quarters of the heavens. He is a son of the god Eros.

 

FAFNIR:  In Germanic mythology, a demonic being who killed his father, and then, in dragon form, guarded the great golden treasures of the Nibelungs, until being slayed by Siegfried. 

 

FINN:  The hero of a very extensive cycle of tales in Ireland. The saga centers around the red deer. Finn's peogeny are called the Oisin -- deer calves. One of his wives, Saar, is a hind, and he himself can appear as a man, dog or stag, according to how he turns his hood. He can also appear as a manifestation of King Mongan, who is a son of the sea god Monannan.

 

FJORGYN:  A North German goddess. In "The Voluspa," she appears as the mother of Thor. The etymology of her name would suggest that she is a mountain or forest goddess and was probably revered as a goddess of fertility.

 

FLORA: Roman goddess of growing corn and blossoming flowers. originally worshipped by the Oceans and the Sabines. In Rome, her feast (Floralia) was celebrated from April 28 to the beginning of May. It was an uninhibited and somewhat immoral revel; Flora herself was known as Meretrix — whore, but the lasciviousness was probably intended to promote fecundity.

 

FRIJA: Also known as Frigg, a Germanic goddess, incorporating on the one hand gross sensuality (she is accused of adultery) and on the other hand the maternal principle. Her name is translated as she who is loved and spouse. She protects like and partakes in the wisdom of her husband Odin.

 

FU SHEN:  Chinese god of luck He is usually portrayed in the blue robes of an official, with his son on his arm. Often he forms a triad along with Shou Lao and Cai Shen.
 

GABJAUJA:  Lithuanian goddess of corn, to whom prayers were said for general prosperity and riches. Demoted with the coming of Christianity to the status of an evil spirit.

 

GABRIEL:  In the Bible, an angel who appears as a messenger from God. In the New Testament it is he who brings Mary the tidings that God has chosen her to be the mother of his son. In the Jewish apocalyptic literature, he figures as an angel of retribution; in Christianity, as an archangel with Michael, Raphael and Uriel, and in Islamic tradition his name is Gab'ril, and is at the apex of the angelic host.

 

GANESH (GANAPATI):  Indian god of the art of writing and wisdom, son of Parvati and Siva, whose retinue he leads. He is portrayed as having the head of an elephant, one tusk and a pot belly. He rides on a rat and in his four hands he holds a thorn, a garland of roses, the broken second tusk and a bowl of rice cake. On South Indian monuments he wears a crown. In Nepal a form of Ganesh called Heramba appears, which has five elephant heads, while in Thailand the god is often depicted with four heads and two arms. Ganapati was also taken over by Buddhism.

 

GANYMEDES:  Originally a demonic guardian of the well of life. In Greek mythology he appears as a beautiful youth. Zeus falls in love with him and sends his eagle to abduct him. He becomes the gods' cup bearer, giving them their daily life-giving draught. In the late Hellenic and Roman periods Ganymedes was transferred to the heavens in the shape of Aquarius the water bearer.

 

GARM:  In Old Icelandic, a mythical dog who howls and barks at his cave at the onset of Ragnarok (the destruction of the world) and which fights the god Tyr in the apocalyptic final battle.

 

GARUDA:  The prince of birds in Indian mythology and the enemy of snakes. His anthomorphic body is golden in color and he has the head, wings and claws of an eagle. Garuda has been interpreted as a sun symbol. In Buddhism, Garudas are divine bird creatures; Gautama is said to have been a "Garuda-king" in a former life.

 

GAUEKO:  In Basque belief and mythology, the lord of darkness. He may on occasion prove friendly and helpful, But can also appear as a devil. He often manifests himself in
the shape of a cow or a gust of wind.

 

GEB:  Old Egyptian Earth god. In the Pyramid texts, we are told that the dead enter 'geb' (the earth). Kings of Egypt designated themselves as 'Heirs of Geb.' He is represented wearing the crown of Lower Egypt on his head and may also be shown with a goose on his head (his determinative sign).

 

GEBELEIZIS:  Herodotus mentions this god of thunderstorms venerated by the Thracians who lived in the Balkans. He has been identified with Zalmoxis, the supreme Thracian god. 

 

GILTINE:  Lithuanian god of death. Her name derives from the verb "gelti" — to sting or harm. Clad in white, she approaches the house in which the sick person lies, then she strangles or suffocates him.

 

GONG GONG:  Chinese devil who lets loose the great flood and is the adversary of the ruling god. He is embodied in a black dragon and attended by the nine-headed snake-bodied Xiang Yao, whose excretions generate evil-smelling springs and swamps.
 

GOU MANG and RU SHOU:  The messengers of the Chinese sky god. The former promises good luck and long life, while the second augurs punishment and disaster. They share the attribute of double dragons. Gou Mang is associated with the spring and the East, and Ru Shou, with the autumn and the West.

 

GRAII:  The daughters of the sea-god Phorkys, who guard the way to the Gorgons. They have one eye and one tooth between the three of them.

 

GUAN DI:  Chinese god of war, patron of literature and protector of trade and merchants. In the Manchu dynasty he was particularly venerated because of his warlike functions; but in other periods of Chinese history he was regarded as the guardian of righteousness, which protects men from strife and evil. In origin he was an ordinary man called Guan Zhong, done to death by his adversary but later deified on account of his many and signal virtues.

 

GURZIL:  A god in the shape of a bull, venerated in ancient Tripolitania. One tradition
relates that he was begotten by Ammon on a cow.

 

GULA:  Old Mesopotamian goddess of healing, wife of Ninurta. In the old Babylonian she was equated with Nin'insina, and the dog was the symbolical animal of both.

 

GUTA:  In Hungarian folklore, a demonic being, a representative of the seamy side of things. He strikes down his victims.

 

GWYDYON:  A god venerated in ancient Wales who was born in a mysterious way: he was concerned with war and with poverty and also shows characteristics of an underworld god. Thus, in later folklore, the Milky Way (seen as the way taken by the dead), was named Caer Gwydyon.

 

HANUMAN:  In India, an ape venerated as a god. Indra hurled a thunderbolt at him and smashed his jaw because he tried to grab the sun. Hanuman was regarded as the patron saint of learning. In the Ramayana he is the loyal companion of Rama in the war against the isle of Lanka. Pictures of him show him trampling the overthrown goddess of Lanka under his left foot.

 

HACHIMAN:  In origin, a Japanese emperor named Ojin who was venerated as a god of war. His sacred creature is the dove.

 

HARIHARA:  A designation for Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara) as a twin divinity. In Campuchea, his image has two heads. When both gods are represented in one single figure, the right hand that holds the trident is Shiva and the left hand holding the wheel is Vishnu.

 

HARPIES:  Female malevolent demons in Greek mythology. They are named Aello, Aellopus, Podarge, Okypete, and Kelaino, but all the names suggest the stormy wind. They are described as hideous hybrids, part woman and part bird.

 

HARPRE:  Egyptian god, the child of 'Month' and of "Rat-taui," worshipped in Hermonthis. His function was to protect the king from illness and misfortune.

 

HATHOR:  Egyptian sky goddess. Her name means House of Horus, where 'house' may be taken to denote both the cosmic house of heaven, and the womb. She is portrayed in the form of a cow due to the conception of the sky as an enormous cow in the Nile Delta. An ancient tree-cult is connected with Hathor. She is 'queen of the date-palm,' and 'queen of the sycamore.' She dispenses food and drink to the dead.

 

HEBAT:  Chief goddess of the Hurrians, "Queen of heaven" and wife of the weather-god Tesuh. She was taken into the Hittite pantheon, and then frequently equated with the sun goddess Arinna. She is portrayed as standing on a lion or a panther, or sometimes sitting on a throne wearing a pointed cap.

 

HEKET:  Egyptian goddess in the form of a frog (a symbol of life and fertility) She ranked as a primeval goddess and a tutelary goddess of childbirth. In the town of Kus she was revered as the mother of Haroeris.

 

HEL:  In Old Germanic mythology the name of the realm of the dead and its queen. Hel is the daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. As the sister of Fenrir and the Midgard-snake, she has demonic character. Hel is entitled to claim dominion over all those who die in the land except those who fall in battle. Even the gods must tread the way of Hel, like Balder after his early death.

 

HELIOS:  Greek sun god, son of Titan. Helios is he who sees all and hears all and who is invoked as witness to a sworn oath. As god of light he can make blind men see, but can strike sinners blind. He was worshipped on Rhodes and in the Peloponese. In art, Helios was often represented driving a chariot drawn by four winged horses, his head surrounded by a halo of rays. His Roman counterpart was Sol.

 

HENGE:  Chinese goddess of the moon, a younger sister of the river-god He Bo. After stealing the pill of immortality from her husband the sun god Shen Yi, she fled to the moon, where she lived ever since as a toad. She is represented in art wearing regal garments. In her right hand she carries the disc of the moon. Heng E is a symbolic figure for the cold, dark female principle (yin).

 

HEPHAISTOS:  Greek god of fire, of smiths and craftsmen. Because he was lame when he came into the world, his mother Hera threw him out of Olympus. In his underworld smithy he fashioned weapons, assisted by the Cyclops. He was a god of Asia Minor, and on the island of Lemnos he was revered as the embodiment of fire that broke from Earth, At the end of the Sixth Century B.C. his cult reached Athens; the Romans identified him with Vulcanus.

 

HERA:  Hera, wife of Zeus, was the goddess of marriage and known under the Roman
name Juno. She hated Heracles because he was the son of her husband and a mortal woman, trying to kill him in his crib with snakes. She later aided Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece.

 

HERMAPHRODITOS:  Son of Hermes and Aphrodite, he was passionately loved by the spring nymph Salmakis, so much that their bodies merged and united forever, giving rise to an androgynous being. The cult of this twin divinity ( which may have ancient Oriental antecedents ) reached Athens by way of Cyprus.

 

HERMES:  One of the most popular of the Greek gods, son of Zeus and the mountain nymph Mala. In front of Greek houses' pillars used to stand in which Hermes was said to reside in order to protect the dwelling from harm. Hermes is the messenger of the gods, equipped with a herald's staff, a hat and winged shoes. He is protector of travelers, tradesmen and also of thieves. As god of the herds and flocks, he has the epithet Nomios. He has a happy relationship with music (he is credited with inventing the lyre) and as such, was chosen as the symbol of Mercury Records ("Hermes" Roman counterpart).

 

HESPERIDES:  Greek nymphs who guard the tree with golden apples in the Garden of the Gods along with the dragon, Ladon. They were supposed to be the daughters of the night, Nyx, or of the giant Atlas.

 

HESTIA:  Greek goddess of the hearth and its fire; daughter of Kronos and Rheia. The hearth was the sacred focus of the household, and there a small sacrifice was made to the goddess before meals. The corresponding figure in the Roman pantheon was Vesta.
 

HE XIAN-GU:  The only female in the group of the "eight immortals." She is usually shown holding a lotus blossom, often also with a peach (the symbol of immortality) or a ladle — this last in token of her function as a patron goddess of housewives.

 

HIMAVAT:  The personification of the Himalaya mountains. This mountain god is the father of Parvati and of the Ganga

 

HINKON: God of hunting and lord of the animals among the Tungus tribes who live on the Yenisei River in Siberia.

 

HLODYN:  Old Icelandic goddess of the Earth and fertility. One tradition makes her the mother of Thor. There is probably an etymological and semantic connection with the name of the West German goddess Hludana; the latter has been seen as the matrix for the figure of Holle.

 

HONIR:  North Germanic German god who had a hand in the origin of humanity, along with Odin and Loki. Odin gave the first men life, Loki gave them language, sight and hearing and Honir gave them understanding and feelings. Honir was reputed to be the fastest runner and the best of the hunters.

 

HOTEI:  One of the Japanese gods of good fortune. He is seen as a friend of the weak and of children. Typically, his fat paunch is bare — it is a symbol of friendly good cheer.

 

HUIRACOCHA (VIRACOCHA):  The supreme god of the Inca Empire. Traditionally he was connected with Tiahuanaco, whose importance as a cult-site extends back into pre-Inca times. According to the myth he was born of a virgin and often displayed solar characteristics. His epithet, Pachamac, designates him as "creator of the world." Those who fail to do fitting homage to the god are destroyed by fire or by flood.

 

HURUCAN:  High god and creator of the Quiche Indians who live in Central America. He is the "heart of heaven". He created the first land by calling out the word "Earth!" and formed the human race from maize dough. He dwells at one and the same time in
heaven, on earth and in the underworld.

 

HYGIEIA:  Greek goddess of good health, god of the god of healing, Asklepios. She is pictured giving water in a bowl to a snake.

 

HYMIR:  A Nordic giant living at the edge of heaven; he possesses a large beer vat. His female companion is the mother of the god Tyr. Tyr and Thor visit him to borrow the vat.

 

HYPERION:  Old Greek god of light and husband of Theia; their children were the sun-god Helios and the moon-god Selene.

 

HYPNOS:  Greek god of sleep, the son of night and brother of death. In art, he is usually depicted as a winged youth with a poppy-stalk and a small horn in his hands. The Romans called him Somnus.

 

IAKCHAOS:  A youthful demon, perhaps a god in the Eleusinian mysteries. He is the personification of the shout of "Iakche!" — a triumphant cry in honor of the Eleusinian goddess, uttered by the faithful during the ceremonial procession. In Greek myth, Iakchaos is the son of Demeter or of Persephone, and is seen as the reborn Zagreus.

 

IHI:  Young son of the Egyptian goddess Hathor; he is the lord of the sistrum, the musical instrument which drives away evil powers. Accordingly, the sistrum is his attribute.
 

IKENGA:  The function of this god, worshipped by the Igbo in Nigeria, was to guide men's hands or arms correctly, hence his name, meaning 'upper right arm." The image of Ikenga set up in households are supposed to ensure prosperity and good fortune, and their advice is often sought by the inmates.

 

ILAZKI:  The moon is regarded as female by the Basques, and this is one of the names given to it. It is also known as "grandmother" and "Holy grandmother." In some Basque regions they tell children that the moon is the face of God.

 

ILLAPA:  The god of lightning, thunder and rainstorms in the pre-Colombian Inca Empire.
 

INARI:  The god of foodstuffs in Shintoism, usually represented as a bearded man carrying two bundles of rice. His messenger is the fox; this is why there are foxes in front of Inari shrines. In popular belief, the god and fox merge to form one being. In Japanese belief, there was a goddess of rice called Inara.

 

ING:  Divine progenitor of the Germanic Ingwaeons who lived on the Baltic coast. The meaning of the word is not clear: "lance," "yew" and "man" have all been suggested. According to an Anglo-Saxon runic poem, the god Ing seems to be connected to the eastern Danes and corresponds to the Yngoi of the Scandinavian tradition. It is possible that the Vandals brought the cult of Ing from Sweden.

 

INTI:  The Inca sun-god, the object of particular veneration along with the creator-god
Huiracocha. Inti was seen by the Inca rulers as their progenitor, and was represented by a gold disc with a human face.

 

IRIS:  A sister of the Harpies, a virgin goddess who hastens down from the commandments of Zeus and Hera. She is usually shown as winged and bearing
a herald's staff.

 

IRMIN:  Old Germanic god, whom we can probably equate with the war god Tiwaz. Originally the name seems to have meant 'divine' or 'holy', but came to mean 'strong' or 'mighty'. The Irmin Pillar in Saxony probably refers to this god. The Irmingot (great
god) in the Hildebrandslied is perhaps a late echo of Irmin, though the poem itself shows Christian influence.

 

ISIS:  Isis was perhaps the personification of the throne, conceived as a female deity and she bears the determinant of the seat of authority on her head. Myth tells how she sought out her dead brother and husband Osiris, from whom she received the child Horus. She buried him and mourned him together with her sister Nephtys. Later, every dead person came to life to be identified with Osiris, and she became a protector of the dead, From the Middle Kingdom onward, her solar aspect is displayed in her epithet 'Eye of Re'. She was Queen of Sirius, and Greek authors interpreted her as a moon-goddess. In the Hellenic period Isis became the patron of seafarers and was given a rudder as a tribute. She was mostly portrayed in human form: the cow's horns and the sun-disc she bears on her head, she owes to her coalescence with the figure of Hathor.

 

ISTANU (ESTAN):  Hittite sun-god: the Hattic form is Estan ("sun" and "god").
For the written form of his name the Sumerian cuneiform determinant for "Utu" was used. In iconography, one of his main attributes is a winged sun as part of his head-dress. In his right hand he bears the lituus, a staff whose lower tip is crooked. As the sun god is able to see all things, he is judge over men and animals.

 

IWALDI:  In Germanic mythology, a dwarf skilled in forging and casting; father of the goddess Idum. He and his sons built Freyr's ship Skidbladnir, and Odin's spear Gungnir.

 

IZANAMI:  Primeval goddess in Shintoism, the embodiment in the earthly and the gloomy. She is the Earth Mother. When giving birth to her son, the god of fire, she died, then went to rule the underworld. Her husband was the sky-god Izanagi.

 

JANUS: Roman god of gateways. of entrances and exits. Metaphorically, the double-faced god also stands for beginning and end, the threshold point at which the old year ends and the new year begins (accordingly, January is named after him). Among his attributes are keys and a janitor's staff. His temple had a double door which was kept locked in peacetime and opened in times of war. Important matters of any kind were commended to his care, for example, sowing and harvest. In Roman mythology it is Janus mankind has to thank for agriculture and law.

 

JAHWE (YAWEH):  The name of the god of Israel. The Third Commandment states, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." This was taken to heart so seriously that while the four consonants of the name could be written as  JHWH — the name itself was pronounced with the vowels of "Adoni" (Lord), believed to be "He who exists"; "He who summons to existence". For Israelites, he was "jahwe" or "zebaoth" (lord of hosts). The Old Testament says that The Ark of the Covenant was the visible token of the divine presence. God himself could not be represented in any form; in Christian art, the tetragrammalon (the four Hebrew letters), symbolizes almighty God.

 

JAMBHALA:  Buddhist god of riches, in origin, a "Yaksa." He has a pot-belly; in his right hand he holds a lemon and in his left hand, a mongoose which is sporting jewels.
It is said that several Buddhist teachers received gold or food from Jambhala.

 

JAMM:  Phoenician-Canaanite god of water, especially of the sea; one of his epithets makes him "river ruler". He presumed to claim a ruling position vis-a-vis the other gods, but was overcome by Baal; his consolation prize was the goddess Attart, who became his bride.

 

JESUS CHRIST:  Symbol of hope to millions of Christians around the world and central figure of the Christian faith. . Born of Mary and Joseph, the Biblical story of his short life, (he died at 33), is one of history's most famous. To Christians. he is a source of guidance, love,miracles, peace and sacrifice in atonement. On this day, we honor His birth and the messages of His teachings and His life.

 

JETAITA:  An earth spirit feared by the Yamana, a tribe living in Tierra del Fuego. He is supposed to be present at initiation ceremonies in the cult-house, where she is represented by a man painted black and white.

 

JINN:  This appellation for a class of demonic beings goes back to pre-Islamic times.
The jinn were originally native spirits who were also believed to cause madness.
A specific class of jinn were the ghouls, female spirits who appeared in animal form.

 

JOH:  Egyptian word for the moon and for the moon-god. Originally much-venerated, especially in Thebes, he was gradually absorbed by Thot.

 

JORD:  North Germanic goddess of the Earth. In the Edda, she is described as at once
the daughter of Odin. Like Fjorgyn, she is supposed to be the mother of Thor.

 

JUMIS:  Latvian god of fertility, symbolized by two fruits joined in growth — ears of rye, nuts or flax stalks. In order to feed the strength of Jumi back into the ground, ripened ears are bent over to the Earth and held there by stones.

 

JUPITER:  The name comes from "diu-pater" (something like "Father of light"). The Ides, days when there was a full moon, were sacred to him. The supreme tutelary god of Rome formed a trinity with Juno and Minerva. As Fulgar, he tossed lightning and as Tonans, he made thunder boom. As the Roman Empire expanded his warlike functions were more extolled. The Roman god merged to a large extent with provincial gods in far-flung parts of the Roman Empire, for example, with the Syrian Solichenus. In myth, Zeus and Jupiter are equated.

 

KALEVANPOJAT:  In Finnish folk tradition, gigantic demonic beings who turn fertile land into heaps of stones and wasteland, and forests into marshy meadows.

 

KALI:  An Indian goddess of the Great Mother type. She is the menacing and fearful aspect of Durga, and is usually shown standing on her husband Shiva or placing her left foot on him. She has black hair, her tongue hangs out and she wears a string of human skulls around her neck. As Kalatri ("black night") she is the mythic embodiment
of a natural force which veils everything at the time of the creation of or the destruction of the world. She is worshipped by Hindus throughout the world.

 

KALLIOPE:  "She of the beautiful voice" is one of the Muses, the daughters of Zeus and thought to be sources of creative inspiration. Kalliope is the muse who was specifically concerned with epics and clergy.

 

KALUNGA:  The supreme being of the Ndonga in Angola, Kalunga is believed to have given himself this name and he looks like a man, though it is true that he never allows himself to be seen as a whole. He is characterized by wisdom and compassion. He sees and hears all and is a just and righteous judge. His son's name is Musisi.

 

KALYPSO:  A Greek nymph who rescues the castaway Odysseus and keeps him for seven years. Her name comes from the Greek verb kalypto — to cover or conceal, and this has prompted the suggestion that she is really a goddess of death.