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.
A Greek Dryad depicted in a painting
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
American
Aztec mythology
- 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
Inca mythology
- Pachamama, fertility goddess who presides over planting, harvesting and earthquakes
Maya mythology
- Yum Kaax, god of agriculture, wild plants and animals
Native American mythology
- Asintmah, Athabaskan earth and nature goddess, and the first woman to walk the earth
- Ngen, Mapuche spirits of nature
Vodou
- 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
Arab mythology
- Dhat-Badan, Ethiopian, and Yemeni goddess of the oasis
Chinese mythology
- Tu Di Gong, god of a specific locality and nearby human communities
Hittite mythology
- Irpitiga, lord of the earth
- Sarruma, god of the mountains
Japanese mythology
- 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
Korean mythology
- 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
Mesopotamian mythology
- 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
Persian mythology
- 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.
Turco-Mongol
- Yer Tanrı, is the goddess of earth in Turkic mythology. Also known as Yer Ana.
European
Baltic mythology
- Medeina, Lithuanian goddess of forests, trees, and animals
- Zemes māte, goddess of the earth
Celtic mythology
- 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
English mythology
- 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]
Etruscan mythology
- Selvans, god of the woodlands
Mari
- Mlande, god of the earth
- Mlande-Ava, goddess of the earth
Georgian mythology
- Dali, goddess of mountain animals such as ibex and deer
Germanic mythology
- Ēostre or Ostara, the goddess of spring
- Nerthus, goddess of the earth, called by the Romans Terra Mater.
Greek mythology
- 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
- Gaea, 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
Norse mythology
- 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
Roman mythology
- 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 Gaea
Slavic mythology
- 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
Māori mythology
- Papatuanuku, the earth mother
- Ranginui, the sky father
- Ruaumoko, god of volcanoes and seasons
- Tāne, god of forests and of birds
Micronesian mythology
- Nei Tituaabine, Kiribati goddess of trees
Philippine mythology
- 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
Toraja
- 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
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