Water deity
Encyclopedia
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 were springs or holy well
s.
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
in mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
associated with water or various bodies of water
Body of water
A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water, usually covering the Earth or another planet. The term body of water most often refers to large accumulations of water, such as oceans, seas, and lakes, but it may also include smaller pools of water such as ponds, puddles or...
. 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 were springs or holy well
Holy well
A holy well, or sacred spring, is a small body of water emerging from underground and revered either in a Pagan or Christian context, often both. Holy wells were frequently pagan sacred sites that later became Christianized. The term 'holy well' is commonly employed to refer to any water source of...
s.
Aztec mythology
- AtlacamaniAtlacamaniIn Aztec mythology, Atlacamani was the goddess of oceanic storms such as hurricanes. She was probably an aspect of Chalchiuhtlicue....
, goddess of oceanic storms - AmimitlAmimitl-References:...
, god of lakes and fishermen - AtlauaAtlauaIn Aztec mythology, Atlaua was a water goddess, protector of fishermen and archers.There were said to be at least 4 ancient Aztec temples at which she was worshiped, the tallest supposedly being over 200 feet tall...
, a water deity, patron of fishers and archers - ChalchiuhtlatonalChalchiuhtlatonalIn Aztec mythology, Chalchiuhtlatonal was a god of water. He looks over the sea, and protects the animals living in it. It is said that he granted the gift of water to one human in 10,000 years to help look after the sea....
, god of water - ChalchiuhtlicueChalchiuhtlicueChalchiuhtlicue was an Aztec goddess of love, beauty, youth, lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism. Reputedly universally revered at the time of the Spanish conquest, she was an important deity figure in the Postclassic Aztec realm of central Mexico...
, goddess of lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism - HuixtocihuatlHuixtocihuatlIn Aztec mythology, Huixtocihuatl was a fertility goddess who presided over salt and salt water. Her younger brother was Tlaloc, and the rain gods, the Tlaloques are her sisters, or, in some sources, the children of Tlaloc...
, fertility goddess who presided over salt and salt water - TlalocTlalocTlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he...
, god of rain, fertility, and water
Celtic mythology
- AcionnaAcionnaAcionna was a Gallo-Roman water goddess, attested in the Orléanais region.In 1822, Jean-Baptiste Jollois, one of the founding fathers of archaeology in the region, carried out excavations on the so-called "fontaine de l'Étuvée", an ancient water-source which he artificially drained to rediscover if...
(GaulishCeltic mythologyCeltic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
) - a water goddess/genius lociGenius lociIn classical Roman religion a genius loci was the protective spirit of a place. It was often depicted in religious iconography as a figure holding a Cornucopia, patera and/or a snake. There are many Roman altars found in Western Europe dedicated in whole or in part to the particular Genius Loci...
of the OrleanaisOrléanaisOrléanais is a former province of France, around the cities of Orléans, Chartres, and Blois.The name comes from Orléans, its main city and traditional capital. The province was one of those into which France was divided before the French Revolution...
region and the Essonne - BoannBoannBoann or Boand is the Irish mythology goddess of the River Boyne, a river in Leinster, Ireland. According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn she was the daughter of Delbáeth, son of Elada, of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her husband is variously Nechtan, Elcmar or Nuada. Her lover is the Dagda, by whom she had...
- goddess of the River BoyneRiver BoyneThe River Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newbury Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea between Mornington, County Meath and Baltray, County Louth. Salmon...
(IrishIrish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
) - Dylan Eil TonDylan Eil TonDylan ail Don is a character in the Welsh mythic Mabinogion tales, particularly in the fourth tale, "Math fab Mathonwy"...
(WelshWelsh mythologyWelsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin....
) - GrannusGrannusIn the Celtic polytheism of classical antiquity, Grannus was a deity associated with spas, healing thermal and mineral springs, and the sun. He was regularly identified with Apollo as Apollo Grannus...
, a god associated with spas, the sun, fires and healing thermal and mineral springs - LirLirLer or Lir is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is named Allód in early genealogies, and corresponds to the Llŷr of Welsh mythology...
(IrishIrish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
), god of the sea - LlŷrLlyrLlŷr is a figure in Welsh mythology, the father of Brân, Brânwen and Manawydan by Penarddun. The Welsh Triads mention he was imprisoned by Euroswydd; the Second Branch of the Mabinogi names Euroswydd as the father of Penarddun's younger two sons, Nisien and Efnisien. Llŷr corresponds to Lir in...
(WelshWelsh mythologyWelsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin....
), god of the sea - Manannán mac LirManannán mac LirManannán mac Lir is a sea deity in Irish mythology. He is the son of the obscure Lir . He is often seen as a psychopomp, and has strong affiliations with the Otherworld, the weather and the mists between the worlds...
(IrishIrish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
), god of the sea - NodensNodensNodents is a Celtic deity associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs. He was worshipped in ancient Britain, most notably in a temple complex at Lydney Park in Gloucestershire, and possibly also in Gaul...
, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs - Sinann (IrishIrish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
), goddess of the River ShannonRiver ShannonThe River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception... - SequanaSequanaIn Gallo-Roman religion, Sequana was the goddess of the river Seine, particularly the springs at the source of the Seine, and the Gaulish tribe the Sequani...
(GaulishCeltic mythologyCeltic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
), goddess of the River Seine
Chinese mythology
- Gong GongGong GongGong Gong is a Chinese water god or sea monster, said to resemble a serpent or dragon. He is responsible for the great floods together with his associate, Xiang Yao , who had nine heads and the body of a snake....
, water god who is responsible for the great floods, together with his associate, Xiang Yao - Mazu, water goddess and protector of sailors
Egyptian mythology
- AntiAnti (mythology)In Egyptian mythology, Anti was a god whose worship centred at Antaeopolis, in the northern part of Upper Egypt....
, god of ferrymen - HapyHapyHapi, sometimes transliterated as Hapy, not to be confused with another god of the same name, was a deification of the annual flooding of the Nile River in Ancient Egyptian religion, which deposited rich silt on its banks, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops. His name means Running One, probably...
, god of the annual flooding of the river NileNileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major... - Khnum, god of creation and the waters
- Nu, deification of the primordial watery abyss
- SobekSobekSobek , and in Greek, Suchos was the deification of crocodiles, as crocodiles were deeply feared in the nation so dependent on the Nile River...
, crocodile god of the Nile river, warfare and fertility - Wadj-werWadj-werWadj-wer is an Egyptian fertility god whose name means the "Great Green". Sometimes depicted in androgynous form, he is a personification of the Mediterranean Sea or of the major lakes of the Nile delta. He is depicted as carrying the ankh and a loaf. Wadj-wer is often depicted as being pregnant...
, fertility god and personification of the Mediterranean Sea - TefnutTefnutIn Ancient Egyptian religion, Tefnut, transliterated tfnt is a goddess of moisture, moist air, dew and rain. She is the sister and consort of the air god Shu and the mother of Geb and Nut.- Etymology :...
, a goddess of rain
Finnish mythology
- AhtiAhtiThis article is about the Finnish mythic hero. For the fictional city in the Star Wars universe, go to Manaan.In Finnish mythology, Ahti or Ahto is one of the heroic figures Elias Lönnrot compiled in the character of Lemminkäinen...
, god of the depths and fish - Iku-TursoIku-TursoIku-Turso is a malevolent sea monster in the Finnish mythology. Nowadays Meritursas means octopus in Finnish, named after Iku-Turso, but originally tursas is an old name for walrus while the more common term is mursu. However, it is more common to see the word Iku-Turso is a malevolent sea...
, a malevolent sea monster - VedenemoFinnish mythologyFinnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...
, a goddess of water - VellamoVellamoIn Finnish mythology, Vellamo is the goddess of the sea, the wife of Ahti. The name is derived from velloa, "to rock oneself." She is sometimes described as "cold hearted". Along with Ahti, she dwells in the undersea palace of Ahtola. She is often pictured as a mermaid.-External links:*"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
- AkheilosAkheilosAkheilos was the sea spirit of the shark in Greek mythology, and had a shark's head. In the Iliad, it was said to have saved Ajax the Lesser from death by Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. As a punishment for helping Ajax the Lesser, Akheilos lost his godly power to Poseidon, god of the sea,...
, shark-shaped sea spirit - AmphitriteAmphitriteIn ancient Greek mythology, Amphitrite was a sea-goddess and wife of Poseidon. Under the influence of the Olympian pantheon, she became merely the consort of Poseidon, and was further diminished by poets to a symbolic representation of the sea...
, sea goddess and consort of Poseidon - AnaposAnaposAnapos was a water god of eastern Sicily in Greek mythology. When he opposed the kidnapping of Persephone along with the nymph Cyane, Hades turned them into a river and a fountain, respectively....
, water god of eastern Sicily - BrizoBrizoBrizo is an ancient Greek goddess who was known as the protector of mariners, sailors, and fishermen. She was worshipped primarily by the women of Delos, who set out food offerings in small boats. Brizo was also known as a prophet specializing in the interpretation of dreams.-References:**...
, 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 CancerCancer (constellation)Cancer is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for crab and it is commonly represented as such. Its symbol is . Cancer is small and its stars are faint...
. - CetoCetoIn ancient Greek, the word ketos - Latinized as cetus - denotes a large fish, a whale, a shark, or a sea monster. The sea monsters slain by Perseus and Heracles were each referred to as a cetus by ancient sources. The term cetacean originates from cetus. In Greek art, cetea were depicted as...
, goddess of the dangers of the ocean and of sea monsters - CharybdisCharybdisCharybdis or Kharybdis was a sea monster, later rationalised as a whirlpool and considered a shipping hazard in the Strait of Messina.-The mythological background:...
, a sea monster and spirit of whirlpools and the tide - CymopoleiaCymopoleiaIn Greek mythology, Cymopolea or Kymopoleia was a daughter of Poseidon. Her father married her to the giant Briareus, who expressed loyalty to the Olympian gods during the Titanomachy....
, a daughter of Poseidon and goddess of giant storm waves - Delphin, the leader of the dolphins, Poseidon placed him in the sky as the constellation Delphin
- DorisDoris (mythology)Doris , an Oceanid, was a sea nymph in Greek mythology, whose name represented the bounty of the sea. She was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and the wife of Nereus. She was also aunt to Atlas, the titan who was made to carry the sky upon his shoulders, whose mother Clymene was a sister of Doris...
, goddess of the sea's bounty - Eidothea, prophetic sea nymph and daughter of Proteus
- Electra, an Oceanid, consort of ThaumasThaumasIn Greek mythology, Thaumas was a sea god, son of Pontus and Gaia. He married an Oceanid, Electra . The children of Thaumas and Electra were the Harpies and Iris, the goddess of rainbows and a messenger of the gods; according to some, also Arke.Thaumas was also the name of a centaur...
- Eurybia, goddess of the mastery of the seas
- Galene (Γαλήνη), goddess of calm seas
- GlaucusGlaucusGlaucus is a Greek name. In modern Greek usage, the name is usually transliterated Glafkos. It may refer to:*Glaucus, a sea-god in Greek mythology*Glaucus , a mythical Lycian captain in the Trojan War...
, the fisherman's sea god - Gorgons, three monstrous sea spirits
- SthenoSthenoStheno , in Greek mythology, was the eldest of the Gorgons, vicious female monsters with brass hands, sharp fangs and "hair" made of living venomous snakes. The daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, she was born in the caverns beneath Mount Olympus...
- EuryaleEuryaleEuryale , in Greek mythology, was the second eldest one of the Gorgons, three vicious sisters with brass hands, sharp fangs, and hair of living, venomous snakes. She and her sister Stheno, unlike their sister, Medusa, were not able to turn any creature to stone with her gaze...
- MedusaMedusaIn Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
- Stheno
- The GraeaeGraeaeThe Graeae , were three sisters who shared one eye and one tooth among them. They are one of several trios of archaic goddesses in Greek mythology. The Graeae were daughters of Phorcys and Ceto...
, three ancient sea spirits who personified the white foam of the sea; they shared one eye and one tooth between them - The HarpiesHarpyIn Greek mythology, a harpy was one of the winged spirits best known for constantly stealing all food from Phineas...
, winged spirits of sudden, sharp gusts of wind - HippocampHippocampThe hippocamp or hippocampus , often called a sea-horse in English, is a mythological creature shared by Phoenician and Greek mythology, though the name by which it is recognised is purely Greek; it became part of Etruscan mythology...
i, the horses of the sea - The IchthyocentaursIchthyocentaursIn Greek mythology ichthyocentaurs were a pair of centaurine sea-gods with the upper body of a man, the lower front of a horse, and the tail of a fish. Also, they wore lobster-claw horns. The two sea-gods were named Bythos and Aphros...
, 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- Bythos
- Aphros
- LadonLadon (mythology)Ladon was the serpent-like dragon that twined and twisted around the tree in the Garden of the Hesperides and guarded the golden apples. He was overcome by Heracles...
, a hundred-headed sea serpent who guarded the western reaches of the sea, and the island and golden apples of the Hesperides - LeucotheaLeucotheaIn Greek mythology, Leucothea , "white goddess") was one of the aspects under which an ancient sea goddess was recognized, in this case as a transformed nymph....
, a sea goddess who aided sailors in distress - NeritesNerites (mythology)In Greek mythology, Nerites was a minor sea deity, son of Nereus and Doris and brother of the fifty Nereides. He is described as a young boy of stunning beauty....
, watery consort of Aphrodite and/or beloved of Poseidon - NereusNereusIn Greek mythology, Nereus was the eldest son of Pontus and Gaia , a Titan who with Doris fathered the Nereids, with whom Nereus lived in the Aegean Sea. In the Iliad the Old Man of the Sea is the father of Nereids, though Nereus is not directly named...
, the old man of the sea, and the god of the sea's rich bounty of fish - NymphNymphA nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
s- NaiadNaiadIn Greek mythology, the Naiads or Naiades were a type of nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks....
es, fresh water nymphs - Nereides, sea nymphs
- OceanidOceanidIn Greek mythology and, later, Roman mythology, the Oceanids were the three thousand daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Each was the patroness of a particular spring, river, sea, lake, pond, pasture, flower or cloud...
es, fresh water nymphs
- Naiad
- OceanusOceanusOceanus ; , Ōkeanós) was a pseudo-geographical feature in classical antiquity, believed by the ancient Greeks and Romans to be the world-ocean, an enormous river encircling the world....
, Titan god of the Earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth's fresh-water - Pan,Patron God of fishing
- PalaemonPalaemon (mythology)Palaemon , originally named Melicertes, was a minor, young sea god, son of Ino . He was deified by the gods when his mother threw herself from atop a cliff with Palaemon in her arms, arguably to escape insanity or to escape Athanas, King of Thebes at the time, and his father was driven to a...
, a young sea god who aided sailors in distress - PhorcysPhorcysIn Greek mythology, Phorcys , a primordial sea god, generally cited as the son of Pontus and Gaia. According to the Orphic hymns, Phorcys, Cronus and Rhea were the eldest offspring of Oceanus and Tethys. Classical scholar Karl Kerenyi conflated Phorcys with the similar sea gods Nereus and Proteus...
, god of the hidden dangers of the deep - PontusPontus (mythology)In Greek mythology, Pontus or Pontos was an ancient, pre-Olympian sea-god, one of the protogenoi, the "first-born". Pontus was the son of Gaia and according to the Greek poet Hesiod brought forth without coupling...
, primeval god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures - PoseidonPoseidonPoseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, king of the sea and lord of the sea gods; also god of rivers,storms, flood and drought, earthquakes, and horses. His Roman equivalent is NeptuneNeptune (mythology)Neptune was the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology and religion. He is analogous with, but not identical to, the Greek god Poseidon. In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, each of them presiding over one of the three realms of the universe,...
. - PotamoiPotamoiPotamoi are the gods of rivers in Greek mythology. They are the fathers of Naiads, and the brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys...
, deities of rivers, fathers of Naiads, brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys. - ProteusProteusIn Greek mythology, Proteus is an early sea-god, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea", whose name suggests the "first" , as protogonos is the "primordial" or the "firstborn". He became the son of Poseidon in the Olympian theogony In Greek mythology, Proteus (Πρωτεύς)...
, a shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god, and the herdsman of Poseidon's seals - PsamathePsamathePsamathe was a Nereid in Greek mythology, i.e., one of the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris. The goddess of sand beaches, Psamathe was the wife of Proteus and the mother of Phocus by Aeacus....
, goddess of sand beaches - ScyllaScyllaIn Greek mythology, Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis would pass too close to Scylla and vice...
, a Nereid metamorphosed into a sea monster - The SirenSirenIn Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
s, three sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with their song - The TelchinesTelchinesIn Greek mythology, the Telchines were the original inhabitants of the island of Rhodes, and were known in Crete and Cyprus....
, sea spirits native to the island of Rhodes; the gods killed them when they turned to evil magic - TethysTethys (mythology)In Greek mythology, Tethys , daughter of Uranus and Gaia was an archaic Titaness and aquatic sea goddess, invoked in classical Greek poetry but not venerated in cult. Tethys was both sister and wife of Oceanus...
, wife of Okeanos, and the mother of the rivers (PotamoiPotamoiPotamoi are the gods of rivers in Greek mythology. They are the fathers of Naiads, and the brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys...
), springs, streams, fountains and clouds - ThalassaThalassa (mythology)In Greek mythology, Thalassa is a primordial sea goddess, daughter of Aether and Hemera. With sea god Pontus, she was the mother of the nine Telchines and Halia. Sometimes, she was thought of as the mother of Aphrodite with Uranus or with Zeus. She is the personification of the Mediterranean Sea....
, primeval spirit of the sea and consort of Pontos - ThaumasThaumasIn Greek mythology, Thaumas was a sea god, son of Pontus and Gaia. He married an Oceanid, Electra . The children of Thaumas and Electra were the Harpies and Iris, the goddess of rainbows and a messenger of the gods; according to some, also Arke.Thaumas was also the name of a centaur...
, god of the wonders of the sea and father of the Harpies and the rainbow goddess IrisIris (mythology)In Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. As the sun unites Earth and heaven, Iris links the gods to humanity... - ThetisThetisSilver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph or known as the goddess of water, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths...
, leader of the Nereids who presided over the spawning of marine life in the sea, mother of Achilles - TriteiaTriteiaTriteia was, in Greek mythology, the daughter of the sea-god Triton and mother of Melanippus by Ares....
, daughter of Triton and companion of Ares - TritonTriton (mythology)Triton is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the big sea. He is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, whose herald he is...
, fish-tailed son and herald of Poseidon - Tritones, fish-tailed spirits in Poseidon's retinue
Haitian Vodou
- AgwéAgwéIn Vodou, and especially in Haiti, Agwé, also spelt Agoueh, is a loa who rules over the sea, fish, and aquatic plants, as well as the patron loa of fishermen and sailors...
, a loaLoaThe Loa are the spirits of the voodoo religion practiced in Louisiana, Haiti, Benin, and other parts of the world. They are also referred to as Mystères and the Invisibles, in which are intermediaries between Bondye —the Creator, who is distant from the world—and humanity...
who rules over the sea, fish, and aquatic plants, as well as the patron loa of fishermen and sailors - ClermeilClermeilIn Haitian Vodou, Clermeil was the loa who made rivers flood their banks. He was usually depicted as a white man....
, the loa who made rivers flood their banks - PiePie (loa)In the Voodoo faith, Pie is a soldier-loa who lives at the bottoms of lakes and rivers and causes floods....
, a soldier-loa who lives at the bottoms of lakes and rivers and causes floods
Hawaiian mythology
- KamohoaliiKamohoaliiIn Hawaiian mythology, Ka-moho-alii is a shark god and a brother of Kāne Milohai, Pele, Kapo, Nāmaka and Hiiaka.Ka-moho-ali'i swam in the area around Maui and Kahoolawe. When a ship was lost at sea, Ka-moho-alii shook his tail in front of the fleet and the kahuna would feed him "awa" , and...
, shark god - NāmakaNamakaIn Hawaiian mythology, Nāmaka appears as a sea goddess or a water spirit in the Pele cycle. She is an older sister of Pele-honua-mea. She is the daughter of Ku-waha-ilo and Haumea, whose other children are Pele, the Hiiaka sisters, the Kama brothers, and the bird Halulu...
, sea goddess - UkupanipoUkupanipoIn Hawaiian mythology, Ukupanipo is a shark god who controls the amount of fish close enough for the fisherman to catch. He occasionally adopted a human child who gains the power to transform into a shark....
, shark god who controls the amount of fish close enough for the fisherman to catch
Hindu/Vedic mythology
- Apam NapatApam NapatApam Napat is an eminent figure of the Indo-Iranian pantheon. In Hinduism, Apām Napāt is the god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes...
, god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes - Ganga goddess of the Ganges RiverGanges RiverThe Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
- VarunaVarunaIn Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
(celestial oceanCelestial oceanSeveral mythologies have the notion of a celestial ocean or river, enveloping the world both above the heavenly sphere and below the underworld.See also:*Oceanus*Uranos*Styx*Rasā*Samudra*Varuna*Sea...
) - Various rivers associated with goddesses in the RigvedaRigvedaThe Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
, such as Sarasvati (Sarasvati RiverSarasvati RiverThe Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata...
) and YamunaYamunaThe Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
Incan mythology
- PariacacaPariacacaIn Incan and pre-Incan mythology, Pariacaca was a god of water and rainstorms and a creator god. He was born a falcon but later became human....
, god of water and rainstorms - PariciaPariciaIn Incan mythology, Paricia was a god who sent a flood to kill humans who did not respect him adequately. Possibly another name for Pachacamac....
, god who sent a flood to kill humans who did not respect him adequately
Inuit mythology
- AipaloovikAipaloovikIn Inuit mythology, Aipaloovik is an evil sea god associated with death and destruction....
, an evil sea god associated with death and destruction - AlignakAlignakIn Inuit mythology, Alignak is a lunar deity and god of weather, water, tides, eclipses, and earthquakes....
, a lunar deity and god of weather, water, tides, eclipses, and earthquakes - ArnapkapfaalukArnapkapfaalukArnapkapfaaluk was the sea goddess of the Inuit people of Canada's Coronation Gulf area. Although occupying the equivalent position to Sedna within Inuit mythology, in that she had control of the animals of the seas, she was noticeably different as can be seen by the English translation of her...
, a fearsome sea goddess - Idliragijenget, god of the ocean
- NootaikokNootaikokIn Inuit mythology, Nootaikok was a god who presided over icebergs and glaciers....
, god who presided over icebergs and glaciers - SednaSedna (mythology)In Inuit mythology, Sedna is the goddess of the sea and marine animals such as seals. A creation myth, the story of Sedna shows how she came to rule over Adlivun, the Inuit underworld...
, goddess of the sea
Japanese mythology
- MizuchiMizuchiwas a Japanese dragon and water deity.The name mizuchi is written with several Japanese kanji, usually the Chinese characters for jiao 蛟 "4-legged dragon" and qiu 虬 or 虯 "hornless dragon"...
, Japanese dragonJapanese dragonJapanese dragons are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India. The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon...
and sea god - ŌhoyamatsumiOhoyamatsumiOhoyamatsumi is in Japanese mythology an elder brother of Amaterasu, and an important god who rules mountain, sea, and war. He is also the father of Konohanasakuya-hime, the kami of Mount Fuji....
, god of mountains, sea and war - RyūjinRyujin, also known as Ōwatatsumi, was the tutelary deity of the sea in Japanese mythology. This Japanese dragon symbolized the power of the ocean, had a large mouth, and was able to transform into a human shape. Ryūjin lived in Ryūgū-jō, his palace under the sea built out of red and white coral, from...
or WatatsumiWatatsumiwas a legendary Japanese dragon and tutelary water deity. In Japanese mythology, is another name for the sea deity Ryūjin 龍神; and the ruling the upper, middle, and lower seas were created through the divine progenitor Izanagi's ceremonial purifications after returning from Yomi "the...
, Japanese dragon and tutelary deity of the sea - SuijinSuijinis the Shinto god of water in Japan.The term Suijin refers to the heavenly and earthly manifestations of the benevolent Shinto divinity of water. But it also refers to a wide variety of mythological and magical creatures found in lakes, ponds, springs and wells, including serpents , eels, fish,...
, ShintoShintoor Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
god of water - SusanooSusanoo, also known as is the Shinto god of the sea and storms. He is also considered to be ruler of Yomi.-Myths:In Japanese mythology, Susanoo, the powerful storm of Summer, is the brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. All three were born from Izanagi, when...
, Shinto god of storms and the sea
Lusitanian mythology
- BorvoBorvoIn Lusitanian and Celtic polytheism, Borvo was a healing deity associated with bubbling spring water.-Centres of worship:...
, a healing deity associated with bubbling spring water - DuriusDuriusDurius or Durio was a god worshiped by the ancient Lusitanians and Celtiberians of the Iberian peninsula. He was a personification of what is today known as the river Douro and is usually depicted holding a fishing net. A shrine dedicated to him was known to exist in the vicinity of Oporto in Roman...
, a river god associated with the Douro river - NabiaNabiaNabia was the goddess of rivers and water in Gallaecian and Lusitanian mythology, in the territory of modern Galicia and Portugal.The present-day Navia River and Avia_ in Galicia, was named in honor of the deity...
, goddess of rivers and lakes
Māori mythology
- IkatereIkatereIn Māori & Polynesian mythology, Ika-tere or Ikatere is a fish god, the father of all the sea creatures including mermaids. He is a son of Punga and his brother is Tū-te-wehiwehi....
, a fish god, the father of all the sea creatures including mermaids - TangaroaTangaroaIn Māori mythology, Tangaroa is one of the great gods, the god of the sea. He is a son of Ranginui and Papatuanuku, Sky and Earth. After he joins his brothers Rongo, Tūmatauenga, Haumia, and Tane in the forcible separation of their parents, he is attacked by his brother Tawhirimatea, the god of...
, god of the sea
Mesopotamian mythology
- EnbiluluEnbiluluEnbilulu was the god of rivers and canals in Mesopotamian mythology. In the creation mythology he was placed in charge of the sacred rivers Tigris and Euphrates by the god Enki. Also he was the deity of irrigation and farming. In the Sumerian "Enlil and Ninlil" story he is a son of Enlil and Ninlil...
, god of rivers and canals - EnkiEnkiEnki is a god in Sumerian mythology, later known as Ea in Akkadian and Babylonian mythology. He was originally patron god of the city of Eridu, but later the influence of his cult spread throughout Mesopotamia and to the Canaanites, Hittites and Hurrians...
, god of water and of the River TigrisTigrisThe Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:... - MardukMardukMarduk was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi , started to...
, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic - SirsirSirsirSirsir is a Babylonian and Akkadian god, the patron deity of mariners and boatmen.This name can be found in the fictional spell book based on the equally fictitious Necronomicon, and is presented there as one of the fifty names of Marduk. He is said to be the destroyer of Tiamat, and a "most...
, god of mariners and boatmen - NammuNammuIn Sumerian mythology, Nammu was a primeval goddess, corresponding to Tiamat in Babylonian mythology....
, goddess of the primeval sea. - TiamatTiamatIn Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water,...
, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods - Apsu, god of fresh water, father of all other gods
Norse/Germanic mythology
- Aegir, personification of the sea
- RánRánIn Norse mythology, Rán is a sea goddess. According to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, in his retelling of the Poetic Edda poem Lokasenna, she is married to Ægir and they have nine daughters together...
, sea goddess of love who collects the drowned in a net - NjordNjordIn Norse mythology, Njörðr is a god among the Vanir. Njörðr is father of the deities Freyr and Freyja by his unnamed Van sister, was in an ill-fated marriage with the goddess Skaði, lives in Nóatún and is associated with sea, seafaring, wind, fishing, wealth, and crop fertility.Njörðr is attested...
, god of the sea, particularly of seafaring - NerthusNerthusIn Germanic paganism, Nerthus is a goddess associated with fertility. Nerthus is attested by Tacitus, the first century AD Roman historian, in his Germania. Various theories exist regarding the goddess and her potential later traces amongst the Germanic tribes...
, goddess of lakes, springs, holy watersHoly wellA holy well, or sacred spring, is a small body of water emerging from underground and revered either in a Pagan or Christian context, often both. Holy wells were frequently pagan sacred sites that later became Christianized. The term 'holy well' is commonly employed to refer to any water source of... - NixNixThe Neck/Nixie are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form. The spirit has appeared in the myths and legends of all Germanic peoples in Europe....
, water spirits who usually appear in human form
Roman mythology
- FontusFontusIn ancient Roman religion, Fontus or Fons was a god of wells and springs. A religious festival called the Fontinalia was held on October 13 in his honor. Throughout the city, fountains and wellheads were adorned with garlands.Fons was the son of Juturna and Janus...
, god of wells and springs - NeptuneNeptune (mythology)Neptune was the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology and religion. He is analogous with, but not identical to, the Greek god Poseidon. In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, each of them presiding over one of the three realms of the universe,...
, king of the sea - SalaciaSalacia (mythology)This article is about the goddess of salt water, Neptune’s wife.In ancient Roman mythology, Salacia was the female divinity of the sea, worshipped as the goddess of salt water who presided over the depths of the ocean. She was the wife and queen of Neptune, god of the sea and water...
, Neptune's queen - VolturnusVolturnusIn Roman mythology, Volturnus was a god of the waters, probably derived from a local Samnite cult. His festival, Volturnalia, was held on August 27.The Volturno river in Campania is named in his honour....
, god of the waters
Slavic mythology
- BagiennikBagiennikBagiennik was the name of water demons in the Slavic mythology. They were akin to the bathhouse spirit Bannik. They were subject to Wąda, lady of the lakes and the shallow streams, also known as the Queen of the Underwater Lawns....
, water demons who lived in lakes and rivers - RusalkiRusalkaIn Slavic mythology, a rusalka was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus, or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a waterway....
, female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons that dwell in waterways. - VelesVeles (god)Veles also known as Volos is a major Slavic supernatural force of earth, waters and the underworld, associated with dragons, cattle, magic, musicians, wealth and trickery...
, god of earth, waters, and the underworld
Yoruba, Afro-American religion, Santería,Orisha worship, IFA
- YemajaYemajaYemanja is an orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American religions. Africans from what is now called Yorubaland brought Yemaya/Yemoja and a host of other deities/energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as...
,or Yemaya goddess of the ocean, the essence of motherhood, and a protector of children - Mami WataMami WataMami Wata is venerated in West, Central, Southern Africa, and in the African diaspora in the Caribbean and parts of North and South America. Mami Wata spirits are usually female, but are sometimes male.-Appearance:...
, a pantheon of water deities - OshunOshunOshun, or Ochun in the Yoruba religion, is an Orisha who reigns over love, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy. She is worshipped also in Brazilian Candomblé Ketu, with the name spelled Oxum. She should not be confused, however, with a different Orisha of a similar name spelled "Osun," who is...
, deity of rivers, beauty, sensuality. In Santería she also represents wealth - OkieOkieOkie is a term dating from as early as 1907, originally denoting a resident or native of Oklahoma. It is derived from the name of the state, similar to Texan or Tex for someone from Texas, or Arkie or Arkansawyer for a native of Arkansas....
, deity of lakes, daughter of Obatala - OlokunOlokunOlokun is an Orisha in Yoruba religion, associated with the sea. Olokun is therefore considered the patron Orisa of the descendants of Africans that were carried away during the Transatlantic Slave Trade or Middle Passage, sometimes referred to in the United States by African-Americans as the Maafa...
, deity of the oceans often synchronized with Poseidon or Neptune
Igbo, African religion
- Idemili, goddess of a river
- Uhammiri/ Ogbuide, a lake goddess
- Urashi/ Okita, a river god
- Ava, a pair of river goddess and god