Saturday, January 20, 2007

Polytheism or Ploytheism? -

Shavua tov and good week!

I just read an article from Yahoo about a group of Zeus-worshippers in Greece who want to revive the ancient Greek religion. According to the article, many of them chose worshipping Zeus because they do not like the Greek-Orthodox Church. Just talking about my own life here, but I always found that defining yourself by setting yourself in opposition to something never really worked that well. In other words, worshipping Zeus because you don't like the Greek Orthodox Church is not a reason to worship Zeus; if you are going to worship it, do it because you believe in it, not because you want to "stick it" to the Greek Orthodox Church.

One thing I'll never understand about polytheism is how the "faithful" get around the belief of other polytheists whom believe in other gods. Why exactly is Zeus the god of worship over Marduk (the chief Babylonian god) Rah, the head Egyptian god, or Buri, who in the Norse religion is the first god to exist? Why are the particular traits of each of those first gods associated with the creator god? Do not the individual traits of the gods, given that they differ from each other, not bother those who believe in them? Further, each religion is composed up of belief in many gods; which system is true system, or does truth not fit into the equation?

Anyway, I thought I would include a list of here of some of the choices of worship you had were you a polytheist. Here is a link to wikipedia list of probably most of the gods you could choose:

African

[edit] Anglo-Saxon

  • Eostre, goddess of spring
  • Fríge, counterpart to the Norse Frigg. Friday comes from her name.
  • Ingui Fréa, counterpart to the Norse Frey
  • Seaxnéat, the founder of the Saxon race
  • Thor, the same god as the Norse deity by the same name. Thursday comes from his name.
  • Tiw, counterpart to the Norse Tyr. Tuesday comes from the name of this god.
  • Wéland, counterpart to the Norse Volundr
  • Wóden, counterpart to the Norse Odin. Wednesday comes from the name of this god.

[edit] Akan

[edit] Ashanti

[edit] Australian Aboriginal

[edit] Ayyavazhi

[edit] Aztec

(See the much longer list at Aztec mythology)

[edit] Bahá'í

[edit] Baltic

[edit] Celtic

(See the much more complete lists at Celtic mythology and Celtic polytheism.}

  • Abellio - god of apple trees
  • Agrona - a British goddess of strife and war
  • Alaunus/Fin - god of the sun, healing, and prophecy
  • Ambisagrus - god of thunder and lightning
  • Ancamna - a Gallo-Roman water goddess
  • Andarta - a Gallic warrior goddess
  • Anextiomarus - a British equivalent of Apollo
  • Artio - goddess of the bear
  • Aveta - goddess of female-fertility, childbirth and midwives, also associated with all fresh water.
  • Belatu-Cadros - a British war god
  • Belenus - "Shining One", associated with fire and healing
  • Belisama - goddess connected with lakes and rivers, fire, crafts and light, consort of Belenus
  • Borvo - deity was associated with mineral springs, hot springs and healing
  • Brigit
  • Brigantia
  • Camma - hunting goddess
  • Camulus - god of war
  • Cernunos - horned nature god associated with produce and fertility
  • Cissonius - equivalent of mercury, probably a god of trade and protector of travellers
  • Cocidus - god of war, hunting, forests, groves and wild fields
  • Condatis - associated with rivers and healing
  • Coventina - goddess of wells and springs
  • Dagda - supreme god of Irish mythology
  • Damara - British fertility goddess
  • Danu - a mother goddess
  • Epona - goddess of horses, donkeys and mules
  • Esus
  • Fagus - god of beech trees
  • Glanis - a Gallic healing god
  • Grannus - god of the sun, healing and mineral springs
  • Gwydion
  • Loucetios - a war and thunder god
  • Lugh
  • Lyr
  • Manannan mac Lir
  • Maponos - god of youth
  • Morrigan - war goddess
  • Nantosuelta - goddess of fire and fertility
  • Nemain - war goddess
  • Nemetona - goddess of temples and sacred groves
  • Nuadha
  • Ogma - god of scholars, education, writing and eloquence
  • Rhiannon - Goddess of the moon
  • Robur - god of oak trees
  • Rosmerta - goddess of fertility and abundance
  • Rudianos - Gallic war god
  • Segomo - Gallic war god
  • Sirona - healing deity, associated with healing springs
  • Smertios - Gallic war god
  • Sucellus - Gallic god of agriculture, forests, and alcoholic drinks
  • Sulis - deification of spring water
  • Tamesis - goddess of water
  • Taranis - god of thunder
  • Toutatis

[edit] Chinese Malaysian

List of Malaysian Chinese Gods:

[edit] Christian

[edit] Dacian

[edit] Dahomey

[edit] Discordian

[edit] Efik

[edit] Egyptian (Pharaonic)

  • Amun - creator deity
  • Anubis - divine embalmer and tomb-caretaker who watches over the dead
  • Apep - Serpent of the Underworld, enemy of Ra
  • The Aten - the embodiment of the Sun's rays in a brief, monotheistic interlude
  • Atum - a creator deity, and the setting sun
  • Bast, protector of the pharaoh, cat-bodied or cat-headed
  • Bes - dwarfed semigod associated with protection of the household, particularly childbirth, and entertainment
  • The four sons of Horus
  • Geb - god of the Earth and first ruler of Egypt
  • Hapy - god embodied by the Nile, and who represents life and fertility
  • Hathor - Goddess of Love and Music
  • Heget Goddess of Childbirth
  • Horus the falcon-headed god, God of Pharaohs and Upper Egypt
  • Imhotep God of wisdom, medicine and magic
  • Isis - Goddess of Magic, sister of Nephthys
  • Khepry - the scarab beetle, the embodiment of the dawn
  • Khnum - a creator deity, god of the innundation
  • Maahes - god of war
  • Ma'at - personified concept of truth, balance, justice, and order
  • Menhit - Goddess of war
  • Mont - god of war
  • Naunet - the primal waters
  • Neith - goddess of war, then great mother goddess
  • Nephthys - mother of Anubis
  • Nut - goddess of heaven and the sky
  • Osiris - god of the underworld, fertility and agricultural, possible father of Anubis
  • Ptah - a creator deity, also god of crafts, possibly Men-Nefer (Memphis)
  • Ra - the sun, possible father of Anubis, also a creator deity
  • Sekhmet - goddess of destruction, particularly against demons of sickness
  • Sobek - Crocodile God
  • Set - god of storms, possible father of Anubis; later became god of evil, desert, also Lower Egypt
  • Shu - embodiment of wind or air
  • Taweret - goddess of pregnant women and protector at childbirth
  • Tefnut - embodiment of rain, dew, clouds, and water-weather
  • Thoth - god of the moon, drawing, writing, geometry, wisdom, medicine, music, astronomy, and magic
  • Wepwawet

[edit] Estonian

  • Peko - god of fertility, crops and brewing
  • Pikne (lightning) - god of thunder
  • Tharapita - god of war
  • Vanemuine (the ancient one) - god of music (possibly a spurious later development)

[edit] Etruscan

[edit] Finnish

There are very few written documents about old Finnish religions; also the names of deities and practices of worship changed from place to place. The following is a summary of the most important and most widely worshipped deities.

  • Ahti (or Ahto) - god of streams, lakes and sea
  • Jumala - a physical idol (the name was later used for the Christian god)
  • Loviatar - One of Tuoni's daughters. Goddess of pain.
  • Mielikki - Tapio's wife
  • Otso - son of a god, king of the forest, whose carnal form is the bear
  • Pekko (or Peko) - god or goddess (the actual gender is obscure) of fields and agriculture
  • Perkele - the devil (originally a Lithuanian deity, adopted into Finnish tradition at a late date)
  • Rauni - Ukko's wife, goddess of fertility
  • Tapio - god of forest and wild animals
  • Tuonetar - The wife of Tuoni
  • Tuoni - god of the underworld
  • Ukko - god of heaven and thunder

[edit] Ancient Greek

Topics in Greek mythology
Gods
Heroes
Related
  • Aphrodite - goddess of love and beauty, one of the twelve Olympians
  • Apollo - god of poetry, music, the sun, and prophecy, and an Olympian
  • Ares - god of violent war, an Olympian
  • Artemis - goddess of the hunt, virginity, and childbirth, twin sister of Apollo, and an Olympian, often associated with the moon
  • Athena - goddess of wisdom, defensive and strategic war, guardian-goddess of Athens, an Olympian
  • Chaos - non-gendered primordial entity from which Gaia was created
  • Cronus - leader of first generation of Titans, also a harvest deity
  • Demeter - goddess of the harvest and of grain, mother of Persephone, an Olympian
  • Dionysus - god of wine and sensual pleasures, took Hestia's place as an Olympian
  • Eos - goddess of the dawn
  • Eris - goddess of discord
  • Eros - god of love
  • Gaia - primordial goddess of earth, mother and grandmother of the first generation of Titans
  • Hades - god of the underworld and material riches, brother of Zeus
  • Hebe - wife of Heracles and goddess of youth
  • Hekate - goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and the harvest moon
  • Hephaestus - god of smiths, an Olympian
  • Hera - Queen of the Gods and Heaven, goddess of marriage, an Olympian
  • Heracles - porter of Olympus, patron god of gymnasia and wrestling rings, god of strength
  • Hermes - messenger of the gods and transporter of souls to the Underworld, an Olympian
  • Hestia - goddess of the hearth, gave up seat at Olympus to Dionysus
  • Hypnos - god of sleep
  • Pan - god of shepherds and forests
  • Persephone - daughter of Demeter, queen of the dead, also a grain-goddess
  • Poseidon - god of the sea and earthquakes, an Olympian
  • Selene - goddess of the moon
  • Thanatos - god of death
  • Ouranos - sky god and ancestor of many of the other gods
  • Zeus - King of the Gods and god of the sky, air, and storms

See also: Demigods, the Dryads, the Fates, the Erinyes, the Graces, the Horae, the Muses, the Nymphs, the Pleiades, and the Titans.

[edit] Gnostic

[edit] Guarani

[edit] Hindu

  • Brahman, the one and only (formless) supreme aspect of God. The Universe in Potential Static Energy.
  • Adi - Shakti, the Female aspect of the Supreme Divine in Kinetic Dynamic Form.
  • The Three Maha Shaktis (Super Powers) of the Universe or the Super Goddesses In Hinduism.
    • MahaSaraswati (Great Saraswati) - Universal Force of Creation
    • MahaLakshmi (Great Lakshmi) - Universal Force of Preservation
    • MahaKali (Great Kali) - Universal Force of Dissolution
  • The Hindu Tridevi - Triple Goddess, the consorts of the Trinity
    • Saraswati - Hindu Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, Wife of Brahma
    • Lakshmi - Hindu Goddess of Wealth and Fertility, Wife of Vishnu
    • Parvati - Hindu Goddess of Power and Might, Wife of Shiva
  • Vishnu
    • Avatars (Incarnations) of Vishnu
      • Matsya Avatar - Fish Incarnation
      • Kurma Avatar - Tortoise Incarnation
      • Varah Avatar - Boar Incarnation
      • Vaman Avatar - Dwarf Incarnation
      • Narasimha Avatar - Man-Lion Incarnation
      • Rama Avatar - Incarnation as the Epic King in Ramayana
      • Krishna Avatar - Incarnation as the Epic Prince in Maha Bharata
      • Buddha Avatar - Incarnation as Gautama Buddha, Founder of Buddhism
      • Kalki Avatar - The Avatar yet to come on the onset of Apocalypse
    • Other Deties Associated with Vishnu
      • Garuda- The Eagle Headed Deity who is the vehicle of Vishnu
      • Ananta or Shesha- The Infinite Serpent which is the Bed of Vishnu
      • Narada- The Divine Messenger of the Gods
      • Hanuman - Personified as a Monkey Headed Deity, God of Service and Devotion
      • Dattatreya - Shown with Three Heads, representing the Oneness with Brahma, Vishnu and Siva (Shiva) - He is Guru and God, worshipped by all sects
      • Hayagriva - He is shown with the head of a horse and is worshipped as the repository of all wisdom and knowledge
  • Shiva
    • The Manifestations of Shiva
      • Nataraja - The Lord of Dance
      • Dakshinamurti - The Lord of the South - The Preceptor and Guru
      • Mahadeva - The Great God
      • Ardhanarishwar - The Androgynous God (Half Man and Half Woman)
    • Other Deties Assocciated with Shiva
      • Ganesh - Oldest Son of Shiva and the God of Prosperity, shown with an elephant head
      • Kartik or Skanda - The Second Son of Shiva, The God of War, Youth and Purity
      • Veer Bhadra - The Deity who Guards the Abode of Shiva
      • Nandi - The Bull which is the vehicle of Shiva
      • Ayyappa - Also called Manikantha, Sasta - son of Siva and Mohini, the feminine form of Vishnu
  • Lakshmi
    • The Eight Forms of Lakshmi
      • Adi-Lakshmi
      • Vijay-Lakshmi
      • Vidya-Lakshmi
      • Dhana-Lakshmi
      • Dhanya-Lakshmi
      • Santan-Lakshmi
      • Dhairya-Lakshmi
  • Parvati
    • The Passive/Peaceful Manifestations of Parvati
      • Sati- Goddess of Marriage and Wedlock
      • Shashti - Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth
      • Annapurna - Goddess of Food and Nourishment
      • Lalita - Goddess of Beauty
    • The Warrior Manifestations of Parvati
      • Kali - The Goddess of Time and Death
        • The Ten Great Wisdom Manifestations of Kali
          • Kali - The Goddess as Time
          • Tara - The Goddess as Space
          • Chinnamasta - The Goddess as The Cycle of Life and Death
          • Bhuvaneshvari - The Goddess as Perfection
          • Tripura Sundari - The Goddess as the Most beautiful
          • Bhairavi - The Goddess as the Most frightful
          • Bagalamukhi - The Crane headed Goddess as upholder of Universal Order
          • Dhumavati - The Widowed Goddess as Chaos and Misery
          • Matangi - The Goddess as Leftovers and Salvage
          • Kamala - The Goddess as Perfection
      • Durga - The Goddess of Power and War
        • The Nine Manifestations of Durga
          • Shailaputri
          • Brahmacharini
          • Kushmanda
          • Skanda Mata
          • Katyani
          • Chandraghanta
          • Siddhi Dhatri
          • Maha Gauri
          • Kaal Ratri
      • Maya - The Goddess of Illusion and Mystery

Some of the most important Devas:

[edit] Igbo

[edit] Incan

[edit] Islamic

[edit] Isoko

[edit] Jehovah's Witnesses

[edit] Judaic

[edit] Khoikhoi

[edit] Korean

  • Dangun - the grandson of the god of heaven.
  • Hwanin - the grandson of Hwang-gung, one of the Four Men of Heaven and considered a direct ancestor of the Korean people.

[edit] !Xũ

[edit] Lotuko

[edit] Latvian

[edit] Lugbara

[edit] Lusitani

[edit] Maya

[edit] Mesopotamian

Fertile Crescent
myth series
Mark of the Palm
Mesopotamian
Levantine
Arabian
Mesopotamia
Primordial beings
7 gods who decree
Demigods & heroes
Spirits & monsters
Tales from Babylon
The Great Gods

Adad · Ashnan
Asaruludu · Enbilulu
Enkimdu · Ereshkigal
Inanna · Lahar
Nanshe · Nergal
Nidaba · Ningal
Ninisinna · Ninkasi
Ninlil · Ninurta
Nusku · Uttu
Annunaki
  • Anshar - father of heaven
  • Anu - the god of the highest heaven
  • Apsu - the ruler of gods and underworld oceans
  • Ashur - national god of the Assyrians, thought by the Assyrians to be king of the gods
  • Damkina - Earth mother goddess
  • Ea - god of wisdom
  • Enlil - god of weather and storms
  • Ereshkigal - Goddes of Darkness, Death, and Gloom
  • Hadad - weather god
  • Ishtar - goddess of love and one of the highest-ranking deities in Mesopotamian myth
  • Kingu - husband of Tiamat
  • Kishar - father of the earth
  • Marduk - national god of the Babylonians, later thought to be king of the gods
  • Mummu - god of mists
  • Nabu - god of the scribal arts
  • Nintu - mother of all gods
  • Ninurta - god of war
  • Nergal - god of war, disease, death and destruction; ruler of the underworld
  • Shamash - god of the sun and of justice (Shapash in Ugaritic, Shamsa in Sumerian)
  • Sin - moon god
  • Tiamat - dragon goddess slain by Marduk

[edit] Mormonism

[edit] Native American

[edit] Abenaki

[edit] Haida

[edit] Ho-Chunk

[edit] Hopi

See also: kachina.

[edit] Huron

[edit] Inuit

[edit] Iroquois

[edit] Kwakiutl

[edit] Lakota

[edit] Navajo

[edit] Pawnee

[edit] Salish

[edit] Seneca

[edit] Norse

  • Balder - god of beauty and light, slain by the trickery of Loki
  • Bragi - god of bardic poetry
  • Freyja - goddess of fertility
  • Freyr - the brother of Freyja and a fertility god
  • Frigg - goddess of marriage, household management, and love, Queen of Heaven, and wife of Odin
  • Heimdall - god of the rainbow, a bridge to heaven. His job is to blow his horn if danger approaches.
  • Hel - daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, Queen of the Dead
  • Hodur - brother of Balder and tricked by Loki to kill him
  • Idunn - guardianess of the Apples of Youth that kept the gods young
  • Loki - trickster-god, giant, blood-brother of Odin, will eventually lead the forces of evil against the gods in Ragnarok
  • Niord - god of sailors and fertile seaside land
  • Odin - king of the gods, god of wisdom and runes
  • Sif - the wife of Thor
  • Thor - god of war and storms, famous for his hammer, Mjolnir
  • Tyr - god of war and glory

[edit] Pastafarian

[edit] Persian

[edit] Philippine

  • Amanikable - God of the sea.
  • Amihan - North Wind.
  • Anitan - Guardian of lightning.
  • Anitun Tabu - Goddess of wind and rain.
  • Apolake - God of war, guardian of the sun.
  • Bakonawa - Lizard god, ruler of the underworld.
  • Bathala - Supreme god of the ancient Tagalogs.
  • Dian Masalanta - Goddess of love.
  • Hukluban - Goddess of death.
  • Idianale - Goddess of agriculture and husbandry.
  • Ikapati - Goddess of fields, fertility, and lands.
  • Kalinga - God of Thunder.
  • Kan-Laon - Ancient Visayan god, king of time.
  • Lalahon - Goddess of fire, volcanoes, and harvest.
  • Manggagaway - Goddess of sickness.
  • Mangkukulam - God of fire.
  • Manisilat - God of broken homes.
  • Maria Makiling - Protector of Mt. Makiling.
  • Mayari/Bulan - Lunar goddess.
  • Sitan - God of afterlife and the underworld.
  • Tala - Goddess of the stars.
  • Malakas - God of strength

[edit] Polynesian

[edit] Hawai'ian

See also: Menehune.

[edit] Māori

[edit] Prussian

[edit] Pygmy

[edit] Roman

(NB- this is very incomplete, as there are numerous personifications, etc. Greek equivalents, if there are any, will be on the page about the deity. Keep in mind that Flamens are high-ranking Roman priests, Flamen Majores being High Priests and Flamen Minores being Lesser Priests.)

  • Acis - river god near the Etna, son of Faunus and the nymph Symaethis
  • Aesculapius - god of health and medicine
  • Apollo - god of the sun, poetry, music, and oracles, and an Olympian
  • Aurora - goddess of the dawn
  • Bacchus - god of wine and sensual pleasures, not considered an Olympian by the Romans
  • Bellona - war goddess
  • Caelus -god of the sky
  • Carmenta - goddess of childbirth and prophecy, and assigned a Flamen Minore
  • Ceres - goddess of the harvest and mother of Proserpina, and an Olympian, and assigned a Flamen Minore
  • Consus - chthonic god protecting grain storage
  • Cupid - god of love and son of Mars and Venus
  • Cybele - earth mother
  • Diana - goddess of the hunt, the moon, virginity, and childbirth, twin sister of Apollo and an Olympian
  • Discordia - goddess of discord
  • Faunus - god of flocks
  • Febris - goddess who prevented fever and malaria
  • Flora - goddess of flowers, and assigned a Flamen Minore
  • Fortuna -goddess of fortune
  • Hercules - god of strength
  • Hespera - goddess of dusk
  • Hora - Quirinus' wife
  • Janus - two-headed god of beginnings and endings and of doors
  • Juno - Queen of the Gods and goddess of matrimony, and an Olympian
  • Jupiter - King of the Gods and the storm, air, and sky god, and an Olympian, and assigned a Flamen Majore
  • Juturna- goddess of springs
  • Juventas - god of youth
  • Libitina - goddess of the underworld
  • Lucina - goddess of childbirth
  • Luna- moon goddess
  • Lupercus - god of shepherds
  • Mars - god of war and father of Romulus, the founder of Rome, and an Olympian, and assigned a Flamen Majore
  • Mercury - messenger of the gods and bearer of souls to the underworld, and an Olympian
  • Minerva - goddess of wisdom and war, and an Olympian
  • Morpheus - god of dreams
  • Nemesis - goddess of revenge
  • Neptune - god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses, and an Olympian
  • Orcus - a god of the underworld and punisher of broken oaths
  • Pluto - King of the Dead
  • Poena - goddess of punishment
  • Pomona - goddess of fruit trees, and assigned a Flamen Minore.
  • Portunes- god of keys, doors, and livestock, he was assigned a Flamen Minore.
  • Priapus - god of fertility
  • Proserpina - Queen of the Dead and a grain-goddess
  • Quirinus - Romulus, the founder of Rome, was deified as Quirinus after his death. Quirinus was a war god and a god of the Roman people and state, and was assigned a Flamen Majore.
  • Silvanus - tutelary spirit of woods
  • Sol Invictus - sun god
  • Somnus - god of sleep
  • Suadela- goddess of persuasion
  • Terminus - the rustic god of boundaries
  • Trivia - goddess of magic
  • Venus - goddess of love and beauty, mother of the hero Aeneas, and an Olympian
  • Vesta - goddess of the hearth and the Roman state, and an Olympian.
  • Victoria - goddess of victory
  • Volturnus- a god of water, was assigned a Flamen Minore.
  • Voluptas - goddess of pleasure
  • Vulcan - god of the forge, fire, and blacksmiths, and an Olympian, and assigned a Flamen Minore

[edit] Deified emperors

Each deified emperor was assigned a Flamen Majore. Please add more, as this section is incomplete:

[edit] Sardinian

Sardinian deities, mainly referred to in the age of Nuragici people, are partly derived from Phoenician ones.

  • Janas - Goddesses of death
  • Maymon - God of Hades
  • Panas - Goddesses of reproduction (women dead in childbirth)
  • Thanit - Goddess of Earth and fertility

[edit] Semitic pagan

Ancient Southwest Asian deities
Levantine deities

Adonis | Anat | Asherah | Ashima | Astarte | Atargatis | Ba'al | Berith | Dagon | Derceto | El | Elyon | Eshmun | Hadad | Kothar | Mot | Qetesh | Resheph | Shalim | Yarikh | Yam
Mesopotamian deities

Adad | Amurru | An/Anu | Anshar | Asshur | Abzu/Apsu | Enki/Ea | Enlil | Ereshkigal | Inanna/Ishtar | Kingu | Kishar | Lahmu & Lahamu | Lilith | Marduk | Mummu | Nabu | Nammu | Nanna/Sin | Nergal | Ninhursag/Damkina | Ninlil | Tiamat | Utu/Shamash
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[edit] Gods of Ur of the Chaldeans (only appearing in the LDS Book of Abraham)

See also: Judaism and Islam, Levantine mythology, and Book of Abraham.

[edit] Shinto

See also: Kami, List of divinities in Japanese mythology.

[edit] Sikhism

[edit] Slavic

[edit] Sumerian

See also Annuna and Mesopotamian deities for a more complete list.

[edit] Thracian

[edit] Tumbuka

[edit] Ugarit

Note: Ugarit gives the earliest and fullest snapshot of Canaanite religion and northwest Semitic religion.

[edit] Wiccan

[edit] Yoruba

[edit] Zoroastrian

I think that there are a couple of hundred deities listed here, and hopefully I've made it easy for you to research them and find out which one you want to worship.
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