Mesopotamian Gods

 

God/Goddess         What They Rule

Abgal      Seven wise-men and the attending deities of the god Enki.

Adrammelech        Babylonian god (possibly of the sun) to whom babies were burned in sacrifice.

Aja           Babylonian sun goddess.

Akkan     Four Saami goddesses who oversee conception, birth and destiny.

Alauwaimis            Demon which drives away evil sickness.

Ama-arhus             Babylonian and Akkadian fertility goddess.

Amurru   Akkadian god of mountains and nomads.

An            Summerian god of heaven.

Anatu      Goddess of the earth and sky.

Antu        Summerian goddess of creation. Later replaced by Ishtar.

Anu          Summerian and Babylonian god of the sky, father of the gods and most powerful deity of the pantheon.

Anunitu   Babylonian goddess of the moon. She was later merged with Ishtar.

Apsu        Summerian and Akkadian god of the primordial sweet waters - as opposed to the primordial bitter waters of Chaos.

Arazu      Babylonian god of completed construction.

Aruru       Babylonian goddess of creation.

Ashnan    Summerian goddess of grain.

Aya          Goddess of dawn.

Baal         God of the sun and crop fertility, widely venerated throughout the Fertile Crescent and the Middle East.

Baba        Tutelary goddess of the kings of Sumer, and a goddess of motherhood and healing.

Babbar    Sumerian sun god. Equatedwith the Babylonian Shamash.

Belet-Ili Summerian goddess of the womb.

Beletseri                 Akkadian 'clerk' of the Underworld, who kept records of human activities so that she could advise on their final judgment after death. She is called Queen of the Desert.

Dagon     vegetation and fertility god.

Damgalnunna        Mother goddess.

Dumuzi   Summerian form of Tammuz, a god of vegetation, fertility and the Underworld. Possibly the husband of Inanna.

Ea             Summerian and Babylonian god of sweet waters, he is the patron of wisdom, magic and medical science.

Ebeh        Summerian mountain god.

Ellil          Akkadian form of the god Enlil. God of wind and earth.

Enmesarra              God of the underworld and the lord of mes - the power underlying society and civilization.

Ennugi    God of irrigation and canals.

Ereshkigal              Summerian and Akkadian goddess of the dead. She is dark and violent, and possibly was once a sky goddess.

Erra          God of war, death and other disasters.

Gibil        Summerian god of light and fire.

Girru        Akkadian god of light and fire. He is the messenger of the gods.

Gula         Summerian goddess of healing.

Humbaba                God of the cedar forest.

Inanna     The most important of the Summerian divinities, she is the goddess of love, fertility and war. Her symbol is the eight-pointed star. 

Isara         Goddess of oaths and queen of judgment.

Ishkhara                  Babylonian goddess of love.

Ishkur      Summerian god of storms and rain.

Ishtar       Violent Summerian and Babylonian goddess of love and fertility. She had a habit of attracting lovers and then killing or maiming them.

Kaksisa   God of the star Sirius.

Ki             Goddess of the earth.

Kulitta     Goddess of music.

Kulla       The Babylonian god who restores temples.

Kusag      God who is high priest of the gods, the patron od priests in Babylonia.

Lahar       Summerian god of cattle and sheep.

Lamastu                  Demon who causes fever and childhood diseases.

Mama      Mother goddess.

Mamitu   Akkadian goddess of fate and judgment in the Underworld.

Mammetu               Babylonian goddess of fate and destiny.

Marduk   God of thunderstorms, fertility, and the supreme leader of the gods after defeating Tiamat. Later known as Bel or Baal.

Martu      God of destruction by storms and of the steppes.

Mummu                  Summerian and Babylonian god of craftsmen and technical skill.

Mylitta    Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of fertility and childbirth.

Nabu        Summerian and Babylonian god of knowledge, writing, and scribe of the gods.

Nammu   Summerian goddess of the sea.

Namtar    God of the Summerian underworld and the bringer of disease and pestilence to humans.

Nanaja     Summerian and Akkadian goddess of sex and war.

Nanna      Summerian god of the moon. Equivalent to Babylonian god Sin.

Nanshe    Goddess of fertility and water, she was the patron of dreams and prophecy.

Nergal     Evil god of the underworld who brings sickness, fear and war on mankind. He is the consort of the death-goddess Ereshkigal.

Nidaba    Summerian goddess of learning.

Nin-agal  God of smiths.

Ninatta    Goddess of music.

Ninazu    Babylonian god of magic incantations.

Ninedinna               Babylonian goddess of the books of the dead.

Ningirsu                  Summerian and Babylonian god of rain, fertility and irrigation.

Ningizzida              God of healing and magic. Sometimes pictured as a serpent with a human head. 

Ninkarrak               Goddess of healing.

Ninkasi   Summerian goddess of intoxicating drinks, and beer in particular.

Ninlil       Goddess of heaven and earth, known as the wind.

Nintur      Akkadian goddess of birth.

Ninurta    God of rain, fertility, thunderstorms, the plow, floods, wells, and the south wind.

Nisaba     Babylonian and Summerian goddess of grain and learning.

Nusku      Summerian god of light and fire.

Papsukkel               Minister and messenger of the Summerian gods.

Rimmon  Babylonian god of storms.

Salbatanu                God of the planet Mars.

Samuqan                 God of cattle.

Sataran    Divine judge and healer.

Shamash                 Summerian god of the sun, judge and law-giver of the people. He is the husband of Ishtar.

Shulpae   God of feasting.

Shutu       God of illness and the South Wind.

Sibzianna                Summerian god of the star Orion.

Sin           Summerian god of the moon, the calendar, and the fixed seasons.

Sulpa'e    God of fertility, wild animals and the planet Jupiter.

Tammuz                 Akkadian vegetation god and the symbol of death and rebirth in nature. The 'corn king' of Wiccan worship.

Tiamat     Dragon-goddess of the primordial waters of Chaos, seen as a great salt sea. Also the enemy of the gods.

Umunmutamku     Babylonian deiety who presents offerings to the gods after they have been made by humans.

Uttu         Summerian spider-goddess of weaving and clothing.

Zakar       Babylonian god of dreams as messages from the gods.

 

Norse Gods

 

God/Goddess         What they rule

Aesir        Principal race of gods in Norse mythology. They included Odin, Thor, Baldur among others.

Andhrimnir            The cook of the Aesir. He slaughters the cosmic boar every evening and cooks it. The boar is then returned to life that night to be cooked again the following day.

Angrboda                Goddess and wife of Loki, She mothered three beings, the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jormungand and Hel, the goddess of death.

Astrild     Goddess of love.

Atla          Water goddess.

Audhumla              The primeval cow, formed from the melting ice. Her milk sustained the giant Ymir.

Balder     Fairest of the gods, Balder was the epitome of light, joy, innocence and beauty. He was killed by Loki, who tricked the blind Hod into throwing a dart made of mistletoe at the god.

Beyla       The servant of Freyr. She may be related to dairy work or to mead.

Borghild                 Goddess of the evening mist or moon, she slays the sun each evening.

Bragi       God of poets and the patron of all skaldi (poets) in Norse culture.

Brono      The son of Balder. He is the god of daylight.

Bylgia     Water goddess.

Dagur      The personification of day, he drives the day chariot across the sky.

Disen       A group of goddess in old Norse mythology. They are often seen as protectors and mother figures, perhaps originating in ancestor worship. Freya is often called the "Dis of the Vanir".

Eir            Goddess of healing and shamanic healers, companion of the goddess Frigg. She taught her secrets only to women, who were the only healers in Norse society.

Elli           Goddess of old age.

Fenrir      Also known as Fenris. The great wolf, child of Loki and Angrboda, who will eventually devour Odin on Ragnarok. The Aesir bound him with chains to prevent his destructive rampages, but it is foretold that on Ragnarok he will escape.

Forseti     God of justice who settles court disputes in his gilded hall.

Freya       Goddess of love, beauty and           . She is the patroness of sexual encounters, as well as the foremost goddess of fertility and birth.

Freyr        God of fertility, sun and rain. He is a member of the Vanir, and is the brother of the love-goddess Freya. He is considered a gentle and kind god, but also a fierce warrior.

Frigg        Wife of Odin and the goddess of marriage and fertility. She is rumored to know the destiny of all creatures but never to reveal it.

Gefion     Goddess of agriculture and the plow. She is said to have created the island Zealand by plowing great tracks of land from Sweden, leaving the many lakes which dot the country.

Gerd        The wife of Freyr and a goddess of fertility. She is the personification of the fertile soil.

Heimdall                 The guardian of the bridge to Asgard and the messenger of the gods. He is the god of light and protection.

Hel           The goddess of death and ruler of the realm of the dead. She is pictured as a hag with half of her body as a living person and half as a corpse.

Hermod   The messenger of the gods. Often equated to the Greek god Hermes.

Hod          Blind god of darkness and winter. He unintentionally killed Baldur by throwing a dart of Mistletoe at him.

Holler      God of disease and destruction. Drags people to his hall where he tortures them to death.

Idun         Goddess of the spring, eternal youth and the keeper of the golden apples which guarantee the gods immortality.

Jord          Goddess of the primitive and unpopulated earth. She is a wife of Odin and mother of Thor.

Jormungand           The Midgard Serpent, an enormous serpent that encircles the earth, biting it's own tail. One of three children of Loki and Angrboda.

Kari         Leader of the storm giants.

Kvasir     The wisest of the Vanir gods. He was killed by dwarves who mixed his blood with honel, thus forming the legendary mead of peotry.

Laga        Goddess of wells and springs.

Lofn         Goddess of forbidden love, who blesses all illicit love affairs.

Loki         Trickster god of the Norse, concerned with thievery, magic and fire. He is actually a giant, but is often considered one of the Aesir due to his blood oath with Odin. He is mischevious and handsome, but is also cruel and bloodthirsty - especially in his connections to the death of Balder. He was chained under a mountain by the other gods and left with the venom of a snake dripping on his face. During Ragnarok, his chains will break and he will lead the giants in their battle with the gods.

Magni      Son of Thor and god of brute strength. He was the only being stronger than his father.

Mani        God of the moon and brother of the sun goddess Sol. He drove the moon chariot through the sky each night.

Miming   Minor forest god.

Mimir      Wisest god of the Aesir, sent in a hostage trade to the rival Vanir gods. When the Vanir discovered they had been tricked, they hacked off Mimir's head and sent it back to the Aesir. Odin resurrected the head, which was able to talk afterwards and advise him.

Modi        God of battle wrath, he was the leader of the berserkers.

Njord       God of the sea, wind and fire. He bestows good fortune to those on the sea. Originally one of the Vanir, he was traded to the Aesir in a peace agreement.

Norns      The triple goddesses of fate and destiny. They were Urd ("fate"), Verdandi ("necessity") and Skuld ("being").

Nott         Goddess of night who mans the night-charion in it's track through the sky.

Odin        The chief god of the Aesir and most important of the Norse deities. He is called the AllFather, and rules the gods in their council. He is the patron of war and death, poetry, wisdom, travelers, shamans and mystics.

Ran          Goddess of storms and the drowned dead. She is the mistress of the dead claimed by the sea, and often sinks ships in order to collect the drowned sailors in her nets. She then takes them to her hall and ministers to their needs.

Saga         Goddess of poetry and history. Often identified with Frigg.

Sif            Wife of Thor, and possibly an ancient fertility goddess.

Sjofn        Goddess of love, passion and marital harmony.

Skadi       A frost giant and goddess of winter. She was married to the sea-god Njord.

Sleipnir   The eight-legged horse of Odin, he could travel throughout the nine worlds and across land and sea. He is the son of Loki and a stallion.

Sol           Goddess of the sun, who guides the sun-chariot through the sky.

Syn          Goddess of watchfulness and truth. She was often invoked by defendants at trial. She guarded the door of Frigg's palace.

Thor         Thunder-god and the protector of men and gods. Thor is a mighty warrion and keeper of the noble virtues, although he is not always at his most virtuous or noble in the stories of the gods, the Eddas. He carried a hammer, Mjollnir, which caused lightning when it was thrown.

Tyr           The original god of war in the Germanic culture, an office claimed by Odin and then by Thor. Hi is the god of warriors and justice, fairness in battle and in life. He is pictured as a man with one hand, his other being sacrificed to chain the doom-wolf Fenrir.

Ull            God of justice and dueling, archery and skiing.

Vali          Son of Odin, and the god born to avenge the death of Balder.

Valkyries                The battle-maidens, who choose the best warriors to join Odin in Valhalla to wait for the battle Ragnarok. They are also the messengers of Odin.

Vanir       A group of fertility and nature gods, constantly at war with the warrior-gods of the Aesir. They eventually made peace and all of the Vanir were welcomed into the Aesir.

Var           Goddess of contracts and marriage agreements, she takes vengance on oathbreakers.

Vidar       Son of Odin and the god of silence and vengance. He is destined to rule the new world after Ragnarok.

 

Roman Gods

 

God/Goddess         What they rule

Abundantia            Goddess of abundance and good fortune. She carries a cornucopia from which she distributes grain and money. 

Aequitas  God of honest dealing and fair transactions.        

Africus                    God of the southwest wind.     

Alemonia                Goddess who feeds unborn children.  

Angerona                Goddess of secrecy and protector of Rome. She was shown with a bandaged mouth and a finger to her lips as if imploring silence.                

Angita                     Goddess of healing and witchcraft.            

Angitia                    Snake goddess, worshipped mostly by the Marsi of Central Italy.      

Anna Perenna        Goddess of the new year.   

Antevorte               Goddess of the future.        

Aquilo     God of the north wind. Equivalent to the Greek Boreas.       

Aradia     Goddess of witches in the Tuscany region of Italy. She is the daughter of Diana and her brother Lucifer (moon and sun). 

Aurora     Goddess of the dawn. Equivalent to the Greek goddess Eos.    

Auster     God of the south wind. Equivalent to the Greek Notus.        

Bacchus                  God of wine and intoxication. Equivalent to the Greek Dionysus.  

Bellona                   Goddess of war, her worship was popular among Roman soldiers.   

Bona Dea                The 'good goddess', she was the protector of women and the matron of both fertility and virginity in females. She was especially revered by matrons. Also a goddess of healing. 

Caca        Goddess of the hearth. She was later succeeded by Vesta.    

Camenae                 Originally ancient roman goddesses of wells and springs, they later came to be identified with the Greek Muses.                

Candelifera            Goddess of birth. 

Cardea                    Goddess of thresholds, especially doors. 

Carmenta                Goddess of childbirth and prophecy.             

Carna      Goddess of door handles. Also the goddess of the bodily organs, especially the heart.              

Ceres       Goddess of agriculture and grain. Equated with the Greek Demeter.               

Cinxia     Goddess of marriage.          

Clementia               Goddess of mercy and clemency.             

Cloacina                 Goddess who watched over the sewers which drained refuse under the city of Rome.        

Coelus     God of the sky and the heavens. Identified with the Greek Uranus.               

Conditor                 God of harvesting the crops.    

Consus    God of the storage of grain. Later he was identified as a god of secret advice.

Copia       Goddess of wealth and plenty. She carried a cornucopia. 

Cuba        Goddess who watches over infants in their cribs and lulls them to sleep.     

Cunina    Goddess of infants.             

Cupid      God of love and the son of Venus. He is often pictured as either a winged infant with a bow and arrow, or as a handsome youth with his lover Psyche. Identified with the Greek Eros.      

Dea Tacita              The 'silent goddess' a goddess of the dead and the earth.     

Decima                   Goddess of childbirth. With Nona and Morta she forms the Parcae (the three Fates).      

Dei Lucrii               Early Roman gods of profit. Later Mercury took over as god of Commerce.   

Devera    Goddess of the brooms used to purify a ritual site.

Deverra   Goddess of women in labor and the patron of midwives.

Diana       The goddess of fertility, nature and childbirth. She represents the moon, and was originally a fertility goddess worshipped mainly by women. With the Greek influence, however, she became more closely identified with Artemis and took on the characteristics of the huntress.        

Dis Pater                 God of the underworld and riches. Similar to the Greek Hades.   

Disciplina               Goddess of discipline.        

Discordia                Goddess of discord and strife. Equivalent to the Greek Eris. 

Dius Fidus              God of oaths.    

Egestes    Goddess of poverty. Virgil mentions her as a demon of the underworld.      

Empanda                Goddess of openness, friendliness and generosity.

Endovelicus           Pre-Roman god of the Iberian peninsula, later adopted by the Romans. He was the god of health and welfare for his people.  

Eventus   Bonus God of the happy ending. He insured success in business and a good harvest.      

Fabulinus                God who taught children their first word.    

Fama                       Goddess of fame and rumor, both good and bad. 

Fauna                      Earth-mother and fertility goddess. Usually identified with Bona Dea, Ops, or Tellus.     

Faunus                    God of the wilds and fertility. He is identified with the Greek Pan. Also the protector of cattle.    

Faustitas                 Goddess who protects livestock herds.   

Favonius                 God of the west wind, the herald of spring. Equivalent to the Greek Zephyrus.

Febris      Goddess who protects against fevers.      

Felicitas                  Goddess of success.           

Feronia    Goddess of freedom and a successful harvest. She was often worshipped by slaves.

Fides        Goddess of faithfulness and good faith. She was invoked during the signing of treaties. 

Flora        Goddess of spring and the blooming flowers. She is associated with the Greek Chloris. 

Fontus     God of fountains, wells and springs.         

Fornax   Goddess of the baking of bread.    

Fortuna                   Goddess of good fortune, she was originally a deity of blessing and fertility. 

Fulgora   Goddess of lightning.         

Furies      Goddesses of vengeance. Equivalent to the Greek Erinyes.      

Furina      Goddess of thieves.            

Gratiae    See Graces.  

Honos      God of morality and military honor.     

Indivia     God of jealousy.               

Janus       The god of gates, doors, beginnings and endings. He is usually pictured as a double-faced god, one face looking in either direction. 

Juno         Queen of the gods, wife of Jupiter and the protector of the Roman state. She was the guardian of the Empire's finances and considered the Matron Goddess of all Rome. Identified with the Greek Hera.    

Jupiter     Ruler of the gods, he was the god of sky, lightning and thunder. He was also considered the Patron god of Rome, and his temple was the official place of state business and sacrifices. Equivalent to the Greek Zeus.  

Justitia     Goddess of justice, she is usually portrayed blindfolded and holding a set of scales and a sword or scepter.                

Juturna    Goddess of wells and springs. Also the wife of Janus.

Juventas                  Goddess of youth. Equivalent to the Greek Hebe.

Lactans                   God of agriculture.     

Lares       Guardian spirits of the house and fields. Possibly a remnant of ancestor worship, these spirits were protectors of individual Roman families, who had shrines to their Lares in their homes.   

Laverna                   Goddess of unlawful gain, the patron of thieves, cheats and frauds.           

Liber        Old Italian god of fertility and nature.

Libera                     Fertility goddess and the wife of Liber.

Liberalitas              God of generosity.         

Libertas                   Goddess of freedom.           

Libitina   Goddess of corpses and funerals. Her temple contained all of the necessary implements for funeral services, which citizens could rent. Later equated with Proserpina.      

Lima        Goddess of thresholds.      

Lucifer    God of the morning star and the son of Aurora. 

Lucina     She who brings children into light & quiet. Goddess of childbirth. Later equated with Juno.     

Luna        Goddess of the moon, later identified with Diana and Hecate. Equivalent to the Greek Selena.       

Magna Mater         Roman name for Cybele, but also used to identify Rhea.

Maia        Goddess of fertility and spring. Probably the goddess for whom the month of May is named. Often equated with Fauna and Ops.       

Maiesta   Goddess of honor and reverence.             

Mania      Goddess of the dead and called the mother of ghosts. Her name means insanity.

Mars        God of war and one of the most important of Roman deities. He was originally a god of the earth and fertility. His Greek equivalent is Ares, but Mars was seen in a much more favorable light than the cowardly Ares. He was one of the state gods of Rome and had many temples in the city. 

Matuta     Goddess of the dawn and of harbors and newborns.

Meditrina                Goddess of wine and health.

Mefitis    Goddess of poisonous vapors from the earth. She was worshipped especially in volcanic areas and swamps.        

Mellona Goddess and protector of bees.      

Mena       Goddess of menstruation.  

Mens       Goddess of the mind and consciousness.   

Mercury                  God of trade, profit, merchants and travelers. He was eventually identified with the Greek Hermes.

Messor    God of mowing.                

Minerva                  Goddess of wisdom, learning, the arts and sciences, and of war. She is often equated with the Greek Athena and the Etruscan Menrva.                

Moneta    Goddess of prosperity.       

Mors        God of death. Equivalent of the Greek Thanato

Morta      Goddess of death and one of the three Parcae.  

Muta        Goddess of sweet silence.  

Mutinus Mutunus                 God of fertility invoked by women seeking to bear children. Portrayed as a phallus.

Naenia     Goddess of funerals.           

Necessitas              Goddess of destiny. Similar to the Greek Ananke. 

Nemestrinus           God of the woods.           

Neptune                  God of the sea and the patron of horses and             . Similar to the Greek Poseidon.  

Nona        Goddess of pregnancy. She was called upon in the ninth month of pregnancy when it was time for the child to be born. One of the Parcae.  

Nox          Deity of night.     

Nundina                  Goddess of the ninth day, on which the newborn child was given a name.     

Obarator                 God of plowing.            

Occator                   God of harrowing.            

Ops          Goddess of the fertile earth, abundance, harvest and wealth.  

Orbona    Goddess of parents who lost their children. She could grant them more.         

Orcus       God of death and the underworld. Also a god of oaths and punisher of perjurers.    

Pales        Goddess of shepherds, flocks, and the health of domesticated animals in general. 

Parcae     Goddesses of fate, similar to the Greek Moirae. 

Pax           Goddess of peace.               

Penates    Gods of the storeroom and the household. The were worshipped at the hearth and given a part of each meal.             

Picus        God of agriculture and prophecy.             

Pietas       Goddess of piety and a sense of duty to the state and the Gods.     

Pluto        God of the Underworld. Equivalent to the Greek Hades.        

Poena      Goddess of punishment.    

Pomona   Goddess of the fruit trees and orchards.       

Portunes                  God of ports and harbors. He is the guardian of storehouses and locked doors. His attribute is a key.

Porus       God of plenty.   

Postverta                 Goddess of the past.           

Priapus    God of gardens, viniculture, sailors and fishermen. He is a fertility god, marked by an unusually large and erect phallus.                

Prorsa Postverta    Goddess of women in labor, who oversaw the position of the fetus in the womb (normal orbreech).

Proserpina              Goddess of spring and Queen of the Underworld

Providentia             Goddess of forethought.    

Pudicitia                 Goddess of modesty and chastity.                

Puta         Goddess of the pruning of vines and trees.   

Quirinus                  Italian god whose origins are uncertain and worship is not well-known. Possibly the deified version of Romulus, the first ruler of Rome.      

Quiritis    Italian goddess of motherhood.        

Robigo    Goddess of corn. 

Robigus God who protected corn from diseases.      

Roma       Personified goddess of the city of Rome.        

Rumina   Goddess of nursing mothers, both human and animal.   

Salacia    Sea goddess.

Salus        Goddess of health and prosperity. Equivalent to the Greek Hygieia.     

Sancus     God of oaths and good faith.

Saritor     God of weeding and hoeing.

Saturn      God of agriculture and the sowing of seeds. Married to Ops. Equivalent to the Greek Cronus. 

Securitas                 Goddess of security and stability.                

Semonia                  Goddess of sowing.            

Silvanus                  God of forests, groves, wild places and boundaries. Equated with the Greek Pan.

Sol           God of the sun, identical to the Greek Helios. Later worshipped as the state god Sol Invictus.

Somnus   God of sleep, equivalent of the Greek Hypnos.

Sors         God of luck.       

Spes         Goddess of hope.                

Stata Mater             Goddess who guards against fires. Sometimes equated with Vesta.    

Stimula   Goddess who incites passion in women. Equated with the Greek Semele.  

Strenua    Goddess of strength and vigor.     

Suadela   Goddess of amorous persuasion. A member of Venus's retinue.   

Subruncinator        God of weeding.               

Summanus             God of night thunder, as opposed to Jupiter - the god of thunder during the day. 

Tellus      Goddess of the earth, often equated with the Greek Gaia.           

Tempestes              Goddesses of storms.        

Terminus                God of the boundaries between fields. His sacred object was the boundary stone, which was cleansed and given sacrifices during an annual festival to renew the stone's energy.  

Terra Mater            Mother Earth - goddess of fertility and the earth.

Tiberinus                God of the river Tiber.     

Trivia      Goddess of the crossroads. She is portrayed with three faces and sometimes equated with the Greek Hecate.

Vacuna Sabean      goddess of agriculture.

Veiovis   One of the oldest gods, he is the god of healing. Probably based on the Etruscan god Veive, and equated later with the Greek Asclepius.

Venus      Originally a goddess of gardens and vineyards, Venus became the major deity of love and beauty after the influx of Greek deities. She is equivalent to the Greek Aphrodite. 

Veritas    Goddess of truth. 

Verminus                God of worms in cattle.   

Vertumnus             God of the changing seasons and the ripening of fruits and grains. He is the patron of fruit trees.

Vesta       Goddess of the hearth and one of the most-worshipped Roman deities. She is equated to the Greek Hestia.

Victoria                   Goddess of victory. Equivalent to the Greek Nike.

Virtus      God of courage and military prowess. 

Volumna                 Goddess who protects the nursery.                

Vulcan    God of fire, blacksmiths and craftsmanship. Associated with the Greek Hephaestus.

Vulturnus               God of the East Wind. Equated with the Greek Eurus          

 

Santeria, Voodoo, Vodon, or Vodou Gods and Loa

 

God/Goddess         What they rule

Agou       Loa of the sea and patron of fishermen and sailors. His symbol is the drawing of a boat. Sacrifices to him are loaded onto small rafts and set adrift at sea. If the raft sinks, the sacrifice has been accepted.

Aida-Wedo            Loa of fertility and new life, especially conception and childbirth. Her symbol is the rainbow, and her color is white. Sacrifices of white chickens and white eggs are often made to her.

Aizan       Loa of the marketplace and herbal healing. She is also the protector of the houngan (temple) and religious ceremonies, who never possesses anyone during ritual. Her symbol is the palm leaf and her colors are white and silver.

Azaca      Loa of agriculture and protector of the crops. He is pictured as a peasant carrying a straw bag. His color is blue and cornmeal or corn cakes are sacrificed to him.

Baron Cimetire      Loa of the cemetery in the family of Guedeé.

Baron Samedi        Most powerful of the Guedeé, he is the loa of death and controls the passageway between the world of the living and the world of the dead. He often has information about the dead. His color is black and he prefers a top hat and dark glasses. He likes cigarettes, food, and rum in which 21 hot peppers have been steeped.

Baron-La-Croix     Loa of the cross in the family of Guedeé.

Brigitte    Loa of money, who has special influence over black magic and ill-gotten fortune. Similar to the Catholic St. Brigid. Her color is purple and black chickens are sacrificed to her.

Carrefour                Loa who stands in balance to Legba. He is the loa of night and misfortune, who brings bad luck and illness to the world. His symbol is the crossroads and his color is black.

Damballah-Wedo                  Father of the loa, he represents the ancestral knowledge that forms the foundation of Vodou. He is the loa of new life and fertility. His symbols are the snake and the asson, and his color is white. White chickens and eggs are sacrificed to him.

Erzulie    Loa of love, beauty, purity and romance. She is the most-loved of the loa, and can influence romance, marriage, good fortune and artistic endeavors. Her symbol is the heart and her colors are pink and blue. Sweets, perfumes, desserts and white doves are sacrificed to her.

Erzulie Dantor       The dark aspect of Erzuile. She is the loa of jealousy and vengeance, and is often cruel. Her symbol is the heart pierced by a dagger and her colors are red and black.

Grand Bois             Loa of the forest.

Grand Matre          The original supreme being, analogous to the Christian God. Practitioners of Vodou consider him too remote for personal worship.

Guedeé    Group of loa that is made up of the many spirits of the dead. They represent death, sex and buffoonery. They are also healers of the sick and the protectors of children. Their colors are black and purple,

La Sirne                  An aspect of Erzuile who represents the sea. She is seen as a mermaid.

Legba      The most powerful of all the loa and the guardian of the gate between the material world and the world of the loas. He also has great wisdom and knowledge of the past and future. Every ritual begins with a sacrifice to Legba. He is the guardian of the sun and his color is black.

Loco        An aspect of Legba, he is the master of the hounfort (temple) and loa of medicine and the healing arts.

Marassa The sacred twins, considered to have balance and be two parts of the same whole. Saluted at every ritual.

Marinette                Powerful and violent loa of the Petro family.

Ogoun     Powerful warrior and the loa of all things male, including warfare, politics, fire, lightning and metalworking. His symbol is the sword and his color is red. Sacrifices of red roosters and rum poured on the ground and set afire are made to him.

Ogoun Badagris    Aspect of Ogoun who represents the phallus.

Ogoun Fer              Aspect of Ogoun who represents stability and order.

Ogoun Shango       Aspect of Ogoun who represents lightning. He is descended from the Nigerian god Shango, god of fire and lightning.

Petro        Family of loa who represent the dark, aggressive side of life. Many of the loa have an aspect in both the Petro and the Ranga family. These loa are often violent or angry, and can ask a high price for their services. They originated in Hati during the times of slavery.

Rada        The benevolent and gentle loa who originated in Africa. They are the protectors of the people and their worship follows the traditional African rites of the loa.

Simbi       Loa of rainfall and fresh water, he oversees the making of charms. His color is green and his symbol is the water snake. Speckled roosters are sacrificed to him

Yemana   Sea goddess and Earth mother. Mother of the gods