List of nature deities

Gaia the Greek goddess of earth depicted in a painting

In nature worship, a nature deity is a deity in charge of forces of nature such as water deity, vegetation deity, sky deity, solar deity, fire deity or any other naturally occurring phenomena such as mountains, trees, or volcanoes. Accepted in panentheism, pantheism, deism, polytheism, animism, totemism, shamanism and paganism the deity embodies natural forces and can have characteristics of the mother goddess, Mother Nature or lord of the animals.

African mythology

Arabian mythology

Aztec mythology

  • Xochipilli, god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, and song
  • Xochiquetzal, goddess of fertility, beauty, female sexual power, protection of young mothers, of pregnancy, childbirth, vegetation, flowers, and the crafts of women
  • Tonantzin, mother goddess

Baltic mythology

Celtic mythology

Chinese mythology

Twelve Deities of Flowers

  • Qu Yuan, God of the Orchid
  • Lin Bu, God of the Plum Blossom
  • Pi Rixui, God of the Peach Blossom
  • Ouyang Xiu, God of the Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa)
  • Su Dongpo, God of the Peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall)
  • Jiang Yan, God of the Pomegranate
  • Zhou Dunyi, God of the Lotus
  • Yan Wanli, God of the Crape Myrtle Flower
  • Hong Shi, God of the Osmanthus
  • Fan Cheng, God of the Hibiscus
  • Tao Qian, God of the Chrysanthemum
  • Gao Sisun, God of the Paperwhite

Other deities

  • Tu Di Gong, god of a specific locality and nearby human communities

Egyptian mythology

  • Ash, god of the oasis and the vineyards of the western Nile Delta

English mythology

Etruscan mythology

Finnish mythology

  • Lempo, god of wilderness and archery
  • Tapio, god and ruler of forests
  • Mielikki, goddess of forests and the hunt. Wife of Tapio.

Georgian mythology

  • Dali, goddess of mountain animals such as ibex and deer

Germanic mythology

Greek mythology

  • Actaeon, god of the wilderness, wild animals, the hunt, and male animals
  • Antheia, goddess of flowery wreaths
  • Anthousai, flower nymphs
  • Aristaeus, god of shepherds, cheesemaking, beekeeping, honey, honey-mead, olive growing, oil milling, medicinal herbs, hunting, and the Etesian winds
  • Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the dark, the light, the moon, wild animals, nature, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls, and health and plague in women and childhood
  • Aurae, nymphs of the breezes
  • Chloris, goddess of flowers
  • Cybele, Phrygian goddess of the fertile earth and wild animals
  • Demeter, goddess of the harvest, crops, the fertility of the earth, grains, and the seasons
  • Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, and festivity. Roman equivalent is Bacchus.[3]
  • Dryads, tree and forest nymphs
  • Epimeliades, nymphs of highland pastures and protectors of sheep flocks
  • Gaea, the goddess of the earth and its personification. She is also the primal mother goddess.
  • Hamadryades, oak tree dryades
  • Hegemone, goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed to
  • Horae, goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time
  • Karmanor, god of reaping
  • Meliae, nymphs of honey and the ash tree
  • Nymphs, nature spirits
  • Naiades, fresh water nymphs
  • Nereids, salt-water nymphs
  • Oceanides, fresh water nymphs
  • Oreades, mountain nymphs
  • Oxylus, god of forests & mountains
  • Pan, god of shepherds, flocks, mountain wilds, and rustic music
  • Persephone (Kore), goddess of spring growth
  • Physis, primeval goddess of nature
  • Rhea, goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the mountain wilds
  • Satyrs, rustic nature spirits

Hinduism

  • Prithvi, goddess regarded as Mother Earth. The Sanskrit name for 'Earth'
  • Agni, god of fire
  • Varuna, god of oceans
  • Vayu, god of wind
  • Indra, god of rain, lightning and thunders
  • Aranyani, goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within it
  • Brahma, creator god
  • Vishnu, preserver god
  • Shiva, destroyer god
  • Ganesha is widely revered as remover of obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, the deva of intellect and wisdom, the god of beginnings (honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies), invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions
  • Durga, also known as Durga Mata, Devi, Shakti, and numerous other names - she is a mother but also a warrior goddess

Hittite mythology

  • Irpitiga, lord of the earth
  • Sarruma, god of the mountains

Inca mythology

  • Pachamama, fertility goddess who presides over planting, harvesting and earthquakes

Japanese mythology

  • Amaterasu, goddess of the Sun
  • Izanagi, forefather of the gods, god of creation and life and first male
  • Izanami, Izanagi's wife and sister, goddess of creation and death, first female
  • Konohanasakuya-hime, the blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life

Mari

  • Mlande, god of the earth
  • Mlande-Ava, goddess of the earth

Māori mythology

Mayan mythology

  • Yum Caax, god of agriculture, wild plants and animals

Mesopotamian mythology

  • Abu, minor Sumerian god of plants
  • Damu, Sumerian god of vegetation and rebirth
  • Emesh, Sumerian god of vegetation
  • Kishar, Akkadian goddess representing the earth
  • Ningal, Sumerian goddess of reeds
  • Ninhursag, Sumerian mother goddess associated with the earth and fertility
  • Ningikuga, Sumerian goddess of reeds and marshes
  • Ninsar, Sumerian goddess of plants
  • Ua-Ildak, Babylonian and Akkadian goddess responsible for pastures and poplar trees

Micronesian mythology

Native American mythology

Nordic folklore

  • Rå, Skogsrå, Huldra, female forest spirit, lures men to their death by making them fall in love and marrying them
  • Nøkken, male water spirit, lures foolish children into the lakes at the deepest, darkest parts of the lakes

Norse mythology

  • Jörð, personification of the earth. She is the Icelandic version of Fjörgyn, and the mother of Thor
  • Idun or Ithunn, the goddess of spring who guarded the apples that kept the gods eternally young; wife of the god Bragi[4]
  • Fjörgyn, the female personification of the earth. She is also the mother of the goddess Frigg and, very rarely, mother of Thor
  • Freyja, goddess of fertility, gold, death, love, beauty, war and magic
  • Freyr, god of fertility, rain, sunlight, life and summer
  • Skadi, goddess of mountains, skiing, winter, archery and hunting
  • Vidar, god of the forest, meditation, silence, wilderness

Philippine mythology

Roman mythology

  • Bacchus - god of wine, nature, pleasure and festivity; equivalent to the Greek god Dionysus
  • Ceres, goddess of growing plants and motherly relationships; equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter
  • Diana, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness and the moon; equivalent to the Greek goddess Artemis
  • Faunus, horned god of the forest, plains and fields
  • Feronia, goddess associated with wildlife, fertility, health and abundance
  • Flora, goddess of flowers and the spring; equivalent to the Greek goddess Chloris
  • Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness and health and growth in all things
  • Liber, cognate for Bacchus/Dionysus
  • Nemestrinus, god of the forests and woods
  • Ops, goddess of fertility and the earth
  • Pilumnus, nature god who ensured children grew properly and stayed healthy
  • Pomona, goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchards
  • Silvanus, tutelary spirit or deity of woods and fields and protector of forests
  • Terra, primeval goddess personifying the earth; equivalent to the Greek goddess Gaea

Slavic mythology

  • Berstuk, evil Wendish god of the forest
  • Jarilo, god of vegetation, fertility, spring, war and harvest
  • Porewit, god of the woods, who protected lost voyagers and punished those who mistreated the forest
  • Porvata, Polish god of the woods
  • Siliniez, Polish god of the woods for whom moss was sacred
  • Tawals, Polish blessing-bringing god of the meadows and fields
  • Veles, god of earth, waters and the underworld
  • Mokosh, East-Slavic female god of nature

Toraja

  • Indo' Ongon-Ongon, goddess of earthquakes
  • Pong Banggai di Rante, earth goddess

Turco-Mongol

  • Yer Tanrı, is the goddess of earth in Turkic mythology. Also known as Yer Ana.

Vodou

  • Baron Samedi, loa of the dead
  • Grand Bois, loa associated with trees, plants and herbs
  • L'inglesou, loa who lives in the wild areas of Haiti and kills anyone who offends him
  • Loco, loa associated with healers and plants, especially trees

References

  1. ↑ Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books. pp. 9–10. ISBN 0394409183.
  2. ↑ Wright, Elizabeth Mary (1913). Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore. Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 198.
  3. ↑ Walter Burkert, (1985) Greek Religion, Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-36280-2.
  4. ↑ World English Dictionary
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