From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Greek dryad depicted in a painting
In
religion , a nature deity is a
deity in charge of
forces of nature , such as a
water deity ,
vegetation deity ,
sky deity ,
solar deity ,
fire deity , or any other naturally occurring phenomena such as mountains, trees, or volcanoes. Accepted in
panentheism ,
pantheism ,
deism ,
polytheism ,
animism ,
totemism ,
shamanism , and
paganism , the deity embodies natural forces and can have various characteristics, such as that of a
mother goddess , "
Mother Nature ", or
lord of the animals .
African
Asase Yaa , the goddess of the harsh earth, Truth and Mother of the Dead in the Akan religion
Asase Afua , the goddess of the lush earth, fertility, love, procreation and farming in the Akan religion
Bia, personification of the
Bia River and god of the wilderness and wild animals in the Akan religion
Tano , personification of the
Tano River and god of the river and thunder
Ash , god of the oasis and the vineyards of the western
Nile Delta
Geb , Egyptian god of earth with sister/wife
Nut , the sky goddess as his consort
Ala ,
Igbo
alusi , goddess of the earth, morality, fertility, and creativity
Amadioha ,
Igbo
alusi , god of thunder and lightning
Anyanwu ,
Igbo
alusi , sun goddess of good fortune, knowledge, and wisdom
Aja ,
Yoruba
orisha , patron of the forest, the animals within it and herbal healers
Oko ,
Yoruba
orisha , patron of new harvest of the white African yam and of hunting
Osanyin ,
Yoruba
orisha , patron of the forest, herbs and healing.
Oshosi ,
Yoruba
orisha , patron of the forest and of hunting.
Oshun ,
Yoruba
orisha , patron of Water, Purity, Fertility, Love, and Sensuality
iNyanga,
Zulu moon goddess
Nomhoyi,
Zulu goddess of rivers
Nomkhubulwane ,
Zulu goddess mother of fertility, rain, agriculture, rainbow and beer
Unsondo,
Zulu god of the sky, sun, thunder, earthquake
American
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
Curupira , a powerful demon or forest spirit and guardian of nature
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
Pachamama , fertility goddess who presides over planting, harvesting and earthquakes
Yum Kaax , god of agriculture, wild plants and animals
Asintmah,
Athabaskan earth and nature goddess, and the first woman to walk the earth
Ngen ,
Mapuche spirits of nature
Asian
Dou Mu Niang Niang , Mother Goddess of the
Big Dipper
Tai Sui , Star Deities of sixty years cycle
Chang'e , moon goddess
Lei Gong , god of thunder
Hou Tu Niang Niang , Mother Earth and Overlord of all Tu Di Gong
Tu Di Gong , earth deity of a specific locality and nearby human communities
Gonggong , ancient god of water
Zhurong , ancient god of fire
Hebo , god of
Yellow River
San Shan Guo Wang , lords of the Three Mountains in Southern China
Prithvi or
Bhumi , goddess regarded as "Mother Earth"; Sanskrit 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
Amaterasu , goddess of the sun
Izanagi , forefather of the gods, god of creation and life and first male
Izanami , Izanagi's wife and sister, goddess of creation and death, first female
Konohanasakuya-hime , the blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life
Shinigami , god of death
Suijin , god of water
Fūjin , god of wind
Kagu-tsuchi , god of fire
Susanoo , god of storms, (fertility in Izumo legends), younger brother to Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi
Tsukuyomi , god of the moon and oceans, younger brother of Amaterasu and older brother of Susanoo
Dangun , god-king of
Gojoseon , god of the mountain
Dokkaebi , nature spirits
Lady Saso , goddess of the mountain
Jacheongbi, goddess of the grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment
Jeonggyun Moju, mother of
Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and Ijinashi of Daegaya, goddess of the mountain
Jik, god of grains
Sa, god of the earth
Sansin , local mountain gods
European
Abnoba ,
Gaulish goddess associated with forests and rivers
Artio , Gaulish bear goddess of the wilderness
Arduinna , goddess of the
Ardennes forest region, represented as a huntress
Cernunnos , horned god associated with horned male animals, produce, and fertility
Druantia , hypothetical
Gallic tree goddess proposed by
Robert Graves in his 1948 study
The White Goddess ; popular with
Neopagans .
Nantosuelta , Gaulish goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility
Sucellus , god of agriculture, forests, and alcoholic drinks
Viridios , god of vegetation, rebirth, and agriculture, possibly cognate with the
Green Man
Karærin , Celtic goddess who protects animals and nature
Sínann , Irish goddess, embodiment of the
River Shannon , the longest river on
Ireland , also a goddess of wisdom.
Fufluns , god of plant life, happiness, wine, health, and growth in all things
Selvans , god of the woodlands
Artumes , goddess of the hunt, woodlands, the night, and the wild
Lempo , god of wilderness and archery
Tapio , god and ruler of forests
Mielikki , goddess of forests and the hunt. Wife of Tapio.
Mlande, god of the earth
Mlande-Ava, goddess of the earth
Dali , goddess of mountain animals such as
ibex and deer
Ēostre or Ostara, the goddess of spring
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
Iðunn the goddess of spring who guards the apples that keep the gods eternally young; wife of the god Bragi
[3]
Jörð , personification of the earth and the mother of
Thor
Nerthus , goddess of the earth, called by the Romans
Terra Mater .
Njörð , god of the sea, fishing, and fertility
Rán , goddess of the sea, storms, and death
Skaði , goddess of mountains, skiing, winter, archery and hunting
Sif , goddess of earth, fertility, and the harvest
Thor , god of thunder, lightning, weather, oak trees, and fertility
Ullr , god of hunting, archery, skiing, and mountains
Nøkken , male water spirit, lures foolish children into the lakes at the deepest, darkest parts of the lakes
Elf , beautiful, fairy-like creature that lives in the forest and streams.
Anthousai , flower nymphs
Aphrodite , goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and fertility
Apollo , god of the sun, light, healing, poetry and music, and archery
Aristaeus , god of shepherds, cheesemaking, beekeeping, honey, honey-mead, olive growing, oil milling, medicinal herbs, hunting, and the Etesian winds
Artemis , goddess of the hunt, the dark, the light, the moon, wild animals, nature, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls, and health and plague in women and childhood
Aurae , nymphs of the breezes
Chloris , goddess of flowers
Cronus , god of the harvest
Cybele , Phrygian goddess of the fertile earth and wild animals
Demeter , goddess of the harvest, crops, the fertility of the earth, grains, and the seasons
Dionysus , god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, madness, and festivity. The Roman equivalent is Bacchus.
[4]
Dryads , tree and forest nymphs
Epimeliades , nymphs of highland pastures and protectors of sheep flocks
Gaia , the goddess of the earth and its personification. She is also the primal mother goddess.
Hamadryades , oak tree dryades
Hegemone , goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed to
Helios , Titan-god of the Sun
Horae , goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time
Meliae , nymphs of honey and the ash tree
Nymphs , nature spirits
Naiades , fresh water nymphs
Nereids , salt-water nymphs
Nyx , Primordial goddess and personification of Night
Oceanides , fresh water nymphs
Oreades , mountain nymphs
Oxylus , god of forests & mountains
Pan , god of shepherds, flocks, mountain wilds, and rustic music
Persephone (Kore), goddess of spring growth
Physis , primeval goddess of nature
Rhea , goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the mountain wilds
Satyrs , rustic nature spirits
Selene , Titan-goddess of the Moon
Greek rustic deities
Rå,
Skogsrå ,
Hulder , beautiful, female forest spirit, can lure men to their death by making them fall in love and marrying them
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 Gaia
Berstuk , evil
Wendish god of the forest
Jarilo , god of vegetation, fertility, spring, war and harvest
Leshy , a
tutelary deity of the forests.
Porewit , god of the woods, who protected lost voyagers and punished those who mistreated the forest
Veles , god of earth, waters and the underworld
Mokosh ,
East-Slavic goddess of nature
Oceanian
Indo' Ongon-Ongon, goddess of earthquakes
Pong Banggai di Rante, earth goddess
Western Asian
Ara the Handsome , in the myth of Ara the Beautiful and Semiramis Ara acts as a deity of a dying and resurrecting nature
Aralez (mythology) Aralezner, the oldest gods in the Armenian pantheon, Aralez are dog-like creatures with powers to resuscitate fallen warriors and resurrect the dead by licking wounds clean
Areg (Arev) or Ar, god of the Sun, comparable with Mesopotamian Utu. Likely also known as, or developed into, Ara. This god was probably mentioned on the Urartian-era Door of Meher (as Ara or Arwaa)
Astłik had been worshipped as the Armenian deity of fertility and love, later the skylight had been considered her personification
Tsovinar "Nar of the Sea", goddess of waters and the ocean. Perhaps also a lightning goddess. Became the consort of Vahagn. Possibly connected to Inara, in Hittite–Hurrian mythology the goddess of the wild animals of the steppe and daughter of the Storm-god Teshub
Mihr (Armenian deity) cognate with the Mithra. God of the sun and light, son of Aramazd, the brother of Anahit and Nane.
Spandaramet a daughter of Aramazd, and chthonic goddess of fertility, vineyards and the underworld
Vishap a dragon closely associated with water, similar to the Leviathan. It is usually depicted as a winged snake or with a combination of elements from different animals.
Irpitiga, lord of the earth
Sarruma , god of the mountains
Umay , the goddess of nature, love and fertility in Turkic mythology. Also known as Yer Ana.
İye , deities or spirits or natural assets.
Baianai , the god of the forest, animals, and hunt in Turkic mythology.
Ukulan , the god of water in Turkic mythology, also known as Su Ata.
See also
References
^
Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies . Pantheon Books. pp. 9–10.
ISBN
0394409183 .
^ Wright, Elizabeth Mary (1913). Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore . Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 198.
^ World English Dictionary
^ Walter Burkert, (1985) Greek Religion, Harvard University Press,
ISBN
0-674-36280-2 .
^ MILLER, JR., PATRICK D. (1985).
"Eridu, Dunnu, and Babel: A Study in Comparative Mythology" (PDF) . Hebrew Annual Review . 9 : 227–251. Retrieved 4 July 2023 .