Mater Larum
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mater Larum
Ancient Rome
The Mother of the Lares has been identified with any of several minor Roman deities. She appears twice in the records o…
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Research Index
Gods on Earth
An archive of 3,493 gods, deified rulers, and mythological figures across civilizations — from living gods of Egypt to the dying gods of antiquity.
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mater Matuta
Ancient Rome
Mater Matuta was an indigenous Latin goddess adopted by the Romans. Mater Matuta was a goddess of fertility, childbirth…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Matres and Matronae
Scandinavia
The Matres and Matronae were female deities venerated in Northwestern Europe, of whom relics are found dating from the f…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Matres and Matrones
Ancient Rome
The Matres and Matronae were female deities venerated in Northwestern Europe, of whom relics are found dating from the f…
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Matrikas
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Matrikas
Indian subcontinent
Matrikas (Sanskrit: मातृका (singular), IAST: mātṛkā, lit. "mothers"), also called Mataras or Matri, are a group of moth…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Matronae
Scandinavia
The Matres and Matronae were female deities venerated in Northwestern Europe, of whom relics are found dating from the f…
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Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Matronae Aufaniae
Iron Age Europe
The Matronae Aufaniae are Germanic Matronae attested on Roman era altars. The Aufaniae are one of the most frequently r…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Matsya
Indian subcontinent
Matsya is the fish avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's ten primary avatars, Matsya…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Matsya Purana
Indian subcontinent
The Matsya Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas (Mahapurana), and among the oldest and better preserved in the Pu…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Matsyendranath
Indian subcontinent
Matsyendranātha, also known as Matsyendra, Macchindranāth, Mīnanātha and Minapa was a saint and yogi in a number of Budd…
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Matuatonga
Polynesian1000 BCE – present
Matuatonga
Polynesia
Matuatonga is a Māori stone sculpture on Mokoia Island, Lake Rotorua, New Zealand, which is a mauri (relic) or whakapoko…
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Matunos
Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Matunos
Iron Age Europe
Matunus or Matunos is an ancient Celtic god.
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Polynesian1000 BCE – present
Mauna Kea
Polynesia
Mauna Kea is a dormant shield volcano on the island of Hawaiʻi. Its peak is 13,803 feet above sea level, making it the …
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Slavic500 CE – 1100 CE
Mavka
Early Slavs
Mavka or Nyavka is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. The Mavka is a long-haired "Soul of the…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maximón
Maya civilization
Maximón is a Maya deity and folk saint, represented in various forms by the Maya peoples of several towns in the Guatema…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya codices
Maya civilization
Maya codices are folding books written by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Maya hieroglyphic script on Mesoamerica…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya death gods
Maya civilization
The Maya death gods known by a variety of names, are two basic types of death gods who are respectively represented by t…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya jaguar gods
Maya civilization
The pre-Columbian Maya religion knew various jaguar gods, in addition to jaguar demi-gods, (ancestral) protectors, and s…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya maize god
Maya civilization
Like other Mesoamerican peoples, the Maya peoples recognize in their staple crop, maize, a vital force with which they s…
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Maya medicine
Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya medicine
Maya civilization
Maya medicine concerns health and medicine among the ancient Maya civilization. It was a complex blend of mind, body, r…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya moon goddess
Maya civilization
The traditional Mayas generally assume the Moon to be female, and the Moon's perceived phases are accordingly conceived …
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya pilgrimage
Maya civilization
Pilgrimage is the travel from one's home to a sacred place of importance within one's faith. The journey itself holds a…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Maya priesthood
Maya civilization
Until the discovery that Maya stelae depicted kings instead of high priests, the Maya priesthood and their preoccupation…
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Mayahuel
Aztec Empire
Mayahuel is the female deity associated with the maguey plant among cultures of central Mexico in the Postclassic era of…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Mayilattam
Indian subcontinent
Mayilattam is an artistic and religious form of dance performed in the Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in reveren…
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Mazdaznan
Zoroastrian1500 BCE – present
Mazdaznan
Ancient Persia
Mazdaznan is a neo-Zoroastrian new religious movement which held that the Earth should be restored to a garden where hum…
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Buddhist500 BCE – present
Mazu
Asia
Mazu or Matsu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. She is also known …
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Medb Lethderg
Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Medb Lethderg
Iron Age Europe
In Irish mythology, Medb Lethderg was a goddess of sovereignty associated with Tara. She was the wife or lover of nine …
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Medea
Ancient Rome
In Greek mythology, Medea is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an …
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Medjed
Ancient Egypt
In Ancient Egyptian religion, Medjed, also known as Medjedu is a minor deity mentioned in certain copies of the Book of …
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Medjed (fish)
Ancient Egypt
Medjed were a kind of elephantfish worshipped at Oxyrhynchus in ancient Egyptian religion.
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Meenakshi
Indian subcontinent
Meenakshi is a Hindu goddess. She is considered as a form of the goddess Parvati, and is the tutelary deity of Madurai.…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mefitis
Ancient Rome
In Roman mythology, Mefitis was a goddess of Italic origins primarily worshipped by the Samnites and Osci in southern It…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Mehen
Ancient Egypt
In Egyptian mythology, the name Mehen, meaning 'coiled one', referred to a mythological snake-god and to a board game.
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Mehet-Weret
Ancient Egypt
Mehet-Weret or Mehturt is an ancient Egyptian deity of the sky in ancient Egyptian religion. Her name means "Great Floo…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Mehit
Ancient Egypt
Mehit was an ancient Egyptian and Nubian lion goddess of Nubian origin.
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Meili
Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Meili
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Meili is a god, son of Odin and Jörð, and brother of the god Thor. Meili is attested in the Poetic …
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Meilichios
Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, Meilichios was an archaic chthonic daimon honored in Athens. Meilichios was later worshipped as an …
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Melanippus
Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Melanippus
Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, there were several people named Melanippus :Melanippus, one of the sons of Agrius and possibly Dia, …
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Meldi Mata
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Meldi Mata
Indian subcontinent
Meldi Mata is a Hindu goddess and household deity who protects farmland. A legend says that she can grant any wish. Sh…
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Melete
Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Melete
Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, Melete was one of the three original Boeotian muses before the Nine Olympian Muses were founded. He…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Melicertes
Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, Melicertes, later called Palaemon or Palaimon (Παλαίμων), was a Boeotian prince as the son of King A…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Melinoë
Ancient Greece
Melinoë is a chthonic goddess invoked in one of the Orphic Hymns, and represented as a bringer of nightmares and madness…
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Mellona
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mellona
Ancient Rome
Mellona or Mellonia was an ancient Roman goddess said by St. Augustine to promote the supply of honey as Pomona did for…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Melpomene
Ancient Greece
Melpomene is the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She is described as the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne along with …
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Canaanite3000 BCE – 300 BCE
Melqart
Ancient Levant
Melqart was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre and a major deity in the Phoenician and Punic pantheon…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Men (deity)
Ancient Greece
Mēn was a lunar god worshipped in the western interior parts of Anatolia. He is attested in various localized variants,…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Menat
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egyptian religion, a menat was a necklace closely associated with the goddess Hathor.
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Meng Po
China
Meng Po is a deity of the Chinese pantheon.
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Menhit
Ancient Egypt
Menhit was originally a Nubian lion goddess of war in the Kingdom of Kush, who was regarded as a tutelary and sun goddes…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Menoetius
Ancient Greece
Menoetius or Menoetes was a name that refers to three distinct persons from Greek mythology:Menoetius, a second generati…
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Etruscan900 BCE – 100 BCE
Menrva
Etruria
Menrva was an Etruscan goddess of war, art, wisdom, and medicine. She contributed much of her character to the Roman Mi…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mens
Ancient Rome
In ancient Roman religion, Mens, also known as Mens Bona, was the personification of thought, consciousness and the mind…
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Merau
Polynesian1000 BCE – present
Merau
Polynesia
In Polynesian mythology, Merau is a goddess of death and the underworld.
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mercurius Cimbrianus
Ancient Rome
Mercurius Cimbrianus or Cimbrius is a Germanic god mentioned in seven Roman dedicatory inscriptions. These inscriptions…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Meret
Ancient Egypt
In Egyptian mythology, Meret was a goddess who was strongly associated with rejoicing, such as singing and dancing.
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Meretseger
Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Meretseger
Ancient Egypt
Meretseger was a Theban cobra-goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, in charge with guarding and protecting the vast Theb…
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Mermaid (Ninurta)
Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Mermaid (Ninurta)
Ancient Mesopotamia
The Mermaid in Sumerian religion was one of the Heroes slain by Ninurta, patron god of Lagash, in ancient Iraq. Her bod…
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Mes-sanga-Unug
Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Mes-sanga-Unug
Ancient Mesopotamia
Mes-sanga-Unug was a Mesopotamian god closely associated with the city of Uruk, and especially with one of its districts…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Meskhenet
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Meskhenet, was the goddess of childbirth, and the creator of each child's Ka, a part of t…
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Meskilak
Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Meskilak
Ancient Mesopotamia
Meskilak or Mesikila was one of the two main deities worshiped in Dilmun. The other well attested member of the pantheo…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Methe
Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, Methe is the spirit and personification of drunkenness. She entered the retinue of Dionysus and was…
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Metztli
Aztec Empire
In Aztec mythology, Mētztli was a god or goddess of the moon, the night, and farmers.
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Meztli
Aztec Empire
In Aztec mythology, Mētztli was a god or goddess of the moon, the night, and farmers.
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Mhalsa
Indian subcontinent
Mhalsa, also spelled as Mhalasa or Mahalasa, महालसा is a Hindu goddess. As an independent goddess, she is worshipped as…
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Miaozhuang Wang
China
Miaozhuang Wang is a Chinese deity and the father of the Guanyin Bodhisattva, also known as the Goddess of Mercy. Miaoz…
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Mictēcacihuātl
Aztec Empire
Mictēcacihuātl, in Aztec mythology, is a death deity and consort of Mictlāntēcutli, god of the dead and ruler of Mictlān…
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Mictlanpachecatl
Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Mictlanpachecatl
Aztec Empire
In Aztec mythology, Mictlanpachecatl is the god of the North wind. His brothers are Cihuatecayotl, Tlalocayotl, and Hui…
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Mictlantecuhtli
Aztec Empire
Mictlāntēcutli or Mictlantecuhtli, in Aztec mythology, is a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan (Chicunauhmictlan), …
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Mictlāntēcutli
Aztec Empire
Mictlāntēcutli or Mictlantecuhtli, in Aztec mythology, is a god of the dead and the king of Mictlan (Chicunauhmictlan), …
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Middleworld
Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Middleworld
Maya civilization
In ancient Maya cosmology, Middleworld is the Earth, or the world of men. "In ancient Maya thought, the universe was su…
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Midir
Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Midir
Iron Age Europe
In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, Midir, Midhir or Mider was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Dana…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Midwifery in Maya society
Maya civilization
Midwifery is a women's profession that assists women from pregnancy to newborn care. In some traditional Maya communiti…
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Mikeiri no Mikoto
Japanese300 CE – present
Mikeiri no Mikoto
Japan
Mikeiri no Mikoto is a Japanese deity. He was the older brother of Jimmu. While playing a minor role in the Nihon Shok…
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Mikogami
Japanese300 CE – present
Mikogami
Japan
In Shinto, a mikogami is a term used within the context of parent-child deity cults to refer to an offspring kami. A mi…
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Buddhist500 BCE – present
Milarepa
Asia
Jetsun Milarepa was a Tibetan siddha, who was famously known as a murderer when he was a young man, before turning to Bu…
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Canaanite3000 BCE – 300 BCE
Milcom
Ancient Levant
Milcom, also spelled Milkom, was either the national god, or an important god, of the Ammonites. He is attested in the …
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Military of ancient Rome
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Military of ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
The military of ancient Rome was one of the largest pre-modern professional standing armies in history. At its height, …
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Milku
Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Milku
Ancient Mesopotamia
Milku was a god associated with the underworld who was worshiped in the kingdoms of Ugarit and Amurru in the late Bronze…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Mímir
Scandinavia
Mímir or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology, renowned for his knowledge and wisdom, who is beheaded during the Æsir–Vani…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Mímisbrunnr
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Mímisbrunnr is a spring or well associated with the being Mímir, located beneath the world tree Yggd…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Min (god)
Ancient Egypt
Min is an ancient Egyptian god whose cult originated in the predynastic period. He was represented in many different fo…
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Mindar
Buddhist500 BCE – present
Mindar
Asia
Mindar, also known as Android Kannon Mindar, is an android preacher at the Kōdai-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan. The humanoi…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Minerva
Ancient Greece
Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is als…
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Mingong (deity)
China
Mingong (憫公) is a Buddhist layman and the right attendant of the bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha. His son also entered the way …
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Mīšaru
Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Mīšaru
Ancient Mesopotamia
Mīšaru (Misharu), possibly also known as Ili-mīšar, was a Mesopotamian god regarded as the personification of justice, s…
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Japanese300 CE – present
Mishaguji
Japan
Mishaguji (御左口神, 御社宮司, 御射宮司, 御社宮神; katakana: ミシャグジ), also known as Misakuji(n), Mis(h)aguchi or Mishakuji among other va…
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Misharu
Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Misharu
Ancient Mesopotamia
Mīšaru (Misharu), possibly also known as Ili-mīšar, was a Mesopotamian god regarded as the personification of justice, s…
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Zoroastrian1500 BCE – present
Mithra
Ancient Persia
Mithra is an ancient Iranian deity (yazata) of covenants, light, oaths, justice, the Sun, contracts, and friendship. In…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mithraic mysteries
Ancient Rome
Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion focused on the god …
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Zoroastrian1500 BCE – present
Mithraism
Ancient Persia
Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion focused on the god …
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Mithras
Ancient Rome
Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion focused on the god …
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Mitra
Zoroastrian1500 BCE – present
Mitra
Ancient Persia
Mitra is the name of an Indo-Iranian divinity that came out of the Rigvedic Mitrá and Avestan Mithra.
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Mitra (Hindu god)
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Mitra (Hindu god)
Indian subcontinent
Mitra is a Hindu god and generally one of the Adityas, though his role has changed over time. In the Mitanni inscriptio…
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Mitra (Vedic)
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Mitra (Vedic)
Indian subcontinent
Mitra is a Hindu god and generally one of the Adityas, though his role has changed over time. In the Mitanni inscriptio…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Mitra–Varuna
Indian subcontinent
Mitra and Varuna are two deities frequently referred to in the ancient Indian scripture of the Rigveda. They are both c…
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Mixcoatl
Aztec Empire
Mixcoatl, or Camaxtle or Camaxtli, was the god of the hunt and identified with the Milky Way, the stars, and the heavens…
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Mjoll
Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Mjoll
Scandinavia
Mjǫll is a goddess from Norse mythology. She was said to be a descendant of Fornjót and to have three siblings: Dríffa,…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Mjölnir
Scandinavia
Mjölnir is the hammer of the thunder god Thor in Norse mythology, used both as a devastating weapon and as a divine inst…
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Mneme
Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Mneme
Ancient Greece
According to the 2nd-century AD travel writer Pausanias, Mneme was thought to be one of the three Muses at Mount Helicon…
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Greek800 BCE – 400 CE
Mnemosyne
Ancient Greece
In Greek mythology, Mnemosyne was one of the Titans, who are the children of Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). She was the…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Mnevis
Ancient Egypt
Mnevis is the Hellenized name of an ancient Egyptian bull god which had its centre of worship at Heliopolis, and was kno…
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Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Moccus
Iron Age Europe
Moccus or Moccos is a Celtic god who is attested in one 2nd or 3rd century AD inscription from Langres, in which he is i…
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Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
Moctezuma II
Aztec Empire
Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, retroactively referred to in European sources as Moctezuma II, and often called Montezuma, was the…
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Modekngei
Zoroastrian1500 BCE – present
Modekngei
Ancient Persia
Modekngei, or Ngara Modekngei, is a monotheistic religious movement founded around 1915 by Tamadad, a native of the isla…
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Modheshwari
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Modheshwari
Indian subcontinent
Modheshwari Mata is an aspect of the devi Matangi. She is the clan deity of the Modh community of Gujarat.
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Móði and Magni
Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Móði and Magni
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Móði and Magni are the sons of Thor. Their names translate as "Wrath" and "Strength", respectively.…
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Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Modron
Iron Age Europe
Modron ("mother") is a figure in Welsh tradition, known as the mother of the hero Mabon ap Modron. Both characters may …
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