Buddhist500 BCE – present
Vasudhara
Asia
Vasudhārā whose name means "stream of gems" in Sanskrit, also known as "Gold Tara", is the Buddhist goddess of wealth, p…
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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.
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vasuki
Indian subcontinent
Vasuki is the king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called Nagamani on his head. Shesha, anot…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vasus
Indian subcontinent
The Vasus are a group of deities in Hinduism associated with fire and light. They are described as the attendant deitie…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vayu
Indian subcontinent
Vayu, also known as Vata and Pavana, is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the …
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Vayu Stuti
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vayu Stuti
Indian subcontinent
The Vayu Stuti is a stuti (eulogy) composed by Trivikrama Panditacharya addressed to Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dv…
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Zoroastrian1500 BCE – present
Vayu-Vata
Ancient Persia
Vāyu-Vāta is the Avestan name of a dual-natured Zoroastrian deity of the wind (Vāyu) and of the atmosphere (Vāta). The …
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vé
Scandinavia
In Germanic paganism, a vé or wēoh is a type of shrine, sacred enclosure or other place with religious significance. Th…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vé (shrine)
Scandinavia
In Germanic paganism, a vé or wēoh is a type of shrine, sacred enclosure or other place with religious significance. Th…
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Vedanta Desika
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vedanta Desika
Indian subcontinent
Vedanta Desika (1268–1369), also rendered Vedanta Desikan, Swami Vedanta Desika, and Thoopul Nigamantha Desikan, was an …
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vedavati
Indian subcontinent
Vedavati is the previous birth of the goddess Sita in Hinduism. She is an avatar of the mother goddess Lakshmi.
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Vediovus
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Vediovus
Ancient Rome
Vejovis or Vejove was a Roman god of Etruscan origins.
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Veerabhadra
Indian subcontinent
Virabhadra, also rendered Veerabhadra, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, wh…
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Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Vegetation deity
Ancient Mesopotamia
A vegetation deity is a nature deity whose disappearance and reappearance, or life, death and rebirth, embodies the grow…
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Vegoia
Etruscan900 BCE – 100 BCE
Vegoia
Etruria
Vegoia is a sibyl, prophet, or nymph within the Etruscan religious framework. She is identified as the author of parts …
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Veiovis
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Veiovis
Ancient Rome
Vejovis or Vejove was a Roman god of Etruscan origins.
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Vejovis
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Vejovis
Ancient Rome
Vejovis or Vejove was a Roman god of Etruscan origins.
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Slavic500 CE – 1100 CE
Veles (god)
Early Slavs
Veles, also known as Volos, is a chthonic god of the underworld, described in contemporary sources as a cattle god, but …
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Velificatio
Ancient Rome
Velificatio is a stylistic device used in ancient Roman art to frame a deity by means of a billowing garment. It repres…
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Vellaunus
Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Vellaunus
Iron Age Europe
Vellaunus is a Celtic god known from two inscriptions. He was equated to the Roman god Mercury.
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Veneration of the dead
Ancient Egypt
The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures,…
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Venilia
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Venilia
Ancient Rome
Venilia is a Roman deity associated with the winds and the sea. According to Virgil and Ovid, she was a nymph, the sist…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Venkateshwara
Indian subcontinent
Venkateswara, also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a deity, described as a form of the god …
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Venkateswara
Indian subcontinent
Venkateswara, also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a deity, described as a form of the god …
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Venus Verticordia
Ancient Rome
Venus Verticordia was an aspect of the Roman goddess Venus conceived as having the power to convert either virgins or se…
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Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Verethragna
Ancient Mesopotamia
Verethragna or Bahram is a Zoroastrian yazata.
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Veritas
Ancient Rome
In Roman mythology, Veritas, meaning Truth, is the Goddess of Truth, a daughter of Saturn and the mother of Virtus. She…
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Verminus
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Verminus
Ancient Rome
In Roman mythology, Verminus was the Roman god who protected cattle from disease. The god may have been inherited from …
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Vernostonos
Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Vernostonos
Iron Age Europe
Verostonos was a god in ancient Celtic polytheism, worshipped in Roman Britain. His name links him to alder-trees. Alt…
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Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Vertault relief
Iron Age Europe
The Vertault relief is a Roman relief found in Vertault, the ancient Vertillum, in the Department of Côte-d'Or in France…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Vertumnus
Ancient Rome
In Roman mythology, Vertumnus is the god of seasons, change, and plant growth, as well as gardens and fruit trees. He c…
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Vervactor
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Vervactor
Ancient Rome
In Roman mythology, Vervactor was the deity of ploughing fallow land. He was one of the 12 helper gods of Ceres. His n…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Vestal Virgin
Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its…
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Inca1200 CE – 1533 CE
Vestal Virgins
Inca Empire
In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its…
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Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Vesunna
Iron Age Europe
Vesunna is a Celtic goddess worshipped in Roman Gaul. She was likely considered a giver of prosperity, abundance and go…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Vica Pota
Ancient Rome
In ancient Roman religion, Vica Pota was a goddess whose shrine (aedes) was located at the foot of the Velian Hill, on t…
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Vichama
Inca1200 CE – 1533 CE
Vichama
Inca Empire
In Inca mythology, Vichama is the god of death and the son of Inti. His mother was murdered by his half-brother Pacha K…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Víðarr
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Víðarr is a god among the Æsir associated with vengeance. Víðarr is described as the son of Odin an…
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Viduus
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Viduus
Ancient Rome
The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts, integrating Greek myt…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vidyāraṃbhaṃ
Indian subcontinent
Vidyarambham, also rendered Akshara Abhyasam, and Mutal Eluttu is a Hindu initiation ceremony that is performed before a…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vígríðr
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Vígríðr or Óskópnir is a large field foretold to host a battle between the forces of the gods and th…
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Vihansa
Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vihansa
Scandinavia
Vihansa is the name of a Germanic goddess written on a bronze tablet found in Sint-Huibrechts-Hern, near Tongeren in mod…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vijayadurga
Indian subcontinent
Sri Vijayadurga is a Hindu goddess of varying importance in Indian culture and tradition. She is said to have intervene…
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Vilambā
Chinese1600 BCE – present
Vilambā
China
Vilambā is a deity of the Chinese pantheon.
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vili and Vé
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Vili and Vé are the brothers of the god Odin, sons of Bestla, daughter of Bölþorn; and Borr, son of …
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Buddhist500 BCE – present
Vimalakirti
Asia
Vimalakīrti is a bodhisattva and the central figure in the Vimalakirti Sutra, which presents him as the ideal Mahayana B…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vinata
Indian subcontinent
In Hinduism, Vinata is the mother of Aruna and Garuda. She is one of the daughters of Prajapati Daksha. She is married…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vinayagar Agaval
Indian subcontinent
Vinayagar Agaval is a devotional poetic hymn to the Hindu deity Ganesha. It was written in the 10th century during the …
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vinayaki
Indian subcontinent
Vinayaki (Vināyakī) is an elephant-headed Hindu goddess. Her mythology and iconography are not clearly defined. Little…
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Vindonnus
Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Vindonnus
Iron Age Europe
Belenus is an ancient Celtic healing god whose cult is attested across much of the Celtic-speaking world. While his pri…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Virabahu
Indian subcontinent
Virabahu is a Hindu deity. He is considered to be the commander-in-chief of Murugan's army. He is regarded in Tamil tr…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Virabhadra
Indian subcontinent
Virabhadra, also rendered Veerabhadra, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, wh…
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Viracocha
Inca1200 CE – 1533 CE
Viracocha
Inca Empire
Viracocha is the creator and supreme deity in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South America. Acc…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Virgin goddess
Ancient Rome
In Greek and Roman mythology, several goddesses are distinguished by their perpetual virginity. These goddesses include…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Virtus (deity)
Ancient Rome
In ancient Roman religion, Virtus was the deity of bravery and military strength, the personification of the Roman virtu…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Virtus (virtue)
Ancient Rome
Virtus was a specific virtue in ancient Rome that carried connotations of valor, masculinity, excellence, courage, chara…
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Buddhist500 BCE – present
Virūpa
Asia
Virupa, also known as Virupaksa and Tutop Wangchuk, was an 8th–9th century Indian mahasiddha and yogi, and the source of…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Visalakshi
Indian subcontinent
The Vishalakshi Devi Temple, also known as Vishalakshi Gauri Mandir, is a Hindu temple in Varanasi dedicated to the godd…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vishishtadvaita
Indian subcontinent
Vishishtadvaita is a school of Hindu philosophy belonging to the Vedanta tradition. Vishishta Advaita means "non-dualit…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vishnu
Indian subcontinent
Vishnu, also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being within Va…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vishvakarma
Indian subcontinent
Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vishvaksena
Indian subcontinent
Vishvaksena or Vishwaksena, is the commander-in-chief of the army of the Hindu deity Vishnu, additionally serving as a g…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vishvarupa
Indian subcontinent
Vishvarupa, also spelt as Vishwaroopa and known as Virāḍrūpa, is an iconographical form and theophany of a Hindu deity V…
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Viśiṣṭacāritra
Buddhist500 BCE – present
Viśiṣṭacāritra
Asia
Viśiṣṭacāritra is a bodhisattva mentioned in the 15th, 21st, and 22nd chapters of the Lotus Sutra. He is one of the fou…
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Viśuddhacāritra
Buddhist500 BCE – present
Viśuddhacāritra
Asia
Viśuddhacāritra, is one of the four great primarily or eternally evolved bodhisattvas mentioned in the 15th chapter of t…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vithoba
Indian subcontinent
Vithoba, also known as Vitthala, and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian states of Mahar…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vivasvan
Indian subcontinent
Surya is the Sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smart…
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Zoroastrian1500 BCE – present
Vohu Manah
Ancient Persia
Vohu Manah is the Avestan language term for a Zoroastrian concept, generally translated as "Good Purpose", "Good Mind", …
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Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Volcano deity
Ancient Mesopotamia
A volcano deity is a deification of a volcano. Volcano deities are often associated with fire, and are often represente…
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Voltan
Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Voltan
Maya civilization
In Maya mythology, Voltan was an earth and drum god, married to Ixchel.
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Etruscan900 BCE – 100 BCE
Voltumna
Etruria
Voltumna, also known as Veltune or Veltha is a chthonic deity of uncertain sex in Etruscan religion, who became the supr…
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Volturnus
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Volturnus
Ancient Rome
In Roman mythology, Volturnus was a god of the Tiber, and may have been the god of all rivers. He had his own minor fla…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Voluptas
Ancient Rome
In Roman mythology, Voluptas or Volupta is the daughter born from the union of Cupid and Psyche, according to Apuleius. …
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Vör
Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vör
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, Vör is a goddess associated with wisdom. Vör is attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th cen…
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Vörðr
Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vörðr
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, a vǫrðr is a warden spirit, believed to follow from birth to death the soul of every person.
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Vosud
Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Vosud
Scandinavia
Vosud or Vásuðr, a jötunn from Norse mythology, was the father of Vindsvalr and grandfather of winter (Vetr). He is see…
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Votan
Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Votan
Maya civilization
Votan is a legendary or mythological figure mentioned in early European accounts of the Maya civilization.
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Votum
Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Votum
Ancient Rome
In ancient Roman religion, a votum is a vow or promise made to a deity. As the result of this verbal action, a votum is…
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Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vrinda (goddess)
Indian subcontinent
Tulasi, Tulsi or Vrinda is a sacred plant in Hindu tradition. Hindus regard it as an earthly manifestation of the godde…
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Vrishakapi
Hindu1500 BCE – present
Vrishakapi
Indian subcontinent
Vrishakapi is an epithet that is used in Hinduism to describe the gods Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Indra. But the word fir…
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Maya2000 BCE – 1500 CE
Vucub-Caquix
Maya civilization
Vucub-Caquix is the name of a bird demon defeated by the Hero Twins of an ancient Maya myth preserved in an 18th-century…
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Vulca
Etruscan900 BCE – 100 BCE
Vulca
Etruria
Vulca of Veii was an Etruscan artist from the town of Veii. The only Etruscan artist mentioned by ancient writers, he w…
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Roman750 BCE – 400 CE
Vulcan (god)
Ancient Rome
Vulcan is the god of fire including the fire of volcanoes, deserts, metalworking and the forge in ancient Roman religion…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Vulture crown
Ancient Egypt
The Vulture crown was an ancient Egyptian crown worn by Great Royal Wives and female pharaohs. It was depicted as a hea…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Wadj-wer
Ancient Egypt
Wadj-wer, also spelled Uatch-ur is an Egyptian god of fertility and the personification of the Mediterranean Sea, whose …
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Wadjet
Ancient Egypt
Wadjet, known to the Greek world as Uto or Buto among other renderings including Wedjat, Uadjet, and Udjo, was originall…
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Norse800 CE – 1100 CE
Wælcyrge
Scandinavia
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Val…
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Wākea
Polynesian1000 BCE – present
Wākea
Polynesia
In the Hawaiian religion, Wākea, the Sky father, weds Papahānaumoku, the earth mother. The two are considered the paren…
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Wakumusubi
Japanese300 CE – present
Wakumusubi
Japan
Wakumusubi (和久産巣日神) is a kami of agriculture. In many versions, he was born from the urine of Izanami when she died. A…
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War deity
Aztec1300 CE – 1521 CE
War deity
Aztec Empire
A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheistic religions.
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Inca1200 CE – 1533 CE
Warkari
Inca Empire
Vārkari meaning: 'The one who performs the Vari' is a sampradaya within the Bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geog…
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Japanese300 CE – present
Watatsumi
Japan
Watatsumi , also pronounced Wadatsumi, is a legendary kami, Japanese dragon and tutelary water deity in Japanese mytholo…
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Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Weather god
Ancient Mesopotamia
A weather god or goddess, also frequently known as a storm god or goddess, is a deity in mythology associated with weath…
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Wei Zheng
China
Wei Zheng, courtesy name Xuancheng, posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Zheng, was a Chinese politician and historian. He s…
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Welaʻahilaninui
Polynesian1000 BCE – present
Welaʻahilaninui
Polynesia
In Hawaiian mythology, Welaʻahilaninui was a god or the first man, the forefather of Hawaiians. He is mentioned as an a…
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Wen Shen
China
Wen Shen is a deity or group of deities responsible for illness, plague, and disease in Chinese folk religion. In some …
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Wen Zhong (Investiture of the Gods)
China
Wen Zhong is a character in the classic Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi. He was the Grand Preceptor (Taishi) of Di Xin. W…
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Wenchang Wang
China
Wenchang Wang, also known as Wenchang Dijun, is a Taoist deity in Chinese mythology, known as the God of Culture and Lit…
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Weneg (deity)
Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Weneg (deity)
Ancient Egypt
Weneg was a sky and death deity from ancient Egyptian religion, who was said to protect the earth and her inhabitants ag…
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Wenquxing
Chinese1600 BCE – present
Wenquxing
China
In Chinese mythology, Wenquxing is a god responsible for overseeing literary pursuits and examinations. Those who excel…
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Chinese1600 BCE – present
Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun
China
Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun is a Taoist deity and character in the classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods. He is a di…
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Wepset
Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Wepset
Ancient Egypt
Wepset (wps. t) is an ancient Egyptian goddess. She is one of the personifications of the uraeus cobra that protected t…
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Wepwawet
Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Wepwawet
Ancient Egypt
In Egyptian mythology, Wepwawet was originally a jackal deity of funerary rites, war, and royalty, whose cult centre was…
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Mesopotamian3500 BCE – 500 BCE
Wer (god)
Ancient Mesopotamia
Wer (Wēr), also known as Mer, Ber and Iluwer was a weather god worshiped in parts of Mesopotamia and ancient Syria. It …
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Werethekau
Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Werethekau
Ancient Egypt
Werethekau was an ancient Egyptian and ancient Nubian deity. She served as the personification of supernatural powers.
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
Wetjes-Hor
Ancient Egypt
Wetjes-Hor was the second nome of Upper Egypt. Its major population center, modern Edfu, was called Behdet and Djeba in…
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Celtic800 BCE – 500 CE
Wheel god
Iron Age Europe
Taranis is a Celtic thunder god attested in literary and epigraphic sources.
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Whiro
Polynesian1000 BCE – present
Whiro
Polynesia
Whiro-te-tipua is the lord of darkness and embodiment of all evil in Māori mythology. Usually depicted as a lizard-like…
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Egyptian3100 BCE – 400 CE
White crown
Ancient Egypt
Hedjet was the White Crown of pharaonic Upper Egypt. After the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, it was combined wi…
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