List of war deities

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A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheistic religions.

Contents

Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been portrayed in their mythologies as commanding war in order to spread religion. (The intimate connection between "holy war" and the "one true god" belief of monotheism has been noted by many scholars, including Jonathan Kirsch in his book God Against The Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism and Joseph Campbell in The Masks of God, Vol. 3: Occidental Mythology.) [1] [2]

The following is a list of war deities:

Africa

Egyptian

Sekhmet, an Egyptian goddess of warfare. Sekhmet.svg
Sekhmet, an Egyptian goddess of warfare.

Berber

Nilo-Saharan

Nubian

Western African-Congo

Yoruba

Eastern African-Congo

Igbo

Ethiopian

Kenya

Kalenjin

Ghanaian

Akan

Europe

Balto-Slavic

Baltic

  • Kara Māte, Latvian goddess of war
  • Kauriraris, Lithuanian god of war and war steeds
  • Junda, Lithuanian goddess of war
  • Perkūnas, god of thunder and lightning, associated with war

Slavic

  • Jarovit, god of vegetation, fertility, and spring, also associated with war and harvest
  • Perun, god of thunder and lightning, associated with war
  • Svetovid, god of war, fertility, and abundance
  • Zorya Utrennyaya, goddess of the morning star, sometimes depicted as a warrior goddess who protected men in battle

Celtic

Lusitanian

  • Neto, god believed to be associated with war, death, and weaponry

Norse-Germanic

Idise by Emil Doepler. Idise by Emil Doepler.jpg
Idise by Emil Doepler.

Continental Germanic

  • Baduhenna, a western Frisii goddess of warfare
  • Idis (Germanic)/itis/ides, the West Germanic cognates of North Germanic dís, they are connected with battle magic and fettering enemy armies
  • Sandraudiga, goddess whose name may mean "she who dyes the sand red", suggesting she is a war deity or at least has a warrior aspect
  • Týr, god of war, single combat, law, justice, and the thing, who later lost much of his religious importance and mythical role to the god Wōden
  • Wōden, god associated with wisdom, poetry, war, victory, and death

Norse

Tyr, a Norse god of war. Tyr by Frolich.jpg
Týr, a Norse god of war.
  • Dís, a group of lesser goddesses who are sometimes connected with battle magic; valkyrie may be a kenning for them
  • Freyja, goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death
  • Odin, god associated with wisdom, war, battle, and death
  • Týr, god associated with law, justice, victory, and heroic glory
  • Ullr, god associated with archery, skiing, bows, hunting, single combat, and glory
  • Valkyries, choosers of the slain and connected to Odin, ruler of Valhalla; they may be the same as the dís above

Graeco-Roman

Greek / Hellenic

Ares, the Greek god of war Ares Ludovisi Altemps Inv8602 n2.jpg
Ares, the Greek god of war
  • Alala, spirit of the war cry
  • Alke, spirit of courage and battle-strength
  • Amphillogiai, goddesses of disputes
  • Androktasiai, spirits of battlefield slaughter
  • Ares, the main Greek god of war
  • Athena, goddess of wisdom, war strategy, and weaving
  • Aphrodite Areia, a goddess of war and beauty worshiped in Kythira and Sparta
  • Bia, spirit of force and compulsion
  • Castor and Pollux, twin brothers that were the gods of war, sailors, and the constellation Gemini.
  • Deimos, personification of terror
  • Enyalius, god of war; in early periods apparently an epithet of Ares, they were differentiated later
  • Enyo, goddess of war, sometimes appears to be identical to Eris
  • Eris, goddess of discord and strife
  • Hera, in the Illiad she has a martial character and fights (and wins) against Artemis; however, this warlike aspect of her appears nowhere else in the surviving corpus, suggesting it was dropped early on
  • Heracles Promachos
  • Homados, spirit of the din of battle
  • Hysminai, female spirits of fighting and combat
  • Ioke, spirit of onslaught, battle-tumult, and pursuit
  • Keres, female spirits of violent or cruel death, including death in battle, by accident, murder, or ravaging disease
  • Kratos, personification of strength and power
  • Kydoimos, spirit of the din of battle
  • Makhai, male spirits of fighting and combat
  • Nike, spirit of victory
  • Palioxis, spirit of backrush, flight, and retreat from battle
  • Pallas, Titan god of war-craft and of the springtime campaign season
  • Perses, the Titan of destruction
  • Phobos, spirit of panic, fear, flight, and battlefield rout
  • Phonoi, spirits of murder, killing, and slaughter
  • Polemos, spirit of war
  • Proioxis, spirit of onrush and battlefield pursuit
  • Zeus Stratios, Zeus had the epithet Stratios (Στράτιος), which means "of armies". [4]

Roman

Mars, the Roman god of war 0 Statue de Mars (Pyrrhus) - Musei Capitolini - MC0058 (2).JPG
Mars, the Roman god of war
Juno Sospita Statue holding a spear and shield. Juno Sospita Statue.jpg
Juno Sospita Statue holding a spear and shield.
  • Bellona, goddess of war
  • Hercules Invictus
  • Honos, god of chivalry, honor, and military justice
  • Juno, has a consistent martial character and the patron goddess of Rome, the mother of Mars and Bellona
  • Mars, god of war and agriculture, equivalent to Ares as far as being war gods; aside from this they have very little in common
  • Nerio, warrior goddess and personification of valor
  • Victoria, personification of victory, equivalent to the Greek goddess Nike
  • Virtus, god of bravery and military strength

Etruscan

  • Laran, god of war.
  • Menrva, goddess of war, art, wisdom, and health

Balkan

Uralic

Hungarian

  • Hadúr, god of war and the metalsmith of the gods

Asia

Turkic

Mongolian

East Asia

Chinese

Guan Yu, Chinese god of loyalty, righteousness, and valor. FS KwanKung 60116.jpg
Guan Yu, Chinese god of loyalty, righteousness, and valor.
  • Chiyou, god of war
  • Di Qing, Star of Military Fortune, God of Valor
  • Erlang Shen, a three-eyed warrior
  • Guan Yu, Han dynasty general. God of loyalty, righteousness, and valor.
  • Jinzha, marshal of the center altar
  • Jiutian Xuannü, goddess of war, sex, and longevity [5]
  • Li Jing, Guardian of Celestial Palace
  • Muzha, marshal of the center altar
  • Nezha
  • Wang Shan, Song dynasty general. Primordial Lord-General of Heaven. Guardian of Celestial Palace
  • Wen Qiong [6]
  • Yue Fei
  • Zhao Lang (Zhao Gongming), God of Military Fortune, Guardian of Celestial Palace, Protector of Households
  • Xue Rengui, Tang dynasty general.

Japanese

Sarutahiko, the Japanese god of war. Sarutahiko Okami crop from Wittig collection.png
Sarutahiko, the Japanese god of war.

Korean

  • Ch'oe Yŏng, general of Goryeo period, god of shamans, protector of humanity.
  • Pagunseong, the star at the edge of the Big Dipper in Taoism, symbolizing swords.
  • Baekmashinjang, god of war who rides a white horse.
  • Dungapshinjang, god of war who has the ability of shapeshifting.
  • Byeorakshinjang, god of war who uses thunder and lightning, sometimes punishes the evil.
  • Damuncheonwang, Buddhist god of war.

Southeast Asia

Filipino

  • Chacha’: the Bontok god of warriors [7]
  • Hipag: the Ifugao spirits of war that give soldiers courage on the field of war but are ferocious and cannibalistic [8]
  • Apolaqui: the Pangasinense war god [9]
  • Aring Sinukûan: the Kapampangan solar deity governing war and death. He taught early humans metallurgy, woodcutting, rice cultivation, and warfare [10]
  • Apolake: the Tagalog god of the sun and warriors [11]
  • Sidapa: another Tagalog god of war, he specifically settles conflicts among mortals [12]
  • Doce Pares: From the Spanish "Twelve Pairs", they are a group of twelve young Tagalog men who went on a quest to retrieve the Golden Calf of Mount Banahaw, together with José Rizal as a culture hero. They are said to return as giants, bearing the Golden Calf, to aid mankind in war. [13]
  • Balangaw: a Hiligaynon and Bisaya god of the rainbow and war [14]
  • Inaginid: a Hiligaynon and Bisaya god of war. [14]
  • Makanduk: a Hiligaynon and Bisaya god of war. [14]
  • Lumalayag: the Tagbanwa spirits who challenge and fight the Salakap, spirits of plague and sickness. [15]
  • Talagbusao: the bloodthirsty Bukidnon god of war. [8]
  • Pamdiya: the Manobo gods who initiate and preside over war. [8]
  • Darago: the Bagobo god of warriors, whose consort is Mandarangan. [16]
  • Mandarangan: the Bagobo war deity married to Darago and resides at the top of Mount Apo. Human sacrifices made to him are rewarded with health, valour in war, and success in the pursuit of wealth. [16]

Vietnamese

Tran Hung Dao, Vietnamese god of exorcism and the god of war. ICHanoiNgocSon3.jpg
Trần Hưng Đạo, Vietnamese god of exorcism and the god of war.
  • Cao Lỗ, god of military innovations
  • Độc Cước, the protector of coastal settlements. Legend has it that he split himself in two with his axe, each half guards coastal villages against sea ogres.
  • Đồng Cổ, the armored protector of the Lý dynasty.
  • Liễu Hạnh, goddess of earth, heaven and war.
  • Thánh Gióng, god of triumph over foreign invaders.
  • Trần Hưng Đạo, is the national hero of the Vietnamese people, after his death he was honored as the god of exorcism and the god of war.

South Asia

Hindu

Kartikeya, god of war by Surendra Nath Ganguly, 1913. Kartikeya War of God by Surendra Nath Ganguly 1913.jpg
Kartikeya, god of war by Surendra Nath Ganguly, 1913.

Manipuri

  • Marjing, god of war, polo, horse and sports.
  • Panthoibi, goddess of war, love, courage and longevity.

Tamil

  • Korravai, also spelled Kotravai, is the goddess of war and victory in the Tamil tradition. She is also the mother goddess and the goddess of fertility, agriculture, and hunters.

Sinhales

Kataragama deviyo God of War and God of Victory

Sri Siddha Suniyam Deviyo God of Cavalry, God of War, God of Worrior

Rajasinha I of Sitawaka

Maha Sona God of War, God of Cemetery, God of Death, God of Worrior

Reeri Yakseya God of Death, God of War, God of Sacrifice

Kalu Kambili deviyo God of Revenge, God of War, God of Worrior,

West Asia

Armenian

  • Anahit, goddess of healing, fertility, wisdom, and water; in early periods associated with war

Canaanite

  • Anat, goddess of war
  • Astarte, goddess of sex and war, western Semitic version of the Mesopotamian Ishtar and Inanna
  • Resheph, god of plague and war
  • Tanit, main Carthaginian goddess whose functions included war and the moon

Hebrew

Hittite

Hurrian

  • Aštabi, a war god of Eblaite origin
  • Ḫešui, a war god
  • Nupatik, a god assumed to have warlike character
  • Shaushka, goddess of love, war, and healing
  • Ugur, a war god of Mesopotamian origin

Mesopotamian

Nuristani

Oceania

Polynesia

Hawaiian

Māori

Americas

North America

Great Plains

Pacific Northwest

Central American and the Caribbean

MEXICO (Also located in North America

Aztec

  • Patterns of War
    • Huitzilopochtli, god of will, authority, war, conflict, light, victory, heroic deeds, and sun; patron of the polar south, often compels Tlaloc to bring about rain
    • Mixcoatl, god of battle, hunting, civilisation, and stars
    • Tlaloc, god of thunder, rain, fertility, child sacrifice, drought, and storms; sometimes associated with the south
    • Xipe-Totec patron of war, agriculture, vegetation, creation, fertility; patron of diseases, pubescent development, rebirth, hunting, trades, human sacrifice, chores, spring, and cardinal east
    • Tezcatlipoca, god of night, darkness, lunar light, creation, providence, power, disorder-disarray, destruction, beauty, tricks, merriment, uninhibited sexuality, deception, virility, mystery, polar north, and winter; also a chthonic deity
    • Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire, old age, daytime, kingship, the hearth, warmth, chronicles of time, and renewal

Mayan

  • Tohil, god associated with fire, the sun, rain, mountains, and war
  • Buluc Chabtan, Mayan god of war, violence and gambling.
  • Cadmaela, Mayan goddess of war.

Voodoo

  • Ogoun, loa who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics, and war

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goddess</span> Feminine or female deity

A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of spinning, weaving, beauty, love, sexuality, motherhood, domesticity, creativity, and fertility. Many major goddesses are also associated with magic, war, strategy, hunting, farming, wisdom, fate, earth, sky, power, laws, justice, and more. Some themes, such as discord or disease, which are considered negative within their cultural contexts also are found associated with some goddesses. There are as many differently described and understood goddesses as there are male, shapeshifting, or neuter gods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky deity</span> Deity associated with the sky

The sky often has important religious significance. Many religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, have deities associated with the sky.

According to classical sources, the ancient Celts were animists. They honoured the forces of nature, saw the world as inhabited by many spirits, and saw the Divine manifesting in aspects of the natural world.

References

  1. ↑ Kirsch, J. (2004). God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism . Viking Compass. ISBN   9780670032860 . Retrieved 2015-06-22.
  2. ↑ Occidental Mythology (Masks of God): Joseph Campbell: 9780140194418: Amazon.com: Books. ISBN   014019441X.
  3. ↑ Morris, Arnold Hugh Martin Jones, John Robert: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire p. 612
  4. ↑ pseudo-Aristotle, De mundo, Aristotelis Opera, Volume 3, Oxford, Bekker, 1837
  5. ↑ Cahill, Suzanne E. (18 July 2013). "Sublimation in Medieval China: The Case of the Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens". Journal of Chinese Religions. 20 (1): 91–102. doi:10.1179/073776992805307692.
  6. ↑ http://etheses.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/pdf/004777762.pdf%5B%5D
  7. ↑ Cawed, C. (1972). The Culture of the Bontoc Igorot. Manila: MCS Enterprises .
  8. 1 2 3 Jocano, F. L. (1969). Philippine Mythology. Quezon City: Capitol Publishing House Inc.
  9. ↑ Aduerte, D. (2014). The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898: Volume XXXII, 1640. CreateSpace Independent Publishing.
  10. ↑ Nicdao, A. (1917). Pampangan Folklore. Manila.
  11. ↑ Calderon, S. G. (1947). Mga alamat ng Pilipinas. Manila : M. Colcol & Co.
  12. ↑ Demetrio, F. R., Cordero-Fernando, G., & Zialcita, F. N. (1991). The Soul Book. Quezon City: GCF Books.
  13. ↑ Mojares, R. B. (1974). Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society Vol. 2, No. 3: The Myth of the Sleeping Hero: Three Philippine Cases. University of San Carlos Publications.
  14. 1 2 3 Loarca, Miguel de. (1582) 1903. Relation of the Filipinas Islands. In Blair and Robertson, The Philippine Islands 5.
  15. ↑ Fox, R. B. (1982). Religion and Society Among the Tagbanuas of Palawan Island, Philippines. Manila: National Museum.
  16. 1 2 Demetrio, F. R., Cordero-Fernando, G., & Zialcita, F. N. (1991). The Soul Book. Quezon City: GCF Books
  17. ↑ Hackett, Jo Ann (2001). "'There Was No King in Israel': The Era of the Judges". In Coogan, Michael David (ed.). The Oxford History of the Biblical World. Oxford University Press. pp. 158–59. ISBN   978-0-19-513937-2.
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