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NEW CONTRIBUTIONS
Neith - from predynesty Egypt. Neith self created herself and then created all of the Universe and Gods. She is seen more closely related to death and war. She was said to have strong ties to the Nile as giver and taker of life. She is associated with the bow and arrow. She also watches over those who were mummified and is associated with the stomach that has been surgically removed. The vulture and bee is also associated with her.
ANTEROS - The God of passion ASTREA - The Goddess of justice CARMEN/CARMINA - The Goddess of spell-casting and enchantments COMUS - He was the god of revelry, feasting and drinking CORVUS - was the messenger of the Gods COPIA - Was the Goddess of wealth and plenty DIANA - The Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother & Crone, the goddess of all witches DIANUS - He was the nature God of fertility, Horned God of the Woods, and the consort of Diana FANA - She was the Goddess of the Earth, forests wildlife and of fertility, an aspect of Tana. FAUNUS - He was the nature God of the forest, wildlife and of fertility, he was consort to Fana and an aspect of Tanus. FEBRUUS - He was the God of purification, initiation and of the dead FORTUNA - She was the Goddess of fortune, fate, blessing, luck and fertility JANA - She was the Goddess of the Moon, an aspect of Tana. JANUS - He was god of the Sun and of all beginnnings, portals, doorways and threshholds; associated with journeys, consort of Jana, an aspect of Tanus. LUPERCUS - He was a god of agriculture. Lupercus was a wolf god. (Hence the scientific name Canus Lupus). NOX - She was the Goddess of the Night PERTUNDA - She was the Goddess of sexual love .. she was on par with the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. TAGNI- This is the most ancient name for the God of Witchcraft TANA - the great Star goddess, the goddess over all. TANUS - the Star god, consort to Tana. TERMINUS - The God of boundaries and fields, protector of personal property UMBRIA - The Goddess of the shadows and of things which are hidden or secret UNI - This is the most ancient name for the Goddess of witchcraft VESTA - She was the Goddess of hearth and fire
VIRBIUS - He was the God of outcasts and outlaws, guardian of sanctuaries In addition to the roll-call of purely Celtic divinities, I intend to provide similar information regarding mythological and heroic figures from the Isles who post-dated the era of Celtic paganism to one degree or another. These form something of a pantheon in their own right, and I believe it would be of interest to examine them as well.
Traditional Celtic.Here is a catalogue, hopefully reasonably complete, of known Celtic God-forms. In a number of instances, the same Deity will be referenced in more than one location, since I am trying to include known names from all the identifiable Celtic cultures. Thus, the same figure will sometimes show up with a Welsh name, and an Irish name, or even more in a few instances. In such cases, I have tried to put the actual information under the best known name, and refer to that under alternative names in other languages. The information here is necessarily brief; a full accounting of all these entities would be a massive book in its own right. What is included here is: a Name, (A translation, in parentheses, of the name if I know it)the culture that Name appears within, any important epithets or sobriquets that are associated with the Name, and a basic description of spheres of influence, attributes, and/or descriptive stories.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aedh (fire).Irish. A son of Ler. He is a Lord of fire, and may thus be considered as a male aspect of the Brigit. He is one of the children of Ler transformed into a swan by a wicked stepmother, see Conn for fuller details. Aengus (unique strength).Irish. Son of the Daghda. Associated with birds, particularly songbirds. An accomplished musician, He is considered a God of Beauty and perfection of form. Aeron (slaughtering).Welsh. A war-god, a male Aspect of the Irish Morrigan. He is a later-period male counterpart to Agrona, of earlier British belief. Afagddu (utter darkness).Welsh. The ill-favoured child of Ceridwen, whose name means "Dark" or "Ugly", for whom the Potion of Knowledge is intended. This Archetype reappears in the Arthurian cycle as a mortal warrior whose unsurpassed ugliness prevents him from ever being struck at by an opponent, for fear that he might be the Devil. Agrona (slaughtering).British. A warrior Goddess, seemingly a version of the Irish Morrigan, in that she is associated with rivers as well. Later this archetype became masculinized among the Cymri as Aeron, which see, above. Aife I (pleasant, beautiful). Irish Third wife of Ler, the evil stepmother of Aedh, Conn, Fiachra, and Finnguala, who transforms them into talking swans in a heat of jealous spite (she being childless). Her deed discovered, she herself is transformed into a vulture, and made to stay eternally in the winds. Aife II (pleasant, beautiful). Irish Lover of Ilbrech, she is transformed into a crane by a jealous rival. In such form, and as a water-bird, she becomes a part of Manannan's Realm; when at length she dies, he makes of her remains the fabulous Crane Bag, in which he stores his chief treasures. Aine (brightness, glow, splendour, glory).Irish. A Faery Goddess of love and desire, she is also the tutelary Goddess of Knockany, Munster. In that her name derives from the root for "fire", She may be considered as an aspect of the Brigit. She is sister to Grian; her father is either Fer Ķ or Eogabal. Ancamna. Gaulish. A Goddess known from inscriptions in the Moselle valley, near Trier. Apparently recognized as a Consort to a divinity identified by the Romans as Mars. Andarta ( ... bear).Gaulish. An obscure continental Goddess known from inscriptions in Berne and in the south of France. Apparently a Patroness of the Vocontii tribe, and perhaps a counterpart or Aspect of Artio. She may also have a connection with Andrasta (see immediately below). Andrasta.British. A warrior Goddess of the Iceni tribe, who accepted sacrifices of hares and, perhaps, humans. She is perhaps best known as the deity invoked by the Iceni warrior-queen Boudicca in her rebellion against Rome. See also, Andarta immediately above, for a possible continental connection. Angus Scottish The Scottish version of Aengus, and also a God of youthful vigour and perfection of form. Much of His tale revolves around conflicts with Cailleach Bheur, who attempts to deny Him His consort, Bride. Arawn.Welsh. Lord of Annwn, the underworld and realm of departed spirits. He makes a pact with Pwyll, to exchange places with him for one year, in order that Pwyll might defeat an enemy, King Hafgan. Though Arawn set no conditions upon the exchange, when the pact was successfully concluded and each had returned to his own heritage, Arawn discovered that Pwyll had denied himself of his own accord the rights of a husband to Arawn's Lady. Thus Arawn swore an eternal vow of friendship and support toward Pwyll. Arduinna.Gaulish. An Artemis/Diana-like figure, the tutelary Goddess of the Ardennes Forest region. She seems to be a particular protectress of wild boars, and is imaged as riding upon one at least once. Often conflated with the Roman Diana. Arecurius (one who stands before the assembly, lawgiver?). British. A Tutelary God of northern Britannia during the Roman occupation. Arianrhod (silverwheel).Welsh. The mother of Llew, the tale of how she needed to be guiled into granting him a name and arms is a mainstay of the Mabinogion. She is associated with Night, with the star Polaris, and her hall is said to be the aurora borealis. As her name clearly implies, she may very well be a late version of a Moon-Goddess. Artio (she-bear).Gaulish. A Goddess of Bears, a protector and nurturer of ursine virtues. Closely associated with the Helvetican city of Berne. See also, Andarta. Badb (raven) Irish. One of the three Valkyrie-aspects of the Morrigan. As such, she is a primary opponent of Cuchulainn. Balor. Irish. A King of the Fomorians, He is described as a one-eyed giant of surpassing ugliness. His other eye, hidden beneath a drooping lid, has the power to destroy an army if the eyelid is raised (it takes four strong men to do so). He is slain by the son of his daughter Eithne, Lugh. Banbha (pig, sow).Irish. One of the triplicity of Goddesses who are patronesses of all Ireland (for whom, see Eriu and Fotla). Her Name derives from the same root as "sow", or "pig". Banbha is the wife of the Tuatha King MacCuill. Banghaisghidheach (white ...). Irish. Chief of the cats of Kilkenny. Banshee. Irish and Scottish. Any of a class of female spirits with a variable appearance - sometimes as pale, ghostly maidens, sometimes as dark hags. They foretell (but do not cause) death in a particular locale or among a particular family or group by appearance and by a wailing shriek. Belatucadros (shining one, bright). British. Apparently an early version of Bran the Blessed, and clearly cognate with Beli. He was honoured by common soldiers in the north of Britain during the Roman occupation. Belenus (bright). Gaulish. The continental version of Beli, conflated by classical authors with Apollo. Beli (bright).Welsh. Brother, or perhaps precursor, of Bran the Blessed, and reputed to be father of all the Gods in some cycles. Quite possibly a solar deity in early times. Bendigeidfran.Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Bran. Blodeuedd (flowerface).Welsh. A woman created by Math out of flowers (those of Oak, Broom, and Meadowsweet) to be a wife to Llew Llaw Gyffes. The match proved unfortunate as she encompassed his death through infatuation with another. For this, she was cursed by Gwydion to perpetual abhorrence of sunlight, and transformed into an owl, a bird vilified and detested by all other birds. Boand (she of the white cattle).Irish. Wife of Nechtain, and mother by the Daghda of Aengus Og. She is associated with the river Boyne. Bodb Dearg (Bodb the red).Irish. A daughter of the Daghda, and the tutelary God over southern Connacht and part of Munster. Boudicca (victory).Irish/British. A female personification of Victory, especially in a martial sense. A very appropriate personification of her is seen in the historical Boadicca, Queen of the Iceni, who fought the Romans to a standstill in the first century CE. Although she ultimately lost, this original Victoria resembles her namesake very strongly. Bran (raven, crow).Irish. A master of the Isle of Britain, he is a cauldron-God, associated with a cauldron of regeneration which would revive the slain while leaving them voiceless. His cauldron destroyed, and he mortally wounded in a war to rescue his sister Branwen, he instructed his adherents to decapitate him and, after many travels, bear the head to London and bury it, where it would become a defense and a protection to the whole Isle. Branwen (white raven, white crow).Welsh. In the Mabinogion, She is a central figure in being wed to the High King of Ireland and thereby encompassing the doom of both the Irish and Britons, when her brother Bran invades Ireland to rescue her from the degradation she experiences at the hands of a vengeful Court. Breas. Irish. A solar deity, and ruler for a time of the Tuatha de Danaan. Replacing Nuada after the latter's loss of his hand, Breas was noted for his cruelty and arbitrary governance. He was harried from his throne by being disfigured from a particularly scathing bardic endictment by Cairbre. Brianan ( ? ) Scottish A very obscure figure, apparently a Divinity whose Name is used in oaths and exclamations, often as an invoking force with which to hurl fortune (sometimes good, but more usually bad) toward another. BrideScottish Consort of Angus, a Scottish variant on Brigit. Brigit (exalted one).Irish and British. A triplicity of Goddesses associated with Fire and smithcraft, with poetry, and with motherhood and childbirth. As an individual, she is a daughter of the Daghda. In pre-Roman Britain, she was the tutelary Goddess of the Brigantes tribe, and like so many Celtic Goddesses, she has some riverine associations. She was conflated into Christian mythology as Saint Brigit. Cailleach Beara (crone of Beare).Irish. A giantess associated with mountains. She holds in her apron huge boulders with which to add to mountainous realms. She is a Tutelary to southwest Munster. She also appears in tales describing a knight being importuned by an old hag for love, acceptance of which transforms her into a beautiful maiden. Cailleach Bheur (genteel crone) Scottish A giantess associated with Winter. She is said to be blue in color, and a peculiarity of hers is that she emerges on Samhain as a ancient hag, gradually ages in reverse, and disappears at Beltain as a young and beautiful maiden. Cairbre.Irish. Divine bard, son of Oghma and Etan. The power of his poetic eloquence raised welts upon the face of Breas, King of the Tuatha de Danaan, resulting in the loss of his throne (Kings must be unblemished physically) when he insulted Cairbre. Ceridwen (... white).Welsh. A cauldron-Goddess associated with the brewing of a potion of Knowledge which she created for the benefit of her child, Afagddu. When the boy Gwion inadvertently tastes the brew instead, she pursues him in a transformation hunt which is a thinly glossed description of an initiatory rebirth. See also, Taliesin. Cernunnos (horned one).Gaulish. The horned God associated with the Wild Hunt. A lord of the natural world, of animal and vegetive strength. See also, Gwynn and Herne. Cian (distant, enduring (in time or space)).Irish. A fairly obscure divinity, possibly the son of Dioncecht, and certainly the father of Lugh. He has some associations with swine, and could shape-shift into that form. Conn (wolf ?, hound?). Irish. A son of Ler, and twin brother of Fiachra. He, his twin, and two other siblings (Aedh and Finnguala) are transformed into swans who can speak and sing by a jealous and spiteful stepmother, Aife. They spend many centuries in this form, and are eventually brought into the household of a Christian missionary, who binds them together with a silver chain. A Queen of Ireland hears of the remarkable birds and, coveting them, attempts to seize them. In the ensuing struggle, the chain breaks, and they become pillars of dust, representing human bodies many centuries old. Crearwy (light, beautiful). Welsh. The favoured child of Ceridwen, sibling to Afagddu. Credne (craftsman). Irish. One of a triplicity of Smithy-Gods. He is an artisan of worked metal, usually bronze, brass, or gold. The others are Goibhniu and Luchta. Cruacha.Irish. An obscure figure, maidservant to Etain.
Cśchulain (Hound of Culann, Colin's Dog). Irish. Doubtlessly the best-known of the early Irish Heroes; ultimately mortal, but of partially divine parentage; his father is Lugh. Literature on Cśchulain is extensive, and he figures in a great many tales and heroic cycles. Originally called Sétanta (and thereby establishing a possible connection to an early Celtic tribe living in Britain, the Setantii), he receives his name when, as a child of 7 he inadvertantly kills the watchdog of the smith Culainn. He offers to take the dog's place for a time, and is known as Culann's Hound ever after. Described as short and dark, his battle-frenzy was legendary, shaking him and distorting his features until it seemed certain he would explode. Trained in martial skill (and love) by Scathach , he is the quintessential Celtic hero, leading a frantically active life in constant battle with enemies and seducing countless women. He is primarily an Ulster tutulary, his home being what is now Coun! Cymidei Cymeinfoll.Welsh. A War-Hag, said to give birth every six weeks to a fully armed warrior. Wife to Llasar, keeper of the Cauldron of Regeneration. (the) Daghda (lord of skill).Irish. An important figure associated with a sacred well, and water in general. Also a fertility God. Various names and epithets (Eochaid Ollathair, all-father; Ruadh Rofhessa, master of knowledge; Deirgderc, redeye, the sun) of his seem to link him to horse-cults, fire, and knowledge. He is the father of many of the others, including Brigit, Mider, Aengus, Oghma, and Bodb Dearg. Interestingly enough, he is often portrayed as a rather sly but bumptious rustic, one who can be fooled, defeated, or bargained with by plying some idiosyncrasy or personal trait. His favoured weapon is a giant club, or maul. Dįire MacDedad (based on a root for "fruitful, fertile"). Érainn. A tutulary divinity among a people known as the Érainn, a Celtic folk inhabiting some parts of Ireland before the arrival the Goidelic Celts who form the basis for the Classic-age population, and who may be the basis for tales of the Fomorians and Fir Bolg. There is some type of connection between Him and a figure known as Bolg (Lightning) - whether they are relatives or aspects of one another is not clear. For another Erainn divinity, see also Mór Muman. Danu. Irish, Celtic, and general Aryan. A river Goddess whose name appears across the face of Europe, the tutelary deity of many nations and places (cf. Don River, Danube River, Denmark, etc.). In the isles, she was the Mistress of the Tuatha De Danaan, the race of divine and semi-divine inhabitants of Ireland before the coming of the Milesians. Dioncecht (swift ...).Irish. God closely associated with healing and mending of physical ills. Don.Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Danu, which see, above. There seems to have been some conflation between Don and St. Anne within Mediaeval times. Donn (lord, master). Irish. A God of the underworld, and of the dead. Associated territorially with western Munster. The Romans recognized him as an aspect of their own Dis Pater. Expectedly enough from his attributes, He is a silent and solitary figure, unusual enough among the often tumultuous and extroverted Irish divinities. Ecne (Wise, enlightened).Irish. An early divinity of wisdom and understanding, with possible connections to poetry as well. He is said to be the grandson of Danu. Efnisien (unpeaceful).Welsh. Maternal half-brother to Bendigeidfran (Bran) and full brother to Nisien. Quarrelsome and a natural antagonist, he is said to be able to cause strife between two brothers when they were most loving. He it is that is responsible for the heinous insult to the Irish leading to Branwen's punishment; he it is that slays her son Gwern at the feast of reconciliation. When the Irish begin using the Cauldron of Regeneration to overwhelm Bran's forces, he feels remorse and, pretending to be a slain Irish warrior, is cast alive into the Cauldron, breaking it and killing himself. Eochaid (horse-rider). Irish. A very early Aspect of the Daghda, A solar deity associated with lightning. Usually spoken of as one-eyed, and often refered to by an epithet of Daghda's, Deirgderc, redeye, the sun. Eogabal Irish. An obscure figure, father (or perhaps grandfather) of Aine and Grian, brother (or possibly father) to Fer Ķ. Epona (divine horse). Gaulish. Female associated with sovereignty and rulership. Aspect is as a horse, which are sacred to her. Eriu. Irish. One of the triplicity of Goddesses who are patronesses of all Ireland (for whom, see Banbha and Fotla). She it was whose name was applied to all Ireland. Eriu is the wife of the Tuatha King MacGreine. Ernmas.Irish. Maternal divinity, the mother of the Morrigan triplicity and of the Eriu triplicity. Etain. Irish. Wife of Mider. By Eochaid, the mother of Liban. She has associations with horses, and may be a later period aspect of an early sun goddess. Etan .Irish. Sometimes confused with Etain, above. The daughter of Dioncecht and the wife of Oghma; she is considered a Patroness of craftsmanship and artisans. Fand (tear; but also Fann, weak or helpless person). Irish. Wife of Manannan and a lover of Cuchullain. Her name apparently derives from the same Aryan root that produces "Venus". Fer Ķ (Man of Yew).Irish. Divine harpist, seated and playing in his tree beside or above a waterfall. Brother (or possibly son) of Eogabal, and uncle (or possibly father) of Aine and Grian. His music had the power to make all who heard it laugh, weep, or slumber, depending on His wish. Fiachra. Irish. A son of Ler, and twin brother of Conn, which see for a fuller telling of their tale.
Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn MacCool) (Fionn = Fair, Light-haired)Irish. Fionn is an Irish Hero, ultimately mortal but inhabiting a grey region between mortality and divinity; he is, as it happens, a maternal grandson of Nuada. The subject of thousands of tales, he appears to be primarily a Leinster tutulary, and it has been suggested that he evolved out of a time when clans living in Ulster and worshipping a very obscure entity named Find were driven south into Leinster by the Ui Niall. His character in the tales varies from telling to telling; at times he is a paragon of the martial and huntsman virtues, and in other contexts he is presented as bumptious, crude, and oafish. In either case, he leads an incessently active, vigorous, and frenetic life - constantly wooing maidens, fighting various opponents, or getting involved in complex adventures. He has connections to divine knowledge as well - one important tale has him encountering while still a child a druid who has caught t! Finnguala Irish A daughter of Ler, sister to Aedh, Conn, and Fiachra and, like them, a victim of Aife. She is also known as Nuala, as such regarded in some legends as Queen of Faerie (connected thereby into English mythology as Una). Flidais (... deer).Irish. A Celtic Artemis; a huntress figure associated with archery, the sanctity of forests and the wildlife therein, and the chase. Unlike Artemis, however, Her lustiness and sexual appetite is legendary. She can be seen in forest, driving a chariot pulled by deer, and accompanied by stags. Fotla (Under-Earth). Irish. One of the triplicity of Goddesses who are patronesses of All Ireland. The others are Banbha and Eriu. Fotla is the wife of the Tuatha King MacCeacht. Gilfaethwy (servant of ...). Welsh. The brother of Gwydion, his doom is encompassed by his uncontrolled lust for Goewin. Goewin. Welsh. The footmaiden of Math, and the object of Gilfaethwy's uncontrolled desires. Goibhniu (smith).Irish. A God of smithcraft, one of a trio (see also Credne and Luchta ). Aside from his craftsmanship, he is known as the provider of the Fled Goibnenn, a Sacred Feast. Associated, among other things, with brewcrafting, he is said to have formulated a draught of immortality; note the similarity with the Greco-Roman Hephaestus/Vulcan, a divine smith who was also a brewer. His name survives in Abergavenny (Goibhniu's River). Grian.Irish. Tutulary Deity of Cnoc Greine, Limerick. She has solar associations, and is sister to Aine; her father is either Fer Ķ or Eogabal. She also has some manner of association with Macha. Gwydion.Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Goibhniu. In Welsh sources his hall is the Milky Way; he was a magician of high repute, and the tutor and mentor of Llew. Gwynn ap Nudd. (Southern) Welsh. A Cthonic divinity, leader of the Wild Hunt, in chase of the White Stag. Closely parallelling the Gaulish Cernunnos and British Herne, he also has affiliations with the northern Welsh Arawn. Hafgan.Welsh. A lord in Annwyn, and a mortal enemy of Arawn, he may only be slain if struck a single killing blow; to strike a mercy-blow to his mortally wounded body would be to revive him again. This is accomplished by Pwyll when he comes to Arawn's aid, as related in the First Branch of the Mabinogi. Hafren.Welsh. Another river Goddess, she is the tutulary of the River Severn. Ilbrech. Irish. A son of Manannan, he rules over a section of County Donegal. Ler. Irish. A God of the sea. Father of Bran, Fiachra, Aedh, Manannan, and numerous others. Liban.Irish. A water-spirit, the daughter of Eochaid, by Etain. Llasar Llaes Gyfnewid. Welsh. The husband of Cymidei, and bearer of the Cauldron later taken by Bran. Llew Llaw Gyffes (bright one of the steady hand).Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Lugh. In the Mabinogion, he is portrayed as a youth who struggles against a series of malign geases cast by his mother, Arianrhod, and is assisted by Gwydion. He is later severely injured out of circumstances arising from his wife Blodeuedd'sinfidelity. In all of this he displays a rather feckless naivete, and does not appear as a pantheon Chieftain. Llyr.Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Ler. Luchta.Irish. One of a triplicity of Smithy-Gods, his aspect is that of the wright, a mechanic and artificer. The others are Credneand Goibhniu. Luchtigern. (mouse-lord).Irish. Chief of the mice of Kilkenny, slain by Banghaisghidheach. Lugh (light, brightness). Irish. Son of Cian, and considered the chief Lord of the Tuatha De Danaan, the Celtic Zeus. His archetype appears to derive from an early solar deity, and he has many epithets and sobriquets, among which: Lamhfhada, Long-arm, refering to his skill with spear or sling; Samildanach, much-skilled, having many talents; Ildanach, seer; and Maicnia, boy-warrior. MacCeacht (Son of the Plow). Irish. Child of the Daghda, husband of Fotla, ruler of the Tuatha de Danaan. MacCuill (Son of the Hazelwood). Irish. Child of the Daghda, husband of Banbha, ruler of the Tuatha de Danaan. MacGreine (Son of the Sun). Irish. Child of the Daghda, husband of Eriu, ruler of the Tuatha de Danaan. Macha (field, plain). Irish. One of the three Valkyrie-aspects of the Morrigan. Maeve. Irish. A War-Goddess, tutulary divinity of the Sovereignty of Ireland and of Tara, the mystical heart of the island. Manannan (he of the [Irish] sea). Irish. A child of Ler, and the principal sea-God; his name seems to derive from an earlier form of the Isle of Man. He possesses among other things, the fabulous Crane-Bag, holder of all his treasures, including Language. As with many Aryan Sea-Gods, he has a close association with horses. Maponus. British. Lord of poetry and music; revered during the Roman occupation of Britain. Math.Welsh. Uncle to Llew. Tutelary to Gwynedd, in North Wales. He is considered the premier sage of Britain: old beyond reckoning, most skilled in Magick, and knowledgeable beyond measure. It was said that he could hear anything spoken that was uttered in the presence of the slightest breeze; the wind would carry the words to him. Mathonwy. Welsh. Father to Math. Mabon (son, youth). Welsh. The God associated with youthfulness, he is sometimes conflated with Pryderi. His full name is "Mabon Ap Modron", which simply means "Son, son of Mother". Manawydan.Welsh. The Cymric equivalent to Manannan. Mider (central one). Irish.His Name derives from the root for "middle", and implies judgement or negotiation. Among the Tuatha De Danaan, he is a chieftain, and known for his stinginess and misplaced pride. Modron (mother). Welsh, British, and Gaulish. Often conflated with the Roman Matrona, she is the Tutelary of the Marne in Gaul. In Britain, she appears as a washerwoman, and thus there would seem to be a connection with the the Morrigan. Mór Muman (The Great One of Munster).Érainn. A tutulary divinity among a people known as the Érainn, a Celtic folk inhabiting some parts of Ireland before the arrival the Goidelic Celts who form the basis for the Classic-age population, and who may be the basis for tales of the Fomorians and Fir Bolg. She has solar connections and sovereignty associations, and seems also to be one basis for the Morrigan triplicity. Mysterious and not well understood, most tales of Her are late accretions from the Middle Ages. See also, Dįire. (the) Mórrigan (great queen).Irish. A triplicity of Valkyries (see Badb, Macha, and Nemain), exalting in battle frenzy, chaos, and the gore of slaughter. She/they have a particular role in being the Choosers of the Slain; selecting, severing from the body, and guiding to the afterworld the spirits of fallen warriors. She has, however, many and diverse aspects and functions. She has been closely associated with water in general, and rivers in particular. She seems in this latter aspect to be a chooser of the slain as well, in that she is seen by those whose fate it is to die in an upcoming battle as a crone, washing their clothing beside a river. See also Morgan le Fay, for a late version. Nechtain (?, but cf. the Latin "Neptune").Irish. Another water-spirit, He is associated with a sacred Well within which live the Salmon of Knowledge. He is closely associated with the Daghda, and has been conflated with him. Nehalennia (steerswoman ?).Gallo-Belgic. Primarily associated with protection of travelers over the sea. Her known temple locations are always on the coast, and surviving inscriptions often praise her for successfully completed voyages, or implore her for similar journeys to come. She is invariably associated with a large dog as a companion. She has occasionally been conflated with the Roman Goddess Fortuna. Note also the Anglo-Saxon Elen. Nemain (frenzy). Irish. One of the three Valkyrie-aspects of the the Morrigan. Nemetona (she of the sacred grove). Gaulish. A Continental Deity revered during Roman times; her name may be cognate with the Irish Valkyrie Nemain, and in fact the Romans seem to have regarded her as having some connection with Mars. Nisien (peaceful).Welsh. Maternal half-brother to Bendigeidfran (Bran) and full brother to Efnisien. Well-favored, he was a natural diplomat of whom it was said that he could make a peace between two embattled armies at the height of their fury. He spent much of his time repairing the damage done by Efnisien. Noudens. Gaulish. A derivation from Nuada, and as such revered during Roman times.This name has the somewhat unenviable distinction of being borrowed by H. P. Lovecraft to play a bit part in his famous Cthulhu Cycle. Nuada (cloud maker or catcher).Irish. A warrior God, He was twice king over the Tuatha De Danaan. He lost his office when his arm was severed in combat with the Fomorians; as Kings must be physically whole, he could not resume his kingship until Dioncecht fashioned a silver arm for him, whereupon he was restored to the throne in replacement to the ousted Breas. Nudd. Welsh. Another form of Nuada. Oghma. Irish. A child of the Daghda, a warrior God who is closely connected to knowledge, magick, and eloquence. He is the inventor of Ogham script, the Celtic variety of runes; and note well, he is said to have designed the letters as a way of encoding knowledge--- they were not granted to him by mystical vision. Ogmios. Gaulish. The continental equivalent of Oghma, portrayed as a bald old man leading a contented group of followers by chains attached to their ears. Pryderi (care, thought). Welsh. The son of Pwyll, whom he succeeds in his lands. He is stolen away as a newborn infant by a nameless Fiend who, on a horse-thieving expedition, drops him once more into the world when it is struck a blow by the guardian of the horses. Note the equine connection with his mother, Rhiannon. Pwyll (wisdom, prudence). Welsh. Lord of Arberth. Father of Pryderi, Husband of Rhiannon, trusted associate of Arawn as related in the first book of the Mabinogi. Rhiannon. Welsh. Wife of Pwyll, mother of Pryderi. Unjustly accused of destroying Her newborn son (who had been kidnapped by a nameless Fiend; see above), She is compelled to take on the role of a horse, until Her son is unexpectedly returned to her. She is considered as an aspect of the Gaulish Epona, and the Irish Morrigan. Scathach (Shadowed) Irish/Scottish. "Lady of Shadows", or, "of the Shadowy Isle". She is a warrior, with additional associations in smithcraft and oracular wisdom. She dwells in Albannach (Scotland), on (most tales agree) the Isle of Skye (Scaith), and is best known as the tutor of Cuchulainn in the arts of both love and war. Sequanna. Gaulish. Patron Goddess of the River Seine. Silvanus. A woodland spirit associated with parks, villas, and fields, and at an earlier date associated with the forest beyond the settlements, the wildwood. He is a Roman Deity, but so closely did He resonate with Celtic notions that He is often combined with other Celtic Deities of similar attributes. But note well one difference: to the Roman, the Forest was a place of fear, a nightmare land of chaos, and thus Silvanus had for them a shadowy or darker side; to the Celt, however, the Forest was Home, and as such held no mystery or fear. Sinann. Irish. Patron Goddess of the River Shannon. Sirona (divine star).Gaulish. A Continental divinity of healing and fertility. Tailltiu. Irish. Tutulary Goddess of the Telltown region of Ulster. Taliesin (radiant-brow).Welsh. A semi-mythical figure whose life has become deeply intertwined with the Divinities of the Celts. He apparently lived in the 6th century CE, and was regarded as the premier bard, or poet of his or any other time. A book of his work exists, set down in the 13th century; several of the works within it are regarded as genuine. He figures in many tales, but chief among them is the story that he began as the boy Gwion, was asked by the Cauldron-Crone Ceridwen to watch the vessel in which she brewed a Knowledge potion, inadvertently tasted it himself, was pursued by her in a chase involving many shapeshifts, and was at length swallowed by Her, to be reborn nine months later as the Divine bard Taliesin. Taran (thunder). Welsh/Continental. A war god who may very well be the source of the image I describe as the God of the Wheel, below. Tuireann. Irish. Son of Oghma and Etan, Husband to the Brigit. Uathach (Spectral).Irish/Scottish. Daughter of Scathach and, like Her, a lover of CuChulainn.
Unknown.By "unknown" I mean to reference recognized deities who for one reason or another have become nameless, or whose attributes and functions are so sketchy as to be basically unremembered. In a typical case, this would involve a God of which a number of altars and images survive, and who may show characteristic attributes and/or insignia, but who remains unidentified archaeologically or in surviving literature. Esus. Gaulish/Continental. A divinity revered before and during the Roman occupation of Gaul, most of our information about him comes from the Roman author Lucan, who speaks of dark and savage human sacrifices to this woodland God. Although a number of altars and memorial stones of Esus survive, his attributes have become mysterious and his story has more-or-less vanished. He is often portrayed in the act of cutting willow branches, and his images often connect him with waterbirds, particularly storks or cranes. The God of the Hammer.Gaulish/Continental. This is a figure of which a number of images and icons survive. He is invariably represented as a bearded male of pleasant and friendly aspect. He always bears a large, usually long-handled maul. Almost always, he also carries a cup or pot. A number of representations give him a leafy crown, and he is often accompanied by a dog. A few inscriptions survive; some of these name him as "Sucellus" ("Good Striker"), and he is occasionally merged with Silvanus (see above; although note well, the Roman Silvanus never is seen with a maul). Because of his attributes, an identification with Daghda has also been made. He seems to have a number of functions: protector, woodland spirit, healer, and presiding spirit of harvests and, especially, wine-making. The God of the Wheel.Gaulish/Continental. This figure is nearly always represented as a fierce-appearing, nude male. He bears in striking position a thunderbolt, and he very often has an armlet from which are attached more bolts. He invariably holds in his left hand, or at least has his hand resting upon, a chariot wheel. This may very well be a representation of Taranis (which see, above), mentioned by the Roman author Lucan. "Mercury".Gaulish/Continental. This is a native Celtic divinity who was identified by the Romans as the Celtic version of their own Mercurius/Hermes. His Celtic Name was ignored and has not survived. He seems to have been a God of prosperity, and skill in artisanship. He is closely associated with Rosmerta, which see just below, although the Latin Mercurius had no Consort. His attributes, and what little is known of his worship, and an analysis of the location of his shrines, all suggest fairly strongly that He may be the Gallic version of Lugh/Llew Llaw Gyffes. Rosmerta.Gaulish/Continental. A Celtic Goddess whose name has not survived, except for Her Latin nomen, which means "Good Provider". She is essentially a Goddess of success and prosperity, and her chief attribute is an inexhaustable Purse of Plenty. She is almost invariably associated with "Mercury", which see just above. Teutates (he of the tribe). Gaulish/Continental. Another pre-Roman Gaulish deity commented on by the Roman author Lucan, Teutates seems to have been a war god, but is also connected in obscure ways with Cauldrons. Lucan claims that human sacrifices were due to the God, in this instance by drowning. The name is meaningless, it simply means "Tribe" or "Nation" (cf. Irish Tuatha).
Late British.These are figures of myth and legend who seem to be either based on earlier divine forms, or seem to have been accruing an aura of divinity about them in their own right. Nearly without exception, they appear in the twilight region of the 5th and 6th centuries CE, at least in their basic forms; and, more often than not, are connected to the Arthurian cycle in one way or another. Arthur Based on a historical Welsh warlord of the first quarter of the 6th century CE, indirect evidence points toward a Lord of Britaincirca 496-537 CE as the basis for the legend. King Arthur is certainly the best-known and most revered figure in British folklore. The story of a flawed prince, conceived in perfidy, raised in obscurity, succeeding to a vacant throne in sudden splendour, unifier of Britain, seeker of the Grail, and victim of treachery the circumstances to which he himself brought about, is as timely and compelling today as it has ever been. The Fisher King A confused but powerful set of tales coalesce in the Arthurian mythos to create this figure. Stripped of all the divergent threads and inconsistencies, the essence of the story seems to be that of a Guardian of a sacred treasure (the Grail, in the Arthurian cycle), who is injured with an incurable but unfatal wound, brought about by his own misconduct or inability to maintain the superhuman standards of his office. Though imperfect, and in continual suffering, he nevertheless continues to exert himself in the service of Good, and seems to be redeemed in the end. Note the common thread with Arthur and Merlin of the Flawed Hero. The Four Grieving QueensThese are the Ladies who attended Arthur after his final battle, when he lay mortally wounded, and they are the ones who carried him off to Avalon. Two are mentioned below, Morgan Le Fay as chief amongst them, and Nimue, a Lady of the Lake. The other two are unnamed; they are the Queen of Norgales and the Queen of the Waste Lands. Each is encountered elsewhere in the cycle; Norgales is a Sorceress of great power, perhaps lesser than only Morgan and Nimue. The Queen of the Waste Lands seems to be a Christian anchorite and mystic of much wisdom; she gives good advice to Galahad, Lancelot, and Percival on various occasions. Her presence among a triplicity of distinctly Pagan Ladies at the conclusion of the cycle is significant, indeed, and tends to reinforce the idea that Arthur was being prepared by representatives of the Old Path and the New for duty as Champion of Britain. The Green Man One of the most ancient figures in European tradition, pre-dating perhaps even the Aryan invasions. He seems to be a God of vegetative strength, a masculine figure of fertility and life-energy. He is usually imaged as a large or giant male, clad entirely, or perhaps actually composed entirely, in green leaves. He appears on the fringes of popular awareness in a bewildering number of guises: his archetype may be recognized in as widely divergent sources as the central figure in the 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight on the one hand, and on the other as the basis behind the modern commercial image of the Jolly Green Giant. Herne the Hunter The late British equivalent of Cernunnos, the horned God of the Wild Hunt (which see, above). He has a particular association in literature, at least, with Windsor Forest. Note also the South Welsh Gwynn. The Lady of the Lake This is simply a conflation of all the multitudinous lake, river, and water spirits so prevalent in Celtic mythology. Nevertheless, common threads do appear; one of the best documented is that of relic-guardian, holder of the sacred sword Excalibur, who gives it to Arthur, and takes it back at the end of the stories. There seem to be two or perhaps three Named Ladies. Nimue is specifically named as a Lady of the Lake; she is the defeater, or perhaps simply replacer, of Merlin at Arthur's Court. Nineve seems to be the Keeper of Excalibur, and her name may be a variant on Nimue, but she is slain by Sir Balin, and her personality is at variance to Nimue's. There is also a French Lady of the Lake, Viviane. There are, in addition, other unnamed Ladies as well. Merlin The tutor and companion of Arthur in his earlier years, Merlin the Magician is nearly as well known as his protege, whose life he parallels in many instances. He is also said to have been conceived in infamous circumstances, and he too falls ultimately to treachery brought on by his own weaknesses. He is well-known for having fallen under the enchantment of a Lady of the Lake, Nimue, said to have imprisoned him "under a stone"; but is important to note that his fate is ambiguous in the early sources, and it may be that Nimue simply replaced him, rather than suborning him.
Morgan le FayThe final incarnation of the Irish valkyrie Morrigan, Morgan plays a critical but ambiguous role in the Arthurian cycle. Portrayed as a mortal female deeply learned in Magick and a close relative of Arthur's (maternal half-sister), she is always at odds with Arthur, and is responsible for any of a number of attempts to drag him down. Once he is mortally wounded though, and his cause a pyyrhic and ultimately futile victory, it is Morgan who appears at his side, nursing him and taking him off to the Isle of Avalon, to rest until his presence is needed once more. One gets the distinct impression (at least, I do...) that she somehow engineered the rise of Arthur to the status of Hero, in order to create an Eternal Champion of Britain. This notion is supported somewhat by the earlier Morrigan's ambiguous relationship with CuChulainn, in which she took him up on his desire for a short but glorious life, and violently opposed him until, at his doom, she used his blood ! Puck Also known as Robin Goodfellow. He is a mischieveous imp who delights in pranks and hazings. Boastful and immature, at his best he resembles a kind of Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn figure, if you can imagine those two endowed with supernatural powers. His name is an Anglicised version of the Irish Puca, Cymric Pwcca, ancient Celtic hobgoblish spirits having the same general attributes as the later figure.
Weyland the Smith Not British as such, he was imported by the Anglo-Saxons from the continent. He is known in Teutonic sources, Frankish sources, and in Scandinavia, where he is called Volund. The gist of his tale is that he loved a swan-maiden who lived with him for seven years, but disappeared at length. He pines for her, but awaits her return, making wondrous jewelry and artifacts in the meantime. Set upon by an outlaw king and his sons, he is hamstrung and marooned on a small island with a smithy at his disposal. He encompasses the death of the sons, the violation of their sister (who wears the ring he gave to his own love, stolen from him), and escapes the isle on a pair of contrived wings... He became a byword for the art of the smith, and the forging of miraculous objects; and he seems to have had a geas placed upon him with respect to his craft, to the effect that he could not refuse any commission, no matter how impossible the task, once he had been offered a paymen!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This page is intended as a reference guide for students of Mesopotamian mythology, and is a catalogue, hopefully reasonably complete, of known Mesopotamian God-forms. The information here is necessarily brief; a full accounting of all these entities would be a massive book in its own right. What is included here is: a Name, (Nationality or City-State), any important epithets or sobriquets that are associated with the Name, and a basic description of spheres of influence, attributes, and/or descriptive stories.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adad (Akkadian/Babylonian) The later, Babylonian version of the Sumerian Iskur. Abzu (Sumerian) The Sumerians believed that the oceans on the surface of the world were paralled by hidden, cthonic seas located in vast chambers deep within the earth. Abzu is the primordial Lord of these Inner Waters. His name is the root behind the modern word "abyss". See also, Nammu. See Apsu for the continuation of this tale... Amurru (Akkadian) The later version of the Sumerian Martu. An (Sumerian) A primordial sky-god, regarded as the creator of the world and progenitor or ancestor of all the Gods who followed Him. His attributes are obscure and his rulership of the heavens is vague and ill-defined; He seems to have been a distant figure without much immediate impact on the human world. Ansar (Sumerian) A primordial being, child of Lahmu, and father of An. Antu (Babylonian) In Babylonian versions of the mythos, the wife of Anu. Anu (Babylonian) The Babylonian version of An. Apsu (Akkadian/Babylonian) The later, Babylonian version of the Sumerian Abzu. According to the Babylonians, Apsu, a primordial dragon, was slain by Ea, who subsequently set up His home within Apsu's carcase. Asarlubi (Sumerian) Son of Enki (I), and a master of magick and sorcery. Assur (Assyrian) Tutelary God of the Assyrian people; Lord of the Assyrian pantheon, guide and defender of the Assyrian nation.During the era of Assyrian ascendency, He replaced Marduk as premier divinity. Buriash (Kassite) Apparently a God of storm and weather, and as such equated by Mesopotamian people with Iskur. Cf. the Hellenic Boreas. Dagan (Akkadian/Babylonian) An agrarian deity, responsible for the invention of the plow, and Lord of the grain harvest. His worship was extensive in the Levant; within Mesopotamia he was relatively minor. Dumuzi (Sumerian) Child of Duttur, Lord of shepherds and the flocks, and eternal adversary to Enkimdu. He is regarded as both divinity and royal ancestor in several Mesopotamian city-states, most notably Uruk, where he is listed as an earlier predescessor to the hero Gilgamesh. He has strong Underworld associations as well; the beloved of Inanna, He is taken by minions of Nergal to the depths when She visits the Final Land and then seeks to leave. Eventually, he returns to the upper land for 6 months of the year, while His place is taken then by His sister Gestinanna. Students of the Old Testament will recognize the Hebrew form of His name: Tammuz, which has become the 10th month of the Jewish calendar; and Tammuz, in a rare survival into modern times, is still used as the Iraqi name for the month of July. Duttur (Sumerian) The sheep Goddess, and Patroness of the flocks. She is the mother of both Dumuzi and Gestinanna. Ea (Akkadian/Babylonian) The later version of Enki (I). His functions and attributes closely parallel the earlier divinity, although the tale of His battle against Apsu and subsequent claim upon the Inner Seas is expanded. Enbilulu (Sumerian) The River God, divine master of the Tigris-Euphrates watershed system. Enki (I) (Sumerian) Lord of the underworld seas which parallel the surface oceans, and hence master of artisanship, secret craft, magick, and inner wisdom. He seems to have been involved in ordering and regulating all the myriad functionings of the human (ie. civilized) world. Central to the mythos in general, He is a son of An (twin of Iskur) and father to Marduk, Asarlubi, Enbilulu, and Nanse, among others. Enki (II) and Ninki (Sumerian) A separate figure from Enki of the underworld seas, this male and female pair were "Lord and Lady Earth", Patrons of the Upper world and, in at least one tradition, the parents of Enlil. Enkimdu (Sumerian) Patron and Lord of dikes, canals, and furrows; in effect, irrigation and sedentary farming in general. He is the eternal adversary to Dumuzi. Enlil (Sumerian) A central figure in the mythos, child by one tradition of An, by another of Enki (II) and father to many divinities, including Iskur, Inanna, Nergal, and Utu among others. His vitality and majesty is of such strength that it is unedurable to all, and He is above all a figure of majesty, regal authority, and masculine energy. Ereskigal (Sumerian) Queen of the Underworld, a cthonic Goddess whose realm was the uttermost depths, below the Inner Sea of Abzu. She was recognized as Guardian and Patroness of the Dark City. Gestinanna (Sumerian) An oracular Goddess, one who is associated with the interpretation of dreams, and also has widespread shepherding connections. She is the loyal sister of Dumuzi, and hides him by various strategems when he is sought by demons of the underworld. When He is eventually seized anyway, it is arranged that She take His place for half the year, and He Hers. While in the Underworld, She functions as Ereskigal's scribe. Gibil (Sumerian) Divine Lord of fire, and personification of fire in all it's aspects, both harmful and beneficial. Gula (Sumerian) A healer and patroness of medicine; She is also something of a tutelary Goddess of the city-state of Isin. Unsurprisingly for her vocation, She is almost always accompanied by a dog. Harbe (Kassite) A primary God of the Kassite people, equated with Anu or Enlil. Humban (Elamite) A sky God, one who dwells in the heavens, and (probably) personifies masculine energy. He very likely is connected in some way to Humbaba, the giant guarding the cedars of Lebanon from Gilgamesh.
Inanna (Sumerian) "Lady of the Thousand Offices", She is the primary female Deity of Her people, and in some ways the focus of the entire pantheon. Her epithet refers to the fact that She is Patroness and divine Guide to a myriad different functions and powers. One tradition has Her the daughter of An, but a more persistant one makes Her the child of Nanna-Suen. All agree that She is the younger sister to Ereskigal. She has many lovers and consorts, but her strongest attachment seems to be with Dumuzi. She rules the natural world, and the vitalizing effect of the rain, but beyond that Her functions seem to revolve around pairs of contending ideas. Thus, She is both the morning and the evening star. She represents motherhood and the family, but She is also the harlot and temple prostitute. She governs lightning, but also the dousing of fire. Her spirit is one of praise and gladness, and also dismay and sorrow. Her imagery usually portrays Her as a winged female bearing weapon! Inzak (Dilmun) Regarded by non-Dilmunites as the supreme deity of Dilmun, but on the island itself He seems to have been accounted as Lord and Patron of the desert tribes dwelling nearby. Ishhara (I) (Akkadian/Babylonian) A Goddess of love, and consort of Dagan in at least one tradition Ishhara (II) (Hurrian) A Goddess of the underworld, not much else remains to Her memory. Iskur (Sumerian) The chief weather deity, Lord of storms and tempests; He-Who-Wields-The-Lightning. He also has a benificent aspect as the bringer of cleansing and fructifying rain. He was patron of flowing water generally, and that could imply either living streams and rivers which irrigate the land, or floods which destroy. Ishtar (Akkadian/Babylonian) The later equivalent to Inanna, and like Her earlier manifestation one of the most important figures in the pantheon. Like Inanna, She is Lady of many offices and functions, especially love, sexuality, fertility, and healing. Nevertheless, Ishtar has more associations with war and weaponry. Like Inanna, She is regarded in separate traditions as Daughter of Anu or Sin. Isum (Sumerian) Guardian and protector from night-time terrors, divine messenger, and benign influence within the underworld, He was a God of enduring popularity. Ki (Sumerian) A primordial being representing Earth in some traditions, wife of An in one version of the tales surrounding the beginnings; thus, the beginning times symbolized by the marriage of Heaven and Earth. Kisar (Sumerian) A primordial being, child of Lahmu, and mother of An. Lahamu (Sumerian) A primordial being, possibly a child of Abzu and Tiamat, and mother of Ansar. Lahmu (Sumerian) A primordial being, child of Abzu and Tiamat, and father of Ansar. Lilu, Lilitu, and Ardat-Lili (Sumerian) Not divinities as such, this trio of closely related demons inhabited the desert wastes, and functioned largely in terms of sexual and fertility aberation. Lilu and Lilitu were male and female equivalents of each other, and were regarded as dangerous to pregnancies and newborns, while Ardat-Lili ("Maiden Lilitu") may have been their offspring, and was seen as a spirit of sexual disfunction and frustration, malevolent wives, and degeneracy in general. The general idea was imported into Hebrew mythology as Lilith, Demoness of desolation, obsession, and madness. Mamu (Sumerian) An oracular divinity of dreams and visions, child of Utu, and of ambiguous or shifting gender. Martu (Sumerian) Child of An by Ninhursaga, He was spoken of as the leveler of cities and destroyer of peoples. He was the personification of the nomad barbarians who swarmed into Mesopotamia from very early times. His name was the same as the epithet used to describe such people, and is reflected in the Old Testament description of Assyrians as "Amorites". Marduk (Babylonian) Originally the Patron and tutelary deity of the city of Babylon, Marduk's power and influence grew until He was regarded as supreme among all the Gods and Goddesses. His personal attributes were as Lord of magick, wisdom, and regal authority. His influence began to wane somewhat in Assyrian times, as many of His functions were assumed by Assur. Meskilak (Dilmun) Seemingly the patroness of the city of Dilmun proper, and probably the mother of Inzak.She seems to have been a local variant on the mainland Ninhursaga. Mullisu (Assyrian) The Assyrian version of Ninlil, in which mythos She is the wife of Assur, not Enlil Nabu (Babylonian) Divine Patron of scribes, and holding authority over writing and knowledge. He forms with Ea and Marduk a triplicity of Wisdom deities, and His worship persisted among Mesopotamian communities for a very long time. His cult is still recognizable as late as the 2nd century CE, and He was conflated by Hellenic writers with Apollo. Nahhunte (Elamite) A solar deity, one concerned with justice and the law as well. Nammu (Sumerian) A primordial being. In some traditions, the mother of An and Ki (Heaven and Earth), and a personification or Aspect of Abzu. Nanna-Suen (Sumerian) The moon-God, child of Enlil and Ninlil, husband of Ningal, and in at least one tradition the father of Utu and Inanna. Nanse (Sumerian) Tutelary Goddess of the city-state of Lagash, Shewas an oracular divinity with the power to interpret dreams and omens. She also held a position as protectress of the common-folk, related to which She was invoked as an overseer of fair and accurate weights and measures. Nergal (Sumerian) Lord of the Underworld, usually regarded as a child of Enlil and Ninlil, and consort to Ereskigal. Master of the Dark City, He has warlike associations, and is also connected to fevers and sudden diseases, especially the plague. His cult continued in one form or another for a long time, and after Alexandrian times came to be seen as an Aspect of Herakles. Ningal (Sumerian) Wife of Nanna-Suen, and mother of Utu. Ninhursaga (Sumerian) A Mother-Goddess, one of several in Sumerian mythology. She is regarded as the mother of many divinities by Enlil, who further extends His line by incestuous unions with their daughters. Her name means "Lady of the Mountains. Ninlil (Sumerian) Wife of Enlil, and mother to many of His children. Ninurta (Sumerian) A warrior deity, involved with armies, weaponry, and the suppression of revolt. He has another nature as well, though, that of an agrarian deity devoted to tillage of the soil and teaching the arts of the farm. Pazuzu (Babylonian) A demon of somewhat ambiguous malevolence: He was feared for his greed and strength, but was also recognized as a legitimate protection against pestilence. He has re-emerged in the modern world as the central evil force in the novel and movie "The Exorcist". Pienenkir (Elamite) A Goddess of fertility, nurturance, and motherhood. Qingu (Babylonian) A created entity, formed by Tiamat to be the general of Her divine forces in the war between Her and Marduk. Qingu was given the Tablet of Destinies as His primary weapon, but He and His forces were routed by Marduk. Executed by Marduk afterward, His blood was utilised in the creation of mankind. Samas (Akkadian) A later version of Utu, the sun God. In this version, He is the child of Anu. Sin (Akkadian/Babylonian) The later-era version of Nanna-Suen, the moon God. Suriash (Kassite) Possible a solar divinity, similar in many respects to Utu. Tesup (Hurrian) The equivalent, in this people's mythology, to the weather Gods Iskur and Buriash. Tiamat (Sumerian) A primordial entity. At the beginning of creation there were but two entities, Abzu and Tiamat, representing respectively the freshwater underworld sea and the saltwater surface ocean. Between them, many of the earliest entities were created, including An and Ki (Heaven and Earth). When Abzu was slain, Tiamat released monstrous creatures in vengeance, and was in turn slain by, as later version have it, Marduk. He used her corpse to form the world (her back the sky, her belly the earth, her breasts the mountains, etc. There are faint echoes in this of other mythoi, see Ymir for a particularly striking resonance Uttu (Sumerian) Divine Patroness of the weaving arts and, completely unsurprisingly, closely associated with spiders. Utu (Sumerian) The sun-God, son of Nanna-Suen, and twin brother of Inanna. He represents all the primary solar virtues, light, warmth, and the blessed energy of growth in crops.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nations and Peoples of Mesopotamia The sheer weight of years that have accumulated since mankinds earliest occupation of this region is numbing and, unsurprisingly, there have been a vast concourse of differing peoples who have dwelt beside the Two Rivers. Modern understanding of this area is hampered, however, by the fact that there has been no widespread migration of peoples into or out of Mesopotamia for a very long while now, and hence the names and characteristics of earlier inhabitants have become blurred and obscure. Here then is a brief catalogue of major groups who have occupied or been influential in this region during the times when these divinities were current. The reference is arranged in roughly chronological order of appearance; peoples and cities actually referred to above are in black type, while people and places not specifically mentioned, but important enough anyway, are in grey type.
SUMERIANS (< 3500-2100 BCE) A people of unknown ethnic affiliation, not the aboriginal folk of the region (the Ubaid culture is evidently that folk), but migrating into the region from the east at an early date. Their language is the oldest written speech in existence. Important Sumerian city-states were:
Akshak
Akkad Or, Agade. The capitol of the Akkadian state, located in the north. KASSITES (1700-1200 BCE) A people of unknown ethnic affiliation, originating in the highlands of western Iran but extending themselves throughout the region thereafter. PERSIANS (539 BCE-636 CE) An Aryan (Irani) people whose descendents still live adjacent to Mesopotamia. KURDS (c.500 BCE-present) An Aryan folk related to the Persians, occupying northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. They comprise the largest (approx. 17 to 25 million) ethnic group in the world without a state. HELLENES (400 BCE-636 CE) An Aryan people, under whose aegis several empires were established:
Macedonian (331-312 BCE)
The People of the Book
Caveat. I recognize that the material on this page may be regarded as controversial, or perhaps even offensive. Each of the three religions remarked upon here retains an exclusionary element which says in effect; "We have sole ownership of Truth, all variants and competitors are at best erroneous and at worst diabolical." This is particularly true of Christianity and Islam. It may be, therefore, that some readers will regard a description of the polytheistic roots of their faith, together with material concerning semi-divine agents within the faith, as tending toward a disparagement or insult toward that faith. Firstly, please understand that no insult or belittlement is within my intention. Secondly, please be assured that any factual, documentable error is my own, and that documented correction is earnestly solicited. Beyond that, reasonable discussion of this material is also welcome. Nevertheless, I must also say that attempts to convert me to a readers opinion, or save !
The Names of God Adonai(Hebrew) A euphemism for "Elohim"; normally translated as "(the) Lord" AGLA An acronymic, representing the (Hebrew) phrase: "Ateh Gibor le-Olam Adonai", ie. "Thou art mighty forever,O Lord". Often found in magickal or Qabalistic texts. Allah(Arabic) The Islamic name for God, normally untranslated, or simply replaced by "the Lord" or "God". It will be noted that among the names mentioned in this section, this is the only Islamic one. Islam does speak of numerous Names of God; a widely known tradition refers to 100, 99 of which are known, the final one being ineffable and unknowable. But these 99 Names are more in the nature of epithets and descriptions (ie. ar-Rashid, the Merciful) than that of nominative labels. The fact is that Islam is the most trenchantly monotheistic of the three faiths, and as such minimizes strongly any tendency to differentiate aspects of divinity away from The One. Ehieh(Hebrew: "I am") This is what God required Moses to say to Israel concerning His name, Exodus 3:14. Ehieh Asher Ehieh(Hebrew: "I am that I am") This is how God described Himself to Moses, Exodus 3:14. El(Hebrew: "God") Eloah(Hebrew: "God") Elohim(Hebrew) Nowadays a euphemism for YHVH, normally translated as "Lord". This, the third word to occur in the Hebrew Scripture, is difficult to translate out of Hebrew, owing to the grammatical structure of the language. "El" is "God"; "Eloh" is God with a feminine determinant attached, thus : Goddess. The suffix "-im" is a plural ending, so, "Goddesses"... but, Hebrew genderizes grammatical particles; -im is the masculine plural. The normal explanation of this construction is that it represents a corporate plural (the Royal "We") referring to God and His angels in toto. Other thinkers and traditions regard it as a pre-monotheistic survival. Elohim Tzaboath(Hebrew: "Lord of Hosts") El Shaddai(Hebrew: "God Almighty") Also transliterated as "Lord of the Mountain (or, Heights)". God The first "Person" or Aspect of the Christian Trinity. The idea of God as advanced by Judaic and Christian theologians in the past 2000 years began as a synthesis of the earlier Hebrew deities El and Yahweh. Over the centuries, God has been increasingly seen as remote, impersonal, and transcendent of any definable catagory: thus, "He" is often regarded as genderless (though typically refered to with masculine pronouns). He is normally regarded as immanent, omnipresent while nevertheless being entirely spiritual, omnipotent, and omniscient. Source, creator, orderer, and governor of the universe, He is essentially unknowable and unapproachable directly, and stands both within and beyond the created universe. The Holy SpiritThe third "Person" or Aspect of the Christian Trinity. Understood as the manifestation of God's spirit, and recognized in such experiences as the immediate sense of divine presence in one's life or situation, as the focus in prayer and devotional exercise, and as the Source of specific spiritual gifts such as prophecy or speaking in tongues.
Jesus ChristThe second "Person" or Aspect of the Christian Trinity. Jesus is, of course, the focus and basis for the entire Christian experience. He was a historical person, an itinerant rabbi and (probably) political activist (anti-Roman) of the 1st century CE (born c. 6 BCE-died c. 27 CE: his name, incidently, was Yeshua, which can be Anglicized as "Joshua"; "Jesus" is an Anglicization of a Latinized form of the Greek version of Yeshua). There are no known references to him during his lifetime, but a great deal of material was recorded by those who knew him at first or second hand. To Jews and Muslims he remains an important theological figure; certainly a teacher, perhaps a prophet. Christians may reasonably be defined as those who regard him as the incarnation of the Living God, and the direct channel of God's mercy to humanity. As an Aspect of the Trinity, He continues to offer a message of redemptive salvation and boundless divine love. His role in the Trinity is thus ! Shaddai (Hebrew: "(the) Almighty") Shaddai El CHai(Hebrew: "(the) Almighty Living God") ha-Shem(Hebrew: "the Name") Another euphemistic reference to YHVH.
YHVH (Hebrew) The four consonants (yod, heh, vau, heh) which make up the ineffable and hidden Name of God. Regarded as too holy to even be spoken aloud by anyone save the High Priest of the Temple while alone in the inner sanctum, the vowel values were never revealed, and were eventually lost. Modern common usage has applied versions of the vowels of Adonai, to construct "Jehovah", which is almost certainly incorrect. In pronunciation, the form Yahweh is usually used, which I follow below. The point to this is that according to early Hebrew thought, language in and of itself has supernatural power; the mere existence of a written word on paper or stone, or the act of speaking aloud a set of syllables is an inherently magickal act which evokes the concept, powers, or entities so named. Thus, to write out in full or to speak aloud the Name of God is an act so powerful as to verge on the blasphemous if done in a place or a time or by a person not sufficiently imbued with holine! YHVH Eloah(Hebrew: "Lord God")
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Angels and Saints ANGELS
Djibril (Arabic)The Islamic equivalent of the Judaeo-Christian Gabriel. To Muslims, he is the messenger of Allah who dictated the Quran to Mohammed. al-Khidr (Arabic) An unusual figure, inhabiting the grey area between mythic folk-hero and supernatural spirit. One tale relates that, as a mortal human, he accompanied Iskandar Akbar (Alexander the Great) on his search for the Fountain of Life. Separated from Iskandar, he accidently discovered the Fountain, fell into it, and thereby received immortality. Other tales, however, accord him a status resembling that of a major archangel. In these traditions, he is Allah's deputy in regards to the seas and oceans, and His regent upon the Earth. He is said to have revealed occult wisdom to various sages and worthy humans. Most notable among these is Musa (Moses), to whom al-Khidr is related to have instructed in a thinly-disguised initiatory sequence. al-Khidr's name translates as "The Green", i.e. "The Green One"/ "The Green Man". Metatron (Unknown derivation) Metatron does not appear in canonical scripture, but his presence looms large in apocryphal and mystical sources of all sorts. Not widely known outside of such sources, he is apparently the greatest of angels, and the highest ranking, second only to God Himself, and sometimes refered to as "the Lesser YHWH". He is spoken of most often as being the chief of the Angels of the Countenance, those angels who stand immediately before the Throne of God and the only beings sufficiently holy to be able to endure the radiance of God directly. Michael (Hebrew) One of two angels mentioned in the canonical Old Testament (Gabriel is the other), Michael is popularly regarded in Judaeo-Christian lore to be God's warrior, the marshal of the hosts of heaven in the final conflict with the forces of hell. He is often regarded as the highest ranking of all the angels, but see Metatron. In mystical and magickal sources, he is sometimes regarded as the Guardian of the South and the Warden of Fire, but see Uriel. Mika'il (Arabic)The Islamic equivalent of the Judaeo-Christian Michael. To Muslims, he is a guardian spirit central to works of exorcism. Raphael (Hebrew) Raphael is not mentioned in the canonical Old Testament, he makes his first appearance in the apocryphal Book of Tobit. He is usually regarded as the primary angel of healing and works of restoration, and he has associations with science and knowlege generally. In mystical and magickal sources, he is often regarded as the Guardian of the East and the Warden of Air. Uriel (Hebrew) Not spoken of directly in the canonical Old Testament, he is frequently discussed in apocryphal and mystical literature. Among the "big four" (Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel) in archangels, he is probably the least well-known in popular imagination. One source has it that he is the angel who stands before the gates of Eden, bearing a flaming sword. Other sources credit him as being involved in works of salvation. In mystical and magickal sources, he is sometimes regarded as the Guardian of the South and the Warden of Fire, but see Michael.
SAINTS The process of sanctification has been practiced for a very long while, and it's roots extend back into pre-Christian times. During early Imperial times, it was often the practice to Apotheosize deceased Emperors and some members of their immediate family, a recognition based on the receipt of signs and omens indicating that such an ascension had taken place. The church followed the logic of this process by recognizing that certain of it's deceased communicants, having led demonstrably exemplary lives, were indisputably resident in Heaven, as evidenced by miracles performed in their name. There are many thousands of individuals named as saints, and it is important to understand that the church specifically denies that any of them are in the least bit divine; their influence on Earth is as a channel of divine power, nothing more. Even so, a number of these individuals fit the pattern of spiritual entities having influence over certain aspects of earthly life, and as su! Christopher Very likely a purely mythological figure, and as such recently removed from the official list of recognized saints. The tale is that he carried the infant Jesus across a bridgeless river, and as such was the Patron of travellers and wayfarers. Though he has lost his standing now, he has been a figure of very widespread influence. Eligius (c. 590-c. 660) A seventh century Frank who early in his life was a smith involved in precious metals; he is therefore regarded as a Patron of goldsmiths, silversmiths, jewelers, coiners, and the like. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) Perhaps one of the best known among Christian saints, the founder of the Franciscan Orders is widely recognized as Patron to animals and, by extension, to the natural world in general. George (fl. c. 275/300 CE) A Roman military officer during the Diocletian era, he has become the Patron of soldiers everywhere. Additionally, he is also the Patron of England. John of Capistrano (1385-1456) A jurist and legal officer, he has become a Patron of judges and legal scholars. Luke (fl. 1st century CE) The apostle and author of the third Gospel, as well as the Book of Acts (originally an integral continuation of the Gospel of St. Luke, but later separated). He is widely understood to have been a doctor or medical practitioner (and in fact his Gospel betrays the best educated and most polished writing style among the four). He has become a general Patron of the medical profession.
Mary (fl. early 1st century CE) The Virgin Mary holds a unique position within Christendom. She is the Mother of God, and as such she or any of her many Aspects (Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception, etc.) have emerged as Patroness of many different occupations, locales, and circumstances. She has been conflated with numerous pre-Christian Goddesses in a wide variety of traditions and cultures, and her influence over Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism in particular is immeasureable. She is most often seen as a counterpoise to the sterner aspects of Christianity, being thus a channel for divine sanction, mercy, forgiveness and surcease from care. She quite often takes on an oracular role, appearing in visions or mystical experiences to selected individuals in order to pronounce God's forthcoming will or prophetic interpretation of future events. The best-known occurance of this in the modern world is probably the Vision at Fatima. In every way she appears as a femin! Nicholas of Myra (fl. c. 275/325) A leader of the church in early Asia Minor, he has become enormously influential in a number of ways. His original tale has him saving three young women from a life of prostitution by an anonymous gift of money, and so he has become attached to acts of charity and gift-giving generally. He has emerged as a Patron of children, a Patron of thieves, and as a Patron of mariners, especially those in distress. In modern times, he has emerged in the Protestant world as a somewhat secularized spirit of childhood joy and gift-giving; the English-speaking world normally refers to him as Santa Claus, a transliteration of the Dutch "Sinter Klaes" (Saint Nicholas). This Aspect of him has a very fully developed mythology and set of Attributes which have recently sprung up around the original figure. Paul (d. 67 CE) The apostle to the Gentiles, the man who took the Christian message outside it's roots as a Jewish sect, and brought it to the world at large. Although his influence on the faith and the subsequent development of Christianity is beyond measure, he has little in the way of particular Patronage, and he remains a rather distant figure. Peter (d. c. 67 CE) One of Christ's original followers and, based on an interpretation of Matthew 16: 18-19, perhaps Christ's senior vicar and transmitter of the faith. He is said to have ended his life as the leader of the Christian community in Rome, and is thus regarded by Catholics as the first Pope. He is also regarded as having led the first Christian community in Antioch, as well. In popular mythology, he is regarded as Heaven's gatekeeper and, as such, he has been viewed as a Judge of the Dead (or, more technically, the Transmitter of divine Judgement written in the Book of Life). Sebastian (fl. 1st century CE) An obscure Roman soldier, evidently one of the first reported Martyrs. He is a Patron of Archers and Archery, by analogy to his method of execution (which is a misunderstanding; his persecutors first attempted to kill him with arrows, but were unsuccessful -- he was eventually bludgeoned to death). Thomas Aquinas (1226-1274) A senior intellectual in the church, and as such the Patron of scholars, scholarship, teaching, and schools of all sorts. Thomas More (1478-1535) An English courtier and intellectual, martyred by Henry VIII. He is regarded as the Patron of lawyers and the legal profession. Valentine (d. c. 270) One or perhaps a conflation of two early martyrs in the third century. He has become a Patron of love and lovers, and as such has gained widespread recognition as a somewhat secularized modern spirit of romance. The original figure has apparently no connection at all with what the modern image has become, aside from the fact that his Feast day occurs on the Pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia, dedicated to love and mating rituals. Vitus (fl. 2nd or 3rd cent. CE?) Associated nowadays with storms, and also associated with certain forms of epilepsy.
Demons and Devils Asmodeus (Latinized Persian) An early demon of impurity, evidently emerging out of reports of Persian demons from the 7th century BCE. He has become a senior Devil in Hell, and is sometimes regarded as an alternate name for Satan. Beelzebub (Hebrew) A powerful infernal spirit, sometimes regarded as a conflation to Satan, but normally regarded as a separate entity. The name, usually translated as "Lord of the Flies" or "Lord of Corruption" seems to based on earlier Semitic divinities. Belial (Hebrew) A senior fiend in Hell, and a name quite often used as referring to Satan, rather than as a separate entity. Harut & Marut (Arabic) Two angels, normally paired together, and most frequently encountered in Islamic lore. They were given early commission to rule the earth, and to instruct and tutor mankind. Their role in Hell is ambiguous; only some sources make them fallen angels, others are not explicit about their fate, or claim for them a continued presence in heaven. Iblis (Arabic) An Islamic spirit, usually described as a djinn or as a fallen angel. His tale parallels the classic version of Satan; he refused to honour mankind, claiming superiority to them, for which sin of pride he was cast down. Lilith (Hebrew) A Hebrew demon of madness, despair, and desolation, especially as regarding unhappy wives and barren marriages. She was regarded as an enemy of newborn infants, and as a succubus, a demonic temptress. She is based on an earlier Babylonian model, the Lilitu demonic trio. Lucifer (Latin) This name is present in scripture and subsequent popular imagination owing to a mistranslation of Isaiah 14:12; in a series of passages referencing a prophecized collapse of Nebuchadrezzar II's Babylon, a simile to the setting of the morning star is made. This was translated into the Vulgate Bible as "Lucifer", the Latin name for the morning star, and was thereafter enshrined as a name of Satan. In Isaiah's time, the idea of a revolt in heaven by dissident and corrupt angels, and their subsequent fall into the abyss of Hell, had not been imagined as yet. The word "Lucifer" means in Latin "Light-bearer" or "Shining one", hardly appropriate terms for the Adversary. Mephistopheles (Hebrew) One among the chiefs of the fallen angels; in literature his role is sometimes as servant to Satan, and sometimes as an alternate name for Satan himself. His best-known role is as the tempter in the Dr. Faustus legend. Samael (Hebrew) The term means "Venom of God", and his position is ambiguous. Most sources have him as a fallen angel, one among Hell's minions, but other sources regard him as still among the hosts of heaven, representing the severity of God. Perhaps the most usual role assigned him is that of the Angel of Death, collecting souls for perdition or judgement, depending upon which side of the aisle one sees him as serving. Satan (Hebrew) The basic name of the leader of the fallen angels who inhabit Hell and torment sinners while plotting the assault on heaven at the end of days. The idea of Satan has changed a great deal from the time he first appears (I Chronicles 21:1). Initially, he was a member of God's court, testing creation for flaws, the Book of Job is the classic exposition of that idea. In Christian times, however, his role was radically altered. He was said to have been God's chief angel, the one closest to His heart. When mankind was created, though, he resented their addition, and regarded them as vastly inferior to the angels. When God required angelic obeisance to humanity, Satan refused, and for disobedience and pride he was cast down. From his place in Hell, he and the other angelic rebels who fell with him continue to tempt mankind into error and sin, primarily by means of Satan's own attributes of disobedience and pride. Shaitan (Arabic) The Islamic version of Satan, similar in most respects to that figure. The term is, however, sometimes used as the generic name for any of the class of fallen angels.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Western Semitic Pantheons Anat (Caananite) Daughter of Dagon and sister of Baal, She follows closely the "Love and War" theme detailed just below, and in fact may be another Aspect of Astarte. She is responsible for restoring Baal to life following His cyclical defeat by Mot, and in so doing providing nurturance to the earth. She had a considerable following in Egypt, where She became known as Antit, and in that role was conflated to a certain degree with Hathor. Astarte (Phoenician) Astarte was the Goddess of sexual love and fertility, of warfare, and of the Evening Star. She was the western equivalent to the Babylonian Ishtar (Sumerian Inanna), and as such, appears within a number of Levantine cultures in a variety of forms and name-variants. Seated upon a throne between two sphinxes, She is represented as nude, wearing a crown of cow-horn supporting a solar disc. Her local variants were:
Asertu (Ugaritic) A fertility Goddess with followings in the north and among the Ugaritic folk. Consort of Elkunirsa. The model for the Hittite Goddess Aserdus. Ashtoreth (Palestinian (Philistine)) The local Love-and-War Goddess equivalent of Astarte among the earlier Palestinian population, Her attributes are more-or-less identical to that of Astarte/Ishtar/Inanna. Asratum (Caananite) Very likely a local linguistic equivalent of this divinity, with little independent existence at all. Astarot (Western Semitic generally) A fertility Goddess with particular connections to sheep and shepherds. Her name was applied at times as a generic descriptor for all Female divinities. Atargatis (Syrian) A major figure, the consort of Hadad and an important Goddess of vegetive fertility, the sea, luck, and possibly of the Astral and/or Solar worlds as well.
Baal (Caananite) A God of vegetive strength and land fertility, He also has some connections with weather, particularly rain and thunder. He is the son of Dagon and brother of Anat. His tale is that of an eternal cycle of death and rebirth, in this instance brought about by his journey to the cthonic realm of Mot, there to confront Mot for stewardship over the earth. Six years He stays underground, in the seventh He rises once more with the assistence of Anat. Note a resonance in Hebrew scripture (Exodus 23: 10-11) which establishes a six year harvest cycle followed by a seventh year in which a field should lie fallow. As the representative of His power in His absence, He sires a golden calf to stand for Him. Baal Samin (Phoenician) Ruler of the Phoenician pantheon, and modeled closely on Baal as a God of vegetive fertility and authority over the rains. He continued even into late period to have celestial associations as a Lord of the Heavens and of both the Sun and the Moon, and He was regarded as well as a mariner's Patron, particularly to seamen in distress. Worshipped wherever the Phoenicians had colonies, in later Hellenic times he was often conflated with Zeus. Dagon (Palestinian (Philistine)) Supreme God of the Philistine pantheon, He was concerned most closely with vegetive fertility, especially as regards the grain harvest. Closely paralleling the Babylonian God Dagan, this versions main sanctuary was in Gaza. To the extent that he is remembered today, He is usually shown with a fish-tail, and given associations with the sea: this stems from a Hebrew mistranslation of the Ugaritic root of His name, which sounds like "Fish" in Hebrew. El (Hebrew) The Hebrew version of Il, and as such supreme God among the northern (Israelite) tribes. As Judaic monotheism developed, El became conflated with Yahweh, and His cult assimilated into the national religion. Even so, northerners were ultimately unwilling to surrender all aspects of their Patron, and so the name survives in one form or fashion, or as an element in other names, down to the present day. Elkunirsa (Ugaritic) A Creator deity, consort of Asertu; apparently a close model on Il. Also recognized by the Hittites. Hadad (Phoenician/Syrian) A weather God, consort of Atargatis, concerned largely with the rains. He was worshipped extensively in ancient Damascus, and is modelled after the Babylonian Adad. Il (Caananite) The supreme divinity among the coastal peoples of the Levant, He to whom all the other Gods and Goddesses were ultimately servants of. A remote and kingly figure, He was said to dwell in a palace beside the confluence of two rivers. His consort seems to have been Asherah; He Himself seems to have been imaged as a male human with bull horns. Kades (Caananite and Syrian) A fertility Goddess, normally imaged as a nude figure standing upon a lion and bearing serpents and/or lotus blossoms. Kotar (Caananite, Phoenician, and Ugaritic) Patron of smiths, smithcraft, and metalwork. By extension, He was also regarded as Patron of arts and sciences generally, as well as architecture and engineering. Finally, he was understood to be the Patron of Magick, and the creator of Magickal incantations. In this last regard, He was also identified as the inventor of poetry. He was said to be the builder of the homes of the Gods and the provider of their weapons and tools. Originally, his forge was said to be located in Crete, but in later times he became synchretized with the Egyptian Ptah to a degree, and in that role he was said to be located at Memphis. Melqart (Phoenician) A God of the sea, and consort of Astarte. He came to be regarded as a solar deity, and an heroic wayfarer, and was conflated in Hellenic times with Herakles to a large degree. The early Hebrews nevertheless regarded Him as a cthonic power, modelled somewhat after the Babylonian Nergal. Moloch (Phoenician) A western Semitic deity, information about Him is largely through Hebrew scriptural references (1 Kings 11:7 and 2 Kings 23:10) in which He figures as the receiver of human sacrifices, namely Israelite children. Mot (Caananite and Phoenician) Lord of death and ruler of Chaos, son of Il by Asherah. Mot figures largely in the tale of Baal, who confronts Him in His underworld stronghold. Mot slays Baal in an eternal cycle, and is in turn slain by Anat, who thereupon restores Baal while using Mot's remains in a agrarian ritual to transfigure the harvest. Yahweh (Hebrew) Supreme deity of the southern Hebrews (Judah), whose chief sanctuary was at the Temple, in Jerusalem. He was regarded as inhabiting (or at least retaining His power within) the Ark of the Covenant. Yahweh came to be the senior partner in a synthesis of Himself and the northern Hebrew deity El; El's name survives in itself or as an element in other words, but the personality and focus of the latter God is largely Yahweh's. Out of this synthesis emerged the remote and rather mysterious God whose eternal covenant with the Hebrew nation endures so long as they heed His Law; from that divinity arose the modern Judaeo-Christian-Islamic monotheistic creator and ruler of the universe.
Here is a catalogue, hopefully reasonably complete, of known Teutonic God-forms. The information here is necessarily brief; a full accounting of all these entities would be a massive book in its own right. What is included here is: a Name, (a translation of the name, if I know it)the culture that name occurs in, any important epithets or sobriquets that are associated with the Name, and a basic description of spheres of influence, attributes, and/or descriptive stories, and FATE, if known: the Norse believed in a deterministic, predestined world, one in which even the Gods could not avoid their fates.
Ęgir Norse A God of the Sea, he is connected to Ran, and may be her consort. Ęgir controls the conditions and moods of the sea's surface, and he is said to have fathered nine daughters (Bara, Bylgia, Blodughadda, Dufa, Hefring, Himinglaeva, Hronn, Kolga, and Unn), each a different type of wave; and they, as a collective entity, are the parent of Heimdall. The Alcis Germanic A pair of Divine twins, they are obscure and their function is lost. They are known to be descendents of a sky god, and their surviving images portray them on linked together, each riding a horse. Anšrimnir Norse Valhalla's cook, it is He who prepares Sęrimne, the divine boar whose flesh is consumed each night by the heroes in Ošinn's Hall, arising again each day for the next feast. Anšrimnir accomplishes this with the help of Eldrimne, the Cauldron of Endless Provision. Aušumla Norse A Primal Being, in the form of a cow who provided nourishment for the Primal giant Ymir and, licking the salty ice present at the beginning of creation, freed (or perhaps sculpted?) another Primal being, Buri. Balder Norse Second son of Ošinn and Frigga, father of Forseti. He was made more-or-less invulnerable to harm by his mother, who obtained warrants from all created things that they would not slay or injure him; she neglected, however, to extract such an oath from the mistletoe. A dart from which was made by Loki, who induced the Blind God Hoder to cast it at Balder, and thus encompassing His Fate. Balder seems to be a Solar Deity, and is usually refered to as "the Good God", or "the Bright One". FATE: To be slain unitentionally by Hoder, at the behest and plot of Loki. After Ragnarok, He accompanies Hoder out of the ruins of Hel's domain, and begins anew the rebuilding of the world. Bestla Norse A Giantess, consort of Bor, and mother of Ošinn. Bil Norse The waning moon. One of a trio alongside Hjuke and Mani. Bor Norse Son of the Primal being Buri, Bor is the father of Ošinn, Vili, and Ve, and is thus the ancestor of the Aesir. Bragi Norse God of poetry and eloquence, the son of Ošinn, and consort of Idunn. He is often associated with Aegir. Written comments about him often refer to him as "Longbeard". Buri Norse A Primal being, coalesced out of the First Ice, and freed from within the block by the cow Aušumla. The father of Bor. The Disir Norse A class of protective spirits, concerned especially with female concerns, particularly childbirth. Donar Germanic God of Storms and Thunder, whose Attribute is the hammer, or maul. The continental equivalent of Thor. Dwalin Norse Chief of the Dwarves, and Lord of Svartalfheim. Eir Norse Goddess of medicine and the healing arts. Elen Anglo-Saxon A sea-Goddess, particularly focussed as a protectress and patroness of seafarers and sailors. She is clearly a source for or derivation of Nehalennia, a Gaulish Goddess with very similar attributes. Elli Norse Goddess of old age, appearing as a haggard crone. She challenges Thor to a wrestling match, and wins handily in a contest which makes the obvious statement about the fate of youthful vigor at the hands of Time. Eostre Anglo-Saxon The English equivalent of the continental Ostara. FenrirNorse Child of Loki, an immense sky-wolf, chained until Ragnarok, the End of Days. FATE: To devour the Sun at the end of time, and then to be slain by Vidar. Fjorgyn Norse An obscure and very ancient Deity of somewhat ambiguous gender; usually seen as female. She is a fertility Goddess, and may be the mother (or perhaps father) of Frigga. Forseti Norse Son of Balder, he was a Deity of judgement and arbitration in disputes. He also occurs on the continent, especially in Frisia, under the same name. Frea Lombard Consort of Godan and the Lombard equivalent of Frigga. Freyja (lady) Norse A Vanir Goddess dwelling in Asgarš, twin sister to Freyr and child of Njord, She is a fertility Deity, and has authority over boars, falcons, goats, and cats. She is linked to divinatory crafts, and thus may be considered an oracular Goddess. Tales of her numerous liasons and affairs with Gods and mortals are very extensive, and She is spoken of as being the most approachable of the Gods in regard to petitioners and supplicants. Freyr (lord) Norse A Vanir God dwelling in Asgard, twin brother to Freyja and child of Njord, he is a fertility Deity, and has authority over boars and horses. He had links to seasonality, and His blessing of each season in its turn was required in order for things to proceed well thereafter. Additionally, he governs weather, especially as it applies to farming, ie. rain and sunshine. FATE: To be slain in personal combat by Surt. Frigga Norse Consort of Ošinn and Queen of Heaven, She is Goddess of the matronly virtues and of childbirth, especially midwivery. She has links to fertility concerns, and is a Protector of the household. Her attributes seem to have been conflated with Freyja to a limited degree, for they both are said to weep, and both are said to be able to transform into a falcon. Frija Germanic Consort of Wotan, the continental equivalent of the Norse Frigga. Fulla Norse An obscure Goddess, an attendent or perhaps sister of Frigga. Garm Norse The Hound of Hel, the watchdog chained to the gates of Under-Earth. The coming of Ragnarok will be signaled by His breaking the binding, allowing Him to run feral over the earth. FATE: He will slay and be slain by Tyr. Gefjun Norse Goddess of agriculture and the plough, with authority over oxenkind. She is said to have created Zeeland, off Denmark, by yoking her four sons to a plough and digging the channel separating it from the mainland. A virginal Deity, She is said to be attended by all women who die as virgins. Gerd Norse A giantess, consort to Freyr. Their union symbolizes the marriage of earth with sky. Gna Norse A messenger and assistant to Frigga, one who travels the various worlds on Her Mistress' business. Godan Lombard The Lombardic equivalent of Ošinn.
GullveigNorse A Vanir, and one of the chief opponents of the Ęsir. Note carefully, comments about Her are entirely from an Ęsir point of view: They paint Her in exceedingly black terms, describing Her as a witch and sorceress of immense and malefic power. She apparently led the Vanir in an assault upon the Hall of the Ęsir - three times She gained entry into the Hall, three times she was pierced with spears and destroyed by infernos, three times she arose from the ashes to cast more curses and evil spells. She is connected in obscure but important ways with both Freyja and Loki: some tales imply that She is an Aspect of Freya (she is, for example, regarded as having oracular powers), others allude to her being an associate of Freya's. Her heart was said to have been eaten by Loki, who thereby became vastly more evil than He had been before. She is also said to be the mother of many entities that Loki is said to have given birth to, Jormungand, Hel, and Fenrir, so perhaps the! Heimdall Norse The child, corporately, of the nine wave-daughters of Ęgir, He is the Guardian of Asgarš, He stands by Bifrost (the rainbow, the bridge between Midgarš and Asgarš) and watches for the approach of enemies. Able to see in the darkest of nights, and able to hear as faint a thing as grass growing, He has links with Freyja, and the sea. FATE: To slay and be slain by Loki. Hel Norse Daughter of Loki, ruler of Under-Earth, the Realm of Hel, and Queen of the dead (except for the heroes and valiant ones who have a place with Ošinn at Valhalla). Hermod Norse A messenger of Asgarš, He is mentioned most often in connection with the unsuccessful attempt to retrieve Balder from the realm of the dead. Hjuke Norse The waxing Moon. One of a trio, alongside Bil and Mani. Hlin Norse A messenger and assistant to Frigga, one who protects those whom Her Mistress wishes to defend. HoderNorse An obscure Deity, called the Blind God, who unwittingly was induced to slay Balder by Loki. FATE: To be slain in turn by Vali. After Ragnarok, He accompanies Balder out of the ruins of Hel's domain, and begins anew the rebuilding of the world. Hoenir Norse God of divination and priestly function among the Aesir; thus, He may be considered an oracular Divinity. He is also known to continental Teutons, by the same name. With Ošinn and Lošur, He formed mankind; His Gift was sentience. He is often refered to as "the Silent God". Huginn (thought)Norse One of the two ravens who attend Ošinn, and are often seen sitting on his shoulders. Idunn Norse Consort of Bragi, and Guardian of the golden apples of immortality. When She is abducted by Giants, the Gods begin to age, and She is the subject of a heroic rescue mission. Irmin Germanic A Warrior God, associated with tree-sanctuaries in the forests of ancient Saxony. Jormungand Norse Offspring of Loki, the Midgard Serpent, a world-girdling serpent who lies dormant (usually) until the end of time. He continually gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil, the World-Tree, causing a creeping rot that will topple the Tree at Ragnarok, and meanwhile being the source of earthquakes. FATE:To rise out of the sea, unwrapping itself from the world, and to slay and be slain by Thor. Karl Teutonic God of peasants, and progenitor of the race of peasants. His name forms a root of the words "Carle" and "Churl". Kvasir Norse A God of wisdom, created corporately by the Aesir and Vanir, to include all their combined knowledge. FATE: To be slain by Dwarves who use His blood as an ingredient in a mead of Knowledge. Lošur Norse An early Deity who, with Ošinn and Hoenir formed mankind. Lošur's Gift was hair and fairness of face. Lofn (permitter) Norse A Patroness of marriage, especially involved with couples whose unions may be forbidden by their families; She is said to be good to pray to for support and eventual reconciliation in such matters. Loki Norse A complex and controversial figure, Loki seems to represent the force of chaos. His actions can be seen as on the one hand as mischievious, with an intent to provide the Gods with challenges and ultimately trivial difficulties; or He can be seen as wholly Evil, bent on nothing less than hastening the day of Ragnarok and the destruction of the Gods. Of somewhat ambiguous gender, He is the progenitor of a number of entities, including Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungand. After he was implicated in the slaying of Balder, the Gods lost all tolerance for him, and bound him in hideous circumstances, there to lie until Ragnarok. FATE: To be bound by the viscera of one of his own sons to a rock under dripping venom, shielded at intervals by his consort Sigyn. Breaking free at the end of Time, he will slay and be slain by Heimdall. Magni Norse A son of Thor and Sif, possessed of more physical strength than all the Gods save perhaps His father. FATE:He shall survive Ragnarok and, with his brother Modi's help, drag Thor's Hammer Mjollnir to the meadows where the survivors will gather to rebuild the world. Mani Norse The Moon, considered as a divinity. He is always accompanied by Bil and Hjuke. Meili Norse Very obscure; spoken of as being Thor's brother, in one reference that I've seen. Mimir Norse A Giant, said to be the wisest of all created beings, He guards a sacred well of knowledge that Ošinn sought, and sacrificed an eye to obtain a drink from. Mimir seems to have been hostaged to and later slain by the Vanir. Nevertheless, his head was said to have remained by the well and, conscious and aware, be capable of continued guardianship and oracular pronouncement. Note several parallels with Bran the Blessed. Modi Norse A son of Thor and Sif, He is very little spoken of otherwise. He is sometimes spoken of as the Patron of Berserkers and the battle-mad. FATE:He shall survive Ragnarok and, with his brother Magni's help, drag Thor's Hammer Mjollnir to the meadows where the survivors will gather to rebuild the world. Muninn (memory)Norse One of the two ravens who attend Ošinn, and are often seen sitting on his shoulders. Nanna Norse A vegetation or fertility Goddess, and consort of Balder. FATE:She dies of grief at Balders untimely ending. Nerthus Danish An Earth-Mother Goddess associated with fertility and also works of pacification and diplomacy. The name Nerthus is a Latin attempt at pronouncing Her real name. She may very well have been a sister or female counterpart to Njord. NjordNorse A Vanir Deity dwelling among the Aesir as a hostage, He is God of the sea and winds, and a patron of shipmastery, fishing, travel by sea. Consort of Skadi, father of Freyr and Freyja, he is quite likely to be associated in some manner with Nerthus.
Ošinn Norse Chief of the Aesir, Master of Asgarš, Lord of the Universe, and consort of Frigga. He is one of the earliest Gods, and with Hoenir and Lošur formed mankind out of the primal trees, Ask and Embla; His Gift was the Breath of Life.With the assistance of the other Aesir, He drove out the Giants, and established the structure of the world as we know it. He commanded the Aesir in their primal war against the competing race of Gods, the Vanir; and it was under His auspices that accord was reached with them. He is primarily a warrior's God, and he welcomes valiant fighters and heroes to Valhalla, where they train for Ragnarok. Aside from His martial qualities, though, He is also a divinity of inner knowledge, a shaman's divinity. He ceaselessly searches the world for new sources of information, and has literally crucified himself, a "sacrifice of Myself, to Myself" as He relates it, to gain the runes, and later sacrificed an eye to Mimir for a draught from the Well of Kn! OstaraGermanic Fertility Goddess, one especially connected with the rebirth of spring and the new year. Ran Norse Probable consort of Aegir, She is a storm and weather Goddess who requires regular offerings of souls in the deeps of the ocean. These sea-dead reside in Her undersea hall, as something of an exception to the general Fate of Valhalla or Hel for mortals. Rind Germanic An Earth-Goddess, or perhaps a Giantess. Said to be the mother, by Ošinn of Vali. Saga (things spoken of) Norse Goddess of storytellers and, more particularly, the heritage and record of families and clans. Seaxneat Anglo-Saxon A tutelary Deity about which not much is known. His name perhaps means "Sword (or Axe)-Companion", and he may be a local variant of Tyr. SifNorse A Grain Goddess, mother of Uller. Unsurprisingly, She has long, golden hair. Sigyn Norse Consort of Loki, She is best known in her office of bearing a bowl above her bound husband to preserve him from being spattered with acid venom (His Fate after being seized by vengeful Asgarders following the murder of Balder) between times that she must leave His side to empty the bowl. Siofn (affectionate)Norse Goddess of love affairs and liasons. Skadi Norse Consort of Njord, although they live apart from one another (He cannot abide the mountains, She cannot abide the sea). A huntress and archer, rather similar in many was to the Hellenic Artemis. It was she who came up with the idea of suspending a venomous snake over the bound Loki, following his capture after the murder of Balder. Skuld (what is owed)Norse A Norn, one of the trio charged with controlling Destiny. It is Skuld who cuts the thread of a life. See Urd and Verdandi. Snotra Norse A Goddess of wisdom and courtesy. Surt Norse Lord of the Fire Giants and ruler of Muspellheim. He dwells in the far south, where he awaits the time of Ragnarok. Syn (denial)Norse A gate-warden, one who bars entry to those not permitted to do so. She also is invoked by those wishing to refute charges laid against them at assemblies. ThorNorse One of the most popular and enduring of the Gods, Thor is a Warrior, Storm-God, and Champion of Justice. Of immense personal strength, He wields the hammer Mjollnir, which thunders when striking, and is a lightning bolt when hurled. Thor's personal image is that of a towering red haired and bearded fellow, hard drinking and with a prodigious appetite. His ongoing feud with all of Giant-kind is legendary, eternal, and unremitting. Roaring with laughter or seething with uncontrollable rage, He is a Deity of vast dimensions and spirit. Note several strong parallels with the Slavic Perun. FATE:He will combat Jormungand and slay it, although He will be mortally wounded. He is fated to walk away from the corpse, and then collapse. Thrym Norse A king in Jotunheim, and perhaps Lord of all the Frost Giants. FATE: He steals and conceals Thor's Hammer, Mjollnir. Thor recovers it by means of a ruse, and slays Thrym. Thunor Anglo-SaxonThe Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Thor. Tiwaz Germanic The continental equivalent of Tyr. TyrNorse A War God, similar in some respects to Ošinn, although He has a reputation of being having more rectitude as a judge and ruler. He is said to be one-handed, having lost a hand to Fenrir when the Wolf was chained up. FATE: He will slay and be slain in combat with Garm. UllerNorse A Sky God, perhaps a Vanir residing among the Aesir. His mother was Sif, and he was fostered to Thor as step-son. He is a fertility God, with links to the air, to the sea, and especially to Justice: the Gods were said to swear oaths over a ring He possessed. He is also noted often as being a superlative archer. Urd (destiny)Norse A Norn, one of the trio charged with controlling Destiny. It is Urd who spins the stuff of life into thread. See Skuld and Verdandi. ValiNorse A son of Ošinn by Rind, a warrior who avenges Balder by slaying Hoder. FATE:He survives Ragnarok, and comes to the meadows of Idavoll with the other survivors, to build the world anew. The ValkyriesNorseThese are a set of female spirits whose function it is to ride the winds and attend battles, there to choose the heroic and brave from among the slain and guide them to Valhalla. They sometimes appear as swan-maidens, an example of which is the story of Volund. When not in battle, the act as servants in Valhalla. They are named in at least one source: Geirahod, Goll, Gunn, Herfiotur, Hild, Hlokk, Hrist, Mist, Radgrid, Randgrid, Reginleif, Rota, Skeggiold, Skogul, Skuld, and Thrud. The Germanic Shield-Maiden Brynhilde is also said to be a Valkyrie; and the three maidens who loved Volund and his two brothers, Hladgud Svan-Hvit, Hervor the Wise, and Olrun were also Valkyries. Note a close parallel here with the Celtic Morrigan. VarNorse A Goddess of contracts and agreements, especially private ones between men and women. She is said to punish those who break their word in such things. VeNorse One of the Primal Gods, a younger brother of Ošinn. He assisted his brothers in the building of the world out of the remains of Ymir. Verdandi (happening)Norse A Norn, one of the trio charged with controlling Destiny. It is Verdandi who measures out the length of a life. See Skuld and Urd. VidarNorse A son of Ošinn, a warrior God about whom not much is known. He, Like Hoenir, is described as a "Silent One", and seems to noted for His loyalty and perserverance. One odd detail that emerges is that in fulfilling His Fate, he must use shoes built from all the scrap leather discarded over the ages. FATE:He avenges Odhinn by slaying Fenrir (doing so by literally stepping into Its jaws - hence the need for strong shoes (see above) - and running It through), and becomes one of those surviving Ragnarok and dwelling at Idavoll. ViliNorse One of the Primal Gods, a younger brother of Ošinn. He assisted his brothers in the building of the world out of the remains of Ymir. Vjofn Norse Goddess of concord and reconciliation. An attendent of Frigga, whose office it is to heal quarrels among mortals. Vor (aware)Norse Goddess of curiosity and finding things out. As with many Norse Goddesses, this is especially relevant in regards to relationships. Other authorities regard Her as Goddess of contracts and oaths, seeing in Her name a root of "Vow".
VolundNorse A craftsman who loved the Valkyrie Hervor the Wise, who lived with him for seven years, but disappeared at length. He pines for her, but awaits her return, making wondrous jewelry and artifacts in the meantime. Set upon by an outlaw king and his sons, he is hamstrung and marooned on a small island with a smithy at his disposal. He encompasses the death of the sons, the violation of their sister (who wears the ring he gave to his own love, stolen from him), and escapes the isle on a pair of contrived wings. He was a byword for the art of the smith, and the forging of miraculous objects; and he seems to have had a geas placed upon him with respect to his craft, to the effect that he could not refuse any commission, no matter how impossible the task, once he had been offered a payment. Note the very typical thread of the maimed smith. Other references to Volund regard Him as the King and ruler of Svartalfheim, land of the Dwarves, a confusing image if he is, in fact! Volva NorseApparently a Norn, or several Norns; Giantess crone or crones, in any case. She (or they) are summoned by Ošinn and instruct him in the lore of Destiny and Ragnarok, albeit unwillingly. The confusion about number arises from the use of both 1st and 2nd person pronouns in the poetic account of of the interview, the Voluspa. WadeAnglo-Saxon A giant, said to be the father of Weyland. WeylandAnglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Volund. Woden Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxon equivalent to Ošinn. WotanGermanic The continental equivalent of Ošinn. YmirNorse The Primal Giant, the Being who first emerged from the ice of the yawning Void. He battled unsuccessfully against later arrivals, who used his corpse to form the world (His blood became the sea, his skull the vault of the sky, his bones the mountains, his brains the clouds, etc.). For an interesting parallel in another culture, cf. Tiamat.
The Nine Worlds. Teutonic, and especially Norse, cosmology postulated that the universe consisted of nine different worlds, or realms. Each formed a sector defined by the roots of Yggdrasil, the Ash tree that provides the framework of all reality. Each world could be accessed by any of the others, with attendent difficulties; most indwellers tended their own concerns, and left the wandering to heroes, wizards, and Gods. The notion of these individual regions is so central to an understanding of Teutonic world-views, that it reasonable to provide at least some cursory notes on them... Alfheim The Realm of the Alfar, in English, the Elves. It was sometimes called "Ljossalfheim" the home of the bright elves. This was a region of forest and meadow, sea and islands; a pleasant and sunny place where dwelt the Elven peoples. They don't seem to have been drastically different than Humans; perhaps somewhat taller, much more nobly proportioned and fair to look upon, certainly longer lived. J.R.R. Tolkien portrays the Nordic Elven type quite fairly in his famous fantasy trilogy. In that Jotunheim lies in the East, Muspellheim is clearly South, and Niflheim is just as obviously North, one can imply that Alfheim is in the West, beyond the seas. Asgarš The home and Realm of the Ęsir Gods; located high up in the branches of the World-Tree, and not unexpectedly the most difficult of access - the only entry seems to have been across Bifrost, the rainbow, and one had to get past Heimdall the sentry as well. Within this divine region were many halls and bright dwellings, usually roofed in precious metals. The geography and nature of the region was not much otherwise specified, beyond off-hand suggestions that it comprised a Nordic style paradise: tall mountains, bright sunlight, crisp and bracing air, green forests and meadows. Hel An underworld region; black, frigid, fetid, dreary, and toxic. It is both the name of the land, and the name of it's ruler, the Goddess Hel, Queen of the Dead. This region seems to have been the final destination of most of humanity; only heroes gained admittance to Valhalla, in Asgarš (but, see an exception in the Hall of Ran). About the best that can be said of the place is that the Dead seem not to have been tortured and tormented as in the Christian redaction of this Realm, but rather they seem to have been assigned to drag out their destinies until Ragnarok, when they would be freed (in a sense) to fight with Hel's legions against the Gods and heroes. JotunheimThe Realm of the Giants or, more particularly, the Frost-Giants. The Jotunar were an archaic race of humanoids, arising out of the primeval Ice at the beginning of days. They are portrayed in Nordic poetry and religious writing as being almost wholly evil, and dedicated to the destruction of the Aesir Gods and Mankind. "Giant" is a somewhat ambiguous term, and seems to be used to describe everything from beings larger than worlds (such as Ymir), down to Trolls and Ogres not much larger than men. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there is Giant blood among the Aesir, some Giantesses being considered quite attractive and marriageable. Jotunheim itself seems to have been a land much like its inhabitants; a vast and frigid reach of taiga forest, fen, glacier, and lifeless, stony mountains. Note that Jotunheim lies in the East: at Ragnarok, the Frost Giants are said to invade westward, not southward. MidgaršThe world of Mankind, within a Nordic context, Northern Europe and the surrounding seas. A varied landscape of oceans, fjords, mountains, forests, meadows, and islands. The Midrealm is, in one sense, much too well known and understood to need much description, and yet it must be insisted upon that it, and its primary inhabitants (Humanity) were considered an integral part of the Great Ash-tree, no more or less important than any of the other regions. MuspellheimA southern land of fire, desert, and dryness, the Realm of the Fire-Giants. Like their close cousins the Frost-Giants, Surt's Folk were huge humanoids who were inimicable enemies of Mankind and the Gods. They do not loom large in Nordic tales, it being suggested that they bide their time in their distant land, until the day of Ragnarok when their King, Surt, will lead them in final battle. Niflheim A northern land of fog, pack ice, glacier, and tundra. Inhabited by demons, spirits of the dead, and dragons, it seems to have been closely connected to Hel, perhaps containing within its borders the entrance into that underground abode. Svartalfheim Another underground Realm, this was inhabited by the Svartalfar, the Dark Elves (English "Drow"), a euphemism used to refer to the Dwarven race. Dwarves were said to have arisen out of dead Ymir's flesh, like maggots upon rotting meat. They burrowed underground, and most dwell there still. Regarded as being generally hostile to mankind and the Gods, and despised as being of grotesque and vile appearance, it was nevertheless conceded that they had no peers in the working of metal, crafting of devices, and cutting of stone and gems. The Dwarves are responsible for any number of fabulous creations, usually obtained at great cost. Vanaheim The elder home of the Vanir, the other race of Divinities; located perhaps, like Asgarš, high up in the World-Tree (on a different branch ?). The Vanir seem to have been more concerned with fertility, land-use, magic, and craft, as opposed to the Ęsir obsession with warfare and personal heroism. Originally, the two fell into early and calamitous conflict; a series of devastating wars is hinted at. Eventually, though, the two groups seem to have reached an accord, and hostages were exchanged to insure fidelity. Freyr, Freyja, Njord, and possibly Uller were Vanir among the Aesir. Gullveig was an important Vanir opponent. The Realm of Vanaheim seems to have not been much described, beyond suggestions of a lovely, rather bright Elven sort of region. The Nine Heavens As an additional bit of lore, notice may be taken that the Norse also recognized nine skies, or heavens, in a parallel to the Nine Worlds discussed above. From the nearest to the earth, to the highest and most inaccessible, they are described thusly: 1). Vindblain, Heidthornir, or Hregg-Mimir (Wind-Dark, Cloudy-Bright, or Storm-Mimir). 2).Andlang (Extended). 3).Vidblain (Wide-Dark). 4).Vidfedmir (Wide-Embracer) 5).Hriod (Coverer). 6).Hlyrnir (Twin-Lit). 7).Gimir (Fiery, or Dazzling). 8).Vet-Mimir (Winter-Mimir). 9).Skatyrnir (Rich-Wetter).
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