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"Adimurti" |
Hindu |
Avatar of Vishnu Hindu |
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God name "Adimurti (the primeval personification)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Form or avatara of the god VIS'NU. Probably very similar to NARAYANA. Conventionally perceived as Vis'nu seated on the coils of the serpent SESA (Adisesa) and attended by two wives. Attributes: those of Vis'nu. Also Vaikunthanatha, Paramapathanatha.... |
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God name "Ah Bolon Dz'acab (many generations)" |
Mayan / Mesoamerican / Mexico |
Chthonic fertility god. A god identified with Rain and thunder. Also strongly linked with Agriculture and young crops. Possibly a vegetation avatara of the iguana god ITZAM NA. Attributes include a leaf-like ornament worn in the nose. Also God K.... |
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God name "Ah Kin Xoc" |
Mayan / Mesoamerican / Mexico |
God of poetry. Regarded as a great singer and musician since most Mayan poetry is Sung or chanted. He may appear as a hummingbird and is considered by some authorities to be an avatara of the Sun god. Also Ah Kin Xocbiltun; P'izlimtec.... |
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God name "Akerbeltz" |
Basque |
Avatar of the god Mari Basque |
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"Annapurna" |
India |
A Hindu avatar of Durga who ruled over food production. India |
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God name "Arjuna (silvery)" |
Hindu / Vedic, Epic / Puranic |
Heroic god. Arjuna appears in the Mahabharata epic. One of the princely sons of the mythical Pandu family, his father is INDRA. He generally appears with the warrior god BHIMA. Allegedly responsible for requesting VIS'NU to take his VISVARUPA form but also identified as a minor incarnation or avatara of Vis'nu. Attributes: usually depicted bearing a bow received from AGNI the fire god, but may also appear carrying a sword and shield. Also NARA.... |
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"Avatar" |
Hindu |
Avatar, avatara or avataram, most commonly refers to the incarnation of a higher being, or the Supreme Being onto earth. Hindu |
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"Ayya Vaikundar" |
Tamil |
According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was an avatar of Narayana. As per the Ayyavazhi mythology the body in which Ayya Vaikundar incarnated is that of Mudisoodum Perumal. Tamil |
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Goddess name "Balarama (strength of Rama)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god VIS'NU. May have originated in Vedic times as an agricultural fertility deity. He is the son of VASUDEVA and DEVAKI, though born from the womb of ROHINI. Jointly with KRSNA (his brother), he is identified as the eighth avatara (incarnation) of Vis'nu, or, with RAMA, as the seventh. Legend describes how Vis'nu impregnated the belly of the goddess Devaki with two hairs, one black, one white. To ensure their safety against a demon king, they were transferred before birth to Rohini. Krsna grew to be dark-skinned, and Balarama light. The latter enjoys similar characteristics to Krsna but fails to attract the same popularity. He is usually depicted on the right side of Krsna, rarely standing alone. The consort of Balarama is REVATI and his sons are Nisatha and Ulmuka. Epithets included Ananda (joy). In Jainism he is known as Baladeva. Attributes: arrow, club, drinking cup, fan palm, honey pot, lotus, pestle, pitcher, plough, prayer wheel, shield and sword.... |
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Demon name "Bali" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
demonic god. The son of Virocana, his power was removed by VIS'NU in his avatara of VAMANA.... |
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Goddess name "Bhumidevi (the earth goddess)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic / southern India |
Fertility goddess. The second wife of VIS NU (or KRSNA). Her son is Naraka. Bhumidevi is often depicted standing on the left (occasionally right) hand of the VARAHA avatara of Vis nu. In the north she is known as PUSTI. She is often depicted sitting on a lotus throne with bared breasts. Attributes: blue lotus, lotus, lute, pomegranate, pot with herbs, pot with vegetables and water jar. Also Bhu, Bhudevi, BHUMI, MAHI, PRTHIVI, VASUDHARA and Zami-Mata.... |
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Ghost name "Bhut" |
India |
A type of evil spirit. It is especially the evil ghost of a man who has died due to execution, accident, or suicide. People protect themselves by lying on the ground, because the bhutas never rest on earth. In the Bhagvad Gita, Krishna the Avatar declares that the humans who worship bhutas become bhutas themselves. India |
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"Ce Actal" |
Aztec |
An avatar of Mixcaotl, he represents the warrior's savagery in battle. Aztec |
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God name "Colop U Uichkin" |
Mayan |
sky god who, with a night avatara of the same name, is the bringer of disease Mayan |
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God name "Colop U Uichkin (tears out the eye of the sun)" |
Mayan / Mesoamerican / Mexico |
sky god. Said to live in the midst of the sky, but with a night avatara of the same name who lives in the underworld land of the dead, Metnal, and who is the bringer of disease.... |
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God name "DARARIA" |
Hindu / India |
Jjustice. The god of law who originates as a creator god and one of the sons of Brahma, but almost certainly derives from the dharmas or archetypal patterns of society identified in the Rg Veda. According to tradition he is the consort of thirteen daughters of DAKSA and the father of Yudhisthra. Also regarded as a minor avatara of VISNU, appearing as a bull standing for the redemption of souls.... |
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"Dagon" |
Hindu |
The fish avatar of Krishna. Hindu |
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Goddess name "Devaki (divine)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Mother goddess. Daughter of Devaka and consort of the mythical king VASUDEVA, Devaki bore eight sons, including KRSNA and BALARAMA. Her brother Kamsa believed that the eighth child would kill him and he slaughtered the first six sons. In order to save the remaining two, VISNU implanted the seed of his avataras in Devaki's womb (in the form of hairs from his head), before transferring Balarama to the womb of the goddess ROHINI and Krsna to Yasoda, the wife of a cowherd, Nanda.... |
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God name "Dhanvantari" |
Hindu / Puranic / Vedic / Epic |
God of the Sun who later became an avatar of the god Visnu. Hindu / Puranic / Vedic / Epic |
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God name "Dhanvantari (traveling through an arc)" |
Hindu / Vedic, Epic / Puranic |
Sun god. In later tradition a minor incarnation or avatara of the god VISNU, also closely associated with Medicine. In Vedic mythology Dhanvantari carried the ambrosia created from the primeval ocean of milk. He brought medical science to mankind. Only as the religion evolved did he become identified as an avatara. As KANTATMAN (PRADYUMNA), he is thought to be Kama reincarnated after his death at the hands of SIVA. Various other epithets and existences are attributed to this deity. Offerings are due to him at dusk in the northeastern quarter. He is the guardian deity of hospitals which are usually in the vicinity of a sanctuary of Visnu. Attributes: two bowls containing ambrosia. Also Kantatman.... |
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Goddess name "Dharani (earth)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
(1) Goddess. Consort of PARASURAMA and an avatara of the goddess LAKSMI.(2) Collective name for a group of deities. Buddhist. Twelve personifications of a particular kind of short mystical religious text used as a charm. Also dharini.... |
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Deities name "Dhruva (immovable)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Astral god. The son of Uttanapada, a star in the constellation of Ursa Minor which was the pole star in the last millennium BC. An avatara of V IS NU. Also one of a group of Vasu deities answering to the god INDRA. In different context, the description of a kind of fixed icon. Attributes: prayer wheel, rosary, spear and water jar.... |
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God name "Goraknath" |
Hindu |
Guardian god who is an avatar of Siva Hindu |
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God name "Goraknath" |
Hindu |
Guardian god. An avatara of Si iva, worshiped among cow-herders and the founder of the gorakbnatbi sect in Nepal.... |
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"Hansa (goose)" |
Hindu / Puranic |
Minor avatara of VISNU. Depicted in the form of a goose.... |
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"Hara" |
Hindu / Puranic |
Avatar of Siva. Hindu / Puranic |
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Demon name "Hayagriva (horse neck)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
(1) The most significant minor incarnation of the god VIS'NU. He probably originated as a horse god and later became an avatara associated with wisdom and knowledge. At the behest of BRAHMA, Hayagriva rescued the Vedas, stolen by two demons, from the bottom of the primeval ocean. Depicted in human form with the head of a horse and, according to the texts, eight hands. Attributes: Book (Veda), horse's mane and rosary. Also the attributes of Vis'nu. Also Hayasirsa, Vadavavaktra.(2) Patron god of horses. Buddhist-Lamaist [Tibet]. One of a group of DHARMAPALA with terrible appearance and royal attire, he is considered to be an emanation of AKSOBHYA or AMITABHA. His SAKTI is MARICI. Color: red. Attributes: horse heads, staff and trident, but also arrow, ax, banner, bow, club, flames, flower, image of Aksobhya or Amitabha on the crown, lotus, noose, prayer wheel, skin, snakes, sword and trident. Three-eyed.... |
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God name "Hrsikesa" |
Hindu |
God, a minor avatar of Visnu Hindu |
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God name "Hrsikesa (lord of the senses)" |
Hindu |
God. Minor avatara of VIS NU. His SAKTI is HARSA.... |
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God name "Ibis or Nile-bird" |
Egypt |
The Egyptians call the sacred Ibis Father John. It is the avatar' of the god Thoth, who in the guise of an Ibis escaped the pursuit of Typhon. The Egyptians say its white plumage symbolises the light of the Sun, and its black neck the shadow of the moon, its body a heart, and its legs a triangle. It was said to drink only the purest of water, and its feathers to scare or even kill the crocodile. Egypt |
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Deities name "Kalki(n) (with white horse)" |
Hindu / Vedic, Epic / Puranic |
horse god. Possibly the tenth avatara of VIS'NU. He rewards the good and punishes evil. The counterpart of the Buddhist deity MAITREYA. horses became associated with Divine kingship in ancient India because of their speed of movement. Solar deities were perceived to ride horses across the sky and horse sacrifice became highly significant. Kalki is depicted either anthropomorphically or with the head of a horse and has four arms. He is attended by a white horse. Attributes: arrow, conch, prayer wheel, shield and sword. Also Vis'nuyasas.... |
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God name "Kalki[n]" |
Hindu / Vedic / Puranic / Epic |
This god will be the 10th avatar of Visnu that rewards good & punishes people |
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God name "Kantatman" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Obscure god of Medicine. The twentieth of the thirty-nine minor avataras of the god VIS'NU and possibly the same as DHANVANTARI, as he is said to be a carrier of nectar. By different genealogy he has been equated with PRADYUMNA, the god of love.... |
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God name "Kesava" |
Hindu |
This God is a minor avatar of Visnu |
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"Kesava (long-haired)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Minor avatara of VISINU. His SAKTI is KIRTI.... |
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Deities name "Krishna" |
Indian |
The modern deity Krishna is the most celebrated hero of Indian mythology, and the most popular of all the deities. He is said to be the eighth Avatara or incarnation of Vishnu, or rather a direct manifestation of Vishnu himself. This hero, around whom a vast mass of legend and fable has been gathered, probably lived in the Epic age, when the Hindus had not advanced far beyond their early settlements in the north-west. |
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Demon name "Kurma" |
Hindu / Puranic / Epic |
Avatar of Visnu. In the form of a tortoise he placed himself at the bottom of the sea of milk, and made his back the base or pivot of the mountain Mandara. The gods and demons twisted the great serpent Vasuki round the mountain' and, dividing into two parties, each took an end of the snake as a rope, and thus churned the sea until they recovered the desired objects. Hindu / Puranic / Epic |
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Deities name "Kurma(vatara)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god VIS'NU. The second avatara of Vis'nu, Kurma appears in the form of a tortoise which acts as a pivot for the mountainous churning rod the gods employ to make ambrosia from the primal sea of milk after the flood. Kurma is depicted with a human torso surmounting a tortoise shell. Vis'nu is said to have appeared in this form in order to recover some of the possessions lost during the deluge. Attributes: club, conch, lotus and prayer wheel. Also the name for a vehicle of various deities.... |
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"Kurma[vatara]" |
Hindu / Puranic / Epic |
An avatar of Visnu |
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God name "Mandhata (thoughtful)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
God. Minor avatara of VISNU. One of the lords of the universe.... |
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Demon name "Matsya" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god VIS'NU. In this first avatara Vis'nu appears as a fish which, according to one legend, tows a ship carrying the law-giver MANU to safety after the primal flood. Matsya engages in an epic battle with the demon HAYAGRIVA who stole the Vedas from a sleeping BRAHMA. Usually depicted with a human torso carrying symbols, e.g. wheel and conch, on a fish's body.... |
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"Mohini" |
Hindu |
One of the 25 avatars of Vishnu found in the Puranas. Hindu |
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Demon name "Mohini (illusion)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Minor incarnation of VIS'NU. Mohini is an avatara who appears in the form of an enchantress whose form Vis'nu adopted briefly to deceive demons attempting to remove the ambrosia created by churning the primeval ocean of milk (see also GARUDA). Vis'nu used the same guise to dupe and seduce the god SIVA.... |
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God name "Nara (man)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Minor incarnation(s) of the god VISNU. Some authorities place these as separate avataras, but they are usually linked.... |
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Goddess name "Narasinha (man-lion)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god Vis'nu. The fourth avatara of the god is depicted as a man-lion hybrid. According to legend, the demonic king Hiranyakasipu had taken on a dangerous invulnerability. To thwart this, VIS'NU took the form of Narasinha and hid inside a pillar of the king's palace whence he sprang, capturing Hiranyakasipu and tearing out his entrails. IconographicalIy, the scene is portrayed with the victim thrown across Narasinha's lap and the god's claws plunged into his body. Narasinha may also appear seated in a yoga position with the goddess LAKSMI on his knee.... |
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Goddess name "Padma (lotus)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
(1) Snake god. One of a group of seven MAHANAGAS. Attributes: rosary and water jar. Three-eyed.(2) Goddess. An incarnation of LAKSMI, the consort of an avatara of VIS NU. She is depicted as emanating from the padma or lotus (Nelumbium speciosum) which is the symbol of creation and one of the most important iconographic devices in Hinduism. Also KAMALA.... |
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Demon name "Parasurama (Rama-with-the-ax)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god VIS'NU. The sixth avatara of Vis'nu (see also RAMA) in which form he saved the world from an army of tyrannical warriors. According to legend, Rama, the son of a wise man, became a skilled bowman and in gratitude he went to the Himalaya where he stayed, devoting himself to SIVA. His consort is DHARANI. Though without his bow, Rama acted as a champion of the gods in a war against the demons and was rewarded with an ax. In another legend, Vis'nu took the form of Parasurama to rid the world of despotic rulers. This avatara appears in human form, with two arms and with an ax in the right hand. Other attributes: arrow, bow, knife, skin and sword. Also Parasuramavatara.... |
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God name "Prthu (broad)" |
Hindu / Vedic |
Creator god. The head of the solar pantheon who introduced Agriculture to the human race and who, in later Hinduism, is identified as an avatara of VIS'NU.... |
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God name "Purusa" |
Hindu / Vedic |
Primeval creator god. Described as the primordial being from whom the cosmos was formed, possibly the male component of the great mother, MATA. In later Hinduism regarded as an avatara of VIS'NU.... |
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Demon name "Rama (pleasing)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god VIS NU. The seventh avatara (sun aspect) of Vis nu. Rama began as a comparatively minor incarnation who became one of the great heroes of the Ramayana epic, as well as featuring in the Mahabharata. The son of Dasaratha and Kausalya, he was a king of Ayodhya who, in the Ramayana, slew the demon Ravana that had captured his consort SITA and was upheld as a deity par excellence in respect of manhood and honor, though his subsequent treatment of his wife might be regarded as cavalier (see Sita). The Ramayana epic was composed by the poet and sage Valmeeki during the reign of Ramachandra and it gave form to a story that had been in existence for many centuries as an oral tradition. Valmeeki portrayed Rama not as an incarnate deity but as a great mortal hero. The saga is strongly political and serves to unite a vast and fragmented people in a common focus, irrespective of caste and language. It defines the historical schism between the Hindu culture of India and the largely Buddhist tradition of Sri Lanka. Rama rides in a chariot and is depicted in human form with two arms, typically holding a sugar cane bow and with a quiver at his shoulder. Also Ramacandra.... |
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"Raumas or Raumyas" |
India |
Hairy; a race sweated from the pores of Virabhadra, one of the avataras of Siva. They had a thousand heads and a thousand arms. India |
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God name "Rsabha (the bull)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
God. An unusual avatara of VIS'NU. Said to be similar to the Jain deity Rsabhanatha and therefore may represent an attempt to meld the two religions by absorbing Jainism locally.... |
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Goddess name "Rukmini" |
Hindu / Puranic / Epic |
A goddess who is avatar of Laksmi among other things |
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Goddess name "Rukmini (witb gold ornaments)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Goddess. The daughter of Bhismaka, she is the first consort of KRSNA and typically stands to his right. Her son is KAMA. She is also an avatara of LAKSMI. Attribute: a lotus. Also Rukmabayi.... |
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God name "Tlahuizcalaantecuhtli (lord of the dawn)" |
Aztec / Mesoamerican / Mexico |
God of the morning star (Venus). An incarnation or avatara of the god creator QUETZALCOATL and one of the group classed as the Mixcoatl complex. The ruler of the twelfth of the thirteen heavens known at the time of the Spanish conquest, Teotl Tlatlauhcan (the place of the red god). In other traditions (described in codices Borgia and Vaticanus B) he is one of the four gods supporting the lowest heaven at each cardinal point; he resides in the east.... |
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"Vamana" |
Hinduism |
A personality described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the Fifth Avatara of Vishnu, and the first incarnation of the Second Age, or Treta yuga. Also he is the first Avatar of Vishnu which appears with a completely human form, though it was that of a dwarf brahmin. He is also sometimes known as Upendra. |
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God name "Vamana" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god VISNU. The fifth avatara of Vis'nu which appears as a dwarf, symbolizing the puny state of mankind in the cosmos. According to legend, the god took the guise in order to trick BALI, a greatgrandson of Hiranyakashipu (see NARASINHA), whose prestige had begun to overshadow that of INDRA. To restore a proper balance Vamana requested from Bali a plot of land three paces wide on which to meditate. Vis'nu returned to his proper stature and claimed heaven and earth in two steps. He declined to take the third which would have also claimed the underworld, but instead gave its rule to Bali. The dwarfish form bears two arms. Attributes: umbrella and waterpot.... |
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Demon name "Varaha" |
Hindu |
The third avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a boar, who appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the earth and carried it to the bottom of the cosmic ocean. Hindu |
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Demon name "Varaha (boar)" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Incarnation of the god VISNU. The third avatara of Vis'nu, which appears as a boar. According to legend, he descends in this guise to the bottom of the primeval sea to rescue the earth, which has been removed there by a demon. He retrieves it in the shape of a girl. The avatara may be depicted in wholly animal form or as a human with a boar's head. Epithets include Adivaraha.... |
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God name "Visnu Trivikrama" |
Hindu / Epic / Puranic |
Form of the god VISNU. Trivikrama is the transformation into a giant from Vis'nu's dwarf avatara VAMANA, in order to confirm his dominance over the world by covering it in three huge strides.... |
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God name "Visvarupa" |
Hindu |
Lesser known incarnation of the god VISNU. In Vedic literature he is identified as the son of TVASTAR. Visnu took the avatara at the request of ARJUNA. His animal is GARUDA. Attributes: many. Also Viratapurusa.... |
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God name "Wong Taisin (the great immortal Wong)" |
Chinese |
God. Probably an incarnation or avatara of the god HUANG TI (the yellow emperor), he is considered benevolent. Closely associated with a district in Kowloon which is named after him. His cult arrived in Hong Kong in 1915 from Kwangtung in the form of a painting brought by a man and his son. It was installed in a small temple in Wanchai. In 1921 a larger sanctuary was built, from public funds, facing the sea and backed by Lion Rock.... |
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King name "Yagrenat" |
Hindu |
Yagrenat "Land of the king of the world," an Avatar of Vishnu. Hindu |
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"Yambuvan" |
Hindu |
An Avatar of Brahma in the form of a huge bear. In the war against Ravana, Yambuvan led an army of bears to Ceylon. Hindu |
