Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
---|---|---|
"Lao-Tze" | China | In his Tao-te ching, The Canon of Reason and Virtue (at first entitled simply Lao Tzu(), gave to the then existing scattered sporadic conceptions of the universe a literary form. His tao, or Way,' is the originator of heaven and earth, it is "the mother of all things." China |
Deities name "Lares" | Roman | Hearth deities. The lares are a peculiarly Roman innovation. Two children, born of a liaison between the god Mercury and a mute naiad, Lara, whose tongue had been cut out by Jupiter, became widely revered by Romans as house guardians. Iconographically they are depicted in the guise of monkeys covered with dog skins with a barking dog at their feet.See also LARUNDA, MERCURIUS.... |
Goddess name "Larunda" | Sabine | Chthonic and earth mother goddess Sabine |
Goddess name "Larunda" | Sabine | Chthonic goddess. An early Italic earth mother who, in Roman times, according to some traditions, became the mother of the LARES. Also Lara (Roman).... |
God name "Lebien-Poghl" | Yukaghir / Siberia | Animistic owner god & chief protector of the earth |
God name "Lebien-Poghl Yukaghir" | Siberia | Animistic owner god and chief protector of the earth Siberia |
Supreme god name "Legba" | Fon / Benin, West Africa | God of fate. The youngest son of the supreme god LISA and his consort, the moon goddess MAWU. He is also regarded as a messenger god, moving between Lisa and mankind on earth.... |
Demon name "Li No Cha" | China | A monstrous Immortal with three heads, eight arms and nine eyes was sent down to earth by the Jade Emperor to defeat a plague of demons. China |
Ghost name "Limbus Patrum" | Roman | The half-way house between earth and heaven, where the patriarchs and prophets, after death, await the coming of Messiah. According to the Roman Catholic notion, this is the "hell," or hades, into which Jesus Christ descended after He gave up the ghost on the cross. |
Spirit name "Lo'cin-coro'mo" | Yukaghir / southeastern Siberia | Hearth spirit. The guardian of the household who migrates with the family. Also Lo'cil, Yegi'le.... |
Spirit name "Lo'cin-coro'mo/ Lo'cil/ Yegl'ie" | Yukaghir / Siberia | A hearth spirit |
Goddess name "Loko" | Fon / Benin, West Africa | God of trees. The brother of the hearth goddess AYABA. Invoked particularly by herbalists before obtaining Medicines from the bark and leaves of Forest trees.... |
God name "Lubangala" | Bakongo / Democratic Republic of Congo, central Africa | Rainbow god. The chief adversary of the storm god. He stills the thunder and makes his appearance in the sky. Considered to be the guardian of the earth and sea, including the village and its community.... |
Spirit name "Lur" | Basques | Lurbira. earth mother of the Sun and of the moon. One of the main spirits of the beliefs and mythical traditions of the Basques. |
God name "MITHRA (friend)" | Persian / Iran | God of the upper air. Originating in India, Mithra is a god of light who was translated into the attendant of the god AHURA MAZDA in the light religion of Persia; from this he was adopted as the Roman deity Mithras. He is not generally regarded as a sky god but a personification of the fertilizing power of warm, light air. According to the Avesta, he possesses 10,000 eyes and ears and rides in a chariot drawn by white horses. In dualistic Zoroastrianism, which effectively demoted him, Mithra is concerned with the endless battle between light and dark forces; he represents truth. He is responsible for the keeping of oaths and contracts. He was born from a rock and, according to legend, engaged in a primeval struggle with Ahura Mazda's first creation, a wild bull, which he subdued and confined to a cave. The bull escaped, but was recaptured by Mithra, who slit its throat. From the blood sprang plant life on earth. His chief adversary is AHRIMAN, the power of darkness. Mithra is not generally worshiped on his own, but as an integral part of the Mithraic worship of Ahura Mazda, where he acts as an intercessor between gods and men. In the Hellenic period he was transformed more closely to the role of a Sun god. See also AHURA MAZDA.... |
Demon name "MON (great god)" | Kafir / AfghanistanHindukush | warrior god and hero. Mon is a senior deity in the Kafir pantheon who challenges and defends mankind against demons and giants. He is the first offspring of the creator god Imra. He is also a weather god who controls clouds and mist. Mon is perceived as a deity of vast size and vigor who creates glaciers with his footprints. He is also a god of flowing water. Some legends place him as a creator of mankind and law-giver, but only mirroring the actions of the supreme creator IMRA. He appears as a mediator between heaven and earth.... |
God name "MOT (death)" | Canaanite / Phoenician / northern Israel, Lebanon / Syrian coastal regions | God of natural adversity. ot is the Canaanite representation of adversity in the natural world. He lives in a pit within the earth and is responsible for its annual death from drought and heat: he has scorched the olive, the produce of the earth and the fruit of the trees. He engages in the clåśśic confrontation with the Canaanite hero and national god, BAAL. Though the duel results in Baal's demise, his death is avenged by his twin sister ANAT, who slays Mot, then cleaves, winnows, burns and grinds him with a millstone, in what appears to be a ritual allied to the sowing of seed and harvesting (see OSIRIS). Baal is later restored. The conflict probably formed the basis of an annual ritual drama at the Canaanite New Year which was held in the autumn. In the texts Mot is the son of Il and his mother is AS'ERAH (ATHIRAT).... |
"Ma" | Greek | Ma signifies probably mother, as in Aeschylus, who applies it to the earth to designate her as the mother of all. Greek |