Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
---|---|---|
God name "Sesa(naga) (remainder)" | Hindu / Vedic, Epic / Puranic | Snake god or naga. The great serpent lying in the primeval sea and encircling the world. The son of KASYAPA and KADRU. A many-headed attendant on VIS'NU who uses the snake as a couch on which to rest between cycles of the universe. Its many hoods overshadow and protect him. Not technically a deity but important enough in literature to be included here. Also Adisesa; ANANTA.... |
God name "Sesa[naga]" | Hindu / Epic / Vedic / Puranic | A snake god / Naga, he is at the Great serpent that lies in the primeval sea & encircles the world |
King name "Sesha" | Hindu | king of the serpent race, on which Vishnu reclines on the primeval waters. It has a thousand heads, on one of which the world rests. The coiled-up sesha is the emblem of eternity. Hindu |
God name "Siguna" | Scandinavian | wife of Loki. She nurses him in his cavern, but sometimes, as she carries off the poison which the serpents gorge, a portion drops on the god, and his writhings cause earthquakes. Scandinavian |
"Sigyn" | Norse | Loke's wife. She holds a basin to prevent the serpent's venom from dropping into Loke's face. Norse |
"Skadi" | Norse | A giantess; daughter of Thjåśśe and the wife of Njord. She dwells in Thrymheim, and hangs a venom serpent over Loke's face. Norse |
"St. Patrick" | Ireland | Patrick and the serpent. According to tradition, St. Patrick cleared Ireland of its vermin; one old serpent resisted him; but St. Patrick overcame it by cunning. He made a box, and invited the serpent to enter it. The serpent objected, saying it was too small; but St. Patrick insisted it was quite large enough to be comfortable. After a long contention, the serpent got in to prove it was too small, when St. Patrick slammed down the lid, and threw the box into the sea. To complete this wonderful tale, the legend says the waves of the sea are made by the writhings of this serpent, and the noise of the sea is that of the serpent imploring the saint to release it. |
"Suoyatar" | Finnish | One of the forces of evil in the Kalevala, who gives birth to the serpent of evil or death by means of her spittle. Finnish |
"Svafner" | Norse | A serpent under Ygdrasil. Norse |
Goddess name "Taiaai" | Australian aboriginal | Snake god. His consorts include the snake goddesses Mantya, Tuknampa and Uka. He is revered mainly by tribal groups living on the western seaboard of the Cape York peninsula in northern queensland. Taipan has the typical attributes of many other Australian snake gods, including the Rainbow snake. He exercises judgment over life or death and possesses great wisdom, a universal characteristic of serpents. He is able to kill or cure and is the deity who originally fashioned the blood of living things during the Dreamtime. The imagery of the snake god is closely linked with aboriginal shamanism and with the healing rituals of shamans.... |
Goddess name "Tezcacoac Ayopechtli (mirror serpent tortoise bench)" | Aztec / Mesoamerican / Mexico | Birth goddess. An aspect of XOCHIQUETZAL. One of the group clåśśed as the TETEOINNAN complex.... |
"Theli tali" | Chaldean | The great dragon which symbolically envelops the universe; the mundane serpent. Chaldean |
Spirit name "Thor" | Norse | The god of thunder, keeper of the hammer, the ever-fighting slayer of trolls and destroyer of evil spirits, the friend of mankind, the defender of the earth, the heavens and the gods; for without Thor and his hammer the earth would become the helpless prey of the giants. He was the consecrator, the hammer being the cross or holy sign of the ancient heathen. Thor was the son of Odin and Fjorgyn (mother earth); he was blunt, hot-tempered, without fraud or guile, of few words but of ready stroke - such was Thor, the favorite deity of our forefathers. The finest legends of the Younger Edda and the best lays of the Elder Edda refer to Thor. His hall is Bilskirner. He slays Thjåśśe, Thrym, Hrungner, and other giants. In Ragnarok he slays the Midgard-serpent, but falls after retreating nine paces, poisoned by the serpent's breath. Norse |
Deity name "Tiamat" | Chaldean | Chaldean serpent, slain by Bel, the chief deity. |
God name "Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli" | Aztec | Feathered serpent, creator god and patron of rulership, priests and merchants. Aztec |
Spirit name "Toro" | Ngbandi / Democratic Republic of Congo, central Africa | Creator god. He is perceived as a great serpent, the son of KANGALOGBA, who is both the spirit of the dragonfly and the symbol of the sacred river Oubangui.... |
"Vaikuntha" | Hindu / Puranic | Aspect of VISNU. Vis'nu is depicted under this title residing in his own heaven, known as Vaikuntha. He is seen with four heads in an attribute known as caturmukha, where the central head is human, that to the left is Sakti, to the right NARASINHA, and facing behind, VARAHA. As such Vis'nu's vehicle is either the mythical bird, GARUDA, or he reposes on the serpent ANANTA (SESA). The aspect may also be known as Trailokyamohana.... |