| Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
|---|---|---|
| God name "Raja Guru" | Batak | Who, with his hounds Sordaudau and Auto Portburu, catches souls for the other gods. Batak |
| 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.... |
| Goddess name "Randeng" | China | Goddess sent by heaven to bring dread calamity down on to king Zhou because of his blasphemies and evil ways, China |
| God name "Ranginui" | Polynesian / including Maori | sky god. The socalled sky father of the Polynesian culture whose consort is PAPATUANUKU, the earth mother. During a prolonged period of inseparable intercourse they became the prime parents of the Polynesian pantheon of gods. The children found life between the bodies of the parents too cramped and conspired to force them apart. Though one offspring, TUMATAUENGA, wanted to slay them, the advice of TANEMAHUTA, the Forest god, prevailed and RANGINUI and Papatuanuku were merely forced apart.... |
| Goddess name "Ratri" | Hindu / Vedic | Goddess of the night. Ratri is the personification of darkness bedecked with stars. Her sister is USAS, the dawn goddess, who, with Agni the fire god, chases her away. She is perceived as the guardian of eternal law and order in the cosmos and of the waves of time. Ratri is generally regarded as a benign deity who offers rest and renewed vigor, and who may be invoked to ensure safety through the hours of darkness. She deposits the gift of morning dew. However she also offers a bleaker aspect as one who brings gloom and barrenness.... |
| God name "Resep (A) Mukal" | Western Semitic / Canaanite / Phoenician / , originating in Syria | war and plague god. Introduced into Egypt by the XVIII Dynasty during the sixteenth century BC and rapidly achieved some prominence. His wife is Itum and he was also known as Res ep-Amukal and Res epSulman. Res ep is probably modeled on the Mesopotamian NERGAL. He is depicted as a youthful, warlike god, often with a gazelle's head springing from his forehead, and with a spear in his right hand. In Egyptian iconography he is depicted wearing the crown of Upper Egypt surmounted in front by the head of a gazelle. He has links with the Theban war god MONTU and was thought of as a guardian deity in battle by many Egyptian pharaohs; he is said to have shot firebrands with a bow and arrow. He also exerted a benign influence against disease. The influence of Res ep extended to Cyprus during the preHellenic period and at the time of Hellenization he was allied to and perhaps syncretized with APOLLO. Also Ras ap, Res ef.... |
| God name "Rongomai" | Polynesian / Maori | Whale god. He is the son of TANGAROA, the creator deity responsible for the oceans and the fish, and the father of KAHUKURA, the deity responsible for the appearance of the Rainbow. He is also regarded as the ancestor of several Maori clans. Various traditions are åśśociated with Rongomai. In some regions of New Zealand he is also regarded as a god of war and is thought to have discovered the magic arts during a visit to the underworld, including the power of kaiwhatu, a preventative charm against witchcraft. Rongomai is sometimes mistakenly identified with RONGOMATANE, or Rongo, though the latter is generally considered a distinct personality. As the god responsible for the well-being of whales Rongomai may take the form of a whale, a guise in which he once challenged MARU, a more widely recognized New Zealand war god. Separate mythology places him in the heavens in the form of a comet.... |
| God name "Rudra (howler)" | Hindu / Vedic | weather god. An early deity, largely superseded by SIVA, who controls the gales and storms. Often linked with the fire god AGNI and the Rain god INDRA. Generally a malignant god, Rudra lives in the mountains and is deemed to be either tall or dwarf, depending on the severity of the storm. He brings death and disease to man and domestic animals through his thousand shafts, and is considered to be highly unpredictable.... |
| Goddess name "Safekh-Aubi" | Egypt | Stellar goddess who served to measure time and is called the misstress of the house of Books. Egypt |
| God name "Salagrama" | Hindu / late | Aniconic form of the god VIS'NU. A fossil ammonite shell embodying the god and forming a part of daily ritual in many Vaisnava households as well as appearing in monasteries.... |
| Goddess name "San Chou Niang Niang" | China | Mother goddess who was first deified during the Sung dynasty China |
| Goddess name "Sari Chou Niiarig Niiarig" | Chinese | Mother goddess. First deified during the Sung Dynasty (AD 960-1279) to combat the popularity of KUAN YIN, no mortal existence is recognized for this deity who is referred to simply as heavenly mother. By tradition she rules over the islands of the blessed, the three mythical islands which are the home of the gods. She is depicted wearing a yellow robe signifying imperial rank and carries the attribute of a scepter. Typically she displays an enigmatic smile.... |
| Planet name "Saturnus" | Roman | Astral god. Identified with the planet Saturn, but thought to have originated as an agricultural deity concerned with sowing of seed. A sanctuary existed on the Roman forum from as early as 450 BC, also functioning as the imperial treasury. Saturnus was celebrated in the Saturnalia festival (December 17-19) during which masters and slaves exchanged roles and candles were given as gifts to symbolize the Winter darkness.... |
| God name "Senx" | Bella Coola Indian / British Columbia, Canada | Sun god. The ruler of the lower heaven, Sonx, in which is situated the home of the gods, Nusmeta (the house of myths). The only deity to whom the Bella Coola pray and make offerings. Hunters throw small pieces of mountain goat or seal flesh into a sacrificial fire. Also Ta'ata (our father); Smai'yakila (sacred one).... |
| Goddess name "Serket(-hetyt)" | Egypt | Minor mortuary goddess. Known from the middle of the third millennium BC, she protects the throne of the king in the guise of a scorpion. She is depicted in human form wearing a headpiece in the form of a scorpion with its sting raised. In the Pyramid Texts she is the mother of the scorpion god NEHEBU-KAU. In her role as a mortuary goddess she is partly responsible for guarding the jars containing the viscera of the deceased. Although she is never identified as warding off the effect of scorpion stings, her influence has been regarded as effective against other venomous attacks. Also Selkis (Greek).... |
| God name "Seyon (the red one)" | Dravidian / Tamil / southern India / Sri Lanka | Creator god. An early deity åśśociated particularly with hilly regions in parts of southern India and thought to live in trees. Also Muruga.... |
| God name "Shaikpaia" | Yoruba / Nigeria, West Africa | Plague god. The son of SHANGO, he is credited with having once been a god of war who invaded the country (as a disease). He is particularly identified with smallpox. His symbol is the sesame plant which takes the form of a taboo and brings disease to those who take it into their house. A festival is held in September to propitiate Shankpana with sacrifices of animals and fruit.... |
| Deities name "Shichi-uuku-iii" | Shinto / Japan | Gods of luck. The seven principal deities concerned with fortune: EBISU, DAIKOKU, BENTEN-SAN, BISHAMON, FUKUROKUJU, HOTEI and JUNROJIN. The group is often represented together on their treasure ship Takara-Bune, which carries various magical devices including a hat of invisibility, a roll of brocade, an inexhaustible purse, keys to the Divine treasure house and so on.... |
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