Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
---|---|---|
God name "Virbius" | Roman | Minor chthonic god. A malevolent underworld deity who was frequently invoked during the worship of Diana in the Arician woodlands surrounding her sanctuary at Nemi. Virbius was reputed to prowl these woods and to be an emanation of Hippolytus, a mortal who had been trampled to death by his horses and made immortal by Aesculapius. For this reason the Arician woods were barred to horses.... |
Goddess name "Viriplaca" | Roman | the goddess who soothes the anger of man, was a surname of Juno, describing her as the restorer of peace between married people. Roman |
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.... |
God name "Visvaksena (tbe all-conquering)" | Hindu / Puranic | Minor god. The bodyguard and gatekeeper of VISNU. Tradition maintains that Visvaksena was slain by SIVA when he refused the latter an audience with Vis'nu. For this reason he is generally depicted in the form of a skeleton impaled on the trident weapon carried by Siva in his aspect of KANKALAMURTI. His attributes include a wheel, club and conch shell.... |
God name "Visvamitra" | Hindu / Puranic | Minor god. According to legend, the father of the god NARADA.... |
God name "Vitthali" | Hindu / Epic / Puranic | God. A lesser known incarnation of the god VISNU (or KRSNA). The cult of Vitthali is centered mainly on Panharpur, near Bombay, where he is the object of devotion by the Varkari sect. Generally depicted standing on a brick, wearing a fez-like hat and with hands on hips. Also Vithoba; Panduranga.... |
Goddess name "Vivasvan (shining)" | Hindu / Vedic / Puranic | Sun god. The original Vedic list of six descendants of the goddess ADITI or ADITYAS, all of whom take the role of Sun gods was, in later times, enlarged to twelve, including Vivasvan. One of his titles is the embodiment of ancestral law. His consort is SARANYU and he is identified as the father of YAMA and YAMI, as well as MANU and the ASVINS. His color is golden and his attributes a Forest garland, two lotuses and a trident. Also Vivasvat.... |
Goddess name "Vor" | Nordic / Icelandic | Goddess. Of Germanic origin, one of the AESIR goddesses listed by Snorri in Prose Edda. He suggests that Vor may be concerned with the making of oaths and of marriage agreements, punishing those who break them. Possibly also Var(a), though Snorri lists her as a separate Aesir goddess.... |
Goddess name "Vrtra" | Hindu / Vedic | demonic god of chaos. A primordial being who existed before the formation of the cosmos and who was slain by the mother goddess SARASVATI.... |
God name "Vulcan" | Greek | The Roman smith god, identified with the Greek god Hephaestus. He was traditionally introduced to Rome by either Romulus or Titus Tatius. There were no specific legends concerning Vulcan but he played an important part in the success of various heroes by providing invincible armour for them. In Virgil's Aeneid, Vulcan made a superb suit of armour for Aeneas at Venus' request. He made a shield (called the Aegis) and thunderbolts for Jupiter and in return received Venus as his wife. |
God name "Vyasa" | Hindu / Vedic, Epic / Puranic | Minor incarnation of the god VISNU. Vyasa is said to be the author of the Vedas, the Mababbarata epic and the Puranas. He ranks with Hyagriva and SARASVATI as a lord of knowledge and wisdom, and is responsible for dividing the Tree of Knowlege into parts. In the texts he is depicted as darkskinned and accompanied by four students, Sumanta, Paila, Vaisampayana and Jaimini. He may be bearded. Also Vedavyasa.... |
God name "Wa" | Ntomba / Democratic Republic of Congo, central Africa | Sun god. Probably originating as a god of hunters who protects and controls the animals in the Forest. He has a son, Mokele.... |
Goddess name "Wachilt" | Celtic | Goddess of the sea who rose from the depths and halted the ship of king Vilkinus of Norway, proclaiming that she was pregnant with his child. Celtic |
God name "Wadj Wer (the mighty green one)" | Egypt | Fertility god. Sometimes depicted in androgynous form, he personifies the Mediterranean Sea or the major lakes of the Nile delta. He is depicted carrying the ankh symbol of life, and a loaf. The figure often appears pregnant and is åśśociated with the richness of the Nile delta waters.... |
Goddess name "Wadjet" | Egypt | Goddess of royal authority. Wadjet takes the form of a fire-breathing cobra and, as the uraeus symbol worn on the headdress of the ruler, she epitomizes the power of sovereignty. She is a goddess of Lower Egypt equating to NEKHBET in Upper Egypt, with her main cult center at Buto (Tell el-Farain) in the Nile delta. She forms an integral part of the symbolism of the Sun god RE, coiling around the Sun disc to symbolize Re's powers of destruction. According to mythology, she created the papyrus swamps of the delta. She is described as a wet nurse to the god HORUS and is the mother of the god of the primeval lotus blossom, NEFERTUM.... |
God name "Waka" | Oromo / Ethiopia | Creator god. Largely syncretized with the Christian god, but regularly invoked in the morning.... |
Goddess name "Waka-H ru-Me" | Shinto / Japan | Sun goddess. Arguably the younger sister of the great Shinto Sun goddess AMATERASU, or an early manifestation, she is åśśociated with the morning Sunrise. Also involved with weaving the garments of the KAMI.... |
Goddess name "Waka-Sa-Na-Me-No-Kami" | Shinto / Japan | Agricultural goddess. The deity specifically concerned with the transplanting of young rice. A daughter of Ha-Yama-To-No-Kami and O-Ge-Tsu-Hime. Generally served by Buddhist priests. See also WAKA-TOSHI-NO-KAMI and KUKU-TOSHI-NO-KAMI.... |