| Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
|---|---|---|
| Goddess name "Ningikuga (lady of the pure reed)" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Goddess of reeds and marshes. One of the consorts of ENKI and the daughter of AN and NAMMU.... |
| Deity name "Ningilin" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Obscure deity. His symbol is probably the mongoose. Also Ninkilim.... |
| God name "Ningirama" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | God of magic. A minor deity invoked particularly as a protection against snakes.... |
| God name "Ningirsu" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Tutelary god. His mother is NINHURSAGa A. Known from the city of Lagas (Girsu) where Gudea built a major temple in his honor, the Eninnu. His symbol is a lion-headed eagle and his weapon the mace S, arur. Texts describe Ningirsu making a journey to Eridu to notify the god ENKI of Gudea's achievement.... |
| God name "Ningiszida" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / BabylonianAkkadian | The god of light coming from the horizon. Tutelary god of Gudea of Lagas,, the son of NINAZU. Identified in Akkadian texts and on a seal of Gudea. Also GISZIDA.... |
| Goddess name "Niniiniinna" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Fertility goddess. A daughter of An and Uras and probably an alternative name for Istar. She is the consort of the god Pabilsag and is mentioned in respect of a sanctuary built by warad Sin during the Isin dynasty. Texts describe her going to present Enlil with gifts in Nippur. Other inscriptions suggest she was the mother of the god Damu (Dumuzi).... |
| God name "Ninkarnunna" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Barber god. An attendant of the god Ninurta.... |
| God name "Ninkigal" | Mesopotamian / BabylonianAkkadian | Chthonic god. Worshiped at Ur and Umma during the period of the third dynasty of Ur. Celebrations included the eses monthly lunar festivals.... |
| Goddess name "Ninkurra" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Minor mother goddess. Ninkurra is linked briefly as consort to Enlil (her grandfather), by whom after nine days of gestation she gave birth to the goddess Uttu. In alternative mythology she was the mother of Nin-imma, the deification of female sex organs.... |
| Goddess name "Ninmah" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Mother goddess. Probably an early syncretization with Ninhursaga a. Identified in creation texts acting as midwife while the mother goddess Nammu makes different kinds of human individuals from lumps of clay at a feast given by Enki to celebrate the creation of humankind. Also regarded as the mother of the goddess Uttu by Enki.See also Ninhursagaa.... |
| Goddess name "Nins ubur" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Messenger God (Goddess). The servant of the goddess Inana, she is particularly prominent in the legend of Inana's Descent and the death of Dumuzi. In Akkadian texts the sex changes to a male personality, the minister of Anu.... |
| Goddess name "Ninsun(a) (lady wild cow)" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | cow goddess. Tutelary goddess of Gudea of Lagas.. Consort of the Sumerian heroic king Lugalbanda and also identified as the mother of the hero Gilgames..... |
| Goddess name "Nintu" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Mother goddess. According to legend she pinched off fourteen pieces of primordial clay which she formed into womb deities, seven on the left and seven on the right with a brick between them, who produced the first seven pairs of human embryos. She is closely identified with the goddess Ninhursaga a and may have become Belet Ili (mistress of the gods) when, at Enki's suggestion, the gods slew one among themselves and used his blood and flesh, mixed with clay, to create mankind.... |
| Goddess name "Nunbarsegunu" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | Obscure mother goddess. Mentioned in creation texts as the old woman of Nippur, she is identified as the mother of NINLIL, the air goddess. Nunbarsegunu allegedly instructs her daughter in the arts of obtaining the attentions of ENLIL.... |
| God name "Nus ku" | Mesopotamian / Sumerian / Babylonian - Akkadian | God of light. The son of ENLIL. Also a god of fire, he is symbolized by a lamp. Sanctuaries have been identified at Harran and Neirab.... |
| Hero name "Oetylus" | Greek | A son of Amphianax, and grandson of Antimachus of Argos. The Laconian town of Oetylus was believed to have received its name from him, and he there enjoyed heroic honours. Greek |
| Goddess name "Omorca" | Babylonian | The goddess who was sovereign of the universe when it was first created. It was covered with water and darkness, but contained some few animals of monster forms, representations of which may be seen in the Temple of Bel. Babylonian |
"Onomacritus" | Greek | An Athenian who occupies an interesting position in the history of the early Greek religious poetry. Greek |
Table of Gods
Your guide to the World gods, spirits,
demons and legendary monsters
The Legend of Nian Monster
Chinese people held the first New Year Festival more than 3,000 years ago. Farmers gave thanks for the harvest and prayed. They asked the gods for good crops in the coming year.
But there is a story behind all the celebration, below is the legend of how the Chinese New Year celebration began.
Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a monster called "Nian" ("year") that would come out to eat people and animals on the eve of every New Year. To avoid the monster's attack, people would flee to the depth of the mountains and call this day "Nian Guan" (meaning "the Pass of Nian"). On one New Year's Eve, there came an old beggar in Peach Blossom Village, where an old lady gave him some food and asked him to hide himself in the mountain to avoid the monster Nian. The old man promised that he could drive the monster away as long as he was put up for the night at the old lady's home. Being unable to persuade the old man into hiding in the mountain, the old lady went alone. In the middle of the night, the monster Nian dashed into the village. He trembled and cried when he saw the red paper on the door of the old lady's house, which was brightly lit. Just as the monster reached the entrance, there came blasting sounds that prevented him from moving any further. At that time, the old man, wearing a red robe, opened the door and the monster was scared away.
The following year, the villagers were ready for it. They set off firecrackers, lit all their lamps and decorated their houses in red, they paste red paper on the doors, wear red clothing, hang up red lanterns. They made loud music, play the gong and drums and they dance and burn the fireworks whenever Nian was about to arrive, to scared away the beast.This is how these customs came into being.
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