Sky deity

Sky deity
Jupiter, the sky father of Greco-Roman mythology

The sky has important religious significance. Most polytheistic religions have a deity or deities whose portfolio includes or is even limited to the sky or the heavens. This position is often reserved for the deity who reigns over the others, or at least is one of the most powerful, and incorporates the concept of the Sky Father, in contrast to the Earth Mother.

Contents

Ancient Near East

Ancient Semitic religion

Egyptian mythology

  • Amun, god of creation and the wind
  • Anhur, originally a foreign war god who became associated with the sky god, Shu
  • Horus, god of the sun, sky, kings and war
  • Nut, goddess of the sky
  • Shu, god of the wind and air

Hurrian mythology

  • Hepit, goddess of the sky
  • Teshub, god of the sky and storms

Mesopotamian mythology

  • An, goddess of the sky
  • Anshar, god of the sky
  • Anu, king of the gods, associated with the sky, heaven and constellations
  • Beelshamen, god of the sky
  • Enlil, god of breath, wind, loft, and breadth

Armenian mythology

Europe

Basque mythology

  • Aide, goddess of the air

Celtic mythology

  • Latobius, sky and mountain god equated with the Greek gods Zeus and Ares
  • Taranis, sky and thunder god, equated and syncretized with Jupiter

Etruscan mythology

  • Ani, god of the sky
  • Tinia, god of the sky

Finnish mythology

  • Ilmatar, virgin spirit of the air
  • Jumala, god of the sky
  • Perkele, supreme sky and thunder god
  • Ukko, god of sky, weather, crops (harvest) and other natural things

Greek mythology

  • Aether, primeval god of the upper air
  • Chaos, the nothingness from which all else sprang, she also represented the lower atmosphere which surrounded the earth
  • Hera, queen of heaven and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings, empires, air and the sky
  • Iris, goddess of the rainbow and divine messenger
  • Nephelai, cloud nymphs
  • Theia, goddess of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky
  • Uranus, primeval god of the sky
  • Zeus, king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather, thunder, law, order and fate

Roman mythology

  • Caelus, personification of the sky, equivalent to the Greek Ouranos
  • Jupiter, king of heaven and god of the sky and weather, equivalent to the Greek Zeus

Sami mythology

  • Horagalles, god of the sky, thunder and lightning, the rainbow, weather, oceans, lakes, human life, health and wellbeing

Slavic mythology

  • Stribog, god of the winds, sky and air
  • Triglav, a triple god whose three heads represent sky, earth and underworld

Thracian mythology

South Asia

East and Southeast Asia

Japanese mythology

  • Marici, goddess of the heavens

Māori mythology

  • Ao, god of light and the sky
  • Rangi, sky father
  • Tane-rore, personification of shimmering air
  • Tāwhirimātea, god of weather, including thunder and lightning, wind, clouds and storms
  • Uenuku, god of rainbows

Thai and Lao Mythology

Central Asia

Turkic mythology

Udmurt mythology

  • Inmar, god of the heavans

Americas

Arctic

Native American mythology

Maya mythology

Australia and Oceania

Australia

Oceania mythology

Sub-Saharan Africa

See also


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