Encyclopedia > Deity

The Abrahamic religions Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in the same God, but Muslims, and to some degree Jews (see below), visualize God in strictly monotheistic terms, whereas most Christians believe that God exists as a Trinity.

Judaism

Yahweh is the Biblical name for God used by ancient Jews. Adonai, Eloheynu and Hashem are some of the names of God used in modern day Judaism. The Hebrew word "elohim" is also used to refer to God in the Torah (and the Old Testament), and this refers to a plural nature of God. However, Jews hold to a slightly more monotheistic view of God than Christians. They reject Jesus Christ as a false messiah, and do not assign any deity to him.

Christianity

Historically, Christianity has professed belief in one deity, three divine persons (the Trinity), that make up one deity or Godhead, known as "God". (See Athanasian Creed.) Thus, most Christians are trinitarian monotheists, although there have been dissenters; see the articles Arianism, Unitarianism (History), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses for examples. Most of these unitarian groups believe or believed that only God the Father is a deity; Latter-day Saints believe that the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit are three distinct deities.

Islam

Allah is the most traditional Muslim name for God. Islamic tradition also speaks of 99 Names of God.

Other

Two smaller faiths that don't neatly fit into any of the categories of Abrahamic religions. Rastafarianism worships Jah and the Baha'i Faith also worships the same God as Jews, Christians and Muslims. Akamba mythology

Akan mythology

Ashanti mythology

Australian Aborigine mythology

Aztec deities

Cihuacoatl - a goddess whose roaring signalled War
Centeotl - the Corn god
Chalchiuhtlicue - the goddess of running Water
Chantico - the goddess of Hearth Fires and Volcanoes
Chicomecoatl - the goddess of Corn and Fertility
Ehecatl - the god of the Wind
Huitzilopochtli - a god of War and the Sun
Huixtocihuatl - the goddess of Salt
Itzpapalotl - a goddess of Agriculture
Ixtlilton - the god of Healing, Feasting, and Games
Macuilxochitl - the god of Music and Dance
Mayahuel - a goddess of Maguey
Metztli - the Moon god
Mictlantecihuatl[?] - the lady and goddess of Mictlan, the underworld
Mictlantecuhtli - the lord and god of Mictlan and the dead.
Ometecuhtli - the god of Duality
Patecatl - the god of Medicine
Paynal - the messenger to Huitzilopochtli
Quetzalcoatl - the feathered serpent
Teoyaomqui - the god of dead warriors
Tlaloc - the great Rain and Fertility god
Tlazolteotl - the goddess of Licentiousness
Tonacatecuhtli - the creator and provider of Food
Tonatiuh - Tonatiuh was a Sun god, the eagle, and heavenly warrior
Xilonen - the goddess of young Maize
Xipe Totec - the god of Seedtime
Xochipilli - the god of Feasting and young Maize
Yacatecuhtli - the god of Merchant Adventurers

Bushongo mythology

Celtic pre-Christian Deities

Chinese mythology

Eight Immortals

Chippewa mythology

Creek mythology

Hisagita-imisi[?]

Dacian[?] Deities

Dahomey mythology

Dinka mythology

Efik mythology

Egyptian Deities Egyptian deities often have physical forms that incorporate animal forms. For example, Anubis has the body of a human, but the head of a canine.

Anubis, God of Embalming, Friend of the Dead
The Aten, the embodiment of the Sun's rays
Atum, a creator deity
Bast, Goddess of Cats
Bes, God-Demon of Protection, Childbirth and Entertainment
Geb, God of the Earth
Hapi God of the Nile and Fertility
Hathor, Goddess of Love and Music
Heget Goddess of Childbirth
Horus the falcon-headed god
Imhotep God of wisdom, medicine and magic
Isis, Goddess of Magic, sister of Nephthys
Khepry, the scarab beetle, the embodiment of the dawn
Khnum, a creator deity
Maahes
Ma'at, Goddess of Truth, Balance and Order
Menhit
Mont, god of war
Naunet, the primal waters
Neith, the great mother goddess
Nephthys, mother of Anubis
Nut, goddess of heaven and the sky
Osiris
Ptah, a creator deity
Ra, the sun, possible father of Anubis
Sekhmnet, goddess of war and battles
Sobek, Crocodile God
Set, God of Storms, possible father of Anubis
Tefnut, goddess of order, justice, time, Heaven and Hell and weather
Thoth, god of the moon, drawing, writing, geometry, wisdom, medicine, music, astronomy, and magic

See http://touregypt.net/godsofegypt/ for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism's extensive information on Egyptian Deities.

Etruscan Deities

Finnish pre-Christian deities There are very few written documents about old Finnish religions; also the names of deities and practices of worship changed from place to place. The following is a summary of the most important and most widely worshipped deities.

Ukko, the principal deity, god of heaven and thunder
Rauni, Ukko's wife, goddess of fertility
Tapio, god of forest and wild animals
Mielikki[?], Tapio's wife
Pekko[?] (or Peko), god or goddess (the actual gender is obscure) of fields and acriculture
Ahti[?], god of streams, lakes and sea
Louhi[?], goddess of the underworld
Perkele, a god of the ancient Finns or Estonians