A Greek dryad depicted in a painting In religion , a nature deity is a deity in charge of forces of nature , such as water , biological processes , or weather . These deities can also govern natural features such as mountains, trees, or volcanoes. Accepted in panentheism , pantheism , deism , polytheism , animism , totemism , shamanism , and paganism , the nature deity can embody a number of archetypes including mother goddess , Mother Nature , or lord of the animals .
African
Akan mythology Asase Yaa , Mother of the Dead and the goddess of the harsh earth and truthAsase Afua , the goddess of the lush earth, fertility, love, procreation and farmingBia, personification of the Bia River and god of the wilderness and wild animals Tano, personification of the Tano River and god of the river and thunder
Bantu mythology
Egyptian mythology Ash, god of the oasis and the vineyards of the western Nile Delta Geb, god of earth Nut, sky goddess and sister and wife of Geb
Igbo mythology Ala, Igbo alusi , goddess of the earth, morality, fertility, and creativity Amadioha , Igbo alusi , god of thunder and lightningAnyanwu , Igbo alusi , sun goddess of good fortune, knowledge, and wisdom
Voodoo mythology
Yoruba mythology Aja, Yoruba orisha , patron of the forest, forest animals, and herbal healers Oko, Yoruba orisha , patron of new harvest of the white African yam and of hunting Osanyin , Yoruba orisha , patron of the forest, herbs, and healingOshosi , Yoruba orisha , patron of the forest and of huntingOshun , Yoruba orisha , patron of water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality
Zulu mythology iNyanga, Zulu moon goddess Nomhoyi, Zulu goddess of rivers Nomkhubulwane , Zulu goddess mother of fertility, rain, agriculture, rainbow, and beerUnsondo, Zulu god of the sky, sun, thunder, and earthquakes
American
Aztec mythology Xochipilli , god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, and songXochiquetzal , goddess of fertility, beauty, female sexuality, protection of young mothers, pregnancy, childbirth, vegetation, flowers, and the crafts of womenTonantzin , mother goddess
Brazilian mythology/Guarani mythology Curupira , a powerful demon or forest spirit and guardian of nature
Haitian Vodou Baron Samedi , loa of the deadGrand Bois , loa associated with trees, plants and herbsL'inglesou , loa who lives in the wild areas of Haiti and kills anyone who offends himLoco, loa associated with healers and plants, especially trees
Inca mythology Pachamama , fertility goddess who presides over planting, harvesting and earthquakes
Maya mythology Yum Kaax , god of agriculture, wild plants and animals
Native American mythology Asintmah, Athabaskan earth and nature goddess, and the first woman to walk the earth Ngen, Mapuche spirits of nature
Asian
Chinese mythology Dou Mu Niang Niang , Mother Goddess of the Big Dipper Tai Sui , Star deities of sixty years cycleChang'e , moon goddessLei Gong , god of thunderHou Tu Niang Niang , Mother Earth and Overlord of all Tu Di GongTu Di Gong , earth deity of a specific locality and nearby human communitiesGonggong , ancient god of waterZhurong , ancient god of fireHebo, god of Yellow River San Shan Guo Wang , lords of the Three Mountains in Southern China
Hinduism Prithvi or Bhumi , goddess regarded as "Mother Earth"; Sanskrit for Earth Agni, god of fire Varuna , god of oceansVayu, god of wind Indra , god of rain, lightning and thundersAranyani , goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within it
Japanese mythology Amaterasu , goddess of the sunIzanagi , forefather of the gods, god of creation and life and first maleIzanami , Izanagi's wife and sister, goddess of creation and death, first femaleKonohanasakuya-hime , the blossom princess and symbol of delicate earthly lifeShinigami , god of deathSuijin , god of waterFūjin , god of windKagu-tsuchi , god of fireSusanoo , god of storms, (fertility in Izumo legends), younger brother to Amaterasu and TsukuyomiTsukuyomi , god of the moon and oceans, younger brother of Amaterasu and older brother of Susanoo
Korean mythology Dangun , god-king of Gojoseon , god of the mountainDokkaebi , nature spiritsLady Saso , goddess of the mountainJacheongbi, goddess of the grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment Jeonggyun Moju, mother of Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and Ijinashi of Daegaya, goddess of the mountain Jik, god of grains Sa, god of the earth Sansin , local mountain gods
Philippine mythology
Vietnamese mythology
Western Asian Ara the Handsome , a deity of a dying and resurrecting natureAralez (mythology) creatures with powers to resuscitate fallen warriors and resurrect the dead by licking wounds cleanAreg (Arev) or Ar, god of the Sun Astłik Armenian deity of fertility and loveTsovinar "Nar of the Sea", goddess of waters and the oceanMihr (Armenian deity) , cognate with the Mithra. God of the sun and light, son of Aramazd, the brother of Anahit and Nane.Spandaramet , a daughter of Aramazd, and chthonic goddess of fertility, vineyards, and the underworldVishap , a dragon closely associated with waterIrpitiga, lord of the earth Sarruma , god of the mountainsAbu, minor Sumerian god of plants Damu, vegetation god Emesh , Sumerian god of vegetationKishar , goddess representing the earthNingishzida , vegetation godNinhursag , Sumerian mother goddess associated with the earth and fertilityNingikuga , Sumerian goddess of reeds and marshesUa-Ildak , Babylonian and Akkadian goddess responsible for pastures and poplar trees[1] Umay, the goddess of nature, love and fertility in Turkic mythology. Also known as Yer Ana. İye, deities or spirits or natural assets. Baianai , the god of the forest, animals, and hunt in Turkic mythology.Ukulan , the god of water in Turkic mythology
European
Baltic mythology
Celtic mythology Abnoba , Gaulish goddess associated with forests and riversArtio , Gaulish bear goddess of the wildernessArduinna , goddess of the Ardennes forest regionCernunnos , god associated with horned male animals, produce, and fertilityDruantia , hypothetical Gallic tree goddess proposed by Robert Graves in his 1948 study The White Goddess Neopagans .Nantosuelta , Gaulish goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertilitySucellus , god of agriculture, forests, and alcoholic drinksViridios , god of vegetation, rebirth, and agriculture, possibly cognate with the Green Man Karærin, Celtic goddess who protects animals and nature Sínann , Irish goddess, embodiment of the River Shannon , the longest river on Ireland , and a goddess of wisdom
English mythology
Etruscan mythology Fufluns , god of plant life, happiness, wine, health, and growth in all thingsSelvans , god of the woodlandsArtumes , goddess of the hunt, woodlands, the night, and the wild
Finnish mythology Lempo , god of wilderness and archeryTapio , god and ruler of forestsMielikki , goddess of forests and the hunt. Wife of Tapio.
Mari Mlande, god of the earth Mlande-Ava, goddess of the earth
Georgian mythology Dali, goddess of mountain animals such as ibex and deer
Germanic mythology Ēostre or Ostara, the goddess of springFjörgyn , the female personification of the earth. She is also the mother of the goddess Frigg and, very rarely, mother of ThorFreyja , goddess of fertility, gold, death, love, beauty, war and magicFreyr , god of fertility, rain, sunlight, life and summerIðunn the goddess of spring who guards the apples that keep the gods eternally young; wife of the god Bragi[4] Jörð, personification of the earth and the mother of Thor Nerthus , goddess of the earth, called by the Romans Terra Mater Njörð , god of the sea, fishing, and fertilityRán, goddess of the sea, storms, and death Skaði , goddess of mountains, skiing, winter, archery and huntingSif, goddess of earth, fertility, and the harvest Thor, god of thunder, lightning, weather, oak trees, and fertility Ullr, god of hunting, archery, skiing, and mountains Nøkken , male water spiritElf, beautiful, fairy-like creature that lives in the forest and streams
Greek mythology Anthousai , flower nymphsAphrodite , goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and fertilityApollo , god of the sun, light, healing, poetry and music, and archeryAristaeus , god of shepherds, cheesemaking, beekeeping, honey, honey-mead, olive growing, oil milling, medicinal herbs, hunting, and the Etesian windsArtemis , goddess of the hunt, the dark, the light, the moon, wild animals, nature, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls, and health and plague in women and childhoodAurae , nymphs of the breezesChloris , goddess of flowersCronus , god of the harvestCybele , Phrygian goddess of the fertile earth and wild animalsDemeter , goddess of the harvest, crops, the fertility of the earth, grains, and the seasonsDionysus , god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, madness, and festivity. The Roman equivalent is Bacchus.[5] Dryads , tree and forest nymphsEpimeliades , nymphs of highland pastures and protectors of sheep flocksGaia, primal mother goddess and goddess of the earth and its personification Hamadryades , oak tree dryadsHegemone , goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed toHelios , Titan-god of the sunHorae , goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of timeMeliae , nymphs of honey and the ash treeNymphs , nature spiritsNaiades , fresh water nymphsNereids , salt-water nymphsNyx, Primordial goddess and personification of night Oceanides , fresh water nymphsOreades , mountain nymphsOxylus , god of forests & mountainsPan, god of shepherds, flocks, mountain wilds, and rustic music Persephone (Kore), goddess of spring growthPhysis , primeval goddess of natureRhea, goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the mountain wilds Satyrs , rustic nature spiritsSelene , Titan-goddess of the moon
Greek rustic deities
Nordic folklore
Roman mythology Bacchus – god of wine, nature, pleasure and festivity; equivalent to the Greek god DionysusCeres , goddess of growing plants and motherly relationships; equivalent to the Greek goddess DemeterDiana , goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness and the moon; equivalent to the Greek goddess ArtemisFaunus , horned god of the forest, plains and fieldsFeronia , goddess associated with wildlife, fertility, health and abundanceFlora , goddess of flowers and the spring; equivalent to the Greek goddess ChlorisFufluns , god of plant life, happiness and health and growth in all thingsLiber , cognate for Bacchus/DionysusNemestrinus , god of the forests and woodsOps, goddess of fertility and the earth Pilumnus , nature god who ensured children grew properly and stayed healthyPomona , goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchardsSilvanus , tutelary spirit or deity of woods and fields and protector of forestsTerra , primeval goddess personifying the earth; equivalent to the Greek goddess Gaia
Slavic mythology Berstuk , evil Wendish god of the forestJarilo , god of vegetation, fertility, spring, war and harvestLeshy , a tutelary deity of the forests.Porewit , god of the woods, who protected lost voyagers and punished those who mistreated the forestVeles , god of earth, waters and the underworldMokosh , East-Slavic goddess of nature
Oceanian
Māori mythology
Micronesian mythology
Toraja Indo' Ongon-Ongon, goddess of earthquakes Pong Banggai di Rante, earth goddess
See also
References ^ MILLER, JR., PATRICK D. (1985). "Eridu, Dunnu, and Babel: A Study in Comparative Mythology" (PDF) . Hebrew Annual Review . 9 : 227–251. Retrieved 4 July 2023 . ^ Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies . Pantheon Books. pp. 9–10. ISBN 0394409183 .^ Wright, Elizabeth Mary (1913). Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore . Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 198. ^ World English Dictionary ^ Walter Burkert, (1985) Greek Religion, Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-36280-2 .
