Fertility goddess
Encyclopedia
A fertility deity is a god or goddess in mythology
associated with fertility
, pregnancy
, and birth
. In some cases these deities are directly associated with sex
, and in others they simply embody related attributes. The following is a list of fertility deities.
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
associated with fertility
Fertility
Fertility is the natural capability of producing offsprings. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. Fertility differs from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
, pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, and birth
Birth
Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring. The offspring is brought forth from the mother. The time of human birth is defined as the time at which the fetus comes out of the mother's womb into the world...
. In some cases these deities are directly associated with sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
, and in others they simply embody related attributes. The following is a list of fertility deities.
African mythology
- AlaAla (mythology)Ala is the female Alusi of the earth, morality, death, and fertility in Odinani. She is the most important Alusi in the Igbo pantheon. In Odinani, Ala rules over the underworld which holds the deceased ancestors in her womb...
, Igbo goddess of fertility - Asase YaAsase YaAsase Ya is the earth goddess of fertility of the Ashanti people of Ghana. She is the wife of Nyame the sky god. In she gave birth to two sons, Bea and Tano...
, Ashanti earth goddess of fertility - DenkaDenkaDeng, also known as Denka, is a sky, rain and fertility god in Dinka mythology for Dinka people of Sudan. Son of the goddess Abuk.-References:# Lady of the Earth...
, DinkaDinkaThe Dinka is an ethnic group inhabiting the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile regions. They are mainly agro-pastoral people, relying on cattle herding at riverside camps in the dry season and growing millet and other varieties of grains ...
god of the sky, rain and fertility - Mbaba Mwana WaresaMbaba Mwana WaresaMbaba Mwana Waresa is a fertility goddess of the Zulu religion. She is a goddess of the rainbow, agriculture, rain and beer....
, Zulu goddess of fertility, rainbows, agriculture, rain and beer
Armenian mythology
- AnahitAnahitAnahit was the goddess of fertility and healing, wisdom and water in Armenian mythology. In early periods she was the goddess of war. By the 5th century BC she was the main deity in Armenia along with Aramazd.- Temples dedicated to Anahit :...
, goddess of fertility, birth, beauty and water - AramazdAramazdAramazd is the principal deity in Armenia's pre-Christian pantheon. He was considered the father of all gods and goddesses, the creator of heaven and earth. Aramazd was the source of earth’s fertility, making it fruitful and bountiful. The celebration in his honor was called Amanor, or New Year,...
, creator-god and source of the Earth's fertility
Aztec mythology
- ChiconahuiChiconahuiIn Aztec mythology, Chiconahui was a domestic fertility goddess and protectress of families and homes....
, domestic fertility goddess - CihuacoatlCihuacoatlIn Aztec mythology, Cihuacoatl was one of a number of motherhood and fertility goddesses....
, goddess of motherhood, fertility and midwives - CoatlicueCoatlicueCoatlicue, also known as Teteoinan , "The Mother of Gods" , is the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars, and Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war...
, goddess of fertility, life, death and rebirth - HuixtocihuatlHuixtocihuatlIn Aztec mythology, Huixtocihuatl was a fertility goddess who presided over salt and salt water. Her younger brother was Tlaloc, and the rain gods, the Tlaloques are her sisters, or, in some sources, the children of Tlaloc...
, fertility goddess who presided over salt and salt water - MayahuelMayahuelMayahuel is the female divinity associated with the maguey plant among cultures of central Mexico in the Postclassic era of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology, and in particular of the Aztec cultures...
, goddess of maguey plants, associated with fertility - PatecatlPatecatlIn Aztec mythology, Patecatl is a god of healing and fertility, and the discoverer of peyoteas well as the "lord of the root of pulque ". With Mayahuel, he was the father of the Centzon Totochtin....
, god of healing and fertility - TepoztecatlTepoztecatlIn Aztec mythology, Tepoztecatl was the god of pulque, of drunkenness and fertility. The deity was also known by his calendrical name, Ometochtli...
, god of pulquePulquePulque, or octli, is a milk-colored, somewhat viscous alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant, and is a traditional native beverage of Mexico. The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to...
, of drunkenness and fertility - TlalocTlalocTlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he...
, god of rain, fertility and water - TlazolteotlTlazolteotlIn Aztec mythology, Tlazolteotl is a goddess of purification, steam bath, midwives, filth, and a patroness of adulterers. In Nahuatl, the word tlazolli can refer to vice and diseases. Thus, Tlazolteotl was a goddess of filth , vice, and sexual misdeeds...
, goddess of purification, steam bath, midwives, filth, and a patroness of adulterers - TociTociToci is a deity figuring prominently in the religion and mythology of the pre-Columbian Aztec civilization of Mesoamerica...
, is the "Mother of the Gods", often associated with TlazolteotlTlazolteotlIn Aztec mythology, Tlazolteotl is a goddess of purification, steam bath, midwives, filth, and a patroness of adulterers. In Nahuatl, the word tlazolli can refer to vice and diseases. Thus, Tlazolteotl was a goddess of filth , vice, and sexual misdeeds... - TonacatecuhtliTonacatecuhtliIn Aztec mythology, Tonacatecuhtli was a fertility god, who was worshipped for being the power that warmed the earth and made it fruitful. He organized the world into land and ocean at the creation of the world. Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl were the creators of the life, but he created them and...
, god of fertility - Tzitzimimeh, a group of star deities associated with fertility
- Xipe TotecXipe TotecIn Aztec mythology and religion, Xipe Totec was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, disease, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths and the seasons. Xipe Totec was also known by the alternative names Tlatlauhca, Tlatlauhqui Tezcatlipoca and Youalahuan...
, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, disease, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths and the seasons - XochipilliXochipillithumb|300px|right| Image of Xochipilli.Xochipilli was the god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, and song in Aztec mythology. His name contains the Nahuatl words xochitl and pilli , and hence means "flower prince"...
, god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, fertility, and song - XochiquetzalXochiquetzalIn Aztec mythology, Xochiquetzal was a goddess associated with concepts of fertility, beauty, and female sexual power, serving as a protector of young mothers and a patroness of pregnancy, childbirth, and the crafts practised by women such as weaving and embroidery...
, goddess of fertility, beauty, female sexual power, protection of young mothers, pregnancy, childbirth, and women's crafts
Baltic mythology
- LaimaLaimaLaima was the personification of fate and luck in the Latvian and Lithuanian mythologies. She was associated with childbirth, marriage, and death; she was also the patron of pregnant women...
, goddess of luck and fate, associated with childbirth, pregnancy marriage, and death - Saulė, solar goddess of life and fertility, warmth and health
Celtic mythology
- BrigidBrigidIn Irish mythology, Brigit or Brighid was the daughter of the Dagda and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She was the wife of Bres of the Fomorians, with whom she had a son, Ruadán....
, Irish goddess associated with fertility - CernunnosCernunnosCernunnos is the conventional name given in Celtic studies to depictions of the horned god of Celtic polytheism. The name itself is only attested once, on the 1st-century Pillar of the Boatmen, but depictions of a horned or antlered figure, often seated in a "lotus position" and often associated...
, horned god associated with fertility - Damara, fertility goddess worshipped in Britain
- DamonaDamonaIn Gallo-Roman religion, Damona was a goddess worshipped in Gaul as the consort of Apollo Borvo and of Apollo Moritasgus. Mary Jones interprets Damona's name as "Divine Cow" based on its resemblance to damos or "cow". She has sometimes been linked with the Irish goddess Boand on the basis of this...
, Gaulish fertility goddess - EponaEponaIn Gallo-Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, ears of grain and the presence of foals in some sculptures suggested that the goddess and her horses were leaders of the...
, goddess of horses and fertility - Hooded SpiritsHooded SpiritsThe Hooded Spirits or Genii Cucullati are figures found in religious sculpture across the Romano-Celtic region from Britain to Pannonia, depicted as "cloaked scurrying figures carved in an almost abstract manner" . They are found with a particular concentration in the Rhineland...
, a group of deities theorised to be fertility spirits - NantosueltaNantosueltaIn Gaulish religion, Nantosuelta was a goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility. The Mediomatrici depicted her in art as holding a model house or dovecote, on a pole . Nantosuelta is attested by statues, and by inscriptions. She was sometimes paired with Sucellus. Nantosuelta was also the...
, goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility - OnuavaOnuavaOnuava is a Celtic fertility goddess. She is associated with the earth and is known only from inscriptions in Gaul....
, goddess of fertility - RosmertaRosmertaIn Gallo-Roman religion, Rosmerta was a goddess of fertility and abundance, her attributes being those of plenty such as the cornucopia. Rosmerta is attested by statues, and by inscriptions...
, Gallo-Roman goddess of fertility and abundance
Catholic mythology
- St. AnneSaint AnneSaint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
, patron saint of pregnancy and mothers - St. Catherine of Sweden, patron saint of protection against abortion and miscarriage
- St. Gerard Majella, patron saint of childbirth, motherhood, children and mothers (unborn children and expecting mothers in particular)
- St. Margaret the Virgin, patron saint of childbirth and pregnant women
- Phallic saintsPhallic saintsPhallic saints were actual saints or local deities who were invoked for fertility. More than vulgar representations of the phallus, phallic saints were benevolent symbols of prolificacy and reproductive fruitfulness, and objects of reverence and especial worship among barren women and young girls...
, a group of saints invoked for fertility - St. Raymond NonnatusRaymond NonnatusSaint Raymond Nonnatus was a saint from Catalonia in Spain. His surname refers to his birth by Caesarean section...
, patron saint of childbirth, midwives, children, and pregnant women
Egyptian mythology
- AmunAmunAmun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
, creator-god, associated with fertility - Bastet, cat goddess sometimes associated with fertility
- BesBesBes was an Egyptian deity worshipped in the later periods of dynastic history as a protector of households and in particular mothers and children. In time he would be regarded as the defender of everything good and the enemy of all that is bad...
, household protector god associated with music, dance, and sexual pleasure - HathorHathorHathor , is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt...
, goddess who personified the principles of love, motherhood and joy - Heget, frog-goddess of fertility
- HeryshafHeryshafIn Egyptian mythology, Heryshaf, or Hershef, , transcribed in Greek as Harsaphes was an ancient ram-god whose cult was centered in Herakleopolis Magna . He was identified with Ra and Osiris in Egyptian mythology, and to Heracles in Greek mythology...
, god of creation and fertility - IsisIsisIsis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
, goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility - MesenetMesenetIn Ancient Egyptian mythology, Meskhenet, was the goddess of childbirth, and the creator of each child's Ka, a part of their soul, which she breathed into them at the moment of birth...
, goddess of childbirth - MinMin (god)Min is an Ancient Egyptian god whose cult originated in predynastic times . He was represented in many different forms, but was often represented in male human form, shown with an erect penis which he holds in his left hand and an upheld right arm holding a flail...
, god of fertility, reproduction, and lettuce - OsirisOsirisOsiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...
, god of the afterlife, the dead, and the underworld agency that granted all life, including sprouting vegetation and the fertile flooding of the Nile River - RenenutetRenenutetIn Egyptian mythology, Renenutet was the anthropomorphic deification of the act of gaining a true name, an aspect of the soul, during birth. Her name simply meaning, gives Ren, with Ren being the Egyptian word for this true name...
, goddess of the true name, the harvest and fertile fields - SobekSobekSobek , and in Greek, Suchos was the deification of crocodiles, as crocodiles were deeply feared in the nation so dependent on the Nile River...
, god of the river, warfare and fertility - SopdetSopdetIn Egyptian mythology, Sopdet was the deification of Sothis, a star considered by almost all Egyptologists to be Sirius. The name Sopdet means sharp in Egyptian, a reference to the brightness of Sirius, which is the brightest star in the night sky...
, goddess of the fertility of the soil - TawaretTawaretIn Egyptian mythology, Taweret is the Egyptian Goddess of childbirth and fertility. The name "Taweret" means, "she who is great" or simply, "great one"...
, goddess of fertility and childbirth - TefnutTefnutIn Ancient Egyptian religion, Tefnut, transliterated tfnt is a goddess of moisture, moist air, dew and rain. She is the sister and consort of the air god Shu and the mother of Geb and Nut.- Etymology :...
, goddess of water and fertility - QeteshQeteshQetesh is a Sumerian goddess adopted into Egyptian mythology from the Canaanite religion, popular during the New Kingdom. She was a fertility goddess of sacred ecstasy and sexual pleasure....
, goddess of sacred ecstasy and sexual pleasure
Etruscan mythology
- FuflunsFuflunsIn Etruscan mythology, Fufluns was a god of plant life, happiness, wine, health and growth in all things. He is the son of Semla. He was worshipped at Populonia ....
, god of plant life, happiness and health and growth in all things - ThesanThesanIn Etruscan mythology, Thesan was the goddess of the dawn and was associated with the generation of life. She was identified with the Roman Aurora and Greek Eos....
, goddess of the dawn, associated with the generation of life
Germanic mythology
- NerthusNerthusIn Germanic paganism, Nerthus is a goddess associated with fertility. Nerthus is attested by Tacitus, the first century AD Roman historian, in his Germania. Various theories exist regarding the goddess and her potential later traces amongst the Germanic tribes...
, goddess associated with fertility - Anyak-Schlikh, goddess of fertility and passionate love
Greek mythology
- AdonisAdonisAdonis , in Greek mythology, the god of beauty and desire, is a figure with Northwest Semitic antecedents, where he is a central figure in various mystery religions. The Greek , Adōnis is a variation of the Semitic word Adonai, "lord", which is also one of the names used to refer to God in the Old...
, a figure associated with death, rebirth and vegetation - AphaeaAphaeaAphaea was a Greek goddess who was worshipped almost exclusively at a single sanctuary on the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf. She originated as early as the 14th century BCE as a local deity associated with fertility and the agricultural cycle...
, local goddess associated with fertility and the agricultural cycle - AphroditeAphroditeAphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, goddess of love, beauty and sexuality - ArtemisArtemisArtemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls and health and disease in women - CybeleCybeleCybele , was a Phrygian form of the Earth Mother or Great Mother. As with Greek Gaia , her Minoan equivalent Rhea and some aspects of Demeter, Cybele embodies the fertile Earth...
, Phrygian Earth Mother goddess who embodies the fertile earth - DemeterDemeterIn Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
, goddess of agriculture and the fertility of the earth - DionysusDionysusDionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
, god of wine and festivity, associated with fertility - ErosErosEros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
, god of sexual love, fertility and beauty
- GaiaGaia (mythology)Gaia was the primordial Earth-goddess in ancient Greek religion. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods and Titans were descended from her union with Uranus , the sea-gods from her union with Pontus , the Giants from her mating with Tartarus and mortal creatures were sprung or born...
, Earth Mother and goddess of the fertile earth - HeraHeraHera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
, goddess of the air, marriage, women, women's fertility, childbirth, heirs, kings and empires - HermesHermesHermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
, god of roads, commerce, invention, and theft; herald and messenger of the gods - IlithyiaIlithyiaEileithyia or Ilithyia , was the Cretan goddess adopted into ancient Greek religion and myth as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery.-Etymology and cult:...
, goddess of childbirth and midwifery - PanPan (mythology)Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
, god of shepherds, flocks, mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music; associated with fertility - PersephonePersephoneIn Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
, daughter of Zeus and Demeter; abducted by Pluto to be queen of Hades, but allowed to return to the surface of earth for part of the year. - PhanesPhanes (mythology)Phanes , or Protogonos , was the mystic primeval deity of procreation and the generation of new life, who was introduced into Greek mythology by the Orphic tradition; other names for this Classical Greek Orphic concept included Ericapaeus and Metis...
, primeval deity of procreation and the generation of new life - PriapusPriapusIn Greek mythology, Priapus or Priapos , was a minor rustic fertility god, protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia. Priapus is marked by his absurdly oversized, permanent erection, which gave rise to the medical term priapism...
, rustic god of fertility, protection of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia
Hawaiian mythology
- Haumea, goddess of fertility and childbirth
- Kamapua'aKamapua'aIn Hawaiian mythology, Kamapuaa is a hog-man fertility demi-god associated with Lono, the god of agriculture. The son of Hina and Kahiki-ula, the chief of Kauai, Kamapua'a was particularly connected with the island of Maui....
, demi-god of fertility - LakaLakaIn Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the name of a popular hero from Polynesian mythology....
, patron of the hula dance and god of fertility - LonoLonoIn Hawaiian mythology, the deity Lono is associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music. In one of the many Hawaiian legends of Lono, he is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with...
, god associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music
Hindu mythology
- AditiAditiAditi in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. In the Vedas Aditi is mother of the gods from whose cosmic matrix the heavenly bodies were born...
, goddess of space, consciousness, the past, the future, and fertility - Banka-MundiBanka-MundiIn Hinduism, Banka-Mundi is a goddess of the hunt and fertility....
, goddess of the hunt and fertility - BhūmiBhumiBhumi can mean:* Bhūmi, Hindu goddess of the earth**also, earth as a classical element in Hindu tradition* Bhumi , the ten stages a Bodhisattva advances through in the path to become a Buddha...
, goddess of the earth and the fertility form of LakshmiLakshmiLakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments... - ChandraChandraIn Hinduism, Chandra is a lunar deity and a Graha. Chandra is also identified with the Vedic Lunar deity Soma . The Soma name refers particularly to the juice of sap in the plants and thus makes the Moon the lord of plants and vegetation. He is described as young, beautiful, fair; two-armed and...
, lunar god associated with fertility - Lajja GauriLajja GauriLajja Gauri is a goddess associated with abundance and fertility, and she has been euphemistically described as Lajja .-History:...
, goddess associated with abundance and fertility - ManasaManasaManasa is a Hindu folk goddess of snakes, worshipped mainly in Bengal and other parts of northeastern India, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite and also for fertility and prosperity. Manasa is the sister of Vasuki, king of Nāgas and wife of sage Jagatkāru...
, snake goddess associated with fertility and prosperity - ParvatiParvatiParvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
, goddess associated with fertility, marital felicity, devotion to the spouse, asceticism, and power - SinivaliSinivaliSinivali is a Vedic goddess, mentioned in two hymns of the Rigveda, in RV 2.32 and RV 10.184. In 2.32.7-8 she is described as broadhipped, fair-armed, fair-fingered, presiding over fecundity and easy birth. She is invoked together with Gungu, Raka, Sarasvati, Indrani and Varunani...
, goddess associated with fecundity and easy
Inca mythology
- Mama Quilla, the goddess of the moon, the menstrual cycle, and a protector of women
- Mama OclloMama OclloIn Inca mythology, Mama Cora Ocllo was deified as a mother and fertility goddess. In one legend she was a daughter of Inti and Mama Quilla, and in another the daughter of Viracocha and Mama Cocha. She was the sister and wife of Manco Cápac, and discovered Cuzco with him. She taught the Inca women...
, mother goddess, associated with fertility - Sara MamaSara MamaIn Inca mythology Sara Mama was the goddess of grain. She was associated with maize that grew in multiples or were similarly strange. These strange plants were sometimes dressed as dolls of Sara Mama. She was also associated with willow trees....
, goddess of grain - Pacha KamaqPacha KamaqPacha Kamaq was the deity worshipped in the city of Pachacamac by the Ichma....
, Creator of the World - PachamamaPachamamaPachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as Mother Earth, but a more literal translation would be "Mother world"...
, fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting and causes earthquakes
Indigenous Australian mythology
- AnjeaAnjeaIn Australian Aboriginal mythology, Anjea is a fertility goddess or spirit. People's souls reside within her in between their incarnations. She picks them up at their resting places in the sand, which are marked with twigs. The twigs are arranged in the ground so as to form a circle, and they are...
, goddess or spirit of fertility - BirrahgnoolooBirrahgnoolooIn Australian Aboriginal mythology , Birrahgnooloo is a goddess of fertility who would send floods if properly asked. Ash et al. spell her name as 'Birra-ngulu', i.e...
, KamilaroiKamilaroiThe Kamilaroi or Gamilaraay are an Indigenous Australian people who are from the area between Tamworth and Goondiwindi, and west to Narrabri, Walgett and Lightning Ridge, in northern New South Wales...
goddess of fertility - DilgaDilgaIn Australian aboriginal mythology , Dilga is a goddess of fertility and growth, and the mother of the Bagadjimbiri. She avenged their deaths at the hands of Ngariman by drowning him in her milk....
, Karadjeri goddess of fertility and growth - JulunggulJulunggulIn the Australian Aboriginal mythology of Arnhem Land, Julunggul is a rainbow snake goddess, who oversaw the maturing and initiation of boys into manhood...
, Yolgnu rainbow snake goddess associated with fertility, initiation, rebirth and the weather - KunapipiKunapipiIn Australian aboriginal mythology, Kunapipi is a mother goddess and the patron deity of many heroes. She gave birth to human beings as well as to most animals and plants....
, mother goddess and the patron deity of many heroes - UngudUngudIn Australian Aboriginal mythology, Ungud is a snake god who is sometimes male and sometimes female. He is associated with rainbows and the fertility and erections of the tribe's shamans....
, snake god or goddess associated with rainbows and the fertility and erections of the tribe's shaman - WollunquaWollunquaIn Australian aboriginal mythology, Wollunqua is a snake-god of rain and fertility, who emerged from a watering hole in the Murschison Mountains. He is said to be many miles long....
, snake god of rain and fertility
Inuit mythology
- AknaAkna*In Inuit mythology, Akna is a goddess of fertility and childbirth.*Akna is also the name of a goddess of motherhood and birthing in Maya mythology.AKNA:...
, goddess of fertility and childbirth - PukkeenegakPukkeenegakIn Inuit mythology, Pukkeenegak is a goddess of children, pregnancy, childbirth and the making of clothes....
, goddess of children, pregnancy, childbirth and the making of clothes
Maya mythology
- AknaAkna*In Inuit mythology, Akna is a goddess of fertility and childbirth.*Akna is also the name of a goddess of motherhood and birthing in Maya mythology.AKNA:...
, goddess of motherhood and childbirth - IxchelIxchelIxchel or Ix Chel is the 16th-century name of the aged jaguar goddess of midwifery and medicine in the ancient Maya culture. She corresponds, more or less, to Toci Yoalticitl ‘Our Grandmother the Nocturnal Physician’, an Aztec earth goddess inhabiting the sweatbath, and is related to another...
, jaguar goddess of midwifery and medicine
Mesopotamian mythology
- Ama-arhusAma-arhusAma-arhus is an Akkadian fertility goddess. She is mentioned in texts as being amongst the pantheon at Uruk in Hellenistic times, but is also found as an earlier aspect of the deity Gula....
, goddess of fertility - AmasagnulAmasagnulAmasagnul is an Akkadian fertility goddess. She is mentioned in documents from the Hellenistic period at Uruk, and is thought to be the consort of the god Papsukkal...
, goddess of fertility - EmeshEmeshEmesh is a Sumerian god of vegetation. He was created, alongside the god Enten, at the wish of Enlil to take responsibility on earth for woods, fields, sheep folds, and stables. He is identified with the abundance of the earth and with summer....
, Sumerian god of vegetation, associated with the abundance of the earth - EntenEntenEnten is a Sumerian fertility deity. He was said to have been created by Enlil as a guardian of farmers, along with the vegetation god Emesh. Enten was given specific responsibility for the fertility of ewes, goats, cows, donkeys, birds, and other animals. He is identified with the abundance of the...
, Sumerian fertility god - GatumdagGatumdagGatumdag is a fertility goddess in Sumerian mythology. She is the daughter of the sky god An and is the tutelary mother goddess of Lagash....
, goddess of fertility - InannaInannaInanna, also spelled Inana is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare....
(IshtarIshtarIshtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
), goddess of sexual love, fertility and warfare - NansheNansheIn Sumerian mythology, Nanshe was the daughter of Enki and Ninhursag . Her functions as a goddess were varied. She was a goddess of social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing. Like her father, she was heavily associated with water. She held dominion over the Persian Gulf and all the...
, goddess of social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing - NidabaNidabaNanibgal , also Nisaba or Nidaba was the Sumerian goddess of writing, learning, and the harvest. Her sanctuaries were E-zagin at Eresh and at Umma. On a depiction found in Lagash, she appears with flowing hair, crowned with horned tiara bearing supporting ears of corn and a crescent moon...
, goddess of writing, learning, and the harvest - NinhursagNinhursagIn Sumerian mythology, Ninhursag or Ninkharsag was the earth and mother goddess, one of the seven great deities of Sumer. She is principally a fertility goddess. Temple hymn sources identify her as the 'true and great lady of heaven' and kings of Sumer were 'nourished by Ninhursag's milk'...
, mother goddess associated with fertility - Nin-immaNin-immaNin-imma is a Sumerian, Babylonian, and Akkadian fertility goddess, deification of the female sex organs. Her parents are Enki and Ninkurra- Etymology :Nin - goddessImma - Water that created everything- References :...
, goddess of fertility and deification of the female sex organs - Sharra ItuSharra ItuSharra Itu is a Sumerian fertility goddess, originally the tutelary deity of the city of Su-Sin. By Hellenistic times she had probably become the more important deity Sarrahitu who is included in the pantheon at Uruk and mentioned in various cult texts where she is described as "the bride"....
, goddess of fertility - Shu-pa-eShu-pa-eShul-pa-e is an astral and fertility god in Sumerian mythology. He is identified as the personification of the planet Jupiter and, in one list, is the consort of the mother goddess Ninhursag.- References :...
, Sumerian astral and fertility god, personifying the planet JupiterJupiterJupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,... - ShulmanuShulmanuShulmanu is a god of the underworld, fertility, and war. He was worshipped by the Babylonians, Akkadians, and the western Semitic peoples. Shulmanu was found in Assyria circa 1400 BC to 700 BC and is known from Bronze Age inscriptions at Sidon....
, god of the underworld, fertility and war - TammuzTammuzTammuz Tammuz Tammuz (Syriac: ܬܡܘܙ, Hebrew: תַּמּוּז, Transliterated Hebrew: Tammuz, Tiberian Hebrew: Tammûz, Arabic: تمّوز Tammūz; Turkish: Temmuz Akkadian: Duʾzu, Dūzu; Sumerian: Dumuzid (DUMU.ZI(D) "faithful or true son") was the name of a Sumerian god of food and vegetation.-Ritual mourning:In...
, god of food, vegetation and fertility
Native American mythology
- AtahensicAtahensicAtahensic is an Iroquois sky goddess that fell to the earth at the time of creation. According to legend, she was carried down to the land by the wings of birds. After her fall from the sky she gave birth to Hahgwehdiyu and Hahgwehdaetgah, twin sons...
, IroquoisIroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
goddess associated with marriage, childbirth, and feminine endeavors - KokopelliKokopelliKokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player , who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture...
, HopiHopiThe Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
trickster god associated with fertility, childbirth and agriculture
Norse mythology
- Freyja, goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death
- FreyrFreyrFreyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"...
, god associated with farming, weather and fertility - FriggFriggFrigg is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. She is said to be the wife of Odin, and is the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. Frigg appears primarily in Norse mythological stories as a wife and a mother. She is also described as having the power...
, goddess associated with prophecy, marriage and childbirth - Gefjun, goddess of ploughing and possibly fertility
Oceania mythology
- Gedi (mythology)Gedi (mythology)In the mythology of , Gedi is a fertility god who taught mankind the use of fire....
, FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an god of fertility, who taught mankind the use of fire - MakemakeMakemake (mythology)Makemake in the Rapa Nui mythology of Easter Island, was the creator of humanity, the god of fertility and the chief god of the "Tangata manu" or bird-man cult .He is a frequent subject of the island's Petroglyphs.-In Astronomy:The trans-Neptunian...
, Rapa Nui creator-god, associated with fertility - Tagroa SiriaTagroa SiriaTagroa Siria was the supreme deity in pre-Christian Rotuman society. He is understood to be the Rotuman version of the pan-Pacific deity Tangaroa....
, Fijian god associated with fertility - Tangaroa, RarotongaRarotongaRarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
n god of the sea and creation, associated with fertility
Roman mythology
- Bona DeaBona DeaBona Dea was a divinity in ancient Roman religion. She was associated with chastity and fertility in women, healing, and the protection of the Roman state and people...
, goddess of fertility, healing, virginity, and women - CandeliferaCandeliferaIn Roman mythology, Candelifera was a goddess of childbirth. She was usually associated with Lucina and CarmentaEarly Roman Mythology focused on the interlocking and complex interrelations between gods and humans. In this, the Romans maintained a large selection of divinities with unusually...
, goddess of childbirth - CarmentaCarmentaIn ancient Roman religion and myth, Carmenta was a goddess of childbirth and prophecy, associated with technological innovation as well as the protection of mothers and children, and a patron of midwives...
, goddess of childbirth and prophecy - CeresCeres (mythology)In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres"...
, goddess of cerealCerealCereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
and of motherly relationships equated with the Greek goddess DemeterDemeterIn Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society... - DianaDiana (mythology)In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
, goddess of the hunt, wilderness, the moon and childbirth, equivalent to the Greek Artemis - FascinusFascinusIn ancient Roman religion and magic, the fascinus or fascinum was the embodiment of the divine phallus. The word can refer to the deity himself , to phallus effigies and amulets, and to the spells used to invoke his divine protection...
, embodiment of the divine phallusPhallusA phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic... - Fecunditas, goddess of fertility
- FeroniaFeronia (mythology)In ancient Roman religion, Feronia was a goddess broadly associated with fertility and abundance. She was especially honored among plebeians and freedmen...
, goddess associated with fertility and abundance - FloraFlora (mythology)In Roman mythology, Flora was a goddess of flowers and the season of spring. While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses, her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime...
, goddess of flowers and spring - InuusInuusIn ancient Roman religion, Inuus was a god, or aspect of a god, who embodied copulation. The evidence for him as a distinct entity is scant. Servius says that Inuus is an epithet of Faunus , named from his habit of intercourse with animals, based on the etymology of ineundum, "a going in,...
, god of sexual intercourse - JunoJuno (mythology)Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...
, goddess of marriage and childbirth, equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera - LiberLiberIn ancient Roman religion and mythology, Liber , also known as Liber Pater was a god of viticulture and wine, fertility and freedom. He was a patron deity of Rome's plebeians and was part of their Aventine Triad. His festival of Liberalia became associated with free speech and the rights...
, god of viniculture, wine and male fertility, equivalent to Greek DionysusDionysusDionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
; in archaic LaviniumLaviniumLavinium was a port city of Latium, to the south of Rome, at a median distance between the Tiber river at Ostia and Anzio. The coastline then, as now, was a long strip of beach. Lavinium was on a hill at the southernmost edge of the Silva Laurentina, a dense laurel forest, and the northernmost...
, a phallic deity - LiberaLibera (mythology)Libera is a fertility goddess in ancient Roman religion. Her origins are unknown; she may have been a fertility goddess of archaic or pre-Roman Magna Graecia. Her Latin name is the feminine form of Liber,...
, goddess of female fertility and the earth - Lucina, goddess of childbirth
- Mars, god initially associated with fertility and vegetation, but later associated with warfare and the Greek god AresAresAres is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
- Mutunus TutunusMutunus TutunusIn ancient Roman religion, Mutunus Tutunus or Mutinus Titinus was a phallic marriage deity, in some respects equated with Priapus. His shrine was located on the Velian Hill, supposedly since the founding of Rome, until the 1st century BC....
, phallic marriage deity associated with the Greek god Priapus - OpsOpsIn ancient Roman religion, Ops or Opis, was a fertility deity and earth-goddess of Sabine origin.-Mythology:Her husband was Saturn, the bountiful monarch of the Golden Age. Just as Saturn was identified with the Greek deity Cronus, Opis was identified with Rhea, Cronus' wife...
, fertility and earth-goddess
- Partula, goddess of childbirth, who determined the duration of each pregnancy
- PicumnusPicumnusIn Roman mythology, Picumnus was a god of fertility, agriculture, matrimony, infants and children. He may have been the same god as Sterquilinus. His brother was Pilumnus....
, god of fertility, agriculture, matrimony, infants and children - Robigus, fertility god who protects crops against disease
- TerraTerra (mythology)Terra or Tellus was a goddess personifying the Earth in Roman mythology. The names Terra Mater and Tellus Mater both mean "Mother Earth" in Latin; Mater is an honorific title also bestowed on other goddesses...
, earth goddess associated with marriage, motherhood, pregnant women, and pregnant animals; equivalent to the Greek Gaia - VenusVenus (mythology)Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
, goddess of love, beauty and fertility, equivalent to the Greek goddess Aphrodite
Sami mythology
- Beiwe, goddess of fertility and sanity
- Rana NiejtaRana NiejtaRana Niejta and Rana Niejte are Ume Sami names on a goddess in sami mythology. In Northern Sami she is called Rana Neida and Rana Neide .Rana Niejta is the goddess for spring and fertility...
, goddess of spring and fertility
Slavic mythology
- DzydzilelyaDzydzilelyaDzydzilelya is the Polish Goddess of love and marriage and of sexuality and fertility. She is similar to Venus, Aphrodite, Freyja and other goddesses of this nature.See also Polish mythology...
, Polish goddess of love, marriage, sexuality and fertility - JariloJariloJarilo , alternatively Yarilo, Iarilo, or Gerovit, was a major male Proto-Slavic deity of vegetation, fertility and spring, also associated with war and harvest.-Sources:...
, god of fertility, spring, the harvest and war - KostromaKostroma (deity)Kostroma is an East Slavic fertility goddess. The rites of Semik were devoted to her. During this festival a disguised girl or a straw figure portrayed Kostroma. First, a scarecrow was honored and revered. Then, participants of the rite mourned the death of Kostroma, and burned or tore the scarecrow...
, goddess of fertility - RadegastRadegast (god)Radegast, also Radigost, Redigast, Riedegost or Radogost, is mentioned by Adam of Bremen in his Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum as the deity worshipped in the Lutician city of Rethra. Likewise, Helmold in his Chronica Slavorum wrote of Radegast as a Lutician god...
, West Slavic god of hospitality, fertility, and crops, associated with war and the sun - SiebogSiebogIn Slavic mythology Siebog is the god of love and marriage. He is consort to the goddess of love and marriage Živa....
, god of love and marriage - SvetovidSvetovidSventevith, Sventovid , Svyatovit , Svyatovid , Svyentovit , Svetovid , Suvid Sventevith, Sventovid (Russian and Bulgarian, and alternative name in Serbo-Croatian), Svyatovit (Ukrainian), Svyatovid (alternative name in Ukrainian), Svyentovit (alternative name in Ukrainian), Svetovid (Serbian,...
, god of war, fertility and abundance - ZemeZemeZeme, also referred to as Zemes-mãte, was a Slavic and Latvian goddess of the earth, identical to Lithuanian Žemyna. Her name means "Mother of the Earth." She had a total of seventy sisters, some related specifically to the function of fertility....
, goddess of the earth, associated with fertility - Živa, goddess of love and fertility
Turkic mythology
- AjysytAjysytAjysyt is the name of the Mother goddess of the Turkic Yakut people from the Lena River region of Siberia. The literal meaning is "Birthgiver". Her full name is given as Ajysyt-ijaksit-khotan, meaning "Birthgiving nourishing mother"....
, mother goddess associated with childbirth - UmayUmayUmay is the goddess of fertility and virginity in Turkic mythology and Tengriism and as such related to women, mothers and children. Umay resembles earth-mother goddesses found in various other world religions. Literally in the Mongolian language, "eje" or "eej" means "mother." In Mongolian "Umai"...
, goddess of fertility and virginity
Vodou
- Ayida-WeddoAyida-WeddoIn Vodou, especially in Benin and Haiti, Aida-Weddo is a loa of fertility, rainbows and snakes, and a companion or wife to Damballah-Wedo. Ayida-Weddo is known as the Rainbow Serpent.- External links :*...
, loaLoaThe Loa are the spirits of the voodoo religion practiced in Louisiana, Haiti, Benin, and other parts of the world. They are also referred to as Mystères and the Invisibles, in which are intermediaries between Bondye —the Creator, who is distant from the world—and humanity...
of fertility, rainbows and snakes - GuédéGuédéIn Haitian Vodou, the Guédé are the family of spirits that embody the powers of death and fertility. Guédé spirits include Ghede Masaka, Guédé Nibo, Guédé Plumaj, Guédé Ti Malis, and Guédé Zaranye. All are known for the drum rhythm and dance called the "banda"...
, family of spirits that embody the powers of death and fertility