List of war deities
Encyclopedia
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 war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheistic
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
religions. The following is a list of war deities.
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- African mythology
- Agurzil, BerberBerber mythologyThe traditional Berber mythology is the ancient and native set of beliefs and deities developed by the Berber people in their historical land of North Africa...
god of war - ApedemakApedemakApedemak, alt Apademak, was a lion-headed warrior god worshiped in Nubia by Meroitic peoples. A number of Meroitic temples dedicated to Apedemak are known from the Butana region: Naqa, Meroe, and Musawwarat es-Sufra, which seems to be his chief cult place...
, NubiaNubiaNubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
n lion-headed warrior god - KokouKokou (god)In the Yoruba religion of Benin, a Kokou is one of the most highly feared warrior Undergods. It is the most violent and powerful of the Yoruba spirits and the voodoo rituals surrounding it involves its followers to fall into a deep trance with rapidly beating drums...
, powerful Yoruba warrior god - MaherMaher (god)Maher or Mahrem is a god of the Axsumites and the Himyarites . Son of main god Ashtar, he was the deity of war, compared with Mars or Ares in Classical sources who used both forms of the interpretatio. The God Maher held a place of special importance with the Axumites; the gods of the pagan period...
, EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n god of war - OgounOgounIn the Yoruba and Haitian traditional belief system, Ogun is a orisha and loa who presides over iron, hunting, politics and war. He is the patron of smiths, and is usually displayed with a number of attributes: a machete or sabre, rum and tobacco...
, Yoruba deity who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics and war - OyaOyaIn Yoruba mythology, Oya , is the Undergoddess of the Niger River. Oya has been syncretized in Santería with the Catholic images of the Virgin of Candelaria.-Aspects:...
, Yoruba warrior-goddess of the Niger RiverNiger RiverThe Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
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- Arabian mythologyArabian mythologyArabian mythology comprises the ancient, pre-Islamic beliefs of the Arabs. Prior to Islam the Kaaba of Mecca was covered in symbols representing the myriad demons, djinn, demigods, or simply tribal gods and other assorted deities which represented the polytheistic culture of pre-Islamic Arabia...
- Al-QaumAl-QaumAl-Qaum was the Nabataean god of war and the night, and guardian of caravans.Large numbers of inscriptions bearing his name have been found, and archaeologists believe that he was a major god of the Nabataean pantheon....
, Nabatean god of war and the night, and guardian of caravans
- Arabian mythology
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- Armenian mythologyArmenian mythologyVery little is known about pre-Christian Armenian mythology, the oldest source being the legends of Xorenatsi's History of Armenia.Armenian mythology was strongly influenced by Zoroastrianism, with deities such as Aramazd, Mihr or Anahit, as well as Assyrian traditions, such as Barsamin, but there...
- 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; in early periods associated with war
- Armenian mythology
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- Aztec mythologyAztec mythologyThe aztec civilization recognized a polytheistic mythology, which contained the many deities and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs. "orlando"- History :...
- HuitzilopochtliHuitzilopochtliIn Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli , was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.- Genealogy :...
, god of war and the sun - ItzpapalotlItzpapalotlIn Aztec mythology, Itzpapalotl was a fearsome skeletal warrior goddess, who ruled over the paradise world of Tamoanchan, the paradise of victims of infant mortality and place identified where humans were created. She is the mother of Mixcoatl and is particularly associated with the moth...
, skeletal warrior goddess - MextliMextliIn Aztec mythology, Mextli was the god of war and storms and was born fully armed as a warrior. He accepted hundreds of sacrifices annually. citation need His name is thought by many to be the source of the name "Mexico".-References:...
, god of the moon, born fully armed as a warrior - MixcoatlMixcoatlMixcoatl , or Camaxtli, was the god of the hunt and identified with the Milky Way, the stars, and the heavens in several Mesoamerican cultures. He was the patron deity of the Otomi, the Chichimecs, and several groups that claimed descent from the Chichimecs...
, god of fire, war and the hunt - Teoyaomicqui, god of lost dead souls, particularly those who have died in battle
- TezcatlipocaTezcatlipocaTezcatlipoca was a central deity in Aztec religion. One of the four sons of Ometeotl, he is associated with a wide range of concepts, including the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, divination, temptation, jaguars, sorcery, beauty,...
, god associated with the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, divination, temptation, jaguars, sorcery, beauty, war and strife - TociTociToci is a deity figuring prominently in the religion and mythology of the pre-Columbian Aztec civilization of Mesoamerica...
, goddess of the earth, sometimes associated with war
- Aztec mythology
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- Berber mythologyBerber mythologyThe traditional Berber mythology is the ancient and native set of beliefs and deities developed by the Berber people in their historical land of North Africa...
- GurzilGurzilGurzil — or Agurzil — was a war deity of the ancient Berbers.In Berber mythology, Gurzil was a bull-shaped war god who became identified with the son of Amun...
, war god - IfriIFRIIFRI may refer to:* International Forestry Resources and Institutions* Institut Français de Recherche en Iran* Institut français des relations internationales...
, war goddess
- Berber mythology
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- Celtic mythologyCeltic mythologyCeltic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
- AgronaAgrona*Agronā is the reconstructed Proto-Celtic name for the river Aeron in Wales. The river's name literally means 'carnage'. It is hypothesized that there may have been an eponymous river-goddess associated with strife or war.-Bibliography:...
, reconstructed Proto-Celtic name for the river AeronRiver AeronThe River Aeron is a small river in Ceredigion, Wales, that flows into Cardigan Bay at Aberaeron. It is also referred to on some older maps as the River Ayron.- Source :...
in WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and possibly the name of an associated war goddess - AlaisiagaeAlaisiagaeIn Romano-British Celtic/Germanic polytheism, the Alaisiagae, possibly the "Dispatching Terrors," or "All victorious" were a pair of Celtic or Germanic goddesses, Beda and Fimmilena, respectively deifying victory.-Centres of worship:...
, a pair of goddesses worshiped in Roman BritainRoman BritainRoman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, with parallel Celtic and Germanic titles - AndartaAndartaIn Celtic polytheism, Andarta was a warrior goddess worshipped in southern Gaul. Inscriptions to her have been found in southern France and in Berne, Switzerland. She may be related to the goddess Andate, identified with Victory in Britain according to Roman historian Cassius Dio...
, Gaulish warrior goddess - AnannAnannIn Irish mythology, Anann was a goddess. 'Anann' is identified as the personal name of the Morrígan in many MSS of Lebor Gabála Érenn. With Badb and Macha, she is sometimes part of a triple goddess or a triad of war goddesses. As such, she may be a Celtic personification of death, and is depicted...
, IrishIrish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
goddess of war, death, predicting death in battle, cattle, prosperity and fertility - BadbBadbIn Irish mythology, the Badb or Badhbh —meaning "crow" or "vulture"—was a war goddess who took the form of a crow, and was thus sometimes known as Badb Catha . She often caused fear and confusion among soldiers in order to move the tide of battle to her favoured side...
, Irish goddess of war who took the form of a crow; member of the Morrígan - Belatu-CadrosBelatu-CadrosIn Celtic mythology, Belatu-Cadros, also rendered Belatucadros or Belatucadrus, was a deity worshipped in northern Britain, particularly in Cumberland and Westmorland. He may be related to Belenus and Cernunnos, and was equated in the Roman period with Mars...
, war god worshipped by soldiers and equated with the Roman war god MarsMars (mythology)Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions... - CamulusCamulusIn the ancient Celtic pantheon, Camulus or Camulos was a theonym for a god whom the Romans equated with Mars by interpretatio romana. He was an important god of early Britain and Gaul, especially among the Belgae and the Remi, a Gaulish tribe who lived in the area of modern Belgium. At Rindern,...
, god of war of the Belgic RemiRemiThe Remi were a Belgic tribe of north-eastern Gaul in the 1st century BC. They occupied the northern Champagne plain, on the southern fringes of the Forest of Ardennes, between the rivers Mosa and Matrona , and along the river valleys of the Aisne and its tributaries the Aire and the Vesle.Their...
and British TrinovantesTrinovantesThe Trinovantes or Trinobantes were one of the tribes of pre-Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the Thames estuary in current Essex and Suffolk, and included lands now located in Greater London. They were bordered to the north by the Iceni, and to the west by the Catuvellauni... - CatuboduaCatuboduaCatubodua is the name of a Gaulish goddess inferred from a single inscription in Haute Savoie, eastern France that actually reads ATHVBODVAE AVG SERVILIA TERENTIA S L M plus the debatable assumptions that an initial C has been lost and that ATEBODVAE, ATEBODVVS and ATEBODVI in 3 other...
, Gaulish goddess assumed to be associated with victory - CicolluisCicolluisCicolluis or Cicoluis is a god in Celtic mythology worshiped by the ancient Gaulish peoples and having a parallel in Ireland. The name is Gaulish and means “All-Breast” or “Great-Breasted” and is probably used to signify strength...
, Gaulish and Irish god associated with war - CocidiusCocidiusIn Romano-British religion, Cocidius was a deity worshipped in northern Britain. The Romans equated him with Mars, god of war and hunting and with Sylvanus, god of forests, groves and wild fields...
, Romano-BritishRomano-BritishRomano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...
god associated with war, hunting and forests - MachaMachaMacha is the name of a goddess and several other characters in Irish mythology.Macha can also mean:*The LÉ Macha , a ship in the Irish Naval Service, named for the goddess*The Macha crater in Russia, less than 7000 years old...
, Irish goddess associated with war, horses and sovereignty; member of the Morrígan - The Morrígan, Irish triple goddessTriple GoddessThe Triple Goddess is the subject of much of the writing of Robert Graves, and has been adopted by some neopagans as one of their primary deities. The term triple goddess is sometimes used outside of Neopaganism to refer to historical goddess triads and single goddesses of three forms or aspects...
associated with sovereignty, prophecy, war, and death on the battlefield - NeitNeitFor the Egyptian goddess, see Neith.In Irish mythology Neit was a god of war. He was the husband of Nemain, and sometimes of Badb. Also grandfather of Balor, he was killed at the legendary Second Battle of Moytura. The name probably derives from the proto-Celtic *nei-t- meaning fighting or passion...
, Irish god of war, husband of Nemain of Badb - NemainNemainIn Irish mythology, Nemain is the fairy spirit of the frenzied havoc of war, and possibly an aspect of the Morrígan. The name is sometimes spelt Nemon or Neman.-Representation in literature:...
, Irish goddess of the frenzied havoc of war; member of the Morrígan - RudianosRudianosIn ancient Celtic religion, Rudianos was a war god worshiped in Gaul. In Roman times he was equated with Mars.He was invoked at Saint-Andéol-en-Quint and Rochefort-Samson , and at Saint-Michel-de-Valbonne. The name "Rudianos" means red, reflecting the warlike nature of the god...
, Gaulish god of war - SegomoSegomoIn Gallo-Roman religion, Segomo was a war god worshipped in Gaul. In Roman times he was equated with Mars and Hercules. He may be related to Cocidius, a similar god worshipped in Britain. He is commonly associated with the eagle or hawk...
, Gaulish god of war - SmertriosSmertriosIn Gallo-Roman religion, Smertrios or Smertrius was a god of war worshipped in Gaul and Noricum. In Roman times he was equated with Mars. His name contains the same root as that of the goddess Rosmerta and may mean "The Purveyor" or "The Provider", a title rather than a true name...
, Gaulish god of war
- Celtic mythology
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- Chinese mythologyChinese mythologyChinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
- Chi YouChi YouChi You was a tribal leader of the ancient nine Li tribe . He is best known as the tyrant who fought against the then-future Yellow Emperor during the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors era in Chinese mythology. For the Hmong people, Chi You was a sagacious mythical king...
, god of war - Guan YuGuan YuGuan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...
, red-faced warrior deity
- Chinese mythology
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- Continental Germanic mythology
- WōdenWodenWoden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
, god associated with wisdom, war, battle, and death, and also magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt - AndrasteAndrasteAndraste, also known as Andrasta or Andred, was, according to the Roman historian Dio Cassius, an Icenic war goddess invoked by Boudica in her fight against the Roman occupation of Britain in AD 61. She may be the same as Andate, mentioned later by the same source, and described as "their name for...
, Teutonic goddess theorised to be associated with victory
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- Egyptian mythologyEgyptian mythologyAncient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature...
- AnhurAnhurIn early Egyptian mythology, Anhur was originally a god of war who was worshipped in the Egyptian area of Abydos, and particularly in Thinis...
, god of war - Ankt, goddess of war, possibly originating from Asia MinorAsia MinorAsia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
- Bast, goddess associated with war, protection of Lower EgyptLower EgyptLower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the fertile Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
and the pharaohPharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
, the sun, perfumes, ointments and embalming - HorusHorusHorus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
, god of the king, the sky, war and protection - MaahesMaahesMaahes was an ancient Egyptian lion-headed god of war, whose name means "he who is true beside her". He was seen as the son of a lion goddess whose nature he shared...
, lion-headed god of war - MenhitMenhitIn Egyptian mythology, Menhit was originally a foreign war goddess. Her name depicts a warrior status, as it means massacres.When included among the Egyptian deities, she became the female counterpart of Anhur...
, goddess of war, "she who massacres" - Monthu, falconFalconA falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
-headed god of war, valor and the sun - NeithNeithIn Egyptian mythology, Neith was an early goddess in the Egyptian pantheon. She was the patron deity of Sais, where her cult was centered in the Western Nile Delta of Egypt and attested as early as the First Dynasty...
, goddess of creation, hunting and the dead; associated with war - SatisSatisIn Egyptian mythology, Satis was the deification of the floods of the Nile River, and her cult originated in the ancient city of Swenet, now called Aswan on the southern edge of Egypt. Her name means she who shoots forth referring to the annual flooding of the river...
, deification of the floods of the Nile River and an early war, hunting, and fertility goddess - SekhmetSekhmetIn Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet , was originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath created the desert...
, goddess of warfare, pestilence and the desert - SopduSopduIn Egyptian mythology, Sopdu was originally the scorching heat of the summer sun. The effects of the scorching of the sun led many ancient cultures to see it as war-like, and the Egyptians were no different in this respect, with Sopdu consequently being seen as a war god.-In myth:Sopdu's name,...
, god of the scorching heat of the summer sun, associated with war - WepwawetWepwawetIn late Egyptian mythology, Wepwawet was originally a war deity, whose cult centre was Asyut in Upper Egypt . His name means, opener of the ways...
, wolf-god of war and death who later became associated with AnubisAnubisAnubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu . According to the Akkadian transcription in the Amarna letters, Anubis' name was vocalized as Anapa...
and the afterlife
- Egyptian mythology
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- Etruscan mythologyEtruscan mythologyThe Etruscans were a diachronically continuous population, with a distinct language and culture during the period of earliest European writing, in the Mediterranean Iron Age in the second half of the first millennium BC...
- LaranLaranIn Etruscan mythology, Laran was the god of war. In art, he was portrayed as a naked young man with a helmet and a spear. Laran's consort was Turan . Laran would go on to be merged with the Greek pantheon's Ares and his Etruscan companion Veive to form the Roman's god of war: Mars....
, god of war - MenrvaMenrvaMenrva was an Etruscan goddess of war, art, wisdom and health. She contributed much of her character to Roman Minerva....
, goddess of war, art, wisdom and health
- Etruscan mythology
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- Fijian mythology
- SamulayoSamulayoIn the mythology of Fiji, Samulayo is a god of war and those dead souls who died in battle....
, god of war and those dead souls who died in battle
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- Greek mythologyGreek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
- AlalaAlalaAlala, , was the female personification of the war cry in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Polemos, the daemon of war. Her name means loud cry, esp. war-cry, from the onomatopoeic Greek word ἀλαλή [alalē], hence the verb ἀλαλάζω "raise the war-cry". She was an attendant of the war god...
, spirit of the war cry - AndroktasiaiAndroktasiaiIn Greek mythology, the Androktasiai were the female personifications of manslaughter.Hesiod in Theogony names their mother as Eris and their siblings as Lethe , Ponos , Limos , the Algea , the Hysminai , the Makhai , the Phonoi , the Neikea , the Pseudologoi , the Amphilogiai...
, spirits of battlefield slaughter - 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...
, god of war, bloodlust, weapons of war, the defence and sacking of cities, rebellion and civil order, banditry, manliness and courage - AthenaAthenaIn Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason - BiaBia (mythology)In Greek mythology, Bia was the personification of force, daughter of Pallas and Styx. She was the sister of Nike, Kratos, and Zelus; she and her siblings were constant companions of Zeus. They achieved this honour after supporting Zeus in the war against the Titans along with their mother...
, spirit of force, power, bodily strength and compulsion - EnyaliusEnyaliusEnyalius or Enyalio in Greek mythology is generally a byname of Ares the god of war but in Mycenaean times is differentiated as a separate deity...
, an epithetEpithetAn epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
for Ares, sometimes identified as a separate, minor god of war - EnyoEnyoEnyo , was an ancient goddess of war, acting as a counterpart and companion to the war god Ares. She is also identified as his sister, and daughter of Zeus and Hera, in a role closely resembling that of Eris; with Homer representing the two as the same goddess...
, goddess of destructive war - ErisEris (mythology)Eris is the Greek goddess of strife and discord, her name being translated into Latin as Discordia. Her Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Latin counterpart is Concordia. Homer equated her with the war-goddess Enyo, whose Roman counterpart is Bellona...
, goddess of strife and discord, who initiated the Trojan WarTrojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad... - HomadosHomadosIn Greek mythology, Homados was the personification of battle-noise. He is mentioned together with other personifications having to do with war. A figure similar to him is Kydoimos....
, spirit of the din of battle - HysminaiHysminaiThe Hysminai are figures in Greek mythology. Descendants of Eris, they are personifications of battle. Quintus Smyrnaeus wrote of them in Book V of the Fall of Troy in a passage translated by Arthur Way:Around them hovered the relentless Fates;...
, female spirits of fighting and combat - Keres, female spirits of violent or cruel death, including death in battle, by accident, murder or ravaging disease
- KydoimosKydoimosKydoimos or Cydoemus was the personification of the din of battle, confusion, uproar and hubbub. He is mentioned together with other personifications having to do with war. A figure similar to him is Homados....
, spirit of the din of battle - MakhaiMakhaiIn Greek mythology, the Machai were the daemons of battle and combat, and were sons or daughters of Eris, siblings to other vicious personifications like the Hysminai, the Androktasiai, and the Phonoi.The daemons Homados , Alala , Proioxis , Palioxis...
, male spirits of fighting and combat - NikeNike (mythology)In Greek mythology, Nike was a goddess who personified victory, also known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was Victoria. Depending upon the time of various myths, she was described as the daughter of Pallas and Styx and the sister of Kratos , Bia , and Zelus...
, spirit of victory - PalioxisPalioxisIn Greek mythology, Palioxis was the personification of backrush in battle . She is mentioned together with other personifications having to do with war....
, spirit of backrush, flight and retreat from battle - PallasPallas (son of Crius)Pallas is a Titan, associated with war, killed by Athena in the contest to fight for Zeus . Most sources indicate that he was the son of Crius and Eurybia, the brother of Astraeus and Perses, and the husband of Styx. He was the father of Zelus, Nike, Kratos, and Bia. In addition, he has been named...
, TitanTitan (mythology)In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
god of warcraft, killed by Athena - PhobosPhobos (mythology)Phobos is the personification of horror in Greek mythology. He is the offspring of Ares and Aphrodite. He was known for accompanying Ares into battle along with his brother, Deimos, the goddess Enyo, and his father’s attendants. Timor is his Roman equivalent...
, spirit of panic fear, flight and battlefield rout - PolemosPolemosIn Greek mythology, Polemos the Daemon or god of war , brother of Enyo and the father of Alala, goddess of the war-cry.He was said to be a part of the company of war spirits which haunted the battlefield...
, spirit of war - ProioxisProioxisIn Greek mythology, Proioxis was the personification of onrush in battle . She is mentioned together with other personifications having to do with war....
, spirit of onrush and battlefield pursuit
- Greek mythology
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- Hawaiian mythologyHawaiian mythologyHawaiian mythology refers to the legends, historical tales and sayings of the ancient Hawaiian people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology, developing its own unique character for several centuries before about 1800. It is associated with the Hawaiian religion...
- KūKūIn Hawaiian mythology Kū or Kū-ka-ili-moku is one of the four great gods along with Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono.He is known as the god of war and the husband of the goddess Hina. Some have taken this to suggest a complementary dualism, as the word kū in the Hawaiian language means "standing up" while...
, god of war - Pele, goddess of fire, lightning, dance, volcanoes and violence
- Hawaiian mythology
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- HinduismHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
- Hinduism
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- ChamundaChamundaChamunda , also known as Chamundi, Chamundeshwari and Charchika, is a fearsome aspect of Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother and one of the seven Matrikas . She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or eighty-one Tantric goddesses, who are attendants of the warrior goddess Durga...
, goddess of war and disease - DurgaDurgaFor the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
, the fiercer, demon-fighting form of ShivaShivaShiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
's wife, the goddess ParvatiParvatiParvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess... - HanumanHanumanHanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
, god associated with war and courage - IndraIndra' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
, god of war, storms and rainfall - KaliKali' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
, goddess associated with time, change and war - Kartikeya, god of war and battle
- KathyayiniKathyayiniKathyayini is the sixth form of the Durga, part of the Navadurga or the nine forms of Hindu goddess Durga or Shakti, worshipped during the Navratri celebrations....
, goddess of vengeance and victory - MangalaMangalaIn Jyotish astrology, Mangala is the name for Mars, the red planet. Mars is also called Angaraka In Jyotish astrology, Mangala (Devanagari: मंगल) is the name for Mars, the red planet. Mars is also called Angaraka In Jyotish astrology, Mangala (Devanagari: मंगल) is the name for Mars, the red...
, god of war - MatrikasMatrikasMatrikas , also called Matara and Matris , are a group of Hindu goddesses who are always depicted together. Since they are usually depicted as a heptad, they are called Saptamatrikas : Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheshvari, Indrani, Kaumari, Varahi and Chamunda or Narasimhi...
, goddesses of war, children and emancipation - MuruganMuruganMurugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
, god of war and victory
- Chamunda
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- Hittite mythologyHittite mythologyMost of the narratives embodying Hittite mythology are lost, and the elements that would give a balanced view of Hittite religion are lacking among the tablets recovered at the Hittite capital Hattusa and other Hittite sites: "there are no canonical scriptures, no theological disquisitions or...
- ShaushkaShaushkaŠauška or Shaushka was a Hurrian goddess who was also adopted into the Hittite pantheon. She is known in detail because she became the patron goddess of the Hittite king Hattusili III following his marriage to Puduhepa, the daughter of the goddess's high priest...
, goddess of fertility, war and healing - WurrukatteWurrukatteThe national god of the Hittites. Wurrukatte was a war god worshipped in Anatolia by Hattic and Luwian tribes. He was later merged with the Akkadian god Zababa....
, god of war
- Hittite mythology
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- Hungarian mythologyHungarian mythologyHungarian mythology includes the myths, legends, folk tales, fairy tales and gods of the Hungarians. Many parts of it are thought to be lost, i.e. only some texts remained which can be classified as a myth. However, a significant amount of Hungarian mythology was successfully recovered in the last...
- HadúrHadúrHadúr, or Hodúr in old hungarian, short for Hadak Ura, meaning "War Lord" or "Army Lord" in Hungarian, was the god of fire, later became a war god in the religion of the early Hungarians . In Hungarian mythology, he was the third son of Arany Atyácska and Hajnal Anyácska , the main god and goddess...
, god of war and the metalsmith of the gods
- Hungarian mythology
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- Japanese mythologyJapanese mythologyJapanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...
- BishamontenVaisravana' or ' also known as Jambhala in Tibet and Bishamonten in Japan is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology.-Names:...
, armour-clad god of war - FutsunushiFutsunushiIn Japanese mythology, Futsunushi is a kami of swords and lightning. He is a general of Amaterasu....
, god of swords and lightning - HachimanHachimanIn Japanese mythology, is the Japanese syncretic god of archery and war, incorporating elements from both Shinto and Buddhism. Although often called the god of war, he is more correctly defined as the tutelary god of warriors. He is also divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people...
, ShintoShintoor Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
god of war, and divine protector of JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the Japanese people
- Japanese mythology
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- Lusitanian mythologyLusitanian mythologyLusitanian mythology is the mythology of the Lusitanians, the Indo-European people of western Iberia, in the territory comprising most of modern Portugal, Extremadura and a small part of Salamanca....
- CariocecusCariocecusCariocecus was the god of war in Lusitanian mythology, in the cultural area of Lusitania . He was equated with the Roman god Mars and Greek Ares....
, god of war - NetoNeto (deity)Neto or Mars Neto is the name of one of the deities of ancient Iberia, revered by the Lusitanians and Celtiberians. He was probably a god of war.-Name and functions:...
, god believed to be associated with war
- Lusitanian mythology
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- Māori mythologyMaori mythologyMāori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...
- TūmatauengaTumatauengaIn Māori mythology, Tū or Tūmatauenga is one of the great gods, and the origin of war. All war-parties were dedicated to him, and he was treated with the greatest respect and awe. He is usually a son of the primordial parent, sky and earth...
, god of war
- Māori mythology
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- Maya mythologyMaya mythologyMayan mythology is part of Mesoamerican mythology and comprises all of the Mayan tales in which personified forces of nature, deities, and the heroes interacting with these play the main roles...
- TohilTohilTohil was a deity of the K'iche' Maya in the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. At the time of the Spanish Conquest, Tohil was the patron god of the K'iche'. Tohil's principal function was that of a fire deity and he was also both a sun god and the god of rain. Tohil was also associated with...
, god associated with fire, the sun, rain, mountains and war
- Maya mythology
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- Mesopotamian mythology
- BelusBelus (Babylonian)Belus or Belos in classical Greek or classical Latin texts in a Babylonian context refers to the Babylonian god Bel Marduk. Though often identified with Greek Zeus and Latin Jupiter as Zeus Belos or Jupiter Belus, in other cases Belus is euhemerized as an ancient king who founded Babylon and...
, Babylonian god of war - InannaInannaInanna, also spelled Inana is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare....
, SumerianSumerian religionSumerian religion refers to the mythology, pantheon, rites and cosmology of the Sumerian civilization. The Sumerian religion influenced Mesopotamian mythology as a whole, surviving in the mythologies and religions of the Hurrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other culture...
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:...
, AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n and Babylonian counterpart to Inanna - NergalNergalThe name Nergal, Nirgal, or Nirgali refers to a deity in Babylon with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew bible as the deity of the city of Cuth : "And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal"...
, Babylonian god of war, fire, the underworld, and pestilence - Pap-nigin-garaPap-nigin-garaPap-nigin-gara is an Akkadian and Babylonian god of war, syncretised with Ninurta.- References :Michael Jordon, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002...
, AkkadAkkadThe Akkadian Empire was an empire centered in the city of Akkad and its surrounding region in Mesopotamia....
ian and Babylonian god of war - SebittiSebittiThe Sebitti are a group of seven minor war gods in Babylonian and Akkadian tradition. They are the children of the god Anu and follow the god Erra into battle. They are, in differing traditions, of good and evil influence....
, group of minor Akkadian and Babylonian war gods - ShalaShalaShala is a Babylonian and Akkadian war goddess and a goddess of grain, the consort of the storm-god Adad. She carries a double-headed mace-scimitar embellished with lion heads. In the MUL.APIN, she is identified with the Virgo constellation, which was also known as "The Furrow"...
, Akkadian and Babylonian goddess of war and grain - SharaShara (god)In Sumerian mythology Shara is a minor god of war, mainly identified with the city of Umma, north-east of Unug . He is identified in some texts as the son of Inana .-References:...
, minor Sumerian god of war - 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
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- Native American mythologyNative American mythologyNative American mythology is the body of traditional narratives associated with Native American religion from a mythographical perspective. Native American belief systems include many sacred narratives. Such spiritual stories are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons,...
- QamaitsQamaitsQamaits is a warrior goddess of the indigenous Nuxálk people of the central coast of British Columbia in Canada....
, NuxálkNuxalkNuxálk are an indigenous people native to Bella Coola, British Columbia in Canada. The term can refer to:* Nuxálk language, a moribund Salishan language.* Nuxalk Nation, the name of the Nuxálk group in the First Nations....
warrior goddess - WinalagalisWinalagalisWinalagalis is a war god of the Kwakwaka'wakw native people of British Columbia. He travels the world, making war. Winalagilis comes from North to winter with the Kwakiutl...
, Kwakwaka'wakwKwakwaka'wakwThe Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
god of war
- Native American mythology
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- Norse mythologyNorse mythologyNorse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
- Freyja, goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death
- OdinOdinOdin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
, god associated with wisdom, war, battle, and death, and also magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt - ThorThorIn Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
, god associated with thunder, strength, Lightning, defense, oaks, goats, lightning, storms, weather, crops, trading voyages, courage, trust, revenge, protection, warfare and battles - Týr, god associated with single combat,law, victory and heroic glory
- ValkyrieValkyrieIn Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who decides who dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle , the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin...
s, goddesses who decide who will die in battle and bring the dead to ValhallaValhallaIn Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
, the afterlife hall of the slain
- Norse mythology
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- Nuristani mythology
- Great GishGreat GishGish or Great Gish was the most popular god of the Nuristani people mythology and received the greatest amount of attention among the Siah-Posh Nuristani of Bashgul. Every village of Bashgul had one or more shrines dedicated to him....
, god of war
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- Polynesian mythologyPolynesian mythologyPolynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
- 'Oro'OroOro is a god of the Polynesian pantheon. The veneration of Oro, although practiced in varying intensity among the islands, was a major cult of the Society Islands in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially Tahiti and Raiatea. On Tahiti 'Oro was the main deity and the god of war. The secret society...
, god of war
- Polynesian mythology
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- Roman mythologyRoman mythologyRoman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
- BellonaBellona (goddess)Bellona was an Ancient Roman goddess of war, similar to the Ancient Greek Enyo. Bellona's attribute is a sword and she is depicted wearing a helmet and armed with a spear and a torch....
, goddess of war - HonosHonosIn Roman mythology, Honos was the god of chivalry, honor and military justice. He was depicted in art with a lance and a cornucopia. He was sometimes identified with the deity Virtus....
, god of chivalry, honor and military justice - LuaLua (goddess)In Roman mythology, Lua was a goddess to whom soldiers sacrificed captured weapons. She is sometimes referred to as "Lua Saturni," which makes her a consort of Saturn. It may be that Lua was merely an alternative name for Ops....
, goddess to whom soldiers sacrificed captured weapons - MarsMars (mythology)Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
, god of war and bloodshed, equivalent to the Greek god Ares - MinervaMinervaMinerva was the Roman goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic...
, goddess of wisdom and war, equivalent to the Greek goddess Athena - NerioNerioIn ancient Roman religion and myth, Nerio was an ancient war goddess and the personification of valor. She was the partner of Mars in ancient cult practices, and was sometimes identified with the goddess Bellona, and occasionally with the goddess Minerva. Spoils taken from enemies were sometimes...
, warrior goddess and personification of valor - Vica PotaVica PotaIn ancient Roman religion, Vica Pota was a goddess whose shrine was located at the foot of the Velian Hill, on the site of the domus of Publius Valerius Publicola. This location would place the temple on the same side of the Velia as the forum and perhaps not far from the Regia...
, goddess of victory - VictoriaVictoria (mythology)In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike, and was associated with Bellona. She was adapted from the Sabine agricultural goddess Vacuna and had a temple on the Palatine Hill...
, personification of victory, equivalent to the Greek goddess Nike - Virtus, god of bravery and military strength
- Roman mythology
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- Semitic mythology
- AgasayaAgasayaAgasaya, "The Shrieker," was a Semitic war goddess who was merged into Ishtar in her identity as warrior of the sky....
, "the Shrieker", goddess of war - AnatAnatAnat, also ‘Anat is a major northwest Semitic goddess.-‘Anat in Ugarit:In the Ugaritic Ba‘al/Hadad cycle ‘Anat is a violent war-goddess, a virgin in Ugarit though the sister and lover of the great Ba‘al known as Hadad elsewhere. Ba‘al is usually called the son of Dagon and sometimes the son of El....
, goddess of war - AstarteAstarteAstarte is the Greek name of a goddess known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Classical times...
, goddess of fertility, sexuality and war, associated with the Mesopotamian 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:...
or InannaInannaInanna, also spelled Inana is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare.... - ReshephReshephResheph was a Canaanite deity of plague and war. In Egyptian iconography Resheph is depicted wearing the crown of Upper Egypt surmounted in front by the head of a gazelle. He has links with Theban war god Montu and was thought of as a guardian deity in battle by many Egyptian pharaohs...
, god of plague and war - TanitTanitTanit was a Phoenician lunar goddess, worshipped as the patron goddess at Carthage. Tanit was worshiped in Punic contexts in the Western Mediterranean, from Malta to Gades into Hellenistic times. From the fifth century BCE onwards Tanit is associated with that of Baal Hammon...
, PhoeniciaPhoeniciaPhoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n lunar goddess associated with war
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- Slavic mythologySlavic mythologySlavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
- Jarovit, god of vegetation, fertility and spring, also associated with war and harvest
- PerunPerunIn Slavic mythology, Perun is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of thunder and lightning. His other attributes were the fire, mountains, the oak, iris, eagle, firmament , horses and carts, weapons and war...
, god of thunder and lightning, associated with war - 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; may or may not have been worshipped by ancient Slavs - 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 - Zorya Utrennyaya, goddess of the morning star, sometimes depicted as a warrior goddess who protected men in battle
- Slavic mythology
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- Vodou
- Bugid Y AibaBugid Y AibaIn Vodou, and especially on Haiti and Puerto Rico, Bugid Y Aiba is a loa of war....
, 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...
associated with war - OgounOgounIn the Yoruba and Haitian traditional belief system, Ogun is a orisha and loa who presides over iron, hunting, politics and war. He is the patron of smiths, and is usually displayed with a number of attributes: a machete or sabre, rum and tobacco...
, loa who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics and war - PiePie (loa)In the Voodoo faith, Pie is a soldier-loa who lives at the bottoms of lakes and rivers and causes floods....
, soldier-loa who lives at the bottoms of lakes and rivers and causes floods