Primordial Gods
The primordial deities are the first entities or beings that came into existence. These deities are a group of gods from which all others descend. Although generally believed to be the first gods produced from Chaos, some mention a pair of deities who were the parents of the group. These deities represent various elements of nature. Chaos has at times been considered, in place of Ananke, the female consort of Chronos. The primordial gods are depicted as places or realms. The Primordials were the first race of beings and deities that came into existence, predating the Titans and Gods. They were astronomical in size and their appearances were elemental and cosmic, bit similar to the Titans, though they bore a more humanoid appearance. The Primordial deities are the first entities or beings born in existence. They form the very fabric of the universe and as such are immortal. These deities are a group of gods from which all the other gods descended. They preceded the Titans, the descendents of Gaia and Uranus. They are also the children of Chaos the formless void who created the universe. The Primordials include;
Aether (Aither) - The Protogenos of
the mists of light which fill the upper zones of air. His element lay beneath
the arch of heaven's dome, but high above the airs of the mortal realm.
Ananke - The Protogeonos of inevitability, compulsion and necessity. She was the
mate of Chronus (Time) and like him was an incorporeal, serpentine being who
twisted circling around the whole of creation.
Chaos (Khaos) - The Protogenos of the lower air. She filled the gap between the
bright mists of the heavenly aither and the floor of the earth. From Chaos were
descended the other airs: Erebus (darkness), Nyx (night), Aether (light), Hemera
(day); as well as the birds. Only late classical writers describe Khaos as a
primeval mixture of the elements.
Chronos (Khronos) - The Protogenos of time was the very first being to emerge at
creation self-formed. He was a three-headed, incorporeal being with serpentine
tail, who circled the whole of creation, entwined with his consort Ananke.
Erebus (Erebos) - The Protogenos of the mists of darkness. His dark element was
sunk into the hollows of the earth, and encircled the dismal realm of the
underworld.
Eros - The Protegonos of generation. He was known as Phanes or Protogonos,
distinguishing him from the younger Eros, Aphrodite's son. He was one of the
first beings to emerge at creation, and caused the universe to procreate.
Gaea (Gaia) - The Protogenos of the earth. Mother Earth emerged at the beginning
of creation to form the foundation of the universe. Gaea was one of the few
Protogenoi to be depicted in anthropomorphic form, however even as such she was
shown as a woman partially risen from the ground, inseperable from her native
form.
Hemera - The Protogenos of the day, rose up from the ends of the earth to
scatter the dark mists of night, spread across the heavens by her mother Nyx,
and reveal to the earth below the bright shining blue of the Aether, her
protogenic consort.
Hydros - The Protogenos of water. Together with the earth he formed the primeval
Mud. Hydros was usually equated with the earth-encircling, fresh-water Titan
Oceanus.
Nesoi - The Protogenoi of the islands. Their rocky forms were broken from the
earth by Poseidon and cast into the sea.
Nyx - The Protogenos of night, Nyx drew the dark mists of her consort, Erebus,
across the heavens at night, cloaking the bright light of the heavenly aether.
Her anthropomorphic form was of a woman clothed in star-spangled mantle.
Oceanus (Okeanos) - The Protogenos of the great earth-encircling, fresh-water
river Oceanus. From his flow every river, spring and rain-bearing cloud was
sprung. His anthropomorphic form was that of a horned man with the tail of a
serpentine fish in place of legs.
Ourea - The Protogenoi of the mountains. Their rocky forms were born of Gaea the
Earth.
Phanes - The Protogenos of generation, the creator-god. He was sprung from a
silver egg, the seed of creation, at the beginning of time, and set the universe
in order. Phanes was also named Eros or simply Protogonos (the First Born).
According to some Zeus swallowed him whole o gain supremacy over the universe.
Phusis - The Protogenos of nature. "Mother Nature" was one of the first beings
to emerge at creation. She was related to both Gaea and Tethys.
Pontus (Pontos) - The Protogenos of the sea. He sprung from Gaea the Earth at
the beginning of creation, when the elements of the universe were set in their
proper order.
Tartarus (Tartaros) - The Protogenos of the great stormy pit which lay beneath
the roots of the earth. He was the anti-heaven: just as the dome of heaven
arched high above the earth, Tartarus arched beneath her. The Titans were
imprisoned in his depths.
Tethys - The Protogenos of the flow of fresh-water. She was an aspect of
all-nourishing Mother Nature. From Tethys and her husband Oceanus the rivers,
springs and clouds drew their waters.
Thalassa - The Protogenos of the sea or sea's surface. She was born of Aether
(light) and Hemera (day). Mixing with the deep waters of Pontus (sea) Thalassa
spawned the schools of fish.
Thesis - The Protogenos of creation. She was similar to Tethys, Mother Nature's
great nurse.
Uraus (Ouranos) - The Protogenos of the solid dome of heaven, whose form
stretched from one horizon to the other. He sprung forth from Gaea the Earth at
the beginning of creation. Later his son Cronus, seized and castrated him, as he
descended to consort with Mother Earth.
Non Greek primordials include;
Abzu - the Ocean Below, the name for fresh water from underground aquifers; depicted as a deity only in the Babylonian creation epic Enûma Eliš
Æfsati (Æфсати). The protector of wild animals, especially deer, wild boars and mountain goats.
Alardy (Аларды). Lord of smallpox, who had to be placated.
Amanor or Vanatur (same god with different names) - Amanor was the deity of Armenian new year. His feast, Navasard (New year), was held at the end of July. His temple was located in Bhagavan.
Aminon (Аминон). Gatekeeper of the underworld.
Anahit - The goddess of fertility and birth, and daughter or wife of Aramazd, Anahit is identified with Artemis and Aphrodite. "Great Lady Anahit", one of the most loved and honored Armenian goddesses, was often sculptured with a child in her hands, and with a particular hair style of Armenian women. Temples dedicated to Anahit were established in Armavir, Artashat, Ashtishat. A mountain in the Roman district of Sophene was thought to be Anahit's throne (Ator Anahta).
Anshar - god of the sky and male principle
The Apkallu - seven demigods created by the god Enki to give civilization to mankind
Ara 'Ara the Beautiful’- the god of spring, flora, agriculture, sowing and water. He is associated with Osiris, Vishnu and Dionysus, as the symbol of new life.
Aramazd - The father of all the gods and goddesses, Aramazd created the heavens and the earth. The first two letters in his name, "AR", are the Armenian root for sun, light, and life. Worshiped as a sun-god, Aramazd was considered to be the source of earth’s fertility. His feast Am'nor, or New Year, was celebrated on March 21 in the old Armenian calendar. Aramazd's main sanctuary was one of the principal cult centers of Ancient Armenia.
Aray - A little-known war god.
Asag - monstrous demon whose presence makes fish boil alive in the rivers
Astghik - Goddess of love, beauty and water, wife or lover of Vahagn and often sculptured without clothes. Her temple in Ashtishat was called "the room of Vahagn", where she met her lover. Astghik is still honored nowadays by Armenians worldwide by the Vartavar feast where people celebrate by Water fights.
Atiratu - (Ilu's wife).
Atja - The god of thunder, also called Bajanolmmai, Dierpmis or Hovrengalles, which means "Thor- man".
Attaru - (God of Fertility: sky god).
Barastyr (Барастыр, also transliterated Barastaer or Barastir) is the ruler of the underworld who assigns arriving dead souls to either paradise or his own realm.
Barsamin - God of sky and weather, probably derived from the semitic god Baal Shamin.
Beaivi or Biejje - The great Goddess of the Sun, mother of human kind.
Bieggagallis - The god of the storms, father of human kind, consort of Beaivi.
Bieggolman - God of the summer winds.
Biegkegaellies - God of the winter winds.
Biejjenniejte - Goddess of healing and medicine; her name means "Daughter of the Sun" or "Maiden of the Sun", and she was especially helpful against sicknesses caused by her mother, the sun.
Donbettyr (Ossetic: Донбеттыр). Lord of the waters. His name is a fusion of the Ossetian don (meaning water) and Saint Peter. He uses his chain to drag down those who unwarily go swimming too late to his realm at the bottom of the sea. He has many beautiful daughters, comparable to the Rusalki of Slavic mythology. Up to the 19th century, his day was celebrated on the Saturday following Easter by young girls.
The edimmu - ghosts of those who were not buried properly
Fælværa (Фæлвæра). The name is possibly a conflation of Saints Florus and Laurus. Fælværa was the protector of sheep and his festival was celebrated before sheep-shearing in September. He only has one eye. He is often the enemy of Tutyr.
Haddu/Hadadu - (Storm god). “thunderer”.
Hayk - Legendary archer and forefather of the Armenian people, Haik slew the Titan Bel. Haik was identified with the Sun-god Orion.
Huyændon Ældar (Хуыæндон Æлдар ). Lord of the fish. A great magician and a spirit who behaves like an earthly chief ("ældar"). His name means "Lord of the Strait" (according to Abaev, this is most probably the Cimmerian Bosphorus, the modern Strait of Kerch).
Huycau (Ossetic: Хуыцау). The chief of the gods. Identified with the Christian (or Muslim) God.
Humbaba - guardian of the Cedar Forest
Ilu - "god" (Sky god, head of pantheon)
Ipmeláhcchi/Ipmil/Jipmel (trans. Heaven Father) - "God" ; possibly this was a late lative name of the Christian God, but it could also have been a name to include all good deities
Jabbmeaaakka - Goddess of death and queen of the underworld and the kingdom of death.
Juoksahkka - The protecter and guardian of children; "The woman with an arrow".
Kishar - goddess of the earth and female principle
Kotys ("Cotys", "Cottyto", "Cottytus"), a goddess worshipped with much revelry by Thracian tribes such as the Edonians in the festival Cotyttia. A cult of Cottyto existed in classical Athens. According to Greek sources her priests were called baptes or "washers" because their pre-worship purification rites involved bathing. Her worship included midnight orgies (orgia). Her name is believed to have meant "war, slaughter", akin to Old Norse Höðr "war, slaughter".
Kurdalægon (Курдалæгон). The heavenly smith. A close friend of the Narts.
Kurys (Digor Burku) is a dream land, a meadow belonging to the dead, which can be visited by some people in their sleep. Visitors may bring back miraculous seeds of luck and good fortune, sometimes pursued by the dead. Inexperienced souls may bring back fever and sickness instead. Gershevitch (with V.I. Abaev) compares the name Kurys to the mountain Kaoiris in Yasht 19.6 (Avestan *Karwisa), which might indicate that the name is a spurious remnant of origin legends of Airyanem Vaejah of the Alans.
Lahamu - first-born daughter of Abzu and Tiamat
Lahmu - first-born son of Abzu and Tiamat; a protective and beneficent deity
Lamashtu - a malevolent being who menaced women during childbirth
Lieaibolmmai - God of the hunt, the god of adult men.
Lusitanian 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.
Lusitanian deities heavily influenced all of the religious practices in western Iberia, namely also in Gallaecia. They mingled with Roman deities after Lusitania was conquered.
Maadteraahka - Mother of the tribe, Goddess of women and children, she who gives humans their body; women belonged to her, and boys belonged to her until they were declared men. Maadteraahka is popular among modern sami feminists.
Maadteraajja - The father of the tribe, husband of Maadteraahka; while his wife gives humans their body, he gives them their soul; and thus, they are born.
Mano, Aske or Manna - The god of the Moon.
Mihr - The god of light, heaven and sun. He was the son of Aramazd, the brother of Anahit and Nane. His main worship was located in Bagaharich. The pagan temple of Garni was dedicated to him.
Mubpienålmaj - "The evil one"; possibly the Christian god of evil, but also a name that included all the evil deities.
Mummu - god of crafts and technical skill
Nane - The daughter of Aramazd, Nane was considered the goddess of war, motherhood and wisdom. Her cult was closely connected with that of Anahit, and her temple was located in Gavar, near Anahit's temple.
Oksaahka - The former of the fetus; she shaped the fietus in the mother's womb and gave humans their gender. She was the sister of Juoksahka.
Pazuzu - king of the demons of the wind; he also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought
Rabisu - an evil vampiric spirit
Raedie, Väraldarade or Waralden Olmai - The main god, the great creator of the world; he was, however, passive, some say even sleeping, and not very included in active religion.
Raedieahkka - Wife of Raedie.
Rana Niejta - Daughter of Raedie. "Rana" was a popular name of Sami girls.
Raediengiedte - Son of Raedie.
Ruohtta - The god of sicknesses and therefore also a death-god. He was depicted riding on a horse.
Saaraahka - The Goddess of fertility, menstruation, love, sexuality, pregnancy and childbirth. Saaraahka was the most important female god; she is sometimes sister of Juoksahka and Oksaahka, sometimes they are a trinity of the same Goddess.
Sabazios, the Thracian reflex of Indo-European Dyeus, identified with Heros Karabazmos, the "Thracian horseman". He gained a widespread importance especially after the Roman conquest. After Christianity was adopted, the symbolism of Heros continued as representations of Saint George slaying the dragon (compare Uastyrdzhi/Tetri Giorgi in the Caucasus).
Safa (Сафа). God of the hearth chain. The most important domestic deity for Ossetians.
Sami shamanism is a Sami polytheistic religion. Though it varied considerably from region to region within Sápmi, it commonly emphasized ancestor worship and animal spirits, such as the bear cult.
Śamšu - "sun" (Sun goddess: but Šamaš is a male god).
Satana (Сатана). Mother goddess, mother of the Narts.
Saubarag (Саубараг or Сау бараджи дзуар, "black rider"), the god of darkness and thieves, identified with Satan.
Spandaramet - The god of the dungeon and the kingdom of the dead, he was identified with the Greek god Hades.
Stallon - The feared giant of the woods.
Tiamat - primordial goddess of the ocean
Tir - God of wisdom, culture, science and studies, he also was an interpreter of dreams. He was the messenger of the gods and was associated with Apollo. Tir's temple was located near Artashat.
Tjaetsieålmaj - The men of water.
Tsovinar - Also called Nar, she was the goddess of rain, sea and water, though she was actually a fiery being who forced rain to fall.
Tutyr (Тутыр). Lord of the wolves. Identified with Saint Theodore of Tyre.
Uacilla (Уацилла; "Saint Elijah"). Also spelled Wasilla. God of rain, thunder and lightning. As protector of the harvest he is known as Хоры Уацилла (Hory Uacilla, "Uacilla of the wheat"). Anyone struck by lightning was considered chosen by the god and, if they survived, a sheep was sacrificed in their honour. His festival was celebrated in the summer with the sacrifice of a lamb and a bull and the drinking of specially brewed beer. On that day women baked bread in silence as a mark of reverence.
Uastyrdzhi (Уастырджи; "Saint George"). The patron of males and travellers, and the guarantor of oaths. Main patron of North Ossetia-Alania.
Vahagn - The third god of the Armenian Pantheon, Vahagn is the god of thunder and lightning, and a herculean hero noted for slaying dragons. He was also worshiped as a sun-god and a god of courage. Vahagn's main sanctuary was located in the Ashtishat (a region in ancient Armenia). Vahagn was also a god of war to whom Armenian kings and warlords would pray before engaging in battle.
Warilju - "moon" (Moon god)
Zibelthiurdos (also "Zbelsurdos", "Zibelthurdos"): a god recognized as similar to the Greek Zeus as a wielder of lightning and thunderbolts.
Zu - divine storm-bird and the personification of the southern wind and the thunder clouds