A fertility deity is a god or goddess associated with

fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...

, sex,

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...

, and crops. In some cases these deities are directly associated with these experiences; in others they are more abstract symbols. Fertility rites may accompany their worship. The following is a list of fertility deities.

African

* Ala, Igbo goddess of fertility * Asase Ya, Ashanti earth goddess of fertility * Deng, Dinka sky god of rain and fertility * Mbaba Mwana Waresa, Zulu goddess of fertility, rainbows, agriculture, rain, and bees * Orie, Ohafia goddess of fertility * Oshun (known as ''Ochún'' or ''Oxúm'' in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

) also spelled Ọṣun, is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of God in the Ifá and Yoruba religions. She is one of the most popular and venerated orishas. Oshun is the deity of the river and fresh water, luxury and pleasure, sexuality and fertility, and beauty and love. She is connected to destiny and

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

Ancient Egyptian

Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...

, creator-god, associated with fertility * Bastet, cat goddess sometimes associated with fertility * Hathor, goddess of music, beauty, love, sexuality and fertility * Heqet, frog-goddess of fertility * Heryshaf, god of creation and fertility *

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

, goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility * Knum, Creator of the human body, source of the Nile, associated with fertility/ creation of life * Mesenet, goddess of childbirth * Min, god of fertility and reproduction *

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...

, 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 * Renenutet, goddess of the true name, the harvest and fertile fields * Sobek, god of the river, warfare and fertility * Sopdet, goddess of the fertility of the soil * Tawaret, goddess of fertility and childbirth * Tefnut, goddess of water and fertility

Yoruba

* Eshu * Oya

Native American

* Atahensic,

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

goddess associated with marriage, childbirth, and feminine endeavors * Kokopelli, Hopi trickster god associated with fertility, childbirth and agriculture *Hanhepi Wi, Lakota goddess associated with the moon, motherhood, family and femininity

Aztec

* Chimalma, goddess of fertility, life, death, and rebirth. * Tonacatecuhtli, god of sustenance. * Tonacacihuatl, goddess of sustenance. * Tonantzin * Coatlicue, goddess of fertility, life, death, and rebirth. * Xochipilli, god of love, art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, fertility, and song. * Xochiquetzal, goddess of fertility, beauty, female sexual power, protection of young mothers, pregnancy, childbirth, and women's crafts. * Quetzalcoatl, god of fertility, wind, water, and chocolate.

Inca

* Mama Ocllo, mother goddess, associated with fertility * Sara Mama, goddess of grain * Pachamama, fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting and causes earthquakes

Inuit

* Akna, goddess of fertility and childbirth * Pukkeenegak, goddess of children, pregnancy, childbirth and the making of clothes

Mayan

* Akna, goddess of motherhood and childbirth * Goddess I, goddess of eroticism, female fertility, and marriage *

Ixchel Ixchel or Ix Chel is the 16th-century name of the aged jaguar goddess of midwifery and medicine in ancient Maya culture. She corresponds to Toci, an Aztec earth goddess inhabiting the sweatbath. She is related to another Aztec goddess invo ...

, jaguar goddess of midwifery and medicine * Maya maize god, gods of maize * Maximón, a Mayan god and modern folk saint associated with crops, death, and fertility and Sight

Muiscan

* Chaquén, god of sports and fertility in the religion of the Muisca

Taíno

* Atabey (goddess), mother goddess of fresh waters and fertility (of people). * Yúcahu, masculine spirit of fertility (of crops such as Yucca) along with his mother Atabey who was his feminine counterpart.

Vodou

* Ayida-Weddo, loa of fertility, rainbows and snakes * Gede, family of spirits that embody the powers of death and fertility

Asian

Arabian

* Attar (god)

Armenian

* Anahit, goddess of fertility, healing, wisdom, and water * Aramazd, generous king and creator god of fertility, rain, and abundance

Canaanite

* Hadad, storm (and thus rain) god responsible for crops growing, also known as Adad and Ba'al * Nikkal, goddess of fruits *

Tanit Tanit or Tinnit (Punic language, Punic: 𐤕𐤍𐤕 ''Tīnnīt'' (JStor)) was a chief deity of Ancient Carthage; she derives from a local Berber deity and the consort of Baal Hammon. As Ammon is a local Libyan deity, so is Tannit, who represents ...

, consort of Baʿal Hammon at Carthage

Chinese

* Chū Shèng Niángniáng, Goddess of Fertility * Jiutian Xuannü, a fertility goddess as well as a deity of war and long life * Yúnxiāo Niángniáng, goddess of childbirth * Qióngxiāo Niángniáng, goddess of childbirth * Bìxiāo Niángniáng, goddess of childbirth * Chén Jìnggū, goddess of childbirth

Filipino

*Lakapati: the hermaphrodite Tagalog deity and protector of sown fields, sufficient field waters, and abundant fish catch; a major fertility deity; deity of vagrants and waifs; a patron of cultivated lands and husbandry *Ikapati: the Sambal goddess of cultivated land and fertility *Lakan-bakod: the Tagalog god of the fruits of the earth who dwells in certain plants; the god of crops; the god of rice whose hollow statues have gilded eyes, teeth, and genitals; food and wine are introduced to his mouth to secure a good crop; the protector of fences *Kukarog: the Bicolano giant who was swept by waters into the sea, where his genital can be seen as a rock jutting from the ocean *Ibabasag: the Bukidnon goddess of pregnant women

Vietnamese

* Bà mụ, consisting of twelve goddesses responsible for creating each part of the child

Hittite/Hurrian

* Hutellurra, Irsirra, and Tawara, goddesses of midwifery and nursing children * Shaushka, goddess of fertility, war, and healing

Indian

* Banka-Mundi, goddess of the hunt and fertility * Bhavani, goddess of fertility * Bhumi, goddess of the earth and associated with fertility * Lajja Gauri, goddess associated with abundance and fertility * Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, wealth, fortune, and fertility * Manasa, snake goddess associated with fertility and prosperity * Matrikas, a group of 7-16 goddesses who are associated with fertility and motherly power. *

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

, goddess of the Himalayan Mountains, fertility, beauty, food and power * Prithvi Vedic-goddess of the earth and associated with fertility * Rankini, goddess of protection, strength and fertility * Sinivali, goddess associated with fecundity and easy birth * Yogamaya, goddess of fertility and '' maya'' (illusion) *

Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

, Vedic-goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wealth, abundance and fertility * Mariamman, goddess of rain, fertility and cure for small pox

Iranian

* Anahita: or Anahit, the divinity of "the Waters" and hence associated with fertility, healing, and wisdom * Spenta Armaiti: or Sandaramet, female divinity associated with earth and Mother Nature * Ashi: a divinity of fertility and fortune

Phoenician

* Asherah, Mother Goddess of nature, groves & trees (exiled by Hezekiah)

Japanese

* Kichijōten, goddess of happiness, fertility, and beauty * Kuebiko, god of agriculture and knowledge * Inari Ōkami, deity of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, and industry; this deity is of ambiguous gender and may be portrayed as male, female, or ambiguous * Shinda, fertility god of the

Ainu people The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Ku ...

Mesopotamian

* Asherah, Ancient semitic goddess of motherhood and fertility * Ashratum, the wife of Amurru. Ašratum (glorified one), a cognate of Athirat * Dumuzid/ Tammuz, Mesopotamian dying-&-rising god, Dumuzid-sipad (the Shepherd), husband of Inanna * Gatumdag,

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization, located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. ...

ian fertility goddess and tutelary mother goddess of

Lagash Lagash (; cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Lagaš'') was an ancient city-state located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk, about east of the modern town of Al-Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash ( ...

* Nanshe, Sumerian goddess of social justice, prophecy, fertility, and fishing * Sharra Itu, Identified with Asratum, later Ašrat-aḫītu (Ašratum the foreigner) or (the other Ašratum) *

Inanna Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...

/ Ishtar, Mesopotamian goddess of love, beauty, sex, desire, fertility, war, justice, and political power. Her symbols were lions, doves & the 8-pointed star, wife of Dumuzid

Turco-Mongol

* Umay, goddess of fertility and reproduction, believed to have saved two children (one boy and one girl) from a massacre. She is believed to have offered protection and guidance to the children, who managed to raise the Turkic communities. In the form of a deer, she is accepted by the Turks to be the protective power of the race, and therefore she is called in many texts as "Mother Umay".

European

Albanian

* Prende, goddess of love, beauty and fertility

Baltic

Laima Laima is a Baltic goddess of fate. She was associated with childbirth, marriage, and death; she was also the patron of pregnancy, pregnant women. Laima and her functions are similar to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. In Latvia In Latvian mythology, ...

, goddess of luck and fate, associated with childbirth, pregnancy, marriage, and death * Zemes māte, goddess of the earth, associated with fertility

Celtic

* Brigid, Irish goddess associated with fertility, spring, healing, smithing, and poetry * Cernunnos, horned god associated with the fertility of animals and nature * Damara, fertility goddess worshiped in Britain * Damona, Gaulish fertility goddess * Epona, goddess of horses, mules, donkeys, and the fertility of these animals * Hooded Spirits, a group of deities theorised to be fertility spirits * Nantosuelta, goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility * Onuava, goddess of fertility * Rosmerta, Gallo-Roman goddess of fertility and abundance

Etruscan

* Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness, health, and growth in all things, equivalent to the Greek Dionysus * Thesan, goddess of the dawn, associated with the generation of life * Turan, goddess of love, fertility and vitality

Finno-Ugric

* Äkräs, Finnish god of fertility * Rauni or Raun, Finnish- Estonian goddess of fertility * Peko or Pellon-Pekko, Karelian- Seto god of fertility *Metsik, West Estonian spirit of fertility *Norovava, Mordovian goddess of fertility *Šun-Šočõnava, Mari goddess of fertility and birth *Mu-Kyldyśin, Udmurt god of fertility and earth *Zarni-Ań, Komi goddess of fertility, represented by a golden woman *Babba or Aranyanya, Hungarian goddess fertility, represented by a golden woman * Kalteš-Ekwa, Ob-Ugric goddess of fertility, represented by a golden woman

Germanic

Ēostre ''Ēostre'' ()Sievers 1901 p. 98Robert Barnhart, Barnhart, Robert K. ''The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology'' (1995) . is an List of Anglo-Saxon deities, Anglo-Saxon goddess mentioned by Bede in his 8th century work ''The Reckoning of ...

, spring and fertility goddess; in earlier times probably a dawn goddess as her name is cognate to

Eos In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Eos (; Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek ''Ēṓs'', Attic Greek, Attic ''Héōs'', "dawn", or ; Aeolic Greek, Aeolic ''Aúōs'', Doric Greek, Doric ''Āṓs'') is the go ...

* Freyr, god associated with peace, marriages, rain, sunshine, and fertility, both of the land and people *

Freyja In Norse mythology, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a char ...

, a goddess associated with fertility and sister of the above god *

Frigg Frigg (; Old Norse: ) is a goddess, one of the Æsir, in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about her, she is associated with marriage, prophecy, clairvoyance and motherhood, and dwells in the wetl ...

, goddess associated with prophecy, marriage, and childbirth; in one myth, she also demonstrates a more direct connection with fertility, as a king and queen pray to her for a child * Gefjun, Danish goddess of ploughing and possibly fertility *

Nerthus In Germanic paganism, Nerthus is a goddess associated with a ceremonial wagon procession. Nerthus is attested by first century A.D. Roman historian Tacitus in his ethnographic work ''Germania''. In ''Germania'', Tacitus records that a group of G ...

, earth goddess associated with fertility * Njörðr, since his name is cognate with the above goddess, it's possible he was originally an earth/fertility deity before transforming into a sea god thanked for a bountiful catch *

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

, associated with the bringing of rain

Greek

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

, goddess of beauty, love, pleasure, sexuality and procreation. * Aphaea, local goddess associated with fertility and the agricultural cycle *

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

, goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, chastity and childbirth *

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...

, goddess of the harvest, agriculture, fertility and sacred law *

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...

, god of wine, grapes, and festivity, associated with fertility, particularly that of the vine and males * Hermes, messenger of the gods, possibly associated with male fertility *

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

, goddess of marriage, women, women's fertility, childbirth *

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

, god of strength and athletes, had an association with male fertility as well as agriculture. *

Ilithyia Eileithyia or Ilithyia (; ; (''Eleuthyia'') in Crete, also (''Eleuthia'') or (''Elysia'') in Laconia and Messene, and (''Eleuthō'') in literature)Nilsson Vol I, p. 313 was the Greek mythology, Greek goddess of childbirth and midwifery, an ...

, (also called Eileithyia) goddess of childbirth and midwifery * Pan, god of shepherds and flocks, associated with fertility, particularly that of animals * Phanes, primeval deity of procreation and new life * Priapus, rustic god of fertility, protection of livestock, fruit plants, gardens, and male genitalia * Tychon, minor daemon of fertility * Phales, daemon, incarnation of the Phallus, associated with Dionysus

Irish

Dagda The Dagda ( , ) is considered the great god of Irish mythology. He is the chief god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, with the Dagda portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO ...

Roman

* Bacchus, Roman version of Dionysus, identified with Roman Liber, god of agricultural and male fertility *

Bona Dea Bona Dea (; 'Good Goddess') was a List of Roman deities, goddess in Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion. She was associated with chastity and fertility among married Women in ancient Rome, Roman women, healing, and the protection of t ...

, goddess of fertility, healing, virginity, and women * Candelifera, goddess of childbirth * Carmenta, goddess of childbirth and prophecy * Domidicus, the god who leads the bride home * Domitius, the god who installs the bride * Fascinus, embodiment of the divine phallus * Fecunditas, goddess of fertility * Feronia, goddess associated with fertility and abundance *

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

, goddess of flowers and springtime * Inuus, god of sexual intercourse * Jugatinus, the god who joins the pair in marriage * Juno, goddess of marriage and childbirth, equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera; has the epithet Lucina * Liber, god of viniculture, wine, and male fertility, equivalent to Greek

; in archaic Lavinium, a phallic deity * Libera, female equivalent of Liber, also identified with

Proserpina Proserpina ( ; ) or Proserpine ( ) is an ancient Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of Greek Persephone. Proserpina replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera, whos ...

Romanised form of Greek

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

* Manturna, the goddess who kept the bride at home * Mater Matuta, deity of female maturation also protector in childbirth. * Mutunus Tutunus, phallic marriage deity associated with the Greek god Priapus * Partula, goddess of childbirth, who determined the duration of each pregnancy * Pertunda, goddess who enables sexual penetration of the virgin bride; an epithet of Juno * Picumnus, god of fertility, agriculture, matrimony, infants, and children * Prema, goddess who made the bride submissive, allowing penetration; also an epithet of Juno, who has the same function * Robigus, fertility god who protects crops against disease * Subigus, the god who subdues the bride to the husband's will *

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

, goddess of beauty, love, desire, sex and fertility * Virginiensis, the goddess who unties the girdle of the bride.

Sami

* Beiwe, goddess of fertility and sanity *

Rana Niejta Rana Niejta and Rana Niejte are variant forms of the Ume Sami name of a goddess in Sami religion, Sami mythology. In Northern Sami she is called Rana Neida and Rana Neide (names in other Sami languages are Rana Nieda, Ruona Neida, Radien-neide and ...

, goddess of spring and fertility

Slavic

* Dzydzilelya, Polish goddess of love, marriage, sexuality and fertility * Jarilo, god of fertility, spring, the harvest and war * Kostroma, goddess of fertility * Mokoš, Old Russian goddess of fertility, the Mother Goddess, protector of women's work and women's destiny * Siebog, god of love and marriage * Svetovid, god of war, fertility, and abundance * Živa, goddess of love and fertility

Oceanian

* Gedi (mythology),

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

an god of fertility, who taught mankind the use of fire * Makemake, Rapa Nui creator-god, associated with fertility * Tagroa Siria, Fijian god associated with fertility *Sido/Soido, Melanesian god associated with fertility * Tangaroa,

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

n god of the sea and creation, associated with fertility

Hawaiian

* Haumea, goddess of fertility and childbirth * Kamapua'a, demi-god of fertility * Laka, patron of the hula dance and god of fertility * Lono, god associated with fertility, agriculture, rainfall, and music * Nuakea, goddess of lactation

Indigenous Australian

* Anjea, goddess or spirit of fertility * Birrahgnooloo, Kamilaroi goddess of fertility * Dilga, Karadjeri goddess of fertility and growth * Julunggul, Yolngu rainbow snake goddess associated with fertility, initiation, rebirth and the weather * Kunapipi, mother goddess and the patron deity of many heroes * Rainbow Serpent, creator god and god of rain and fertility * Ungud, snake god or goddess associated with rainbows and the fertility and erections of the tribe's shaman * Wollunqua, snake god of rain and fertility

References

{{List of mythological figures by region Mythological archetypes Fertility deities