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religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
, a nature deity is a
deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
in charge of forces of nature, such as
water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
, biological processes, or
weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...
. These deities can also govern natural features such as mountains, trees, or volcanoes. Accepted in animism, pantheism, panentheism, polytheism, deism, totemism, shamanism,
Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
,
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, and paganism, the nature deity can embody a number of archetypes including mother goddess, Mother Nature, or lord of the animals.


African


Akan mythology

* Asase Yaa, Mother of the Dead and the goddess of the harsh earth and truth * Asase Afua, the goddess of the lush earth, fertility, love, procreation and farming * Bia, personification of the Bia River and god of the wilderness and wild animals * Tano, personification of the Tano River and god of the river and thunder


Bantu mythology

* Jengu, Sawabantu and Duala water spirits * Nyambe, Bantu Supreme deity and god of the sun * Nzambi, Bakongo Sky Father and god of the sun * Nzambici, Bakongo Sky Mother and goddess of the moon and earth * Simbi, Bakongo nature spirits of the water and forest


Egyptian mythology Egyptian mythology is the collection of myths from ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of the Egyptian pantheon, Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world around them. The beliefs that these myths express are an important part ...

* Ash, god of the oasis and the vineyards of the western
Nile Delta The Nile Delta (, or simply , ) is the River delta, delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's larger deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the eas ...
* Geb, god of earth * Nut, sky goddess and sister and wife of Geb


Igbo mythology

* Ala, Igbo alusi, goddess of the earth, morality, fertility, and creativity * Amadioha, Igbo alusi, god of thunder and lightning * Anyanwu, Igbo alusi, sun goddess of good fortune, knowledge, and wisdom


Voodoo mythology

* Mawu-Lisa, Dahomey goddess of creation, the sun, and the moon * Xevioso, Dahomey god of thunder


Yoruba mythology

* Aja, Yoruba orisha, patron of whirlwinds, the forest, forest animals, and herbal healers * Oko, Yoruba orisha, patron of new harvest of the white African yam and of hunting * Osanyin, Yoruba orisha, patron of the forest, herbs, and healing * Oshosi, Yoruba orisha, patron of the forest and of hunting * Oshun, Yoruba orisha, patron of water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality


Zulu mythology

*iNyanga, Zulu moon goddess * Nomhoyi, Zulu goddess of rivers * Nomkhubulwane, Zulu goddess mother of fertility, rain, agriculture, rainbow, and beer * Unsondo, Zulu god of the sky, sun, thunder, and earthquakes


American


Aztec mythology

* Xochipilli, god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, and song * Xochiquetzal, goddess of fertility, beauty, female sexuality, protection of young mothers, pregnancy, childbirth, vegetation, flowers, and the crafts of women * Tonantzin, mother goddess


Brazilian mythology/ Guarani mythology

* Curupira, a powerful demon or forest spirit and guardian of nature


Haitian Vodou

* Baron Samedi, loa of the dead * Grand Bois, loa associated with trees, plants and herbs * L'inglesou, loa who lives in the wild areas of Haiti and kills anyone who offends him * Loco, loa associated with healers and plants, especially trees


Inca mythology

* Pachamama, fertility goddess who presides over planting, harvesting and earthquakes


Maya mythology

* Yum Kaax, god of agriculture, wild plants and animals


Native American mythology

* Asintmah, Athabaskan earth and nature goddess, and the first woman to walk the earth * Ngen,
Mapuche The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging e ...
spirits of nature


Asian


Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...

* Dou Mu Niang Niang, Mother Goddess of the
Big Dipper The Big Dipper (American English, US, Canadian English, Canada) or the Plough (British English, UK, Hiberno-English, Ireland) is an asterism (astronomy), asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them ar ...
* Tai Sui, Star deities of sixty years cycle * Chang'e, moon goddess * Lei Gong, god of thunder * Hou Tu Niang Niang, Mother Earth and Overlord of all Tu Di Gong * Tu Di Gong, earth deity of a specific locality and nearby human communities * Gonggong, ancient god of water * Zhurong, ancient god of fire * Hebo, god of
Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...
* San Shan Guo Wang, lords of the Three Mountains in Southern China


Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

* Prithvi or Bhumi, goddess regarded as "Mother Earth"; Sanskrit for ''Earth'' * Agni, god of fire * Varuna, god of oceans *
Vayu Vayu (; ), also known as Vata () and Pavana (), is the Hindu deities, Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the ''Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king o ...
, god of wind *
Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes Indra is the m ...
, god of rain, lightning and thunders * Aranyani, goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within it


Japanese mythology

* Amaterasu, goddess of the sun * Izanagi, forefather of the gods, god of creation and life and first male * Izanami, Izanagi's wife and sister, goddess of creation and death, first female * Konohanasakuya-hime, the blossom princess and symbol of delicate earthly life * Shinigami, god of death * Suijin, god of water * Fūjin, god of wind * Kagu-tsuchi, god of fire * Susanoo, god of storms, (fertility in Izumo legends), younger brother to Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi * Tsukuyomi, god of the moon and oceans, younger brother of Amaterasu and older brother of Susanoo


Korean mythology Korean mythology () is the group of myths told by historical and modern Koreans. There are two types: the written, literary mythology in traditional histories, mostly about the founding monarchs of List of monarchs of Korea, various historical k ...

*
Dangun Dangun or Tangun (; ), also known as Dangun Wanggeom (; ), was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gra ...
, god-king of Gojoseon, god of the mountain * Dokkaebi, nature spirits * Lady Saso, goddess of the mountain * Jacheongbi, goddess of the grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment * Jeonggyun Moju, mother of Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and Ijinashi of Daegaya, goddess of the mountain * Jik, god of grains * Sa, god of the earth * Sansin, local mountain gods


Philippine mythology

* Amihan, Tagalog god of the monsoon * Apúng Sinukuan (Maria Sinukuan), Kapampangan mountain goddess associated with Mount Arayat * Dayang Masalanta (Maria Makiling), Tagalog mountain goddess associated with Mount Makiling * Mayari goddess of the moon * Kan-Laon, Visayan god of time associated with the volcano Kanlaon * Tala, Tagalog goddess of the morning and evening star


Vietnamese mythology

* Ông Trời, god of the heaven/sky and king of the gods * Mẫu Thượng Thiên, goddess of the heavens/skies * Thiên Y A Na, the goddess has the same job as the Mẫu Thượng Thiên * Mẫu Thượng Ngàn, goddess of the mountains and forests * Tản Viên Sơn Thánh, god of Ba Vì mountain range * Mẫu Thoải, the goddess who governs all things related to water * Mẫu Địa, goddess of the earth * Lạc Long Quân, one of the Long Vươngs at the head of the Water Palace


Western Asian


Arab mythology

* Dhat-Badan, Yemeni and Horn African goddess of the
oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentArmenian mythology

* Ara the Handsome, a dying-and-rising agricultural deity * Aralez, winged dog-like creatures with the ability to resurrect the dead by licking wounds * Areg (Arev) or Ar, god of the Sun * Astłik, deity of fertility and love * Tsovinar, also known as "Nar of the Sea", goddess of waters and the ocean * Mihr, cognate with the Mithra and god of the sun and light * Spandaramet, chthonic goddess of fertility, vineyards, and the underworld * Vishap, a dragon closely associated with water


Hittite mythology

* Irpitiga, lord of the earth * Sarruma, god of the mountains


Mesopotamian mythology

* Abu, minor
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 god of plants * Damu, vegetation god * Emesh, Sumerian god of vegetation * Kishar, goddess representing the earth * Ningishzida, vegetation god * Ninhursag, Sumerian mother goddess associated with the earth and fertility * Ningikuga, Sumerian goddess of reeds and marshes * Ua-Ildak, Babylonian and Akkadian goddess responsible for pastures and poplar trees


Persian mythology

* Spenta Armaiti, goddess of earth *
Ameretat () is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian divinity/divine concept of immortality. Amerdad is the Amesha Spenta of long life on earth and perpetuality in the hereafter. The word ' is grammatically feminine and the divini ...
, goddess of vegetation *
Haurvatat Haurvatat (Help:IPA/English, /ˈhəʊrvətət/; ) is the Avestan language word for the Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian concept of "wholeness" or "perfection." In post-Gathic Zoroastrianism, Haurvatat was the Amesha Spenta associated with water (''c ...
, goddess associated with water * Anahita, goddess of waters * Tishtrya, god of rain and lightning * Apam Napat, god of waters


Turco-Mongol

* Umay, the goddess of nature, love and fertility in Turkic mythology. Also known as Yer Ana. * İye, deities or spirits or natural assets. * Baianai, the god of the forest, animals, and hunt in Turkic mythology. * Ukulan, the god of water in Turkic mythology


European


Baltic mythology

* Medeina,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
n goddess of forests, trees, and animals * Zemes māte, goddess of the earth


Celtic mythology

* Abnoba,
Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...
goddess associated with forests and rivers * Artio, Gaulish bear goddess of the wilderness * Arduinna, goddess of the Ardennes forest region * Cernunnos, god associated with horned male animals, produce, and fertility * Druantia, hypothetical Gallic tree goddess proposed by Robert Graves in his 1948 study '' The White Goddess''; popular with Neopagans. * Nantosuelta, Gaulish goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility * Sucellus, god of agriculture, forests, and alcoholic drinks * Viridios, god of vegetation, rebirth, and agriculture, possibly cognate with the Green Man * Karærin, Celtic goddess who protects animals and nature * Sínann, Irish goddess, embodiment of the River Shannon, the longest river on
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, and a goddess of wisdom


English mythology

* Apple Tree Man, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchard Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies''. Pantheon Books. pp. 9–10. . * Churnmilk Peg, female guardian spirit of unripe nut thickets * Melsh Dick is the male counterpart to Churnmilk PegWright, Elizabeth Mary (1913). ''Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore''. Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 198.


Etruscan mythology

* Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness, wine, health, and growth in all things * Selvans, god of the woodlands * Artumes, goddess of the hunt, woodlands, the night, and the wild


Finnish mythology

* Lempo, god of wilderness and archery * Tapio, god and ruler of forests * Mielikki, goddess of forests and the hunt. Wife of Tapio.


Mari

* Mlande, god of the earth * Mlande-Ava, goddess of the earth


Georgian mythology

* Dali, goddess of mountain animals such as ibex and deer


Germanic mythology Germanic mythology consists of the body of myths native to the Germanic peoples, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon paganism#Mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, and Continental Germanic mythology. It was a key element of Germanic paganism. O ...

*
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 ...
or Ostara, the goddess of spring * Fjörgyn, the female personification of the earth. She is also the mother of the goddess
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 ...
and, very rarely, mother of Thor * Freyja, goddess of fertility, gold, death, love, beauty, war and magic * Freyr, god of fertility, rain, sunlight, life and summer * Iðunn the goddess of spring who guards the apples that keep the gods eternally young; wife of the god Bragi * Jörð, personification of the earth and the mother of Thor * Nerthus, goddess of the earth, called by the Romans Terra Mater * Njörð, god of the sea, fishing, and fertility * Rán, goddess of the sea, storms, and death *
Skaði In Norse mythology, Skaði (; Old Norse: ; sometimes anglicized as Skadi, Skade, or Skathi) is a jötunn and Æsir, goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. Skaði is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 1 ...
, goddess of mountains, skiing, winter, archery and hunting * Sif, goddess of earth, fertility, and the harvest * Thor, god of thunder, lightning, weather, oak trees, and fertility * Ullr, god of hunting, archery, skiing, and mountains


Germanic folklore

* Nøkken, male water spirit * Elf, beautiful, fairy-like creature that lives in the forest and streams


Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

* Anthousai, flower nymphs *
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 love, beauty, pleasure, and fertility *
Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
, god of the sun, light, healing, poetry and music, and archery * Aristaeus, god of shepherds, cheesemaking, beekeeping, honey, honey-mead, olive growing, oil milling, medicinal herbs, hunting, and the Etesian winds *
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 dark, the light, the moon, wild animals, nature, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls, and health and plague in women and childhood * Aurae, nymphs of the breezes * Chloris, goddess of flowers * Cronus, god of the harvest * Cybele, Phrygian goddess of the fertile earth and wild animals * Demeter, goddess of the harvest, crops, the fertility of the earth, grains, and the seasons *
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, vegetation, pleasure, madness, and festivity. The Roman equivalent is Bacchus.Walter Burkert, (1985) Greek Religion, Harvard University Press, . * Dryads, tree and forest nymphs * Epimeliades, nymphs of highland pastures and protectors of sheep flocks * Gaia, primal mother goddess and goddess of the earth and its personification * Hamadryades, oak tree dryads * Hegemone, goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed to * Helios, Titan-god of the sun * Horae, goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time * Meliae, nymphs of honey and the ash tree * Nymphs, nature spirits * Naiades, fresh water nymphs *
Nereids In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; ; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the 'Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanids, Oceanid Doris (Oceanid), Doris, sisters to their bro ...
, salt-water nymphs * Nyx, Primordial goddess and personification of night * Oceanides, fresh water nymphs * Oreades, mountain nymphs * Oxylus, god of forests & mountains * Pan, god of shepherds, flocks, mountain wilds, and rustic music * Persephone (Kore), goddess of spring growth * Physis, primeval goddess of nature * Rhea, goddess of fertility, motherhood, and the mountain wilds * Satyrs, rustic nature spirits *
Selene In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Selene (; , meaning "Moon")''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (), she is traditionally the daughter ...
, Titan-goddess of the moon


Greek rustic deities


Nordic folklore

* Rå, Skogsrå, Hulder, beautiful, female forest spirits


Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...

* Bacchus – god of wine, nature, pleasure and festivity; equivalent to the Greek god Dionysus * Ceres, goddess of growing plants and motherly relationships; equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter * Diana, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness and the moon; equivalent to the Greek goddess Artemis * Faunus, horned god of the forest, plains and fields * Feronia, goddess associated with wildlife, fertility, health 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 the spring; equivalent to the Greek goddess Chloris * Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness and health and growth in all things * Liber, cognate for Bacchus/Dionysus * Nemestrinus, god of the forests and woods * Ops, goddess of fertility and the earth * Pilumnus, nature god who ensured children grew properly and stayed healthy * Pomona, goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchards * Silvanus, tutelary spirit or deity of woods and fields and protector of forests * Terra, primeval goddess personifying the earth; equivalent to the Greek goddess Gaia


Slavic mythology Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, or Slavic religion refer to the Religion, religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation of the Slavs, Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and ...

* Berstuk, evil Wendish god of the forest * Jarilo, god of vegetation, fertility, spring, war and harvest * Leshy, a
tutelary deity A tutelary (; also tutelar) is a deity or a Nature spirit, spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept ...
of the forests. * Porewit, god of the woods, who protected lost voyagers and punished those who mistreated the forest * Veles, god of earth, waters and the underworld * Mokosh, East-Slavic goddess of nature


Oceanian


Māori mythology

* Papatuanuku, the earth mother * Ranginui, the sky father * Ruaumoko, god of volcanoes and seasons * Tāne, god of forests and of birds


Micronesian mythology

* Nei Tituaabine,
Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...
goddess of trees


Toraja

* Indo' Ongon-Ongon, goddess of earthquakes * Pong Banggai di Rante, earth goddess


See also

* List of deities by classification * List of tree deities * Ekendriya * Master of Animals * Plant soul * Potnia Theron


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nature deities
Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...