The

sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

often has important religious significance. Many religions, both

polytheistic Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, th ...

and

monotheistic Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxfor ...

, have deities associated with the sky. The daytime sky deities are typically distinct from the nighttime ones.

Stith Thompson Stith Thompson (March 7, 1885 – January 10, 1976) was an American folklorist: he has been described as "America's most important folklorist". He is the "Thompson" of the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, which indexes folktales by type, and t ...

's ''

Motif-Index of Folk-Literature The ''Motif-Index of Folk-Literature'' is a six volume catalogue of motifs, granular elements of folklore, composed by American folklorist Stith Thompson (1932–1936, revised and expanded 1955–1958). Often referred to as Thompson's motif-inde ...

'' reflects this by separating the category of "Sky-god" (A210) from that of "Star-god" (A250). In mythology, nighttime gods are usually known as night deities and gods of stars simply as star gods. Both of these categories are included here since they relate to the sky. Luminary deities are included as well since the sun and moon are located in the sky. Some religions may also have a deity or personification of the day, distinct from the god of the day lit sky, to complement the deity or personification of the night. Daytime gods and nighttime gods are frequently deities of an " upper world" or "celestial world" opposed to the earth and a " netherworld" (gods of the underworld are sometimes called "chthonic" deities). Within Greek mythology,

Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. Its name is a reference to the Greek god of the sky, Uranus (Caelus), who, according to Greek mythology, was the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars), grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter) and father of Cronu ...

was the primordial sky god, who was ultimately succeeded by

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...

, who ruled the celestial realm atop

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...

. In contrast to the celestial Olympians was the chthonic deity

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

, who ruled the underworld, and

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

, who ruled the sea. Any masculine sky god is often also king of the gods, taking the position of

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in ce ...

within a

pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics * Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

. Such king gods are collectively categorized as " sky father" deities, with a polarity between sky and earth often being expressed by pairing a "sky father" god with an "

earth mother A mother goddess is a goddess who represents a personified deification of motherhood, fertility, creation, destruction, or the earth goddess who embodies the bounty of the earth or nature. When equated with the earth or the natural world, ...

" goddess (pairings of a sky ''mother'' with an earth ''father'' are less frequent). A main sky goddess is often the queen of the gods and may be an air/sky goddess in her own right, though she usually has other functions as well with "sky" not being her main. In antiquity, several sky goddesses in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Near East were called

Queen of Heaven Queen of Heaven ( la, Regina Caeli) is a title given to the Virgin Mary, by Christians mainly of the Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Catholic teaching on this subject is express ...

. Neopagans often apply it with impunity to sky goddesses from other regions who were never associated with the term historically. Gods may rule the sky as a pair (for example, ancient Semitic supreme god El and the fertility goddess

Asherah Asherah (; he, אֲשֵׁרָה, translit=Ăšērā; uga, 𐎀𐎘𐎗𐎚, translit=ʾAṯiratu; akk, 𒀀𒅆𒋥, translit=Aširat; Qatabanian: ') in ancient Semitic religion, is a fertility goddess who appears in a number of ancient s ...

whom he was most likely paired with). The following is a list of sky deities in various polytheistic traditions arranged mostly by language family, which is typically a better indicator of relatedness than geography.

Speakers of Indo-European languages

Proto-Indo-European

* Dyeus, the chief sky father of the

Proto-Indo-European religion Proto-Indo-European mythology is the body of myths and deities associated with the Proto-Indo-Europeans, the hypothetical speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language. Although the mythological motifs are not directly attested ...

* Hausos, dawn goddess and daughter of Dyeus * Menot, moon god * Seul, sun goddess

Albanian

* Perendi, god of the light, sky and heaven * Zojz, god of the sky and lightning

Baltic

Auštaras The list of Lithuanian gods is reconstructed based on scarce written sources and late folklore. Lithuania converted to Christianity in 1387, but elements of Lithuanian mythology survived into the 19th century. The earliest written sources, author ...

, the god of the northeast wind *

Dievs Lithuanian Dievas, Latvian Dievs, Latgalian Dīvs, Old Prussian Dìews, Yotvingian Deivas was the primordial supreme god in the Baltic mythology and one of the most important deities together with Perkūnas and he was brother of Potrimpo. He ...

, the god of the day-lit sky and the chief god in

Latvian mythology Latvian mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Latvia, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. These myth ...

* Vejopatis, the god of the wind who guards the divine realm of

Dausos The list of Lithuanian gods is reconstructed based on scarce written sources and late folklore. Lithuania converted to Christianity in 1387, but elements of Lithuanian mythology survived into the 19th century. The earliest written sources, author ...

Celtic

Latobius Latobius was a sky and mountain Celtic god worshipped by the people of Noricum (modern Austria and Slovenia). During ancient Roman times he was equated with aspects of Jupiter and Mars. Votive inscriptions for ''Mars Latobius''Duval, Paul-Marie. "C ...

, sky and mountain god equated with the Greek gods Zeus and Ares * Nuada, god of the sky, wind, and war *

Sulis In the localised Celtic polytheism practised in Great Britain, Sulis was a deity worshiped at the thermal spring of Bath (now in Somerset). She was worshiped by the Romano-British as Sulis Minerva, whose votive objects and inscribed lead tab ...

, goddess of the hot springs at Bath; probably originally the pan-Celtic sun goddess * Ambisagrus, Cisalpine god of rain, sky and hail equated to the Roman god Jupiter

English

Nuit Nuit (alternatively Nu, Nut, or Nuith) is a goddess in Thelema, the speaker in the first Chapter of ''The Book of the Law'', the sacred text written or received in 1904 by Aleister Crowley. Based on the Ancient Egyptian sky goddess Nut, wh ...

, goddess of "Infinite Space and Infinite Stars" in

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ...

Germanic

Dagr Dagr (Old Norse: , "day")Lindow (2001:91). is the divine personification of the day in Norse mythology. He appears in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the '' Prose Edda'', written in the 13th ...

, personification of day * Eostre, spring and fertility goddess; originally the Germanic dawn goddess * Mēnô, the moon *

Nótt In Norse mythology, Nótt (Old Norse: , "night"Orchard (1997:120).) is night personified. In both the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', composed in the 13th century, Nótt is li ...

, personification of night * Sōwilō, the sun * Teiwaz, early Germanic sky god, also the god of law, justice, and the

thing (assembly) A thing, german: ding, ang, þing, enm, thing. (that is, "assembly" or folkmoot) was a governing assembly in early Germanic society, made up of the free people of the community presided over by a lawspeaker. Things took place at regular i ...

Greek

Aether Aether, æther or ether may refer to: Metaphysics and mythology * Aether (classical element), the material supposed to fill the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere * Aether (mythology), the personification of the "upper sky", sp ...

, primeval god of the upper air *

Astraeus In Greek mythology, Astraeus () or Astraios (Ancient Greek: Ἀστραῖος means "starry"') was an astrological deity. Some also associate him with the winds, as he is the father of the four Anemoi (wind deities), by his wife, Eos. Etymo ...

, dusk god *

Eos In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Eos (; Ionic and Homeric Greek ''Ēṓs'', Attic ''Héōs'', "dawn", or ; Aeolic ''Aúōs'', Doric ''Āṓs'') is the goddess and personification of the dawn, who rose each morning from her home at ...

, dawn goddess *

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the deity, god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyper ...

, personification of the sun *

Hemera In Greek mythology, Hemera (; grc, Ἡμέρα, Hēméra, Day ) was the personification of day. According to Hesiod, she was the daughter of Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night), and the sister of Aether. Though separate entities in Hesiod's ''T ...

, primordial goddess of day *

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...

, goddess of the air, marriage, women, women's fertility, childbirth, heirs, kings, and empires *

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

, goddess of the rainbow and messenger of Hera *

Nephele In Greek mythology, Nephele (; Ancient Greek: Νεφέλη from νέφος ''nephos'' "cloud"; Latinized to ''Nubes'') was a cloud nymph who figured prominently in the story of Phrixus and Helle. Mythology Greek myth has it that Nephele is t ...

, cloud nymph in Hera's likeness *

Nyx Nyx (; , , "Night") is the Greek goddess and personification of night. A shadowy figure, Nyx stood at or near the beginning of creation and mothered other personified deities, such as Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death), with Erebus (Darkn ...

, primordial goddess of night *

Selene In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (; grc-gre, Σελήνη , meaning "Moon"'' A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη) is the goddess and the personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughte ...

, personification of the moon *

, primeval god of the sky *

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, god of the sun, archery, prophecy, medicine, plagues... *

, king of the gods, ruler of

, god of the sky, weather, law, order, and civilization

Hindu

Aditi Aditi (Sanskrit: अदिति, lit. 'boundless' or 'limitless' or 'innocence') is an important Vedic goddess in Hinduism. She is the personification of the sprawling infinite and vast cosmos. She is the goddess of motherhood, consciousne ...

, celestial mother of the gods *

Chandra Chandra ( sa, चन्द्र, Candra, shining' or 'moon), also known as Soma ( sa, सोम), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) a ...

, god of the moon *

Dyaus Pita Dyaus ( ), or Dyauspitar (Devanagari द्यौष्पितृ, ), is the Ṛigvedic sky deity. His consort is Prithvi, the earth goddess, and together they are the archetypal parents in the Rigveda. Nomenclature stems from Proto-Indo ...

, sky father * Indra, king of the gods, associated with weather *

Ratri Ratri () also referred to as Nisha, is a Vedic goddess in Hinduism. She is the personification of the night. The majority of references to Ratri are found in Rigveda and she is described as the sister of Ushas, the personification of dawn. Tog ...

, goddess of night *

Saranyu Sanjna (Sanskrit: संज्ञा, IAST: ''Saṃjñā''), also known as Saranyu ( sa, सरन्यू, IAST: ''Saraṇyū''), is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of Surya, the Sun god. She is mentioned in the ''Rigveda'', and also ap ...

, goddess of clouds *

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...

, god of the sun *

Ushas Ushas ( Vedic Sanskrit: / ') is a Vedic goddess of dawn in Hinduism. She repeatedly appears in the Rigvedic hymns, states David Kinsley, where she is "consistently identified with dawn, revealing herself with the daily coming of light to the w ...

, goddess of dawn

Iranian

* Asmān, god of sky * Māh, god of the moon *

Ohrmazd Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...

, sky father, the Great God * Tīštar, god of Sirius star and Rainfall. * Xwarxšēd, god of the sun * Uša, goddess of dawn

Roman

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, dawn goddess *

Caelus Caelus or Coelus was a primal god of the sky in Roman myth and theology, iconography, and literature (compare ''caelum'', the Latin word for "sky" or "the heaven", hence English "celestial"). The deity's name usually appears in masculine grammat ...

, personification of the sky, equivalent to the Greek

Juno Juno commonly refers to: * Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Juno, in the ...

, goddess of the sky, queen of the gods, and Jupiter's wife, equivalent to the Greek

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandt ...

, king of heaven and god of the sky and weather, equivalent to the Greek

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Romani ...

, moon goddess * Nox, Roman version of Nyx, night goddess and mother of Discordia *

Sol Sol or SOL may refer to: Astronomy * The Sun Currency * SOL Project, a currency project in France * French sol, or sou * Argentine sol * Bolivian sol, the currency of Bolivia from 1827 to 1864 * Peruvian sol, introduced in 1991 * Peruvian sol ( ...

, sun god *

Summanus Summanus ( lat, Summānus) was the god of nocturnal thunder in ancient Roman religion, as counterposed to Jupiter, the god of diurnal (daylight) thunder. His precise nature was unclear even to Ovid. Pliny thought that he was of Etruscan origin ...

, god of nocturnal thunder/lightning

Slavic

Dazhbog Dazhbog (russian: Дажьбо́г, Дажбог), alternatively Daždźbok ( be, Даждзьбог), Dažbog, Dazhdbog, Dajbog, Daybog, Dabog, Dazibogu, or Dadzbóg, was one of the major gods of Slavic mythology, most likely a solar deity and p ...

(or

Svarog Svarog is a Slavic god of fire and blacksmithing, who was once interpreted as a sky god on the basis of an etymology rejected by modern scholarship. He is mentioned in only one source, the '' Primary Chronicle'', which is problematic in interpre ...

), god of the Sun *

Khors Khors, Хорсъ is a Slavic god of uncertain functions mentioned since the 12th century. Generally interpreted as a sun god, sometimes as a moon god. The meaning of the theonym is also unknown: most often his name has been combined with th ...

, god of the Moon *

Stribog Stribog is a god in Slavic mythology found in three East Slavic sources, whose cult may also have existed in Poland. The sources do not inform about the functions of the god, but nowadays he is most often interpreted as a wind deity who distribut ...

, god of the winds, sky, and air *

Perun In Slavic mythology, Perun ( Cyrillic: Перýн) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, ...

, god of the thunderstorms, lightning and sky. *

Triglav Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav Nat ...

, a triple god whose three heads represent sky, earth, and underworld *

Zorya Zorya ( lit. "Dawn"; also many variants: Zarya, Zara, Zaranitsa, Zoryushka, etc.) is a figure in Slavic folklore, a feminine personification of dawn, possibly goddess. Depending on tradition, she may appear as a singular entity, often called "Th ...

, goddess of dawn

Thracian and Phrygian

Sabazios Sabazios ( grc, Σαβάζιος, translit=Sabázios, ''Savázios''; alternatively, ''Sabadios'') is the horseman and sky father god of the Phrygians and Thracians. Though the Greeks interpreted Phrygian Sabazios as both Zeus and Dionysus, repr ...

, sky father

Speakers of Afro-Asiatic languages

Ancient Egyptian

Amun Amun (; also ''Amon'', ''Ammon'', ''Amen''; egy, jmn, reconstructed as ( Old Egyptian and early Middle Egyptian) → (later Middle Egyptian) → ( Late Egyptian), cop, Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ, Amoun) romanized: ʾmn) was a major ancient Egypt ...

, god of creation and the wind *

Anhur In early Egyptian mythology, Anhur (also spelled Onuris, Onouris, An-Her, Anhuret, Han-Her, Inhert) was a god of war who was worshipped in the Egyptian area of Abydos, and particularly in Thinis. Myths told that he had brought his wife, Mehit, ...

, originally a foreign war god who became associated with the air god, Shu *

Hathor Hathor ( egy, ḥwt-ḥr, lit=House of Horus, grc, Ἁθώρ , cop, ϩⲁⲑⲱⲣ, Meroitic: ) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky ...

, originally a sky goddess *

Horus Horus or Heru, Hor, Har in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as god of kingship and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the P ...

, god of the sun, sky, kings, and war *

Khonsu Khonsu ( egy, ḫnsw; also transliterated Chonsu, Khensu, Khons, Chons or Khonshu; cop, Ϣⲟⲛⲥ, Shons) is the ancient Egyptian god of the Moon. His name means "traveller", and this may relate to the perceived nightly travel of the Moon ...

, moon god *

Mehet-Weret Mehet-Weret or Mehturt ( egy, mḥt-wrt) is an ancient Egyptian deity of the sky in ancient Egyptian religion. Her name means "Great Flood". She was mentioned in the Pyramid Texts. In ancient Egyptian creation myths, she gives birth to the sun a ...

, goddess of the sky *

Nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

, goddess of the sky * Ra, god of the sun * Shu, god of the air *

Thoth Thoth (; from grc-koi, Θώθ ''Thṓth'', borrowed from cop, Ⲑⲱⲟⲩⲧ ''Thōout'', Egyptian: ', the reflex of " eis like the Ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or ...

, originally a moon god, later became a writing/knowledge god and the scribe of the other gods

Berber

Achamán Achamán is the supreme god of the Guanches on the island of Tenerife; he is the father god and creator. The name means literally "the skies", in allusion to the celestial vault (the sky). Achamán, an omnipotent and eternal god, created the land a ...

Guanche Guanche may refer to: *Guanches The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean some west of Africa. It is believed that they may have arrived on the archipelago some time in the first millennium BCE. ...

creator and sky god * Achuhucanac, Guanche rain god, associated with the sky god Achamán

Semitic

, sky goddess and consort of El; after the rise of Yahweh, she may have become Yahweh's consort before being demonized and the Israelite religion going monotheistic *

Baalshamin Baalshamin ( arc, ܒܥܠ ܫܡܝܢ ''Baʿal Šāmīn'' or ''Bʿel Šmīn'' Blit. "Lord of Heaven ), also called Baal Shamem ( phn, 𐤁𐤏𐤋 𐤔𐤌𐤌 ''Baʿl Šāmēm'') and Baal Shamaim ( he, ''Baʿal Šāmayīm''), was a Northwest Semit ...

, "Lord of the Heavens" (c.f. Armenian

Barsamin Barsamin (Բարսամին, Barshamin Բարշամին) was a weather or sky god among the pre-Christian Armenians. He is probably derived from the Semitic god Baal Shamin Baalshamin ( arc, ܒܥܠ ܫܡܝܢ ''Baʿal Šāmīn'' or ''Bʿel Šmīn'' ...

) *

El (god) (also Il, uga, 𐎛𐎍 ''ʾīlu''; phn, 𐤀𐤋 ''ʾīl''; he, אֵל ''ʾēl''; syr, ܐܺܝܠ ''ʾīyl''; ar, إيل or ; cognate to akk, 𒀭, ilu) is a Northwest Semitic word meaning "god" or " deity", or referring (as a prope ...

, original sky god and sky father of the Semitic speakers (replaced by Yahweh among Israelites) *

Yahweh Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately fr ...

, deity whose origin is unclear, but rose to prominence among the Israelites, was conflated with El, and became the sole god among them; the Bible heavily associates him with the sky

Speakers of Uralic languages

Finnic

Ilmari Ilmari is a Finnish male given name. It is a short form of Ilmarinen, a mythological smith in the Kalevala. Notable people with the name include: *Ilmari Aalto (1891–1934), Finnish painter *Ilmari Auer (1879–1965), Finnish politician * Ilmari ...

, godlike smith-hero and creator of the sky. *

Ilmatar In the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic, Ilmatar () was a virgin spirit and goddess of the air. Origins The name Ilmatar is derived from the Finnish word ''ilma'', meaning "air," and the female suffix ''-tar'', corresponding to English " ...

, virgin spirit of the air *

Ukko Ukko (), Äijä or Äijö (Finnish for 'male grandparent', 'grandfather', 'old man'), parallel to Uku in Estonian mythology, is the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder in Finnish mythology. Ukkonen, the Finnish word for thunder, is th ...

, supreme god of sky, weather, thunder, crops (harvest) and other natural things. *

Perkele Perkele () is a Finnish word meaning " evil spirit" and a popular Finnish profanity, used similarly to English " god damn", although it is considered much more profane. It is most likely the most internationally known Finnish curse word. Origins ...

, associated with Ukko by some researchers. A name for

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

in Finnish. *

Taara Taara (variations of the name include Tooru, Tharapita and Tarapitha), also known as Uku or Jumal, is a prominent god in Estonian mythology, with a strong resemblance to the Finnish Ukko and the Germanic Thor. History The Chronicle of Henry ...

, Oeselian chief god of thunder and the sky

Mari

* Kugu Jumo, chief god of the sky, creator of the world, associated with a duck * Tõlze, god of the moon * Piambar, daughter of the sky * Shudyr-Shamich, god of the stars * Uzhara, god of the dawn

Mordvin

* Värde-Škaj,

Mokshan Mokshan (russian: Мокша́н) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Mokshansky District of Penza Oblast, Russia. Population: 10,710 (1900). History It was established in 1566 as a fort to protect the c ...

supreme god of the sky * Niškepaz, Erzyan supreme god of the sky * Kovava, Mokshan goddess of the moon

Permic

* Inmar, Udmurt god of the heavens * Jenmar, Komi sky and chief god, creator of the world, associated with the moose

Sami

Horagalles In Sami shamanism, Horagalles, also written Hora Galles and Thora Galles and often equated with Tiermes or ''Aijeke'' (i.e. "grandfather or great grandfather"), is the thunder god. He is depicted as a wooden figure with a nail in the head and wit ...

, Sami god of the sky, thunder and lightning, the rainbow, weather, oceans, lakes, human life, health and well-being. * Mano, god of the moon

Samoyedic

* Num, god of the sky

Ugric

* Num-Toorum-Aś, Ob-Ugric supreme god and ruler of the kingdom of the sky in the north

Chinese

* Yu Huang Dadi-

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the thre ...

(center) * Ziwei Dadi- polestar emperor (north) * Changsheng Dadi-longevity emperor (south) * Qinghua Dadi-azure-illustrious emperor (east) * Taiji Tianhuang Dadi-ultimate heaven emperor (west) *

Chang'e Chang'e ( ; , alternatively rendered as Chang-Er or Ch‘ang-o), originally known as Heng'e, is the Chinese goddess of the Moon. She is the subject of several legends in Chinese mythology, most of which incorporate several of the following ele ...

, moon goddess who lives with the

moon rabbit The Moon rabbit or Moon hare is a mythical figure in East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on pareidolia interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. In East Asia, the rabbit i ...

Shang Di Shangdi (), also written simply, "Emperor" (), is the Chinese term for "Supreme Deity" or "Highest Deity" in the theology of the classical texts, especially deriving from Shang theology and finding an equivalent in the later ''Tian'' ("Heaven ...

, the celestial emperor * Tien Heaven, *

Xihe (deity) Xihe (), was a solar deity in Chinese mythology. One of the two wives of Di Jun (along with Changxi), she was the mother of ten suns in the form of three-legged crows residing in a mulberry tree, the Fusang, in the East Sea. Each day, one of th ...

, sun goddess * Zhinü, weaver of the clouds and possible dawn goddess Twenty Four Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝) * Six Tiandi of the North ** 1. Bìfàn Xuánwú Tiandi ** 2. Bìkōng Zhēnjì Tiandi ** 3. Bìluó Yuánshǐ Tiandi ** 4. Bìgě Chéngkāi Tiandi ** 5. Bìyàn Zhūjǐng Tiandi ** 6. Bìhóng Xūkuàng Tiandi * Six Tiandi of the South ** 7. Bìzhēn Dòngyáng Tiandi ** 8. Bìyáo Jiànggōng Tiandi ** 9. Bìxiá Míngsù Tiandi ** 10. Bìwú Yàodòng Tiandi ** 11. Bìyùn Shǐtú Tiandi ** 12. Bìhào Zhēngxū Tiandi * Six Tiandi of the West ** 13. Bìshén Zhàozhì Tiandi ** 14. Bìchōng Zǐyào Tiandi ** 15. Bìgě Fànkōng Tiandi ** 16. Bìdòng Xiáyáng Tiandi ** 17. Bìhuá Kāilì Tiandi ** 18. Bìfàn Míngyáo Tiandi * Six Tiandi of the North ** 19. Bìguāng Hánhuá Tiandi ** 20. Bìyè Zhùyán Tiandi ** 21. Bìdān Huáqì Tiandi ** 22. Bìkuò Címíng Tiandi ** 23. Bìlà Gēyīn Tiandi ** 24. Bìxū Níngyáng Tiandi Twenty Eight Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝) * Seven Tiandi of the East ** 1. Tàimíng Hùzhēn Tiandi ** 2. Juéfàn Tàilíng Tiandi ** 3. Húyuè Cuìxiù Tiandi ** 4. Zǐdān Míngchǔ Tiandi ** 5. Dòngxiá Yùzhēn Tiandi ** 6. Kōngxuán Lìshǔ Tiandi ** 7. Qiáotōng Zhūpǔ Tiandi * Seven Tiandi of the South ** 8. Yányú Zhēngshǐ Tiandi ** 9. Jīngwéi Xiāomíng Tiandi ** 10. Qìngfú Zīshàn Tiandi ** 11. Suíwén Xīdù Tiandi ** 12. Chángjī Lèwán Tiandi ** 13. Qíhuá Bùróng Tiandi ** 14. Gāolíng Dàiwú Tiandi * Seven Tiandi of the West ** 15. Zhōuyú Píngwú Tiandi ** 16. Jǐngyán Tàizhēn Tiandi ** 17. Lǜjǐng Shǔchén Tiandi ** 18. Niúluó Pǔshì Tiandi ** 19. Dìngliáng Huìzōng Tiandi ** 20. Zhàolíng Sūjì Tiandi ** 21. Jiǔwēi Dònghuáng Tiandi * Seven Tiandi of the North ** 22. Dìshū Guāngjìng Tiandi ** 23. Zǐyí Jìhuā Tiandi ** 24. Zhìdìng Yǔnlǐ Tiandi ** 25. Guāngfàn Jiùzhì Tiandi ** 26. Hǔ口 Zhēngbù Tiandi ** 27. Bàyān Wúyuán Tiandi ** 28. Dàomíng Húnxìng Tiandi Thirty Two Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝) * Eight Tiandi of the East ** 1. Tàihuáng Huángzēng Tiandi ** 2. Tàimíng Yùwán Tiandi ** 3. Qīngmíng Hétóng Tiandi ** 4. Xuántāi Píngyù Tiandi ** 5. Yuánmíng Wénjǔ Tiandi ** 6. Qīyào Móyí Tiandi ** 7. Xūwú Yuèhéng Tiandi ** 8. Tàijí Méngyì Tiandi * Eight Tiandi of the South ** 9. Chìmíng Héyáng Tiandi ** 10. Xuánmíng Gōnghuá Tiandi ** 11. Yàomíng Zōngpiāo Tiandi ** 12. Zhúlà Huángjiā Tiandi ** 13. Xūmíng Tángyào Tiandi ** 14. Guànmíng Duānjìng Tiandi ** 15. Xuánmíng Gōngqìng Tiandi ** 16. Tàihuàn Jíyáo Tiandi * Eight Tiandi of the West ** 17. Yuánzǎi Kǒngshēng Tiandi ** 18. Tàiān Huángyá Tiandi ** 19. Xiǎndìng Jífēng Tiandi ** 20. Shǐhuáng Xiàománg Tiandi ** 21. Tàihuáng Wēngchóng Tiandi ** 22. Wúsī Jiāngyóu Tiandi ** 23. Shǎngshé Ruǎnlè Tiandi ** 24. Wújí Tánshì Tiandi * Eight Tiandi of the North ** 25. Hàotíng Xiāodù Tiandi ** 26. Yuāntōng Yuándòng Tiandi ** 27. Hànchǒng Miàochéng Tiandi ** 28. Xiùlè Jīnshǎng Tiandi ** 29. Wúshàng Chángróng Tiandi ** 30. Yùlóng Téngshèng Tiandi ** 31. Lóngbiàn Fàndù Tiandi ** 32.Píngyù Jiǎyì Tiandi Sixty Four Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝) * Sixteen Tiandi of the East ** 1. Wǎnkōng Míngfàn Tiandi ** 2. Zǐyuán Bàwú Tiandi ** 3. Yānjǐng Yùxū Tiandi ** 4. Chōngzhēng Dòngjí Tiandi ** 5. Míngbiàn Yuánhuáng Tiandi ** 6. Lǐchóng Yuānxū Tiandi ** 7. Jiàozhēn Quánzhòng Tiandi ** 8. Qīngwēi Huángyǔ Tiandi ** 9. Jiùmíng wàngshì Tiandi ** 10. Yuèfǔ Wènshí Tiandi ** 11. Qìlíng Zhāopǔ Tiandi ** 12. Xuánxū Guāngfàn Tiandi ** 13. Shǎngjí Sìzhǒng Tiandi ** 14. Yìhuā Zhēngzhèn Tiandi ** 15. Gūshì Bāfàn Tiandi ** 16. Jiǔyán Yùdìng Tiandi * Sixteen Tiandi of the South ** 17. Dānmó Yìhuā Tiandi ** 18. Dòujiàn Xūyú Tiandi ** 19. Dìguāng Wújì Tiandi ** 20. Zhūlíng Yàoguāng Tiandi ** 21. Zǐjǐng Duànbái Tiandi ** 22. Jiàngxiān Táiyuán Tiandi ** 23. Shuǎngzhì Xièshēn Tiandi ** 24. Yùjiāng Sīchán Tiandi ** 25. Gūhóu Lìzhēn Tiandi ** 26. Gǔxuán Dàoyòng Tiandi ** 27. Lǐbù Míngwēi Tiandi ** 28. Shénlú Chāngyìng Tiandi ** 29. Dùzhēng Kèzōng Tiandi ** 30. Dàhuǒ Chìyī Tiandi ** 31. Qīngdì Dòngyáo Tiandi ** 32. Xuánchéng Bǎihuā Tiandi * Sixteen Tiandi of the West ** 33. Jīnlí Guāngqǐ Tiandi ** 34. Jíhuáng Xuányùn Tiandi ** 35. Zhōuyán Jìngpíng Tiandi ** 36. Bǎosòng Róngzī Tiandi ** 37. Qìngzhēn Měiyuán Tiandi ** 38. Zhàiwú Shénsì Tiandi ** 39. Gāojiàng Zhìhuá Tiandi ** 40. Dàoqī Yánjì Tiandi ** 41. Tónglì Dàochú Tiandi ** 42. Dǐngshén Huàwēi Tiandi ** 43. Tàiān Shùnjí Tiandi ** 44. Qióngxī Yàoxiān Tiandi ** 45. Zǐdū Yuèguǎng Tiandi ** 46. Cuīkāng Jiéshí Tiandi ** 47. Jìngbì Làmáng Tiandi ** 48. Pǔhǎi Dòngjī Tiandi * Sixteen Tiandi of the North ** 49. Yúsì Tǒngzhēn Tiandi ** 50. Hǔjiā Pīfāng Tiandi ** 51. Qiúyuān Làyú Tiandi ** 52. Jīnbái Zhēngjì Tiandi ** 53. Huánglì Kǒngxiū Tiandi ** 54. Yáoshū Jīnglíng Tiandi ** 55. Shényín Xiāodū Tiandi ** 56. Qìngzhāo Yuèfú Tiandi ** 57. Chēnmíng Chúkǔ Tiandi ** 58. Fēngxìn Kǎofú Tiandi ** 59. Zhèngrù Bàobù Tiandi ** 60. Gěnglěi Lìquán Tiandi ** 61. Guǐchǔ Shǐlè Tiandi ** 62. Língfù Hǎilún Tiandi ** 63. Shǎngjí Xiāotán Tiandi ** 64. Bìcháng Dòngyuán Tiandi

Burmese

* Akathaso, the spirits of the sky

Meitei/Sanamahism

Sidaba Mapu "Sidaba Mapu" ( mni, ꯁꯤꯗꯕ ꯃꯄꯨ) (literally,''"Immortal God"'') or Salailel ( mni, ꯁꯂꯥꯢꯂꯦꯜ) is the Supreme God, Creator of the universe and the Sky God in Meitei mythology and religion. According to Meitei mythology, Sid ...

, the sky god and the Supreme Deity * Salailen (Soraren), father sky who help humans to build a civilisation *

Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi ) , deity_of = Queen of Heaven , member_of = Lairembis and Umang Lais , image = CHINGPHULON KONTHOUSU.jpg , alt = , caption = "Chingphulon Konthousu", the birth name of the goddess Tampha, written in archaic M ...

, queen of heaven * Korouhanba, sky and sun god * Nongshaba, celestial dragon lion *

Nongthang Leima ) * Nongthang Lairembi ( omp, Nongthang Lailempi) * Nongthang Lairemma ( omp, Nongthang Lailemma) * Langmai Sana Chingjaroibi ( omp, Langmai Sana Chingchaloipi) , hiro = , Old_Norse = , script_name = , script = , affi ...

, thunder and lightning goddess *

Pakhangba Pakhangba ( mni, , omp, ) is a primordial deity, often represented in the form of a dragon, in Meitei mythology and religion. He is depicted in the heraldry of Manipur kingdom, which originated in ''paphal'' ( mni, ), the mythical illus ...

, celestial dragon god * Taoroinai, heavenly dragon god * Sajik (Arietis) * Thaba (Musca) *

Thangching Thangching or Thangjing is a primordial deity in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak ( Antique Manipur). He is the ruling deity of the Moirang dynasty of Ancient Moirang. He rules supreme on the banks of the landlocked sea, L ...

, ancestral God descended from the heaven * Khongjom Nubi (Pleiades) * Apaknga (Lunar mansions) * Sachung Telheiba (A Orionis) * Likla Saphaba (Orion) * Chingcharoibi (G Geminorum) * Chungshennubi (Cancer)

Korean

Hwanin Haneullim or Haneulnim (하늘님 "Heavenly Lord"/"Lord of Heaven") is the sky God of Cheondoism and Jeungsanism. In the more Buddhist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Indra. In the more Taoist-aligned parts of these re ...

, sky god *

Hwanung Hwanung (Korean for the "Supreme Divine Regent") is an important figure in the mythological origins of Korea. He plays a central role in the story of Dangun Wanggeom (단군왕검/), the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first kingdom of Korea. ...

, son of Hwanin

The Americas

Lakota

*Anpao wichapi, the Morning Star spirit, bringer of knowledge and new beginnings *Han, the spirit of night, representative of ignorance *Hanbli Gleska, the Spotted Eagle spirit, usually regarded as Wakan Thanka *Hanwi, the moon spirit of knowledge, feminine power, sometimes considered to be the wife of Wi *Mahgpia Oyate, the Cloud People, also known as the Wichapi Oyate (Star People) *

Wohpe In Lakota mythology, Wóȟpe (less correctly spelled "Wohpe") is a spirit of peace, the daughter of Wi and the Moon, Haŋhépi-Wi. She is the wife of the south wind. When she visited the Earth, she gave the Lakota people a pipe as a symbol of pea ...

, the spirit of meteors or falling stars (often confused with Fallen Star), also the spirit of beauty, love, wishes, dreams, and prophecy *

Wakinyan Wakíŋyaŋ is a Lakota word for "thunder." It also may be a portmanteau word which associates "wahka" ("sacred") and "kinyan" ("wings"). The word is usually translated as "Thunder Spirits", "Thunder Beings," or " Thunder Birds". Heyokas, that ...

, thunder spirit usually taking the form of a bird * Wi, the sun spirit responsible for bringing light and wisdom to the Lakota oyate *Wichapi oyate, the Star People, each having respective powers however they usually represent knowledge to some degree *Wichapi Hinhpaya, the Fallen Star, the son of Wichapi owáŋžila and Tapun Sa Win *Wichapi owáŋžila, the Resting Star or

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

, the widower of Tapun Sa Win (Red Cheeked Woman)

Incan

* Virococha, sky god

Inuit

Anguta Anguta is the father of the sea goddess Sedna in the Inuit religion. In certain myths of the Greenlandic Inuit, Anguta (also called "His Father," Anigut, or Aguta) is considered the creator god and is the supreme being among Inuit. In other m ...

, sky father and psychopomp *

Ataksak Ataksak is a goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. Thi ...

, goddess of the sky *

Negafook In the Inuit religion of the Yup'ik the Negafook (or Negagfok) represents "the North Wind" or "the spirit that likes cold and stormy weather." A mask representing ''Negafok'' is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City ...

, god of weather systems *

Torngarsuk In the Inuit religion, Torngarsuk (or Torngasak) is a sky god, one of the more important deities in the Inuit pantheon. He is said to be the leader of the Tornat, a group of protective gods. Torngarsuk is listed as a demon or spirit in the ''D ...

, god of the sky

Iroquoian

Atahensic Atahensic is an Iroquois sky goddess. Atahensic is associated with marriage, childbirth, and feminine affairs in general.Douglas M. George-kanentiio (1995).''Skywoman: Legends of the Iroquois.'' Clear Light Books According to legend, at the tim ...

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

sky goddess who fell to Earth at the time of creation

Mayan

Cabaguil Creation In Mayan society, Gods were seen as the source of life. Cabaguil helped Alom and Bitol build the Earth and created human beings to inhabit it and worship them. There were thirteen other deities that assisted in the process. Cabaguil was ...

, god of the sky *

Hunab Ku Hunab Ku () is a colonial period Yucatec Maya ''reducido'' term meaning "The One God". It is used in colonial, and more particularly in doctrinal texts, to refer to the Christian God. Since the word is found frequently in the Chilam Balam of ...

, sky father * Tzacol, sky god and creator deity

Puebloans

* Ápoyan Ta'chu, sky father in

Zuni mythology Zuni religion is the oral history, cosmology, and religion of the Zuni people. The Zuni are a Pueblo people located in New Mexico. Their religion is integrated into their daily lives and respects ancestors, nature, and animals.

Taíno mythology

* Yaya, supreme god in

Taíno The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...

mythology

Speakers of Uto-Aztecan languages

* Citlalincue, goddess of the Milky Way *

Cipactonal Cipactonal is the Aztec god of astrology and calendars. Oxomoco and Cipactonal were said to be the first human couple, and the Aztec comparison to Adam and Eve in regard to human creation and evolution. They bore a son named Piltzin-tecuhtli, who ...

, god of the daytime *

Oxomoco Oxomoco' also known as Oxomo is an Aztec deity, the goddess of the night, the astrology and the calendar. Oxomoco and Cipactonal were said to be the first human couple, and the Aztec comparison to Adam and Eve in regard to human creation and evolut ...

, goddess of nighttime * Centzonmimixcoa, 400 gods of the northern stars * Centzonhuitznahua, 400 gods of the southern stars * Coyolxauhqui, goddess of the moon * Meztli, goddess of the moon * Tonatiuh, god of the sun *

Tianquiztli High visibility of the star cluster Pleiades in the night sky and its position along the ecliptic (which approximates to the solar system's common planetary plane) has given it importance in many cultures, ancient and modern. Its heliacal rising, ...

, star goddesses (see the

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance ...

) * Citlaltonac, god of male stars * Citlalmina, goddess of female stars * Citlaxonecuilli, goddess of Ursa Major *

Eototo Eototo is a Wuya, one of the major kachina deities of the Hopi people and the personification of nature. He is the protagonist of the Powamu ritual. He is a chief and "father" of the katsinas,Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

head

kachina A kachina (; also katchina, katcina, or katsina; Hopi: ''katsina'' , plural ''katsinim'' ) is a spirit being in the religious beliefs of the Pueblo peoples, Native American cultures located in the south-western part of the United States. In t ...

and sky father

Voodoo

Badessy Bedessy is a minor loa who holds the domain of the sky in Vodou and particularly in Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispanio ...

, Vodou loa associated with the sky

Sub-Saharan Africa

Mulungu Mulungu is a common name of the creator deity in a number of Bantu languages and cultures over East, Central and Southern Africa.Gonzales, cap. 3 This includes Yao, Nyamwezi, Shambaa, Kamba, Sukuma, Rufiji, Turu, Ameru and Kikuyu. In tr ...

, Nyamwezi creator and sky god *

Nyame Onyame, Nyankopon (Onyankapon) and Odomankoma are the trinity of the supreme god of the Akan people of Ghana, who is most commonly known as Nyame. His name means "He who knows and sees everything" and "omniscient, omnipotent sky deity" in the Ak ...

Akan Akan may refer to: People and languages *Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire *Akan language Akan () is a Central Tano languages, Central Tano language and the principal native language of the Akan people of Ghana, spoken ...

supreme deity, god of the sky * Olorun, Yoruba supreme deity, god of the sky and heaven *

Shango Shango (Yoruba language: Ṣàngó, also known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and as Jakuta or Badé) is an Orisha, a deity in Yoruba religion. Genealogically speaking, Shango is a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alaaf ...

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba consti ...

sky father and thunder god *

Umvelinqangi UMvelinqangi is a Nguni word which translates to "the Most High" or "Divine Consciousness"; that is considered the source of all that has been, that is and all that ever will be. UMvelinqangi, contrary to widespread belief is not personified. Umv ...

, Zulu sky god * Xamaba, creator and sky god of the Heikum of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

Denka Deng, also known as Denka, is a sky, rain, and fertility god in Dinka mythology for the Dinka people of Sudan and South Sudan. He is the son of the goddess Abuk.Lynch, Patricia Ann, ''African Mythology A to Z'', Infobase Publishing (2004), p. 2 ...

Dinka The Dinka people ( din, Jiɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ) are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Jonglei to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (two out of ...

god of sky, rain and fertility * Khonvoum, supreme creator god and sky father of

Mbuti The Mbuti people, or Bambuti, are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages are Central Sudanic languages and Bantu languages. Subgroups Bambuti are pygmy hunter-gatherers, and are one of the old ...

Pygmies In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a po ...

* Utixo,

Khoikhoi Khoekhoen (singular Khoekhoe) (or Khoikhoi in the former orthography; formerly also '' Hottentots''"Hottentot, n. and adj." ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, March 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/88829. Accessed 13 May 2018. Citing G. S. ...

sky god

Australian

Altjira The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his c ...

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Austral ...

creator and sky god *

Baiame In Australian Aboriginal mythology, Baiame (or Biame, Baayami, Baayama or Byamee) was the creator god and sky father in the Dreaming of several Aboriginal Australian peoples of south-eastern Australia, such as the Wonnarua, Kamilaroi, Gur ...

, southeast Australian creator and sky god * Bila (sun), cannibalistic sun goddess *

Binbeal In Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology, Binbeal is the god of rainbows. He is a son of Bunjil Bunjil, also spelt Bundjil, is a creator deity, culture hero and ancestral being, often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle in Australian ...

, god of rainbows *

Bunjil Bunjil, also spelt Bundjil, is a creator deity, culture hero and ancestral being, often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle in Australian Aboriginal mythology of some of the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria. Creation stories In the Kulin nat ...

, Kulin creator and sky god *

Daramulum In Aboriginal cultures of south-east Australia, Daramulum (variations: Darhumulan, Daramulan, Dhurramoolun or Dharramaalan) (“one legged”, from dharra 'leg, thigh' + maal 'one' + -an suffix) is a sky hero associated with Baiame, and an emu- ...

, one-legged emu sky god * Numakulla, a pair of creator and sky gods *

Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as the creator God, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages by the many different Aboriginal peoples. It is a common motif in the art and religio ...

, creator god in many Aboriginal cultures associated with water, rain, and rainbows, though it also has a chthonic connection

Filipino

*llanit: a group of Isnag sky dwellers who are helpful harvest spiritsVanoverbergh, M. (1941). The Isneg Farmer. Catholic Anthropologist Conference. Vol. III, No. 4.

Malagasy

Zanahary Zanahary is the personified sky of Malagasy mythology and folklore. He (usually male, but sometimes considered genderless) is considered a creator god, having collaborated with the earth god Ratovantany to create humanity; upon death, the soul m ...

, sky deity of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

Māori

* Ao, god of light and the sky *

Ranginui In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa (or Ranginui and Papatūānuku) appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world (though there are many different versions). In some South Island dialects, Rangi is called Raki or Ra ...

, sky father *

Tāwhaki In Māori mythology Māori mythology and Māori traditions are two major categories into which the remote oral history of New Zealand's Māori may be divided. Māori myths concern fantastic tales relating to the origins of what was the obser ...

Being of thunder and lightning *

Tāwhirimātea In Māori mythology, Tāwhirimātea (or Tāwhiri) is the god of weather, including thunder and lightning, wind, clouds and storms. He is a son of Papatūānuku (earth mother) and Ranginui ( sky father). Tawhirimatea is the second oldest of 7 chi ...

God of weather, storms, thunder and lightning *

Tane-rore In Maori mythology, Tane-Rore is the personification of shimmering air as he performs a ''haka'' for his mother Hine-raumati. Family Tama-nui-te-ra had two wives, Hine-takurua and Hine-raumati. The child of Tama-nui-te-ra and Hine-raumati, Tane ...

, personification of shimmering air *

Te Uira Te Uira is an who personifies lightning in Māori mythology. Te Uira's child Te Kanapu, grandparent of Whaitiri, is also a personification of lightning. See also * Tāwhaki * Tāwhirimātea In Māori mythology, Tāwhirimātea (or Tāwhir ...

Personification of lightning *

Whaitiri Whaitiri is a female atua and personification of thunder in Māori mythology. She is the grandmother of Tāwhaki and Karihi. Whaitiri is the granddaughter of Te Kanapu, son of Te Uira, both of whom are personified forms of lightning (Reed 1 ...

Female Personification of Thunder *

Uenuku Uenuku (or Uenuku-Kōpako, also given to some who are named after him) is an atua of rainbows and a prominent ancestor in Māori tradition. Māori believed that the rainbow's appearance represented an omen, and one kind of yearly offering made ...

, god of rainbows

Other Pacific Islands

* Abeguwo,

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, ...

n sky goddess *

Amai-te-rangi According to the mythology of the Cook Islands, Amai-te-rangi was a cannibal and demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction ...

, sky demon of

Mangaia Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means ''terraced'') is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of , from Rarotonga. Originally heavily popula ...

Atua I Kafika In the mythology of Tikopia Tikopia is a high island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It forms a part of the Melanesian nation state of Solomon Islands but is culturally Polynesian. The first Europeans arrived on 22 April 1606 as part of the Sp ...

, supreme sky god of

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

* Ira, Polynesian sky goddess * Laufakana'a,

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n creator god and sky father *

Tangaloa Tangaloa was an important family of gods in Tongan mythology. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of Havea Hikuleo and Maui, or in some sources the brother or son or father of them. He was Tangaloa Eiki (''T. lord''), and was assigned by his father ...

, Tongan sky god

Vietnamese

Ông Trời Ông Trời ( Chữ Nôm: 翁𡗶; "Old Man Sky/Heaven" / "Grandfather Sky/Heaven") commonly referred to as Trời (𡗶; "Sky/Heaven"); Ông Thiên (翁天); also called Ngọc Hoàng Thượng Đế (Chữ Hán: 玉皇上帝; "Highest Deity the J ...

, sky god in Vietnamese indigenous religion * Mẫu Cửu Trùng Thiên, she is the daughter of Ông Trời, the sister of the Mẫu Thượng Thiên, Mặt Trời, Mặt Trăng and also a goddess who rules the sky * Mẫu Thượng Thiên, she is the daughter of Ông Trời and also one of the rulers of the sky * Pháp Vân, cloud goddess * Thần Mặt Trời, goddess of the sun, daughter of Ông Trời * Thần Mặt Trăng, goddess of the moon, daughter of Ông Trời * Hằng Nga, the goddess who lives on the moon with uncle Cuội and

Moon Rabbit The Moon rabbit or Moon hare is a mythical figure in East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on pareidolia interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. In East Asia, the rabbit i ...

Hurrian

* Hepit, goddess of the sky *

Teshub Teshub (also written Teshup, Teššup, or Tešup; cuneiform ; hieroglyphic Luwian , read as ''Tarhunzas'';Annick Payne (2014), ''Hieroglyphic Luwian: An Introduction with Original Texts'', 3rd revised edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, p. ...

, god of the sky and storms

Japanese

* Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and the universe, ancestor of the emperors of Japan, and the most important deity in

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoist ...

ism *

Amenominakanushi Ame-no-Minakanushi (アメノミナカヌシ, lit. "Lord of the August Center of Heaven") is a deity (''kami'') in Japanese mythology, portrayed in the ''Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki'' as the very first or one of the first deities who manifes ...

, heavenly ancestral god *

Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the last of the seven generations of ...

, creator of Japan and sky father *

Izanami , formally known as , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested ...

, creator goddess of Japan with her husband; starts off as a sky goddess, but after she dies becomes a death/underworld/chthonic goddess *

Marici Marici may refer to: * Marici (Ligures), a Ligurian people of Gallia Transpadana * Marici (Buddhism), Buddhist deity * Marichi, masculine Sanskrit term for one of the Saptarshis * See also * Marich (disambiguation) {{Disambig ...

, Buddhist goddess of the heavens *

Tsukuyomi , or simply or , is the moon god in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. The name "Tsukuyomi" is a compound of the Old Japanese words and . The '' Nihon Shoki'' mentions this name spelled as , but this ''yumi'' is likely a variation in ...

, god of the moon and brother of Amaterasu

Thai

* Phaya Thaen ( th, พญาแถน,) the sky personified with a rank equivalent to

marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

(Thai

Phraya The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', th, ขุนนาง) in the service of the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (14th c ...

,) the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

in a

Rocket Festival The Rocket Festival ( th, ประเพณีบุญบั้งไฟ, translit=Prapheni Bun Bang Fai, lo, ບຸນບັ້ງໄຟ, translit= Bun Bang Fai) is a merit-making ceremony traditionally practiced by ethnic Lao people nea ...

Turkic and Mongolic

Tengri Tengri ( zh, 騰格里; otk, 𐰚𐰇𐰚:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, Kök Teŋri/Teŋiri, lit=Blue Heaven; Old Uyghur: ''tängri''; Middle Turkic: تآنغرِ; ky, теңир; tr, Tanrı; az, Tanrı; bg, Тангра; Proto-Turkic *''teŋri / * ...

, god of the sky *

Ülgen Bai-Ülgen or Ülgen (Old Turkic: Bey Ülgen; also spelled Bai-Ulgen, Bai-Ülgen, Bay-Ulgan, Bay-Ulgen, or Bay-Ülgen; Khakas, Shor and alt, Ӱлген; mn, Үлгэн; russian: Ульге́нь) is a Turkic and Mongolian creator-deity, usu ...

Kayra Kayra or Kaira (Old Turkic: 𐰴𐰖𐰺𐰀) is creator god in Turkic mythology. He is the god who planted the tree of life called ''Ulukayın''. He is the supreme god of the Tatars and the Son of the sky deity (Gök Tengri). This son, Kara Han ( ...

Etruscan

Ani Ani ( hy, Անի; grc-gre, Ἄνιον, ''Ánion''; la, Abnicum; tr, Ani) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia. Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of t ...

, primordial god of the sky identified with the Greek Uranus and Roman Caelus *

Tinia In Etruscan religion and mythology, Tinia (also Tin, Tinh, Tins or ''Tina'') was the god of the sky and the highest god in Etruscan mythology, equivalent to the Roman Jupiter and the Greek Zeus. However, a primary source from the Roman Var ...

, god of the sky

Sumerian

Anshar Anshar, also spelled Anšar (Sumerian: , Neo-Assyrian: , meaning "whole heaven"), was a primordial god in the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish. His consort is Kishar which means "Whole Earth". They were the children of Lahamu and Lahmu ...

, god of the sky *

Anu , image=Detail, upper part, Kudurru of Ritti-Marduk, from Sippar, Iraq, 1125-1104 BCE. British Museum.jpg , caption=Symbols of various deities, including Anu (bottom right corner) on a kudurru of Ritti-Marduk, from Sippar, Iraq, 1125–1104 BCE , ...

, king of the gods, associated with the sky, heaven, and constellations *

Enlil Enlil, , "Lord f theWind" later known as Elil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Bab ...

, god of breath, air, and wind *

Utu Utu (dUD " Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...

, god of the sun

References

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