List of water deities

A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Another important focus of worship of water deities has been springs or holy wells.

As a form of animal worship, whales and snakes (hence dragons) have been regarded as godly deities throughout the world (other animals are such as turtles, fish, crabs, and sharks). In Asian lore, whales and dragons sometimes have connections.^[1] Serpents are also common as a symbol or as serpentine deities, sharing many similarities with dragons.

Aztec mythology

Tlaloc, god of thunder, rain, and earthquakes.
Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of water, lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism.
Huixtocihuatl, goddess of salt.
Opochtli, god of fishing.
Tlaloques, gods of drops.
Tlaloquetotontli, goddess of the rivers.

Ainu mythology

Amemasu, monster in the lakes
Hoyau Kamui, or Oyau Kamui, Rapushinupurukuru, or Sakusomoai~epu, serpentine or dragon-like god with wings and stench (possessing both natures of evil god and guardian), master of Lake Tōya
Repun Kamui, god of the sea, often referring to orca

Australian aboriginal mythology

Eingana, mother of all
Rainbow Serpents, creators of dreamtime
Ungud, serpent god bring fortunes
Wirnpa, creator of rain
Yurlungur, the copper serpent

Benin mythology

Ezili, goddess of sweet water, beauty, and love

Canaanite mythology

Lotan, sea monster
Yam (god), god of rivers and the sea

Celtic mythology

Acionna (Gaulish) - a water goddess/genius loci of the Orleanais region and the Essonne
Belisama, goddess of lakes and rivers, fire, crafts and light
Boann - goddess of the River Boyne (Irish)
Condatis, (Gaulish) - god of the River Wear and healing
Danu (Dana) - goddess of the Danube (Celtic overlords ruled Germanic tribes before Rome attacked Gaul). Later her name was added to the Tuath Dé.
Dylan Eil Ton (Welsh)
Grannus, a god associated with spas, the sun, fires and healing thermal and mineral springs
Lí Ban (Irish), water goddess
Lir (Irish), god of the sea
Llŷr (Welsh), god of the sea
Manannán mac Lir (Irish), god of the sea
Nantosuelta, river goddess of fire, the earth, healing, and fertility ^[2]
Nodens, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
Sinann (Irish), goddess of the River Shannon
Sequana (Gaulish), goddess of the River Seine

Chinese mythology

Many whale-dragon related deities including Dragon Kings, Dragon Soldiers, and 鲸拜龙王
Wang Yuanpu (Dong Wanggong, the Eastern King). King of the Palace of the Eastern Seas
Gong Gong, red haired dragon with the head of man, and water god who is responsible for the great floods, together with his associate, Xiang Yao
Longma, dragon horse possessing powers of water
Mazu, water goddess and protector of seafarers
Guo Pu, Immortal of the Water Realm.
Yu-Kiang, ruler of the ocean in the form of whale with arms and legs
Tam Kung, sea deity worshiped in Hong Kong and Macau with the ability to forecast weather

Honorable Kings of the Water Immortals (Shuixian Zunwang)

Yu the Great, tamer of China's Great Flood
Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, and Xiang Yu, famous suicides lost in rivers
Han Ao or Lu Ban, the inventors

Dragon Kings of the Four Seas

Ao Kuang, Dragon King of the Eastern Sea
Ao Qin, Dragon King of the Southern Sea
Ao Run, Dragon King of the Western Sea
Ao Shun, Dragon King of the Northern Sea

God-Kings of the Four Seas

Wang Duyuan, God-King of the Eastern Sea
Kai Na Ling, God-King of the Southern Sea
Dao Dongqing, God-King of the Western Sea
Xi Yuanyuan, God-King of the Northern Sea

Gods of the Four Seas

A Ming, God of the Eastern Sea
Zhou Liang, God of the Southern Sea
Ju Cheng, God of the Western Sea
Yu Qiang, God of the Northern Sea

Gods of the Five Waters

He Guiju, God of the Eastern Sea
Liu Xiao, God of the Southern Sea
Guo Shu, God of the Western Sea
Wu Yuquang, God of the Northern Sea
Feng Yi / Hebo, God of the Yellow River
Longmu, Goddess of the Xijiang River in the Lingnan area
Ehuang & Nuying, Goddesses of the Xiang River
Wu Yuan, God of the Qiantang River in Huangzhou
Lady Youle, Goddess of the Le River, a branch of the Yellow River

Dogon mythology

Nommos, amphibious spirits that are worshipped as ancestors

Egyptian mythology

Hapi, God of the annual flooding of the Nile
Anuket, Goddess of the Nile, and nourisher of the fields
Nephthys, Goddess of rivers, death, mourning, the dead and night
Nu, uncreated God, personification of the primordial waters
Khnum, God of the Nile River
Satet, Goddess of the Nile River's floods
Sobek, God of the Nile river, depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile.
Tefnut, Goddess of water, moisture and fertility.
Osiris, God of the dead and afterlife. Originally god of water and vegetation.

Fon/Ewe mythology

Agwé, a sea loa
Mami Wata, a water loa
Clermeil, a river loa
Pie, a lake and river loa

Fijian mythology

Daucina, god of seafaring
Dakuwaqa, a shark god

Finnish mythology

Ahti, god of the depths and fish
Iku-Turso, a malevolent sea monster
Vedenemo, a goddess of water
Vellamo, the wife of Ahti, goddess of the sea, lakes and storms.

Greek mythology

Aegaeon, god of violent sea storms and ally of the Titans
Achelous, Greek river god
Akheilos, shark-shaped sea spirit
Alpheus, river god in Arcadia
Amphitrite, sea goddess and consort of Poseidon
Anapos, water god of eastern Sicily
Brizo, goddess of sailors
Carcinus, a giant crab who allied itself with the Hydra against Heracles. When it died, Hera placed it in the sky as the constellation Cancer
Ceto, goddess of the dangers of the ocean and of sea monsters
Charybdis, a sea monster and spirit of whirlpools and the tide
Cymopoleia, a daughter of Poseidon and goddess of giant storm waves
Delphin, the leader of the dolphins, Poseidon placed him in the sky as the constellation Delphinus
Doris, goddess of the sea's bounty and wife of Nereus
Eidothea, prophetic sea nymph and daughter of Proteus
Electra, an Oceanid, consort of Thaumas
Eurybia, goddess of the mastery of the seas
Galene (Γαλήνη), goddess of calm seas
Glaucus, the fisherman's sea god
Gorgons, three monstrous sea spirits
- Stheno
- Euryale
- Medusa
The Graeae, three ancient sea spirits who personified the white foam of the sea; they shared one eye and one tooth between them
The Harpies, winged spirits of sudden, sharp gusts of wind
Hippocampi, the horses of the sea
The Ichthyocentaurs, a pair of centaurine sea-gods with the upper bodies of men, the lower fore-parts of horses, ending in the serpentine tails of fish
- Bythos
- Aphros
Ladon, a one hundred-headed sea serpent who guarded the western reaches of the sea, and the island and golden apples of the Hesperides
Leucothea, a sea goddess who aided sailors in distress
Nerites, watery consort of Aphrodite and/or beloved of Poseidon
Nereus, the old man of the sea, and the god of the sea's rich bounty of fish
Nymphs
- Naiades, fresh water nymphs
- Nereides, sea nymphs
- Oceanides, Ocean water nymphs
Oceanus, Titan god of the Earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth's fresh-water
Pan, Patron God of fishing
Palaemon, a young sea god who aided sailors in distress
Phorcys, god of the hidden dangers of the deep
Pontus, primeval god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures
Poseidon, Olympian God of the Oceans and king of the sea gods; also god of rivers, storms, flood and drought, earthquakes, and horses. He controlled every aspect of the seas. His Roman equivalent is Neptune.
Potamoi, deities of rivers, fathers of Naiads, brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys.
Proteus, a shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god, and the herdsman of Poseidon's seals
Psamathe, goddess of sand beaches
Scylla, a Nereid metamorphosed into a sea monster
The Sirens, three sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with their song
The Telchines, sea spirits native to the island of Rhodes; the gods killed them when they turned to evil magic
Tethys, Titan goddess of the sources fresh-water, and the mother of the rivers (Potamoi), springs, streams, fountains and clouds
Thalassa, primordial goddess of the sea
Thaumas, god of the wonders of the sea and father of the Harpies and the rainbow goddess Iris
Thetis, leader of the Nereids who presided over the spawning of marine life in the sea, mother of Achilles
Triteia, daughter of Triton and companion of Ares
Triton, fish-tailed son and herald of Poseidon
Tritones, fish-tailed spirits in Poseidon's retinue

Hawaiian mythology

Kanaloa or Tangaroa, god of the ocean and magics and underworld with forms of cephalopod
Kamohoalii, shark god
Nāmaka, sea goddess
Ukupanipo, shark god who controls the amount of fish close enough for the fisherman to catch

Hittite mythology

Illuyanka, dragon of the ocean

Hebrew mythology

Leviathan, sea monster

Hindu/Vedic mythology

Varuna, the Lord of the All the Water Bodies

Apam Napat, god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes
Apah, god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes
Ap, group of water goddesses
Dewi Danu Goddess Danu of the lake and waters of life, Balinese Hinduism
Ganga goddess of the Ganges River and purity.
Makara, mystical creature of waters
Samundra, goddess of seas
Varuna, God of the water and the celestial ocean
Yami, goddess of Yamuna river
Tapti, goddess of Tapti River

Igbo mythology

Idemili, a river alusi
Ogbuide, a lake alusi
Urashi, a river alusi

Oboshi river goddess

Incan mythology

Pariacaca, god of water and rainstorms
Paricia, god who sent a flood to kill humans who did not respect him adequately

Inuit mythology

Aipaloovik, an evil sea god associated with death and destruction
Alignak, a lunar deity and god of weather, water, tides, eclipses, and earthquakes
Arnapkapfaaluk, a fearsome sea goddess
Idliragijenget, god of the ocean
Nootaikok, god who presided over icebergs and glaciers
Sedna, goddess of the sea

Japanese mythology

Ebisu, god of fortunes and fishery, often being referred to marine megafaunas such as whales and whale sharks (hence being also called "Ebisu-shark")^[3]^[4]
Hanzaki Daimyojin, gigantic Japanese giant salamander and master of the water
Kuraokami, one of Suijin
Mizuchi, Japanese dragon and sea god
Miwa Myojin or Omononushi-no-kami, serpentine deity of waters
Ōhoyamatsumi, god of mountains, sea and war
Ryūjin or Watatsumi, Japanese dragon and tutelary deity of the sea
Suijin, Shinto god of water
Sumiyoshi sanjin, god of ocean and sailing
Susanoo, Shinto god of storms and the sea
Watatsumi, dragon king and ocean god
Yamata no Orochi, serpentine monster but also regarded as an incarnation of violent river

Korean mythology

Imoogi or Imugi, giant serpents of Korean folklore which later become true dragons
King Munmu, a king who wished to become a dragon before his death to protect Korea from the East Sea
Dragon King, an undersea deity believed to determine the fortunes of fishermen and sailors

Kyrgyz mythology

Martuv, river goddess
Presno, god of storms

Lithuanian mythology

Atrimpas, god of the sea and water
Bangpūtys, god of sea and storm
Divytis, deified hero of fishermen's legends
Dugnė, nymph goddess of rivers
Ežerinis, god of lakes
Gardaitis, spirit of ships and sailors
Juratė, goddess of the sea
Laumė, goddess of wild spaces, including waters
Lietuvonis, god of rain
Neris, nymph goddess of the Neris River
Neringa, goddess of seacoasts
Upinė, goddess of rivers and water springs
Upinis Dievas, god of rivers

Luganda mythology

Sezibwa, goddess of the Sezibwa River

Lusitanian mythology

Bandua, theonym associated with fountains
Duberdicus, god of the sea and rivers
Durius, personification of the Douro river

Māori mythology

Ikatere, a fish god, the father of all the sea creatures including mermaids
Rongomai, a whale god.
Taniwha, deities or monsters (often take forms resembling to dragons)
Tangaroa, god of the sea
Tohora (Maori name for southern right whales), the great whale who saved legendary hero Paikea, famously known as the Whale Rider, (also the Maori name for humpback whales) from drowning and carried him to land. This led to the creation of New Zealand.

Mayan mythology

Chaac, god of rain

Mesopotamian mythology

Amathaunta, goddess of the ocean
Abzu, god of fresh water, father of all other gods
Asherah, Mother goddess whose title is "She Who Walks Upon the Sea"
Enbilulu, god of rivers and canals
Enki, god of water and of the River Tigris
Marduk, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic
Nammu, goddess of the primeval sea
Nanshe, goddess of Persian Gulf, social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing
Sirsir, god of mariners and boatmen
Tiamat, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods

Native American mythology

Ktchi at'husis and Weewilmekq, giant serpents or leeches in Mi'kmaq lore

Norse/Germanic mythology

Ægir, personification of the sea
Mímir, god of the spring of Mímisbrunnr, which gives the drinker wisdom and Odin sacrificed an eye to drink from
Rán, sea goddess of death who collects the drowned in a net
Nine Daughters of Ægir, who personify the characteristics of waves
Njord, god of the sea, particularly of seafaring
Nehalennia, goddess of the North Sea
Nerthus, goddess of lakes, springs, and holy waters
Nix, water spirits who usually appear in human form
Saga, goddess in the form of a waterfall
Freyr, god of rain, sunlight, fertility, life, and summer

Persian/Zoroastrian mythology

Anahita, the divinity of 'the Waters' (Aban) and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom.
Tishtrya, Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility.
Haurvatat, he Amesha Spenta associated with water, prosperity, and health in post-Gathic Zoroastrianism

Philippine mythology

Amanikable, ill- tempered god of the sea
Haik, another god of the sea
Amansinaya, god of fishermen
Sirena, mermaid
Siyokoy, merman
Magwayen, goddess of the sea and death
Lidagat, second goddess of the sea. Known as the daughter of Magwayen

Physiologus

Aspidochelone, colossal sea monster

Pirate lore

Davy Jones, the Devil of the seas

Roman mythology

Fontus, god of wells and springs
Juturna, goddess of fountains, wells, and springs
Neptune, King of the sea. Greek counterpart: Poseidon
Salacia, Neptune's queen
Tiberinus, the genius of the river Tiber.
Volturnus, god of the waters
Coventina, Goddess of a sacred spring at Carrawburgh, on Hadrian's Wall

Shilluk mythology

Nyakaio, river goddess

Slavic mythology

Nepra, river goddess of the Dneiper River
Omutnitsa, river goddess
Vodyanoi, water demon who lived in lakes and rivers
Rusalki, female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons that dwell in waterways.
Veles, god of earth, waters, and the underworld
Pereplut (rus. Переплу́т), god of alcohol and rivers
Mokosh, moistness, lady of waters, goddess of moisture
Mati-syra-zemla, moist mother
Sur-mumy, mother of the river
Viz-Anya, water mother
Viz-Leany, water maiden
Vu-ava, water woman
Vut-kuva, water grandmother
Zimarzla, snow goddess

Island Nations mythology

Agunua, serpentine god of the sea of Solomon Islands
Ayida-Weddo, serpentine spirit among several island nations

Taíno mythology

Atabey (goddess), Mother goddess of fresh water and fertility. Female counterpart of the god Yúcahu.

The Tonga of Zimbabwe

Nyami Nyami, a river spirit

Yoruba mythology

Yemoja, an ocean orisha
Oshun, a river orisha
Olokun, an ocean orisha

Vietnamese mythology

Lạc Long Quân, legendary ancestor of Vietnamese people.
Cá Ông (Vietnamese name for blue whales, also dolphins and whale sharks in some cases), king of the sea and patron of fishermen.

Viking lore

Raudkembingur

Red Head, demonic whale

References

↑ 謝婧, 下園知弥, 宮崎克則 (2015). "明清時代の中国における鯨資源の利用" (pdf). 西南学院大学博物館研究紀要第3号. Seinan Gakuin University: 9–14. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
↑ https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/goddess-nantosuelta/
↑ 村上健司編著 (2005). 日本妖怪大事典. Kwai books. 角川書店. p. 182. ISBN 978-4-04-883926-6.
↑ 大藤時彦他 (1955). 民俗学研究所編, ed. 綜合日本民俗語彙. 第2巻. 柳田國男監修. 平凡社. p. 763.

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