Deities Associated With Water
(WaterWitch original comments are in italics)
Ahurani
Ahurani is a water goddess from ancient Persian mythology. She watches over rainfall as
well as standing water. She was invoked for health, healing, prosperity, and growth. She is
either the wife or the daughter of the great god of creation and goodness, Ahura Mazda.
Her name means "She who belongs to Ahura".
Source: Justin Denton, Encyclopedia Mythica
Ame-No-Mi-Kumari/Ame-No-Mi-Kumari-no-Kami
A Japanese Shinto water goddess.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Ancamna
A water goddess from Continental Romano-Celtic mythology. Mother goddess of the Treveri and consort to Lenus Mars or Mars Smertius.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica & Rowan Fairgrove, The Virtual Pomegranate
Arnemetia/St. Anne
A British-Celtic water goddess. The Corieltauvi, a Celtic people of Britain, worshipped 'she who dwells at the sacred grove' (Arnemetia) at Buxton in Derbyshire. There, amid the trees on the valley floor arose two springs the Celts deemed sacred; their goddess presided over them, and those who drank of her waters were cured of wasting disease and sickness. Even today, "every landscape of old trees has its own genius loci", whose presence can be sensed in ancient woods. For many centuries a healing spring known today as St Anne's Well at Buxton, Derbyshire, attracted multitudes of people anxious to partake of its water in the hope of obtaining cures for a variety of ailments. Prior to the Reformation it had been a pilgrim shrine, perhaps the best known in Derbyshire. In fact the healing spring was sacred long before the coming of christianity, for when the Romans arrived in what was eventually to become Derbyshire in search of lead and silver, they found a sacred spring and named their settlement at Buxton Aquae Arnemetiae ; Arnemetia being a Celtic deity. Her name consists of two parts, or elements, ar(e), meaning, 'in front of', and nemeton, 'a grove', thus the name the Romans gave their settlement can be said to mean the 'water of she who dwelt, or dwells, against the sacred grove'. The name, it will be noted, may well have druidic undertones or associations. When the missionary monks of the Celtic Church brought their faith into the remote wilds of Derbyshire they would have come across the great healing spring at Aquae Arnemetiae. Now the Celtic Church was not adverse to utilising pagan holy places and beliefs to promote christianity. Indeed, they openly continued the time honoured practice of the 'Fathers of the Church' of taking over pagan beliefs and practices. Now while it cannot be proved from documentary sources it is likely that either they confused Arnemetia with a Christian saint, or (most likely in my opinion) they sought to show that the goddess was really St Anne under another name.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica & Craig Chapman, Sacred Groves Of Britain & R.W. Morrell, St Anne's Well
Boann
Boann ("she of the white cows") is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne. She is the wife of
the water god Elcman. The Dagda desired her and sent Elcmar of an errand which
seemed to take one day, but actually lasted nine months. In that period, the Dagda
fathered Angus Og with her.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Brigantia
Celtic Goddess of the Braint and Brent rivers.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Clota
Celtic Goddess of the river Clyde.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Coventina
The Celtic (Britain) goddess of water and springs. She was known locally in the area of Carrawburgh (Roman Brocolitia) along Hadrian's Wall. Patron of the Caldew river. "Goddess of the Water-shed." Water goddess who is chthonic and prophetic. She is found in Spain and in the Carawburgh River in England. Similar to Boann of the Boyne River, Belisama of the mersey, and Sinann of the Shannon. On the Spanish Island of Majorca, dancers perform the "baile de la xisterna"or "dance of the well" and celebrate ancient fertility rites that worship water, wells, and rain. Some of the steps of the dance form a zigzag path typical of fertility dances around the world. A river-goddess whose cult was centred upon the temple at Carrawburgh, Northumberland. A relief depicts the triple goddess, each aspect holding up a jar of water in one hand and pouring out water with the other. Local springs were held in reverence as natural foci of divine energy.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica & Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic World & Steven Craig Hickman, Encyclopedia of the Goddess & Knud Mariboe, Encyclopaedia of the Celts
Danu
Celtic Goddess of the Danube, Don, Dnieper river.
Source: Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic World
Deva
Celtic Goddess of the river Dee.
Source: Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic World
Ixzaluoh
A Mayan water goddess. She invented the art of weaving.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Kupala
A Slavonic goddess of water, magic and herbs. The Goddes may point to an early origin of the holiday of John Kupala (the Baptist) in Lemkivshchyna.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica & Jon W. Madzelan, Kupala Night
Huixtocihuatl/Uixtochihuatl
An Aztec or pre-Aztec fertility goddess. She was connected particularly with salt and salt
water. She was generally considered to have been the elder sister of Tlaloc.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Kebechet
The Egyptian goddess who personifies the purification through water. As the daughter of
Anubis she plays an important role in the funeral cult. Her appearance is that of a snake.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Nantosuelta
"Winding River". A Gallic protective goddess and goddess of water. Among the
Mediomatrici of Alsace she is often portrayed holding a model of a house, indicating a
domestic function.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Iris
In Greek mythology, Iris ("rainbow") is the personified goddess of the rainbow. She is
regarded as the messenger of the gods to mankind, and particularly of the goddess Hera.
Iris is the daughter of Titan Thaumas and the nymph Electra. She is portrayed as a young
woman with wings and her attributes are a herald's staff and a water pitcher.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Juturna
The Roman goddess of wells and springs, sister of Turnus (the king of Rutuli) whom she
supported in his battle against Aeneas. Jupiter turned her into a nymph and gave her a
well near Lavinium in Latium. She also gave her name to a well near the Vesta-temple of
the Forum Romanum, called the Lacus Juturnae. The water from this well was used for
the state-offerings. Also, the Dioscuri were thought to have watered their horses here. She
is the mother of Fontus (Fons) and wife of Janus.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Chalchiuhtlicue
In Aztec mythology, Chalchiuhtlicue is the goddess of running and fertility water. She is the
consort of Tlaloc, the god of the sky. He was drven away by Quetzalcoatl and was replaced
by Chalchiuhtlicue. She was so furious that she created violent floods, and only those who
were turned into fish. She is also a vegetation goddess associated with maize. She was
depicted bearing a rattle on a stick and dressed in clothing decorated with water lilies.
Source: Clarksville Middle School, Encyclopedia Mythica
Pere
The Polynesian goddess of the waters of the ocean that surround the islands. One day
she wanted to travel, so her mother gave her the ocean in a jar to take with her, and later
her royal yacht. In the very beginning there was no ocean at all, so wherever Pere wanted
to go she poured water from the jar. At first she carried the jar on her head, and later, when
she had emptied the jar, the ocean carried her in her divine ship. Pere's mother is
variously given as Tahinariki or Haumea, or Papa. Her husband is Wahie Roa.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Sengen/Asama
The goddess of the sacred mountain of Fujiyama and the blossom-goddess. She guards
the secret well of eternal youth, dispensing its water of life to only a few people. Her shrine
is located at the top of the mountain. Worshippers greet the rising sun there. Sengen is
often referred to Ko-no-Hana-Saku-ya-Hime ("the princess who makes the tree-blossom
bloom") and Asama ("dawn of good luck"). Sengen is depicted as a young girl scattering
tsubaki, pink blossom. She is also known as Ko-no-Hana.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Tlaloc/Nuhualpilli
The Aztec god of rain, agriculture, fire, and the south. In his kingdom he receives those
killed by thunderbolts, water, leprosy, and contagious diseases. He is the consort of the
water goddess Chalchiuhtlicue and sometimes regarded as the father of the moon-god
Tecciztecatl. Each year a large number of children were sacrified by drowning. He is of
pre-Aztec origin and known from the time of the Toltecs. His image figures prominently in
their art. He presided over the third of the five Aztec world ages.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Marama
The moon goddess of the Maori of New Zealand. Her body is lost during certain times, but
it always returns in its full splendor after bathing in the water of life. She was made by Io
the Creator. In some myths, she is also connected to death and the underworld. She does
not permit man to return to life after death, as the moon itself does.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Nun/Nu
The primeval water that encircles the entire world, and from which everything was created,
personified as a god. He is considered to be a more ancient god then the sun-god Re,
who arose from this water. He is called 'father of the gods', which refers to his primacy
rather than literal parentage. With the goddess Naunet he forms a pair in the Ogdoad of
Hermopolis. Nun played no part in religious rituals and had no temples dedicated to him.
He was symbolized by the sacred lakes associated with certain temples, such as the
ones at Dendera and Karnak. Nun is depicted in human form holding the solar barque
above his head.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Yemaja/Yemanja
The mother goddess of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. She is the patroness of birth and worshipped primarily by women. The river Ogun is associated with her because the water of this river is considered to be a remedy for infertility. She is the daughter of the sisters Odudua and Obatala, and her brother is Aganya. Orungan, her son, raped her once and when he tried again, her body burst open and fifteen gods sprang forth (among which Ogun, Olukum, Shango and Shakpana).
Among the Brazilian Umbandists, Yemaja is the goddess of the sea and patroness of
shipwrecked persons. In Santeria, Yemaja (Yemaya) is the equivalent of the Catholic saint
Our Lady of Regla.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Anahita/Anaitis/Ardvi Sur/Aredvi Sura
The ancient Persian water goddess, fertility goddess, and patroness of women, as well as a goddess of war. Her name means "the immaculate one". She is portrayed as a virgin, dressed in a golden cloak, and wearing a diamond tiara (sometimes also carrying a water pitcher). The dove and the peacock are her sacred animals. Anahita was very popular and is one of the forms of the 'Great Goddess' which appears in many ancient eastern religions (such as the Syrian/Phoenician goddess Anath). She is associated with rivers and lakes, as the waters of birth. Anahita is sometimes regarded as the consort of Mithra.
When Persia conquered Babylonia (in the 6th century BC), Anahita began to show some
similarities with the goddess Ishtar. Since then her cult included also the practice of
temple prostitution. During the reign of king Artaxerxes (436-358 BC) many temples were
erected in her honor; in Soesa, Ecbatana, and in Babylon.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Benten/Benzai-ten/Benzai-tennyo
The Japanese goddess of love, eloquence, wisdom, the arts, music, knowledge, good fortune and water. She is the patroness of geishas, dancers, and musicians. Originally she was a sea goddess or water goddess, on whose image many local deities near lakes were based. Later she became a goddess of the rich and was added to the Shichi Fukujin. The island of Enoshima rose up especially to receive her footsteps.
Benten is portrayed as a beautiful woman, riding a dragon while playing on a stringed
instrument. She has eight arms and in her hands she holds a sword, a jewel, a bow, an
arrow, a wheel, and a key. Her remaining two hands are joined in prayer. It is often related
that when a dragon devoured many children, she descended to earth to stop his evil work.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Ea (pronounced: ay'-ah)
The ancient Sumero-Babylonian god of the sweet waters. He is the son of Ansar and Kisar and his consort is the mother goddess Damkina, with whom he is the father of Marduk. Ea knows everything and is regarded as the source and patron of wisdom and magic. He is one of the creators of mankind, towards whom he is usually well-disposed, and their instructor and taught them arts and crafts.
It was Ea who discovered Tiamat's designs to kill her offspring, and managed to kill her
consort Apsu. Ea, who was friendly to man, also revealed Enlil's design of destroying
mankind by a flood to Utnapishtim, the Babylonian version of Noah.
Ea was one of the foremost gods of the ancient Mesopotamian pantheon and formed with
Anu and Ellil an important and powerful triad of gods. The center of his cult was the city of
Eridu, where lived 'in the deep'. He is depicted as a man with water running from his
shoulders.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Susanowa/Susanoo/Susa-No-O
The Japanese Shinto god of the winds, the storms, and the ocean, also the god of snakes. He was born from the nose of Izanagi, and was given dominion over the seas. His sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu, is also his consort. Susanowa is the personification of evil, but also a brave, if lawless and impetuous, god. His outrages are not limited to the ocean; he also ravages the land with his storms and he darkens the sky, thus angering the 'eight million deities (the kami).
His little pesterings, especially against his sister, proved his undoing: he looses his
beard, his fingernails, and all his possessions, and is banished. He wanders the earth
and has many adventures, such as the slaying of the eight-headed snake Koshi and by
defeating this monster he obtained a powerful sword, called Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ("grass
cutting sword"). Some other feats were conquering Korea and wiping out the plague.
Okuni-Nushi, his son, eventually tricked him out of the sword.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Uzume/Ama-no-Uzume
The Japanese Shinto goddess of joy and happiness, called the Daughter of Heaven and Heaven's Forthright Female. Her name means "whirling". She is also the goddess of good health, which people obtain from drinking the blessed water of her stream. When the sun goddess Amaterasu had hidden herself in a cave, thus covering the earth in darkness and infertility, it was Uzume who brought her back. With her provoking and curlew dances she managed to make the gods laugh so hard, that Amaterasu left the cave intrigued. Her emerging brought light and life back to earth. Her brother Ninigi married Uzume to the deity who guards the Floating Bridge to Heaven.
The dances of Uzume (Ama-no-uzume) are found in folk rites, such as the one to wake the
dead, the Kagura (dance-mime), and another one which symbolizes the planting of
seeds.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Matrona
Celtic Goddess of the Marne River.
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica
Poseidon
Poseidon is a god of many names. He is most famous as the god of the sea. The son of Cronus and Rhea, Poseidon is one of six siblings who eventually "divided the power of the world." His brothers and sisters include: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. The division of the universe involved he and his brothers, Zeus and Hades. Poseidon became ruler of the sea, Zeus ruled the sky, and Hades got the underworld. The other divinities attributed to Poseidon involve the god of earthquakes and the god of horses. The symbols associated with Poseidon include: dolphins, tridents, and three-pronged fish spears.
Poseidon was relied upon by sailors for a safe voyage on the sea. Many men drowned horses in sacrifice of his honor. He lived on the ocean floor in a palace made of coral and gems, and drove a chariot pulled by horses. However, Poseidon was a very moody divinity, and his temperament could sometimes result in violence. When he was in a good mood, Poseidon created new lands in the water and a calm sea. In contrast, when he was in a bad mood, Poseidon would strike the ground with a trident and cause unruly springs and earthquakes, ship wrecks, and drownings.
Poseidon was similar to his brother Zeus in exerting his power on women and in objectifying masculinity. He had many love affairs and fathered numerous children. Poseidon once married a Nereid, Amphitrite, and produced Triton who was half-human and half-fish. He also impregnated the Gorgon Medusa to conceive Chrysaor and Pegasus, the flying horse. The rape of Aethra by Poseidon resulted in the birth of Theseus; and he turned Caeneus into a man, at her request, after raping her. Another rape involved Amymone when she tried to escape from a satyr and Poseidon saved her. Other offspring of Poseidon include: Eumolpus, the Giant Sinis, Polyphemus, Orion, King Amycus, Proteus, Agenor and Belus from Europa, Pelias, and the King of Egypt, Busiris.
One of the most notorious love affairs of Poseidon involves his sister, Demeter. Poseidon pursued Demeter and to avoid him she turned herself into a mare. In his lust for her, Poseidon transformed himself into a stallion and captured her. Their procreation resulted in a horse, Arion. Poseidon is Greek for "Husband" (possibly of wheat), and therefore it is thought that he and Demeter (goddess of wheat) are a good match because they reign as the god and goddess of fertility.
Another infamous story of Poseidon involves the competition between he and the goddess of war, Athena, for the city of Athens. To win the people of the city over, Poseidon threw a spear at the ground and produced the Spring at the Acropolis. However, Athena won as the result of giving the people of Athens the olive tree. In his anger over the decision, Poseidon flooded the Attic Plain. Eventually, Athena and Poseidon worked together by combining their powers. Even though Poseidon was the god of horses, Athena built the first chariot. Athena also built the first ship to sail on the sea over which Poseidon ruled.
Poseidon often used his powers of earthquakes, water, and horses to inflict fear and
punishment on people as revenge. Though he could be difficult and assert his powers
over the gods and mortals, Poseidon could be cooperative and it was he who helped the
Greeks during the Trojan War. Poseidon is an essential character in the study of Greek
mythology.
Source: Paige Sellers, Encyclopedia Mythica
Sabrina
Celtic Goddess of the Seine river.
Source: Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic World
Sequanna
Celtic Goddess of the river Severn.
Source: Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic World
Siannan
Celtic Goddess of the river Shannon.
Celtic Goddess of the the river Saone.
British Goddess associated with the baths in Bath, England.
Celtic Goddess of the the Wharfe river.
The Polynesian goddess of health. Her name means "water of life". Bathing in her well, a
sick person will soon be completely recovered, and be healthy for the rest of his life. It is also a mythical lake that contains the water of life. It rejuvinates whoever drinks it or
bathes in it. Unfortunately, the location of Waiora (Vai-Ola in central Polynesia) is
unknown.
Source: Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic Worlda
Souconna
Source: Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic WorldSulis
Verbeia
Source: Lisa A. Paitz Spindler, Celtic WorldWaiora
Source: Encyclopedia Mythica