Deities And Personifications Of Seasons
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There are a number of deities associated with seasons and personifications of
seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
in various mythologies, traditions, and fiction.


Winter

*Kheimon, from Greek kheima, a hora of winter, early ancient Greece *Hiems, the Roman personification of winter. * Beira, Queen of Winter, also Cailleach Bheur, a personification or deity of winter in Gaelic mythology * Boreas (Βορέας, Boréas; also Βορρᾶς, Borrhás) was the Greek god of the cold north wind and the bringer of winter. His name meant "North Wind" or "Devouring One". His name gives rise to the adjective " boreal". *
Despoina In Greek mythology, Despoina or Despoena (; el, Δέσποινα, Déspoina) was the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon and sister of Arion. She was worshipped under the title ''Despoina'' ("the mistress") alongside her mother Demeter, one of t ...
(Δέσποινα) is the daughter of
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 ...
and Demeter, greek goddess of winter and frost * Khione (from χιών – chiōn, "snow") is the daughter of Boreas and Greek goddess of snow *
Ded Moroz Ded Moroz (russian: Дед Мороз, ; Russian diminutive: russian: Дедушка Мороз, Dedushka Moroz, label=none; sk, Dedo Mráz; pl, Dziadek Mróz) or Morozko (russian: Морозко) is a legendary figure similar to Saint Nicho ...
(literally "Grandfather Frost"), a Russian substitute of Santa Claus *Father Winter – Albanian mythology *
Itztlacoliuhqui In Aztec mythology, Itztlacoliuhqui is the god of frost. He also represents matter in its lifeless state. The Nahuatl name ''Itztlacoliuhqui'' is usually translated into English as "curved obsidian blade". J. Richard Andrews contends that this ...
, deified personification of winter-as-death in Aztecan mythology *
Jack Frost Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, ...
* Kuraokami the dragon and shinto deity of winter and storms * Tengliu, Snow goddess from Chinese mythology. * the Great Winter God (冬大神), of Ba Jia Jiang (The Eight Generals), originated from the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
folk beliefs and myths *
Marzanna Marzanna (in Polish), Morė (in Lithuanian), Marena (in Russian), Mara (in Ukrainian), Morana (in Czech, Slovene and Serbo-Croatian), Morena (in Slovak and Macedonian) or Mora (in Bulgarian) is a pagan Slavic goddess associated with seasonal r ...
, slavic Goddess of Winter, Death, and Rebirth (also Marena, Morena, Morana, Mara, Maslenitsa). * Morozko, from a Russian fairy tale, translated as Father Frost *
Old Man Winter Old Man Winter is a personification of winter. The name is a colloquialism for the winter season derived from ancient Greek mythology and Old World pagan beliefs evolving into modern characters in both literature and popular culture. He is usuall ...
, personification of winter. *
Skaði In Norse mythology, Skaði (; Old Norse: ; sometimes anglicized as Skadi, Skade, or Skathi) is a jötunn and goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. Skaði is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th cent ...
(sometimes anglicized as Skadi, Skade, or Skathi) is a
jötunn A (also jotun; in the normalised scholarly spelling of Old Norse, ; ; plural / ) or, in Old English, (plural ) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, they are often contrasted with gods ( Æsir and Vani ...
and goddess associated with
bowhunting Bowhunting (or bow hunting) is the practice of hunting game animals by archery. Many indigenous peoples have employed the technique as their primary hunting method for thousands of years, and it has survived into contemporary use for sport and h ...
,
ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...
ing, winter, and mountains in Norse mythology * Hine-Takurua Personification of the winter in Māori mythology and one Tamanuiterā, the sun god's two wives *
Three Friends of Winter The Three Friends of Winter is an art motif that comprises the pine, bamboo, and plum. . The Chinese celebrated the pine, bamboo and plum together, as they observed that these plants do not wither as the cold days deepen into the winter season ...
in
Chinese art Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based in or draws on Chinese ...
, the plum, bamboo and pine. *Shakok the god of winter the North Mountain in Native American mythology * Nane Sarma, Granma Frost, Iranian folklore.


Spring

*
Brigid Brigid ( , ; meaning 'exalted one' from Old Irish),Campbell, MikBehind the Name.See also Xavier Delamarre, ''brigantion / brigant-'', in ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'' (Éditions Errance, 2003) pp. 87–88: "Le nom de la sainte irlandais ...
, celtic Goddess of Fire, the Home, poetry and the end of winter. Her festival,
Imbolc Imbolc or Imbolg (), also called Saint Brigid's Day ( ga, Lá Fhéile Bríde; gd, Là Fhèill Brìghde; gv, Laa'l Breeshey), is a Gaelic traditional festival. It marks the beginning of spring, and for Christians it is the feast day of Saint B ...
, is on 1st or 2nd of February which marks "the return of the light". *
Ēostre () is a West Germanic spring goddess. The name is reflected in ang, *Ēastre (; Northumbrian dialect: ', Mercian and West Saxon dialects: ' ),Sievers 1901 p. 98 Barnhart, Robert K. ''The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology'' (1995) . ...
or Ostara, the Anglo-saxon goddess of spring *
Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after ...
, greek Goddess of Spring. Her festival or the day she returns to her mother Demeter from the Underworld is on 3rd of April. * Many fertility deities are also associated with spring *In
Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representa ...
,
Flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...
was a
Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines di ...
-derived goddess of flowers and of the season of
spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
*Ver, the Roman personification of spring. * Jarylo ( Cyrillic: Ярило or Ярила; pl, Jaryło; hr, Jura or Juraj; sr, Jarilo; Slavic: ''Jarovit''), alternatively Yarylo, Iarilo, or Gerovit, is a
Slavic god The pagan Slavs were polytheistic, which means that they worshipped many gods and goddesses. The gods of the Slavs are known primarily from a small number of chronicles and letopises, or not very accurate Christian sermons against paganism. Addi ...
of
vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...
,
fertility Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertili ...
and
spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
time.source of Jarilio name in IAU Nomenclature
/ref> *Eiar, a hora of spring, classic ancient Greece. *the great Spring God (春大神), of Ba Jia Jiang (The Eight Generals), originated from the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
folk beliefs and myths *Morityema the god of spring & the West Mountain in Native American mythology.


Summer

*
Áine Áine () is an Irish goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. She is associated with midsummer and the sun,MacKillop, James (1998) ''Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'' Oxford: Oxford University Press pp.10, 16, 128 and is sometimes represent ...
,
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
goddess of love, summer, wealth and sovereignty, associated with the sun and
midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...
*Theros, a hora of summer, classic ancient Greece *Aestas, the Roman personification of summer. *Damia, a hora of summer, early ancient Greece *the Great Summer God (夏大神), of Ba Jia Jiang (The Eight Generals), originated from the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
folk beliefs and myths *
Freyr Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden an ...
, Norse god of summer, sunlight, life and rain *
Hine-Raumati 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 the summer from Māori mythology *Miochin the god of summer & the South Mountain in Native American Mythology


Autumn

*Pthinoporon, from Greek phthinophôron, a hora of autumn, classic ancient Greece *Autumnus, the Roman personification of autumn. *the Great Autumn God (秋大神), of Ba Jia Jiang (The Eight Generals), originated from the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
folk beliefs and myths *Shruisthia the god of autumn & the East Mountain in Native American Mythology


Anemoi

In ancient Greek mythology Anemoi were the gods of wind, three of which were associated with seasons: *Boreas (Septentrio in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
) was the north wind and bringer of cold winter air *Zephyrus or Zephyr (Favonius in Latin) was the west wind and bringer of light spring and early summer breezes *Notos or Notus (Auster in Latin) was the south wind and bringer of the storms of late summer and autumn. Notos not only brings rain and heavy downpour, but he can also bring extremely hot air (avg. 45°C) especially in the South parts of greece. *Eurus (Eurus in Latin) was the East Wind & bringer of warmth & rain


References

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Seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
Seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
Personifications of weather Seasons