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A water deity is a
deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
in
mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
associated with
water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
or various
bodies of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as p ...
. 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 The term Animal worship (or zoolatry) is an umbrella term designating religious or ritual practices involving animals. This includes the worship of animal deities or animal sacrifice. An animal 'cult' is formed when a species is taken to repres ...
,
whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...
s and
snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s (hence
dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
s) have been regarded as godly deities throughout the world (as are other animals such as
turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
s, fish, crabs, and
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...
s). In Asian lore, whales and dragons sometimes have connections. Serpents are also common as a symbol or as serpentine deities, sharing many similarities with dragons.


Africa and the Mediterranean


Sub-Sahara Africa


Western Niger-Congo

Benin *
Ezili Erzulie (sometimes spelled Erzili or Èzili) is a family of loa, or spirits, in Vodou. Overview The Erzulie is a family of loa that are often associated with water (fluidity), femininity, and feminine bodies. They are one of the only group of ...
, goddess of sweet water, beauty, and love. Dogon * Nommos, amphibious spirits that are worshiped as ancestors. Serer * Mindiss (or Mindis) is not a deity in
Serer religion The Serer religion, or ''a ƭat Roog'' ("the way of the Divine"), is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people of Senegal in West Africa. The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog (o ...
, but a
pangool Pangool (in Serer and Cangin) singular: Fangool (var : ''Pangol'' and ''Fangol''), are the ancient saints and ancestral spirits of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. The Pangool play a crucial role in Serer religion and hist ...
with goddess–like attributes. She is a female protector of the
Fatick Region Fatick is the southwest region of the northern outcrop of Senegal. Its alternative name is Jinnak Bolon. The region is named for its capital city, Fatick.
. Offerings are made in her name at the River Sine. She appears to humans in the form of a manatee, She is one of the best known ''fangool'' (singular of ''pangool''). She possess the attributes of a typical ''water fangool'', yet at the same time, she is a ''blood fangool''. The Senegalese Ministry of Culture added the ''Mbind Ngo Mindiss'' site to its list of monuments and historic sites in
Fatick Fatick ( wo, Fatik, srr, Fatik) is a town in Senegal, located between M'bour and Kaolack and inhabited by the Serer people. Its 2005 population was estimated at 24,243. It is the capital of the Fatick Region and the Fatick Department. Toponymy ...
. It is the site where offerings are made, situated on the arms of the sea which bears her name, in the
Sine In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side that is oppo ...
. Yoruba * Oshun, a orisha of fresh “sweet” waters and the Osun River. * Olokun, an ocean orisha and is the owner of all waters. * Yemoja, originally only the orisha of the Ogun River but became orisha over the sea waves by way of the Trans-Atlantic Slabe Trade. * Olosa, wife of Olokun, orisha over lagoons. * Oya, orisha of storms and the Niger River. * Oba, orisha of the Oba River. * Yewa, orisha of the Yewa River. *
Otín Otín can refer to: * Otín (Jihlava District), Czech Republic * Otín (Žďár nad Sázavou District), Czech Republic See also * Otin, female Islamic teachers in Central Asia * Otin River The Otin River is a river in Osun State, Nigeria. It i ...
, orisha if the Otín River. *Yemoo, original wife of Obatala and orisha over waters and maternity. Said to be the original form of most female water orishas Lugandan *
Sezibwa The Sezibwa River is a river in Central Uganda, in East Africa. The name is derived from the Luganda phrase "sizibwa kkubo", which translates into "my path cannot be blocked". Location River Sezibwa is located in the southern central part of Ug ...
, goddess of the
Sezibwa River The Sezibwa River is a river in Central Uganda, in East Africa. The name is derived from the Luganda phrase "sizibwa kkubo", which translates into "my path cannot be blocked". Location River Sezibwa is located in the southern central part of Ugan ...
. Batonga *
Nyami Nyami The Nyami Nyami, otherwise known as the Zambezi River God or Zambezi Snake Spirit, is one of the most important gods of the Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe, Tonga people. Nyami Nyami is believed to protect the Tonga people and give them sust ...
, a river spirit of the Batonga of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Kongo *
Bunzi Bunzi, in Kongo mythology (mainly in Woyo people), is a goddess of rain. She is the daughter of Mboze, the Great Mother. Bunzi appears as a multicolored serpent, and rewards those who worship her with an abundant harvest. Mboze took her own son ...
, goddess of rain, rainbow and waters. * Chicamassichinuinji, king of oceans. *
Funza Funza () is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Western Savanna Province, of the department of Cundinamarca. Funza is situated on the Bogotá savanna, the southwestern part of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense with the urban centre at an altit ...
, goddess of waters, twin phenomenon and malformations in children. Wife of Mbumba. *
Kalunga The Kalungas are Brazilians that descend from people who freed themselves from slavery, and lived in remote settlements in Goiás state, Brazil. The Kalungas are one group of Quilombola, or people of African origin who live in hinterland s ...
, god of death and border between world of Alives and world of dead. * Kimbazi, goddess of sea storms. * Kuitikuiti, serpent god of Congo river. * Lusunzi, god of spring and waters. * Mamba Muntu, goddesses of waters and sexuality. * Makanga. * Mbantilanda. * Mbumba, rainbow serpent of terrestrial waters and warriors. * Mboze. * Mpulu Bunzi, god of rain and waters. * Mundele, albino gods of the sea. * Simbi dia Maza, nymphs or goddesses of waters, lakes and rivers.


Mediterranean

''Hamito-Semitic regions of North Africa, Arabia, and the Levant.''


Canaanite

* Yam (god), god of the sea.


Egyptian

* Anuket, goddess of the Nile and nourisher of the fields. *Bairthy, goddess of water, was depicted with a small pitcher on her head, holding a long spear-like sceptre. * Hapi, god of the annual flooding of the Nile. * Khnum, god of the source of the Nile. *
Nephthys Nephthys or Nebet-Het in ancient Egyptian ( grc-gre, Νέφθυς) was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. A member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis in Egyptian mythology, she was a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired wi ...
, goddess of rivers, death, mourning, the dead, and night. * Nu, uncreated god, personification of the primordial waters. *
Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
, god of the dead and afterlife; originally a god of water and vegetation. * Satet, goddess of the Nile River's floods. * Sobek, god of the Nile river, is depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile. * Tefnut, goddess of water, moisture, and fertility. *
Wadj-wer Wadj-wer, also spelled Uatch-ur is an Egyptian god of fertility whose name means the "great green". It was commonly believed that Wadj-wer was a personification of the Mediterranean Sea; however, it is apparently more likely that he rather repr ...
, personification of the Mediterranean Sea or represented the lagoons and lakes in the northernmost Nile Delta.


Hebrew

* Leviathan, sea serpent.


Mesopotamian

*
Abzu The Abzu or Apsu ( Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ), also called (Cuneiform:, ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: — ='water' ='deep', recorded in Greek as ), is the name for fresh water from underground aquifers which was given a religious fertilising qualit ...
, god of fresh water, father of all other gods. *
Enbilulu Enbilulu ( sux, ) was a Mesopotamian god associated with irrigation, and by extension with both canals and rivers. The origin of his name is unknown, and there is no agreement among experts in which way he was related to the similarly named dei ...
, god of rivers and canals. *
Enki , image = Enki(Ea).jpg , caption = Detail of Enki from the Adda Seal, an ancient Akkadian cylinder seal dating to circa 2300 BC , deity_of = God of creation, intelligence, crafts, water, seawater, lakewater, fertility, semen, magic, mischief ...
, god of water and of the river
Tigris The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
. *
Marduk Marduk (Cuneiform: dAMAR.UTU; Sumerian: ''amar utu.k'' "calf of the sun; solar calf"; ) was a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of ...
, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic. *
Nammu Nammu ( dENGUR = dLAGAB×ḪAL; also read Namma) was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as a creator deity in the local theology of Eridu. It is assumed that she was associated with water. She is also well attested in connection with incantations and ...
, goddess of the primeval sea. *
Nanshe Nanshe ( sux, ) was a Mesopotamian goddess in various contexts associated with the sea, marshlands, the animals inhabiting these biomes, namely bird and fish, as well as divination, dream interpretation, justice, social welfare, and certain admin ...
, goddess of the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
, justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing. * Tiamat, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods. *
Sirsir Sirsir, also known as Ninsirsir, was a Mesopotamian god. He was associated with sailors. It has been proposed that he corresponds to the so-called "boat god" motif known from cylinder seals, but this theory is not universally accepted. Character ...
, god of mariners.


Greek / Hellenic

* Achelous, Greek river god. * Aegaeon, god of violent sea storms and ally of the Titans. * Alpheus, river god in Arcadia. *
Amphitrite In ancient Greek mythology, Amphitrite (; grc-gre, Ἀμφιτρίτη, Amphitrítē) was the goddess of the sea, the queen of the sea, and the wife of Poseidon. She was a daughter of Nereus and Doris (or Oceanus and Tethys).Roman, L., & Rom ...
, sea goddess and consort of Poseidon and thus queen of the sea. *
Anapos Anapos was a water god of eastern Sicily in Greek mythology. When he opposed the rape of Persephone along with the nymph Cyane, Hades turned them into a river (the river Anapo in southern Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_n ...
, water god of eastern Sicily. * Asopus, river god in Greece * Asterion, river-god of
Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses * ...
* Brito-Martis, the goddess Brito-Martis is always depicted in arms. *
Brizo Brizo (Greek: Βριζώ; derived from Ancient Greek word βρίζω meaning "to slumber") is an ancient Greek goddess A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a g ...
, goddess of sailors. *
Carcinus ''Carcinus'' ( '' Karkinos'') is a genus of crabs, which includes ''Carcinus maenas'', an important invasive species, and '' C. aestuarii'', a species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. ''Carcinus maenas'' ''C. maenas'' is among the 100 "worl ...
, a giant crab who allied itself with the Hydra against Heracles. When it died, Hera placed it in the sky as the constellation
Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
. *
Ceto Ceto (; grc, Κητώ, Kētṓ, sea monster) is a primordial sea goddess in Greek mythology, the daughter of Pontus and his mother, Gaia. As a mythological figure, she is considered to be one of the most ancient deities, and bore a host of ...
, goddess of the dangers of the ocean and of sea monsters. *
Charybdis Charybdis (; grc, Χάρυβδις, Khárybdis, ; la, Charybdis, ) is a sea monster in Greek mythology. She, with the sea monster Scylla, appears as a challenge to epic characters such as Odysseus, Jason, and Aeneas. Scholarship locates her in t ...
, a sea monster and spirit of whirlpools and the tide. * Cymopoleia, a daughter of Poseidon and goddess of giant storm waves. * Doris, goddess of the sea's bounty and wife of Nereus. *
Eidothea ''Eidothea'' is a genus of two species of rainforest trees in New South Wales and Queensland, in eastern Australia, constituting part of the plant family Proteaceae. The plant family Proteaceae was named after the shape-shifting god Proteus of ...
, prophetic sea nymph and daughter of Proteus. *
Electra Electra (; grc, Ήλέκτρα) is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, '' Electra'' by Sophocles and '' Electra'' by Euripides. She is also the centra ...
, an Oceanid, consort of
Thaumas In Greek mythology, Thaumas (; grc, ; grc, , label=gen.) was a sea god, son of Pontus and Gaia, and the full brother of Nereus, Phorcys, Ceto and Eurybia. Etymology Plato associates Thaumas' name with ("wonder"). Mythology According to Hesio ...
. * Enipeus, a river god * Eurybia, goddess of the mastery of the seas. * Galene (Γαλήνη), goddess of calm seas. * Glaucus, the fisherman's sea god. *
Gorgons A Gorgon ( /ˈɡɔːrɡən/; plural: Gorgons, Ancient Greek: Γοργών/Γοργώ ''Gorgṓn/Gorgṓ'') is a creature in Greek mythology. Gorgons occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary, the te ...
, three monstrous sea spirits. ** Euryale ** Medusa ** Stheno * The
Graeae In Greek mythology the Graeae ( grc, Γραῖαι; ; English translation: "old women", "grey ones", or "grey witches"; alternatively spelled Graiai and Graiae) were three sisters who had gray hair from their birth and shared one eye and one t ...
, three ancient sea spirits who personified the white foam of the sea; they shared one eye and one tooth between them. * 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. *Kymopoleia, daughter of Poseidon and goddess of violent sea storms. *
Leucothea In Greek mythology, Leucothea (; grc-gre, Λευκοθέα, Leukothéa, white goddess), sometimes also called Leucothoe ( grc-gre, Λευκοθόη, Leukothóē), was one of the aspects under which an ancient sea goddess was recognized, in this ...
, 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. *
Nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...
s **
Naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...
es, freshwater nymphs. ** Nereides, sea nymphs. **
Oceanid In Greek mythology, the Oceanids or Oceanides (; grc, Ὠκεανίδες, Ōkeanídes, pl. of grc, Ὠκεανίς, Ōkeanís, label=none) are the nymphs who were the three thousand (a number interpreted as meaning "innumerable") daughters o ...
es, nymphs of freshwater sources. *
Oceanus In Greek mythology, Oceanus (; grc-gre, , Ancient Greek pronunciation: , also Ὠγενός , Ὤγενος , or Ὠγήν ) was a Titan son of Uranus and Gaia, the husband of his sister the Titan Tethys, and the father of the river gods a ...
, Titan god of the Earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth's fresh water. * Palaemon, a young sea god who aided sailors in distress. *
Phorcys In Greek mythology, Phorcys or Phorcus (; grc, Φόρκυς) is a primordial sea god, generally cited (first in Hesiod) as the son of Pontus and Gaia (Earth). Classical scholar Karl Kerenyi conflated Phorcys with the similar sea gods Nereus a ...
, god of the hidden dangers of the deep. * Pontus, primeval god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures. *
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 ...
, Olympian god of the sea and king of the sea gods; also god of flood, drought, earthquakes, and horses. His Roman equivalent is
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
. * Potamoi, deities of rivers, fathers of Naiads, brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys. *
Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus (; Ancient Greek: Πρωτεύς, ''Prōteus'') is an early prophetic sea-god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" ''(hálios gérôn)''. ...
, a shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god, and the herdsman of Poseidon's seals. * Psamathe, goddess of sand beaches. *
Scylla In Greek mythology, Scylla), is obsolete. ( ; grc-gre, Σκύλλα, Skúlla, ) is a legendary monster who lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait are within an arrow's r ...
, a sea monster, later authors made up a backstory of her being a Nereid transformed into a monster due to Circe's jealousy. * 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 Thalassa (; grc-gre, Θάλασσα, Thálassa, sea; Attic Greek: , ''Thálatta'') was the general word for 'sea' and for its divine female personification in Greek mythology. The word may have been of Pre-Greek origin. Mythology According t ...
, primordial goddess of the sea. *
Thaumas In Greek mythology, Thaumas (; grc, ; grc, , label=gen.) was a sea god, son of Pontus and Gaia, and the full brother of Nereus, Phorcys, Ceto and Eurybia. Etymology Plato associates Thaumas' name with ("wonder"). Mythology According to Hesio ...
, god of the wonders of the sea and father of the
Harpies In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; lat, harpȳia) is a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions They were generally depicted as birds with the head ...
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 Triteia ( grc, Τρίτεια) was, in Greek mythology, the daughter of the sea-god Triton (mythology), Triton and mother, by Ares, of Melanippus who gave to a town in Achaea (ancient region), Achaea the name of his mother. Sacrifices were offered ...
, daughter of Triton and companion of Ares. *
Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...
, fish-tailed son and herald of Poseidon. * Tritones, fish-tailed spirits in Poseidon's retinue. * Aspidochelone, colossal sea monster from the medieval bestiary ''
Physiologus The ''Physiologus'' () is a didactic Christian text written or compiled in Greek by an unknown author, in Alexandria; its composition has been traditionally dated to the 2nd century AD by readers who saw parallels with writings of Clement of Alex ...
''.


Roman

*
Coventina Coventina was a Romano-British goddess of wells and springs. She is known from multiple inscriptions at one site in Northumberland county of England, an area surrounding a wellspring near Carrawburgh on Hadrian's Wall. It is possible that other ...
, Romano-British goddess of a sacred spring at
Carrawburgh Carrawburgh is a settlement in Northumberland. In Roman times, it was the site of a -acre (1.5 ha) auxiliary fort on Hadrian's Wall called Brocolitia, Procolita, or ''Brocolita''. This name is probably based on the Celtic name for the pla ...
on
Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...
. * Fontus, god of wells and springs. * Juturna, goddess of fountains, wells, and springs. *
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
, god-king of the sea. His Greek counterpart was
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 ...
. *
Salacia In ancient Roman mythology, Salacia ( , ) was the female divinity of the sea, worshipped as the goddess of salt water who presided over the depths of the ocean. Neptune was her consort. That Salacia was the consort of Neptune is implied by Va ...
, goddess of saltwater. Neptune's consort. * Tiberinus, the genius of the river
Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...
. * Volturnus, a god of the
Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...
who may originally have been a god of all rivers.


Anatolian - Hittite

* Aruna, god of the sea.


Armenian

* Astłik, goddess of water sources. * Tsovinar, goddess of seas and storms.


Persian Zorostarian

*
Ahurani Ahurani is the Avestan language name of a Zoroastrian (class of) divinity associated with "the waters" ( ''āpō''). In scripture, the expression ''ahurani'' appears both in the singular and in the plural, and may - subject to context - either den ...
, Ahurani is a water goddess from ancient Persian mythology who watches over rainfall as well as standing water. * Anahita, the divinity of "the Waters" ( Aban) and associated with fertility, healing, and wisdom. *
Apam Napat Apam Napat is a deity in the Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, Indo-Iranian Pantheon (gods), pantheon associated with water. His names in the Vedas, ''Apām Napāt'', and in Zoroastrianism, ''Apąm Napāt'', mean "child of the Ap (water), waters" in San ...
, the divinity of rain and the maintainer of order. * Haurvatat, the
Amesha Spenta In Zoroastrianism, the Amesha Spenta ( ae, , Aməša Spəṇta—literally "Immortal (which is) holy/bounteous/furthering") are a class of seven divine entities emanating from Ahura Mazda, the highest divinity of the religion. Later Middle Persian ...
associated with water, prosperity, and health in post-Gathic Zoroastrianism. *
Tishtrya Tishtrya ( ave, 𐬙𐬌𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀, Tištrya, fa, تیر, Tir) or Roozahang is the Avestan language name of a Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility. Tishtrya is Tir in Middle- and Moder ...
,
Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...
benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility.


Northwest Eurasia


Balto-Slavic


Lithuanian

*
Bangpūtys Bangpūtysor “bryanē is the name of a masculine deityStraižys, Vytautas; Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Balts, Lietuvos Dangus (Sky of Lithuania), Vilnius, p.115, 1990. in Lithuanian mythology. Basing on very scanty sources, some mythologi ...
, god of sea and storm. * Laumė, goddess of wild spaces, including waters.


Slavic

* Kostroma, goddess of fertility. After discovering that her husband, Kupala, is her brother, she jumped into the forest lake (in other legends into the river Ra). After her death, she became a mavka (or rusalka). * Mati-syra-zemla, moist mother, also the Earth goddess. * Mokosh, moistness, lady of waters, goddess of moisture. * Dodola, goddess of rain. * Morskoy Tsar, the god and king of the sea. *
Moryana Moryana (russian: Моря́на, ) is a female sea spirit in Slavic folklore, possibly a goddess. Moryana was a sea vodyanitsa and daughter of the Morskoy Tsar, and also, according to some beliefs, she ruled the winds. Sometimes the ''moryany/mor ...
, a giant female sea spirit. *
Rusalki In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; ; pl, rusałka}) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Melus ...
, female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons that dwell in waterways. * Veles, god of Earth, waters, and the underworld. *
Vodyanoi In Slavic mythology, vodyanoy or vodyanoi ( rus, водяно́й, p=vədʲɪˈnoj; lit. ' efrom the water' or 'watery') is a water spirit. In Czech and Slovak fairy tales, it is called ''vodník'' (or in Germanized form: ), and it is consider ...
, water demon who lived in lakes and rivers.


Celtic

*
Belisama Belisama (Gaulish ''Belesama''; epigraphically ) is a Celtic goddess. She was identified by Roman commentators with Minerva by ''interpretatio romana''. Name The Gaulish theonym ''Belesama'' has been traditionally interpreted as meaning 'the ...
, goddess of lakes and rivers, fire, crafts, and light. *
Grannus Grannus (also ''Granus'', ''Mogounus,'' and ''Amarcolitanus'') was a Celtic deity of classical antiquity. He was regularly identified with Apollo as Apollo Grannus and frequently worshipped in conjunction with Sirona, and sometimes with Mars and ot ...
, a god associated with spas, the sun, fires and healing thermal and mineral springs. *
Nantosuelta In Celtic mythology, Nantosuelta is the goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility. Pseudo-historical texts explain how there is an uncanny resemblance between Nantosuelta and what we know of the Irish goddess The Morrígan, who was associ ...
, river goddess of fire, the earth, healing, and fertility. * Nodens, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs. *
Damona In Gallo-Roman religion, Damona was a goddess worshipped in Gaul as the consort of Apollo Borvo and of Apollo Moritasgus. Name The theonym ''Damona'' is a derivative of the Proto-Celtic stem ''*damo-'', meaning 'bull' or 'deer' (cf. Old Irish ...
, water goddess associated with healing and rivers *
Selkie In Celtic and Norse mythology, selkies (also spelled ', ', ') or selkie folk ( sco, selkie fowk) meaning 'seal folk' are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. They are found ...
* Llŷr


English Folklore

*Father Thames, human manifestation and/or guardian of the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
that flows through Southern England, while his ancient worship is obscure, he has become a popular symbol of the river in modern times, it being the subject of the song "Old Father Thames" and the model of several statues and reliefs scattered around
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. * Davy Jones, the
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 t ...
of the seas in Western piratical lore.


Gaulish

*
Acionna Acionna was a Gallo-Roman water goddess, attested in the Orléanais region. In 1822, Jean-Baptiste Jollois, one of the founding fathers of archaeology in the region, carried out excavations on the so-called "fontaine de l'Étuvée", an ancient ...
, a water goddess/
genius loci In classical Roman religion, a ''genius loci'' (plural ''genii locorum'') was the protective spirit of a place. It was often depicted in religious iconography as a figure holding attributes such as a cornucopia, patera (libation bowl) or snake. ...
of the Orleanais region and the
Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Condatis Condatis (Gaulish: 'confluence') was an ancient Celtic deity worshipped primarily in northern Britain but also in Gaul.''L'Arbre Celtique.'"Condatis"/ref> He was associated with the confluences of rivers, in particular the River Wear which runs i ...
, god of the
River Wear The River Wear (, ) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through th ...
and healing. * Segeta, goddess of the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
. * Sequana, goddess of the
River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...
. * Souconna, goddess of the
Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name deri ...
. * Sirona, a goddess associated with healing springs.


Irish

* Brigid, a goddess sometimes associated with water and where three streams join together (relating to her being a
Triple Goddess A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. The number three has a long history ...
). *
Boann Boann or Boand (modern Irish spelling: Bónn) is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne (the river-name now always in the nominalised dative/prepositional case, Bóinn), a river in Ireland's historical fifth province, Meath (from Middle Irish '' ...
, goddess of the River Boyne. * Danu (Dana), Continental Celtic river goddess. Her Irish variation was an ancestor/mother goddess. * Manannán mac Lir, god of the sea. *
Lí Ban Lí Ban (; thus 'paragon of women') may refer to an otherworldly female figure in Irish mythology. This Lí Ban claimed the beautiful Fand as sister, and was wife to Labraid Luathlám ar Claideb ("Labraid of the swift sword-hand"), the ruler of ...
, water goddess. *
Lir Lir or Ler (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish; ''Ler'' and ''Lir'' are the nominative and genitive forms, respectively) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is na ...
, god of the sea. *
Sinann The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...
, goddess of the
River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...
.


Welsh

*
Dylan Eil Ton Dylan ail Don () (in Middle Welsh) is a character in the Welsh mythic Mabinogion tales, particularly in the fourth tale, "''Math fab Mathonwy''". The story of Dylan reflects ancient Celtic myths that were handed down orally for some generations b ...
, god of the sea * Llŷr, god of the sea.


Lusitanian

*
Bandua Bandua was a theonym used to refer to a god or goddess worshipped in Iberia by Gallaeci and Lusitanians. Whether the name referred to a discrete deity or was an epithet applied to different deities is arguable. Epigraphy The deity's name is found ...
, theonym associated with fountains. *
Duberdicus Duberdicus or Duberdico, was a god of fountains, lakes, and oceans in Lusitanian mythology, in the cultural area of Lusitania (in the territory of modern Portugal). See also * List of Lusitanian deities *Lusitanian mythology Lusitanian mythology ...
, god of the sea and rivers. *
Durius Durius or Durio was a god worshiped by the ancient Lusitanians and Celtiberians of the Iberian peninsula. He was a personification of what is today known as the river Douro and is usually depicted holding a fishing net. A shrine dedicated to him was ...
, personification of the Douro river.


Norse-Germanic

* Ægir, personification of the sea. * Freyr, god of rain, sunlight, fertility, life, and summer. * Nehalennia, goddess of the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
. * Nerthus, mostly an earth goddess, but is also associated with lakes, springs, and holy waters. *
Nine Daughters of Ægir 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...
, who personify the characteristics of waves. *
Nix Nix or NIX may refer to: Places * Nix, Alabama, an unincorporated community, United States * Nix, Texas, a ghost town in southwestern Lampasas County, Texas, United States * Nix (moon), a moon of Pluto People * Nix (surname), listing people with ...
, water spirits who usually appear in human form. * Njord, god of the sea, particularly of seafaring. *
Rán In Norse mythology, Rán (Old Norse: ) is a goddess and a personification of the sea. Rán and her husband Ægir, a jötunn who also personifies the sea, have nine daughters, who personify waves. The goddess is frequently associated with a net, w ...
, sea goddess of death who collects the drowned in a net, wife of Ægir. *
Rhenus Pater ''Rhenus Pater'' ("Father Rhine", German ''Vater Rhein'') is the personification or river god of the Rhine, attested in epigraphy and associated with Neptunus, called "father of nymphs and rivers" by Martial (10.7). Because of his depiction with ...
, god of the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
river *Rura, goddess of the
Rur The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 perce ...
river * Sága, wisdom goddess who lives near water and pours Odin a drink when he visits. *
Tiddy Mun Tiddy Mun was a legendary bog spirit in England, who was believed to have the ability to control the waters and mists of The Fens of South Lincolnshire, The Carrs of North Lincolnshire and fens of the Isle of Ely. Legend The belief in Tiddy Mun wa ...
, a bog deity once worshiped in Lincolnshire, England who had the ability to control floods.


Hindu-Vedic

* Ap, group of water goddesses. *
Apam Napat Apam Napat is a deity in the Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, Indo-Iranian Pantheon (gods), pantheon associated with water. His names in the Vedas, ''Apām Napāt'', and in Zoroastrianism, ''Apąm Napāt'', mean "child of the Ap (water), waters" in San ...
, god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes. * Danu, goddess of primordial waters, mother of
Vritra Vritra () is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (Sanskrit: ', li ...
and the Danavas. *
Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, goddess of the
Ganges river The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
and purity. * Yami, goddess of
Yamuna The Yamuna (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a ...
river. *
Sarasvati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a god ...
, goddess of knowledge, music and the
Sarasvati river The Sarasvati River () is a deified river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a physical river, i ...
. * Kaveri, celestial nymph, avatar of Parvati, goddess of the Kaveri rive

* Tapati, goddess of
Tapti river The Tapti River (or Tapi) is a river in central India located to the south of the Narmada river that flows westwards before draining into the Arabian Sea. The river has a length of around and flows through the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat ...
. *
Varuna Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...
, god of the water and the celestial ocean. *
Mariamman Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman, is a Hindu goddess of rain, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season of Ādi throughout Tamil Nadu and the Deccan region, ...
, goddess of the rains, medicine, and disease * Makara, mystical creature of waters. Ossetia *
Donbettyr Donbettyr ( os, Донбеттыр) is the god of all waters, and the protector of fish and fishermen in Ossetian mythology. He is related to a Scythian deity of the same name. His name is possibly derived from ''don'', meaning 'river', derived fr ...
, master of all waters.


Uralic

Finnish *
Ahti In Finnish mythology, Ahti () is a heroic character in folk poetry who is sometimes given the epithet Saarelainen (, "Islander"). Ahto is a Finnish sea god. The connection between the hero Ahti and the god Ahto, if any, is unclear. Descript ...
, god of the depths and fish. * Iku-Turso, a malevolent sea monster. * Vedenemo, a goddess of water. *
Vellamo Vellamo (), also spelled Wellamo, is the goddess of water, lakes and seas in Finnish mythology. Vellamo is said to be tall and beautiful, and is much respected by fishermen, who pray to her for good fishing luck. Vellamo can also control the win ...
, the wife of Ahti, goddess of the sea, lakes, and storms.


Asia-Pacific / Oceania


Far East Asia


Taoism and Chinese folk religion

* Emperor the Water Official (shuǐguān) * Ehuang & Nuying, goddesses of the Xiang River. *
Gonggong Gonggong () is a Chinese water god who is depicted in Chinese mythology and folktales as having a copper human head with an iron forehead, red hair, and the body of a serpent, or sometimes the head and torso are human, with the tail of a serpen ...
, red-haired dragon with the head of a man and water god who, together with his associate Xiang Yao, is responsible for the great floods. *
Hebo Hebo () is the god of the Yellow River (''Huang He''). The Yellow River is the main river of northern China, one of the world's major rivers and a river of great cultural importance in China. This is reflected in Chinese mythology by the tales su ...
, god of the
Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...
. *
Longmu In Chinese mythology, Longmu (), transliterated as Lung Mo in Cantonese, was a Chinese woman who was deified as a goddess after raising five infant dragons. Longmu and her dragons developed a strong bond for each other and have thus become an e ...
, goddess of the Xijiang River in the Lingnan area. *
Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Re ...
, goddess of the sea and protector of seafarers. * Shuimu, goddess of the water. * Shui Wei Niang, goddess of the water. * Shuidexianjun (水德星君) * Tam Kung, sea deity worshiped in Hong Kong and Macau with the ability to forecast weather. *
Honorable Kings of the Water Immortals The Shuixian Zunwang are five Chinese Deities worshipped as water and sea deities. They have various names in English including the Honorable Water Immortal Kings and the Lords of the Water. All five deities were formerly famous heros and ar ...
(''Shuixian Zunwang''). **Han Ao or
Lu Ban Lu Ban (–444BC). was a Chinese architect or master carpenter, structural engineer, and inventor, during the Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the Chinese Deity (Patron) of builders and contractors. Life Lu Ban was born in the state of Lu; a few ...
, the inventors. ** Qu Yuan,
Wu Zixu :''Note: names are in simplified characters followed by traditional and Pinyin transliteration.'' Wu Yun (died 484 BC), better known by his courtesy name Zixu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the Wu kingdom in the Spring and Aut ...
, and
Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...
, famous suicides lost in rivers. **
Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures prominen ...
, tamer of China's Great Flood. * Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. **
Ao Kuang Ao Guang (; or ) is the Dragon King of the East Sea in Chinese folklore. He featured prominently in different works including ''Fengshen Yanyi'' and ''Journey to the West''. ''Fengshen Yanyi'' According to the ''Fengshen Yanyi'', after the passa ...
, 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.


Japanese

* Ebisu, god of fortunes and fishery, often being referred to marine
megafauna In terrestrial zoology, the megafauna (from Greek μέγας ''megas'' "large" and New Latin ''fauna'' "animal life") comprises the large or giant animals of an area, habitat, or geological period, extinct and/or extant. The most common threshold ...
s such as whales and
whale shark The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, D ...
s (hence being also called "Ebisu-shark"). *Hanzaki Daimyojin, gigantic Japanese giant salamander and master of the water. *
Kuraokami Okami (淤加美神, Okami-no-kami) in the Kojiki, or in the Nihon Shoki: or , is a legendary Japanese dragon and Shinto deity of ice, rain, snow and winter . In Japanese mythology, the sibling progenitors Izanagi and Izanami gave birth to the ...
, one of Suijin. * Mizuchi, Japanese dragon and sea god. *
Ōyamatsumi Ōyama-tsumi or Ohoyama-tsumi (Kojiki: 大山津見神 or Nihon Shoki: 大山祇神, 大山積神, 大山罪神; Ōyama-tsumi-mi'oya-no-mikoto 大山祇御祖命) is a god of mountains, sea, and war in Japanese mythology. He is an elder brother of ...
, god of mountains, sea and war. * Ryūjin or
Watatsumi , also pronounced Wadatsumi, is a legendary ''kami'' (神, god; deity; spirit), Japanese dragon and tutelary water deity in Japanese mythology. is believed to be another name for the sea deity Ryūjin (龍神, Dragon God) and also for the , which ...
, Japanese dragon and tutelary deity of the sea. *
Suijin is the Shinto god of water in Japanese mythology. The term Suijin (literally: ''water people'' or ''water deity'') refers to the heavenly and earthly manifestations of the benevolent Shinto divinity of water. It also refers to a wide variety of my ...
,
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 ''Shintois ...
god of water. * Sumiyoshi sanjin, god of ocean and sailing. *
Susanoo __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (; historical orthography: , ) is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory chara ...
, Shinto god of storms and the sea. *
Watatsumi , also pronounced Wadatsumi, is a legendary ''kami'' (神, god; deity; spirit), Japanese dragon and tutelary water deity in Japanese mythology. is believed to be another name for the sea deity Ryūjin (龍神, Dragon God) and also for the , which ...
, dragon king and ocean god. *
Yamata no Orochi , or simply , is a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed Japanese dragon/serpent. Mythology Yamata no Orochi legends are originally recorded in two ancient texts about Japanese mythology and history. The 712 AD transcribes this dragon name ...
, serpentine monster but also regarded as an incarnation of violent river. Ainu *
Amemasu or is a giant whale- or fish-like creature from Ainu folklore. Some of the largest ''amemasu'' are said to live in Lake Mashū and Lake Shikotsu in Hokkaidō, with smaller ones inhabiting lakes throughout northern areas of Honshu. The ''amemasu ...
, monster in the lakes. * Rep-un-kamui, god of the sea, often referring to
orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only Extant taxon, extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black ...
.


Korean

*
Imoogi Korean dragons are legendary creatures in Korean mythology and folklore. The appearance of the dragon reflects its relation to its East Asian counterparts, including the Chinese dragons. Korean dragons Whereas most European dragon, dragons in Eur ...
or Imugi, giant serpents of Korean folklore which later become true dragons. *
King Munmu Munmu of Silla (626–681; reigned 661–681) was the 30th king of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He is usually considered to have been the first ruler of the Unified Silla period. Munmu was the son of King Muyeol and Munmyeong, who was the youn ...
, a king who wished to become a dragon before his death to protect Korea from the
Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...
(East Sea). * Yongwang, an undersea deity believed to determine the fortunes of fishermen and sailors.


South Asia


Hindu

In Hindu culture, each water body is worshipped as a form of God. Hence, the rivers are worshipped as goddesses and the ocean is worshipped as a god. *
Varuna Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...
, the God of the ocean and rains and water. *
Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes/ref> I ...
, King of the Gods, God of weather, and bringer of rain, thunderstorms and clouds. *
Saptasindhu Rivers play a prominent part in the hymns of the ''Rigveda'', and consequently in early Vedic religion. Vedic texts have a wide geographical horizon, speaking of oceans, rivers, mountains and deserts. The Vedic land is described as a land of ...
, the seven holy rivers of India, namely: *
Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, the Goddess of the Ganges River. *
Yamuna The Yamuna (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a ...
, the Goddess of the Yamuna River. *
Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a go ...
, the divine Goddess of knowledge and wisdom who was personified as a river that dried up in ancient times. *
Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
, also called Sindhu. The river is considered the eldest daughter of the Himalaya mountains. * Narmada, the river Goddess often worshipped as a deity and daughter of Lord
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. *
Godavari The Godavari ( IAST: ''Godāvarī'' od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakesh ...
, the longest river of South India. The river is also considered as Dakshina Ganga. *
Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
, a river of South India, worshipped by people as a goddess who was previously incarnated as Lopamudra, the wife of Sage
Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...
. *Rivers such as Tapi, also known as Tapati, is worshipped as a daughter of the sun god,
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 m ...
. *The river
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
, worshipped as Krishnaveni Devi/Krishna Mai, is considered to be Lord
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
born as a river. * Tungabhadra, a tributary of Krishna, is worshipped as a goddess. The river is also known as Pampa. *
Pamba River The Pamba River (also called Pampa River) is the longest river in the Indian state of Kerala after Periyar and Bharathappuzha, and the longest river in the erstwhile former princely state of Travancore. Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyapp ...
and Suvarnamukhi
River A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
flowing past the holy temple towns of
Sabarimala The Sabarimala Temple (; ml, ശബരിമല ക്ഷേത്രം) is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest ...
in Kerala and
Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...
and
Srikalahasti Srikalahasti is a holy town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the revenue division of Srikalahasti mandal & Srikalahasti revenue division. It is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority, wh ...
in Andhra Pradesh, respectively. *The river
Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...
is the only river to have a male personification, whose name means "son of Brahma", the creator.
Mariamman Mariamman, often abbreviated to Amman, is a Hindu goddess of rain, predominantly venerated in the rural areas of South India. Her festivals are held during the late summer/early autumn season of Ādi throughout Tamil Nadu and the Deccan region, ...
, regional goddess of the rain and medicine


Manipuri

* Wangbren, the Sea God who holds storm, rain and disaster . *
Poubi Lai Poubi Lai (also, Paubi Loi) was an ancient dragon python, who dwelled in the Loktak Lake of Manipur, in Meitei mythology and folklore. It is also referred to as ''"Loch Ness Monster of Manipur"''. Mythology In the Loktak lake, the spirit of ...
, the giant dragon who ruled its tyranny in the Loktak lake. * Irai Leima, the Goddess of water and aquatic life.


Meitei

* Irai Leima, goddess of water, sent down to Earth to teach humanity to build a civilisation * Ngāreima, goddess of fish * Wangbren, god of the underwater world * Thongjarok Lairembi of Thongjaorok River * Iril Lairembi of Iril River * Imphal Turel Lairembi of Imphal River * Kongba Turel Lairembi of Kongba River * Loktak Lairembi of Loktak Lake * Pumlenpat Lairembi of Pumlenpat Lake


Southeast Asia


Filipino

*Sirinan: the Isnag spirit of the river *Limat: the Gaddang god of the sea *Oden: the Bugkalot deity of the rain, worshiped for its life-giving waters *Ocean Deity: the Ilocano goddess of the ocean whose waters slammed the ediface of salt being built by Ang-ngalo and Asin, causing the sea's water to become salty *Gods of the Pistay Dayat: Pangasinense gods who are pacified through the Pistay Dayat ritual, where offerings are given to the spirits of the waters who pacify the gods *Anitun Tauo: the Sambal goddess of win and rain who was reduced in rank by Malayari for her conceit *Sedsed: the Aeta god of the sea *Apûng Malyari: the Kapampangan moon god who lives in Mt. Pinatubo and ruler of the eight rivers *Lakandanum: variant of the Kapampangan Naga, known to rule the waters * Bathala: the Tagalog supreme god and creator deity, also known as Bathala Maykapal, Lumilikha, and Abba; an enormous being with control over thunder, lightning, flood, fire, thunder, and earthquakes; presides over lesser deities and uses spirits to intercede between divinities and mortals *Anitun Tabu: the Tagalog goddess of wind and rain and daughter of Idianale and Dumangan *Lakapati: the Tagalog hermaphrodite deity and protector of sown fields, sufficient field waters, and abundant fish catch *Amanikable: the Tagalog god of the sea who was spurned by the first mortal woman; also a god of hunters *Amansinaya: the Tagalog goddess of fishermen *Haik: the Tagalog god of the sea who protects travelers from tempests and storms *Bulan-hari: one of the Tagalog deities sent by Bathala to aid the people of Pinak; can command rain to fall; married to Bitu-in *Makapulaw: the Tagalog god of sailors *Great Serpent of Pasig: a giant Tagalog serpent who created the Pasig river after merchants wished to the deity; in exchange for the Pasig's creation, the souls of the merchants would be owned by the serpent *Quadruple Deities: the four childless naked Tau-buid Mangyan deities, composed of two gods who come from the sun and two goddesses who come from the upper part of the river; summoned using the paragayan or diolang plates *Afo Sapa: the Buhid Mangyan owner of rivers *Apu Dandum: the Hanunoo Mangyan spirit living in the water *Tubigan: the Bicolano god of the water *Dagat: the Bicolano goddess of the sea *Bulan: the Bicolano moon god whose arm became the earth, and whose tears became the rivers and seas *Magindang: the Bicolano god of fishing who leads fishermen in getting a good fish catch through sounds and signs *Onos: the Bicolano deity who freed the great flood that changed the land's features *Hamorawan Lady: the Waray deity of the Hamorawan spring in Borongan, who blesses the waters with healing properties *Maka-andog: an epic Waray giant-hero who was friends with the sea spirits and controlled wildlife and fish; first inhabitant and ruler of Samar who lived for five centuries; later immortalized as a deity of fishing *Maguayan: the Bisaya god who rules over the waters as his kingdom; father of Lidagat; brother of Kaptan *Maguyaen: the Bisaya goddess of the winds of the sea *Magauayan: the Bisaya sea deity who fought against Kaptan for eons until Manaul intervened *Lidagat: the Bisaya sea deity married to the wind; daughter of Maguayan *Bakunawa: the Bisaya serpent deity who can coil around the world; sought to swallow the seven "Queen" moons, successfully eating the six, where the last is guarded by bamboos *Makilum-sa-tubig: the Bisaya god of the sea *Kasaray-sarayan-sa-silgan: the Bisaya god of streams *Magdan-durunoon: the Bisaya god of hidden lakes *Santonilyo: a Bisaya deity who brings rain when its image is immersed at sea *Magyawan: the Hiligaynon god of the sea *Manunubo: the Hiligaynon and Aklanon good spirit of the sea *Launsina: the Capiznon goddess of the sun, moon, stars, and seas, and the most beloved because people seek forgiveness from her *Kapapu-an: the Karay-a pantheon of ancestral spirits from whom the supernatural powers of shamans originated from; their aid enables specific types of shamans to gush water from rocks, leap far distances, create oil shields, become invisible, or pass through solid matter *Neguno: the Cuyonon and Agutaynen god of the sea that cursed a selfish man by turning him into the first shark *Polo: the benevolent Tagbanwa god of the sea whose help is invoked during times of illness *Diwata Kat Sidpan: a deity who lives in the western region called Sidpan; controls the rains *Diwata Kat Libatan: a deity who lives in the eastern region called Babatan; controls the rain *Tagma-sa-Dagat: the Subanon god of the sea *Tagma-sa-uba: the Subanon god of the rivers *Diwata na Magbabaya: simply referred as Magbabaya; the good Bukidnon supreme deity and supreme planner who looks like a man; created the earth and the first eight elements, namely bronze, gold, coins, rock, clouds, rain, iron, and water; using the elements, he also created the sea, sky, moon, and stars; also known as the pure god who wills all things; one of three deities living in the realm called Banting *Dadanhayan ha Sugay: the evil Bukidnon lord from whom permission is asked; depicted as the evil deity with a human body and ten heads that continuously drools sticky saliva, which is the source of all waters; one of the three deities living in the realm called Banting *Bulalakaw: the Bukidnon guardian of the water and all the creatures living in it *Python of Pusod Hu Dagat: the gigantic Bukidnon python living at the center of the sea; caused a massive flood when it coiled its body at sea *Bulalakaw: the Talaandig deity who safeguards the creatures in the rivers; the lalayon ritual is offered to the deity *Tagbanua: the Manobo god of rain *Yumud: the god of water *Pamulak Manobo: the Bagobo supreme deity and creator of the world, including the land, sea, and the first humans; throws water from the sky, causing rain, while his spit are the showers *Eels of Mount Apo: two giant Bagobo eels, where one went east and arrived at sea, begetting all the eels of the world; the other went west, and remained on land until it died and became the western foothills of Mount Apo *Fon Eel: the Blaan spirit of water *Fu El: the T;boli spirit of water *Fu El Melel: the T'boli spirit of the river *Segoyong: the Teduray guardians of the classes of natural phenomena; punishes humans to do not show respect and steal their wards; many of them specialize in a class, which can be water, trees, grasses, caves behind waterfalls, land caves, snakes, fire, nunuk trees, deers, and pigs *Tunung: the Maguindanao spirits who live in the sky, water, mountain, or trees; listens to prayers and can converse with humans by borrowing the voice of a medium; protects humans from sickness and crops from pests *Tonong: divine Maranao spirits who often aid heroes; often lives in nonok trees, seas, lakes, and the sky realm *Umboh Tuhan: also called Umboh Dilaut, the Sama-Bajau god of the sea and one of the two supreme deities; married to Dayang Dayang Mangilai *Umboh Kamun: the Sama-Bajau totem of mantis shrimp *Sumangâ: the Sama-Bajau spirit of sea vessels; the guardian who deflects attacksStacey, N. (2007). Boats to Burn: Bajo fishing activity in the Australian fishing zone. Canberra, Australia: ANU E Press.


Indonesian

* Dewi Danu, Balinese Hindu water goddess. *
Dewi Lanjar Dewi Lanjar is an Indonesian goddess of the sea, the opposite of Nyai Roro Kidul and the Queen of the Northern Sea, according to Javanese beliefs. She is a popular goddess in the city of Pekalongan, Central Java. Her name "Lanjar" means a woman wh ...
, Javanese Queen of the North Sea. *
Nyai Roro Kidul ''Kanjeng Ratu Kidul'' Sundanese: ᮑᮤ ᮛᮛ ᮊᮤᮓᮥᮜ᮪, Nyai Rara Kidul) ( Javanese: ꦚꦻ​ꦫꦫ​ꦏꦶꦢꦸꦭ꧀, Nyi Rara Kidul) ( Balinese: ᬜᬶᬭᭀᬭᭀᬓᬶᬤᬸᬮ᭄, Nyi Rara Kidul) is a supernatural being in Ind ...
, Javanese Queen of the South Sea (Indian Ocean).


Vietnam

* Động Đình Quân,
Kinh Dương Vương Kinh Dương Vương ( Hán tự: 涇陽王; "King of Kinh Dương") is a legendary ancient Vietnamese figure, mentioned in the 15th-century work ''Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'' by having unified all the tribes within his territory into one ...
's father-in-law, grandfather of Lạc Long Quân, he was a Long Vương who lived in
Dongting Lake Dongting Lake () is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan Province, China. It is a flood basin of the Yangtze River, so its volume depends on the season. The provinces of Hubei and Hunan are named after their location relative to the lak ...
. *
Lạc Long Quân Lạc Long Quân (Chữ Hán:貉龍君; "Dragon King of Lạc"; also called Sùng Lãm 崇纜) is a semi-mythical king of the Hồng Bàng dynasty of ancient Vietnam. Quân was the son of Kinh Dương Vương, the king of Xích Quỷ. He is the ...
, he is the ancestor of the Vietnamese people and is also one of the top Long Vươngs under the Water Palace. * Bát Hải Long Vương or Vua Cha Bát Hải Động Đình, he is a Long Vương and also the father of
Mẫu Thoải Mẫu Thoải ( Chữ Hán: 母水, or Thủy Cung Thánh Mẫu ( Chữ Hán: ) is a goddess in Vietnamese non-Buddhist traditional religion. The goddess features in Chầu văn religious ceremonies and music. She presides over the heavenly water ...
. He is the son of
Lạc Long Quân Lạc Long Quân (Chữ Hán:貉龍君; "Dragon King of Lạc"; also called Sùng Lãm 崇纜) is a semi-mythical king of the Hồng Bàng dynasty of ancient Vietnam. Quân was the son of Kinh Dương Vương, the king of Xích Quỷ. He is the ...
and one of the heads of the Water Palace. * Đông Hải Long Vương, was the 25th son of Lạc Long Quân and
Âu Cơ Âu Cơ ( Chữ Hán: ; ) was, according to the creation myth of the Vietnamese people, an immortal mountain snow fairy who married Lạc Long Quân (), and bore an egg sac that hatched a hundred children known collectively as Bách Việt, a ...
who ruled the whole Bồ Sào region, ruled the Red River, gathered people scattered because of floods to re-explore the hamlets, and kept quiet villages throughout the delta form Ngã ba Hạc to the sea estuary. *
Mẫu Thoải Mẫu Thoải ( Chữ Hán: 母水, or Thủy Cung Thánh Mẫu ( Chữ Hán: ) is a goddess in Vietnamese non-Buddhist traditional religion. The goddess features in Chầu văn religious ceremonies and music. She presides over the heavenly water ...
, the head goddess of all rivers, lakes and seas. She governs water and all things related to water. *
Long Vương Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
, the Long Vương is a common name for the gods who rule over the sea and ocean. * Tô Lịch Giang Thần, god of Tô Lịch River. * Hà Bá, the god who manages the rivers (note that each river has its own governing god, and each person's power may be less or more powerful than Hà Bá). * Bà Thủy, goddess with a job similar to Hà Bá * Cá Ông, this god often appears in the form of large fish (such as whales, dolphins, sperm whales,...) to help ships that have accidents due to weather at sea. * Độc Cước, god of protection for the people of the sea. * Thuồng Luồng or Giao Long, They can be water monsters, they can also be water gods.


Turkic

* :tr:Talay, Talay, god of ocean.


Polynesian


Fijian

*Dakuwaqa, a shark god. *Daucina, god of seafaring.


Hawaiian

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


Māori

*Ikatere, a fish god, the father of all the sea creatures including mermaids. *Kiwa (mythology), Kiwa, a guardian of the sea. *Rongomai, a whale god. *Ruahine, an eel god. *Taniwha, deities or monsters (often take forms resembling dragons). *Tangaroa, god of the sea. *Tawhirimātea, god of the weather, rain, storms and wind *Tinirau, a guardian of the sea. *Tohora (Māori mythology, 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.


Samoan


''other island nations''

*Agunua, serpentine god of the sea of Solomon Islands. *Ayida-Weddo, serpentine spirit among several island nations. Cook Islands *Tangaroa, God of the Ocean and Seas *Momoke, fair maidens, said to be water spirits with skin as pale as milk. These 'white ones' approach those on land during the night, emerging from deep pools of water to collect food or to seduce men before returning to the water depths. It is said that the Momoke come from an underwater nation, though some have said that this watery kingdom is also 'Avaiki'; paradise, heaven and the source of all of creation.


Australia

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


Native Americas


North America


Inuit

*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. *Kanajuk, the scorpionfish god and husband of the goddesses Nuliajuk and Isarraitaitsoq. *Nootaikok, god who presided over icebergs and glaciers. *Nuliajuk and Isarraitaitsoq, goddesses of the sea's depths and its creatures among the Netsilik Inuit. *Sedna (mythology), Sedna, goddess of the sea and its creatures.


Central America and the Caribbean


Mexica

* Atlaua, god of water, archers, and fishermen. * Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of water, lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism. * Opochtli, god of fishing and birdcatchers. * Tlāloc, god of water, fertility, and rain. * Tlaloque, a group of rain, water, and mountain gods.


Ewe / Fon

*Agwé, a sea loa. *Clermeil, a river loa. *Mami Wata, a water loa. *Pie (loa), Pie, a lake and river loa.


Mayan

*Chaac, god of rain. *Kukulcan, god of the seas, oceans, and storms


Taíno

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


South America


Tupi-Guarani (Brazilian Myth)

*Amanasy, Goddess of the rain and frogs *Iara (mythology), Iara, Guardian of the water and of the Amazon River *Ipupiara, Guardian of the sea *Luruaçu, Goddess of the storms *Tupã (mythology), Tupã, God of the thunder, weather, storms and clouds


Incan

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


Panche people, Panche/Muisca

*Mohan (legendary), Mohan, a mischievous entity associated with rivers, lakes and water in general.


See also

* Holy wells * Nadi (yoga) * Nature worship * Sea monster * Svadhishthana, Water chakra * Water spirit


References

{{Authority control Water deities, * Lists of deities, Water deities