Water Gods – From Wikipedia Internet Access required to access Wikipedia Links in this page are to the main article in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_water_deities If the importance of water to ancient man is indicated by the worship or presence of “gods of water”, then from the list below it is obvious that water has always been a central feature of many, if not most, religions . A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Another important focus of worship of water deities were springs or holy wells Contents Aztec mythology o 1.2 Ainu mythology o 1.3 Canaanite mythology o 1.4 Celtic mythology o 1.5 Chinese mythology o 1.6 Egyptian mythology o 1.7 Fijian mythology o 1.8 Finnish mythology o 1.9 Greek mythology o 1.10 Haitian Vodou o 1.11 Hawaiian mythology o 1.12 Hindu/Vedic mythology o 1.13 Incan mythology o 1.14 Inuit mythology o 1.15 Japanese mythology o 1.16 Lithuanian mythology o 1.17 Māori mythology o 1.18 Mesopotamian mythology o 1.19 Norse/Germanic mythology o 1.20 Philippine mythology o 1.21 Pirate lore o 1.22 Roman mythology o 1.23 Slavic mythology o 1.24 Tonga (Zambezi Valley Zimbabwe) o 1.25 Yoruba, Orisha worship, IFA o 1.26 Igbo, African religion Aztec mythology Tlaloc, god of thunder, rain, and earthquakes. Tlaloc (Classical Nahuatl: Tlālōc [ˈtɬaːloːk]) was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he is usually depicted with goggle eyes and fangs. He was associated with caves, springs and mountains. He is known for having demanded child sacrifices.[1] In Aztec cosmology, the four corners of the universe are marked by "the four Tlalocs" (Classical Nahuatl: Tlālōquê [tɬaːˈloːkeʔ]) which both hold up the sky and functions as the frame for the passing of time. Tlaloc was the patron of the Calendar day Mazatl and of the trecena of Ce Quiyahuitl (1 Rain). In Aztec mythology, Tlaloc was the lord of the third sunwhich was destroyed by fire.In the Aztec Tenochtitlan, one of the two shrines on top of the Great Temple was dedicated to Tlaloc. The High Priest who was in charge of the Tlaloc shrine was called "Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Tlamacazqui". However the most important site of worship to Tlaloc was on the peak of Mount Tlaloc, a 4100 metres high mountain on the eastern rim of the Valley of Mexico. Here the Aztec ruler came and conducted important ceremonies once a year, and throughout the year pilgrims offered precious stones and figures at the shrine. In Coatlinchan a colossal statue weighing 168 tons was found that was thought to represent Tlaloc. Some scholars believe that the statue may not have been Tlaloc at all but his sister or some other female deity. This statue was relocated to the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City in 1964.[2] Archaeological evidence indicates Tlaloc was worshipped in Mesoamerica before the Aztecs even settled there in 13th century AD. He was a prominent god in Teotihuacan at least 800 years before the Aztecs.[8] This has led to mesoamerican goggle-eyed rain gods being referred to generically as "Tlaloc" although in some cases it is unknown what they were called in these cultures, and in other cases we know that he was called by a different name (e.g. the Mayan version was known as Chaac and the Zapotec deity as Cocijo). Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of water, lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism. Stone sculpture of Chalchiuhtlicue (Museum of the Americas, Madrid, Spain) Chalchiuitlicue's name means literally means "Jade her skirt", but is usually translated as "she of the jade shirt". She was also known as Matlalcueye "Owner of the green skirt". This goddess was the wife (in some myths, sister) of the rain god,Tlaloc. Like other water deities, she was often associated with serpents. She was the mother of Tecciztecatl, an Aztec moon god. He was called "he who comes from the land of the sea-slug shell" because of the similarity between the moon and the slug. Tecciztecatl was portrayed as an old man who carries a large white seashell on his back. Most legends of Chalchiuhtlicue say that she was married to the god of rain, Tlaloc. In some myths she was his sister. Chalchiuhtlicue helped Tlaloc rule the kingdom of Tlalocan. It is believed that Tlaloc was one of the first 'abuser' gods and because of this Chalchiuhtlicue retaliated by releasing 52 years of rain, causing a giant flood which caused the fourth world to be destroyed. She built a bridge linking heaven and earth and those who were in Chalchiuhtlicue's good graces were allowed to traverse it. The other residents of the earth were turned into fish so they wouldn't drown. Chalchiuhtlicue used the flood as an act of purification of human kind. Because of this flood we are believed to live in the Fifth World. Chalchiuhtlicue was also mother of Tecciztecatl, the Aztec moon god. In some myths, Chalchiuhtlicue was wife of Xiuhtecuhtli, senior deity of the Aztec pantheon. According to Aztec legend, Chalchiuhtlicue at one point devoured the sun and moon. In 2008, archaeologists led by Saburo Sugiyama found a tomb containing important evidence that may help define and examine an active period in Teotihuacán history. It may also help define some of the Aztec's defining moments. Teotihuacán was the largest city in Mesoamerica with over 100,000 residents. It is here that the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon were built. The Pyramid of the Sun was built for Tlaloc and, as stated earlier, the Pyramid of the Moon built for Chalchiuhtlicue. The tomb that Saburo Sugiyama found was dedicated to Chalchiuhtlicue. It housed a single human male sacrifice along with a wolf, jaguar, puma, serpent, bird, skeletons, and over 400 other artifacts. Among some of these artifacts were large greenstone and obsidian figurines, ceremonial knives, and spear points. The archaeologists also found frescos of former religions painted in red and green, some referred to agricultural and natural rain cycles. When looking underneath the Pyramid of the Moon, a Chalchiuhtlicue statue was found and has since been moved to El Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City. Also found underneath the pyramid were many tombs containing ornaments of birds and jaguars. For the Aztecs, Chalchiuhtlicue was the water goddess who was a personification of youthful beauty and ardor. She was represented as a river from which grew a prickly pear cactus laden with fruit, symbolizing the human heart.[4] Chalchiutlicue's association with both water and fertility is derived from the Aztecs' common association of the womb with waters. This dual role gave her both life-giving and a life-ending role in Aztec mythology[5] In the Aztec creation myth of the Five Suns, Chalchiuhtlicue presided over the fourth sun, or creation, in her aspect as goddess of streams and standing water. This world— in the mythology, the world preceding the current (fifth) one—was destroyed by a great flood and its people transformed into fish.[6] Huixtocihuatl, goddess of salt. In Aztec mythology, Huixtocihuatl (or Uixtochihuatl, Uixtociuatl) was a fertility goddess who presided over salt and salt water. Her younger brother was Tlaloc, and the rain gods, the Tlaloques were her sisters, or, in some sources, the children of Tlaloc. One interpretation of the myths surrounding Huixtochiuatl says she gained control over sea water when she was having a fight with the Tlaloques and they threw all their salt water at her in an attempt to drown her. Some sources place her as a wife of Tezcatlipoca. In June, there was a ten day festival in her honor. During the festival, one woman was considered to be the embodiment of Huixtochiuatl. That woman would be sacrificed by the end of the festival.[3] Salt makers would honor her with dances.[4] Opochtli, god of fishing. In Aztec mythology, Opochtli was a god of hunting and fishing.[1] Tlaloques, gods of drops. Tlaloquetotontli, goddess of the rivers tAinu mythology Repun Kamui, god of the sea Repun Kamuy is sometimes depicted as an orca. In other instances, he is a carefree, somewhat mischievous young man armed with a harpoon.[1] Repun Kamuy is an important figure in Ainu mythology because the sea represents opportunities for harvests that could not be found on land: fishing, the hunting of whales, and maritime trading expeditions. One of his myths displays his carefree nature and his generosity. In the story, he harpoons a whale and her young, and throws them ashore near a human village. When he arrives at home, he is visited by a sea wren, who tells him that the humans are cutting up the whales using sickles and axes — that is, not showing proper respect to the animal or to Repun Kamuy as the gift-giver. Rather than growing angry, he laughs, saying that the meat belongs to the humans and they can do with it as they like. A short time later, he sets out again, and he happens to pass the same village, where he finds that the sea wren has lied: the humans are dressed in ritual robes and cutting the flesh from the whales with sacred swords, in the proper manner.