Sky deity

Sky deity
The sky often has important religious significance. Many religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, have deities associated with the sky.
The daytime sky deities are typically distinct from the nighttime ones. Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature reflects this by separating the category of "Sky-god" (A210) from that of "Star-god" (A250). In mythology, nighttime gods are usually known as night deities and gods of stars simply as star gods. Both of these categories are included here since they relate to the sky. Luminary deities are included as well since the sun and moon are located in the sky. Some religions may also have a deity or personification of the day, distinct from the god of the day lit sky, to complement the deity or personification of the night.
Daytime gods and nighttime gods are frequently deities of an "upper world" or "celestial world" opposed to the earth and a "netherworld" (gods of the underworld are sometimes called "chthonic" deities). Within Greek mythology, Uranus was the primordial sky god, who was ultimately succeeded by Zeus, who ruled the celestial realm atop Mount Olympus. In contrast to the celestial Olympians was the chthonic deity Hades, who ruled the underworld, and Poseidon, who ruled the sea.
Any masculine sky god is often also king of the gods, taking the position of patriarch within a pantheon. Such king gods are collectively categorized as "sky father" deities, with a polarity between sky and earth often being expressed by pairing a "sky father" god with an "earth mother" goddess (pairings of a sky mother with an earth father are less frequent). A main sky goddess is often the queen of the gods and may be an air/sky goddess in her own right, though she usually has other functions as well with "sky" not being her main. In antiquity, several sky goddesses in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Near East were called Queen of Heaven. Neopagans often apply it with impunity to sky goddesses from other regions who were never associated with the term historically.
Gods may rule the sky as a pair (for example, ancient Semitic supreme god El and the fertility goddess Asherah whom he was most likely paired with). The following is a list of sky deities in various polytheistic traditions arranged mostly by language family, which is typically a better indicator of relatedness than geography.
African
Central African
Khonvoum, Mbuti supreme creator god and sky father
Nzambi Mpungu, Bakongo creator, sky and sun god
Nzambici, Bakongo sky, moon and earth goddess
East African
Mulungu, Nyamwezi creator and sky god
Waaq creator and sky god.
Ancient Egypt
Achamán, Guanche creator and sky god
Amun, Ancient Egyptian god of creation and the wind
Anhur, Ancient Egyptian originally a foreign war god
Hathor, Ancient Egyptian originally a sky goddess
Horus, Ancient Egyptian god of the sun, sky, kings, and war
Khonsu, Ancient Egyptian moon god
Mehet-Weret, Ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky
Nut, Ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky
Ra, Ancient Egyptian god of the sun that ruled the sky, earth and underworld
Shu, Ancient Egyptian god of the air
Thoth, Ancient Egyptian original moon god
Southern African
Umvelinqangi, Zulu sky god
Utixo, Khoikhoi sky god
Xamaba, Heikum creator and sky god
West African
Denka, Dinka god of sky, rain and fertility
Nyame, Akan supreme deity, god of the sky
Olorun, Yoruba supreme deity, god of the sky and heaven
Shango, Yoruba sky father and thunder god
Wulbari, Guang sky god
The Americas
Haitian
Badessy, Vodou loa associated with the sky
Incan
Virococha, sky god
Inuit
Anguta, sky father and psychopomp
Ataksak, goddess of the sky
Negafook, god of weather systems
Torngarsuk, god of the sky
Iroquoian
Atahensic, Iroquois sky goddess who fell to Earth at the time of creation
Lakota
Anpao wichapi, the Morning Star spirit, bringer of knowledge and new beginnings
Han, the spirit of night, representative of ignorance
Hanbli Gleska, the Spotted Eagle spirit, usually regarded as Wakan Thanka
Hanwi, the moon spirit of knowledge, feminine power, sometimes considered to be the wife of Wi
Mahgpia Oyate, the Cloud People, also known as the Wichapi Oyate (Star People)
Wohpe, the spirit of meteors or falling stars (often confused with Fallen Star), also the spirit of beauty, love, wishes, dreams, and prophecy
Wakinyan, thunder spirit usually taking the form of a bird
Wi, the sun spirit responsible for bringing light and wisdom to the Lakota oyate
Wichapi oyate, the Star People, each having respective powers however they usually represent knowledge to some degree
Wichapi Hinhpaya, the Fallen Star, the son of Wichapi owáŋžila and Tapun Sa Win
Wichapi owáŋžila, the Resting Star or Polaris, the widower of Tapun Sa Win (Red Cheeked Woman)
Mayan
Cabaguil, god of the sky
Hunab Ku, sky father
Tzacol, sky god and creator deity
Puebloans
Ápoyan Ta'chu, sky father in Zuni mythology
Taíno mythology
Yaya, supreme god in Taíno mythology
Uto-Aztecan
Citlalincue, goddess of the Milky Way
Cipactonal, god of the daytime
Oxomoco, goddess of nighttime
Centzonmimixcoa, 400 gods of the northern stars
Centzonhuitznahua, 400 gods of the southern stars
Coyolxauhqui, goddess of the moon
Meztli, goddess of the moon
Tonatiuh, god of the sun
Tianquiztli, star goddesses (see the Pleiades)
Citlaltonac, god of male stars
Citlalmina, goddess of female stars
Citlaxonecuilli, goddess of Ursa Major
Eototo, Hopi head kachina and sky father
Australian
Altjira, Arrernte creator and sky god
Baiame, southeast Australian creator and sky god
Bila (sun), cannibalistic sun goddess
Binbeal, god of rainbows
Bunjil, Kulin creator and sky god
Daramulum, one-legged emu sky god
Numakulla, a pair of creator and sky gods
Rainbow Serpent, creator god in many Aboriginal cultures associated with water, rain, and rainbows, though it also has a chthonic connection
Burmese
Akathaso, the spirits of the sky
Chinese
Yu Huang Dadi-Jade Emperor (center)
Ziwei Dadi-polestar emperor (north)
Changsheng Dadi-longevity emperor (south)
Qinghua Dadi-azure-illustrious emperor (east)
Taiji Tianhuang Dadi-ultimate heaven emperor (west)
Chang'e, moon goddess who lives with the moon rabbit
Shang Di, the celestial emperor
Tian or Heaven
Xihe (deity), sun goddess
Zhinü, weaver of the clouds
Xian, Taoist spirits associated with the sky and tian
Twenty Four Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝)
Six Tiandi of the North
1. Bìfàn Xuánwú Tiandi
2. Bìkōng Zhēnjì Tiandi
3. Bìluó Yuánshǐ Tiandi
4. Bìgě Chéngkāi Tiandi
5. Bìyàn Zhūjǐng Tiandi
6. Bìhóng Xūkuàng Tiandi
Six Tiandi of the South
7. Bìzhēn Dòngyáng Tiandi
8. Bìyáo Jiànggōng Tiandi
9. Bìxiá Míngsù Tiandi
10. Bìwú Yàodòng Tiandi
11. Bìyùn Shǐtú Tiandi
12. Bìhào Zhēngxū Tiandi
Six Tiandi of the West
13. Bìshén Zhàozhì Tiandi
14. Bìchōng Zǐyào Tiandi
15. Bìgě Fànkōng Tiandi
16. Bìdòng Xiáyáng Tiandi
17. Bìhuá Kāilì Tiandi
18. Bìfàn Míngyáo Tiandi
Six Tiandi of the North
19. Bìguāng Hánhuá Tiandi
20. Bìyè Zhùyán Tiandi
21. Bìdān Huáqì Tiandi
22. Bìkuò Címíng Tiandi
23. Bìlà Gēyīn Tiandi
24. Bìxū Níngyáng Tiandi
Twenty Eight Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝)
Seven Tiandi of the East
1. Tàimíng Hùzhēn Tiandi
2. Juéfàn Tàilíng Tiandi
3. Húyuè Cuìxiù Tiandi
4. Zǐdān Míngchǔ Tiandi
5. Dòngxiá Yùzhēn Tiandi
6. Kōngxuán Lìshǔ Tiandi
7. Qiáotōng Zhūpǔ Tiandi
Seven Tiandi of the South
8. Yányú Zhēngshǐ Tiandi
9. Jīngwéi Xiāomíng Tiandi
10. Qìngfú Zīshàn Tiandi
11. Suíwén Xīdù Tiandi
12. Chángjī Lèwán Tiandi
13. Qíhuá Bùróng Tiandi
14. Gāolíng Dàiwú Tiandi
Seven Tiandi of the West
15. Zhōuyú Píngwú Tiandi
16. Jǐngyán Tàizhēn Tiandi
17. Lǜjǐng Shǔchén Tiandi
18. Niúluó Pǔshì Tiandi
19. Dìngliáng Huìzōng Tiandi
20. Zhàolíng Sūjì Tiandi
21. Jiǔwēi Dònghuáng Tiandi
Seven Tiandi of the North
22. Dìshū Guāngjìng Tiandi
23. Zǐyí Jìhuā Tiandi
24. Zhìdìng Yǔnlǐ Tiandi
25. Guāngfàn Jiùzhì Tiandi
26. Hǔ口 Zhēngbù Tiandi
27. Bàyān Wúyuán Tiandi
28. Dàomíng Húnxìng Tiandi
Thirty Two Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝)
Eight Tiandi of the East
1. Tàihuáng Huángzēng Tiandi
2. Tàimíng Yùwán Tiandi
3. Qīngmíng Hétóng Tiandi
4. Xuántāi Píngyù Tiandi
5. Yuánmíng Wénjǔ Tiandi
6. Qīyào Móyí Tiandi
7. Xūwú Yuèhéng Tiandi
8. Tàijí Méngyì Tiandi
Eight Tiandi of the South
9. Chìmíng Héyáng Tiandi
10. Xuánmíng Gōnghuá Tiandi
11. Yàomíng Zōngpiāo Tiandi
12. Zhúlà Huángjiā Tiandi
13. Xūmíng Tángyào Tiandi
14. Guànmíng Duānjìng Tiandi
15. Xuánmíng Gōngqìng Tiandi
16. Tàihuàn Jíyáo Tiandi
Eight Tiandi of the West
17. Yuánzǎi Kǒngshēng Tiandi
18. Tàiān Huángyá Tiandi
19. Xiǎndìng Jífēng Tiandi
20. Shǐhuáng Xiàománg Tiandi
21. Tàihuáng Wēngchóng Tiandi
22. Wúsī Jiāngyóu Tiandi
23. Shǎngshé Ruǎnlè Tiandi
24. Wújí Tánshì Tiandi
Eight Tiandi of the North
25. Hàotíng Xiāodù Tiandi
26. Yuāntōng Yuándòng Tiandi
27. Hànchǒng Miàochéng Tiandi
28. Xiùlè Jīnshǎng Tiandi
29. Wúshàng Chángróng Tiandi
30. Yùlóng Téngshèng Tiandi
31. Lóngbiàn Fàndù Tiandi
32.Píngyù Jiǎyì Tiandi
Sixty Four Sky Emperors (Tiandi 天帝)
Sixteen Tiandi of the East
1. Wǎnkōng Míngfàn Tiandi
2. Zǐyuán Bàwú Tiandi
3. Yānjǐng Yùxū Tiandi
4. Chōngzhēng Dòngjí Tiandi
5. Míngbiàn Yuánhuáng Tiandi
6. Lǐchóng Yuānxū Tiandi
7. Jiàozhēn Quánzhòng Tiandi
8. Qīngwēi Huángyǔ Tiandi
9. Jiùmíng wàngshì Tiandi
10. Yuèfǔ Wènshí Tiandi
11. Qìlíng Zhāopǔ Tiandi
12. Xuánxū Guāngfàn Tiandi
13. Shǎngjí Sìzhǒng Tiandi
14. Yìhuā Zhēngzhèn Tiandi
15. Gūshì Bāfàn Tiandi
16. Jiǔyán Yùdìng Tiandi
Sixteen Tiandi of the South
17. Dānmó Yìhuā Tiandi
18. Dòujiàn Xūyú Tiandi
19. Dìguāng Wújì Tiandi
20. Zhūlíng Yàoguāng Tiandi
21. Zǐjǐng Duànbái Tiandi
22. Jiàngxiān Táiyuán Tiandi
23. Shuǎngzhì Xièshēn Tiandi
24. Yùjiāng Sīchán Tiandi
25. Gūhóu Lìzhēn Tiandi
26. Gǔxuán Dàoyòng Tiandi
27. Lǐbù Míngwēi Tiandi
28. Shénlú Chāngyìng Tiandi
29. Dùzhēng Kèzōng Tiandi
30. Dàhuǒ Chìyī Tiandi
31. Qīngdì Dòngyáo Tiandi
32. Xuánchéng Bǎihuā Tiandi
Sixteen Tiandi of the West
33. Jīnlí Guāngqǐ Tiandi
34. Jíhuáng Xuányùn Tiandi
35. Zhōuyán Jìngpíng Tiandi
36. Bǎosòng Róngzī Tiandi
37. Qìngzhēn Měiyuán Tiandi
38. Zhàiwú Shénsì Tiandi
39. Gāojiàng Zhìhuá Tiandi
40. Dàoqī Yánjì Tiandi
41. Tónglì Dàochú Tiandi
42. Dǐngshén Huàwēi Tiandi
43. Tàiān Shùnjí Tiandi
44. Qióngxī Yàoxiān Tiandi
45. Zǐdū Yuèguǎng Tiandi
46. Cuīkāng Jiéshí Tiandi
47. Jìngbì Làmáng Tiandi
48. Pǔhǎi Dòngjī Tiandi
Sixteen Tiandi of the North
49. Yúsì Tǒngzhēn Tiandi
50. Hǔjiā Pīfāng Tiandi
51. Qiúyuān Làyú Tiandi
52. Jīnbái Zhēngjì Tiandi
53. Huánglì Kǒngxiū Tiandi
54. Yáoshū Jīnglíng Tiandi
55. Shényín Xiāodū Tiandi
56. Qìngzhāo Yuèfú Tiandi
57. Chēnmíng Chúkǔ Tiandi
58. Fēngxìn Kǎofú Tiandi
59. Zhèngrù Bàobù Tiandi
60. Gěnglěi Lìquán Tiandi
61. Guǐchǔ Shǐlè Tiandi
62. Língfù Hǎilún Tiandi
63. Shǎngjí Xiāotán Tiandi
64. Bìcháng Dòngyuán Tiandi
Etruscan
Ani, primordial god of the sky identified with the Greek Uranus and Roman Caelus
Tinia, god of the sky
Filipino
llanit: a group of Isnag sky dwellers who are helpful harvest spirits
Hurrian
Hepit, goddess of the sky
Teshub, god of the sky and storms
Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European
Dyeus, the chief sky father of the Proto-Indo-European religion
Hausos, dawn goddess and daughter of Dyeus
Menot, moon god
Seul, sun goddess
Albanian
Zojz, god of the sky
Baltic
Auštaras, the god of the northeast wind
Dievs, the god of the day-lit sky and the chief god in Latvian mythology
Vejopatis, the god of the wind who guards the divine realm of Dausos
Celtic
Latobius, sky and mountain god equated with the Greek gods Zeus and Ares
Nuada, god of the sky, wind, and war
Sulis, goddess of the hot springs at Bath; probably originally the pan-Celtic sun goddess
Ambisagrus, Cisalpine god of rain, sky and hail equated to the Roman god Jupiter
English
Nuit, goddess of "Infinite Space and Infinite Stars" in Thelema
Germanic
Dagr, personification of day
Eostre, spring and fertility goddess; originally the Germanic dawn goddess
Mēnô, the moon
Nótt, personification of night
Sōwilō, the sun
Teiwaz, early Germanic sky god, also the god of law, justice, and the thing (assembly)
Greek
Aether, primeval god of the upper air
Apollo, god of the sun, archery, prophecy, medicine, plagues...
Astraeus, dusk god
Eos, dawn goddess
Helios, personification of the sun
Hemera, primordial goddess of day
Hera, goddess of the air, marriage, women, women's fertility, childbirth, heirs, kings, and empires
Iris, goddess of the rainbow and messenger of Hera
Nephele, cloud nymph in Hera's likeness
Nyx, primordial goddess of night
Selene, personification of the moon
Uranus, primeval god of the sky
Zeus, king of the gods, ruler of Mount Olympus, god of the sky, weather, law, order, and civilization
Hindu
Aditi, celestial mother of the gods
Chandra, god of the moon
Dyaus Pita, sky father
Indra, king of the gods, associated with weather
Ratri, goddess of night
Saranyu, goddess of clouds
Surya, god of the sun
Ushas, goddess of dawn
Varuna, a sky god
Iranian
Asmān, god of sky
Māh, god of the moon
Ohrmazd, sky father, the Great God
Tīštar, god of Sirius star and Rainfall.
Xwarxšēd, god of the sun
Uša, goddess of dawn
Roman
Aurora, dawn goddess
Caelus, personification of the sky, equivalent to the Greek Uranus
Juno, goddess of the sky, queen of the gods, and Jupiter's wife, equivalent to the Greek Hera
Jupiter, king of heaven and god of the sky and weather, equivalent to the Greek Zeus
Luna, moon goddess
Nox, Roman version of Nyx, night goddess and mother of Discordia
Sol, sun god
Summanus, god of nocturnal thunder/lightning
Slavic
Dazhbog (or Svarog), god of the Sun
Khors, god of the Moon
Stribog, god of the winds, sky, and air
Perun, god of the thunderstorms, lightning and sky.
Triglav, a triple god whose three heads represent sky, earth, and underworld
Zorya, goddess of dawn
Thracian and Phrygian
Sabazios, sky father
Japanese
Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and the universe, ancestor of the emperors of Japan, and the most important deity in Shintoism
Amenominakanushi, heavenly ancestral god
Izanagi, creator of Japan and sky father
Izanami, creator goddess of Japan with her husband; starts off as a sky goddess, but after she dies becomes a death/underworld/chthonic goddess
Marici, Buddhist goddess of the heavens
Tsukuyomi, god of the moon and brother of Amaterasu
Korean
Hwanin, sky god
Hwanung, son of Hwanin
Meitei/Sanamahism
Sidaba Mapu, the sky god and the Supreme Deity
Salailen (Soraren), father sky who help humans to build a civilisation
Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi, queen of heaven
Korouhanba, sky and sun god
Nongshaba, celestial dragon lion
Nongthang Leima, thunder and lightning goddess
Pakhangba, celestial dragon god
Taoroinai, heavenly dragon god
Sajik (Arietis)
Thaba (Musca)
Thangching, ancestral God descended from the heaven
Khongjom Nubi (Pleiades)
Apaknga (Lunar mansions)
Sachung Telheiba (A Orionis)
Likla Saphaba (Orion)
Chingcharoibi (G Geminorum)
Chungshennubi (Cancer)
Malagasy
Zanahary, sky deity of Madagascar
Māori
Ao, god of light and the sky
Ranginui, sky father
Tāwhaki Being of thunder and lightning
Tāwhirimātea God of weather, storms, thunder and lightning
Tane-rore, personification of shimmering air
Te Uira Personification of lightning
Whaitiri Female Personification of Thunder
Uenuku, god of rainbows
Other Pacific Islanders
Abeguwo, Melanesian sky goddess
Amai-te-rangi, sky demon of Mangaia
Atua I Kafika, supreme sky god of Polynesia
Ira, Polynesian sky goddess
Laufakana'a, Tongan creator god and sky father
Tangaloa, Tongan sky god
Sumerian
Anshar, god of the sky
Anu, king of the gods, associated with the sky, heaven, and constellations
Enlil, god of breath, air, and wind
Utu, god of the sun
Thai
Phaya Thaen the sky personified with a rank equivalent to marquess (Thai Phraya) the protagonist in a Rocket Festival
Turkic and Mongolic
Tengri, god of the sky
Ülgen
Kayra
Uralic
Finnic
Ilmari, godlike smith-hero and creator of the sky.
Ilmatar, virgin spirit of the air
Ukko, supreme god of sky, weather, thunder, crops (harvest) and other natural things.
Perkele, associated with Ukko by some researchers. A name for Devil in Finnish.
Taara, Oeselian chief god of thunder and the sky
Mari
Kugu Jumo, chief god of the sky, creator of the world, associated with a duck
Tõlze, god of the moon
Piambar, daughter of the sky
Shudyr-Shamich, god of the stars
Uzhara, god of the dawn
Mordvin
Värde-Škaj, Mokshan supreme god of the sky
Niškepaz, Erzyan supreme god of the sky
Kovava, Mokshan goddess of the moon
Permic
Inmar, Udmurt god of the heavens
Jenmar, Komi sky and chief god, creator of the world, associated with the moose
Sami
Horagalles, Sami god of the sky, thunder and lightning, the rainbow, weather, oceans, lakes, human life, health and well-being.
Mano, god of the moon
Samoyedic
Num, god of the sky
Ugric
Num-Toorum-Aś, Ob-Ugric supreme god and ruler of the kingdom of the sky in the north
Vietnamese
Ông Trời, sky god in Vietnamese indigenous religion
Ông Tử Vi, king of the stars
Mẫu Cửu Trùng Thiên, she is the daughter of Ông Trời, the sister of the Mẫu Thượng Thiên, Mặt Trời, Mặt Trăng and also a goddess who rules the sky
Mẫu Thượng Thiên, she is the daughter of Ông Trời and also one of the rulers of the sky
Pháp Vân, cloud goddess
Thần Mặt Trời, goddess of the sun, daughter of Ông Trời
Thần Mặt Trăng, goddess of the moon, daughter of Ông Trời
Hằng Nga, the goddess who lives on the moon with uncle Cuội and Moon Rabbit
Western Asian
Asherah, sky goddess and consort of El; after the rise of Yahweh, she may have become Yahweh's consort before she was demonized and the Israelite religion became monotheistic
Baalshamin, "Lord of the Heavens" (c.f. Armenian Barsamin)
El (god), original sky god and sky father of the Semitic speakers (replaced by Yahweh among Israelites)
Yahweh, Levantine sky god of the Midianites, Israelites and other ethnic groups in the region
See also
List of light deities
List of lunar deities
List of night deities
List of solar deities
Nature worship
Sky father
Water deity
Wind deity
References
Mythological archetypes
Sky deities