List of hunting deities
A hunting deity is a god or goddess in mythology associated with the hunting of animals and the skills and equipment involved. They are a common feature of polytheistic religions.
Anglo-Saxon mythology
[edit]Aztec mythology
[edit]Akan mythology
[edit]- Ahosu, Goddess of hunting and the protector of wildlife, called upon for successful hunts. In myths, she killed people who overhunted or overharvested the forest’s resources.
- Bosomtwe, god of fishing and sailors.
Celtic mythology
[edit]- Arawn, king of Annwn in some Welsh legends and associated with hunting, dogs and stags
- Cernunnos, a horned god associated with fertility and hunting
- Gwyn ap Nudd, another king of Annwn in Welsh Mythology, associated with the Wild Hunt
- Nodens, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
- Vosagus, Gaulish god of hunting and forests; gives his name to the Vosges region
Chinese mythology
[edit]- Fu Xi, the creator of fishery.
- Jiang Ziya, a god of fishery.
Egyptian mythology
[edit]- Neith, goddess of war and the hunt
- Pakhet, a lioness huntress deity, whom the Greeks associated with Artemis
- Wepwawet, god of hunting and war, along with funerary practices
- Bastet, a cat goddess and natural hunter of reptiles and rodents. Greeks often associated her with Artemis, giving her the name Ailuros.
Filipino mythology
[edit]- Abog: the Bagobo god of hunters[1]
- Alagaka: the Tagalog protector of hunters[2]
- Anlabban: the Isnag deity who looks after the general welfare of the people; special protector of hunters[3]
- Amanikable: the Tagalog god of the sea who was spurned by the first mortal woman; also a god of hunters[4][1]
- Bakero & Tawo-nga-talonon: Ati spirits of the forest; the first-fruits sacrifices of the hunt are offered to them through bits of meat, which would bring good luck to the people[5]
- Cain: the Bugkalot headhunter creator of mankind; gave customs to the people; lived together with Abel in the sky but separated due to a quarrel[6]
- Esa’: a Batak ancestor whose movements created the landscapes, which he named during a hunting journey with his dogs, who were after wild pigs[7]
- Ga’ek Spirits: Bugkalot spirits in the Ga’ek magic plant used in relation to hunting and fishing; the naw-naw prayer is given to them[8]
- Kabigat: the Bontok goddess of the moon who cut off the head of Chal-chal's son; her action is the origin of headhunting[9]
- Kalao: Bugkalot spirit birds;[6] depicted as red hornbills who guide and protect hunters and their soul[10]
- Kedes: the Aeta god of the hunt[11]
- Okot: the Bicolano forest god whose whistle would lead hunters to their prey[12]
- Paglingniyalan: the Tagalog god of hunters[2]
- Sugudun: also called Sugujun; the Manobo god of hunters and trappers[1]
- True: the Mamanwa deity of the forest and herder of hunting animals[13]
Finnish mythology
[edit]- Mielikki, goddess of forests and the hunt
- Nyyrikki, god of the hunt
- Tapio, East Finnish forest spirit to whom men prayed before a hunt
Georgian mythology
[edit]- Apsat, god of the hunt, associated with fish and birds
- Dali, goddess of the hunt, associated with horned beasts of the mountain
Greek mythology
[edit]- Aristaeus, god of bee-keeping, cheese-making, herding, olive-growing and hunting
- Artemis, goddess of the hunt, wild animals and the moon
- Heracles Kynagidas
- Pan, in addition to being a god of the wild and shepherds, was also a hunting god.
- Persephone, the goddess of life and death, also known for being Hades' wife
Hindu mythology
[edit]- Banka-Mundi, goddess of the hunt and fertility
- Bhadra, god of hunting, one of Shiva's ganas
- Rudra, Rigvedic god associated with wind or storm, and the hunt
Hittite mythology
[edit]- Rundas, god of the hunt and good fortune
Inuit Mythology
[edit]- Arnakuagsak, goddess responsible for ensuring the hunters were able to catch enough food and that the people remained healthy and strong
- Arnapkapfaaluk, sea goddess who inspired fear in hunters
- Nerrivik, the sea mother and patron of fishermen and hunters
- Nujalik, goddess of hunting on land
- Pinga, goddess of the hunt, fertility, and medicine
- Sedna, goddess of the sea, marine animals, and sea hunting
- Tekkeitsertok, god of hunting and master of caribou
Japanese Mythology
[edit]- Takeminakata, god of wind, hunting and warfare.
Mbuti mythology
[edit]- Khonvoum, supreme god of the Mbuti people in central Africa; the "great hunter"
Mesoamerican mythology
[edit]- Ah Tabai, Maya god of the hunt
- Sip, a hunting god often shown with deer ears and antlers
- Yum Kaax, Maya god of the forest and the protector of game animals
Norse mythology
[edit]- Skaði, a jötunn and goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains
- Ullr Norse god of hunting, mountains, archery, and skiing.
Roman mythology
[edit]- Diana, goddess of the hunt, wild animals and the wilderness; the counterpart of Artemis, goddess of the hunt and wild; twin sister of Apollo, daughter of Leto and Jupiter
Siberian mythology
[edit]- Bugady Musun, Evenki mother goddess of animals
- Hinkon, Tungusic lord of the hunt
Slavic mythology
[edit]Thracian mythology
[edit]- Bendis, goddess of the hunt and the moon, whom the Greeks associated with Artemis.
- Thracian horseman, a hunting god on horseback.
Yoruba mythology
[edit]- Ogoun or loa, the Two-Spirit orisha who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics and war
- Oshosi, the orisha also known as the "hunter of a single arrow", also the deity of the forests.
- Yoruba mythology Etymology: from the Yoruba people in West Africa to include the countries Nigeria and Benin, foreparents to practices or Santería, Lucumí, and other religions of the Caribbean, and the Americas.
Other
[edit]- Herne the Hunter, leader of the Wild Hunt.
- The Horned God, the Neopagan god of the sun, masculinity, nature, and hunting.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Jocano, F. L. (1969). Philippine Mythology. Quezon City: Capitol Publishing House.
- ^ a b Pardo, F. (1686–1688), Carte [...] sobre la idolatria de los naturales de la provincia de Zambales, y de los del pueblo de Santo Tomas y otros cicunvecinos [...], Sevilla, Spain: Archivo de la Indias
- ^ Vanoverbergh, M. (1941). "The Isneg Farmer". Publications of the Catholic Anthropological Conference. III (4): 281–38.
- ^ Demetrio, F. R.; Cordero-Fernando, G. & Zialcita, F. N. (1991). The Soul Book. Quezon City: GCF Books.
- ^ Noval-Morales, D. Y. "The Ati of Negros and Panay". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Wilson, L. L. (1947). Ilongot Life and Legends. Southeast Asia Institute.
- ^ Novellino, D. (2003). Shamanism and Everyday Life: An Account of Personhood, Identity and Bodily Knowledge amongst the Batak of Palawan Island (the Philippines) (PhD). University of Kent.
- ^ Mikkelsen, H. H. (2016). "Chaosmology: Shamanism and personhood among the Bugkalot" (PDF). HAU Journal of Ethnographic Theory. 6 (1). doi:10.14318/hau6.1.013. S2CID 224808433.
- ^ Jenks, A. E. (1905). The Bontoc Igorot. Department of the Interior: Ethnological Survey Publications. Vol. I. Manila: Bureau of Public Printing.
- ^ Carlson, S. E. (2014). "From the Philippines to The Field Museum: A Study of Ilongot (Bugkalot) Personal Adornment". Honors Projects (45). Illinois Wesleyan University.
- ^ Noche, D. (November 8, 2019). "A reclamation of one's heritage". Manila Standard.
- ^ Realubit, M. L. F. (1983). Bikols of the Philippines. A.M.S. Press.
- ^ Picardal, E. B. Jr. (2017), Socio-cultural History of Mamanwa Adaptations of Community in Sitio Palayan, Barangay Caucab, Almeria Biliran
