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A Compendium of the Ancient Gods

Themes

Animals

113 gods of animals, across eight rooms, in the order the rooms are walked.

The Cradle of Cities

21 works

Adad, plate — Adad a-dad The Storm — Akkadian Hadad; Lord of the Thunder

Anzu, plate — Anzu an-zu The Lion-Headed Bird — Thief of the Tablet of Destinies

Artemis of Ephesus, plate — Artemis of Ephesus ar-te-mis of e-phe-sus The Many-Breasted Mother of Ephesus

Bau, plate — Bau bau The Lady of the Sheepfold — Healer-Goddess of Lagash

Dumuzi, plate — Dumuzi du-mu-zi The Faithful Son — shepherd-king, beloved of Inanna

El, plate — El el The Bull, Father of the Gods — Canaanite high god

Enkidu, plate — Enkidu en-ki-du The Equal Match Made by the Gods — Friend Beloved Beyond Speech

Gula, plate — Gula gu-la The Great Lady — goddess of healing

Hannahanna, plate — Hannahanna han-na-han-na The Grandmother — Mother-Goddess of the Hittite Pantheon

Illuyanka, plate — Illuyanka il-luyan-ka The Great Dragon — Adversary of Tarhunt

Kuvava, plate — Kuvava ku-va-va Mother-Goddess of Carchemish — Ancestress of Cybele

Lamassu, plate — Lamassu la-mas-su The Protective Spirit — winged bull of the gates

Men, plate — Men men The Phrygian Moon-God — Standing on His Bull

Mušḫuššu, plate — Mušḫuššu muš-ḫuš-šu The Furious Snake — Dragon of Marduk

Nanaya, plate — Nanaya na-naya The Sweet One — Goddess of Sensual Love and Music

Nanna, plate — Nanna nan-na The Moon — Akkadian Sin; god of Ur

Nanshe, plate — Nanshe nan-she Lady of the Marshes — goddess of dreams, fish, and social justice

Ninazu, plate — Ninazu ni-na-zu Lord of Healing and the Underworld — son of Ereshkigal

Ningishzida, plate — Ningishzida nin-gish-zi-da Lord of the True Tree — chthonic god of vegetation

Sabazius, plate — Sabazius sa-ba-zius The Thraco-Phrygian Sky-Father — Whose Bronze Hand Bore Cult-Symbols

Telepinu, plate — Telepinu te-le-pi-nu The Vanishing God — Hittite god of agriculture

The Gift of the Nile

31 works

Aker, plate — Aker a-ker The Twin Lions of the Horizon

Ammit, plate — Ammit am-mit The Devourer of the Dead — fate of the unjustified soul

Anubis, plate — Anubis ah-noo-bis The Jackal — Lord of Embalming

Anuket, plate — Anuket a-nu-ket Lady of the First Cataract — gazelle-goddess of the inundation

Apis, plate — Apis a-pis The Sacred Bull of Memphis

Banebdjedet, plate — Banebdjedet ba-nebd-je-det The Ram of Mendes — soul of Osiris in the Delta

Bastet, plate — Bastet bas-tet The Cat of Bubastis

Bata, plate — Bata ba-ta The Bull of Saka — hero of a folk-tale

Buchis, plate — Buchis bu-chis The Sacred Bull of Hermonthis

Hatmehit, plate — Hatmehit hat-me-hit First of the Fishes — fish-goddess of Mendes

Heqet, plate — Heqet he-qet The Frog Goddess — patroness of childbirth

Khentamentiu, plate — Khentamentiu khen-ta-men-tiu Foremost of the Westerners — older lord of the dead

Khepri, plate — Khepri khep-ri The Scarab — the morning sun

Maahes, plate — Maahes maa-hes Lion of the Massacre — son of Bastet, wielder of the scimitar

Mehen, plate — Mehen me-hen The Coiled Serpent — protector of the solar barque

Mertseger, plate — Mertseger mert-se-ger She Who Loves Silence — cobra-goddess of the Theban necropolis

Mnevis, plate — Mnevis mne-vis The Sacred Bull of Heliopolis

Montu, plate — Montu mon-tu The Falcon of Hermonthis — Theban war-god

Mut, plate — Mut mut The Great Mother of Thebes

Nekhbet, plate — Nekhbet nekh-bet The White Vulture of Upper Egypt

Pakhet, plate — Pakhet pa-khet The Tearer — lioness of the desert wadis

Renenutet, plate — Renenutet re-ne-nu-tet The Cobra of the Harvest

Sekhmet, plate — Sekhmet sek-met The Lioness — Lady of Plague and War

Serqet, plate — Serqet ser-qet The Scorpion Goddess — guardian of the dead

Sobek, plate — Sobek so-bek The Crocodile God of the Fayyum

Taweret, plate — Taweret ta-we-ret The Hippopotamus Goddess — protector of the pregnant

Tefnut, plate — Tefnut tef-nut The Moisture — sister-consort of Shu

The Four Sons of Horus, plate — The Four Sons of Horus the four sons of ho-rus Imsety, Hapi, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef — guardians of the canopic jars

The Hermopolitan Ogdoad, plate — The Hermopolitan Ogdoad the her-mo-po-li-tan og-doad The eight primordial powers of Khemenu — the chaos before creation

Wadjet, plate — Wadjet wad-jet The Cobra of Lower Egypt

Wepwawet, plate — Wepwawet wep-wa-wet Opener of the Ways — jackal of Asyut

The Olympian Order

21 works

Actaeon, plate — Actaeon ak-tee-on The Theban hunter, torn by his own hounds for seeing Artemis bathing

Ares, plate — Ares air-eez Lord of War — the bloody-minded

Artemis, plate — Artemis ar-tuh-mis The Huntress — virgin of the wilderness

Asclepius, plate — Asclepius uh-sklee-pee-us Divine Physician — son of Apollo

Atalanta, plate — Atalanta at-uh-lan-tuh The Huntress — the only woman among the Argonauts

Bellerophon, plate — Bellerophon buh-lair-uh-fon Tamer of Pegasus — slayer of the Chimera

Cerberus, plate — Cerberus sur-buh-rus The Hound of Hades — three-headed guardian of the dead

Chiron, plate — Chiron kye-ron The Wise Centaur — teacher of heroes

Echidna, plate — Echidna eh-kid-nuh The Viper-Woman — mother of monsters

Epimetheus, plate — Epimetheus ep-ih-mee-thee-us The Afterthinking — brother of Prometheus

Hecate, plate — Hecate hek-uh-tee Of the Crossroads — goddess of witchcraft and the dark moon

Minotaur, plate — Minotaur min-uh-tor The Bull of Minos — prisoner of the Labyrinth

Pan, plate — Pan pan God of the Wild — pastoral piper of Arcadia

Pegasus, plate — Pegasus peg-uh-sus The Winged Horse, born of the Gorgon's blood

Poseidon, plate — Poseidon poh-sye-don Lord of the Sea — earth-shaker

Proteus, plate — Proteus proh-tee-us Shepherd of the Seals — shape-shifting prophet

Python, plate — Python pie-thon The Earth-Serpent of Delphi, slain by Apollo at the navel of the world

Scylla, plate — Scylla sil-uh The Six-Headed Monster of the Strait

Sphinx, plate — Sphinx sfinks The Theban Riddler

The Harpies, plate — The Harpies the har-peez The Snatchers — winged daughters of Thaumas and Electra

Tiresias, plate — Tiresias tie-ree-see-us The Blind Theban Seer

The Persian World

3 works

The Amesha Spentas, plate — The Amesha Spentas the a-me-sha spen-tas The Holy Immortals — seven principles of the good creation

Verethragna, plate — Verethragna ve-reth-rag-na Victory — Bahram in the later tradition; the Iranian war-god

Vohu Manah, plate — Vohu Manah vo-hu ma-nah Good Mind — patron of cattle, first of the Amesha Spentas

The Levantine Borderlands

2 works

Arsu, plate — Arsu ar-su The Camel-Rider Caravan-God — protector of evening travel

Atargatis, plate — Atargatis ah-tar-gah-tis The Great Goddess of Syria — fish-tailed mother of Hierapolis

The Edges of Empire

5 works

Bendis, plate — Bendis ben-dis The Thracian Huntress — patroness of the moon and the wild animals

Dali, plate — Dali da-li The Caucasian Goddess of the Hunt — wild golden mistress of the mountain

Gurzil, plate — Gurzil gur-zil The Berber War-God — bull-headed warrior of the desert tribes

Thana, plate — Thana tha-na Goddess of the Hunt — paired with Vidasus

Vidasus, plate — Vidasus vi-da-sus Forest-God of the Western Balkans — Roman Silvanus in Illyrian guise

The Roman Inheritance

4 works

Consus, plate — Consus con-sus God of the Stored Harvest — whose altar was kept underground

Faunus, plate — Faunus fau-nus Italian Woodland God — Prophet of the Wild

Mithras (Roman), plate — Mithras (Roman) mith-ras (roman) The Bull-Slaying Mystery — Cult of the Soldiers

Awaiting its plate

Pales pa-les Shepherd's Deity — Patron of Flocks

The Northern Inheritance

26 works

Awaiting its plate

Ahti ah-ti Lord of the Sea — Master of Waters — Finnic

Audhumla, plate — Audhumla aud-hum-la The Primal Cow — who licked the first god from the ice

Ceridwen, plate — Ceridwen ce-rid-wen The Welsh Witch of Inspiration — keeper of the cauldron of awen

Cernunnos, plate — Cernunnos cer-nun-nos The Horned God — Lord of Animals

Epona, plate — Epona e-po-na Continental Celtic Horse-Goddess

Esus, plate — Esus e-sus Gaulish God of the Tree-Felling

Fafnir, plate — Fafnir faf-nir The Dragon — son of Hreidmar, slain by Sigurd

Fenrir, plate — Fenrir fen-rir The Wolf — Devourer of Odin at Ragnarök

Freyr, plate — Freyr frayr Lord of the Vanir — God of Plenty and Peace

Jörmungandr, plate — Jörmungandr jör-mun-gandr The World-Serpent

Awaiting its plate

Kullervo kul-ler-vo The Tragic Slave-Hero — orphan, kinslayer, suicide

Leshy, plate — Leshy le-shy Forest Spirit — Master of the Wood

Awaiting its plate

Louhi lou-hi Mistress of Pohjola — Witch-Queen of the North — Finnic

Māra, plate — Māra mā-ra The Latvian Earth-Mother — patroness of cattle, of women, and of the household

Math Fab Mathonwy, Gwydion, plate — Math Fab Mathonwy, Gwydion math fab ma-thon-wy, gwy-dion The Welsh Magician-King and his Sister's Son — and the woman made of flowers

Morrígan, plate — Morrígan mor-rí-gan The Phantom Queen — Goddess of Battle and Sovereignty

Rhiannon, plate — Rhiannon rhian-non Welsh Goddess of Sovereignty — Lady of Horses

Sigurd, plate — Sigurd si-gurd The Dragonslayer — Sigurd Fáfnisbani, Siegfried of the Nibelungenlied

Simargl, plate — Simargl si-margl The Winged Hound — sole survivor of an Iranian dream

Skadi, plate — Skadi ska-di Giantess of Mountains and Skis — Reluctant Bride

Sleipnir, plate — Sleipnir sleip-nir Eight-Legged Steed of Odin

Awaiting its plate

Tapio ta-pio Forest-God — Lord of the Woods — Finnic

Awaiting its plate

Turul tu-rul The Mythical Bird — Founder of the Magyar Royal House — Hungarian

Veles, plate — Veles veh-les Underworld God — Patron of Cattle and Wealth

Velnias, plate — Velnias vel-nias The Old One — Chthonic Adversary of Perkūnas

Vodyanoy, plate — Vodyanoy vo-dya-noy The Russian Water-Sprite — drowner of the unwary, master of fish