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A Compendium of the Ancient Gods

Themes

Craft and fire

38 gods of craft and fire, across seven rooms, in the order the rooms are walked.

The Cradle of Cities

7 works

Enki, plate — Enki en-kee Lord of the Sweet Waters and Wisdom — Akkadian Ea

Ishum, plate — Ishum i-shum The Watchman of the Night — Herald of Erra

Kothar-wa-Khasis, plate — Kothar-wa-Khasis ko-thar--wa--kha-sis Skilful and Wise — craftsman of the gods

Ninkasi, plate — Ninkasi nin-ka-si The Lady Who Fills the Mouth — Goddess of Beer and Brewing

Sandon, plate — Sandon san-don The Cilician Heracles — Whose Pyre Burned at Tarsus

Santas, plate — Santas san-tas Luwian War-God — Predecessor of the Cilician Sandon

The Apkallu, plate — The Apkallu the ap-kal-lu The Seven Sages — Bringers of the Arts of Civilization

The Gift of the Nile

5 works

Imhotep, plate — Imhotep im-ho-tep The Deified Sage — Old Kingdom architect, god of medicine

Khnum, plate — Khnum khnum The Ram — Lord of the First Cataract

Neith, plate — Neith neith Lady of Sais — primordial weaver and warrior

Ptah, plate — Ptah ptah The Memphite Creator — Lord of Craftsmen

Seshat, plate — Seshat se-shat Lady of the Library — goddess of writing, measurement, and architecture

The Olympian Order

7 works

Athena, plate — Athena ah-thee-nah The Grey-Eyed — goddess of wisdom and crafts

Daedalus and Icarus, plate — Daedalus and Icarus ded-uh-lus and ik-uh-rus The Athenian craftsman and his son who flew too near the sun

Dolos, plate — Dolos doh-loss Trickery — daimon of fraud

Hephaestus, plate — Hephaestus heh-fes-tus The Lame Smith — divine craftsman

Hestia, plate — Hestia hess-tee-uh Goddess of the Hearth — the central flame

Prometheus, plate — Prometheus proh-mee-thee-us The Forethinking — friend of mankind

The Cyclopes, plate — The Cyclopes the sigh-kloh-peez The One-Eyed Smiths of Heaven — Brontes, Steropes, and Arges

The Persian World

5 works

Asha Vahishta, plate — Asha Vahishta ah-shah vah-heesh-tah Best Truth — patron of fire, central virtue of Zoroastrianism

Atar, plate — Atar a-tar Sacred Fire — son of Ahura Mazda, presence of the divine

Khshathra Vairya, plate — Khshathra Vairya khshath-ra vai-rya Ideal Dominion — patron of metals, principle of just rule

Nairyosanha, plate — Nairyosanha nai-ryo-san-ha The Manly Utterance — messenger between gods and men

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

The Edges of Empire

3 works

Batraz, plate — Batraz bat-raz The Steel Hero — Nart warrior of supernatural temper

Sosryko, plate — Sosryko sos-ry-ko The Trickster-Hero of the Narts — fire-bringer, defeater of giants by guile

Wærhag, plate — Wærhag wær-hag The Smith-God — forger of the magical weapons of the Narts

The Etruscan World

2 works

Menrva, plate — Menrva men-rvah The Etruscan Wise Maiden — warrior, craftswoman, prophetess

Sethlans, plate — Sethlans seth-lans The Etruscan Smith — master of the forge, equivalent to Vulcan

The Northern Inheritance

9 works

Brigid, plate — Brigid bri-gid Goddess of Smithcraft, Healing, and Poetry — Triple Goddess

Dian Cécht, plate — Dian Cécht dian cécht The Healer of the Tuatha Dé Danann — physician of the gods

Goibniu, Credne, and Luchta, plate — Goibniu, Credne, and Luchta goib-niu, cred-ne, and luch-ta The Three Craftsmen of the Tuatha — smith, bronze-worker, and wright

Awaiting its plate

Ilmarinen il-ma-ri-nen The Eternal Smith — Forger of the Sampo — Finnic

Loki, plate — Loki lo-ki The Trickster — Companion and Betrayer of the Gods

Lugh, plate — Lugh lugh The Many-Skilled — Hero-God of Light and Crafts

Svarog, plate — Svarog sva-rog Sky-God — Father of Dazhbog

Svarozhich, plate — Svarozhich sva-roz-hich Son of Svarog — known to the West Slavs as Radegast

Wayland, plate — Wayland way-land The Smith — Völundr in the Old Norse, Welund in the Old English