A Compendium of the Ancient Gods

Themes

Kingship and law

139 gods of kingship and law, across nine rooms, in the order the rooms are walked.

The Cradle of Cities

31 works

Alalu, plate
Alalu a-la-lu First King of Heaven — Deposed in the Kumarbi Cycle
Anshar, plate
Anshar an-shar Lord of the Heaven-Horizon — primordial god of the upper sky
Anu, plate
Anu ah-noo An — Lord of the Sky, head of the elder pantheon
Ashur, plate
Ashur a-shur National God of Assyria
Baal, plate
Baal baal The Rider on the Clouds — Hadad of Ugarit
Ba'Al Hammon, plate
Ba'Al Hammon ba-'al ham-mon Lord of the Brazier — chief god of Carthage
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
Enlil, plate
Enlil en-lil Lord Wind — King of the Gods, Lord of Nippur
Gilgamesh, plate
Gilgamesh gil-gah-mesh Two Parts God and One Part Man — King of Uruk and Seeker of Immortality
Hepat, plate
Hepat he-pat Queen of Heaven — Hurrian consort of Teshub
Ishtar of Nineveh, plate
Ishtar of Nineveh ish-tar of ni-ne-veh The Lady of Nineveh — Assyrian Ishtar
Kumarbi, plate
Kumarbi koo-mar-bee Father of the Gods — the Hurrian elder god
Lametrus, plate
Lametrus la-met-rus Lydian Sky-Father — Identified with Zeus
Lelwani, plate
Lelwani lel-wa-ni The Sun-Goddess of the Earth — Queen of the Hittite Underworld
Lugalbanda, plate
Lugalbanda lu-gal-ban-da Father of Gilgamesh — Eighth King of the First Dynasty of Uruk
Marduk, plate
Marduk mar-dook Lord of Babylon — Bel
Melqart, plate
Melqart mel-qart King of the City — Tutelary God of Tyre, Whose Pyre Burned at His Festival
Mullissu, plate
Mullissu mul-lis-su Queen of the Assyrian Pantheon — Consort of Ashur
Ninshubur, plate
Ninshubur nin-shu-bur The Faithful Vizier — minister of Inanna and Anu
Nisroch, plate
Nisroch nis-roch The God in Whose Temple Sennacherib Was Slain
Sarpanit, plate
Sarpanit sar-pa-nit The Silvery One — Queen of Babylon, Consort of Marduk
Sharruma, plate
Sharruma shar-ru-ma Son of Teshub and Hebat — Royal Protector
Tarhunt, plate
Tarhunt tar-hunt Hittite Storm-God — Slayer of the Illuyanka
Tarhunza, plate
Tarhunza tar-hun-za The Luwian Storm-God
Teshub, plate
Teshub teh-shoob The Storm — Hurrian sky-king, son of Kumarbi
The Anunnaki, plate
The Anunnaki the a-nun-na-ki The Princely Seed — the assembled great gods
The Kudurru Deities, plate
The Kudurru Deities the ku-dur-ru dei-ties Witnesses upon the Boundary Stones
The Sun Goddess of Arinna, plate
The Sun Goddess of Arinna the sun god-dess of a-rin-na Patroness of the Hittite King
Yam, plate
Yam yam Prince Sea — Judge River — defeated of Baal
Zababa, plate
Zababa za-ba-ba War-God of Hattusa — Sworn Witness of Hittite Treaties

The Gift of the Nile

22 works

Amun, plate
Amun ah-moon The Hidden God — Lord of Thebes
Apis, plate
Apis a-pis The Sacred Bull of Memphis
Aten, plate
Aten a-ten The Disk of the Sun — sole god of Akhenaten
Atum, plate
Atum a-tum The Self-Created — first god of the Heliopolitan cosmogony
Banebdjedet, plate
Banebdjedet ba-nebd-je-det The Ram of Mendes — soul of Osiris in the Delta
Hapi, plate
Hapi ha-pi God of the Inundation — the river itself
Horus, plate
Horus hor-us The Falcon — avenger and rightful king
Hu, plate
Hu hu The authoritative utterance — divine command made manifest
Isis, plate
Isis eye-sis The Great of Magic — wife of Osiris, mother of Horus
Maat, plate
Maat maat Truth, Order, Justice — feather of judgment
Min, plate
Min min The Fertility God of Coptos
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
Osiris, plate
Osiris oh-sye-ris Lord of the Dead — slain king and judge of souls
Ra, plate
Ra ra The Sun — daily king of heaven
Satis, plate
Satis sa-tis Mistress of Elephantine — archer-goddess of the southern frontier
Seshat, plate
Seshat se-shat Lady of the Library — goddess of writing, measurement, and architecture
Sia, plate
Sia sia The perceiving mind — divine intelligence made manifest
Sobek, plate
Sobek so-bek The Crocodile God of the Fayyum
Wadjet, plate
Wadjet wad-jet The Cobra of Lower Egypt
Wosret, plate
Wosret wos-ret The Mighty One — old Theban consort of Amun

The Olympian Order

15 works

Aion, plate
Aion eye-on Eternity — the unbounded age
Antigone, plate
Antigone an-tig-uh-nee Daughter of Oedipus, who buried her brother and was buried alive
Cronus, plate
Cronus kroh-nus King of the Titans — father of Zeus
Hera, plate
Hera heer-ah Queen of the Gods — wife of Zeus, patroness of marriage
Jason, plate
Jason jay-sun Captain of the Argonauts — winner of the Golden Fleece
Odysseus, plate
Odysseus oh-dis-ee-us The Wily — wanderer of the Odyssey
Oedipus, plate
Oedipus ed-ih-pus King of Thebes, who slew his father and married his mother in ignorance
Perseus, plate
Perseus pur-see-us Slayer of the Gorgon — founder of Mycenae
Priam, plate
Priam pry-am King of Troy, who outlived his sons and saw the fall of his city
The Great Sinners, plate
The Great Sinners the great sin-ners Sisyphus, Tantalus, and Ixion — the three condemned to eternal torment in Tartarus
The Horae, plate
The Horae the hor-eye The Seasons — Eunomia, Dike, Eirene
Themis, plate
Themis thee-mis Divine Order — counselor of the gods
Theseus, plate
Theseus thee-see-us Athenian Hero — slayer of the Minotaur
Uranus, plate
Uranus yoor-uh-nus The Sky — first king of heaven
Zeus, plate
Zeus zoos King of the Gods — Lord of Olympus

The Persian World

10 works

Ahura Mazda, plate
Ahura Mazda ah-hoor-ah maz-dah The Wise Lord — supreme creator of all that is good
Aži Dahāka, plate
Aži Dahāka a-ži da-hā-ka The Three-Headed Dragon — Zahhāk in the Persian tradition; cosmic adversary
Khshathra Vairya, plate
Khshathra Vairya khshath-ra vai-rya Ideal Dominion — patron of metals, principle of just rule
Khvarenah, plate
Khvarenah khva-re-nah Royal Glory — the divine charisma of the rightful king
Mithra, plate
Mithra mith-ra Lord of the Covenant — the Iranian Mithra, ancestor of the Roman Mithras
Nairyosanha, plate
Nairyosanha nai-ryo-san-ha The Manly Utterance — messenger between gods and men
Rashnu, plate
Rashnu rash-nu Justice — judge at the Chinvat Bridge
Thraetaona, plate
Thraetaona thrae-tao-na The Dragon-Slayer — Faridun in the Shahnameh; conqueror of Aži Dahāka
Verethragna, plate
Verethragna ve-reth-rag-na Victory — Bahram in the later tradition; the Iranian war-god
Yima, plate
Yima yi-ma The First King — Jamshid in the later tradition; ruler of the golden age

The Levantine Borderlands

8 works

Baalshamin, plate
Baalshamin bah-al-shah-meen Lord of Heaven — late Aramaean sky-god
Bel, plate
Bel bel Chief God of Palmyra — equivalent to the Babylonian Marduk and the Greek Zeus
Dushara, plate
Dushara doo-shah-rah Chief God of the Nabataeans — patron of Petra, lord of the mountain
Hadad, plate
Hadad ha-dad The Aramaean Storm-God — Iuppiter Heliopolitanus of Baalbek
Hubal, plate
Hubal hu-bal The Oracular God of Mecca — divination by arrows at the Ka'ba
Obodas, plate
Obodas o-bo-das The Deified Nabataean King — royal apotheosis at Avdat
Qaus, plate
Qaus qaus The Edomite Bow-Bearer — national god of Edom and Nabataea
Simios, plate
Simios si-mios Sun-God of Hierapolis — kingly companion of Atargatis

The Edges of Empire

4 works

Armazi, plate
Armazi ar-ma-zi Iranian-Influenced High God — patron of the ancient Georgian capital
Aulisua, plate
Aulisua au-li-sua Mauretanian Local Deity — patron of a regional sanctuary
Ghmerti, plate
Ghmerti ghmer-ti The Supreme Creator-God of Pre-Christian Georgia
Reue, plate
Reue reue The Lusitanian Sky-God — sovereignty and the heavens

The Etruscan World

5 works

Aita, plate
Aita ai-ta The Etruscan Lord of the Underworld — equivalent to Greek Hades
Phersipnai, plate
Phersipnai pher-sip-nai The Etruscan Queen of the Dead — borrowed from Greek Persephone
Tinia, plate
Tinia tee-nee-ah The Etruscan Sky-King — wielder of three thunderbolts
Uni, plate
Uni u-ni The Etruscan Queen of Heaven — consort of Tinia, identified with Phoenician Astarte
Voltumna, plate
Voltumna vol-tum-na Chief God of the Etruscan League — at whose sanctuary the Twelve Cities met

The Roman Inheritance

23 works

Aeneas, plate
Aeneas eh-nee-as The Pious Trojan — Founder of the Roman Lineage
Bellona, plate
Bellona bel-lo-na Goddess of War — sister and companion of Mars
Concordia, plate
Concordia con-cor-dia The Goddess of Civic Harmony
Egeria, plate
Egeria e-ge-ria The Water-Nymph and Counselor of King Numa Pompilius
Fides, plate
Fides fi-des The Goddess of Sworn Faith
Genius, plate
Genius ge-nius Personal Divine Companion
Genius Augusti, plate
Genius Augusti ge-nius au-gus-ti The Numen of the Emperor — divine spirit of the ruling Augustus
Honos, plate
Honos ho-nos The Personified Honor — Roman virtue made divine
Awaiting its plate
Janus ja-nus God of Beginnings, Doorways, and the Two-Faced Gaze
Libertas, plate
Libertas li-ber-tas Goddess of Liberty — Roman political freedom personified
Pax, plate
Pax pax Goddess of Peace — particularly the Augustan Pax Romana
Pietas, plate
Pietas pie-tas The Goddess of Right Devotion
Quirinus, plate
Quirinus kwee-ree-nus Deified Romulus — Third God of the Archaic Roman Triad
Roma, plate
Roma ro-ma The Personified City — divine guardian of Rome herself
Romulus, plate
Romulus ro-mu-lus Founder of Rome — Deified as Quirinus
Salus, plate
Salus sa-lus Goddess of Health and the Public Welfare
Saturn, plate
Saturn sa-turn Italic God of Sowing — King of the Golden Age
Serapis, plate
Serapis se-ra-pis Hellenistic Egyptian-Greek God — see also Apis (Volume II)
Sol Invictus, plate
Sol Invictus sol in-vic-tus The Unconquered Sun — Imperial Solar Cult
Spes, plate
Spes spes Goddess of Hope — particularly hope for political and personal success
Terminus, plate
Terminus ter-mi-nus God of the Boundary-Stone
Victoria, plate
Victoria vic-to-ria Goddess of Victory — the winged power who crowned the conqueror
Virtus, plate
Virtus vir-tus Goddess of Manly Excellence — paired with Honos

The Northern Inheritance

21 works

Bran the Blessed, plate
Bran the Blessed bran the bles-sed Giant King of Britain — His Severed Head a Talisman
Dagda, plate
Dagda dag-da The Good God — Father of the Tuatha Dé
Forseti, plate
Forseti for-se-ti God of Justice — Son of Baldr
Freyr, plate
Freyr frayr Lord of the Vanir — God of Plenty and Peace
Gefjon, plate
Gefjon gef-jon The Goddess Who Plowed Zealand from Sweden — patroness of virgins
Heimdallr, plate
Heimdallr heim-dallr Watchman of the Gods — Guardian of Bifrost
Awaiting its plate
Isten is-ten The Magyar Sky-God — His Name Now the Word for God — Hungarian
Awaiting its plate
Louhi lou-hi Mistress of Pohjola — Witch-Queen of the North — Finnic
Lugh, plate
Lugh lugh The Many-Skilled — Hero-God of Light and Crafts
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
Medb, plate
Medb medb Queen of Connacht — instigator of the Cattle Raid of Cooley
Morrígan, plate
Morrígan mor-rí-gan The Phantom Queen — Goddess of Battle and Sovereignty
Nuada Airgetlám, plate
Nuada Airgetlám nua-da air-get-lám Nuada of the Silver Hand — King of the Tuatha Dé
Perun, plate
Perun peh-roon God of Thunder — Chief of the Kievan Pantheon
Rhiannon, plate
Rhiannon rhian-non Welsh Goddess of Sovereignty — Lady of Horses
Awaiting its plate
Turul tu-rul The Mythical Bird — Founder of the Magyar Royal House — Hungarian
Týr, plate
Týr týr God of Single Combat and Sworn Oaths
Awaiting its plate
Ukko uk-ko The Old Man — Sky-God and Thunderer — Finnic
Vili and Vé, plate
Vili and Vé vi-li and vé Odin's Brothers — co-creators of the human race
Awaiting its plate
Zojz zojz Albanian Sky-God — The Indo-European Sky-Father Preserved — Albanian
Awaiting its plate
Zojz zojz Albanian Sky-God — The Indo-European Sky-Father Preserved — Albanian

Floor plan

The rooms follow one another in the order their peoples first appear in the written record.

  1. The Cradle of Citiesc. 3400 BCE to 395 CE. 115 works
  2. The Gift of the Nilec. 4000 BCE to 395 CE. 73 works
  3. The Olympian Orderc. 1600 BCE to 750 CE. 152 works
  4. The Persian Worldc. 2000 BCE to 1010 CE. 30 works
  5. The Levantine Borderlandsc. 1200 BCE to 500 CE. 20 works
  6. The Edges of Empirec. 2000 BCE to 1500 CE. 33 works
  7. The Etruscan Worldc. 900 BCE to 750 CE. 22 works
  8. The Roman Inheritancec. 1200 BCE to 500 CE. 58 works
  9. The Northern Inheritancec. 2000 BCE to 1600 CE. 131 works