Sky deity


A sky deity is a deity associated with the sky, and are a common feature of polytheistic religions. The sky often has great religious significance.
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" from that of "Star-god". 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". 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. 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.
Gods may rule the sky as a pair. 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

East African

North African

Southern African

West African

Asian

Central Asian

Turkic and Mongolic

Hindu

Eastern Asian

Chinese

Japanese

Korean

Thai

Vietnamese

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"
  • El (god), original sky god and sky father of the Semitic speakers

Iranian

The Americas

Haitian

Incan

Inuit

Iroquoian

Lakota

  • Anpao wichapi, the Morning Star spirit, bringer of knowledge and new beginnings
  • Han, the spirit of night, representative of ignorance
  • Wanbli 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
  • Mahpiya Oyate, the Cloud People, also known as the Wichapi Oyate
  • Wohpe, the spirit of meteors or falling stars, 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

Lencans

  • Itanipuca, sky father and god of celestial bodies
  • Icelca, god of time and seasons

Mayan

Puebloans

Taíno mythology

  • Yaya, supreme god in Taíno mythology

Uto-Aztecan

Australian

Burmese

Etruscan

  • Ani, primordial god of the sky identified with the Greek Uranus and Roman Caelus
  • Tinia, god of the sky

European

Albanian

Baltic

Celtic

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)
  • Thor, God of Sky, Strength and thunder, champion of the deities. Equated with Jupiter

Greek

  • Aether, primeval god of the upper air
  • Apollo, god of the sun, archery, prophecy, medicine, plagues...
  • Artemis, goddess of the moon, hunt, virginity, childbirth...
  • Astraeus, dusk god
  • Eos, dawn goddess
  • Helios, personification/titan 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/titan 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

Messapian

  • Zis, god of the sky

Proto-Indo-European

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

Thracian and Phrygian

Filipino

  • llanit: a group of Isnag sky dwellers who are helpful harvest spirits
  • Kaptan, a sky god
  • Bathala, the creator of the sky

Hurrian

  • Hepit, goddess of the sky
  • Teshub, god of the sky and storms

Meitei/Sanamahism

Malagasy

Māori

Other Pacific Islanders

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

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 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