Weather god


A weather god or goddess, also frequently known as a storm god or goddess, is a deity in mythology associated with weather phenomena such as thunder, snow, lightning, rain, wind, storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Should they only be in charge of one feature of a storm, they will be called after that attribute, such as a rain god or a lightning/thunder god. This singular attribute might then be emphasized more than the generic, all-encompassing term "storm god", though with thunder/lightning gods, the two terms seem interchangeable. They feature commonly in polytheistic religions, especially in Proto-Indo-European ones.
Storm gods are most often conceived of as wielding thunder and/or lightning. The ancients didn't seem to differentiate between the two, which is presumably why both the words "lightning bolt" and "thunderbolt" exist despite being synonyms. Of the examples currently listed storm themed deities are more frequently depicted as male, but both male and female storm or other rain, wind, or weather deities are described.

Africa and the Middle East

Sub-Sahara Africa

Afroasiatic Middle East

Canaanite

Egyptian

  • Horus, the Egyptian god of rainstorms, the weather, the sky and war. Associated with the sun, kingship, and retribution. Personified in the pharaoh.
  • Set, the Egyptian chaos, evil, and storm god, lord of the desert.

Mesopotamian

  • Enlil, god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms
  • Adad, the Mesopotamian weather god
  • Manzat, goddess of the rainbow
  • Shala, wife of Adad and a rain goddess
  • Wer, a weather god worshiped in northern Mesopotamia and in Syria

Western Eurasia

Albanian

Balto-Slavic

Celtic

  • Taranis, Celtic god of thunder, often depicted with a wheel as well as a thunderbolt

Germanic

  • Freyr, Norse god of agriculture, medicine, fertility, sunshine, summer, abundance, and rain
  • Thor, Norse god of thunder/lightning, oak trees, protection, strength, and hallowing. Also Thunor and Donar, the Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic versions, respectively, of him. All descend from Common Germanic *Thunraz, the reflex of the PIE thunder god for this language branch of the Indo-Europeans.

Greco-Roman

Western Asia

Anatolian-Caucasian

Hindu-Vedic

Persian-Zoroastrian

  • Vayu-Vata, Iranian duo of gods, the first is the god of wind, much like the Hindu Vayu.

Uralic

Asia-Pacific / Oceania

Chinese

Filipino

  • Oden, the Bugkalot deity of the rain, worshiped for the deity's life-giving waters
  • Apo Tudo, the Ilocano deity of the rain
  • Anitun Tauo, the Sambal goddess of wind and rain who was reduced in rank by Malayari for her conceit
  • Anitun Tabu, the Tagalog goddess of wind and rain and daughter of Idianale and Dumangan
  • Bulan-hari, one of the Tagalog deities sent by Bathala to aid the people of Pinak; can command rain to fall; married to Bitu-in
  • Santonilyo, a Bisaya deity who brings rain when its image is immersed at sea
  • Diwata Kat Sidpan, a Tagbanwa deity who lives in the western region called Sidpan; controls the rains
  • Diwata Kat Libatan, a Tagbanwa deity who lives in the eastern region called Babatan; controls the rain
  • Diwata na Magbabaya, simply referred as Magbabaya, the good Bukidnon supreme deity and supreme planner who looks like a man; created the earth and the first eight elements, namely bronze, gold, coins, rock, clouds, rain, iron, and water; using the elements, he also created the sea, sky, moon, and stars; also known as the pure god who wills all things; one of three deities living in the realm called Banting
  • Anit: also called Anitan; the Manobo guardian of the thunderbolt
  • Inaiyau: the Manobo god of storms
  • Tagbanua: the Manobo god of rain
  • Umouiri: the Manobo god of clouds
  • Libtakan: the Manobo god of sunrise, sunset, and good weather

Japanese

  • Fūjin, Japanese wind god.
  • Raijin, Japanese god of thunder, lightning, and storms
  • Susanoo, tempestuous Japanese god of storms and the sea.

Vietnamese

Oceania

Native Americas

Central America, South America and the Caribbean