THE TOP PANTHEONS COVERED HERE AT BALLADEER’S BLOG

Balladeer’s Blog’s examinations of pantheons of deities outside of the frequently-covered Greco-Roman, Egyptian and Norse have been very popular and well-received. To make sure all mythology buffs who visit here are aware of how many belief systems I’ve looked at here’s a convenient overview.

AINU  

Sampling of Deities: Shiramba the vegetation god, Hashinau-Uk the goddess of the hunt, Okikurmi the culture god and monster-slayer, Wakka-Ush the water goddess and Kando-Koro the sky god and ruler of the land of the gods.

Top Deity on List: Fuchi the fire goddess. 

Comment: This is the most recent mythological pantheon I examined.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2014/11/20/the-top-gods-in-ainu-mythology/

TUPARI

Sampling of Deities: Mulher the Earth goddess, Arkoanyo the bird god, Karam the sun goddess, Valedjad the storm god and Aunyaina the wild boar god.

Top Deity on List: Patobkia, the god who rules over the afterlife and the series of trials each soul undergoes.

Comment: With only thousands of the Tupari people left this is a sadly neglected pantheon of deities.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/04/02/the-top-ten-deities-in-tupari-mythology/

VOODOO

Sampling of Deities: Ayida the rainbow goddess, Agwe the sea god, Loco the god of wild vegetation, Erzulie the goddess of love and beauty and Ogun the god of war, iron and metalworking who also serves as the pantheon’s main monster-slayer.

Top Deity on List: Damballah the serpent god who controls the very life force.

Comment: Though often tied into negative associations by way of horror films and other elements of pop culture the VooDoo belief system is no more sinister than any other religion. (Well, except for Islam, which is still savage enough to want all other belief systems exterminated and is therefore the only inherently destructive religion left.)

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2014/08/13/the-top-eleven-deities-in-voodoo-mythology/ 

AZTEC

Sampling of Deities: Xiuhtecuhtli the fire god, Mixcoatl the sky god, Xochiquetzal the goddess of love, beauty and the arts, Chalchihuitlicue the water goddess and Huitzilopochtli the god of war and the national god of the Aztecs.

Top Deity on List: Quetzalcoatl the wind and culture god.

Comment: The hard-to- pronounce deity names have made this pantheon criminally underappreciated.  

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2011/05/10/the-top-eleven-deities-in-aztec-mythology/ 

IROQUOIS

Sampling of Deities: Gasyondetha the meteor god, Aireskoi the god of war, Doendzowes the earthquake goddess, Hodadeion the god of magic and Eithonoha the goddess who was the psychopomp of the pantheon.

Top Deity on List: Iagentci, the goddess who fell from the sky and then created the first land masses on what had previously been a world full of nothing but seas. 

Comment: Iroquois myths center around such a fully realized world of their own I cannot believe that they’re not more popular.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/01/28/the-top-fifteen-deities-in-iroquois-mythology/

HITTITE

Sampling of Deities: Kamrusepa the goddess of magic and medicine, Istanu the sun god, Hapantali the shepherd goddess, Zababa the god of war and Lelwani, the goddess who ruled over the land of the dead.

Top Deity on List: Tarhun (“Tarhoon”) the storm god and king of the heavenly deities. 

Comment: Hittite myths are great for comparative mythology since they contain elements of Greco-Roman, Sumerian, Canaanite and even Hindu mythology. 

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2014/04/22/hittite-mythology-the-top-deities/ 

SAMOAN

Sampling of Deities: Nafanua the goddess of war, Sina the goddess of love and beauty, Maniloa the god of cannibalism, Taema and Tilafaiga, the twin goddesses of tattooing and Ti’i Ti’i, the “Samoan Maui” and chief monster-slayer of the pantheon. 

Top Deity on List: Tangaloa, the supreme god who ruled the seas and the skies. 

Comment: Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the Samoan pantheon provided ample opportunities for comparison with its fellow Polynesian pantheon from the Hawaiian Islands.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/04/30/the-top-deities-in-samoan-mythology/

BUNYORO

Sampling of Deities: Mugizi the god of Lake Albert, Nyakakaikuru the sun goddess, Ndaula the god of epidemics, Kaikare the goddess of the harvest and Nyamiyonga, the god who ruled over the Netherworld. 

Top Deity on List: Ruhanga, the supreme deity and creator of the universe.

Comment: “Ba”nyoro refers to the people of the region. “Bu”nyoro is a reference to the region itself.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/bunyoro-mythology/  

PEGANA

Sampling of Deities: Kib the god of life, Slid the sea god, Limpang-Tung the god of the creative arts, Sish the god of time and Inzana, the goddess of the dawn who used the sun and the moon as balls to play with.  

Top Deity on List: Mung, the god of death.

Comment: Lord Dunsany’s masterful fusion of Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Chinese mythology inspired J.R.R. Tolkien, H.P. Lovecraft and others. 

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/04/07/the-top-ten-deities-from-pegana-mythology/

MUSCOGEE CREEK

Sampling of Deities: Uvce the corn goddess, Fayetu the hunting god, Nehrehvuresse the moon goddess, Pasakola the trickster god and Wikatca, the water god and lord of the snakes.

Top Deity on List: Ibofanaga, the god who created the three worlds, the Upper World, Lower World and the Middle World, which was the Earth.

Comment: The Muscogee are just one of the Creek tribes. In the future I will be examining the gods and goddesses worshipped by the Tuckabatchee, Yuchi, Tuskegee and others covered under the Creek name. 

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/03/05/the-top-nine-deities-in-muscogee-creek-mythology/ 

SHINTO

Sampling of Deities: Kagatsuchi the fire god, Uzume the dance goddess, Susanowo the storm god, Watatsumi the sea god and Izanami the goddess who rules over the land of the dead.

Top Deity on List: Amaterasu the sun goddess.

Comment: Anybody who enjoys Japanese cinema would certainly find a lot to like about Shinto mythology. 

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/shinto-myth/ 

CHOCTAW

Sampling of Deities: Hashtali the sun god, Ohoyochisba the corn goddess, Uncta the spider god, Eskeilay the grasshopper goddess and Imma the goddess of war, whom warriors dedicate their victories to.

Top Deity on List: Nanishta, the god who created the world and the first generation of gods.

Comment: Teddi Barrett, a big fan of Balladeer’s Blog, is part-Choctaw and my Choctaw posts were dedicated to her.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2012/06/03/the-top-twelve-deities-in-choctaw-mythology/ 

VIETNAMESE

Sampling of Deities: Than Giong the god of war and iron, Mat Ga Trong the sun goddess, Thuy Tinh the god of the monsoon rains, Chu Dong Tu the culture god, and Lac Long Quan, the chief monster-slayer of the pantheon. 

Top Deity on List: Lieu Hanh, the goddess of love, beauty and business- women (and no, I don’t mean prostitutes alone but innkeepers, marketwomen, female musicians, etc).

Comment: Special thank you to all the folks at the various Vietnamese Diaspora websites for linking to me and otherwise spreading the word about my Vietnamese Myth posts.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/vietnamese-myth/  

NAVAJO

Sampling of Deities: Estsanatlehi the goddess of the changing seasons, Ashiih the salt goddess, Tsohanoai the sun god, Naste-Estsan the spider goddess and Nohoilpi the god of gambling.  

Top Deity on List: Nayanazgeni, the war god and the chief monster-slayer of the pantheon. 

Comment:  My exhaustive look at the battle between the god of war and the dark gods called the Anaye has been a huge hit, especially with gaming sites according to my dashboard.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/navajo-myth-clear/ 

KOREAN

Sampling of Deities: Habaek the god of the Yalu River, the rain goddess Aryongjong, Koenegitto the war god, Halmang the goddess of JeJu Island and Igong, the god whose flowers are human souls and when he picks a flower from his garden the human whose soul it was dies. 

Top Deity on List: Jumong the culture deity and child of the sun god Haemosu and the willow tree goddess Yuhwa. His name is alternately spelled Chumong in our alphabet. 

Comment: Balladeer’s Blog’s look at Korean gods and goddesses is the closest competitor to my list of Hawaiian deities in terms of daily popularity. 

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2011/03/24/the-top-11-deities-in-korean-mythology/

INUIT

Sampling of Deities: Pukimna the caribou goddess, Kiviok the monster slayer, Ululijarnak the disemboweling goddess, Eqatlejoq the salmon god and Tatqim the moon god who is also the god of the hunt and sexual fertility. 

Top Deity on List: Sedna, the sea goddess who also rules over the subaquatic afterlife realm called Adlivun.

Comment: Many Inuit and other peoples who trace their lineage to the Inuit have contacted me with very nice remarks about the comprehensive nature of my coverage of Inuit deities.

FULL LIST CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2011/06/06/the-top-12-deities-from-inuit-mythology-2/ 

HAWAIIAN

Sampling of Deities: Maui the sun god and monster-slayer, Laka the goddess of love and beauty, Ku the war god, Haumea the mother-goddess and Milu the goddess who ruled the land of the dead. 

Top Deity on List: Pele, the volcano and fire goddess.

Comment: My two items about Hawaiian gods and goddesses have been my most popular mythology posts by a huge margin. I first put them up in 2011 and yet they are STILL among my most popular posts EVERY SINGLE DAY!  

SECOND LIST: https://glitternight.com/2011/03/02/eleven-more-deities-from-hawaiian-mythology-2/

FIRST LIST: https://glitternight.com/2011/02/20/the-top-eleven-deities-in-hawaiian-mythology/

FOR SIMILAR ARTICLES AND MORE OF THE TOP LISTS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/top-lists/

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