Aegir
Aegir was the primary Norse (Scandinavian) god of the sea. He was a deification of the ocean, both in the calm, beautiful aspects, and in the torrential, destructive aspects. Storms were caused by his anger and it was said that a ship which had wrecked went into "Aegir's wide jaws". Sailors feared Aegir, and thought he would come up to destroy ships. Because of this it is believed that early Anglo-Saxons made human sacrifices to a god of the sea, most likely Aegir, to prevent him from wrecking their ships. 

Aegir was crowned with seaweed and was always surrounded by mermaids while in his hall. Gold was put onto the floor of the hall to provide light rather than having a fire. This is why gold was sometimes called "Aegir's fire". Every winter the gods would drink ale at Aegir's hall. Aegir brewed ale for the gods once Thor brought him a big enough kettle. Because of this, he was famed for his hospitality, which was a greatly important virtue to the Norse peoples. The cups in Aegir's hall were always full, replenishing themselves by magic.

Aegir had two servants in his hall, Fimafeng and Eldir. He was son of Mistarblindi and husband of Ran. Ran and Aegire lived under the sea near the island Hlesey. Together they had nine daughters who were the waves.

Ahura Mazda
Zoroastrian god of light, life, and goodness. The spirit of supreme good.

Ama-Terasu
"Great Shining Heaven". Japanese sun goddess, guardian of the Japanese people and ruler of all deities. One of her tasks was to weave sacred robes for the gods.

When Amaterasu's troublesome brother Susanowo wreaked havoc on her land, she had to hide in a cave to escape the misery. He destroyed the forests, rice paddies, and the Heavenly Weaving Hall, killing Ama-Terasu's favorite weaving maiden. He sealed the cave that Amaterasu was hiding in so that no sunlight could reach the earth.

The gods worriedly met to plan a way to free her. After many failures to induce her to leave the cave, the lewd dancer Uzume stepped forth. She danced so that the gods all were delighted and laughed so much that the cave shook.

Amaterasu opened the door of the cave a bit to see what was going on, and asked why they would laugh in such a grim time. Uzume said that they were happy because a new, better, more beautiful sun goddess has come to replace her. Amaterasu immediately demanded to see this goddess, and was shown a mirror. She was startled and spellbound by her own reflection long enough for the gods to drag her from the cave, and so the world was light again and there was much rejoicing.

Amaterasu symbolizes warmth, harvest, love, fertility, goodness, wisdom, peace, light, sun, compassion.

Apollo
Greek god of the sun, light, music, song, medicine, and healing. Patron of herdsmen.

Apollo's mother Leto was forced to run from Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus. She went to the Island of Delos and delivered her two children- the twins, Apollo and Artemis.

Though the god of light, Apollo had a dark side. Under the name of Carneios, he is seen as a god of death. He and Artemis slew all of their mother Leto's children when Niobe, their grandmother, claimed all of Leto's children were more beautiful than the gods.

Apollo was worshipped at the oracle of Delphi, where a priestess who give forth his predictions. The Greeks believed that the egyptian God Heru and Apollo were the same deities. He is the twin brother of Artemis. Apollo's minor associations include black magic, blessing, justice, divination, oracles, prophecy, creativity, fertility, productivity, success.

Artemis
Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt. She is also one of the virgin goddesses, and she protects women in labor, small children and wild animals. She, Hestia, and Athena are not affected by Aphrodite's manipulations. Artemis may be thought of as the "silver goddess." She wore silver sandals, rode a silver chariot in the silver moonlight, and kills with silver arrows shot from a silver bow. In fact, many dying women, as well as women in childbirth, went to Artemis to ask for a quick, painless death from Her silver arrows.

Artemis was very beautiful and had many suitors, but would not marry until she found someone as wild and free and herself. Her nymphs, as well, vowed to not marry.

But one day, seven of the nymphs were in the woods when they saw the strong and handsome hunter Orion. Because of their promise to shun men, they fled. But he saw them and persued. Though swift and lithe, the nymphs grew weary. They called out to Artemis for help. Hearing their prayer, she turned them into pigeons, which flew up into the sky and because the stars called the Pleiades.

Orion turned away to hunt elsewhere, but soon met Artemis herself. Sharing a passion for hunting and the woodlands, they became good friends.

Apollo worried that she would marry Orion and break her vow. He knew that Orion received the ability to walk on water from his father Poseidon and was often out on the sea. So, he went to his sister and lef her to the sea. Provoking her with his great accomplishments, he dared her to try to hit a distant target at sea. Unaware that it was Orion, she shot an arrow precisely and hit the target.

The waves lifted Orion's body to the short. Artemis grieved her loss, then she placed him among the stars, with the Pleiades and his dog Sirius.

Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, and the daughter of Leto and Zeus. Also symbolizes health, love, charms, shapeshifting. Sacred to Artemis are deer/stags, geese, wild dogs, fish, goats, bees, bears, trees.

Athor
Egyptian goddess of light. Daughter of Ra.

Aurora
Greek goddess of the dawning morning. She gave birth to the morning star and the winds (Zephyrus, Boreas, Notos, and Euros) by Astraeos, the god of starlight.

Babd Catha
Celtic (Irish) goddess of war. Mother aspect of the triple goddess. Symbolizes life, enlightenment, wisdom and inspiration.

Bacchus
Roman god of fertility, mirth, merriment, revelry, wine, wisdom, and inspiration.

Bacchus was born of Zeus and Semele's union against the will of Hera, Zeus' wife. When the jealous Hera learned of Semele's pregnancy by Zeus she angrily plotted against them. She disguised herself and came to Semele, telling her she should ask that Zeus appear before her in all his glory as the god of thunder. Zeus swore to grant whatever wish Semele might have. Forced to abide by his oath, he appeared to Semele as a display of lightening and thunder, which killed her. As Semele died, she gave birth to Bacchus, who died as well. Zeus restored life to him and sent the child to be raised by the nymphs, out of Hera's jealous eye.

As the god of spring, he is Bacchus is said to be in terrible pain during winter when the flowering plants and vines wither and die.

His followers were called bacchants. After reveling and overindulging in wine, they danced around in a craze often trampling and tearing people and animals to pieces. Bacchanalia was a festival held which involved excessive drinking and drunken orgies. Also known as Dionysus [Greek].

Blessed are the disciples who become prophets, the gnostics
who hold the holy wand of god.
Blessed are those who wear the ivy crown of the Conquering One--
Blessed, blessed are they,
Bacchus is our god!

-Bacchae Euripides, circa 400 BCE

Balder
Norse (Scandinavian) god of joy, light, beauty, innocence, purity, and reconciliation. His parents are Odin and Frigg.

Balder's mother, Frigg, took oaths from all plants, creatures, minerals, and elements that they would not harm him, all except the mistletoe plant for she felt it was too young and too small to harm him. He was therefore considered immune from harm and the other gods would throw things at him in sport. Loki deceived Hod (Balder's blind brother) into throwing a spear made from mistletoe at Baldur. It was this which killed him. This story can easily be compared to the Greek legend of Achilles' heel.

Bast
Bast is typically shown as a beautiful girl with the head of a cat. She is commonly shown with black, white, yellow, or glowing skin. Sometimes She is shown as a light-skinned European girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She is often shown as fully cat, in which case she is called Bastet. Considered the sexual partner of every god and goddess. Symbolizes fire, cats, healing, childbirth, pleasure, passion, healing, goodness, joy, mirth, warmth. Goddess of light, lesbianism, truth, civilization, hemp. The enlighten maiden of the triple goddess. Also known as Bastet, Pasch.

Belenus
God of light, The Shining One, associated with Apollo. Belenus is in charge of sheep and cattle.

Byelogbog
Slavic god, the light aspect of the balance of spirituality. His counterpart is Chernobog. Bannik symbolizes day, life, goodness.

Chac
Aztec and Mayan rain and vegetation god. Also the lord of thunder, lightening, wind, and fertility.

Chango
African (Yoruban) orisha of fire, thunder, lightning, rain and masculine fertility. A smooth-talking con-artist. His animals are the black cat, tortoise, and the quail. He symbolizes the element of fire, courage, truth, and intelligence.

Chernobog
Slavic god, the dark half of the spiritual balance of light and dark. Symbolizes destruction, evil, night.

Chons
Egyptian god of the moon. The best-known story about him tells of him playing the ancient game senet ("passage"). against Thoth, and wagering a portion of his light. Thoth won, and because of losing some of his light, Khons cannot show his whole glory for the entire month, but must wax and wane.

Chuang-Mu
Chinese goddess of the bed and sexual delights.

Fugen Bosatsu
Japanese god of enlightening wisdom, intelligence, understanding, intuition, long life.

Fulgora
Roman goddess who protected houses against lightning and terrible storms.

Heimdall
Norse (Scandinavian) god of light and guardian of the rainbow bridge. He eventually kills Loki. Symbolizes education, teaching, and protection.

Horus
"The Mighty One of Transformations". Egyptian god, the son of Isis and Osiris. God of the all-seeing eye. His animal is the falcon. To understand the cycles of Horus' life, you should know his manifestations

Hurukan
Ancient mayan creator god who made the earth, the element of fire, animals, and mankind. Symbolizes fire, spiritual enlightenment, thunder, hurricanes, whirlwinds, disasters.

Ina
Near Eastern (Babylonian) god of pestilence, takes delight in destroying humans.

Inanna
"Queen Moon". Near Eastern (Sumerian) queen of heaven. She ruled over the stars, planets, water, and light. Also symbolizes love, destruction of the indestuctable, health, the moon workings.

Indra
Near Eastern storm god. Air element, fertility.

"Highest of the immortals light,
God of gods by lofty might
He before whose prowess high
Tremble earth and upper sky
He is-- mortals, hear my verse--
Indra, lord of the universe!"

Itzamna
Mayan sky god and the father of the gods; humankind's creator. Lord of day and night. Omnipotent, remote, and impersonal. Personified the rising sun, light, life, knowledge, and the east. His sign was a red hand. Depicted as a cross-eyed, toothless old man with a lizard body. Animal totems were the lizard and the jaguar. Founder of Mayan religion. Invoke for healing, art, drawing, letters, crops, fertility, water, regeneration, medicine.

Jumala
Finnish supreme creator god. Symbolizes the sky and thunder, weather, twilight, dusk, and the element of air.

Kali
Hindu black earth mother. It is said that she induces fear in anyone who looks upon her, so grim is her appearance. She is a dark, destructive aspect of the goddess, and is known for giving life and then taking it away again. She often eats her own children for sustainance. She is worshipped primarily by assassins. She symbolizes the moon, protection, divination, creation, necromancy, combat.

There is no light, nor any motion.
There is no mass, nor any sound.
Still, in the lampless heart of the ocean,
Fasten me down and hold me drowned
Within thy womb, within thy thought,
Where there is naught-
where there is naught!

-Aleister Crowley, "Kali" (excerpt)

Kaumudi
Moonlight, Lunar.

Kukulcan
Mayan god of light, learning, culture, organization and order, laws, calendar. Deification of the west.

Lucifer
Italian god of sun and light. Brother and soulmate of Diana, father of Aradia.

Manitou
Master of light, god of the winds. Called by many names by many tribes. The supreme father, great spirit, creator.

Mithra
Persian sun god and bringer of light, a god of wisdom, soldiers and warriors. Can be likened unto Prometheus, who brought fire to man in Grecian mythology. Symbolizes the mystery of magic, fertility, and the element air.

Phoebe
Moonlight, the moon.

Reshpu
Near Eastern (Syrian) god of thunderbolts and lightning. Associated with prosperity and eternity.

Seker
Egyptian god of light and protector of souls passing to the underworld. Usually depicted with the head of the hawk, and wrapped like a mummy.

Set
Egyptian god of darkness and evil. Known for murdering his brother, but was also revered as a protector of Egypt. Set was one of the earliest Egyptian deities, a god of the night often identified with the northern stars. He was variously hailed as a source of strength, and a protector, especially from the serpent Apep.

Within Egyptian theology, there are conflicting opinions regarding Set's strength and warlike resolution. At first, pictures of a god with two heads- that of Set, as the god of darkness, and that of his brother Horus, god of light, appeared. At first this was a symbol of harmony, the union of polarities. However, later, it was regarded as a symbol of the conflict between dark and light. Set is depicted as being untamed and wild looking with white skin and fiery red hair. He is symbolized by barren wastelands and deserts. Also known as Seth, Seti.

Shaka-Nyorai
The historical Japanese Buddha. Virtue, spiritual enlightenment, spiritual lessons, self understanding. [Chinese.]

Shu
"The Dry One". Egyptian god of the air represented in human form. Personifies the sun's light. Appears as a warrior, lion, or lion-headed man with a feather. Symbolizes the element air, and possibly fire.

Tien-Mu
Chinese goddess of lightening.

Viracocha
Incan great god. An infinite being. Giver of the arts. Symbolizes the sun, storms, lightning, oracles, languages, morality and ethics, rain, water, fertility.

Were
African creator god, give of life and cause of death. Like Zeus in the mythology of Greece, he punishes evildoers with lightning bolts.

Zeus
Chief god of the Greek pantheon. He is the god of skies, lightening, thunder, and storms. He also takes on other forms:

Zeus Chronos: Fertility, earth
Zeus Sote: Father and savior of man
Zeus Xenios: Protector of politeness and hospitality
Zeus Herkios: Protector of house and home
Zeus Kleisos: Protector of property
Zeus Gamelios: God of marriage contracts. [Greek root "gam" means "marriage", as in "polygamy".]