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Obashi The supreme god who is also addressed in prayers as Ewerok-babu. The Ekoi, Cameroon Obasi The sky god and supreme being was sometimes considered a bisexual, ”of dual nature, Father God and Mother God.” However, ”the earth goddess, Isong, is more prominent.” The Ibibio, Nigeria Obasi Oswa, Obassi The sky and sun god id believed to have created all things with Obassi Nsî, mother earth. He is considered harsh and cruel because of the hot sun and the wielding of the lightning and thunder. The Ekoi, Nigeria Obassi The supreme god of the Awhawzara and Ezza tribes of the Ibo, Nigeria Obassi idi n’elu The supreme god of the Ututu tribe of the Ibo, Nigeria Obatala A Yoruban sky god involved in the work of the creation. Nigeria, Brazil (Bahia) Oblivio Roman goddess of forgetfulness, daughter of Nox and Erubus. Obumo The god of thunder was considered their principle deity, the First Cause, and source of all things. His wife/mother is Eka Abassi. The Ibibio, Nigeria Occopirmus Baltic god of the sky and the stars. Prussia, Latvia, and Lithuania Oceanus Greek deified stream which encircled Gaea and was the source of all water. He was the father of all the water deities by Tethys. Eldest of the Titans. Odin "Father of the Gods". The Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father, the chief of the gods of the Aesir pantheon, a god of many functions. He was the son of Bor and Bestla, brother of Vili (Hoenir) and Ve (Lodr). Together the brothers slew Ymir, the great giant of the beginning, and from his body formed the world, from his skull the heavens, from his blood the sea and fresh waters, from his bones the mountains. Then they created man from the ash tree and woman from the elm. Odin gave them soul and life, their spirit. He ruled the world organizing and arranging human affairs. He was always a god of war, controlling the battle and the victory, inspiring the berserks with their frenzy. As a god of death half of the fallen warriors came to him in Valhalla, the other half were claimed by Freya. He was an early god of the gallows, to whom humans were sacrificed by hanging. By his own voluntary sacrifices of hanging from the tree Yggdrasill and pierced by a sword, he gained the magick lore of the runes; by the sacrifice of one eye he gained the wisdom and foreknowledge found in Mimir’s spring. His omniscience, however, was his only while seated on his throne in Valaskjalf where he lived, and from where he could see all worlds. As the personification of the sky, the heavens, he was associated with sunshine, the weather, the seasons, and was the spouse of the earth represented by his wives: Jord, ”the primitive earth,” mother of Thor; Frigga, ”the fertile summer-earth,” mother of Balder, Hermod, and Tyr: Rinda, ”personification of the hard frozen earth,”mother of Vali. Odin was also versed in poetry and the arts (here associated with Saga); gained the draught of inspiration, the mead, by marrying Gunlod, the mother of Bragi. I know that I hung there on the windy tree swung there nights, all of nine gashed with a blade bloodied by Odin myself an offering to myself knotted to that tree no man knows whither the root of it runs None gave me bread None gave me drink down to the depths I peered to snatch up runes with a roaring screech and fall in a dizzying faint Wellspring I won and wisdom too and grew and joyed in my growth from a word to a word I was led to a word from a deed to another deed. -Lay of the High One (old Norse verse). 138, 139, 141. Odiong Wife of Ogbora and mother of Osa. Nigeria Odomankoma As a triad with Nyame and Nyankopon a ruler of the universe and continually creative, representing ”creative intelligence.” He introduced the seven-day week, each day ruled by a planet, and also death. The Akan, Ghana Odudua, Oduduwa, Oduwa In some places a goddess and given variously as wife of Orisha Lá (with whom she was creator) and Obatala. Also considered male and the creator of the world at the bidding of Olodumare. And again, as the brother of Orisha and son of Aramfe, they were creators of the world and responsible for peopling it. The Yoruba, Nigeria Ogbora The supreme being, but his power was actually limited to the underworld. His wife was Odiong and son Osa. Nigeria Oghene The remote supreme being is associated with the sky and its atmospheric phenomena which he controls, and is the creator of all. He is also a god of rewards and retributions, receives no prayers or sacrifices directly. The Isoko tribe, Nigeria Ogwe The Sky. The Ibo, Nigeria Ohe The omnipresent and supreme sky god. The Egede, Nigeria Oicok The supreme being of the Lokoya. Sudan Oiki, Oinoteki The omnipotent supreme being and creator. The Basabie and the Sabei, Uganda Oke, Okeus The chief god, who takes the form of a great hare, created mankind, the land, the water, fish, and the ”great deare” which became the source (through the magickal scattering of its hair) or all deer. The Powhatan, the Potomac. Virginia Oki, Okeus The omniscient sky god of some Iroquois Indians is a god of oaths and agreements. He punishes with storms and floods. Eastern United States Okitsu-Hiko Japanese kitchen god. O-Kuni-Nushi Japanese earth god, associated with sorcery, cunning, self-realization, and medicine. Oleobis The chief god of the Wintun who lives in the heavens. Also called Nomhliestawa (Nomlestowa). California Olodumare (the older name), Olorun The supreme god, omniscient, omnipresent, benevolent. The creator—himself and through others. He is the giver of laws, the impartial judge of all that occurs, the controller of destinies. The Yoruba, Nigeria Olokun A hermaphroditic deity ”who lives in the depths of the ocean with a great retinue of mermaids and tritons.” Puerto Rico Olokun African goddess, sometimes a god, of the sea. Portrayed with a coral dress and mudfish legs, with lizards in both hands. Olokupilele The omniscient deity who punishes sin. The Cuna Indians, Panama Olorun, Oloron The omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient supreme god who commissioned Orisha Nla to create the earth out of the watery space and to create man, to whom Olorun gave life, Men are accountable to him through his laws, with impartial judgment. The Yoruba, Nigeria Olosiksikkalilel The foremost deity of the first layer of heaven. The Cuna, Panama Omacatl Aztec god of joy, festivity, and happiness. The Rick worshipped him the most and it was claimed that if guests misbehaved at festivals, the host could invoke Omacatl and make the guests ill. Omahank Numakchi The creator deity of the Mandan Indians. North Dakota Omaua The supreme being and creator of the earth and of ”most living things.” He lives in the west and is considered also to be an enemy because he is associated with alien tribes and whites and ”their pernicious influences, diseases.” He is invoked ”by shamans both for black and white magick” and is believed to send the rains. The Waika, Brazil and Venezuela Ombang God of the sky, the heavens. The Banen, Cameroon Omecihuatl, Ome Ciuatl The female creative principle of Ometéotl. With Ometechutli the Lord and Lady of Duality, expressing the ”powers of generation and conception” and expressing the masculine/feminine aspect of Ometéotl. Mexico Ometecuhtli A god representing the masculine creative principle of Ometéotl, Omecihuatl the feminine creative principle, and together called the Lord and Lady of Duality. Also called Tonacatecuhtli. Mexico Ometechuhtli and Omecíhuatl Lord and Lady of Duality. The androgynous Ometéotl as the divine couple yet combined in one being and embodying the cosmic principle of existence, expressing Ometéotl’s qualities of the masculine/feminine. They dwell in Omeyocan, the top-most heaven. Aztec, Mexico Ometéotl The God of Duality, the supreme being, omnipresent and omnipotent, has numerous aspects or manifestations, titles. As the self-existent, self-created his title is Moyocoyani, and Yohualliehecatl meaning ”Invisible (like the night) and intangible (like the wind).”. As an androgyne he is the divine coupe, Ometechuhtli and Omecíhuatl, Lord and Lady of Duality, embodying the creative energy, the concept of generation and conception, the cosmic principle of existence. In his celestial manifestations he is again dual—Citlalincue (”she of the starry skirt”0 and Citlallatonac (”celestial body which illuminates things”), bringing starlight by night and sunlight by day. As the source of life he is the Lord and Lady of our flesh, Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacíhuatl, deities of sustenance, and representing him in his relationship with man. Ometéotl, through them, has four sons, the four cosmic forces. (Because they were born ”when darkness still rules,” they were called Tezcatlipocas, ”smoking mirrors.” They are: (1)Tlatlauhqui Tezcatlipoca, born red, the eldest, identified with the east; (2)Yayauhqui Tezcatlipoca, born black, associated with the night; (3)Quetzalcoatl, or Yoalli Ehecatl, white, associated with the wind, the west, ”region of fecundity and life”; (4)Huitzilopochtli, or Ometéotl, or Maquizcoatl, the blue Tezcatlipoca. Ometéotl’s omnipresence is an active principle of preservation, sustenance and maintained order as Master of the Universe. In ruling the heavens of the atmosphere and the clouds he was Tlallichcatl; ”as the embodiment of wisdom and of the only truth on earth,” he was personified as Quetzalcoatl. Xiuhtecuhtli was his name as “Lord of fire and of time.” He was also called Huehuetéotl, ”the old god.” Aztec, the Nahua, Mexico Omeyacigoat, Omeyatecigoat With Omayateite, the supreme deities. Mother of Quiateot (the Nicarao), Tamagastad (the Pipil). Nicaragua Omeyateite, Omayateite With Omeyacigoat, the supreme deities. Father of Quiateot (the Nicarao), Tamagastad (the Pipil). Nicaragua Ompu mula jadi na bolan The high god and the great god of the creation under whom are Batara Guru, Soripada, and Mañgala Bulan. The Toba Battak, Malay Archipelago, Indonesia Ompu Tuhan mula jadi The high god of the Battak whose daughter molded the earth and gave birth to mankind. He ”transferred his power to three gods: Batara Guru, Soripada, and Mañgala Bulan.” The Battak, Indonesia Omubumbi The creator deity of the Gisu. Uganda Omuhangi The creator deity of the Ankore. Also given as Ruhanga and Nyamuhanga. Uganda Omuqkatos The Great Spirit who is the sun. The Blackfeet, Northern Plains, Canada/United States Onatha Iroquois goddess of wheat and crops, similar to the Greek goddess Persephone. See also Persephone. Onkoy ”The supreme god…is a hybrid, both male and female, half-feline and half-reptile.” Chavin, Peru Onulap The Great Spirit and highest god who lives in the region Letulap. He is the father of the gods and of human beings (though he has grandparents) and is the source of all things, both good and evil. Truk, Micronesia Onum The sun is the high god and the creator. The Kadara, Nigeria Onyame, Onyankopon, Odomankoma The supreme god and creator—a god of light, of rain and sunshine, of growth. The Akan, the Ashanti, the Akim-Kotoku. Ghana Opaochuse Universe or World Man is named as the begetter of Poseyemu, but sometimes identified with him. He is invoked for human fertility and increase. The Tewa, New Mexico and Arizona Opo geba snulat The omniscient high god and creator of mankind. His messenger is Nabiata. Buru Island (the Moluccas), Indonesia Ops Roman goddess of agriculture, harvest, fertility, abundance, childbirth, human growth, and prosperity. She is invoked by touching the earth. Wife of Saturn. oqtarghui-in jiruken A Dhyani-Bodhisattva, the ”Essence of the Void Space above.” Akasagarbha. Mongolia Orcus A Roman name for Hades. See also Hades. Orekajuvakai The demiurge who brought ”men forth from the bowels of the earth.” The Tereno, Brazil Ori The all-seeing supreme being who controls the elements, but Orisha-nla Creator of the earth at the behest of Olodumare (Olorun), and also of man to whom Olodumare gave life. The Yoruba, Nigeria Orlog The ”eternal law of the universe, an older and superior power, who apparently had neither beginning nor end.” A deity of destiny or fate who controlled the Norns, whose decrees were inexorable. Scandinavia Ormuzd, Ohrmazd This name a later form of Ahura-Mazda, creator god of Iran. O-Ryu Japanese goddess of the willow tree. Osa, Osanobua The supreme sky god, ruler of the universe, and the creator. Son of Ogbora and Odiong. The Edo tribe of Benin, the Bini, Nigeria Osaw A sky god who together with Nsî created all things. The Ekoi, Nigeria and Cameroon Oshala In Brazil a god of creation. Oshats A sky god and the sun. The Sia, Pueblo Indians. New Mexico Oshossi African (Yoruban) god of the forest and hunting. His symbol is the bow. Oshun The African (Yoruban) orisha of love, sexuality, beauty and diplomacy; a wife of Chango. She is the keeper of the sweet waters and patroness of the Oshun river. With her pure sweetness, she overcomes the most difficult obstacles. She is the protector of the abdominal area and the teacher of pleasure and mirth. Oshun is generous and a great giver, but when she is angry, it is very difficult to calm her down. Her worshippers wear amber beads. Her price is the sacrifice of a small chicken, but it is well worth it, for great and powerful spells can be worked through her. She can be invoked for love, money, beauty, joy, and health (abdominal). Osiris Egyptian god of life and death. Osiris ruled the world of men in the beginning, after Ra had abandoned the world to rule the skies, but his brother Set murdered him. Through the magic of Isis, he was made to live again. Being the first living thing to die, he subsequently became lord of the dead. Homage to thee, Osiris, Lord of eternity, King of the Gods, whose names are manifold, whose forms are holy, thou being of hidden form in the temples, whose Ka is holy. -"Hymn to Osiris", The Papyrus of Ani, 240 BCE. Translated by E.A. Wallis Burdge. Osowo The supreme being, a sky god, who is also identified with or represented by the big tree which is worshipped. The Indem, Nigeria Otak God as sky in Katla. Nuba Mountains, Sudan Oteborom, Ore Boram A self-created god, as was Sirma Thakoor, the sun. They created the earth and all things thereon. The Hos, India, Among the Mundas, with Singbonga ”the self-existent primeval deities…created a boy an girl, taught them the art of love and placed them in a cave to people the world.” Otshirvani The creator god, and with Chagan-Shukuty the creators of man. Central Siberia Ovda Unfriendly Finnish forest spirit. Ove A god to whom the creation of the world is sometimes attributed, sometimes it is Ngendei. He is considered responsible for ”all monsters and malformations.” Fiji Islands, Melanesia Owase The omniscient, omnipresent supreme being who bestows the rain. The Ba-Kwiri, Cameroon O-Wata-Tsumi Japanese god of the sea and its creatures, the most important of many sea gods. Owura The name of the supreme being of a hinterland clan of the Biloforn dialect. Niger Delta, West Africa Oxala A remote supreme god who gave them their laws. Belem, Brazil Oxomogo, Oxomoco A deity associated with Tamagastat and Cipattonal in the creation. The Nicarao of Nicaragua. Among the Aztec, a goddess who is associated with Cipactonal as the creators of the calendar. Mexico Oya African (Yoruban) warrior orisha of the wind, symbolic of the winds of change. Every breath we take is a gift from Oya. She is tall and regal, strong, assertive, courageous and independent and is always willing to take risks. Oya is a great witch and the guardian of the gates of death. Women often ask her to give them the ability to choose their words so that they speak persuasively and powerfully. She symbolizes transformations, power, action, life, and vivacity. Oya is invoked in case of illness. Wife of Chango. Oyamakui A mountain god who is considered bisexual in nature and is protective of childbearing. He is worshiped by industrialists and in some areas remains specifically a mountain god. Japan O-Yama-Tsu-Mi First and most important of eight Japanese mountain gods. God of all mountains and volcanoes. |