Water Deities

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Water Deities

A water d

eity is a supernatural being in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology.

Water deities usually were important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Another important focus of worship of water deities were springs or holy wells.

Water Deities include:

Aztec mythology
Tlaloc, god of thunder, rain, and earthquakes.
Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of water, lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism.
Huixtocihuatl, goddess of salt.
Opochtli, god of fishing.
Tlaloques, gods of drops.
Tlaloquetotontli, goddess of the rivers.

Ainu mythology
Repun Kamui, god of the sea

Canaanite mythology
Yam (god), god of rivers and the sea

Celtic mythology
Acionna (Gaulish) - a water goddess/genius loci of the Orleanais region and the Essonne
Boann - goddess of the River Boyne (Irish)
Dylan Eil Ton (Welsh)
Grannus, a god associated with spas, the sun, fires and healing thermal and mineral springs
Lir (Irish), god of the sea
Llŷr (Welsh), god of the sea
Manannán mac Lir (Irish), god of the sea
Nodens, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
Sinann (Irish), goddess of the River Shannon
Sequana (Gaulish), goddess of the River Seine

Chinese mythology
Gong Gong, water god who is responsible for the great floods, together with his associate, Xiang Yao
Mazu, water goddess and protector of sailors
Ao Kuang/Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea
Ao Qin, Dragon King of the South Sea
Ao Run, Dragon King of the West Sea
Ao Shun, Dragon King of the North Sea
He-Bo/He Bo, God of the Yellow River
Long mu, water Goddess of the Xijiang River in Lingnan area

Egyptian mythology
Sobek, god of the Nile river, depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile.
Nephthys, goddess of rivers

Fijian mythology
Daucina, god of seafaring
Dakuwaqa, a shark god

Finnish mythology
Ahti, god of the depths and fish
Iku-Turso, a malevolent sea monster
Vedenemo, a goddess of water
Vellamo, the wife of Ahti, goddess of the sea, lakes and storms.

Greek mythology
Aegaeon, god of violent sea storms and ally of the Titans
Akheilos, shark-shaped sea spirit
Amphitrite, sea goddess and consort of Poseidon
Anapos, water god of eastern Sicily
Brizo, goddess of sailors
Carcinus, a giant crab who allied itself with the Hydra against Heracles. When it died, Hera placed it in the sky as the constellation Cancer
Ceto, goddess of the dangers of the ocean and of sea monsters
Charybdis, a sea monster and spirit of whirlpools and the tide
Cymopoleia, a daughter of Poseidon and goddess of giant storm waves
Delphin, the leader of the dolphins, Poseidon placed him in the sky as the constellation Delphinus
Doris, goddess of the sea's bounty
Eidothea, prophetic sea nymph and daughter of Proteus
Electra, an Oceanid, consort of Thaumas
Eurybia, goddess of the mastery of the seas
Galene (Γαλήνη), goddess of calm seas
Glaucus, the fisherman's sea god
Gorgons, three monstrous sea spirits
Stheno
Euryale
Medusa
The Graeae, three ancient sea spirits who personified the white foam of the sea; they shared one eye and one tooth between them
The Harpies, winged spirits of sudden, sharp gusts of wind
Hippocampi, the horses of the sea
The Ichthyocentaurs, a pair of centaurine sea-gods with the upper bodies of men, the lower fore-parts of horses, ending in the serpentine tails of fish
Bythos
Aphros
Ladon, a hundred-headed sea serpent who guarded the western reaches of the sea, and the island and golden apples of the Hesperides
Leucothea, a sea goddess who aided sailors in distress
Nerites, watery consort of Aphrodite and/or beloved of Poseidon
Nereus, the old man of the sea, and the god of the sea's rich bounty of fish
Nymphs
Naiades, fresh water nymphs
Nereides, sea nymphs
Oceanides, Ocean water nymphs
Oceanus, Titan god of the Earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth's fresh-water
Pan, Patron God of fishing
Palaemon, a young sea god who aided sailors in distress
Phorcys, god of the hidden dangers of the deep
Pontus, primeval god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures
Poseidon, king of the sea and lord of the sea gods; also god of rivers, storms, flood and drought, earthquakes, and horses. His Roman equivalent is Neptune.
Potamoi, deities of rivers, fathers of Naiads, brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys.
Proteus, a shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god, and the herdsman of Poseidon's seals
Psamathe, goddess of sand beaches
Scylla, a Nereid metamorphosed into a sea monster
The Sirens, three sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with their song
The Telchines, sea spirits native to the island of Rhodes; the gods killed them when they turned to evil magic
Tethys, wife of Okeanos, and the mother of the rivers (Potamoi), springs, streams, fountains and clouds
Thalassa, primeval spirit of the sea and consort of Pontos
Thaumas, god of the wonders of the sea and father of the Harpies and the rainbow goddess Iris
Thetis, leader of the Nereids who presided over the spawning of marine life in the sea, mother of Achilles
Triteia, daughter of Triton and companion of Ares
Triton, fish-tailed son and herald of Poseidon
Tritones, fish-tailed spirits in Poseidon's retinue
Achelous, Greek river god
Hebe, Greek goddess of water and wine bearer of the Gods

Haitian Vodou
Agwé, a loa who rules over the sea, fish, and aquatic plants, as well as the patron loa of fishermen and sailors
Clermeil, the loa who made rivers flood their banks
Pie, a soldier-loa who lives at the bottoms of lakes and rivers and causes floods

Hawaiian mythology
Kanaloa, god of the ocean
Kamohoalii, shark god
Nāmaka, sea goddess
Ukupanipo, shark god who controls the amount of fish close enough for the fisherman to catch

Hindu/Vedic mythology
Apam Napat, god of fresh water, such as in rivers and lakes
Ganga goddess of the Ganges River
Varuna (celestial ocean)
Various rivers associated with goddesses in the Rigveda, such as Sarasvati (Sarasvati River) and Yamuna

Incan mythology
Pariacaca, god of water and rainstorms
Paricia, god who sent a flood to kill humans who did not respect him adequately

Inuit mythology
Aipaloovik, an evil sea god associated with death and destruction
Alignak, a lunar deity and god of weather, water, tides, eclipses, and earthquakes
Arnapkapfaaluk, a fearsome sea goddess
Idliragijenget, god of the ocean
Nootaikok, god who presided over icebergs and glaciers
Sedna, goddess of the sea

Japanese mythology
Mizuchi, Japanese dragon and sea god
Ōhoyamatsumi, god of mountains, sea and war
Ryūjin or Watatsumi, Japanese dragon and tutelary deity of the sea
Suijin, Shinto god of water
Susanoo, Shinto god of storms and the sea

Lusitanian Mythology
Bandua, theonym associated with fountains.
Duberdicus, god of the sea and rivers.
Durius, personification of the Douro river.

Lithuanian mythology
Bangpūtys, god of sea and storm
Anusehx, God of the nighttime

Māori mythology
Ikatere, a fish god, the father of all the sea creatures including mermaids
Tangaroa, god of the sea

Mesopotamian mythology
Enbilulu, god of rivers and canals
Enki, god of water and of the River Tigris
Marduk, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic
Sirsir, god of mariners and boatmen
Nammu, goddess of the primeval sea.
Tiamat, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods
Apsû, god of fresh water, father of all other gods
Asherah, Mother goddess whose title is "She Who Walks Upon the Sea".

Norse/Germanic mythology
Ægir, personification of the sea
Mímir, god of the spring of Mímisbrunnr, which gives the drinker wisdom and Odin sacrificed an eye to drink from
Rán, sea goddess of love who collects the drowned in a net
Nine Daughters of Ægir, who personify the characteristics of waves
Njord, god of the sea, particularly of seafaring
Nehalennia, goddess of the North Sea
Nerthus, goddess of lakes, springs, holy waters
Nix, water spirits who usually appear in human form

Persian/Zoroastrian mythology
Anahita, the divinity of 'the Waters' (Aban) and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom.
Tishtrya, Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility.
Haurvatat, he Amesha Spenta associated with water, prosperity, and health in post-Gathic Zoroastrianism

Philippine mythology
Amanikable, ill- tempered god of the sea
Haik, another god of the sea
Amansinaya, god of fishermen
Sirena, mermaid
Siyokoy, merman
Magwayen, goddess of the sea
Lidagat, daughter of Magwayen

Pirate lore
Davy Jones, the Devil of the seas

Roman mythology
Fontus, god of wells and springs
Juturna, goddess of fountains, wells, and springs
Neptune, king of the sea
Salacia, Neptune's queen
Tiberinus, the genius of the river Tiber.
Volturnus, god of the waters

Slavic mythology
Vodyanoi, water demon who lived in lakes and rivers
Rusalki, female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons that dwell in waterways.
Veles, god of earth, waters, and the underworld

Tonga (Zambezi Valley Zimbabwe)
Nyami Nyami, river god

Yoruba, Orisha worship, IFA
Yemaja, or Yemaya goddess of the ocean, the essence of motherhood, and a protector of children
Mami Wata, a pantheon of water deities
Oshun, deity of rivers, beauty, sensuality. In Santería she also represents wealth
Okie, deity of lakes, daughter of Obatala
Olokun, deity of the oceans often synchronized with Poseidon or Neptune

Igbo, African religion
Ava, a pair of river goddess and god
Idemili, goddess of a river
Uhammiri/ Ogbuide, a lake goddess
Urashi/ Okita, a river god


Source: en.wikipedia.org

Resources:
(1) A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology by Gwendolyn Leick.
(2) A History of Zoroastrianism (Volumes I and II) by Mary Boyce.
(3) Dictionary of Celtic Mythology by James MacKillop.
(4) The Greek Myths by Robert Graves.
(5) The Northern Copper Inuit by Richard G. Condon, Julia Ogina and the Holman Elders.
(6) Nature's Ancient Religion: Orisha Worship and IFA by Charles Spencer King.
(7) Vestal Virgins, Sibyls and Matronae: Women in Roman Religion by Sarolta A. Takacs.

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[Image: Tritons and winged hippocamps in the Trevi Fountain (Piazza di Trevi - Fontana di Trevi), Rome. Photographer: Alexander Augst, who has published it under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.]