List of hunting deities

 

Asgårdsreien (1872) by Peter Nicolai Arbo, depicting the Wild Hunt of European folklore

A hunting deity is a god or goddess in mythology associated with the hunting of animals and the skills and equipment involved. They are a common feature of polytheisticreligions.

African mythology[edit]

• Khonvoum, supreme god of the Mbuti people in central Africa; the "great hunter"
• Oshosi, orisha of the Yoruba people in west Africa; the "hunter of a single arrow", also deity of the forests.

Anglo-Saxon mythology[edit]

• Wōden, leader of the Wild Hunt

Aztec mythology[edit]

• Mixcoatl, god of war and hunting.
• Opochtli, god of fishing.

Celtic mythology[edit]

• Cernunnos, a horned god associated with fertility and hunting
• Nodens, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
• Flidais, goddess of hunting and wild animals

Chinese mythology[edit]

• Fu Xi, the creator of fishery.
• Jiang Ziya, a god of fishery.

Egyptian mythology[edit]

• Neith, goddess of war and the hunt
• Pakhet, a lioness huntress deity, whom the Greeks associated with Artemis
• Wepwawet, god of hunting and war, along with funerary practices

Finnish mythology[edit]

• Mielikki, goddess of forests and the hunt
• Nyyrikki, god of the hunt
• Tapio, East Finnish forest spirit to whom men prayed before a hunt

Georgian mythology[edit]

• Apsat, god of the hunt, associated with fish and birds
• Dali, goddess of the hunt, associated with horned beasts of the mountain

Greek mythology[edit]

• Aristaeus, god of bee-keeping, cheese-making, herding, olive-growing and hunting
• Artemis, goddess of the hunt, wild animals and the wilderness
• Britomartis, Cretan goddess of nets
• Lelantos, god of air and the hunter's skill of stalking prey

Hindu mythology[edit]

• Banka-Mundi, goddess of the hunt and fertility
• Rudra, Rigvedic god associated with wind or storm, and the hunt
• Bhadra, god of hunting, one of Shiva's ganas

Hittite mythology[edit]

• Rundas, god of the hunt and good fortune

Inuit mythology[edit]

• Arnakuagsak, goddess responsible for ensuring the hunters were able to catch enough food and that the people remained healthy and strong
• Arnapkapfaaluk, sea goddess who inspired fear in hunters
• Nerrivik, the sea mother and patron of fishermen and hunters
• Nujalik, goddess of hunting on land
• Pinga, goddess of the hunt, fertility, and medicine
• Sedna, goddess of the sea, marine animals, and sea hunting
• Tekkeitsertok, god of hunting and master of caribou

Mesoamerican mythology[edit]

• Ah Tabai, Maya god of the hunt
• Mixcoatl, Aztec god of hunting
• Sip, a hunting god often shown with deer ears and antlers
• Yum Kaax, Maya god of the forest and the protector of game animals

Norse mythology[edit]

• Odin, chief god and ruler of Asgard, associated with wisdom, war, battle, and death, and also magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt
• Skaði, a jötunn and goddess associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains
• Ullr Norse god of hunting, archery, and skiing.

Roman mythology[edit]

• Diana, goddess of the hunt, wild animals and the wilderness; the counterpart of Artemis, goddess of the hunt and wild. Twin sister of Apollo. Daughter of Leto and Jupiter.

Slavic mythology[edit]

• Devana, goddess of the hunt; the Slavic equivalent of the Roman goddess Diana
• Ipabog, Wendish god of the hunt
• Podaga, Wendish god of the weather, fishing, hunting, and farming

Thracian mythology[edit]

• Bendis, goddess of the hunt and the moon, whom the Greeks associated with Artemis

Yoruba and Afro-American mythology[edit]

• Ogoun, loa and orisha who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics and war
• Oxóssi, Yoruba hunting god.

See also[edit]

• Lord of the animals