Deities

Many Pagans are polytheistic, meaning they worship many gods and goddesses as part of their belief system.

A ‘pantheon’ is a set of gods and goddesses from a particular religion or mythology. Popular pantheons include Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse/Germanic, Celtic, Hindu, Japanese, and Native American.

Sometimes there is overlap between deities from different pantheons. For example, Greek and Roman deities often overlap, however are given different names. Norse, Germanic and Anglo-Saxon deities often overlap, as do Celtic with Gaulish and Brittanic deities.

Some Pagan groups insist that you work within a singular pantheon, however some groups find that working with deities from different pantheons is acceptable. Most Pagans agree that you should work with a group of deities that you feel particularly called to. Whether you follow your ancestry or look elsewhere, your connection to the divine is deeply personal and subjective.

Below are some of the major pantheons and examples of some of the more popular deities. This is by no means an exhaustive list – do you own research to find what speaks to you!

CELTIC
Cernunnos – ‘The Horned One’. Ancient God of fertility, nature, and animals.
Dagda – ‘The Good God’. God of protection, knowledge, warriors.
Danu – ‘Great Mother’, mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Goddess of the earth, rivers, wells.
Lugh – God of the sun, craftsmanship, and many other skills.
Cerridwen – Goddess of fertility, rebirth, knowledge.
Nuada – God of healing, the sea and the sun.
Brigid – Triple goddess; fire of inspiration (poetry), fire of the hearth (healing, fertility), fire of the forge (smithcraft).
Morrigan – ‘Great Queen’, ‘Phantom Queen’. Goddess of war, death, prophecy.

NORSE/ANGLO-SAXON
Odin/ Wōden – ‘All Father’, ruler of the Aesir. God of war, death, wisdom and magic.
Frigg/Frige – Goddess of love, marriage, and motherhood. Wife of Odin, mother of Thor.
Thor/Thunor – God of thunder and lightning, strength and protection. Son of Odin and Frigg.
Balder/Baldaeg – God of light, purity, and immortality. Gentle, handsome son of Odin.
Týr/Tiw – God of justice, war, and the sky.
Freyja/ Fréo – Goddess of love, fertility, war, divination and magic. Sister of Freyr. ‘The Fair One’
Freyr/ Fréa Ing – God of virility, fertility, and prosperity. Brother of Freyja. ‘The Lord’
Loki/Lok – Trickster god and shape-shifter.
Heimdall/Hama – Watchman of the gods, guards Bifrost, the rainbow bridge leading to Asgard.

EGYPTIAN
Ra – God of the sun.
Nut – Goddess of the night, sky and heaven.
Isis – ‘Divine Mother’. Goddess of nature, magic, fertility, family and rebirth.
Thoth – God of the moon.
Osiris – God of vegetation and the otherworld.
Anubis – God of funerals, guardian of the dead.
Bast – Goddess of the sun, moon, fertility, war, and cats. Associated with Sekhmet.
Sekhmet – Goddess of the sun, healing, war, and lions. Associated with Bast.
Hathor – Cow goddess of love and music, protector of women.
Horus – God of war and the sun.

GREEK / ROMAN
Gaia – Primordial Greek goddess, representing the Earth.
Zeus/Jupiter – King of the gods, ruler of Mount Olympus. God of the sky and thunder.
Hera/Juno – Queen of the gods, the goddess of marriage and family.
Demeter/Ceres – Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons.
Kore/Persephone – Maiden Goddess of vegetation and the Underworld.
Dionysus/Bacchus – God of wine, celebration, and ecstasy.
Apollo/Phoebus – God of light, knowledge, healing, music, the sun, youth and beauty.
Artemis/Diana – Goddess of the hunt, virginity, childbirth, the moon and all animals.
Athena/Minerva – Goddess of wisdom, defense and strategic warfare.
Aphrodite/Venus – Goddess of love, beauty, and desire.