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A light deity is a god or goddess in mythology associated with light and/or day. Since stars give off light, star deities can also be included here. The following is a list of light deities in various mythologies.
African
Egyptian mythology
Guanche
- Magec, deity of the sun and light, exact gender unknown
Dahomean religion
- Lisa, deity of the sun, heat, sky
American
Lakota mythology
- Anpao, two-faced spirit of the dawn
Maya mythology
- Tohil, god associated with thunder, lightning, and sunrise
Aztec
- Centzonhuitznahua, 400 gods of the southern stars
- Centzonmimixcoa, 400 gods of the northern stars
- Cipactonal, god of the daytime
- Citlālicue, goddess who created the stars
- Citlalmina, goddess of female stars
- Citlalatonac, god of male stars
- Tianquiztli, star goddesses
- Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire, day, and heat
Zapotec
- Coquihani, god of light
Incan
- Inti, god of the sun
- Ch'aska ("Venus") or Ch'aska Quyllur ("Venus star"), goddess of dawn and twilight, the planet
- Mama Killa, goddess of the moon
Asian
Chinese
- Zhulong, dragon deity of daylight
Japanese
Hindu
- Aruṇa, personification of the reddish glow of the rising sun
- Dyaus Pita, continues the name of the Proto-Indo-European god of the day-lit sky
- Ushas, dawn goddess
Sumerian
- Inanna, primary goddess of the planet Venus
- Ninsianna, goddess of the planet Venus
- Šul-pa-e, underworld god who became associated with Jupiter
- Shulsaga, stellar god
- Aya (goddess), goddess of light and the dawn
European
Albanian
- Dielli, the Sun, god of light
- Hëna, the Moon
- Prende, dawn goddess, also referred to as Hylli i Dritës, Afêrdita "the Star of Light, Afêrdita" (Venus)
- Zjarri, the Fire, light deity
- Zojz, as a reflex of *Dyeus, god of the day-lit sky
Baltic
- Dievas, creator god in Baltic myths
Celtic
- Lugh, personification of the sun
Etruscan
- Albina, goddess of the dawn and protector of ill-fated lovers
- Thesan, goddess of the dawn, associated with new life
Germanic
- Baldr, god thought to be associated with light and/or day; is known by many other names, all of which have cognates in other Germanic languages, suggesting he may have been a pan-Germanic deity
- Dagr, personification of day
- Earendel, god of rising light and/or a star
- Eostre, considered to continue the Proto-Indo-European dawn goddess
- Freyr, god of sunshine, among other things
- Sól, goddess and personification of the sun
- Teiwaz, as a reflex of *Dyeus, was probably originally god of the day-lit sky
- Thor, god of lightning, thunder, weather, storms, and the sky
Slavic
- Dazhbog, god of the sun and day
Greek
- Aether, primarily associated with upper air but associated with light in Hesiod's Theogony
- Apollo, god of light, among many other things
- Eos, goddess of the dawn
- Hemera, personification of day
- Hyperion, Titan of light; sometimes conflated with his son Helios
- Lampetia, goddess of light, and one of the Heliades or daughters of Helios , god of the Sun, and of the nymph Neera .
- Theia, Titaness of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky. She is the consort of Hyperion and mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos.
- Zeus, as a reflex of *Dyeus, could be considered god of the day-lit sky
Mari
Roman
- Aurora (mythology), goddess of the dawn
- Jupiter (mythology), as a reflex of *Dyeus, god of the day-lit sky
- Mater Matuta, goddess associated with Aurora
Oceania
Polynesian
- Atanua, Marquesan goddess of the dawn
- Atarapa, goddess of the dawn
- Ira, sky goddess and mother of the stars
- Tala goddess of the stars
Māori mythology
- Ao (mythology), personification of light
See also
References
- "Mawu-Lisa". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
