List of war deities

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Kartikeya, the Hindu god of war

Mars, the Roman god of war

A war deity is a god or goddess in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions.

Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been portrayed in their mythologies as commanding war in order to spread their religion. (The intimate connection between "holy war" and the "one true god" belief of monotheism has been noted by many scholars; including Jonathan Kirsch in his book God Against The Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism and Joseph Campbell in The Masks of God, Vol. 3: Occidental Mythology.) ^[1]^[2]

The following is a partial list of war deities.

African mythology

Agurzil, Berber god of war
Apedemak, Nubian lion-headed warrior god
Kokou, powerful Yoruba warrior god
Maher, Ethiopian god of war
Ogoun, Yoruba deity who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics, and war
Oya, Yoruba warrior-goddess of the Niger River

Armenian mythology

Anahit, goddess of fertility, birth, beauty, and water; in early periods associated with war

Aztec mythology

Patterns of War
- Mixcoatl, god of war and hunting.
- Xipe-Totec, god of force, patron of war, agriculture, vegetation, diseases, seasons, rebirth, hunting, trades, and Spring, the lord of the East.
- Tlaloc, god of thunder, rain, and earthquakes.
- Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire.
Huitzilopochtli, god of will, patron of war, fire, and sun, the lord of the South.

Baltic mythology

Kara Māte, Latvian goddess of war
Kauriraris, Lithuanian god of war and war steeds
Kovas, Lithuanian god of war

Berber mythology

Gurzil, war god
Ifri, war goddess

Celtic mythology

Agrona, reconstructed Proto-Celtic name for the river Aeron in Wales, and possibly the name of an associated war goddess
Andarta, Brittonic goddess theorised to be associated with victory, overcoming enemies, war
Alaisiagae, a pair of goddesses worshiped in Roman Britain, with parallel Celtic and Germanic titles
Andraste, Gaulish warrior goddess
Anann, Irish goddess of war, death, predicting death in battle, cattle, prosperity, and fertility
Bandua, Gallaecian God of War
Badb, Irish goddess of war who took the form of a crow; member of the Morrígan
Belatucadros, war god worshipped by soldiers and equated with the Roman war god Mars
Camulus, god of war of the Belgic Remi and British Trinovantes
Catubodua, Gaulish goddess assumed to be associated with victory
Cicolluis, Gaulish and Irish god associated with war
Cocidius, Romano-British god associated with war, hunting and forests
Macha, Irish goddess associated with war, horses, and sovereignty; member of the Morrígan
The Morrígan, Irish triple goddess associated with sovereignty, prophecy, war, and death on the battlefield
Neit, Irish god of war, husband of Nemain of Badb
Nemain, Irish goddess of the frenzied havoc of war; member of the Morrígan
Rudianos, Gaulish god of war
Segomo, Gaulish god of war
Teutates, British and Gaulish god of war and the tribe

Chinese mythology

Ba Yikao, Polestar Emperor. God of Military Outcomes
Wang Shan, Primordial Lord-General
Chi You, God of War
Yang Jian, Three Eyed Warrior
Li Jinzha, Marshal of the Center Alter
Li Muzha, Marshal of the Center Alter
Di Qing, Star of Military Fortune, God of Valor

Four Saints/Guardians of the Numinous Heaven Hall

Li Jing, Heavenly King & Holder of the Pagoda.
Wang Shan
Zhao Lang (赵公明 Zhao Gongming)
Zhang (Full name unknown, likely to be Zhang Daoling)

Four Great Marshals (There are discrepancies between difference sources regarding who the Four Great Marshals are. The following includes all names mentioned)

Ma Shen
Wen Qiong^[3]
Zhao Lang
Kang Miaowei
Yin Jiao
Li Nezha (the family name Li come from his father, Li Jing)
Wang Shan
Gao Yan
Zhou Guanze
Ma Zizhen
Ma Lingyao

Guan Yu, Chinese god of loyalty, righteousness, and valor

Five Graced Lords

Wang Shan
Guan Yu, god of Loyalty, righteousness, and valor
Zhang Shan
Yue Fei
Lu Yan

Eight Great Generals of Halting

Jia Ziyuan
Wang Ziguan
Liu Zida
Du Zaizhen
Fan Zizhang
Li Zaide
Chen Zichun
Zhang Shu

Four Sages of the North

Tienpeng Yuanshuai (Marshal of Canopy)
Tienyou Yuanshuai (Marshal of Strategy)
Yisheng Yuanshuai (Marshal of Sage Support)
Xuanwu Yuanshuai (Marshal of the Black Tortoise)

Thirty-six Celestial Generals

Jiang Guang
Zhong Ying
Jin You
Pang Yu
Liu Ji
Guan Yu
Me Sheng
Wen Qiong
Wang Shan
Kang Ying
Zhu Yan
Lu Kui
Fang Jue
Geng Tong
Deng Bawen
Xin Hanchen
Zhang Yuanba
Yao Yuanxin
Xun Leiji
Bi Zongyuan
Zhao Lang (Zhao Gongming)
Wu Mingyuan
Li Qingtian
Mei Tianshun
Xiong Guangxian
Shi Yuanxin
Kong Leijie
Chen Yuanyuan
Lin Dahua
Zhou Qingyuan
Ji Leigang
Cui Zhixu
Jiang Feijie
He Tianxiang
Gao Ke

Thirty-six Celestial Generals (Ver.2)

Commander Lei Ling & Zhu Le
Chen Xi
Sun Chang
Wang Herou
Xu Xun
Zhao Chong
Zhou Xiong
Zhao Gang
Wang Guoxian
You Kuiju
Yuan Yanchen
Feng XiangFu
Ma Shaoxin
Bu Shun
Ni TianSun
Xiang Zhong
Huang Gong
Chu Zhen
Wei Jinfu
Liu Shao
Zhao Ping
Xu Chunchen
Wang Jie
Xu Xi
Fang Shangwen
Fu Yu
Dou Yannian
GaoXian
Li Yi
Ma Yaochen
Diao HanChen
Zhu Xuan
Gao Wen
Xu Shen
Shan Xi
Fung Hing
Wang Gang

Generals of the Heaven-Mind

Zhang Tingzhong
Zhu Xizhen
Su Chengli
Zheng Tianying
Zhao Tenzheng
Wang Huoguang
Liu Cishen
Wu Zhongyuan
Ju Zizhen
Du Guangzhi
Yao Yaozhen
Xu Tianxin
Yuan Tongning

Generals of the Divine House of Celestial Tomes

Wang Wenxuan
Ding Zhonggui
Wang Yan
Zhao Zhongming
Feng Hao
Dong Long
Zhai De
Ding Zongcheng
Jiang Deyou
Liu Tong
Ding Zongsheng
Ma Sheng
Chen Meng
Zhuang Dejiang
Zhao Hou
Yuan Zhen
Ying Suyuan
Ding Youzhong
Lu Huayuan
Zhang Gongming
Hao Li
Zhang Guang
Cui Gangzhong
Wen Tong
Meng Hao
Zhuoli
Xu Shiheng
Wen Youzi
Zheng E
Chu Fei
Yang Fu
Chang Zheng
Wan Qiangu
Ying Yau
Xie Bing
Zhou Shining
Peng Zhiliang
Feng Hang
Sun Ji
Ling Yun
Dong Shen

Continental Germanic mythology

Baduhenna, a western-Frisii goddess of warfare
Wōden, god associated with wisdom, war, battle, and death, as well as also magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt

Egyptian mythology

Sekhmet, Egyptian warrior goddess

Anhur, god of war
Bast, cat-headed goddess associated with war, protection of Lower Egypt and the pharaoh, the sun, perfumes, ointments, and embalming
Horus, god of the king, the sky, war, and protection
Maahes, lion-headed god of war
Menhit, goddess of war, "she who massacres"
Montu, falcon-headed god of war, valor, and the Sun
Neith, goddess of war, hunting, and wisdom
Pakhet, goddess of war
Satis, deification of the floods of the Nile River and an early war, hunting, and fertility goddess
Sekhmet, goddess of warfare, pestilence, and the desert
Set, god of chaos, associated with war
Sobek, god of the Nile, the army, military, fertility and of crocodiles
Sopdu, god of the scorching heat of the summer sun, associated with war
Wepwawet, wolf-god of war and death who later became associated with Anubis and the afterlife

Etruscan mythology

Laran, god of war
Menrva, goddess of war, art, wisdom, and health

Greek mythology

Alala, spirit of the war cry
Androktasiai, spirits of battlefield slaughter
Ares, god of war, bloodlust, weapons of war, the defence and sacking of cities, rebellion and civil order, banditry, manliness, and courage; the son of Zeus and Hera
Athena, goddess of wisdom, war strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts, and reason
Bia, spirit of force and compulsion
Deimos, personification of terror
Enyalius, an epithet for Ares, sometimes identified as a separate, minor god of war
Enyo, goddess of destructive war and blood, sister of Ares, Hera and Zeus' daughter
Erida, twin sister of Ares goddess of hatred, blood-lust
Eris, goddess of discord, chaos and battle strife
Heracles, known for strength, health, athletics, and protection
Homados, spirit of the din of battle
Hysminai, female spirits of fighting and combat
Keres, female spirits of violent or cruel death, including death in battle, by accident, murder, or ravaging disease
Kratos, the personification of strength and power
Kydoimos, spirit of the din of battle
Makhai, male spirits of fighting and combat
Nike, spirit of victory
Otrera, wife of Ares, goddess of violence and chaos, mother of the Amazons, daughter of Eurus the east wind
Palioxis, spirit of backrush, flight, and retreat from battle
Perses, the Titan of destruction
Phobos, spirit of panic, fear, flight, and battlefield route
Polemos, spirit of war
Proioxis, spirit of onrush and battlefield pursuit

Hawaiian mythology

Kū, god of war
Pele, goddess of fire, lightning, dance, volcanoes, and violence

Hinduism

Durga slays the buffalo demon

Chamunda, Goddess of war and disease
Durga, The fiercer, demon-fighting form of Shiva's wife, the goddess Parvati
Hanuman, God associated with war, wisdom, and courage
Indra, God of war, storms, and rainfall
Kali, Goddess associated with time, change, and war
Kartikeya, God of war and battle
Kathyayini, Goddess of vengeance and victory
Mangala, God of war
Matrikas, Goddesses of war, children, and emancipation
Parashurama, Axe God "Rama with an axe", God of war and battle,
Karna,Referred to as bull among warriors by Vyasa,true warrior
Shiva,god of avenging and destroying
Bhaargava,The axe warrior aka as Parashurama
Yama, God of Death
Narasimha,God of Justice
Murugan, The God Of War
Balarama, Weapon Plough, Mace
Yudhishthira,King of dharma
Bhima, Fighter against falsehood
Arjuna, One who concentrates the most,destroyer of enemies from his concentration
Ganesha, Heroically taking action against demons
Kalki, "Destroyer of foulness", "destroyer of darkness", or "destroyer of ignorance"
Virabhadra, The God of Warriors
Lakshmana, Highly skilled in the science of archery
Ravana, Mastered the holy books, and also the arts and ways of Kshatriyas (warriors)
Indrajit, Possessor of several supreme celestial weapons, including Brahmanda astra, Pashupatastra, and Vaishnavastra
Bhishma, Unparalleled archer and warrior
Ashwatthama, Master of the science of weapons

Hittite mythology

Shaushka, goddess of fertility, war, and healing
Wurrukatte, god of war

Hungarian mythology

Hadúr, god of war and the metalsmith of the gods

Japanese mythology

Hachiman Daimyōjin, Shinto god of war (on land) and agriculture, divine protector of the Minamoto clan and Imperial Dynasty ownership of Japan
Takemikazuchi-no-kami, god of war, conquest, martial arts, Sumo, and lightning; general of the Amatsukami; god of Kashima and Ujigami of Nakatomi clan
Futsunushi, god of swords, martial arts, and conquest; god of the Mononobe clan
Sarutahiko Ōkami, deity of war and misogi; the Great God who stands at the junction of Heaven and Earth; one of the main Kunitsukami; actively worshipped by Ueshiba Morihei
Suwa Myōjin (Takeminakata-no-kami), god of valor and duty, protector of Japanese religion
Sumiyoshi Sanjin, gods of navigation and war on sea; partner of Hachiman
Bishamonten, armor-clad god of war
Marishiten, Buddhist goddess of light worshipped by samurai and ninja for invisibility, secrecy, and mystical protection; often linked to Amaterasu and Dainichi Nyōrai

Lusitanian Mythology

Neto, god believed to be associated with war

Inanna, Mesopotamian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare

Māori mythology

Tūmatauenga, god of war

Maya mythology

Tohil, god associated with fire, the sun, rain, mountains and war

Mesopotamian mythology

Belus, Babylonian god of war
Inanna, Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare
Ishtar, Assyrian and Babylonian counterpart to Inanna
Nergal, Babylonian god of war, fire, the underworld, and pestilence
Pap-nigin-gara, Akkadian and Babylonian god of war
Sebitti, group of minor Akkadian and Babylonian war gods
Shala, Akkadian and Babylonian goddess of war and grain
Shara, minor Sumerian god of war
Shulmanu, god of the underworld, fertility, and war

Mongolian shamanism

Dayisun Tngri

Native American mythology

Qamaits, Nuxálk warrior goddess
Winalagalis, Kwakwaka'wakw god of war

Norse mythology

Freyja, goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death
Odin, god associated with wisdom, war, battle, and death
Thor, god associated with thunder, strength, defense, oaks, goats, lightning, storms, weather, crops, trading voyages, courage, trust, revenge, protection, warfare, and battles
Týr, god associated with honor, law (the "Allthing"), justice in battle, victory, and heroic glory
Ullr, god associated with archery, male beauty, skiing, winter sports, single combat, and war
Valkyries, goddesses who decide who will die in battle and bring the dead to Valhalla, the afterlife hall of the slain

Nuristani mythology

Great Gish, god of war

Paleo-Balkan mythology

Polynesian mythology

'Oro, god of war

Roman mythology

Bellona, goddess of war
Honos, god of chivalry, honor, and military justice
Mars, god of war and agriculture, equivalent to the Greek god Ares
Minerva, goddess of wisdom and war, equivalent to the Greek goddess Athena
Nerio, warrior goddess and personification of valor
Victoria, personification of victory, equivalent to the Greek goddess Nike
Virtus, god of bravery and military strength

Semitic mythology

Agasaya, "the Shrieker", goddess of war
Anat, goddess of war
Astarte, goddess of fertility, sexuality, and war, associated with the Mesopotamian Ishtar or Inanna
Resheph, god of plague and war
Tanit, Phoenician lunar goddess associated with war
Yahweh (Canaanite deity), war god of southern Canaan during the Late Bronze Age

Slavic mythology

Jarovit, god of vegetation, fertility, and spring, also associated with war and harvest
Perun, god of thunder and lightning, associated with war
Radegast, West Slavic god of hospitality, fertility and crops, associated with war and the sun; may or may not have been worshipped by ancient Slavs
Svetovid, god of war, fertility, and abundance
Zorya Utrennyaya, goddess of the morning star, sometimes depicted as a warrior goddess who protected men in battle
Serbon, Illyrian god of fertility and war

Turco-Mongol mythology

Kyzaghan, Turkic deity of war

Vietnamese mythology

Thánh Gióng, god of triumph over foreign invaders
Thần Đồng Cổ, the armored protector of Lý dynasty.
Độc Cước, the protector of coastal settlements. Legend has it that he split himself in two with his axe, each half guards coastal villages against sea ogres.
Cao Lỗ, god of military innovations.

Vodou

Bugid Y Aiba, loa associated with war
Ogoun, loa who presides over fire, iron, hunting, politics, and war
Pie, soldier-loa who lives at the bottoms of lakes and rivers and causes floods

References

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List of war deities

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