Diti

Diti was the daughter of Daksha and was married to Kashyap the sage. She was the mother of many Asuras and was antagonistic to her sister; Aditi (also married to Kashyap), mother of numerous gods.

She was jealous of her sister for having children whilst she was childless. She then gave birth to Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. After they were killed by Vishnu in his forms of Varaha and Narasimha respectively, she prayed for a child more powerful than Indra, king of the gods and her nephew. She remained pregnant for a year and the fetus was shattered by Indra's lightning bolt, creating the 100 Maruts, or storm spirits.

Diti was also the grandmother of Prahlada (son of Hiranyakashipu) and, through him, ancestress of both Mahabali and Ravana.