A health deity is a god or goddess in mythology or religion associated with health, healing and wellbeing. They may also be related to childbirth or Mother Goddesses. They are a common feature of polytheistic religions.
List of health deities[]
African[]
- Agwu, Igbo god of health and divination
- Jengu, water spirits that bring good fortune and cure disease
- !Xu, sky god of the Bushmen of southern Africa who is invoked in illness
- Osanyin orisha of herbalism
- Sonzwaphi, deity of healing, Zulu mythology
Armenian[]
- Anahit, goddess of fertility and healing, wisdom and water in Armenian mythology.
Aztec[]
- Ixtlilton, god of medicine.
- Patecatl, god of Pulque and healing.
Celtic[]
- Airmed, Irish goddess associated with healing and resurrection.
- Alaunus, Gaulish god of the sun, healing and prophecy associated with Greek god Helios-Apollo
- Atepomarus, Gaulish healing god associated with the Greek god Apollo
- Borvo, Celto-Lusitanian healing god associated with bubbling spring water
- Brigid, Irish goddess associated with healing
- Dian Cecht, Irish god of healing
- Glanis, Gaulish god associated with a healing spring at the town of Glanum
- Grannus, Gaulish god associated with spas, healing thermal and mineral springs, and the sun and associated with Apollo
- Hooded Spirits, hooded deities associated with health and fertility
- Ianuaria, goddess associated with healing
- Iovantucarus, Gaulish healer-god and protector of youth associated with Lenus Mars
- Lenus, Gaulish healing god associated with the Greek god Ares
- Maponos, god of youth, associated with the Greek god Apollo
- Mullo, Gaulish deity associated with the Greek god Ares and said to heal afflictions of the eye
- Nodens, Gallo-Roman and Roman British god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs
- Sirona, Gallo-Roman and Celto-Germanic goddess associated with healing
Chinese[]
- Wu Ben (Baosheng Dadi, the King of Medicine)
- Shennong, a mythical emperor who spread knowledge of herbs and medicine.
- Taiyi Zhushen, God of Qi
- Taokang Geyan, God of Essence
- Zhang Guolao, one of the Eight Immortals, whose wine was considered to have healing properties
- He Xiangu, one of the Eight Immortals, whose lotus flower improves one's mental and physical health
- Li Tieguai, one of the Eight Immortals, who alleviates the suffering of the poor, sick and needy with special medicine from his gourd
- Wong Tai Sin, a god with the power of healing
- Jiutian Xuannü, goddess of war, sex, and longevity (long life), who is connected to calisthenics, diet, alchemy, neidan (inner alchemy), and physiology [1]
Egyptian[]
- Sekhmet, goddess of healing and medicine of Upper Egypt
- Heka, deification of magic, through which Egyptians believed they could gain protection, healing and support
- Serket, goddess of healing stings and bites
- Ta-Bitjet, a scorpion goddess whose blood is a panacea for all poisons
- Isis, goddess of healing, magic, marriage and perfection
Etruscan[]
- Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness and health and growth in all things
- Menrva, goddess of war, art, wisdom and healthcare
- Vejovis, god of healing
Greek[]
- Apollo, god of plague, healing, medicine, and diseases
- Asclepius, god of the medicinal arts
- Artemis, goddess of young women and childbirth
- Chiron, a centaur known for his knowledge and skill in medicinal arts
- Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth
- Epione, goddess of the soothing of pain
- Aceso, goddess of curing sickness and healing wounds
- Aegle, goddess of radiant good health
- Hygieia, goddess of cleanliness and sanitation
- Iaso, goddess of cures and remedies
- Paean, physician of the gods, who was later syncretised with Apollo
- Panacea, goddess of the cure by medicines and salves
- Telesphorus, demi-god of convalescence
Hindu[]
Vaidyanatha - Shiva as healer of all
- Ashvins, twin doctors of the gods and gods of Ayurvedic medicine
- Dhanvantari, physician of the gods and god of Ayurvedic medicine
- Dharti, or Earth is considered god of nature and well being of living creatures
- Mariamman, goddess of disease and rain
- Shitala Devi, goddess of smallpox and disease
- Jvarasura, Demon of fever
- Paranasabari, diseases
Hittite[]
- Kamrusepa, goddess of healing, medicine, and magic
- Shaushka, goddess of fertility, war, and healing
Inuit[]
- Eeyeekalduk, god of medicine and good health
- Pinga, goddess of the hunt, fertility and medicine
Japanese[]
- Ashitekōjin, god of hands and feet
- Sukunabhikona-no-Kami, god of medicine, as well as nation building, incantation, agriculture and hot springs
Maya[]
- Ixchel, jaguar goddess of midwifery and medicine
- Maximón, hero god of health
Mesopotamian[]
- Anahita, Indo-Iranian goddess of fertility, healing and wisdom
- Namtar, god of death and disease
- Ninazu, god of the underworld and healing
- Ningishzida, god of the underworld and patron of medicine
- Nintinugga, goddess of healing
- Ninurta, god of the South Wind and healing
Native American[]
- Kumugwe, Nuxalk underwater god with the power to see into the future, heal the sick and injured, and bestow powers on those whom he favors
- Angak, a Hopi kachina spirit, represents a healing and protective male figure.
Norse[]
- Eir, goddess associated with medical skill
Persian[]
- Haoma, god of health
Phoenician[]
- Eshmun, god of healing
Roman[]
- Angitia, snake goddess associated with magic and healing
- Apollo, Greco-Roman god of light, music, healing, and the sun
- Bona Dea, goddess of fertility, healing, virginity, and women
- Cardea, goddess of health, thresholds and door hinges and handles
- Carna, goddess who presided over the heart and other organs
- Endovelicus, god of public health and safety
- Febris, goddess who embodied and protected people from fever and malaria
- Feronia, goddess of wildlife, fertility, health, and abundance
- Valetudo, Roman name for the Greek goddess Hygieia, goddess of health, cleanliness, and hygiene
- Verminus, god who protected cattle from disease
Sami[]
- Beiwe, goddess of the sun, spring, fertility and sanity, who restored the mental health of those driven mad by the darkness of the winter
Slavic[]
- Żywie, goddess of health and healing
Thracian[]
- Derzelas, god of abundance and the underworld, health and human spirit's vitality
Yoruba and Afro-American[]
- Aja, spirit of the forest, the animals within it and herbal healers
- Babalu Aye, spirit of illness and disease
- Erinle, spirit of abundance, the healer, and Physician to the Orisha
- Loco, patron of healers and plants
- Mami Wata, a pantheon of water deities associated with healing and fertility
- Sopona, god of smallpox
References[]
- ↑ Cahill, Suzanne E. (18 July 2013). "Sublimation in Medieval China: The Case of the Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens". Journal of Chinese Religions 20 (1): 91–102. doi:10.1179/073776992805307692.