Death goddesses

Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death, and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who provide liberating knowledge. Of the numerous Hindu goddesses, Kali is held as the most famous. She is the preeminent deity in the Hindu tantric and the Kalikula worship traditions, and is a central figure in the goddess-centric sects of Hinduism as well as in Shaivism. Kali is chiefly worshipped as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, and Divine femini

In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore () or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after her abduction by her uncle Hades, the king of the underworld, who later took her into marriage. The myth of her abduction, her sojourn in the underworld, and her cyclical return to the surface represents her functions as the embodiment of spring and the personification of vegetation, especially grain crops, which disappear into the earth when sown, remain hidden for a period, sprout from the earth, a

thumb|A depiction of Freyja. Within Norse paganism, Freyja was the deity primarily associated with .

, often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (kami) of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () and the (720 CE), as the ruler (or one of the rulers) of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and as the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi. Along with two of her siblings (the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm-god Susanoo) she ranks as one of the "Three Precious Children" (, ), the three most important offspring of

thumb|Neith wearing the Deshret|Red Crown of Lower Egypt.

goddess of the underworld in Norse mythology

Proserpina ( ; ) or Proserpine ( ) is an ancient Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of the Greek Persephone. Proserpina replaced or was combined with the ancient Roman fertility goddess Libera, whose principal cult was housed in a temple atop Rome's Aventine Hill, which she shared with the grain-goddess Ceres and the wine god Liber (Liber Pater).

In Mesopotamian mythology, Ereshkigal (Sumerian: 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒆠𒃲 [EREŠ.KI.GAL]), lit. "Queen of the Great Earth") was the goddess of Kur, the land of the dead or underworld in Sumerian mythology. In later myths, she was said to rule Irkalla alongside her husband Nergal. Sometimes her name is given as Irkalla, similar to the way the name Hades was used in Greek mythology for both the underworld and its ruler, and sometimes it is given as Ninkigal, lit. "Lady of the Great Earth”.

, formally referred to with the honorific , is the creator of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested after the formation of heaven and earth. Izanami and Izanagi are held to be the creators of the Japanese archipelago and the progenitors of many deities, which include the sun goddess Amaterasu, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the storm god Susanoo. In mythology, she is the direct ancestor of the Japanese imperial family. In Shinto and Japane

thumb|300px|Detail of the Gefion Fountain (1908) by [[Anders Bundgaard]] In Norse mythology, Gefjon (Old Norse: ; alternatively spelled Gefion, or Gefjun , pronounced without secondary syllable stress) is a goddess associated with ploughing, the Danish island of Zealand, the legendary Swedish king Gylfi, the legendary Danish king Skjöldr, foreknowledge, her oxen children, and virginity. Gefjon is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; in the works of skalds; an

deity

deity

Nirṛti () sometimes spelled Nirruti or Nirriti, is a Hindu deity, personifying death, decay, and sorrow. In early Hindu scriptures, Nirṛti is a goddess who lives in the kingdom of the dead. In later Hinduism, Nirṛti and Nirṛta is also a male god, who is regarded as a dikpala ("guardian of the directions") of the southwest.

Mexican cult image, female deity, and folk saint

Laima is a Baltic goddess of fate. She was associated with childbirth, marriage, and death; she was also the patron of pregnant women.

Louhi (; alternate names include Loviatar (), Loveatar, Lovetar, Lovehetar, Louhetar and Louhiatar) is the ruler of Pohjola in Finnish mythology. She is regarded as a goddess of death and disease. She is also the mother of wolves. Her original role was likely as the ruler of the underworld.

Libitina, also Libentina or Lubentina, is an ancient Roman goddess of funerals and burial. Her name was used as a metonymy for death, and undertakers were known as libitinarii. Libitina was associated with Venus, and the name appears in some authors as an epithet of Venus.

deities of fertility in Celtic and Germanic mythologies under Roman rule

Mahakali () is a deity common to Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, she is the goddess of time and death in the goddess-centric tradition of Shaktism, and a Yakshini in both the Svetambara and Digambara traditions of Jainism. She is also known as the supreme being in various Hindu tantras and Puranas.

At the time of the Spanish conquest of Yucatán (1527–1546), Ix Tab or Ixtab ([iʃˈtaɓ]; "Rope Woman", "Hangwoman") was the indigenous Maya goddess of suicide by hanging. Playing the role of a psychopomp, she would accompany such suicides to heaven.

Etruscan goddess of the dead

right|thumb|220px|Map showing the location of inscriptions to this goddess, under various spellings. thumb|Figurine dating from the 2nd or 3rd century A. D. found in Stuttgart, Germany Erecura or Aerecura (also found as Herecura or Eracura) was a goddess worshipped in ancient times, often thought to be Celtic in origin, mostly represented with the attributes of Proserpina and associated with the Roman underworld god Dis Pater, as on an altar from Sulzbach. She appears with Dis Pater in a statue found at Oberseebach, Switzerland, and in several magical texts from Austria, once in the company of

Tuonetar () is the Queen of the Underworld in Finnish mythology.

Ọya (Yorùbá: Ọya, also known as Oyá, Oiá, Yànsàn-án, Yansã, Iyámsá, or Iansã) is one of the principal female deities of the Yoruba pantheon. She is the oriṣa of winds, lightning, and storms and is the only oriṣa capable of controlling the Eégún (spirits of the dead), a power given to her by Babalú Ayé.

thumb|Māui attempting to enter Hine-nui-te-pō. Carving by Tene Waitere in the meeting house Rauru (opened in 1900). thumb|Hinenuitepo meeting house at Te Whaiti in 1930

Vodou goddess

goddess

Spandaramet () or Sandaramet (Սանդարամետ) was the Armenian name of the Zoroastrian yazata (angelic divinity) Spenta Armaiti, one of the six Amesha Spentas, and the guardian of the earth.

goddess

goddess in Finnish folklore

Laikhurembi is a goddess in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. She is the goddess of justice, good counsel, divine law, order and secrecy. She is the chief Queen of God Thongaren (). She is the daughter of Lairen Humchouba. She is one of the divine incarnations of Leimarel Sidabi. She is one of the most important Umang Lais. Her pantheon is maintained particularly by the Taibungjam clan of Meitei ethnicity.

Roman goddess of the dead

thumb|upright=1.3|Arch sculptured in relief with figures of the war-god Týr|Mars Thincsus with a goose at his feet and two naked goddesses or cupids (maybe the ALaisiagae named Beda and Fimmelena), found near Hadrian's Wall in 1883, now in Chesters Museum. In Romano-British culture and Germanic polytheism, the Alaisiagae deae were Germanic goddesses who deified victory, or, in an alternative interpretation, embodied justice. Their names — possibly meaning the "all‑respected" or "all‑feared" (from Proto West-Germanic *all- + *aizō- "honour, fear") — were mentioned in connection with the syncret

In Etruscan mythology, Persipnei or Phersipnai (later Ferspnai) was the queen of the underworld and equivalent to the Greek goddess Persephone and Roman Proserpina. Persipnei was the consort of the divine ruler of the underworld, Aita. Together, both of these deities ruled the Etruscan underworld, which was guarded by Mantus and Mania. Indeed, her name was borrowed by the Etruscans from the Greeks.

goddess of the hunt, fertility and medicine in Inuit mythology

Eingana is a creator goddess in Australian Aboriginal mythology (specifically: Jawoyn). Otherwise known as the "Dreamtime Snake", she is the mother of all water animals and humans. She is a snake goddess of death who lives in the Dreaming. She has no vagina; she simply grew in size and, unable to give birth to the life inside her, had the god Barraiya open a hole with a spear near her anus so that labour could commence. Eingana holds a sinew that is attached to every living thing; if she lets go of one, the attached creature dies.

Scythian goddess

Artimpasa (; ) was a complex androgynous Scythian goddess of fertility who possessed power over sovereignty and the priestly force. Artimpasa was the Scythian variant of the Iranian goddess Arti/Aṣ̌i.

Roman Goddess

goddess of peaceful death in the Haida mythology