War gods

Ares (; , Árēs ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. Many Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war but can also personify sheer brutality and bloodlust, in contrast to his sister Athena, whose martial functions include military strategy and generalship. An association with Ares endows places, objects, and other deities with a savage, dangerous, or militarized quality.

thumb|Odin, in his guise as a wanderer, as imagined by Georg von Rosen (1886)

Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () Ϩⲱⲣ (Coptic), in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the Ptolemaic Kingdom and Roman Egypt. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history, and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists. These various forms may be different manifestations of the same multi-layered deity in which certain attributes or syncretic relationships ar

Roman god of war, guardian of agriculture

God of the desert, storms, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religion

Kartikeya (), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha or Muruga(n), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the son of the deities Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Ganesha.

thumb|One-handed Týr, by Lorenz Frølich (1895)

In Slavic mythology, Perun () is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, firmament (in Indo-European languages, this was joined with the notion of the sky of stone), horses and carts, and weapons (hammer, axe (Axe of Perun), and arrow). The supreme god in the Kievan Rus' during the 9th-10th centuries, Perun was first associated with weapons made of stone and later with those of metal.

personification of fear in Greek mythology

Chinese general serving warlord Liu Bei (160-220)

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Nergal (Sumerian: dKIŠ.UNU or ; ; Aramaic: ܢܸܪܓܲܠ; ) was a Mesopotamian god worshiped through all periods of Mesopotamian history, from Early Dynastic to Neo-Babylonian times, with a few attestations indicating that his cult survived into the period of Achaemenid domination. He was primarily associated with war, death, and disease, and has been described as the "god of inflicted death". He reigned over Kur, the Mesopotamian underworld, depending on the myth either on behalf of his parents Enlil and Ninlil, or in later periods as a result of his marriage with the goddess Ereshkigal. Originally

Montu was a falcon-god of war in the ancient Egyptian religion, an embodiment of the conquering vitality of the pharaoh. He was particularly worshipped in Upper Egypt and in the district of Thebes.

In Arabian mythology, Hubal () was a god worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia, notably by the Quraysh at the Kaaba in Mecca. The god's icon was a human figure believed to control acts of divination, which was performed by tossing arrows before the statue. The direction in which the arrows pointed answered questions asked to Hubal.

Huitzilopochtli (, ) is the solar and war deity of sacrifice in Aztec religion. He was also the patron god of the Aztecs and their capital city, Tenochtitlan. He wielded Xiuhcoatl, the fire serpent, as a weapon, thus also associating Huitzilopochtli with fire.

In Egyptian mythology, Wepwawet (hieroglyphic wp-w3w.t; also rendered Upuaut, Wep-wawet, Wepawet, Apuat, and Ophois) was originally a jackal deity of funerary rites, war, and royalty, whose cult centre was Asyut in Upper Egypt (Lycopolis in the Greco-Roman period). His name means opener of the ways and he is often depicted as a wolf standing at the prow of a solar-boat. Some interpret that Wepwawet was seen as a scout, going out to clear routes for the army to proceed forward. One inscription from the Sinai states that Wepwawet "opens the way" to king Sekhemkhet's victory. In royal and religio

Ninurta (: , possible meaning "Lord [of] Barley"), also known as Ninĝirsu (: , meaning "Lord [of] Girsu"), is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with farming, healing, hunting, law, scribes, and war who was first worshipped in early Sumer. In the earliest records, he is a god of agriculture and healing, who cures humans of sicknesses and releases them from the power of demons. In later times, as Mesopotamia grew more militarized, he became a warrior deity, though he retained many of his earlier agricultural attributes. He was regarded as the son of the chief god Enlil and his main cult cen

In Ancient Egyptian mythology, Onuris (also known as Onouris, Anhur, Anhuret, Han-Her, Inhert) was a god of war who was worshipped in the Egyptian area of Abydos, and particularly in Thinis. Myths told that he had brought his wife, Mehit, who was his female counterpart, from Nubia, and his name reflects this—it means '(one who) leads back the distant one'.

Maahes (also spelled in Greek: Maches, Michos, Miysis, Mios, and Maeches) (Greek: Μαχές, Μιχός, Μίυσις, Μίος, or Μάιχες) was an ancient Egyptian lion-headed god of war, whose name means "he who is true beside her". He was seen as the son of the Creator god Ptah, as well as the feline goddess (Bast in Lower Egypt or Sekhmet in Upper Egypt) whose nature he shared. Maahes was a deity associated with war, protection, and weather, as well as that of knives, lotuses, and devouring captives. His cult was centred in Taremu and Per-Bast, the cult centres of Sekhmet and Bast respectively.

Svetovit, also known as Sventovit and Svantovit amongst other variants, is the god of abundance and war, and the chief god of the Slavic tribe of the Rani, and later of all the Polabian Slavs. His organized cult was located on the island of Rügen, at Cape Arkona, where his main temple was also located. According to the descriptions of medieval chroniclers, the statue representing this god had four heads and held a horn and a sword. Dedicated to the deity were a white horse, a saddle, a bit, a flag, and eagles. Once a year, after the harvest, a large festival was held in his honor. With the hel

Song dynasty general, killed by royal decree from the Emperor Gaozong of Song (1103–1142)

thumb|300px|The Shinto deity Hachiman (Kamakura period 1326) at [[Tokyo National Museum (Lent by Akana Hachimangū), Important Cultural Property]] , formerly known in Shinto as Yahata, is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements from both Shinto and Japanese Buddhism.

thumb|The jaguar was an animal sacred to Tezcatlipoca.|link=File:Standing_jaguar.jpg thumb|Mirrors in Mesoamerican culture#Aztecs|Aztec obsidian mirror

' (Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) or ' (Pali; , , ) is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. He is the god of warfare and usually portrayed as a warrior-king. Vaiśravana is based on Kubera, the Hindu deity of wealth.

Apedemak or Apademak (originally, due to the absence of the /p/ phoneme in Meroitic, it was probably pronounced 'abademak' (Father king, Aba meaning father and mak meaning king) ) was a major deity in the ancient Nubian and Kushite pantheon. Often depicted as a figure with a male human torso and a lion head, and at the temple of Naqa with a snakes body and a lion's head. Apedemak also appears as a three-headed leonine god with four arms., Apedemak was a war god worshiped by the Meroitic peoples inhabiting Kush. There are no counterparts of him in Ancient Egyptian religion, As a war god, Apedem

Ḫaldi (d,Ḫaldi, also known as Khaldi) was one of the three chief deities of Urartu (Urarat/Ararat Kingdom) along with Teisheba and Shivini. He was a warrior god to whom the kings of Urartu would pray for victories in battle. Ḫaldi was portrayed as a man with or without wings, standing on a lion.

Mangala (, IAST: ) is the personification, as well as the name for the planet Mars, in Hindu literature. Also known as Lohita (), he is the deity of anger, aggression, as well as war. According to Vaishnavism, he is the son of Bhumi, the earth goddess, and Vishnu, born when the latter raised her from the depths of the primordial waters in his Varaha avatar. According to Shaivism, he was born from the god Shiva through a drop of his blood or sweat.

Resheph (also Reshef and many other variants, see below; Eblaite , Rašap, , ršp, Egyptian '', , ršp, Rešep̄'') was a god associated with war and plague, originally worshiped in Ebla in the third millennium BCE. He was one of the main members of the local pantheon, and was worshiped in numerous hypostases, some of which were associated with other nearby settlements, such as Tunip. He was associated with the goddess Adamma, who was his spouse in Eblaite tradition. Eblaites considered him and the Mesopotamian god Nergal to be equivalents, most likely based on their shared role as war deities.

Japanese prince

Mixcoatl (, from mixtli "cloud" and cōātl "serpent"), or Camaxtle or Camaxtli, was the god of the hunt and identified with the Milky Way, the stars, and the heavens in several Mesoamerican cultures. He was the patron deity of the Otomi, the Chichimecs, and several groups that claimed descent from the Chichimecs. Under the name of Camaxtli, Mixcoatl was worshipped as the central deity of Huejotzingo and Tlaxcala.

thumbnail|230px|right|Statue of Xiuhtecuhtli in the British Museum. In Aztec mythology, Xiuhtēcuhtli ("Turquoise Lord" or "Lord of Fire"), was the god of fire, day and heat. In historical sources he is called by many names, which reflect his varied aspects and dwellings in the three parts of the cosmos. He was the lord of volcanoes, the personification of life after death, warmth in cold (fire), light in darkness and food during famine. He was also named Cuezaltzin ("flame") and Ixcozauhqui , and is sometimes considered to be the same as Huehueteotl ("Old God"), although Xiuhtecuhtli is usuall

Chiyou () is a mythological being that appears in Chinese mythology. He was a tribal leader of the Nine Li tribe () in ancient China. He is best known as a king who lost against the future Yellow Emperor during the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors era in Chinese mythology. According to the Song dynasty history book Lushi, Chiyou's surname was Jiang (), and he was a descendant of the Flame Emperor.

Ōkuninushi (; historical orthography: , ), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (Oho(a)namuchi) or Ō(a)namochi (Oho(a)namochi) among other variants, is a kami (divine figure) in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the myth cycle recorded in the () and the (720) alongside the sun goddess Amaterasu and her brother, the wild god Susanoo, who is reckoned to be either Ōkuninushi's distant ancestor or father. In these texts, he is portrayed as the head of the kunitsukami (gods of the earth) and the original ruler of the lush terrestrial world, .

Zababa (, dza-ba4-ba4, ) was a Mesopotamian god. He was the tutelary deity of the city of Kish and was regarded as a god of war. He was initially seen as a son of Enlil, though in Assyria during the reign of Sennacherib, he started to be viewed as a son of Ashur instead. The goddess Bau came to be viewed as his wife after her introduction to Kish in the Old Babylonian period.

Roman deity and personification of bravery and military strength

Vahagn or Vahakn (), also known as Vahagn Vishapakagh (), is a warrior god in the Zoroastrian-influenced Armenian mythology. Scholars consider him to be either the thunder, or sun and fire god of the pre-Christian Armenian pantheon, as well as the god of war, bravery and victory. He formed a triad with Aramazd and Anahit. Vahagn is etymologically derived from *Warahraγn, the Parthian name for the Iranian god Verethragna, although there are key differences between the two deities.

thumb|Veve of Ogoun Ogun (Yoruba: Ògún) is a major Orisha in the Yoruba religion that is also adopted in several other African religions. Ògún is revered as a powerful deity of war, iron, hunting, metalworking, metallurgy, blacksmiths, technology, innovation, and divine judgement, as well as of rum and rum-making. He is present in Yoruba religion, Santería, Haitian Vodou, West African Vodun, Candomblé, Umbanda and the folk religion of the Gbe people. According to some legends, as a human, he attempted to seize the throne of Ife Empire after the demise of Ọbàtálá, who reigned twice, before and

is a syncretic Japanese deity of fortune, luck and wealth. Daikokuten originated from Mahākāla, the Buddhist conflated with the native Shinto god Ōkuninushi. He is a patron of farmers, cooks and jobs related to money such as bankers.

Svarozhits (Latin: Zuarasiz, Zuarasici, Old East Slavic: Сварожиць, Russian: Сваро́жич, Сваро́жиц), Svarozhich (Old East Slavic: Сварожичь, Russian: Сварожич) is a Slavic god of fire, son of Svarog. One of the few Pan-Slavic gods, he is most likely identical with Radegast or its regional variant; it is also but much less often identified with Dazhbog.

thumb|right|Aureus depicting Honos bearing an [[olive branch and a cornucopia.]] Honos () or Honor () was the Roman god personifying honor. He was closely associated with Virtus, the goddess of manliness, or bravery, and the two are frequently depicted together. Honos is typically shown wearing a chaplet of bay leaves, while Virtus is identified by her helmet.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Sanskrit: धृतराष्ट्र; Pali: Dhataraṭṭha) is one of the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism, the King of the Gandhabbas, known as the guardian of the eastern direction and a protector of the Dharma. He is also widely revered in East Asian Buddhist traditions.

Rugiaevit, Rugievit () or Ruyevit is a god of the Slavic Rani worshipped on Rügen, mentioned in only two sources: Gesta Danorum and in Knýtlinga saga. His temple, along with those of Porevit and Porenut, was located in the gord of Charenza, probably today's Garz. The statue of him had seven faces, seven swords at his belt and an eighth one in his hand. Under his lips was a nest of swallows. Mostly associated with the sphere of war, but also sexual.

Yarovit, Iarovit (or Yerovit, Ierovit) is a Polabian god of war, worshipped in Vologošč (Circipanians) and Hobolin (Hobolians; modern Havelberg). Sources give only a brief description of his cult, his main temple was located in Vologošč, where there was a golden shield belonging to Yarovit. By one Christian monk he was identified with the Roman Mars.

ʿAṯtar is a deity whose role, name, and even gender varied across ancient Semitic religion. In both genders, ʿAṯtar is identified with the planet Venus, the morning and evening star. ʿAṯtar is a prominent character in the Baal Cycle. It has been suggested that ʿAṯtar as a masculine Venus god was syncretized into the depiction of feminine Venus goddess Inanna in her depiction as having a masculine beard.

__FORCETOC__ Ōyama-tsumi (Old Japanese Opoyama-tumi; Kojiki: or Nihon Shoki: , , ), also '''Ōyama-tsumi-mi'oya-no-mikoto (), is a god of mountains, sea, and war in Japanese mythology. He is an elder brother of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. His other names are Watashi-no-Ōkami () and Sakatoke''' ().

sea monster in Finnish mythology

In Etruscan mythology and religion, Laran (or Larun) is the god of war. In art, he was portrayed as a naked youth wearing a helmet, a cuirass and carrying a spear, shield, or lance. Laran also appears to be an underworld god. Among his attributes is his responsibility to maintain peace. According to some scholars, he also seems to have been the guardian of boundaries as shown by the boundary cippi found in Bettona with the inscriptions tular Larna and tular larns. Along with eight other Etruscan gods, he can wield lightning. Due to the Tabula Capuana we know that the Laran festival was celebra

In Greek mythology, Polemos or Polemus ( Pólemos; "war") was a daemon; a divine personification or embodiment of war. No cult practices or myths are known for him, and as an abstract representation he figures mainly in allegory and philosophical discourse. The Roman counterpart of this figure was Bellum.

Ninĝirsu was a Mesopotamian god regarded as the tutelary deity of the city of Ĝirsu, and as the chief god of the local pantheon of the state of Lagash. He shares many aspects with the god Ninurta. Ninĝirsu was identified as a local hypostasis of Ninurta in a syncretism that is documented at the latest by the time of Gudea in the late third millennium BC. Assyriologists are divided on the question of whether they were originally two manifestations of the same god, or two separate deities.

Tishpak (Tišpak) was a Mesopotamian god associated with the ancient city Eshnunna and its sphere of influence, located in the Diyala area of Iraq. He was primarily a war deity, but he was also associated with snakes, including the mythical mushussu and bashmu, and with kingship.

Al-Qaum () was the Nabataean god of war and the night, and guardian of caravans. He was also known as the “Protector of the Clan.”

Mesopotamian god from Umma

Camulus or Camulos is a Celtic deity who was identified with Mars via interpretatio romana. Camulus was an important god of Roman Britain and Gaul, especially among the Belgae and the Remi, Gaulish tribes that originate from the areas of modern day Belgium, Luxembourg, Northern France and parts of Germany and the Netherlands.

thumb|Earthquake-warding song (a namazu-e woodblock pamphlet, October 1855). The figure holding down the [[Namazu (mythical catfish) is believed to be Takemikazuchi.]]

Chinese deity associated with flood control

thumb|260px|Hera and Enyalius (Ares) who fights against Daedalus ([[Hephaestus) on an Apulian red-figure calyx krater, ca. 350-340 BC, British Museum.]]

Pabilsaĝ ( /pabilsaŋ/; also romanized as Pabilsag) was a Mesopotamian god. Not much is known about his role in Mesopotamian religion, though it is known that he could be regarded as a bow-armed warrior deity, as a divine cadastral officer or a judge. He might have also been linked to healing, though this remains disputed. In his astral aspect, first attested in the Old Babylonian period, he was a divine representation of the constellation Sagittarius.

In Hawaiian religion, Kū is one of the four great gods. The other three are Kanaloa, Kāne, and Lono. Some feathered god images or akua hulu manu are considered to represent Kū. Kū is worshiped under many names, including Kūkāilimoku, the "Snatcher of Land". Rituals for Kūkailimoku included human sacrifice, which was not part of the worship of other gods.

In Māori mythology, Rongo or Rongo-mā-Tāne (also Rongo-hīrea, Rongo-marae-roa, and Rongo-marae-roa-a-Rangi) is a major god (atua) of cultivated plants, especially kūmara, a vital crop. Other crops cultivated by Māori in traditional times included taro, yams (uwhi), cordyline (tī), and gourds (hue). Because of their tropical origin, most of these crops were difficult to grow except in the far north of the North Island, hence the importance of Rongo in New Zealand.

In Māori mythology, Tūmatauenga (Tū of the angry face) is the primary god () of war and human activities such as hunting, food cultivation, fishing, and cooking.