In religion, a nature deity is a deity in charge of forces of nature, such as water, biological processes, or weather. These deities can also govern natural features such as mountains, trees, or volcanoes. Accepted in animism, pantheism, panentheism, polytheism, deism, totemism, shamanism, Taoism, Hinduism, and paganism, the nature deity can embody a number of archetypes including mother goddess, Mother Nature, or lord of the animals.
African
Akan mythology Asase Yaa, Mother of the Dead and the goddess of the harsh earth and truth Asase Afua, the goddess of the lush earth, fertility, love, procreation and farming Bia, personification of the Bia River and god of the wilderness and wild animals Tano, personification of the Tano River and god of the river and thunder
Bantu mythology
Jengu, Sawabantu and Duala water spirits Nyambe, Bantu Supreme deity and god of the sun Nzambi, Bakongo Sky Father and god of the sun Nzambici, Bakongo Sky Mother and goddess of the moon and earth Simbi, Bakongo nature spirits of the water and forest
Egyptian mythology Ash, god of the oasis and the vineyards of the western Nile Delta Geb, god of earth Nut, sky goddess and sister and wife of Geb
Igbo mythology
Ala, Igbo alusi, goddess of the earth, morality, fertility, and creativity Amadioha, Igbo alusi, god of thunder and lightning Anyanwu, Igbo alusi, sun goddess of good fortune, knowledge, and wisdom
Voodoo mythology
Mawu-Lisa, Dahomey goddess of creation, the sun, and the moon Xɛvioso, Dahomey god of thunder
Yoruba mythology Aja, Yoruba orisha of whirlwinds, the forest, forest animals, and herbal healers Ayé, personification of the Earth Babalú-Ayé, orisha of the Earth, healing and disease Erinlẹ, orisha of nature, the Earth and the Erinle River Ọba, orisha of fidelity, passing of time and life, and the Oba River Oko, orisha of farming, harvest and of hunting Ọsanyin, orisha of the forest, herbs, and healing Oshosi, orisha, patron of the forest and of hunting Oshun, orisha of sweet water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality Ọya, orisha of storms, wind and the Niger River
Zulu mythology
iNyanga, Zulu moon goddess Nomhoyi, Zulu goddess of rivers Nomkhubulwane, Zulu goddess mother of fertility, rain, agriculture, rainbow, and beer Unsondo, Zulu god of the sky, sun, thunder, and earthquakes
American
Aztec mythology Xochipilli, god of art, games, beauty, dance, flowers, maize, and song Xochiquetzal, goddess of fertility, beauty, female sexuality, protection of young mothers, pregnancy, childbirth, vegetation, flowers, and the crafts of women Tonantzin, mother goddess Chicomecōātl, a goddess of agriculture
Brazilian mythology/Guarani mythology Curupira, a powerful demon or forest spirit and guardian of nature
Haitian Vodou Baron Samedi, loa of the dead Grand Bois, loa associated with trees, plants and herbs L'inglesou, loa who lives in the wild areas of Haiti and kills anyone who offends him Loco, loa associated with healers and plants, especially trees
Inca mythology Pachamama, fertility goddess who presides over planting, harvesting and earthquakes
Maya mythology Yum Kaax, god of agriculture, wild plants and animals
Native American mythology Asintmah, Athabaskan earth and nature goddess, and the first woman to walk the earth Ngen, Mapuche spirits of nature
Asian
Chinese mythology Dou Mu Niang Niang, Mother Goddess of the Big Dipper Tai Sui, Star deities of sixty years cycle Chang'e, moon goddess Lei Gong, god of thunder Hou Tu Niang Niang, Mother Earth and Overlord of all Tu Di Gong Tu Di Gong, earth deity of a specific locality and nearby human communities Gonggong, ancient god of water Zhurong, ancient god of fire Hebo, god of Yellow River San Shan Guo Wang, lords of the Three Mountains in Southern China
Hinduism Yaksha, are a broad class of nature spirits. Their female counterpart are known as Yakshini. Prithvi or Bhumi, goddess regarded as "Mother Earth"; Sanskrit for Earth Agni, god of fire Varuna, god of oceans Vayu, god of wind Indra, god of rain, lightning and thunders Aranyani, goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within it
Japanese mythology Amaterasu, goddess of the sun Izanagi, forefather of the gods, god of creation and life and first male Izanami, Izanagi's wife and sister, goddess of creation and death, first female Konohanasakuya-hime, the blossom princess and symbol of delicate earthly life Shinigami, god of death Suijin, god of water Fūjin, god of wind Kagu-tsuchi, god of fire Susanoo, god of storms, (fertility in Izumo legends), younger brother to Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi Tsukuyomi, god of the moon and oceans, younger brother of Amaterasu and older brother of Susanoo
Korean mythology Dangun, god-king of Gojoseon, god of the mountain Dokkaebi, nature spirits Lady Saso, goddess of the mountain Jacheongbi, goddess of the grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment Jeonggyun Moju, mother of Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and Ijinashi of Daegaya, goddess of the mountain Jik, god of grains Sa, god of the earth Sansin, local mountain gods
Philippine mythology
Amihan, Tagalog god of the monsoon Apúng Sinukuan (Maria Sinukuan), Kapampangan mountain goddess associated with Mount Arayat Dumakulem, god of mountains Dumangan, a Tagalog god of good harvest Lakapati or Ikapati, goddess of cultivated land and agriculture Dayang Masalanta (Maria Makiling), Tagalog mountain goddess associated with Mount Makiling Mayari goddess of the moon Kan-Laon, Visayan god of time associated with the volcano Kanlaon Tala, Tagalog goddess of the morning and evening star
Vietnamese mythology Ông Trời, god of the heaven/sky and king of the gods Mẫu Thượng Thiên, goddess of the heavens/skies Thiên Y A Na, the goddess has the same job as the Mẫu Thượng Thiên Mẫu Thượng Ngàn, goddess of the mountains and forests Tản Viên Sơn Thánh, god of Ba Vì mountain range Mẫu Thoải, the goddess who governs all things related to water Mẫu Địa, goddess of the earth Lạc Long Quân, one of the Long Vươngs at the head of the Water Palace
Western Asian
Arab mythology Dhat-Badan, Yemeni and Horn African goddess of the oasis
Armenian mythology Ara the Handsome, a dying-and-rising agricultural deity Aralez, winged dog-like creatures with the ability to resurrect the dead by licking wounds Areg (Arev) or Ar, god of the Sun Astłik, deity of fertility and love Tsovinar, also known as "Nar of the Sea", goddess of waters and the ocean Mihr, cognate with the Mithra and god of the sun and light Spandaramet, chthonic goddess of fertility, vineyards, and the underworld Vishap, a dragon closely associated with water
Hittite mythology Irpitiga, lord of the earth Sarruma, god of the mountains
Mesopotamian mythology Abu, minor Sumerian god of plants Damu, vegetation god Emesh, Sumerian god of vegetation Kishar, goddess representing the earth Ningishzida, vegetation god Ninhursag, Sumerian mother goddess associated with the earth and fertility Ningikuga, Sumerian goddess of reeds and marshes Ua-Ildak, Babylonian and Akkadian goddess responsible for pastures and poplar trees Ki, an earth goddess Enten, god of fertility and agriculture
Persian mythology Spenta Armaiti, goddess of earth Ameretat, goddess of vegetation Haurvatat, goddess associated with water Anahita, goddess of waters Tishtrya, god of rain and lightning Apam Napat, god of waters
Turco-Mongol Umay, the goddess of nature, love and fertility in Turkic mythology. Also known as Yer Ana. İye, deities or spirits or natural assets. Baianai, the god of the forest, animals, and hunt in Turkic mythology. Ukulan, the god of water in Turkic mythology
European Albanian mythology Zana e Malit, Albanian goddess of forests, Rivers, streams, nature, animals
Baltic mythology Medeina, Lithuanian goddess of forests, trees, and animals Zemes māte, goddess of the earth
Celtic mythology Abnoba, Gaulish goddess associated with forests and rivers Artio, Gaulish bear goddess of the wilderness Arduinna, goddess of the Ardennes forest region Cernunnos, god associated with horned male animals, produce, and fertility Druantia, hypothetical Gallic tree goddess proposed by Robert Graves in his 1948 study The White Goddess; popular with Neopagans. Erecura Romanized-Celtic Goddess of grain and bread (wife of Dis Pater). Nantosuelta, Gaulish goddess of nature, the earth, fire, and fertility Sucellus, god of agriculture, forests, and alcoholic drinks Viridios, god of vegetation, rebirth, and agriculture, possibly cognate with the Green Man Sínann, Irish goddess, embodiment of the River Shannon, the longest river on Ireland, and a goddess of wisdom
English mythology Apple Tree Man, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchardBriggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books. pp. 9–10. . Churnmilk Peg, female guardian spirit of unripe nut thickets Melsh Dick is the male counterpart to Churnmilk PegWright, Elizabeth Mary (1913). Rustic Speech and Folk-Lore. Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 198.
Etruscan mythology Fufluns, god of plant life, happiness, wine, health, and growth in all things Selvans, god of the woodlands Artumes, goddess of the hunt, woodlands, the night, and the wild
Finnish mythology Lempo, god of wilderness and archery Tapio, god and ruler of forests Mielikki, goddess of forests and the hunt. Wife of Tapio.
Georgian mythology Dali, goddess of mountain animals such as ibex and deer
Germanic mythology Ēostre or Ostara, the goddess of spring Fjörgyn, the female personification of the earth. She is also the mother of the goddess Frigg and, very rarely, mother of Thor Freyja, goddess of fertility, gold, death, love, beauty, war and magic Freyr, god of fertility, rain, sunlight, life and summer Iðunn the goddess of spring who guards the apples that keep the gods eternally young; wife of the god BragiWorld English Dictionary Jörð, personification of the earth and the mother of Thor Nerthus, goddess of the earth, called by the Romans Terra Mater Njörð, god of the sea, fishing, and fertility Rán, goddess of the sea, storms, and death Skaði, goddess of mountains, skiing, winter, archery and hunting Sif, goddess of earth, fertility, and the harvest Thor, god of thunder, lightning, weather, oak trees, and fertility Ullr, god of hunting, archery, skiing, and mountains
Germanic folklore Nøkken, male water spirit Elf, beautiful, fairy-like creature that lives in the forest and streams
Greek mythology Anthousai, flower nymphs Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and fertility Apollo, god of the sun, light, healing, poetry and music, and archery Aristaeus, god of shepherds, cheesemaking, beekeeping, honey, honey-mead, olive growing, oil milling, medicinal herbs, hunting, and the Etesian winds Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the dark, the light, the moon, wild animals, nature, wilderness, childbirth, virginity, fertility, young girls, and health and plague in women and childhood Aurae, nymphs of the breezes Chloris, goddess of flowers Cronus, god of the harvest Cybele, Phrygian goddess of the fertile earth and wild animals Demeter, goddess of the harvest, crops, the fertility of the earth, grains, and the seasons Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, pleasure, madness, and festivity. The Roman equivalent is Bacchus.Walter Burkert, (1985) Greek Religion, Harvard University Press, . Dryads, tree and forest nymphs Epimeliades, nymphs of highland pastures and protectors of sheep flocks Gaia, primal mother goddess and goddess of the earth and its personification Hamadryades, oak tree dryads Hegemone, goddess of plants, specifically making them bloom and bear fruit as they were supposed to Helios, Titan-god of the sun Horae, goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time Meliae, nymphs of honey and the ash tree Nymphs, nature spirits