A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheistic religions.
Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been portrayed in their mythologies as commanding war in order to spread religion. (The intimate connection between "holy war" and the "one true god" belief of monotheism has been noted by many scholars, including Jonathan Kirsch in his book God Against The Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism and Joseph Campbell in The Masks of God, Vol. 3: Occidental Mythology.)
The following is a list of war deities:
Africa Egyptian
Anat-- also known as Anath-- was a goddess of fertility, sexuality, love, and war. She was the sister of Baal Anhur, god of war, not a native god Anuke, a goddess of war and consort of Anhur Apedemak, the lion god of war: he is sometimes depicted with three heads Bast, cat-headed goddess associated with war, protection of Lower Egypt and the pharaoh, the sun, perfumes, ointments, and embalming Horus, god of the king, the sky, war, and protection Maahes, lion-headed god of war Menhit, goddess of war, "she who massacres" Montu, falcon-headed god of war, valor, and the Sun Neith, goddess of war, hunting, and wisdom Pakhet, goddess of war Satis, deification of the floods of the Nile River and an early war, hunting, and fertility goddess Sekhmet, goddess of warfare, pestilence, and the desert Set, god of the desert and storms, associated with war Sobek, god of the Nile, the army, military, fertility, and crocodiles Sopdu, god of the scorching heat of the summer sun, associated with war Wepwawet, wolf-god of war and death who later became associated with Anubis and the afterlife
Berber Gurzil, bull-headed warrior god. Morris, Arnold Hugh Martin Jones, John Robert: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire p. 612
Nilo-Saharan Nubian Apedemak, Nubian lion-headed warrior god.
Western African-Congo Yoruba Ogun, oriṣa of war and iron Oya, warrior oriṣa of storms and the dead.
Eastern African-Congo Igbo Amadioha Ekwensu
Ethiopian Maher, god of war. Kenya Kalenjin Boryet, Kipsigis Death-wielding god of war. Boryet (also luket) is the act of war. Death (Me'et) is observed as a consequence of war. War is thus personified as such.
Ghanaian Akan
Tano, god of war and strife for the Akan, and additionally god of thunder for the northern Akan peoples, such as the Asante Sakumo, the deity of war and duels, guardian of the Ga tribe. Afua Kranka, goddess of conquest, bloodlust, brutality, war, and battle. Nkunim, spirit of victory in battle.
Europe
Balto-Slavic
Baltic Kara Māte, Latvian goddess of war Kauriraris, Lithuanian god of war and war steeds Junda, Lithuanian goddess of war Perkūnas, god of thunder and lightning, associated with war
Slavic Jarovit, god of vegetation, fertility, and spring, also associated with war and harvest Perun, god of thunder and lightning, associated with war Svetovid, god of war, fertility, and abundance Zorya Utrennyaya, goddess of the morning star, sometimes depicted as a warrior goddess who protected men in battle
Celtic Agrona, reconstructed Proto-Celtic name for the river Aeron in Wales, and possibly the name of an associated war goddess Alaisiagae, a pair of goddesses worshipped in Roman Britain, with parallel Celtic and Germanic titles Andarta, Brittonic goddess theorized to be associated with victory, overcoming enemies, war Andraste, Gaulish warrior goddess Anann, Irish goddess of war, death, predicting death in battle, cattle, prosperity, and fertility Atepomarus, god of horses, horsemen, and healing. Badb, Irish goddess of war who took the form of a crow; member of the Morrígan Bandua, Gallaecian god of war Belatucadros, war god worshipped by soldiers and equated with the Roman war god Mars Camulus, god of war of the Belgic Remi and British Trinovantes Catubodua, Gaulish goddess assumed to be associated with victory Caturix, god of war Cicolluis, Gaulish and Irish god associated with war Cocidius, Romano-British god associated with war, hunting and forests Macha, Irish goddess associated with war, horses, and sovereignty; member of the Morrígan Mars Cnabetius, Gaelic god of war The Morrígan, Irish triple goddess associated with sovereignty, prophecy, war, and death on the battlefield Neit, Irish god of war, husband of Nemain of Badb Nemain, Irish goddess of the frenzied havoc of war; member of the Morrígan Rudianos, Gaulish god of war Segomo, Gaulish god of war Teutates, British and Gaulish god of war and the tribe Lusitanian Neto, god believed to be associated with war, death, and weaponry
Norse-Germanic
Continental Germanic Baduhenna, a western Frisii goddess of warfare Idis (Germanic)/itis/ides, the West Germanic cognates of North Germanic dís, they are connected with battle magic and fettering enemy armies Sandraudiga, goddess whose name may mean "she who dyes the sand red", suggesting she is a war deity or at least has a warrior aspect Týr, god of war, single combat, law, justice, and the thing, who later lost much of his religious importance and mythical role to the god Wōden Wōden, god associated with wisdom, poetry, war, victory, and death
Norse
Dís, a group of lesser goddesses who are sometimes connected with battle magic; valkyrie may be a kenning for them Freyja, goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr, war, and death Odin, god associated with wisdom, war, battle, and death Týr, god associated with law, justice, victory, and heroic glory Ullr, god associated with archery, skiing, bows, hunting, single combat, and glory Valkyries, choosers of the slain and connected to Odin, ruler of Valhalla; they may be the same as the dís above
Graeco-Roman Greek / Hellenic
Alala, spirit of the war cry Alke, spirit of courage and battle-strength Amphillogiai, goddesses of disputes Androktasiai, spirits of battlefield slaughter Ares, the main Greek god of war Athena, goddess of wisdom, war strategy, and weaving Bia, personification of force and compulsion Castor and Pollux, twin brothers that were the gods of war, sailors, and the constellation Gemini. Deimos, personification of terror Enyalius, god of war; in early periods apparently an epithet of Ares, they were differentiated later Enyo, goddess of war, sometimes appears to be identical to Eris Eris, goddess of discord and strife Hera, in the Illiad she has a martial character and fights (victoriously) against Artemis; however, this warlike aspect of her appears nowhere else in the surviving corpus, suggesting it was dropped early on Homados, spirit of the din of battle Hysminai, female spirits of fighting and combat Ioke, spirit of onslaught, battle-tumult, and pursuit Keres, female spirits of violent or cruel death, including death in battle, by accident, murder, or ravaging disease Kratos, personification of strength and power Kydoimos, spirit of the din of battle Makhai, male spirits of fighting and combat Nike, personification of victory Palioxis, spirit of backrush, flight, and retreat from battle Pallas, Titan god of war-craft and of the springtime campaign season Perses, the Titan of destruction Phobos, spirit of panic, fear, flight, and battlefield rout Phonoi, spirits of murder, killing, and slaughter Polemos, spirit of war Proioxis, spirit of onrush and battlefield pursuit Zelus, personification of zeal Zeus Stratios, Zeus had the epithet Stratios (Στράτιος), which means "of armies".pseudo-Aristotle, De mundo, Aristotelis Opera, Volume 3, Oxford, Bekker, 1837
Roman
Bellona, goddess of war Hercules Invictus Honos, god of chivalry, honor, and military justice Juno, has a consistent martial character and the patron goddess of Rome, the mother of Mars and Bellona Mars, god of war and agriculture, equivalent to Ares as far as being war gods; aside from this they have very little in common Nerio, warrior goddess and personification of valor Victoria, personification of victory, equivalent to the Greek goddess Nike Virtus, god of bravery and military strength Etruscan Laran, god of war. Menrva, goddess of war, art, wisdom, and health
Balkan Danubian Rider Sabazios Thracian Rider
Uralic Hungarian Hadúr, god of war and the metalsmith of the god Finnish
Ukko, god of the weather, sky and thunder, often associated with fertility and war
Asia Turkic Kyzaghan, Turkic deity of war Mongolian Begtse, originally a Mongolian war god, was later adopted into Tibetan Buddhism Dayisun Tngri
East Asia Chinese
Chiyou, god of war Di Qing, Star of Military Fortune, God of Valor Erlang Shen, a three-eyed warrior Guan Yu, Han dynasty general. God of loyalty, righteousness, and valor. Jinzha, marshal of the center altar Jiutian Xuannü, goddess of war, sex, and longevity Li Jing, Guardian of Celestial Palace Muzha, marshal of the center altar Nezha Wang Shan, Song dynasty general. Primordial Lord-General of Heaven. Guardian of Celestial Palace Wen Qionghttp://etheses.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/pdf/004777762.pdf Yue Fei Zhao Lang (Zhao Gongming), God of Military Fortune, Guardian of Celestial Palace, Protector of Households Xue Rengui, Tang dynasty general.
Japanese
Futsunushi, god of swords, warfare and martial arts, and conquest; General of Amaterasu and god of the Mononobe clan Hachiman Daimyōjin, Shinto god of war (on land) and agriculture, divine protector of the Minamoto clan; mostly worshipped by samurai Sarutahiko, god of war and misogi. Takemikazuchi, god of war, conquest, martial arts, sumo, swords, and lightning; general of the Amatsukami; god of Kashima and Ujigami of Nakatomi clan Suwa Myōjin (Takeminakata-no-kami), god of hunting, valor and duty, protector of the Japanese religion Bishamonten, god of war who protected Buddhist temples
Korean Ch'oe Yŏng, general of Goryeo period, god of shamans, protector of humanity. Pagunseong, the star at the edge of the Big Dipper in Taoism, symbolizing swords. Baekmashinjang, god of war who rides a white horse. Dungapshinjang, god of war who has the ability of shapeshifting. Byeorakshinjang, god of war who uses thunder and lightning, sometimes punishes the evil. Damuncheonwang, Buddhist god of war. Seonangshin, a god of war
Southeast Asia Filipino
Chacha’: the Bontok god of warriorsCawed, C. (1972). The Culture of the Bontoc Igorot. Manila: MCS Enterprises . Hipag: the Ifugao spirits of war that give soldiers courage on the field of war but are ferocious and cannibalisticJocano, F. L. (1969). Philippine Mythology. Quezon City: Capitol Publishing House Inc. Apolaqui: the Pangasinense war godAduerte, D. (2014). The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898: Volume XXXII, 1640. CreateSpace Independent Publishing. Aring Sinukûan: the Kapampangan solar deity governing war and death. He taught early humans metallurgy, woodcutting, rice cultivation, and warfareNicdao, A. (1917). Pampangan Folklore. Manila. Apolake: the Tagalog god of the sun and warriorsCalderon, S. G. (1947). Mga alamat ng Pilipinas. Manila : M. Colcol & Co. Sidapa: another Tagalog god of war, he specifically settles conflicts among mortalsDemetrio, F. R., Cordero-Fernando, G., & Zialcita, F. N. (1991). The Soul Book. Quezon City: GCF Books. Doce Pares: From the Spanish "Twelve Pairs", they are a group of twelve young Tagalog men who went on a quest to retrieve the Golden Calf of Mount Banahaw, together with José Rizal as a culture hero. They are said to return as giants, bearing the Golden Calf, to aid mankind in war.Mojares, R. B. (1974). Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society Vol. 2, No. 3: The Myth of the Sleeping Hero: Three Philippine Cases. University of San Carlos Publications. Balangaw: a Hiligaynon and Bisaya god of the rainbow and warLoarca, Miguel de. (1582) 1903. Relation of the Filipinas Islands. In Blair and Robertson, The Philippine Islands 5.