Hindu/Vedic
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Indian Subcontinent
Ancient Times
14 gods and goddesses
Hindu mythology encompasses thousands of years of religious and philosophical tradition from the Indian subcontinent. Centered on the Trimurti (Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer) and featuring countless gods, goddesses, and avatars.
The creator god and first member of the Trimurti. Brahma created the universe and all creatures. Depicted with four heads facing the four directions, representing omniscience.
The preserver and protector of the universe, second member of the Trimurti. Vishnu maintains cosmic order (dharma) and appears in various avatars to restore balance when evil threatens.
The destroyer and transformer, third member of the Trimurti. Shiva destroys the universe at the end of each cosmic cycle to allow recreation. God of meditation, yoga, and the arts.
Goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, and beauty. Consort of Vishnu, she incarnates alongside him in his avatars. She represents both material and spiritual prosperity.
Goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom, and learning. Consort of Brahma. She invented Sanskrit and the Devanagari script. Patron of students, artists, and scholars.
Goddess of power, fertility, love, and devotion. Consort of Shiva and mother of Ganesha and Kartikeya. Represents Shakti, the divine feminine creative power.
Fierce warrior goddess and protector of dharma. Form of Parvati who slayed the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Depicted riding a lion or tiger with multiple arms wielding divine weapons.
Fierce goddess of time, change, death, and ultimate reality. A form of Parvati/Durga. Despite her terrifying appearance, she destroys evil and liberates devotees from ego and illusion.
Elephant-headed god of wisdom, new beginnings, and remover of obstacles. Son of Shiva and Parvati. Worshipped before any new venture. Patron of arts and sciences.
Monkey deity symbolizing strength, devotion, and selfless service. Greatest devotee of Rama and central figure in the Ramayana. Son of the wind god Vayu.
Seventh avatar of Vishnu and hero of the Ramayana epic. Ideal man, son, husband, and king. His life demonstrates perfect adherence to dharma (duty).
Eighth avatar of Vishnu and central deity. As a child, a playful cowherd; as an adult, prince and charioteer who spoke the Bhagavad Gita.
King of the gods (Devas) and lord of heaven (Svarga). God of thunder, rain, and war. Slayer of the dragon Vritra. Rides the white elephant Airavata.
God of fire and messenger between gods and humans. Central to Vedic ritual, he carries offerings to the gods. Represents the sacrificial fire, digestive fire, and cosmic fire.
Epic tale of Prince Rama's exile, the abduction of his wife Sita by demon king Ravana, and the great war to rescue her. Demonstrates the ideals of dharma, duty, devotion, and righteous conduct.
Epic saga of the conflict between the Pandavas and Kauravas for the throne of Hastinapura, culminating in the great Kurukshetra war. Contains the Bhagavad Gita.
Gods and demons cooperate to churn the cosmic ocean to obtain amrita (nectar of immortality). Various precious things emerge, including Lakshmi, before finally the nectar appears.
The divine child Krishna grows up among cowherds in Vrindavan, performing miraculous feats: defeating demons sent to kill him, stealing butter from the village women, and revealing the entire universe within his mouth to his foster mother.
Parvati creates a son from her own body to guard her privacy. When Shiva returns home and the boy refuses him entry, Shiva beheads him in anger. To restore him, Shiva gives him the head of an elephant, creating Ganesha, the beloved remover of obstacles.
When the demon king Hiranyakashipu gains a boon that makes him nearly invincible, only his own son Prahlada remains devoted to Vishnu. The god appears as Narasimha, the man-lion avatar, to save the boy and destroy the tyrant.
King Dushyanta falls in love with the hermit girl Shakuntala, but a curse makes him forget her entirely. Only when she produces his ring does memory return, reuniting them after years of separation.
After the death of his first wife Sati, the god Shiva withdraws into eternal meditation. The goddess is reborn as Parvati, who through years of devotion and penance wins the heart of the ascetic god.
When Sita is held captive by the demon king Ravana, the monkey god Hanuman leaps across the ocean to Lanka, facing supernatural obstacles, to find her and bring hope before the war begins.