Most ancient cultures are full of stories about ‘The Gods’ visiting earth throughout history. I have tried to list some gods from ancient cultures here and would add more and expand in detail soon.

Gods from Ancient Cultures Around the World

Ancient Egypt

Ra – The sun god and creator, who sailed across the sky each day and through the underworld at night. Worshippers saw him as the life-giver, and he was often depicted with a solar disk above his head.

Osiris – God of the afterlife, resurrection, and fertility. According to myth, Osiris was murdered by his brother Set, resurrected by Isis, and became ruler of the underworld.

Isis – Goddess of magic, motherhood, and healing. She was revered for her devotion to Osiris and Horus and became a symbol of divine feminine power.

Anubis – Jackal-headed god of mummification and protector of tombs. He guided souls through the afterlife and weighed their hearts against the feather of Ma’at.

Horus – Falcon-headed god of the sky, associated with kingship. Pharaohs were seen as the living embodiment of Horus on earth.

Ancient Greece

Zeus – King of the gods and ruler of the sky, known for wielding thunderbolts. He presided over Mount Olympus and was associated with law and order.

Hera – Goddess of marriage and queen of the gods. She was a protector of women but was also known for her jealous and vengeful nature.

Athena – Goddess of wisdom, war strategy, and crafts. She was born fully armed from Zeus’s head and became the patron deity of Athens.

Apollo – God of the sun, music, prophecy, and healing. Worshippers visited his oracle at Delphi to seek divine guidance.

Hades – God of the underworld and ruler of the dead. Though feared, he was not considered evil but a necessary force of balance.

Ancient Rome

Jupiter – Roman counterpart of Zeus, king of the gods and god of the sky and thunder.

Mars – God of war and guardian of Rome, revered as a father of the Roman people.

Venus – Goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, believed to have been born from sea foam.

Janus – Unique two-faced god of beginnings, endings, and transitions. He was worshipped at doorways and gates.

Norse (Scandinavia)

Odin – Allfather, god of wisdom and war. He sacrificed one of his eyes at Mimir’s well to gain cosmic knowledge.

Thor – God of thunder and protector of mankind. His hammer, Mjölnir, was used to bless marriages and protect the world from giants.

Freyja – Goddess of love, fertility, and magic. She had a chariot drawn by cats and presided over half the fallen warriors in battle.

Loki – Trickster god and shapeshifter. Though clever and mischievous, he was destined to bring about Ragnarok, the end of the gods.

Mesopotamia

Anu – Sky god and chief deity in the Sumerian pantheon, associated with kingship and order.

Enlil – God of wind, air, and storms, considered a powerful and sometimes wrathful force.

Inanna/Ishtar – Goddess of love, war, and sexuality. She famously descended into the underworld and returned, symbolizing renewal.

Marduk – Babylonian chief god who defeated Tiamat, the primordial chaos serpent, and created the world from her body.

Hinduism (India)

Brahma – Creator god, part of the Trimurti, who brought the universe into existence.

Vishnu – Preserver god, known for taking avatars such as Rama and Krishna to restore cosmic order.

Shiva – Destroyer and transformer, revered as the master of meditation and cosmic dance.

Durga – Warrior goddess who slayed the buffalo demon Mahishasura, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.

Ganesha – Elephant-headed god of wisdom and remover of obstacles, worshipped before new ventures.

Indra – King of the Devas (gods), ruler of thunder and rain, and slayer of the dragon Vritra.

Surya – Sun god, depicted riding a chariot drawn by seven horses, symbolizing the seven days of the week.

Vayu – Wind god, father of the monkey-god Hanuman, and associated with life-giving breath (prana).

Chinese Mythology

Shangdi – Supreme deity in early Chinese religion, ruler of heaven and cosmic order.

Nuwa – Creator goddess who repaired the sky after it was shattered, shaping humanity from clay.

Guanyin – Goddess of mercy and compassion, protector of the suffering and lost.

Jade Emperor – Celestial ruler who presides over gods, spirits, and mortals.

Mesoamerican (Aztec, Maya)

Quetzalcoatl – Feathered serpent god, patron of knowledge, wind, and creation.

Huitzilopochtli – Aztec god of the sun and war, to whom human sacrifices were offered to sustain the sun.

Chaac – Maya god of rain, often depicted with a serpent-shaped axe to produce thunder.

Itzamna – Maya creator god and patron of writing, science, and medicine.

Celtic (Gaul, Ireland, Britain)

Dagda – Father of the gods, master of druidic magic, and keeper of a cauldron of plenty.

Brigid – Triple goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft, revered in both pagan and Christian traditions.

Lugh – God of light, skill, and craftsmanship, associated with harvest festivals.

Morrigan – War goddess of fate, appearing as a crow on battlefields to foretell death.