Deity Essays

Ashurnasirpal II and the Winged Deity Stone Panel in Bas-relief, Ashurnasirpal II and a Winged Deity (9th century B.C.E.) once lined the inner walls of the Northwest Palace of King Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud. Located, on the Tigris River in northern Iraq, Nimrud was the capital of Assyria during Ashurnasirpal II’s reign. The bas-relief, consisting of five panels, conveys the power of kingship by portraying Ashurnasirpal II’s importance and visually communicates the message of Ashurnasirpal II’s and

According to Greek mythology, there are multiple deities with human flaws. In the Hebrew Bible, only God is described as being all-powerful. This contrast reflects a major difference between the two belief systems: in polytheism, power is dispersed among many, whereas in monotheism, one omnipotent God has the ultimate authority. The gods in the Greek creation story exercised their power based on fear, while the God in Genesis exercised his power out of love, thus demonstrating that he is an all-powerful

Philo’s argument starts off with two premises: A “Deity” has unlimited power and knowledge, and anything that he wills, he will receive. Cleanthes and Demea both accept the premises to be true. Philo carries on by stating that since a “Deity” always receives what he wants, then he must not want neither man or animal to achieve happiness. Philo concludes his argument by stating that a “Deity” cannot be humane or compassionate because a man understands these phrases to show sympathy and concern for

was a common theme for male divinities of this time. Anhur is associated with the goddess Hathor who is the goddess of love, beauty, and motherhood. Enyo is described similarly to other war deities. She often carried a weapon like a sword or axe. This is common among war deities. Unlike most war deities Enyo is a

Most believe that this God is too distant and has limited contact with daily operation of human life. Native Americans and Africans have similar concepts of the high god. African and Native American religions recognize the presence of one supreme deity as well as the existence of God in multiple aspects. Both Africans and Native Americans believe that the high god is responsible for bringing the universe or the world into existence and after creating

The role deities play in the development of a culture is immense. There is, however, a mixed consensus of whether these gods are a positive or negative force within their respective pantheons. Some godlike entities are elevated with riches and power “ [Tiamat] who formed all things, made in addition weapons invincible; she spawned monster-serpents . . . Hurricanes, and raging hounds” (Myths pp. 17). Others are described as having an “appearance no different from mine; There is nothing strange in

sacredness to the idea and conception of a deity. When the abrahamic God of the Torah is brought into light, he is suppose to characterized as this omniscient, infallible being that’s almost too great for humans to conceptualize, but what is fascinating about the Torah, is we find that God is anthropomorphized in a way that characterizes him as this imperfect force that resembles the Greek gods, particularly Dionysus in the Bacchae. Both of the deities have contradictory traits that encapsulates

and Transformative Introduction Across the world and throughout history, religion has played a key part in providing a sense of understanding of our existence and the universe (McGivern). For both mono and polytheistic religions, the concept of a deity is integral to communicating these ideas in a more intimate and less abstract manner (Frey and Levison). More specifically, however, is the creation of entities who directly control aspects of life that are beyond our reach, such as natural disasters

Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson, is a modern day interpretation of the flood myth that incorporates several values the humanity embraces in the twenty-first century. In the traditional flood myth a deity of some form sends a flood to wipe out humanity, however in Seveneves this is not the case. Generally, the deity sends a flood to wipe out humanity because they are wicked. For example, in the Bible, “God, ups at mankind's wickedness, resolved

Greek Olympian gods. They had many famous gods, demi-gods, and other types of creatures. These beings may stretch from a minotaur to the god Athena. But, the three most famous of the deities are Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. These three gods are brothers and arguably the most powerful of all their gods and other deities. These beings shaped a lot of the literature and how the people of this time lived. These gods controlled everything that they did. Because they were afraid to make the gods mad; if this

jaguar god. Jaguars were often associated with fertility, royalty, and the earth, which was a common theme in Mayan culture (Willis, Roy G). Other deities of the underworld were God L, who was often depicted as wearing a muan bird headdress and sitting on a jaguar throne, and God N who was associated with a conch or turtle shell. Other important deities were Gucumatz, Ah mun, and God K. The four benevolent rain gods, known as the Chacs, demonstrated their presence through thunder and lightning (Willis

Julie Black stated, “in the mythology of ancient Mexico the world began not with a Genesis overseen by one almighty god, but with a creation resulting from a group effort of many gods and the courageous efforts of two in particular. One of these deities, a deformed god with a humble spirit, became the sun, and the other, the moon” (page 1). There were five different suns, each of them was significant in there own way and how the Aztec believed in them. When I went on Google images about The Sun

These temples were dedicated to an individual deity or in some case several deities that was represented in the form of a statue. Worshippers were forbidden from entering these sacred temples and the only people who were allowed to enter were priests. The priests would perform various rituals and sacrifices to on an

000 years ago. This mythology is known for the presence of the supreme being and other more minor “gods" or “spirits” known as Orishas which are both male and female, which continues to influence Southwestern Nigeria (Ogbado). Oshun is the Yoruba deity of love, sensuality, femininity, and is known for the myth of the creation (Jeffries). According to the author, ``Oshun is her name, but she is also an important figure outside of Africa where she is known by other names, such as Oxum in Brazil and

Christianity's God are two vastly different entities from two completely different belief systems. While the Greek gods are a collection of mythical figures that represent the forces of nature and human life, Christianity's God is a single, all-powerful deity who is the creator and ruler of the universe. The Greek gods are usually depicted as having human form, with superhuman powers, and they often take part in human affairs. They are usually portrayed as having human emotions and flaws, and they often

creator God called Chineke or Chukwu. They belief in spirits and ancestors. The high God is believed to be the creator God; He does not involve himself in the daily activities of the tribe or people. They belief He could be reached through other mini deities like Amadioha who is the god of thunder. Ancestors are believed to protect the people and they are responsible for rain, harvest, health and children. Alters and shrines are normally erected for this Gods for the purposes of daily worship. A shrine

not only plays a part in the spread of a religion but also can be inspiration or reflection for the religion itself. Many societies have numerous deities inspired by the landscape in and around their civilization. However, I believe not all religions drew inspiration from the land they lived in. Mesopotamian societies had multiple gods. Most deities represented cosmic forces of nature such as the sun, moon, water, and storms who were responsible for the creation of the earth (World Societies p

of the Hyksos, Thebes became the most prominent city in all of Egypt. With this came Thebes as Egypt's main cultural center and the rise of Amon as the central deity during the New Kingdom of Egypt. The popularity of this deity rose sharply, and eventually was merged with the sun god of Heliopolis, Ra or Re, to form Amon-Re, the creator deity and ultimate advisor of the pharaohs (Wikipedia.) Amon-Re affected Egypt as well as the rest of the world by unifying Egypt, influencing pharaohs that ruled under

of human mental experiences through comparative research. The Yoruba indigenous religion originated in West Africa, especially Nigeria, and is deeply rooted in Yoruba culture. Central to this belief system is the concept of Orodumare, the supreme deity or divine source of all creation. Considered transcendental and beyond human comprehension, Orodumea contains the ultimate reality. In Yoruba religious practises,

technically started by Gerald Gardner in the 1940s. Gardner reconstructed and reinvented ancient beliefs and practices to fit a modern age. Wiccans observe the turn of the seasons and the cycle of the moon. Wiccans embrace the existence of two main deities: the Goddess and the God. The moon and its changing phases are often considered the embodiment of the Goddess, while the sun is said to symbolize the God. The duality between feminine and masculine forces is what makes all life on Earth possible