List of sky deities

Jupiter, the sky father of Greco-Roman mythology

The sky has important religious significance. Most polytheistic religions have a deity or deities whose portfolio includes or is even limited to the sky or the heavens. While there are often multiple sky deities, sometimes this position is reserved for a deity who is conceived as reigning over the others, or at least is one of the most powerful. When the main sky deity was seen as feminine, she often held the title of the "Queen of Heaven." Ancient sky goddesses who held the title "Queen of Heaven" included Isis, Astarte, Ishtar, and Inanna. (The title was later applied to the Virgin Mary, along with various other features and attributes of ancient pagan goddesses.)

Another common conception is that of a complementary polarity between Earth and sky that may be ascribed genders as a mated pair. In some religions this takes the form of a Sky father and an Earth mother, while in other religions the mated couple are a sky goddess and an earth god. (For example, Nut and Geb in ancient Egypt.) In still other religions, there is a main pair of deities who rule the sky as husband and wife (for example, Zeus and Hera in ancient Greece), while a different pair of deities (e.g., Hades and Persephone) rule the Earth and/or chthonic realms. Along similar lines, some scholars of religion hold that Jehovah or Yahweh, the monotheistic deity of the Jewish bible, originally had a wife who was most likely the sky goddess Asherah. (See The Hebrew Goddess.) In some contemporary religions, the divine pair of sky deities are known as the "Heavenly Father" and the "Heavenly Mother."

Africa

Egyptian mythology

Amun, god of creation and the wind
Anhur, originally a foreign war god who became associated with the air god, Shu
Hathor, goddess connected with the sun and the waters in the sky on which the sun sailed
Horus, god of the sun, sky, kings and war
Mehet-Weret, goddess of the waters in the sky on which the sun sailed
Nut, goddess of the sky
Shu, god of the wind and air

Sub Saharan mythology

Achamán, Guanche creator and sky god
Achuhucanac, Guanche rain god, associated with the sky god Achamán
Badessy, Vodou loa associated with the sky
Denka, Dinka god of sky, rain and fertility
Khonvoum, supreme creator god and sky father of Mbuti Pygmies
Mulungu, Nyamwezi creator and sky god
Numakulla, a pair of creator and sky gods
Olorun, supreme deity, god of the sky, and heaven
Shango, Yoruba sky father and thunder god
Umvelinqangi, Zulu sky god
Utixo, Khoikhoi sky god
Xamaba, creator and sky god of the Heikum of South Africa

Ancient Near East

Ancient Semitic religion

Hurrian mythology

Hepit, goddess of the sky
Teshub, god of the sky and storms

Mesopotamian mythology

An, goddess of the sky
Anshar, god of the sky
Anu, king of the gods, associated with the sky, heaven and constellations
Beelshamen, god of the sky
Enlil, god of breath, wind, loft, and breadth

Armenian mythology

Barsamin, god of the sky or weather

Europe

Basque mythology

Aide, goddess of the air

Celtic mythology

Latobius, sky and mountain god equated with the Greek gods Zeus and Ares
Taranis, sky and thunder god, equated and syncretized with Jupiter

Etruscan mythology

Ani, god of the sky
Tinia, god of the sky

Finnish mythology

Ilmatar, virgin spirit of the air
Jumala, god of the sky
Perkele, supreme sky and thunder god
Ukko, god of sky, weather, crops (harvest) and other natural things

Greek mythology

Aether, primeval god of the upper air
Chaos, the nothingness from which all else sprang, she also represented the lower atmosphere which surrounded the earth
Hera, queen of heaven and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings, empires, air and the sky
Iris, goddess of the rainbow and divine messenger
Nephelai, cloud nymphs
Theia, goddess of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky
Uranus, primeval god of the sky
Zeus, king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather, thunder, law, order and fate

Roman mythology

Caelus, personification of the sky, equivalent to the Greek Ouranos
Jupiter, king of heaven and god of the sky and weather, equivalent to the Greek Zeus

Sami mythology

Horagalles, god of the sky, thunder and lightning, the rainbow, weather, oceans, lakes, human life, health and wellbeing
Mano, goddess of the moon

Slavic mythology

Stribog, god of the winds, sky and air
Triglav, a triple god whose three heads represent sky, earth and underworld

Thracian mythology

Sabazios, sky father

South Asia

Aditi, the celestial mother of the gods
Dyaus Pita, sky father
Indra, king of the gods, associated with war and the weather
Saranyu, goddess of dawn and the clouds
Varuna, god of the sky, water, the celestial ocean, law and the underworld

East and Southeast Asia

Chinese mythology

Shangdi, the Celestial Emperor.
Lei-Kung, god of Thunder

Japanese mythology

Izanagi, Creator of the world and sky father
Marici, goddess of the heavens

Māori mythology

Ao, god of light and the sky
Rangi, sky father
Tane-rore, personification of shimmering air
Tāwhirimātea, god of weather, including thunder and lightning, wind, clouds and storms
Uenuku, god of rainbows

Thai and Lao Mythology

Phaya Thaen (Thai: พญาแถน,) the sky personified with a rank equivalent to marquess (Thai Phraya,) the protagonist in a Rocket Festival

Central Asia

Turkic mythology

Tengri, god of the sky

Udmurt mythology

Inmar, god of the heavans

Americas

Arctic

Anguta, sky father and psychopomp
Ataksak, goddess of the sky
Negafook, god of weather systems
Torngarsuk, god of the sky

Aztec mythology

Citlalincue, goddess of the Milky Way
Cipactonal, god of the daytime
Oxomoco, goddess of nighttime
Centzonmimixcoa, 400 gods of the northern stars
Centzonhuitznahua, 400 gods of the southern stars
Coyolxauhqui, goddess of moon
Meztli, goddess of moon
Tonatiuh, god of sun
Tianquiztli, star goddesses (see the pleyads)
Citlaltonac, god of male stars
Citlalmina, goddess of female stars
Citlaxonecuilli, goddess of the Ursa Major

Inca Mithology

Virococha, Sky god.

Maya mythology

Cabaguil, god of the sky
Hunab Ku, Sky father
Tzacol, sky god and creator deity

Native American mythology

Atahensic, Iroquois sky goddess who fell to Earth at the time of creation
Eototo, Hopi head Kachina and sky father.

Australia and Oceania

Australia

Altjira, Arrernte creator and sky god
Baiame, south-east Australian creator and sky god
Binbeal, god of rainbows
Bunjil, Kulin creator and sky god

Oceania mythology

Abeguwo, Melanesian sky goddess
Amai-te-rangi, sky demon of Mangaia
Atua I Kafika, supreme sky god of Polynesian mythology
Ira, Polynesian sky goddess
Laufakana'a, Tongan creator god and sky father
Tangaloa, Tongan sky god