Names Categorized "war deities"

AGRONA f Celtic Mythology
Perhaps derived from an old Celtic element agro meaning "battle, slaughter". This is possibly the name of a Brythonic goddess for whom the River Ayr in Scotland was named.

ANAT (1) f Semitic Mythology
Possibly derived from a Semitic root meaning "water spring". Anat was a goddess of fertility, hunting and war worshipped by the Semitic peoples of the Levant. She was the sister and consort of the god Hadad.

ARES m Greek Mythology
Perhaps from either Greek ἀρή (are) meaning "bane, ruin" or ἄρσην (arsen) meaning "male". The name first appears as a-re in Mycenaean Greek writing. Ares was the bloodthirsty god of war in Greek mythology, a son of Zeus and Hera.

ARIS (1) m Greek
Modern Greek form of ARES. It is also used as a short form of ARISTOTELIS.

ASHTORETH f Biblical, Semitic Mythology
From עַשְׁתֹרֶת ('Ashtoret), the Hebrew form of the name of a Phoenician goddess of love, war and fertility. Her name is cognate to that of the East Semitic goddess ISHTAR.

ATHENA f Greek Mythology, English
Meaning unknown. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare and the patron goddess of the city of Athens in Greece. It is likely that her name is derived from that of the city, not vice versa. The earliest mention of her seems to be a 15th-century BC Mycenaean Greek inscription from Knossos on Crete.... [more]

BAHRAM m Persian, Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of Avestan Verethragna meaning "victory over resistance". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with victory and war. This name was borne by several Sassanid emperors. It is also the Persian name for the planet Mars.

BELLONA f Roman Mythology
Derived from Latin bellare meaning "to fight". This was the name of the Roman goddess of war, a companion of Mars.

DURGA f & m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil
Means "unattainable" in Sanskrit. Durga is a Hindu warrior goddess, the fierce, twelve-armed, three-eyed form of the wife of Shiva. She is considered an incarnation of Parvati.

ENYO f Greek Mythology
Meaning unknown. She was a bloodthirsty Greek war goddess and a companion of Ares.

FREYA f Norse Mythology, English (British, Modern), German
From Old Norse Freyja meaning "lady". This was the name of the goddess of love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology. She claimed half of the heroes who were slain in battle and brought them to her realm of Fólkvangr. Along with her brother Freyr and father Njord, she was one of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir). Some scholars connect her with the goddess Frigg.... [more]

HUITZILOPOCHTLI m Aztec and Toltec Mythology
Means "southern hummingbird" or "left-handed hummingbird" in Nahuatl. In Aztec mythology he was the god of the sun and war. He was a patron deity of the city of Tenochtitlan (at the site of modern Mexico City).

INANNA f Sumerian Mythology
Possibly derived from Sumerian nin-an-a(k) meaning "lady of the heavens", from 𒊩𒌆 (nin) meaning "lady" and the genitive form of 𒀭 (an) meaning "heaven, sky". Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of love, fertility and war. She descended into the underworld where the ruler of that place, her sister Ereshkigal, had her killed. The god Enki interceded, and Inanna was allowed to leave the underworld as long as her husband Dumuzi took her place.... [more]

INDRA m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Nepali
Means "possessing drops of rain" from Sanskrit इन्दु (indu) meaning "a drop" and र (ra) meaning "acquiring, possessing". Indra is the name of the ancient Hindu warrior god of the sky and rain. He is the chief god in the Rigveda.

ISHTAR f Semitic Mythology
Meaning unknown. Ishtar was an Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess who presided over love, war and fertility. She was cognate with the Canaanite and Phoenician Ashtoreth, and she was also identified with the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

KUMARA m Hinduism
Derived from Sanskrit कुमार (kumara) meaning "boy, son". In Hindu texts this is an epithet of both the fire god Agni and the war god Skanda.

MARDUK m Semitic Mythology
Probably from Sumerian amar-Utuk meaning "calf of Utu", derived from amar combined with the name of the sun god UTU. This was the name of the chief Babylonian god, presiding over heaven, light, sky, battle, and fertility. After killing the dragon Tiamat, who was an old enemy of the gods, he created the world and sky from the pieces of her body.

MARS m Roman Mythology
Possibly related to Latin mas meaning "male" (genitive maris). In Roman mythology Mars was the god of war, often equated with the Greek god Ares. This is also the name of the fourth planet in the solar system.

MORRIGAN f Irish Mythology
Derived from Irish Mór Ríoghain meaning "great queen". In Irish myth she was a goddess of war and death who often took the form of a crow.

NEITH f Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Greek form of Egyptian Nit, possibly meaning "water". This was the name of an early Egyptian goddess of weaving, hunting and war. Her character may have some correspondences with the goddesses Tanith, Anat or Athena.

ODIN m Norse Mythology, English (Modern)
Anglicized form of Old Norse Óðinn, which was derived from óðr meaning "inspiration, rage, frenzy". It ultimately developed from the early Germanic *Woðanaz. The name appears as Woden in Anglo-Saxon sources (for example, as the founder of several royal lineages in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) and in forms such as Wotan, Wuotan or Wodan in continental Europe. However, Odin is best known from Norse mythology, as the highest of the gods, presiding over art, war, wisdom and death. He resided in Valhalla, where warriors went after they were slain.

SKANDA m Hinduism
Means "hopping, spurting, spilling" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this is the name of the god of war, also known as Kartikeya or Murugan. He is worshipped especially by the Tamils in southern India.

THOR m Norse Mythology, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
From the Old Norse Þórr meaning "thunder", ultimately from the early Germanic *Þunraz. Thor was the Norse god of strength, thunder, war and storms, the son of Odin. He was armed with a hammer called Mjolnir, and wore an enchanted belt that doubled his strength.

TYR m Norse Mythology
Norse form of the name of the Germanic god Tiwaz, related to Indo-European dyeus (see ZEUS). In Norse mythology Tyr was the god of war and justice, the son of the god Odin. He carried a spear in his left hand, since his right hand was bitten off by the wolf Fenrir. At the time of the end of the world, the Ragnarok, Tyr will slay and be slain by the giant hound Garm.

VAHAGN m Armenian Mythology, Armenian
From Avestan Verethragna meaning "breaking of defense, victory". In Armenian mythology this was the name of the heroic god of war.

VALKYRIE f Various
Means "chooser of the slain", derived from Old Norse valr "the slain" and kyrja "chooser". In Norse myth the Valkyries were maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla.