A light deity is a god or goddess in mythology associated with light and/or day. Since stars give off light, star deities can also be included here. The following is a list of light deities in various mythologies.
African
Egyptian mythology Khepri, god of rebirth and the sunrise Nefertem, god who represents the first sunlight
Guanche Magec, deity of the sun and light, exact gender unknown
Dahomean religion Lisa, deity of the sun, heat, sky
American
Lakota mythology Anpao, two-faced spirit of the dawn
Maya mythology Tohil, god associated with thunder, lightning, and sunrise
Aztec Centzonhuitznahua, 400 gods of the southern stars Centzonmimixcoa, 400 gods of the northern stars Cipactonal, god of the daytime Citlālicue, goddess who created the stars Citlalmina, goddess of female stars Citlalatonac, god of male stars Tianquiztli, star goddesses Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire, day, and heat
Zapotec Coquihani, god of light
Incan Inti, god of the sun Ch'aska ("Venus") or Ch'aska Quyllur ("Venus star"), goddess of dawn and twilight, the planet Mama Killa, goddess of the moon
Asian
Chinese Zhulong, dragon deity of daylight
Japanese Amaterasu, goddess of the sun Uzume, goddess of the dawn
Hindu Aruṇa, personification of the reddish glow of the rising sun Dyaus Pita, continues the name of the Proto-Indo-European god of the day-lit sky Ushas, dawn goddess
Sumerian Inanna, primary goddess of the planet Venus Ninsianna, goddess of the planet Venus Šul-pa-e, underworld god who became associated with Jupiter Shulsaga, stellar god Aya (goddess), goddess of light and the dawn
Turkic
Alaz, god of fire, also known as Alas-Batyr or sometimes Alaz Khan Ay Ata, Father Moon, masculine personification of the Moon Gün Ana, Mother Sun, feminine personification of the Sun Koyash, personification of the Sun, born from father Sky and mother Earth Od Ana, Mother Fire, Queen of Fire Od Ata, Father Fire, King of Fire Ülgen, creator-deity, architect of the Cosmos, god of Light and the Upper World
European Albanian Dielli, the Sun, god of light Hëna, the Moon Prende, dawn goddess, also referred to as Hylli i Dritës, Afêrdita "the Star of Light, Afêrdita" (Venus) Zjarri, the Fire, light deity Zojz, as a reflex of *Dyeus, god of the day-lit sky
Baltic
Dievas, creator god in Baltic myths
Celtic Lugh, personification of the sun
Etruscan Albina, goddess of the dawn and protector of ill-fated lovers Thesan, goddess of the dawn, associated with new life
Germanic Baldr, god thought to be associated with light and/or day; is known by many other names, all of which have cognates in other Germanic languages, suggesting he may have been a pan-Germanic deity Dagr, personification of day Earendel, god of rising light and/or a star Eostre, considered to continue the Proto-Indo-European dawn goddess Freyr, god of sunshine, among other things Sól, goddess and personification of the sun Teiwaz, as a reflex of *Dyeus, was probably originally god of the day-lit sky Thor, god of lightning, thunder, weather, storms, and the sky
Slavic Dazhbog, god of the sun and day
Greek Aether, primarily associated with upper air but associated with light in Hesiod's Theogony Aglaia, one of the Charites, goddesses of beauty and grace, whose name translates to "splendor" or "radiance". Associated with all that is bright, brilliant, or shining Apollo, god of light, among many other things Eos, goddess of the dawn Hemera, personification of day Hyperion, Titan of light; sometimes conflated with his son Helios Lampetia, goddess of light, and one of the Heliades or daughters of Helios , god of the Sun, and of the nymph Neera . Theia, Titaness of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky. She is the consort of Hyperion and mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos. Zeus, as a reflex of *Dyeus, could be considered god of the day-lit sky Phoebe, titaness daughter of Ouranos and Gaia, whose name means shining or bright, with Kios gave birth to first Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis, and then to Asteria, who with Persea, son of Crius, became mother to Hekate. Astraea is another titaness who is a light being as is Persephone whose name means "light bringer." Armenian.
Mari
Roman Aurora (mythology), goddess of the dawn Jupiter (mythology), as a reflex of *Dyeus, god of the day-lit sky Mater Matuta, goddess associated with Aurora
Oceania
Polynesian Atanua, Marquesan goddess of the dawn Atarapa, goddess of the dawn Ira, sky goddess and mother of the stars Tala goddess of the stars
Māori mythology Ao (mythology), personification of light
See also List of night deities List of solar deities Lucifer Sky deity
References