The Celts worshiped a variety of gods who appeared in their tales. Most were all-powerful local deities rather than gods with specialized roles. Each tribe had its own god, who protected and provided for the welfare of that tribe. Some of them had similar characteristics. For example, Dagda, the god of life and death in Ireland—known as the good god—resembled Esus, the "master" god of Gaul. Some deities had more clearly defined roles. Among these were Lug, or Lugus, a sun god associated with arts and skills, war and healing, and the horned god Cernunnos, who was god of animals and fertility. The Celts also had a large number of important female deities. These included The Morrigan, the "Phantom Queen"—actually three goddesses, Anu, Macha, Badb, who appeared as ravens during battle. Another important deity was Brigit, goddess of learning, healing, and metalworking. Epona, the horse goddess, was associated with fertility, water, and death.
The creation of the universe and the world began with the mighty god Pangu. Awoken by the discord from the formation of the universe, he swung his axe to break through the chaos. The exposed lighter matter of the chaos ascended and became the sky while the darker matter sunk and became the earth. Pangu stood in between the two layers and pushed up the sky. Once the earth and sky have reached its limit, Pangu created the world by sacrificing himself to form the world. Wind and Cloud was created from his breath; his voice became thunder; the sun was formed from his left eye and the moon from his right; his hair transformed into the stars and sky; his blood turned into the lakes and rivers, his bones became minerals, the rain came from his sweat, and the fur on his body transformed into forests and fields. As for mankind, it is said that Nu Wa dipped a rope in clay and when she flicked the rope a human arose from each globule that landed on earth. The world was divided into three realms c...
In ancient Rome, people believed that gods were actively involved in their everyday lives. The three supreme deities, known as the Capitoline Triad, were Jupiter (the supreme deity), Minerva (his daughter), and Juno (his wife). Other gods such as Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Cupid, also played major roles and represented different aspects of life, such as war, love, music, and beauty. The Romans held festivals for and brought offerings to their gods, such as Pax the goddess of peace. They believed that gods lived everywhere - in trees, in animals, by the side of the road, in a flower, in a stream, and in your house. Almost everything in Rome was driven by a spirit of some sort within it.
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