List of war deities
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A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheistic religions.
Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been portrayed in their mythologies as commanding war in order to spread religion. (The intimate connection between "holy war" and the "one true god" belief of monotheism has been noted by many scholars, including Jonathan Kirsch in his book God Against The Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism and Joseph Campbell in The Masks of God, Vol. 3: Occidental Mythology.)
The following is a list of war deities:
Africa
Egyptian
Anat-- also known as Anath-- was a goddess of fertility, sexuality, love, and war. She was the sister of Baal
Anhur, god of war, not a native god
Anuke, a goddess of war and consort of Anhur
Apedemak, the lion god of war: he is sometimes depicted with three heads
Bast, cat-headed goddess associated with war, protection of Lower Egypt and the pharaoh, the sun, perfumes, ointments, and embalming
Horus, god of the king, the sky, war, and protection
Maahes, lion-headed god of war
Menhit, goddess of war, "she who massacres"
Montu, falcon-headed god of war, valor, and the Sun
Neith, goddess of war, hunting, and wisdom
Pakhet, goddess of war
Satis, deification of the floods of the Nile River and an early war, hunting, and fertility goddess
Sekhmet, goddess of warfare, pestilence, and the desert
Set, god of the desert and storms, associated with war
Sobek, god of the Nile, the army, military, fertility, and crocodiles
Sopdu, god of the scorching heat of the summer sun, associated with war
Wepwawet, wolf-god of war and death who later became associated with Anubis and the afterlife
Berber
Gurzil, bull-headed warrior god.
Nilo-Saharan
Nubian
Apedemak, Nubian lion-headed warrior god.
Western African-Congo
Yoruba
Ogun, oriṣa of war and iron
Oya, warrior oriṣa of storms and the dead.
Eastern African-Congo
Igbo
Amadioha
Ekwensu
Ethiopian
Maher, god of war.
Kenya
Kalenjin
Boryet, Kipsigis Death-wielding god of war.
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