He was later known as Bel, which comes from the Semitic term baal that means lord. The poem Enuma Elish, dating from the reign of Nebuchadrezzar I, says that he was a god of 50 names. He’s commonly represented as a human in royal robes, holding a thunderbolt, a bow, or a triangular spade. In Mesopotamian religion, Marduk was the god of thunderstorms, and the chief god of Babylon. He was worshipped in North Syria, along the Euphrates River and Phoenician coast. Also spelled Haddu or Hadda, his name probably means thunderer. He was depicted as a bearded deity with a horned headdress, holding a thunderbolt and a club.
HadadĪn early Semitic god of thunder and storms, Hadad was the chief god of the Amorites, and later the Canaanites and Aramaeans. He’s mentioned in Hittite and Assyrian records, and played a huge part in mythology. In the other hand, he holds another weapon. His symbol was a three-pronged thunderbolt, commonly depicted in one hand. He was known to the Hurrian people as Teshub, while the Hattians called him Taru. TarḫunĪlso spelled Tarhunna, Tarhun was the god of storms and the king of Hittite gods. However, the cult of Thor was replaced by Christianity by the 12th century CE. During the Viking Age, his popularity reached its height and his hammer was worn as charms and amulets. In the Saxon areas in England, he was known as Thunor. In England and Scandinavia, Thor was worshipped by peasants because he brought fair weather and crops. He’s commonly depicted with his hammer Mjolnir and was invoked for victory in the battle and for protection during voyages. His name comes from the Germanic word for thunder. The most popular deity of the Norse pantheon, Thor was the god of thunder and the sky, and developed from the earlier Germanic god Donar. According to historians, his worship included sacrificial victims, which were burned in a hollow tree or wooden vessel.
He was worshipped primarily in Gaul, Ireland and Britain. He’s part of a sacred triad mentioned by Roman poet Lucan in his poem Pharsalia. In votive inscriptions, his name is also spelled Taranucnus or Taranucus.
The Celtic god of thunder, Taranis was represented by the lightning flash and the wheel. Ancient, sharpened stone axes were also worn on the clothing, as they were believed to be the symbol of the god and could supposedly cure illnesses. In an ancient tradition, the thunderbolts or the bullets of Pērkons-flint or any object struck by lightning-were used as a talisman for protection. In Latvian folklore, Pērkons is depicted with weapons such as a golden whip, a sword, or an iron rod. The oak was sacred to him, as the tree is most often struck by lightning. He’s often represented as a bearded man holding an ax and is believed to direct his thunderbolts to discipline other gods, evil spirits, and men. In Baltic languages, his name means thunderer and thunder god. The thunder god of Baltic religion, Pērkons is also associated with the Slavic Perun, Germanic Thor, and Greek Zeus. The worship of Jupiter declined after the death of Julius Caesar, when Romans started the worship of the emperor as a god-and later the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Empire in 5th century CE. The Ludi Romani, or Roman Games, was a festival observed in honor of him.
Jupiter was worshipped using many titles, such as Triumphator, Imperator and Invictus, and represented the fearlessness of the Roman army. When the country wanted rain, his help was sought by a sacrifice called aquilicium. By the time of the rise of the Republic, he was established as the greatest of all the gods, and a temple dedicated to him was built at the Capitoline Hill in 509 BCE. The Romans regarded the flint stone or pebble as the symbol of lightning, so Jupiter was represented with such a stone in his hand instead of a thunderbolt. Like the Greek god, he was also associated with the natural phenomena of the sky. The term Dyeu is etymologically identical with Zeus, whose name is derived from the Latin word for god – deus. His Latin name luppiter is derived from Dyeu-pater that translates as Day-Father. In ancient Roman religion, Jupiter was the chief god associated with thunder, lightning and storms. He was regarded as the king of the Olympian gods, and the most powerful of the Greek pantheon of gods. In 776 BCE, Zeus was built a sanctuary at Olympia, where Olympic Games were held every four years, and sacrifices were offered to him at the end of each game. It was believed that he gave signs to mortals though thunder and lightning, as well as punished evildoers, and controlled the weather. He’s commonly represented as a bearded man holding a thunderbolt but is sometimes depicted with an eagle when he doesn’t have his weapon. The supreme deity in Greek religion, Zeus was the god of thunder and lightning.