deities

A deity is a supernatural being regarded as divine or sacred, with power to affect the natural world, human affairs, or moral order. The term is used across religious traditions to describe gods in polytheistic systems and the supreme beings in monotheistic faiths, as well as mythic figures honored in rites without contemporary worship.

Deities typically have attributes, roles, and narratives. They may be creator gods, storm gods, fertility gods, war deities, or deities of knowledge and justice. In many cultures, deities are organized in pantheons with a hierarchy, family relations, and myths explaining the origin of the world or human society.

Depictions vary. Some deities are anthropomorphic, with human-like forms and personalities; others are formless, abstract, or animal-shaped. Symbolic representations and sacred stories encode cultural values and ethical norms.

Worship commonly involves rituals, prayers, offerings, temples, priesthoods, and festivals. Sacred texts and myths provide the narratives that guide worship and explain deities' relationships with humans and with other gods.

Different religious traditions approach deities differently. Monotheistic religions posit a single, all-powerful deity; polytheistic systems maintain multiple gods with distinct domains. Some traditions emphasize a supreme deity alongside other divine beings, or view the divine in non-anthropomorphic terms (for example, Shinto kami, Hindu deities as manifestations of Brahman).

In scholarship, the study of deities spans theology, comparative religion, and anthropology. Terms and concepts vary: 'deity' and 'god' are often used interchangeably in everyday language but can carry distinct implications in specific traditions.