Ocean Gods and Gods of Water in Mythology | Part 1

Hey, and welcome back to Wild Mythology. I welcome you to the channel of Bread and Salt. For today's video, I'm going to be talking about Gods of Water from Mythology, Folklore, and Legend. But before we get to that, don't forget to join this month's giveaway for the 75th anniversary book of Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton. All you have to do is subscribe and make a comment on this video. Plus, don't forget to comment on any other video I make this May. It gives you an extra chance to win. Now enough of that, it's time for Gods of Water from Mythology, Folklore, and Legend. Number 1. Sobek In Egyptian mythology, Sobek is the god of crocodiles, warfare, fertility, and rivers, especially the Nile. In mythology, Sobek's father is either Seth, the god of chaos, or Khnum, the evening manifestation of the sun god Ra. Sobek's mother is Nith, the goddess of water and the hunt. Sobek is usually depicted as a man with green skin and the head of a crocodile with black or blue hair and two bull horns sticking out. In one myth, it's said that the moment Sobek was born, he began to sweat a tremendous amount of liquid that formed into the Nile. In the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Sobek was highly worshiped in the city of Shedet, also known as Crocodiopolis, the city of the crocodile. In the city, the people kept a giant crocodile in a pond near the palace. The Egyptians associated this crocodile with the crocodile god, calling it the son of Sobek. They would offer the crocodile sacrifices in hopes of pleasing the reptilian god in return for protection on the Nile. During the Middle Ages of Egypt, Sobek came to be connected with Horus, which increased the crocodile god's prominence. He became worshipped as a protector of the Crocodiles were mummified after they died and preserved in honor of Sobek, sometimes with baby crocodiles sitting on the backs of the adults. Because crocodiles are so fierce when they protect their young, the idea to put a mummified baby on a mummified adult's back was used to symbolize Sobek's domain of protection over the people of Egypt. While Sobek was a protector, he was also an animalistic god who could sometimes forget reason. In one myth, after hearing that Seth had defeated Osiris and cut him into pieces, Sobek devoured Osiris' body parts. When the other gods found out what he had done, they questioned the crocodile god and cut off his tongue after he pleaded guilty. Number 2. Poseidon One of the most famous ocean gods in all of mythology is one of the twelve Olympians, Poseidon, who is the god of the seas, storms, earthquakes, and horses in Greek mythology. He is one of the six children of Kronos and Rhea, the king and queen of the Titans, alongside his brothers Zeus and Hades, and his sisters Hestia, Demeter, and Hera. In mythology, the instant after Poseidon was born, his father Kronos swallowed him in fear of a prophecy that foretold his demise by one of his children. Luckily for Poseidon and the rest of his siblings who were swallowed, Zeus was able to trick Kronos into puking them up. Poseidon then went to war against the Titans alongside his siblings, eventually resulting in the defeat of the Titans. With the war finished, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus drew lots to decide who would rule the sky, the underworld, and the sea. This resulted in Poseidon becoming lord and king of the oceans. With a new kingdom to rule, Poseidon built his palace in the Atlantic Ocean and married the sea goddess Amphitrite. From there, Poseidon played roles in the adventures of Odysseus in the Battle of Troy. Like his brother Zeus, he also fathered many children with many different women. His most important children included Triton, the prince of the sea, Arian, the swiftest of horses, the most famous cyclops Polyphemus, the flying horse Pegasus, the slayer of the minotaur Theseus, and the famous book character Percy Jackson. One of the most famous myths involving Poseidon was the contest between him and Athena on who would become the patron god of Athens. Both the sea god and the wisdom goddess agreed that they would each offer the city a gift. They would then let the people decide whose gift was more impressive, and the winner would become the patron of Athens. Poseidon offered the city a saltwater spring, while Athena offered an olive branch. Seeing that the olive branch was more useful, the people of Athens chose the wisdom goddess' gift, therefore making Athena the patron goddess of Athens. Curious that the Athenians didn't choose his gift, Poseidon summoned a giant wave to flood the city. 3. Mamiwata Mamiwata is a famous spirit of wealth and water who is originally from African folklore. She is as old as African history and is thought to be influenced by Mesopotamian mythology, other African water spirits, European mermaids, and Hindu mythology. While originating in Africa, her stories were brought across the Atlantic during the mass slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries. Once across the ocean, Mamiwata was adapted and made into an important deity within Caribbean mythology, voodoo, and numerous folklore amongst the Americas. She is usually depicted as a dark-skinned woman that can take any form that she wishes, though one of her favorites is in the form of a mermaid. She can usually be found holding a mirror or a comb and is sometimes accompanied by a large snake. According to legends and traditions, Mamiwata abducts her followers while they're on boats or swimming. She then takes them to her paradise home in the spirit world. If she ever allows them to leave, the follower will appear exactly where they were taken. They will then find themselves gaining great amounts of wealth and attractive changes to their appearances. Other legends tell of her seducing men and then making them promise to swear their eternal sexual loyalty to her. As long as the men only have sex with Mamiwata and not tell anyone about it, then they will receive great amounts of wealth. If a man breaks this promise, he and his family will be punished with poverty. According to ritual tradition, during rituals and worship, the mirror that Mamiwata owns allows her followers to create their perfect reality within her spirit world. Through the use of her powers, Mamiwata is able to make her favored followers' fake reality real and is able to speak to them by possessing their bodies during a Number 4. Njord In Norse mythology, Njord is the Vanir god of the seas, wind, fishing, and wealth. In mythology, before the war between the two tribes of gods, the Vanir and the Aesir, Njord had fathered twins with his unnamed sister. His children were Freyr, the god of peace and summer, and Freya, the goddess of love and war. Sometime later, he participated in the Aesir-Vanir war, and once the two tribes of gods came to a truce, Njord and his two children were chosen as hostages to be exchanged with two hostages of the Aesir. This way, the war would not begin again. Odin, the king of the Aesir, then appointed Njord and his children as priests and priestesses of sacrificial offerings, thus officially making them gods of the Aesir tribe. Later on, Skadi, the goddess of winter, mountains, and bow-hunting, barged into Asgard looking for compensation for the gods killing her father. For compensation, Skadi wished to marry one of the Aesir. The gods agreed on the condition that Skadi would choose a husband by only looking at their feet. Agreeing, Skadi looked at all the gods' feet and chose the feet of Njord. The two tried living together, but the relationship fell apart because Skadi hated living by the sea and Njord hated living in the mountains. As a god of the ocean, Njord was invoked when he wanted calm seas for fishing and sailing. He was also very generous to those he liked, and because of his domain over wealth, many of his gifts included land and other valuables. 5. Suzeno In Japanese mythology, Suzeno is one of the three sacred children and is the god of the sea and storms. He is the son of Izanagi, one of the creator deities of Japan, as well as the younger brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. In mythology, Suzeno was born from Izanagi's nose when the creator god purified himself from his failed adventure in Yomi, the Japanese underworld. After the birth of his three sacred children, Izanagi appointed each of them a domain, giving Suzeno the seas. But Suzeno was a wild child and threw tantrums over wanting to see his mother, Izanami. These tantrums formed storms all over the world and caused the mountains to tremble. Angry about the reminder of his wife, who was forever bound to Yomi, Izanagi banished Suzeno from the heavens. But before Suzeno left, he decided to say farewell to his sister, Amaterasu. This resulted in a ritual contest between the two siblings, where each chewed on an item of each other's. Amaterasu chewed on Suzeno's sword and spat out three goddesses, while Suzeno chewed on some of Amaterasu's magatama beads and spat out five gods. Amaterasu declared that she won the contest because the five suns came from her beads. Angry with his loss, Suzeno raged and destroyed and defecated Amaterasu's palace, causing her to hide herself and the sun away from the world. Eventually, the other gods were able to coax Amaterasu out of her hiding place, and together they banished Suzeno out of the heavens. Banished to live amongst the mortals, Suzeno would eventually have a tremendous battle with the eight-headed serpent Yamada no Orochi, who was trying to eat Suzeno's future wife. The battle would end with the death of the great serpent and the marriage between Suzeno and Kushina Tahimi. Afterwards, Suzeno's wild behavior lessened, and he gained Amaterasu's forgiveness by gifting her the grass-cutting sword that he found in the eight-headed snake's body.