Maritime Deities Around the World: A Global Overview

Cultures all over the world believe in maritime deities. Some of the gods are personifications of the ocean, some rule over the sea, and some are associated with the ocean’s bounties, sea travel, or ocean conditions. The numerous gods connected to the world’s oceans emphasize the importance of the ocean to the culture, well-being, and survival of many societies. What follows is a brief overview of some of the maritime deities throughout the world. It should not be viewed as comprehensive but as illustrative of the numerous deities associated with the sea, sea life, sea conditions, and voyaging.

In the Pacific Ocean, some maritime deities travel across the ocean and between islands, representing migration, the importance of ocean voyaging, and connections between Pacific Islands throughout Oceania. Some akua (gods) in the Hawaiian Islands migrated from Kahiki, a place name translated as Tahiti but also sometimes used to refer to other southern islands. Pele, the volcano akua, sailed to the Hawaiian Islands from Kahiki, specifically from Bora Bora in the Society Islands west of Tahiti. Other akua also voyaged from Kahiki, including Ku, Lono, Kane, and Kanaloa, the four major male akua in the Hawaiian Islands. Kanaloa is the akua of the ocean and ocean winds and has kino lau (many forms an akua can take) relating to the ocean, including the octopus and squid. The Hawaiian island Kaho’olawe is also a kino lau of Kanaloa and was originally named after the akua. There are deities similar to Kanaloa throughout the Pacific but with different characteristics on different islands. For instance, Tangaroa is the atua (god) of the sea and fish in Aotearoa (New Zealand). In Samoa, Tagaloa is the atua of creation. The various versions of Kanaloa throughout Oceania reflect Pacific migration and voyaging histories and represent the similarities of Pacific Island cultures as well as their uniqueness.

When millions of Africans were captured, taken from their homelands, and forced to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas and Caribbean as slaves, some Africans carried their religions with them. These religious beliefs were adapted as they moved to new environments and encountered other cultures. For instance, the Yoruba religion of West Africa influenced Santeria in Cuba, Candomble in Brazil, and Vodou in Haiti. In Santeria, Yemaya (known as Yemoja in the Yoruba religion) is the goddess of the sea and represents motherhood. Yemaya gave birth to the orishas (gods), the sun, and the moon, and is sometimes portrayed as a mermaid. In the Yoruba religion, the goddess of the sea is the orisha Olokun. In some places, Catholicism was incorporated into Yoruba religion and orishas took on the names of saints. For instance, in Cuba, Yemaya is also known as La Virgen de Regla, the saint of the Bay of Havana.

In Greek mythology, several deities are connected to the sea, but the ruler is Poseidon (known as Neptune in Roman mythology). Poseidon lives in an undersea palace, presides over the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and controls stormy and calm conditions. Triton, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, is the trumpeter of the sea who uses a conch shell as his trumpet. A titan named Oceanus (also referred to as Ocean) rules over a river named Ocean, which is believed to encircle the world. The children of Oceanus and his wife Tethys are nymphs of the river Ocean and gods of the rivers on Earth. One of their daughters, Doris, married Nereus, who is a god associated with the Mediterranean Sea. Their daughters are sea nymphs, one of whom was Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon.

In Japan, Owatatsumi-no-kami (also named Ryujin) is the kami (deity) of the sea who takes the form of a dragon and lives in an undersea palace. Several other kami are associated with the ocean and sea travel, including Sumiyoshi, the kami of seafarers; Ebisu, the kami of fishermen; and Suitengu, a kami who helps prevent shipwrecks. The Ainu kamui (deity) of the sea is Repun Kamui, who takes the form of an orca whale.

Javanese in Indonesia believe in the sea deity Nyai Lara Kidul (also referred to as Roro Kidul), who is queen of the Southern Ocean (i.e., the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Java), lives in an underwater palace, and is often associated with a naga (dragon or snake) motif. Communities on the southern coast of Java perform ceremonies for Lara Kidul to ensure a bountiful sea. She is also believed to have formed relationships with rulers of central Javanese dynasties.

FURTHER READING: Ashkenazi, Michael. 2003. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. New York: Oxford University Press. Falola, Toyin and Matt D. Childs, eds. 2004. The Yoruba Diaspora in the Atlantic World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Fernandez Olmos, Margarite. 2011. Creole Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Vodou and Santerta to Obeah and Espiritismo, 2nd edn. New York: New York University Press. Hamilton, Edith. 2011. Mythology. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Kamakau, Samuel Manaiakalani. 1991. Tales and Traditions of the People of Old: Na Mo'olelo a ka Po'e Kahiko. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press.

McGregor, Davianna Pomaika'i. 2007. Na Kua’aina: Living Hawaiian Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.

Taonui, Rawiri. 2007. “Polynesian Oral Traditions.” In Vaka Moana, Voyages of the Ancestors: The Discovery and Settlement of the Pacific, edited by K. R. Howe. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 23-53.

Wessing, Robert. 2006. “Homo Narrans in East Java: Regional Myths and Local Concerns.” Asian Folklore Studies 65 (1): 45-68.