Fickle and Fierce: Examining the Most Volatile and Vindictive Gods Throughout Mythology
Gods originating in mythology often had mercurial temperaments, willing to loose fury and misery on mortals. Born from the human imagination, they embodied wishes and explained the inexplicable, both good and bad. Among them, many gods had unpredictable moods and were quick to unleash suffering.
In Greek myths, Artemis, goddess of the hunt, possessed a haughty temper. Her rages brought death to her handmaiden Maera and transformed her friend Callisto into a bear. Along with her twin Apollo, she massacred the children of Queen Niobe for insulting their mother.
Kali, a Hindu goddess of crops, was also a formidable dark goddess and wife of Shiva the destroyer. She wears necklaces of skulls, arm girdles made from hands, and earrings from dead children. Her fierce image holds various weapons and a demon’s head, representing her power.
Kali was extremely fickle, both creating and ending life. Her violent depictions reflect her lethal nature. To appease her, Hindu devotees made frequent animal sacrifices and some Thuggee cults even murdered people for her.
Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec Sun God, was originally cruel and wrathful. He gruesomely killed and dismembered his sister Coyolxauhqui and other siblings. Like other Aztec gods, he demanded human sacrifice, ensuring people’s hearts were ripped out to avoid his rage.
In Norse myths, Thor, god of thunder, protected humans yet often lost control. His giant hammer brought furious storms that left destruction in their wake. When enraged, Thor would thoughtlessly unleash violence, once imprisoning trickster Loki under a snake-filled mountain for cutting his wife’s hair.
Balor, a one-eyed demonic god in Irish lore, killed sea king Nuada and caused much war with his evil gaze. The supreme Sun God eventually destroyed Balor by piercing his destructive eye.
So while some gods aimed to help humanity, many famous mythological figures had unpredictable moods and freely punished mortals over slights. Their vengeful legends revealed much about the mercurial human psyche.
