Norse
Odin
wisdom, poetry, war
Ganesha
Hindu tradition. See the whole pantheon.
- Domains
- beginnings, obstacles, learning
- Symbols and attributes
- Elephant head; broken tusk; mouse
Key myth
Worshipped first at the start of any undertaking. The Puranas give several versions of how he got his head; the best known has Shiva cutting off the boy's head and replacing it with an elephant's.
Where sources differ or caution applies. Puranic accounts differ on whether Parvati made him alone or with Shiva.
Place in the family graph
More traditions
Elsewhere in the world
Deities in other traditions who share a theme with Ganesha: wisdom, writing and divination. This is overlap in one area only.