Thor's Battle Against the Jötnar (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge

Searching the Seas with the Tenkei (ca. 1885) by Kobayashi Eitaku, with the god Izanagi (right) and Izanami, a goddess of creation and death in Japanese mythology

A deity is thought to be a powerful spirit that controls events and the nature of things. Deities are also called gods. A female god is often called a goddess. The adjective of deity is ‘divine’. This word comes from the Latin deus (female: dea).