Myths Related to Aspects of the Earth

Early civilizations had many myths about gods and goddesses associated with what they experienced in their daily lives at the surface of the Earth. This section provides a glimpse of myths associated with aspects of Earth - storms, precipitation, lightning and thunder, winds, clouds, rainbows, water and the seas, aurora, volcanoes and the underworld - which early civilizations used to help understand the sometimes frightening world around them.
<a href="/mythology/tlaloc_rain.html&edu=elem">Tlaloc</a> was an important deity of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/precipitation/rain.html&edu=elem">rain</a> and fertility of the Aztec mythology, associated with caves, springs, and mountains. Tlaloc was depicted as a man wearing a net of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/cloud.html&edu=elem">clouds</a>, a crown of heron feathers, foam sandals and carrying rattles to make thunder. While he was thought to sustain life, he was also feared for sending <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/precipitation/hail.html&edu=elem">hail</a>, <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/tstorm_lightning.html&edu=elem">thunder and lightning</a>.  This image shows Tlaloc on a multicolor ceramic vessel from the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of the Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico.</em></small></p>

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