Hurricanes are undoubtedly the strongest and the most powerful storms in the world.They are also the most terrifying and destructive. Hurricanes are not only one of the most powerful natural disasters in the world but are even more destructive than tornadoes or a thunderbolt.According to the United Nations, hurricanes account for approximately 25% of natural disasters every year. Hurricanes hold the power to destroy a whole city in a matter of minutes. After the havoc brought by the hurricane named Katrina and other notable hurricanes, it’s easy to see why the ancient Greeks picturized a monster with a hundred hands that might do so much damage. So who is the god of hurricanes? Is it a Mayan god, a Japanese god, a Celtic god, a Greek god, or a Norse god? Let’s take a deep dive into this in the following article!If you are curious about hurricanes and wish to read more about them, then do consider reading facts about hurricanes and the earliest recorded hurricane here on Kidadl.HistoryIn Greek Mythology, Zeus is considered to be the weather god who controls the thunder, storms, lightning, heavy rains and is also hence accurately named the storm god or the rain god. There’s always a god that represents a particular natural phenomenon in almost every mythology. Wondering who the god of a hurricane is? His name is Huracan, a Mayan deity. Let’s get to know some history of the god of hurricanes.The Mayan god of hurricanes is named Huracan that literally means ‘One Legged’ in Mayan languages and is also mostly referred to as the ‘heart of sky.’ Huracan is said to be the god of wind, storm, fire, and basically the god of weather and even the natural disasters like hurricanes that occur in the seas and thunder on the land. He is also said to be the deity that played an important role among the 13 gods in creating humanity from corn which is a tale mentioned in Popol Vah, the sacred book of the Mayans. Huracan was believed to have caused the Great Flood, which occurred after the humans angered the Mayan gods. Have you heard of the god that lived above the floodwaters in the mists having lots of wind and the one who kept on invoking the Earth until the land raised above the seas? Yes, it is the Huracan. It is said that when this weather god gets furious, his anger cannot be controlled. The word hurricane originates from the name Huracan.The ancient people from the Gulf of Mexico, along with the ones from the Mayan region, imbibed the cultural elements from the Caribbean, which were in turn derived from the Mesoamerica. It is hence that historians are able to trace the presence of Huracan in various regions of the world. Despite being the same, Huracan is known by different names in different regions like Totonac called him Tajín, Peninsular Mayans named him Chaac, known as Coci-Joo in Oaxaca, and as Tláloc in the Mexican highlands. The most evident form of the Huracan can be seen in Veracruz and is named El Tajín. Visitors can see him carved in basalt rock which is in bas-relief, and he has the similar looks of humans, like a skull that represents a human skull and suggests that his distant predecessor could be Mictlantecuthli—wearing a snake in his left hand, an ornament that is an allusion to Huitzilopochtli and also represents the ray. All of this can be seen right in the front of the 5th building. This God is said to be feared by others and has a monstrous image that suits his destructive powers perfectly. In the Mayan Language, the words jura means one, and the word kan means leg, together make the creation ‘he who has one leg’ or Hurakán. This name comes from a variant language of Mayans named Quiché language.He is the god that is considered to have a chest, head, abdomen, yet it is said that he has only one leg whose foot consists of claws and not toes. One of his arms is on the waist, and the other is said to be over his head. According to a Cuban archeologist named Fernando Ortiz, this hand alludes to the direction of the winds that are west wind, south wind, north wind, and the east wind when the hurricanes occur.MythsThe Earth that we live on was formed millions of years ago, and all the cultures believe there are deities that created the Earth, the rainfall, the sky, the sea, the wind, the mountains, and many more such elements that make the Earth a better place to live. Some people consider the elements to be deities. Many religions consider Sun to be the god who gives us the sunshine to live or the clouds to give us the rains. The bursting of clouds, the strong winds blowing, and the high wave of the enraged sea are some of the scary aspects of a hurricane that make us believe there is an entity beyond the space which can cause such a punishment to us. There are gods for storms, hurricanes, thunder, and many other destructive disasters too. But what are some myths that are related to the god of hurricanes?There are some really famous myths about the gods and goddesses of the weather in different cultures. For example, in accordance with a particular myth, Hecatonchires caused the hurricanes. Hecatonchires were three somewhat monstrous gods who were born from the coming together of the god of the sky, Uranus, and the goddess of Earth, Gaia. These three brothers had one hundred hands and not one head but fifty heads each. They were named Gyges, Cottus, and Briareus. Uranus got horrified on seeing his own sons and decided to throw them into Tartarus. Tartarus is a gloomy place that is filled with humungous disorder and despair. Tartarus is also the place where the Greek god of hurricane Anemoi Thuelli lived. Uranus did not wish to see any son of his. Zeus, we all know from Greek mythology, rescued these three brothers from their suffering. He also enrolled them in the war waged against the Titans. Titans were rained stones upon by Hecatonchires with their hands and created storms out of stones that overwhelmed the opponents. They were hence rewarded with auspicious places underneath the waters. They were also assigned to create and unleash the penal storms of the Tartarus on the mortal beings at the behest of the various gods. The myth hence says, whenever a hurricane or storm occurs, it is the Hecatonchires who release it on the commands of gods.RitualsEvery year the Caribbean Islands are a victim of storms. No matter if it’s winds like the east wind or south wind, this devastating weather doesn’t seem to give any mercy to the victims. For example, in the year 2005, hurricane Katrina affected the whole coast of the United States. It is said to be one of the most disastrous hurricanes in the history of the United States, which caused more than $1800 million in damages. Hurricane Katrina brought great damage to the whole coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It also destroyed the whole city of New Orleans, Louisiana. There were about 1,836 people died in this hurricane. So what are some rituals that people perform to keep themselves safe from such disasters? Let’s take a look.Before the advent of science, every human being on this Earth used to believe in the existence and presence of a supreme power that governs the universe. This supreme power is called a god or goddess, depending on the region and people. Egyptian gods of weather are Tefnut, Horus, and Set. Norse Gods of weather are Thor and Freyr. Japanese gods of weather are Fujin and Raijin, whereas the Indian God of weather is said to be Indra. In Greek mythology, Aeolus is the god of storms. It is believed that if the weather is terrible, it is the effect of a curse made against the king or the effect of a bad ritual performed in the past. In order to appease the gods, the people have always performed rituals. Although there are many types of rituals to please the weather gods, they all contain the same elements: the sacrifice of an animal, the burning of incense and joss paper, the offering of food, a libation of wine, the burning of paper money, and the burning of joss paper. The people of India are no different from the rest of the world in this regard. There are many gods and goddesses worshiped by the people of India. But the god or goddess that is worshiped most frequently and the one who is considered to have the most influence on the day-to-day life of Indians are the gods of weather. The people of India worship the gods of weather and offer prayers to them to make the rainy season lasts longer, to make the sunshine brighter and keep the sky clean, mild wind, and to make the monsoon arrive on time. The people of India use different kinds of methods to please them by fasting, performing big puja rituals, etc.In the countryside, there are different rituals performed for the weather god or Huracan. For example, some people prepare a statue of the hurricane or weather and then bury it in the ground. On another part of the Earth, some people make a doll of the Huracan or god of weather and winds and then play with it as if it were real. And on yet another region of the Earth, some people make a statue of the Huracan or god of weather and winds and then throw it into the ocean.Amazing Facts About God Of HurricanesThe Atlantic hurricane season usually lasts from June through November. While hurricanes are not a common occurrence in the desert southwest, they can experience tropical storms or remnants of hurricanes that move north and east of the tropics. Although the southwest is not well known for hurricanes, we are not immune to them. The most destructive hurricane in US history, the Galveston hurricane of 1900, hit the Texas coast. Hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage, and they can also be enormously deadly to homes and businesses. Here are some amazing facts about hurricanes and the god of hurricanes.When you’re in the heart of a hurricane, it’s hard to imagine how powerful nature can be. Hurricanes have been known to be around for millions of years, but their names have only been around for a century. The word hurricane originates from the Taino Indians, who called the storms ‘huracán.’ The Spanish word ‘huracán’ was used by Christopher Columbus to describe the storms he encountered in the Caribbean. Today, the names of hurricanes are picked by the World Meteorological Organization’s hurricane committee, which chooses a list of names every six years. Hurricanes are the second most common type of cyclone, behind typhoons. Hurricanes can also produce tornadoes, which are small and rotate counter-clockwise. Many people in the different parts of the world believe the disasters like hurricanes occur due to the anger of gods on the mortals for the evil deeds the mortals do. It is hence the Egyptian people keep the gods Tefnut, Horus and Set, in high regard. The strongest hurricanes have winds greater than 155 mph (249 kph). The strongest recorded hurricane, however, had winds of 185 mph (298 kph). Hurricanes are charged by warm ocean water, and the warmer the water, the more powerful the hurricane. Hurricanes in the western Pacific Ocean are referred to as typhoons and are similarly powerful. The Atlantic Ocean has the most hurricanes, and the western Pacific Ocean has the most typhoons. Hurricanes can also be caused by volcanic eruptions.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for have you ever heard about the god of hurricanes? get 111 amazing facts, then why not take a look at the difference between tornado and hurricane or the deadliest hurricane in the world.
Hurricanes are undoubtedly the strongest and the most powerful storms in the world.
