Shiva

Definition: Shiva "the Auspicious One" is one of the main gods in the Hindu pantheon. He is part of the trinity or trimurti as "the destroyer" along with Vishnu as "the Preserver" and Brahma as "the Creator". Shiva has many titles and different names. In the Vedas, he is known primarily as Rudra "the Howler (Roarer)" or "the Terrible One". Although Shiva is known as the destroyer, he is also associated with procreation when he is worshiped as the linga or sacred phallus.

Shiva sometimes has 4 arms and faces, and 3 eyes -- the third in the center of his forehead, sometimes represented as 3 horizontal lines. It can emit a destructive fire. He wears animal skins and snakes around his neck. Parvati is Shiva's wife. Before marrying Parvati, Shiva was a contemplative ascetic.

Shiva's vehicle is Nandi, a milk-white bull who is the guardian of 4-legged creatures.

References:

• _{"Shiva" A Dictionary of World Mythology. Arthur Cotterell. Oxford University Press, 1997.}
• _{"Shiva" The Oxford Companion to World mythology. David Leeming. Oxford University Press, 2004}
• _{"Shiva and Parvati: Public and Private Reflections of Stories in North India"
  Neema Caughran
  The Journal of American Folklore (1999)}

Alternate Spellings: Siva