Triple deities

Triple deities, legendary persons, deities, and mythological creatures (sometimes referred to as tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune or triadic), are common throughout world mythology; the number 3 has a long history of mythical associations. The deities and legendary creatures of this nature typically fit into one of the following general categories:
* "triadic" ("forming a group of three"): a triad, three entities inter-related in some way (life, death, rebirth, for example, or triplet children of a deity) and always or usually associated with one another or appearing together;
* "triune" ("three-in-one, one-in-three"): a being with three aspects or modes of existence (e.g. Father, Son and the Holy Spirit in traditional Christian theology);
* "tripartite" ("of triple parts"): a being with three body parts where there would normally be one (three heads, three pairs of arms, and so on); or
* "triplicate-associated" ("relating to three corresponding instances"): a being in association with a trio of things of the same nature which are symbolic or through which power is wielded (three magic birds, etc.)

The list below does "not" include fictional triple characters (e.g. Shakespeare's three witches in "Macbeth", or Tolkien's trio of trolls in "The Hobbit"), however they may be inspired by the triple deities and legendary beings that are represented in the list.

List of triple deities

Triples in deities:

*The Triple Goddess of many early religions and myths
*The Classical Greek trioFact|date=May 2008 of Zeus (father), Leto (mother), and Apollo (son)
*The late Egyptian trio of Osiris (man), Isis (wife), and Horus (son)
*The Roman Capitoline Triad of Jupiter (father), Juno (wife), and Minerva (daughter).
*The Roman triad of Ceres, Liber Pater and Libera (or its Greek counterpart with Demeter, Dionysos and Kore)
*The Julian triads of the early Roman Principate:
**Venus Genetrix, Divus Iulius, and Clementia Caesaris
**Divus Iulius, Divi filius and Genius Augusti
**Eastern variants of the Julian triad, e.g. in Asia Minor: Dea Roma, Divus Iulius and Genius Augusti (or Divi filius)
* The Trinity in Christianity
* The Matres (Deae Matres/Dea Matrona) in Roman mythology
* The Fates or Furies in Greek and Roman mythology
* The Hooded Spirits or "Genii Cucullati"
* Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (Trimurti) in Hindu mythology
* The Three Pure Ones in Taoism
* The Fu Lu Shou in Taoism
*The One, the Thought (or Intellect) and the Soul in Neoplatonism
*The triad of Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat in the time of Mohammed (surah 53:19-22)
*Lugus (Esus, Toutatis and Taranis) in Celtic mythology
*Odin, Vili and Ve in Germanic mythology
* The Norns in Germanic mythology
*the Triglav in Slavic mythology
*Ayyavazhi TrinityThe 3 Kings in Christianity

List of other triads

Triples in legendary beings:
* The Zoroastrian Magi (the "Three Wise Men" in Christianity)
* Aži Dahāka (Azhi Dahaka, Dahāg)
* Balam
* Balaur
* Bune (Bime)
* Cerberus
* Ettins
* Geryon
* The Gorgons
* Zmey Gorynych

Quotes

ee also

* List of deities
* Mythography
* Polycephaly
* Trifunctional hypothesis

References

* Jung, C. G. "A Psychological Approach to the Dogma of the Trinity", as quoted by Brabazon.
* Brabazon, Michael. [http://www.quodlibet.net/brabazon-jung.shtml Carl Jung and the Trinitarian Self] , Quodlibet Journal: Volume 4 Number 2-3, Summer 2002. File retrieved Sept. 19, 2008.