In the Hindu Shaivite corpus Skanda is described as the son of Śiva and Pārvatī and is the central figure named in the Skanda Purāṇa, one of the largest Mukhyapurāṇas (the Purāṇa is explicitly titled after him). Regional cults in southern India identify this divine son with local forms such as Murugan, Kartikeya, and Subramanya; temple literature and summaries emphasize his primacy as a martial deity and focal object of devotion, especially in Tamilnādu. In Mahāyāna Buddhist reception the figure appears under Chinese names (塞建陀 / 室建陀) and as Weituo (韋馱) or Japanese Idaten (韋駄天), where he is assimilated as a protector of monasteries and the Buddhist teaching (Dharma).
Sources characterize Skanda in functional and cultic terms rather than provide exhaustive iconographic manuals in the supplied excerpts. Temple-oriented material from South India eulogizes him as "the ultimate warrior," and regional worship of Murugan/Kartikeya/Subramanya implies traditional martial iconography in temple practice. In East Asian Buddhist contexts Skanda appears in monastic guardian imagery under the names Weituo and Idaten; the Buddhist entry explicitly identifies him as a devoted monastery guardian, which corresponds to attendant guardian depictions found in Buddhist institutional art (as reported in the sources). The supplied texts do not furnish step-by-step iconographic prescriptions but consistently associate him with youthful, martial guardian imagery in both Hindu (war-god) and Buddhist (monastery guardian) registers.
In Hindu sources and summaries Skanda is presented primarily as a war-god and 'ultimate warrior,' a martial divine agent celebrated in Shaivite narrative and cult (the Skanda Purāṇa centers on him). In East Asian Mahāyāna Buddhism Skanda/Weituo/Idaten functions as a devoted guardian of Buddhist monasteries and protector of the Dharma. Across the cited materials his roles are protective and martial rather than malevolent: cultic worship (including festivals such as Skanda Sashti) and textual prominence in the Skanda Purāṇa underpin these attributed functions.
Guanyin
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Situa Festival
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Six‑Eared Macaque
A supernatural primate antagonist from the Ming‑dynasty novel Journey to the West who impersonates Sun Wukong. Described in the text as one of four special "spiritual primates," he demonstrates near‑omniscience and perfect mimicry of the Monkey King until revealed and subdued by the Buddha.
Siyah Div (Black Div)
Siyah Div (Persian: سیاه دیو), rendered in English as 'Black Div', is a named Div‑figure attested in Persian epic tradition (the Shahnameh). In the available sources he is identified in the manuscript/illustration cycle of the Shah Tahmasp Shahnameh and remembered by the epithet 'Slayer of Siamak.'
Sjtuf
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Sjörå
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Skald (Norse Poet)
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Skaði
Skaði is an Old Norse mythic figure, daughter of the jötunn Þjazi who is also treated as a goddess. Associated with mountains, winter, skiing and bowhunting, she becomes the wife of the sea-god Njörðr as part of compensation for her father's death and appears among the Æsir in mythic narratives (including the binding of Loki).
Skeleton (undead)
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Skinwalker
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Skjöldr (Skjǫldr / Scyld)
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Community Record
- [1]Skanda (Wikipedia disambiguation and article). Wikipedia, 'Skanda' (disambiguation and article entries noting Kartikeya/Skanda and Skanda Purana)wiki
- [2]Skanda (Buddhism). Wikipedia, 'Skanda (Buddhism)' (identifies Chinese names 塞建陀 / 室建陀, Weituo 韋馱, and Japanese Idaten 韋駄天 and role as monastery guardian)wiki
- [3]Skanda Purana (Wisdomlib summary). Wisdomlib summary: 'The Skanda Purana... is the largest Mukhyapurāṇa... of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati.'academic
- [4]Abodes of Skanda / Skanda (Templenet). Templenet 'Abodes of Skanda' and related pages (identifies Skanda as Murugan/Kartikeya/Subramanya, notes reverence in Tamilnādu and describes him as 'the ultimate warrior')folk
- [5]Skanda Sashti (Templenet festival page). Templenet 'Skanda Sashti' page noting the festival association (the sixth-day observance) with Skanda/Murugan in Tamil cult practice.folk
- [6]Gurukul Kangri Collection catalog: Navarnava Vidhi and Skanda Purana (manuscript listing). Archive catalog entry indicating manuscript holdings for Skanda Purana and related ritual texts (Navarnava Vidhi) in the Gurukul Kangri Collection.other