In traditional belief, a
deity (ˈdiː.ɨti or ˈdeɪ.ɨti) is a
supernatural being, and who may be thought of as
holy,
divine, or
sacred.
Believers believe that the deities in their religions are true, and often that they can communicate with the deities, who can respond supernaturally to their entreaties. Some
religions have one supreme deity, others have multiple deities of various ranks.
C. Scott Littleton's
Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology defined a deity as "a being with powers greater than those of ordinary humans, but who interacts with humans, positively or negatively, in ways that carry humans to new levels of consciousness beyond the grounded preoccupations of ordinary life. "
Deities are depicted in a variety of forms, but are also frequently expressed as having human form. Some faiths and traditions consider it
blasphemous to imagine or depict the deity as having any concrete form. Deities are often thought to be
immortal, and are commonly assumed to have personalities and to possess consciousness, intellects, desires, and emotions comparable but usually superior to those of humans. A male deity is a
god, while a female deity is a
goddess.
Natural phenomena whose causes are not understood, such as
lightning and catastrophes such as earthquakes and floods, are sometimes attributed to them. They may be thought to be able to work supernatural
miracles and to be the authorities and controllers of various aspects of human life (such as birth or an
afterlife). Some deities are asserted to be the directors of time and fate itself, to be the givers of human law and morality, to be the ultimate judges of human worth and behavior, and to be the designers and creators of everything (the
Earth or
Universe and all contents).