Throughout history, questions of life and death, famine and bounty, good and bad luck have puzzled people the world over, and they have attempted to solve mysteries and allay fears in the same way - through the worship of gods. Arranged alphabetically from A-a, the sun goddess of Mesopotamia, to Zurvan, the Persian god of fate, Encyclopedia of Gods is the most broadly based work of reference yet produced on gods from all over the world. Giving equal emphasis to ancient mythology and contemporary religions, the entries explain the culture of origin and the role of each god or goddess, while longer essays give details of artistic and literary references, known dates of worship and legends associated with the more important deities.