From the Past : Rain gods and spirits

Qu Yuan by Chen Hongshou

     The Chinese have the Yu Shi, the Master of Rain 1 . This spirit is mentioned in the Chuci (songs of Chu) in the poem "Yuan You" traditionally considered to have been written by Qu Yuan. The name means "distant journey". The Chuci collection of texts was composed during the Han period by Liu Xiang and brings together many other authors.
    Of slightly more renown is the Middle Eastern "super"-god Baal who is also mentioned in the Old Testament and in the Quran after which he received attention in various types of books from theological to esoteric to fiction.

    The term "ba'al" is actually semitic and means "lord" or "master", in Akkadian it would be "Belu" and can be applied to various gods and even to humans. In order to be more specific, the actual god of thunderstorms was called by his priests "Hadad" and also received the designation of lord of Heaven. The Cannanites had a Baal-Hadad deity. Somewhere along the way Baal became for Abrahamic religions Beelzebub, "lord of the flies".
    Greek mythology is more straightforward and less cryptic. The Nephelae, beautiful young women, nymphs, bring rain to the Earth and feed the rivers.