Shiva's Family Tree

Nandi नन्दि
Nandi is the devoted vahana (vehicle) of Shiva. He symbolizes strength and loyalty. He is also one of the chiefs of Shiva's attendants and the guardian of Kailash, the abode of the god. In numerous temples dedicated to Shiva, there is a statue of Nandi facing the main sanctuary (in which the image of the god is housed), in a perpetual act of devotion.
The curse of Parvati
Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati engaged in a game of dice on Mount Kailash. The umpire for their game was Nandi. Despite the fact that Parvati won the game, Nandi declared Shiva as the winner. This made the goddess fly off the handle and cast a curse upon Nandi. Nandi humbly pleaded for the removal of the curse, justifying his action with his deep devotion to Lord Shiva. Parvati agreed, but with one condition: Nandi must worship her son, Lord Ganesha, on his birthday. Nandi offered green grass to Lord Ganesha on his birthday as an act of penance. Since then, this practice of offering green grass to Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi has been followed by numerous devotees, commemorating Nandi's devotion and seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha.
Shiva शिव

attributes: moon on the head | trident | third eye | snake around the neck

Shiva is considered one of the principal deities in Hinduism. He is known as the god of energy, possessing the power to both create and destroy. The linga, which is Shiva's symbol, represents energy at its maximum potential.

In Hindu mythology, Shiva is depicted in various forms. One of these forms is the cosmic dancer, wherein Shiva unleashes a chaotic dance to obliterate everything that has been created, signaling the end of the universe's current cycle.
Another depiction of Shiva is Ardhanarishvara, where he fuses with his consort Parvati to form an androgynous creature. This form represents the complementary and indivisible nature of male and female principles.
He is also considered the greatest ascetic and at the same time the most passionate lover.
the appearence of Shiva
Once, Vishnu and Brahma (two of the primary gods in Hinduism), were engrossed in a heated argument over who was the greater one among them. Suddenly, a colossal, infinite pillar of light emerged before them. They decided that whoever found the foot or the head of the column would be deemed the winner. Vishnu transformed himself into a wild boar and began digging deep into the earth, while Brahma assumed the form of a swan and flew to the top of the pillar. They searched for a thousand years but were unable to locate the end of the column. However, Brahma saw the petals of a flower drifting down, which he presented as evidence of having reached the zenith of the pillar. Shiva, who was enraged by the falsehood, appeared before the two gods and reminded them that they both were born from him but had forgotten about their origins. Shiva then cursed Brahma for his deception, declaring that he would not be worshipped in any shrine.
Parvati शिव

attributes: grand jewels | mirror | lotus flower | prayer beads | citron

Parvati is the wife of Shiva. She is the manifestation of the Shakti, the feminine energy that, alongside the masculine principle, is responsible for creating, supporting and dissolving the universe. Shakti is pure power, untamed, uncontrolled, and chaotic.

Parvati embodies the virtues of fertility, love, marriage and the householder ideal in general. At the same time, she is known for practicing extreme asceticism, which in ancient Indian society was usually not allowed for women.

Parvati (or Shakti) manifests in different forms to fulfill different purposes. Among these forms is Durga, a ferocious warrior created by the gods to slay a terrible demon. Another form of Parvati is Kali, the goddess associated with death, time and destruction.

Parvati embodies the dynamic interplay of creation, preservation, transformation and destruction, reflecting the cosmic balance between the feminine and masculine forces that shape existence.
The marriage of Shiva and Parvati
Shiva was previosuly married to Sati, but her father held a strong disdain for her ascetic husband and openly insulted him. Deeply hurt by this, Sati immolated herself hoping to be reborn to a father who accepted her marriage. Devastated by the loss of his beloved wife, Shiva was consumed by anger and grief, leading him to avenge Sati's death by killing her father. The god then decided to enter into a deep meditation and withdraw from the external realities of the world. Meanwhile, Sati was reborn as Parvati and wanted to reunite with Shiva. However, he remained absorbed in his meditative trance, oblivious to Parvati's attempts to capture his attention. Kama, the god of Love, intervened and shooted one of his arrows (which has the power to stir desire in anyone mind) at Shiva. But instead of stirring lust, the arrow merely disturbed Shiva's meditation, leaving him furious. The god openend his third eye and reduced Kama to ashes.
Refusing to give up, Parvati decided to obtain Shiva's attention by engaging in an ascetic path of penance and devotion: she gave up all worldly comforts, including food and performed rigorous tapasya to create heat in her body. This divine energy finally caught Shiva's notice, drawing him out of his Recognizing the depth of her love and realizing that Parvati was the reincarnation of Sati, Shiva agreed to marry her.
Kali

attributes: blue or black skin | heads' necklace | red eyes | lolling tongue

Kali is the terrible form of Parvati. She is usually represented naked, with black or blue skin, a wreath made of beheaded heads, a skirt of arms and a long lolling tongue. Her actions are destructive and aggressive as she embodies violence and death. She is also associated with the concepts of time and sexuality.
Kali standing on Shiva
In many artistic representations, Kali is shown dancing on a lying Shiva. The story behind this portrayal is as follows: once upon a time there was a powerful demon called Raktabija who was wreaking havoc on Earth. What made him invincible was that every time a drop of his blood touched the ground, a new copy of himself would arise. The gods invoked Durga (another form of Parvati) to slay the demon. However, with each strike she delivered, Raktabija's duplicates multiplied, fueling the goddess's fury. From this rage, Kali emerged. With her long tongue, Kali swallowed every drop of blood that fell from Raktabija's body, preventing the demon from multiplying further. Kali drained the energy out of Raktabija's body until the demon was dead. Drunk from the power she drank, she started dancing wildly on the demon carcasses. The goddess's energy couldn't stop, and the overwhelming power of her dance threatened to destroy the world. Concerned, the gods implored Shiva to pacify his spouse. He tried to talk to her but she was too immersed in her trance to hear him. Eventually, Shiva threw himself down beneath her feet. After a few moments, she realized who she was standing on and calmed down.
The Peacock
A peacock is the vahana of Murugan. It symbolizes the ability to overcome harmful habits and exercise restraint over sexual desires. The representation of the peacock often includes its feet clasping a serpent, which serves as a symbol of ego and desires. The peacock is also the national bird of India.
Murugan कार्त्तिकेय

attributes: lance | youthful appearence | peacock | bow | six heads

Murugan (also known as Kārttikeya or Skanda) is the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is worshipped mainly in the area of Tamil influence and thus is considered the patron of Tamil people. As the god of war and the supreme commander of the divine army, Murugan has a lance as his principal weapon and travels upon a peacock, his mount.

Murugan is commonly depicted as a young handsome boy. Occasionally he is represented with six heads because of the story of its birth.
Murugan's birth
The gods requested Shiva and Parvati to conceive a who could kill the mighty demon called Taraka. However, the passionate union between the two gods was lasting for too long, prompting the gods to interrupt it. Aware that Shiva's semen was too hot for being in the world, Agni, the god of fire took it into his mouth. Nevertheless, the semen was too hot even for the Agni, leading him to pass it on to Ganga, the goddess of the river Ganga. Subsenquently, Murugan was born out of the waters of the holy river and later raised by the six Krittika, who are the Pleiades stars. This tale explains why the god is sometimes represented with six heads.
Ganesha गणेश

attributes: elephantine head | rope | axe | large stomach

Ganesha is characterized by his iconic elephant head. He is a benelovent god and possesses the ability to eliminate all obstacles. Consequently, individuals revere and seek his blessings before embarking on any endeavor. Ganesha has a sweet tooth for sweets, so offerings of confectioneries are frequently presented to Ganesha as a means to attain good fortune and protection.

Due to his patronage of writers and intellectuals, Ganesha is often depicted on the opening pages of Indian books. According to legend, he wrote down the Mahabharata, an extensive Indian epic poem, using his tusk as a stylus.
Ganesha's head
Ganesha was a boy created by Parvati to prevent anyone from entering the room while she was bathing. Shiva didn't know about this, and when he came back home to visit Parvati, Ganesha blocked him. Enfuriated, Shiva cut off the boy's head. When Parvati discovered what happened, she became furious at her husband. Shiva, to make up to his wife, Shiva instructed the gods to bring him the head of the first living being they encountered. They came across an elephant and thus Ganesha was given a unique form with a human body and an elephant's head.
Mooshika मूषिक
Mooshika is the vahana (vehicle) of Ganesha. The virtues that he represents are humility, intelligence and resourcefulness.
the encounter between Mooshika and Ganesha
Mooshika was originally a sage named Krauncha. One day he accidentally stepped on the foot of another sage, who, infuriated, cursed him to become a huge rat. The massive mouse began wreaking havoc and causing destruction wherever he went, until he reached an ashram where Ganesha was staying. The god decided to intervene to stop the ruination caused by the beast. He used his noose to entrap the mouse and bring it to his feet. Mooshika asked for forgiveness and Ganesha agreed to the condition that the mouse would become his vahana.