Karttikeya, or Skanda as he is also known, is the Hindu god of war. He is the leader of the divine armies. He also seems to be the god of male virility. He is usually depicted as a youthful man full of vigor who has six heads. Sometimes he has twelve arms and twelve legs. He rides a peacock into battle, carrying a bow and arrows.

There are several strange stories told regarding Karttikeya's birth. He is the son of either Agni or Shiva, or even a combination of the two. In Vedic times, he was the son of Agni and the river Ganges, but he was conceived in an odd way. Apparently, the goddess of the river Ganges, Ganga, and Agni's wife Svaha conspired together for Ganga to produce a child. Svaha went to her husband over the course of six nights, in six different disguises. She retained his seed, and brought it to Ganga, maker her pregnant. Karttikeya was born from her waters.

In another, later story, Karttikeya is the son of Shiva and Parvati. It seemed that the two were constantly making love, to the discontent of the other gods; they were concerned that their offspring might be too powerful. Finally they were persuaded to stop, but there was much of Shiva's seed which had not been used. This was burning hot (a representation of Agni) and no one could hold it. It was passed from god to god until it finally was tossed into the sacred waters of the Ganges. Shiva took the embryo and placed him on top of a mountain for ten thousand years in the sight of the rising sun, and Karttikeya was born. He was cared for by the Krittikas (the six stars of the Pleiades), from whom he got his name.

The most common version of his birth has him being born to fight a powerful demon named Taraka. The gods feared the creature, and went to Shiva and asked for his aid in destroying him. Shiva aimed the fire of his deadly third eye at a lake. Six children were produced from this. Shiva's wife Parvati looked after the children, but one day she hugged them all and squeezed a little too hard, for they fused together into one body. The six heads remained, however, and this child grew into the god of war. When he grew to full power, he vanquished Taraka, thus saving the world. As reward, and in recognition of his abilities, he was made general of the celestial armies.