Ganesh

Like all gods in the Hindu pantheon, Ganesh has a mythological origin. He is the son of Shiva and his consort Parvati, both of human form and yet he bears the head of an elephant. The reason for this closely follows his birth or more appropriately his creation. He was not born to Parvati as mere mortal are. It is said that she was lonely. Shiva was away as was often the case. In her loneliness it appears she was given to neglect personal hygiene, or maybe it was an act of pure desperation and determination. She decided to create a child and did this by forming him, Ganesh, through moulding a substantial accumulation of her body dirt. And so Ganesh was born and Parvati was happy and occupied.