http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/home/gfloren/India1.htm#Hindu	http://www.hindunet.org/god/shiva.html

    First of all, we have to know who Siva is. He is one of the three great gods in Hinduism. His name means “good omen.” He is the epic and puranic deity Rudra-Siva and is famous for his power to destroy. On the other hand, he is also known by different traits. These different traits are expressed by the 1116 other names Siva is known by. For instance, he is also known as Mahadeva which means great god, Hara which means destroyer of everything, Sankara which means god who gives a favor, Bhairava which means god of fear, Nilakantha which means blue throat, and Nataraja which means god of dance. Basically, Siva is male, but he sometimes can be a hermaphrodite, half god and half goddess.