1 Matsya
This was the form of the fish, taken up by Vishnu during a deluge that submerged the earth. Matsya is generally represented as a four-armed figure with the upper torso of a man and the lower of a fish. According to a legend, Vishnu commanded a rishi to gather together samples of all species and wait in a boat. The gigantic golden fish then dragged the boat through the deluge and then enabled Brahma to start the act of creation all over again.