There is a slight difference in meaning between tennyo and the deification of females (goddesses) in folk beliefs; tennyo themselves are rarely portrayed as having supernatural powers, and because they visit the human world only to give messages and to take care of personal tasks (such as bathing), their existence itself is relatively mundane.
民間信仰における女性の神格性（女神）とは些か趣を異としており、天女自身が超常の力を持つという描写は少なく、地上へは専ら何らかの連絡か個人的な用事（水浴びなど）のために訪れるというだけで、その存在自体は比較的俗である。