Goddesses of the World
NOTE:
This list is not finished and will be updated periodically as Kalisavatar
finishes it. Please be patient she has alot on her plate right now.
Thankyou.
A-A:
Sun Goddess. Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian) and western
Semitic. Consort of the sun God Samas. Also Aya.
ABEONA:
Roman Goddess of passage. Linked with the Goddess Adeona,
she is concerned with the safe going-out and coming-in of a child.
ABHIJIT:
(victorious) Hindu(puranic) Goddess of Furtune. A benevolent
nakastra or astral deity. Daughter of Daska and consort of Candra
(Soma).
ABHIMUKI:
(friendly disposed) Buddhist(Vajrayana) Goddess. One of the tweleve
deified bhumis recognized as different spiritual spheres through which
a disciple passes. Color;yellow. Attributes: book and staff.
ABNOBA:
Forest and river Goddess. Romano-Celtic(Continental European).
Known locally from the Black Forest region of Germany. The name
"Avon," associated with many rivers, derives from her name.
ABUNDANTIA:
Minor fertility Goddess. Roman The personification of abundance. She
continued in French mythology after Roman occupation, as a lady who
enters houses in the night, brining prosperity.
ACALA:
Minor Goddess. Buddhist(Vajrayana). One of twelve deified bhumis
recognized as different spiritual spheres through which a disciple
passes. Color: white. Attributes: staff on a lotus.
ACCA LARENTIA:
Obscure mother Goddess. Roman. Believed in some traditions to be the
mother of the Lares, but also the mothe of the god Hercules and the
adopted mother of Romulus, the founder of Rome. She was celebrated
in the Larentalia festival on December 23, which was also a feast of the
dead.
ACHTLAND(AKHT-lawnd):
Celtic, She was a Goddess queen whom no mortal man could
sexually satisfy, so she took a giant from the faerie realm as her
mate. Legend has it that she took great pleasure in combing his
long, fair hair. Invoke her energies for sex magic or for taking
the female role in the Great Rite.
ACCHUPTA(untouched):
Goddess of learning. Jain(India). One of sixteen vidyadevi headed by
the Goddess Sarasvati.
ACHTLAND(AKHT-lawnd):
She was a Celtic Goddess queen whom no mortal man could
sexually satisfy, so she took a giant from the faerie realm as her
mate. Legend has it that she took great pleasure in combing his
long, fair hair. Invoke her energies for sex magic or for taking
the female role in the Great Rite.
ADEONA:
Roman Goddess of passage. See abeona.
ADHIMUKTICARYA:
Minor Goddess. Buddhist(Vajrayana). One of tweleve deified bhumis
recognized as different spiritual spheres through which a disciple
passes. Color:red. Attributes: red lotus and staff.
ADHIMUKTIVASITA(control of confidence):
Minor Godeess. Buddhist. One of a group of twelve vasitas or
Goddesses personifying the disciplines of spiritual regeneration. Color:
white. Attribute: Flower bud.
ADIDHARMA(the primeval law):
Primordial Goddess. Buddhist-Lamaist(Tibet). Particularly worshipped
in Lamaism, she is the Sakti of Adibuddha(the primeval buddha).
Attributes:cup and knife.
ADIKIA:
Greek Goddess of injustice. An ugly figure who is depicted on the
Kypselos Chest being throttled by the Goddess of justice Dike.
ADITI(the free one):
Archaic mother Goddess. Hindu(Vedic). According to the Rg Veda
Aditi is said to be wife of Kasyapa or of Brahma and mother of the
Adityas, a group of minor gods including Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga,
Varuna, Daska, and Anisa. No other consort is mentioned in the
literature. She is also considered to be the mother of Hari. Other legends
give her as the mother of the rain god Indra. No human physical
features are drawn, though she is sometimes identified in the guise of a
cow. Aditi is also percieved as a gaurdian Goddess who brings
prosperity and who can free her devotees from problems and clear away
obstacles. She disappears largely from later Hindu traditions.
ADRASTEIA(Adrastea):
Greek mountain deity worshipped in Phrygia, Troy and Thrace,
and later in Greece proper. An avenging goddess of
righteousness. Mountain Goddess. Hellenized Phrygian(north-
western Turkey). Probably derived from a local Anatolian mountain
deity. Known from inscriptions in Greece from circa 400 bc as a deity
who defend the righteous. It is uncertain whether she bears any link
with the Celtic Goddess Andraste.
AGDISTIS:
Greek Mother god of Phrygian origin, often associated with the
mother goddess Kybele. In Greek mythology, she was the
product of the combination of a rock with the semen of Zeus.
Originally a hermaphrodite, Agdistis was made female through
castration. The vegetation god Attis was the ultimate product of
her severed sexual organs which became either a pomegranate
tree or an almond tree. Attis grew to become a beautiful youth,
but ultimately died of self-castration in an effort to avoid the
amorous pursuit of Agdistis and/or Kybele.
AGLAIA (Aglaea, Aegle):
Greek One of the three Graces, or Charites. Daughter of Zeus
and Eurynome.
AHA(granmother):
River spirit. Yukat(cnetral Siberia). The guardian of apotheosis of rivers.
AHURANI(mistress of Ahura):
Fertility goddess. Zoroastian(Persian). Invoked by ordinary people to
bring prosperity and children. Water libations were a key part of the
ritual.
AIMEND(AW-mend) (EE-mend):
Celtic A minor Celtic sun Goddess who was said to be the
daughter of the King of the region known as Corco Liodhe.
AINE - (AA-nee):
Celtic A Goddess of love who may also be a Goddess of
cattle and horses. She is said to be a daughter of Ouel, a sage
and seer of the Tuatha De Danaan. Aine(Pronounced aw-ne) -
Goddess of Love and Fertility, Patroness of crops, horses, and
cattle, Moon Goddess in her guise as Aine of Knocaine. Land
Goddess of the Eoghanachta tribes in Munster.
AINE:
Daughter of Eogabail, foster son of the Manx sea God
Manannan Mac Lir. Some accounts give her as the daughter of
Manannan Mac Lir, God of the hidden paths in the realms of
the western ocean. Also identified with Anu, mother of the
Gods as well as the Morrigan, Goddess of Battles. Within Aine
we see the triple aspect of the Morrighan in the powers
attributed to her. As the Maiden, she has the ability to reward
her devotees with the gift of poetry or with unfortunate
madness. As a Mother deity, Aine is associated with lakes and
wells with great powers of healing. Tobar-Na-Aine (Well of
Aine) was credited withlife-restoring powers. In her third
aspect of the dark Goddess, she has the ability to appear
to mortal men as a woman of great beauty known as the
leannan sidhé, which means "Fairy Lover". King Ailil Olom of
Munster, one of Aine's mortal lovers, attempted to force himself
on her, but was slayed by her magick. Many tales show her as
having been worshipped as a Love Goddess on Midsummer
Eve when torches are taken through the fields to bless the
growing corn with sacred fire. Her festival is Alban Heruin or
"The Light of the Shore" (Irish).
AIRMAD(AWR-meet) (EER-meet):
Celtic Daughter of the God of Medicine, Diancecht, who was
an adapt at the healing arts. She was looked upon as a magician
and an herbalist. After the death of her brother, Miach, she
tened thegrave on which all of the herbs of the earth grew, and
as sheharvested them, they spoke to her and assisted her in
their uses.She laid them out on a cloak by their properties, but
her jealousfather came along and shook the cloak, scattering
away nearly all of the knowledge.She was a craftsman who,
with the help of her brotherhelped forge the famed silver hand
of Nuada.
AJAYA(invincible):
Minor goddess. Buddhist(Mahayana). An Attendant of Buddhakapala.
AJE:
Goddess of wealth. Yoruba(Nigeria, West Africa). She is thought to
appear as a fowl acratching the earth and, in creation mythology, was
sent down with Oduduwa, the earth goddess.
AJYSYT:
Maternal spirit. Yakut(central Siberia). The diety who oversees the
lying-in of an expectant mother and who brings the child's soul to the
childbed. The term ajysyt can also apply to a male spirit, thus the ajysyt
that oversees the birth of horses is male, while that of horned cattle is
female.
AKONADI:
Oracular Goddess. Ghanaian(West Africa). Known in the region
around Accra where she has had a celebrated oracular shrine. She is
regarded as a Goddess of justice and a guardian diety of women.
ALA:
Chthonic fertility Goddess. Ibo(eastern Nigeria, West Africa). A
popular deity who is also Goddess of the underworld linked with a cult
of the dead(which rest in her womb) Her temple is the Mbari, which
contains a cult statue depicting the Goddess seated with a child in her
arms and adorned with a crescent moon. She is flanked by attendant
deities. She enjoys a profusion of local shrines which are well supplied
with votive offerings. Serious crimes including murder are considered
to be offenses against her. An annual yam festival is celebrated in her
honor. Also Ale, Ana, and Ani.
ALAISIAGAE:
Minor Goddesses. Roman-Celtic(British). They are identified at
Houseteads (Northumberland) in a shrine to Mars Thincsus.
ALEMONA:
Goddess of passage. Roman. Concerned with the health of unborn
children.
ALLAT(goddess):
Astral and tutelary Goddess. Pre-Islamic northern and central Arabian.
One of the three daughters of Allah. At Palmyra she was regularly
invoked as a domestic guardian either as Allat or Astarte with whom
she is closely linked. At Ta'if she was symbolized in the form of a white
granite stone. In Hellenic times she became syncretized with Athene or,
according to Herodotus who called her Alilat, with Aphrodite.
ALETHIA (Roman Veritas):
The Greek goddess of truth. She was the daughter of Zeus and
the nurse of the infant Apollo.
ALLEKTO:
Greek One of the Greek Erinyes, goddesses of vengeance.
Daughter of Gaea. Her name is said to mean "she who does not
rest".
ALMAH:
Celtic Goddess who not much is known about. There is a hill
in Southern Ireland named after her.
ALPANU:
Chthonic underworld Goddess. Etruscan. Depicted wearing jewels, a
loose cloak and sandals but otherwise naked. Also arguably a Goddess
of sexual love.
AMALTHAEA(Amaltheia, Amalthea):
Greek Greek nymph who was the nurse of the infant Zeus
while Rhea was hiding him from Cronus. Sometimes
represented as a goat, one of whose horns was broken off and
transforby Zeus into the cornucopia, or horn of plenty.
AMASAGNUL:
Fertility Goddess. Mesopotamian(Babylonian-Akkadian). Mentioned
in prebend documents from the Hellenistic period at Uruk and thought
to be the consort of the god Papsukkal.
AMATERASU-O-MI-KAMI:
Shinto (Japan) Sun Goddess. Known period of worship is circa 600 AD
or earlier till present. Synonyms are Shinmei; O-Hiru-Me_No_Muchi;
Tensho-Ko_Daijin. Centers of cult is Ise Naiku shrine and many others
throughout Japan. Literary sources are Nihongi; Kojiki (Japanese
sacred texts). The central figure of Shintoism and the ancestral deity
of the imperial house. One of the daughters of the primordial god
Izanagi and said to be his favorite offspring, she was born from his left
eye. She is the sibling of Susano-Wo, the storm god. According to
mythology she and Susano-Wo are obliged to join each other in order
to survive. Susano-Wo ascends with her to heaven but is thrown out
after trying to enter her house and committing various excesses.
Amaterasu refuses to be sullied and obstinatly hides herself away in a
cave. It requires the combined diplomacy and craft of many other
deities to persuade her to come out. The lure is the "perfect divine
mirror" in which she sees her reflection. The birth of two deities is
considered to mark the transition between cosmic and material genesis.
She is also the tutelary Goddess of the emporer. Hers tends to be a
monotheistic cult in which all other deities take subservient place.
Though powerful she does not always succeed and is often subject to
attack. She has benn arguably identified with the god Vairocana in
Buddhist relegion. Sphere of her contro is the SunSymbolic animal:
Goldfish Colors linked to Goddess: Green(worn by worshiper) and
GoldHer holy days are the Solstice and she requiers semiannual
sacrifice of handicrafts. Places of Worship: Ise Sanctuary, home
shrines, and temples.
AMAUNET(the hidden one):
Fertility Goddess. Upper Egyptian. Amaunet seems to have taken a
role as an early consort of Amun, on eof the eight deities of the Ogdoad
and representing hidden power. In that context she is depicted
anthropomorphically but with the head of a snake. She is shown in
reliefs and as the subject of a notable statue from the Record Hall of
Tuthmosis III at the Karnak complex of Thebes, where she was
recognized as a benign protective deity especially called on at times of
royal accession. As a fertility Goddess she was largely eclipsed by the
Goddess Mut. She is sometimes equated with Neith, the creator
Goddess of Sais, and her attributes may include the red crown of the
Delta.
AME-NO-MI-KUMARI-NO-KAMI:
Water Goddess. Shinto(Japan). One of the daughters of Minato-No-
Kami, the god of river mouths and estuaries, she is known as the
"heavenly water divider" and her cult is linked with that of Kuni-No-Mi-
Kumari-No-Kami.
AME-NO-TANABATA-HIME-NO-MIKOTO:
Astral Goddess of weavers. Shinto(Japan). One of two star apotheoses
who are, according to tradition, deeply in love with each other. Her
partner is Hikoboshi. Her name is generally abbreviated to Tanabata,
the title of a festival in honor of the Goddess. The festival later became
merged with the Tibetan Bon Ullumbana festival of the dead. Also
Shokujo.
AME-NO-UZUME:
Goddes of dancers. Shinto(Japan). She plays a part in enticing the sun
Goddess, Amaterasu, from her cave using the perfect divine mirror.
AMMAVARU:
Primordial Mother Goddess. Hindu-Dravidian. Known locally from east
central India and worshiped by the Dravidian tribe of Telugu. She is
said to have generated the cosmic egg in the sea of milk from which the
major gods Brahma, Visnu and Siva were born.
AMMUT(devouressof the dead):
Chthonic underworld Goddess. Egyptian. A significant deity who
allegedly consumes the dead if their hearts are found weighred down
with guilt in the Judgement Hall of the Two Truths during the
Weighing of the Heart ceremony. Ammut has a fearsome
aspect and sits alongside forty-two juror gods named in the
Book of the Dead. Depicted with the head of a crocidaile, the
trunk of for limbs of a lion and the hind part of a hippopotamus.
AMPHITRITE:
Greek Greek goddess of the sea, wife of Poseidon. Daughter
of Nereus and Doris or Okeanos and Tethys. Poseidon chose
her from among her sister Nereids. Amphitrite fled, but she was
retrieved by a dolphin and returned to Poseidon. Mother of
Albion, Benthesicyme, Charybdis, Rhode and Triton.
Amphitrite is a Greek Sea Goddess. According to Theogony
(Hesiod), one of the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris.
Considered to calm stormy seas, traveling in a boat made of
mussels. She was among those present at the birth of Apollo.
AN:
Possiably a female principle of the Mesopotamian (Sumerian)
creator god An. Early icongraphy suggests a celestial sky
goddess in the form of a cow whose udders produce rain and
who becomes Antu(m) in the akkadian pantheon.
ANAITIS(Anahata):
Persian fertility goddess from Iran who is also a goddess of
water. Her influence extended through eastern Europe. In pre-
christian Armenia her cult was centerd at Acilisena, where
noble families regularly surrendered their daughters to serve as
prostitutes for her cult.
ANANKE :
Greek Greek goddess of fate and necessity. Even the gods
were subject to her dictates. Given her unalterable nature she
was little worshipped until the advent of the Orphic mystery cult.
ANDARSTE:
Celtic This war goddess' name means "the invincible one." Her
presensewas invoked on the eve of battles to curry favor, and
possibly ritual sacrifices were made to her. In magic and ritual
she helps to overcome enemies.
ANGURBODA :
Teutonic. The Hag of the Iron Wood, wife of Loki, mother of
the Wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent,and Hel.
ANU, ANANN:
Irish A form of the major Irish mother goddess; overlaps with
DANA. Worshipped in Munster as a goddess of plenty. Gave
her name to the Paps of Anu, twin hills in Co. Kerry. In her
dark aspect, she formed a Fate trinity with BADHBH and
MACHA. Call on Anu for fertility magic.
ANTU:
Mesopotamian creator goddess. (Babylonian-Akkadian, Iraq)
Synonyms are An, Antum, and Anunitu.The centers for her
cults were Uruk and Babylon and is in the Babylonian creation
epic Enuma Elis. Antu is a Babylonian goddess derived from
the older Sumerian Ki, Synonyms are An, Antum, and
Anunitu.The centers for her cults were Synonyms are An,
Antum, and Anunitu.The centers for her cults were though the
cosmogony has been altered to suit a seperate tradition. The
consort of the god of heaven, Anu, she was a dominant feature
of the Babylonian akitu festival until as recently as 200 BC, her
later preeminence possibly attributable to identifiaction with the
Greek goddess Hera.
AOEDE(Aeode):
Greek Boeotian (Greek) Muse of song.
APHRODITE('Foam-Born'):
Greek Greek goddess of beauty and sexual love. According to
one legend she was born from the ocean foam after Kronos
castrated Ouranos and tossed his genitals into the sea. In this
version Aphrodite is held to mean "foam born", derived from
the Greek word aphros, or "foam". This theory is bolstered by
the fact that Aphrodite was worshipped as a goddess of the sea
and seafarers in much of the Greek world. Homer, however,
portrays her as the daughter of Zeus and Dione, and the fickle
spouse of the lame smith god Hephaistos. Her most famous
lover was Ares, the god of war, by whom she was mother to
Anteros, Deimos, Eros, Harmonia and Phobos. She is also the
mother of Aeneas and Lyrus by Anchises, Hermaphroditus by
Hermes, Eryx by Poseidon, and Priapus by Dionysus.
Aphrodite is commonly held to be an import from Anatolia, and
her most important sanctuaries were on the islands of Cyprus
(including Paphos and Amathus) and Cythera, while her chief
sanctuary on the Greek mainland was at Corinth. In Athens, she
was honoured in the festival of the Arrephoria. She has many
characteristics in common with Middle Eastern fertility
goddesses such as Astarte and Ishtar. Aphrodite was regarded
as the patron goddess of prostitutes, and as a promoter of
fertility. Her epithets included Anadyomene (sea born),Genetrix
(creator), Eupoloios (fair voyage), and Pandemos (of all the
people).
ARACHNE:
Greek Spider Goddess. A Lydian girl skilled in weaving, she
dared to challenge Athene to compete with her. The contest
was held, and Arachne's work was faultless: impudently, it
portrayed some of the Gods' less reputable deeds, including
Athene's father Zeus abducting Europa. Furious, Athene turned
her into a spider, doomed eternally to spin thread drawn from
her own body. But theSpider Goddess is more archetypal than
this story suggests: spinning and weaving the pattern of destiny
like the Moerae or the Norns, and enthroned in the middle of
her spiral-pathed stronghold like Arianrhod.
ARADIA:
Italian (Tuscany) Witch Goddess, surviving there into this
centry. Daughter of Diana and Diana's brother Lucifer (i.e. of
the Moon and Sun), she came to Earth to teach the witches of
her mother's magic. A protectress of Witches in general, a very
powerful Entity.
ARAIDNE:
Cretan and Greek. Greek nymph who originated as a
vegetation goddess in Minoan Crete. She survived as the
daughter of Pasiphae and King Minos in Greek mythology. Her
worship as a goddess survived in Greek civilization on the
island of Naxos, where she was:considered the wife of
Dionysus.
ARIANRHOD('Silver Wheel'):
Major Welsh Goddess. A star goddess. Her palace was called
Caer Arianrhod (Aurora Borealis), Goddess of time and
karma. Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess in Wales.Goddess
of beauty, the Moon, fertility and reincarnation. Mother of Llew
Llau Gyffes by her brother Gwydion. Her consort Nwyvre
('Sky, Space, Firmament') has survived in name only. Also
associated with the sea. Direction: West or North.
ARTEMIS:
Greek Nature and Moon Goddess. Greek goddess of wild
animals and of the hunt. Although she was noted for her
chastity, she was also regarded as a goddess of vegetation
(particularly wild vegetation) and childbirth. Daughter of Zeus
and Leto. Sister of Apollo, Artemis was associated with the
moon, as a complement to Apollo's association with the sun.
Her cult was the most popular among ordinary Greeks. She
was believed to dwell in wild places, accompanied by a retinue
of nymphs. Arcadia was said to be her favourite haunt. Artemis
was noted as a terrible adversary when angered, symbolic of
the sudden and capricious fury of nature. The most famous
example of this is the story of Actaeon, the youth who chanced
upon the goddess while bathing on Mt. Cithaeron. Enraged,
Artemis changed him into a stag, in which form he was pursued
and killed by his own hounds. It was as a goddess of women's
life in general that Artemis acquired her seemingly contradictory
role as a goddess of fertility and childbirth. She presided over
the initiation rites of young women, and, later in life, brought
sudden death to women with her "gentle darts". As goddess of
the tree cult, her festivals were characterized by dances of
maidens representing tree nymphs, or dryads. In the
Peloponnesus she was associated with wells, springs and other
waters bearing epithets such as Limnaea or Limnatis (Lady of
the Lake). Elsewhere, she was best known as Potnia Theron
(Mistress of the Animals). Artemis was depicted as a young
woman bearing bow and arrow, often accompanied by a stag
or a hunting dog. Her lunar aspect was sometimes signified by a
torch carried in the hand.
ARTEMIS OF EPHESUS:
Greek Greek fertility and mother goddess represented in the
great temple at Ephesus in Anatolia by a many-breasted statue.
Her cult at Ephesus was quite different from that of the chaste
Artemis of the Greek mainland. Votive offerings from many
ancient cultures have been found at the site of the temple,
counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
ASTARTE:
Canaanite version of Ishtar; fertility goddess. Astarte was also
the Greek formm of the name Ashtart. Tends to merge with
Asherat and Anat, and with the Egyptian Hathor. She came to
Egypt; Rameses II built a temple honoring her, and she and Isis
were said to be firm friends.(Also see Inanna and Venus).
ATARGATIS:
Syrian fertility goddess. Consort of Hadad. Her cult center was
at Bambyke (Hierapolis), near Aleppo in Syria. Her cult spread
to the Greek world, where she was regarded as a form of
Aphrodite. She was depicted seated on a throne flanked or
supported by lions and holding a sheaf of wheat.
ATE:
Greek goddess of evil and misfortune. In Hesiod's account, she
is the daughter of Zeus and Eris. She was banished from
Olympus for causing mischief among the gods.
ATHENA(Athene):
Greek Greek goddess of wisdom and tutelary goddess of
Athens. Also a goddess of war, peace and agriculture. In
contrast to some of the other Greek gods, many of whom were
famed for their rash and often ignoble acts, Athena was noted
for her self-control and for many instances in which she aided
human beings in their endeavours. Also, in contrast to the
reckless passions of the other gods, Athena remained a virgin
throughout her life, forming no romantic attachments. According
to Hesiod, Athena sprang fully armed from the head of Zeus,
who had swallowed her mother Metis (wisdom). In Pindar's
version, it was Hephaistos who struck Zeus in the head with an
axe to relieve the god's headache, wherupon Athena emerged.
It was Hephaistos who later attempted to rape Athena, but she
evaded him and his semen fell to the ground, giving birth to the
serpent Erichthonius. Much of Athena's reputation as a war
goddess is based on Homer's Iliad, where she took an active
part in the fighting on the side of Greeks against the Trojans. In
battle, she bore the aegis, the goat-skin shield upon which the
head of Medusa was mounted. She generally proved more
successful in battle than her brother Ares, the Greek war god
who sided with the Trojans. Athena won the allegiance of
Athens in a contest with Poseidon to determine who could
bestow the greater gift upon humanity. Poseidon gave either the
horse or a spring of water. Athena gave the olive, and won the
contest, in consequence of which she gave her name to the city.
The Acropolis, upon which the Parthenon was constructed in
her honour, was said to be her dwelling place. Athens also
honoured her in the Panathenaia festival, in which she seems to
have figured as a vegetation goddess. She was referred to as
Pallas Athene in her capacity as a protective goddess. Her icon,
the palladium, was believed to protect the city from harm. In
addition to the olive, Athena's gifts to humanity included the
plough, the loom, and the flute. Among the many heroes to
whom she gave assistance were Odysseus on his long voyage
home from Troy, Perseus in killing the Medusa, Epeius in the
construction of the wooden horse, and Herakles in his many
labours. Her epithets included Parthenos (virgin), Promachos
(protectress), Glaukopis (owl-eyed), Ergane (worker or
craftsman) and Mechanitis (one who undertakes things). She
was also known as Athena Polias in her capacity as goddess of
the people or polity of Athens. The owl was the symbol both of
Athena and Athens. She was also associated with the snake,
and their is some speculation that she originated as a snake
goddess, perhaps in Crete. Athena's worship was widespread,
despite her close association with Athens.
ATROPOS "Unbending":
Oldest of the Greek Moires (Fates), a trio which included
Klotho and Lachesis. She was the one who severed the thread
of life. According to Hesiod, she was the daughter of Zeus and
Themis. As her name suggests, she represented the inevitability
of death.
BA:
Goddess of drought. Chinese.
BABA:
Fertility goddess. Mesopotamian.
BADB(Bayv):
Celtic She is the crone aspect of the tripple goddess, often
called "The Fury." Her archetype as a war goddess was
particulary strong. She is also part of the dreaded Morrigan, a
triplicity of crone Goddesses associated with death, distruction,
and battle. She islinked with the death faerie, the banshee, who
is seen as washing the armor of soilders who would perish in
the upcomming battle. A daughter of Ernmoas, she is also
called the "one who boils," as in bioling the otherworld cauldron
of death and rebirth which she presides over, deciding the fate
of those who have passed over into its great cosmic mix. It will
be Badb who will cause the end of earthly time when she lets
the cauldron boil over, engulfing the planet in a great wasteland.
Call on Badb at Samhain to aid you with spirit contact and to
learn of past lives. She corresponds with the carrion crow, the
staff, seythe, bloodstones, apples, and The Tower tarot card.
BADI-MATA:
Mother goddess. Hindu.
BAGALA:
(power of cruelty)Hindu.
BAGBA:
Animistic spirit that controls wind and rain. West Africa.
BAGVARTI:
Tuletary goddess. Urartian.
BALA(girl):
Mother goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). Of vague affinity but
generally of youthful appearance. Seated upon a lotus throne
with attributes being book and rosary.
BALA:
Messenger goddess. Jain (India) One of the twenty-four
sasanadevatas.
BALA-SAKTI:
Goddess that rules prayer wheels. Dravidian
BALTIS:
Pre Islamic goddess. Arabian
BANBHA(BAHN-na):
Celtic A warrior goddess who protected Ireland from
invaders, and one in a triplicity with Eire and Fodhla, who is the
earth aspect whose name means, "land unplowed for a year."
She was a gifted magician and, as such went out to meet the
Milesian invaders when they first came to Ireland. Her mission
was to keep them from taking over.She tried to impress them
with her magic, but they ignored her. Banbha can enhance
qualities of leadership, teach us to keep memories alive, and
bless earth magic.
BANSHEE(Bean Sidhe , 'Woman Fairy'):
Irish. Attached to old Irish families ('the O's and the Mac's'),
she can be heard keening sorrowfully near the house when a
member of the family is about to die. Still very much believed in,
and heard. Bast - (Bastet) - Egyptian Goddess and Protector
of Cats. Symbolizes the Moon as a Swelling Womb. Goddess
of Pleasure, Music, Dancing and Joy.
BASTET:
Feline goddess. Egyptian
BEAN-NIGHE('Washing Woman'):
Scottish and Irish. Haunts lonely streams washing the
bloodstained garments of those about to die.
BEBO:
Celtic A faerie woman whose affair with King Ulster made the
regionprosper. Ask her aid in prosperity or fertility rites, to
bless animal, crop, or human reproduction, or honor her at
Harvest Sabbats.
BEFANA('Epiphany'):
Italian Witch Fairy who flies her broomstick on Twelfth Night
to come down chimneys and bring presents to children.
BEYLA:
Servant of Frey, wife of Byggvir. Her name is thought to be
related to a word for "cow", and she the protectress of dairy
work; the alternate suggestion is that "Beyla" is related to "bee",
so that Beyla and Byggvir might be the givers of mead and ale.
BIA:
Greek "Force". Greek goddess of force, daughter of the Titan
Pallas and the underworld goddess Styx. She was the sister of
Kratos, the god of strength, as well as of Nike and Zelos. Bia
was the constant companion of Zeus. It was she who was made
to bind Prometheus as punishment for stealing fire from the
gods.
BIDDY EARLY, THE WHITE WITCH OF CLAIRE:
Celtic She was said to have a blue bottle which contained
verypowerful magic. Before she died, she tossed it into a lake
near the hills where she lived where it still rests today, waiting to
be reclaimed. She can be a great aid in all forms of magic.
Invoke her when you study Pagan subjects, or when attempting
to reclaim lost Pagan arts or Legends. Her correspondances
include Blue Grass, the chalice, and the cauldron.
BLAI(Blee) (Blaw):
Celtic Ossan's Tuatha mother. She probably reprisents a
personal or mascot diety to him, as his earthly mother was
Saba. (Compare the relationship between Lugh and Cuchulain.)
Today she is known as a Faerie Queen with a burgh of her own
in Drumberg. She is a good aid in making faerie contact.
BO DHU:
Celtic The Black Cow Goddess who helped bring fertility to
barren Ireland. See Bo Find.
BO FIND:
Celtic Her name means "white cow" and this is how she
appeared long ago on the barren and fruitless mass which
would become green and verdent. She came from the western
sea with her sisters, Bo Dhu and Bo Ruadh. They represent the
Tripple Goddess. The Black Cow went to south of Ireland,
Red to the North, while she went to find the center. When Bo
Find arrives at Tara, she gave birth to twin calves, a male and a
female who would feed her people forever. Then she and her
sisters retreated back into the sea. Call on her to ward off
hunger, bring prosperity and fertility, and honor her at Mabon.
BO RUADH:
Celtic The Red Cow Goddess who helped bring fertility back
to Ireland. See Bo Find.
BONA DEA('Good Goddess'):
Roman Earth Goddess of Fertility, worshipped only by
women; even statues of men were covered where her rites took
place.
BRANACH(BRAN-awh):
Celtic Crone Goddess linked to forgotten Samhain rituals.
Reclaim her at Samhain.
BRI(Bree):
Celtic A Queen of the Tuatha De Danaan, considered a burgh-
dwelling faerie queen. She is a good aid in making faerie
contact.
BRIGHID, BRIGID, BRIGIT, BRIT :
Irish Breo saighead (Fiery Arrow or Power) Often called the
Triple Brigid or the Triple Mother. Also Associated with Danu
at times. The daughter of the Dagdha. Goddess of the Sacred
Flame of Kildare. Goddess of poets, feminine crafts, the hearth,
martial arts, healing and inspiration. The White Maiden aspect
of the Triple Goddess. Her Feast is the Major Celtic Festival of
Imbolc. She who gives hope and new beginnings. The Celtic
Church could not replace her, so they absorbed her as the
"foster-mother" of Christ and as St. Brigit, the daughter of the
Druid Dougal the Brown. Brigid is very like the Greek Goddess
Athena. Direction: North-east, East or South.
BRITOMARTIS:
Greek "Sweet Maid". Virgin huntress goddess of Crete whose
cult later merged with that of Artemis. Daughter of Zeus and
Carme. King Minos fell in love with her and pursued her until
she jumped from a cliff overlooking the sea. In some accounts
she survived the fall and was rescued by fishermen, in others
she died and it was her corpse that the fishermen retrieved in
their nets. In either case she was made immortal by Artemis in
reward for her chastity. She was also known as Dictynna (from
diktyon = "net"), in token of her retrieval in the fishermen's nets.
In Aegina she was associated with Aphaea, a goddess of local
importance.
DEMETER:(mother)
Origin: Greek. Vegetation and mother goddess.
Known period of worship: From circa 800 BC but
probably earlier until Christianization circa 400
AD.
Synonyms: Dmater(Dorian).
Center(s) of cult: Throughout Greek world
including Agrig
Demeter is an ancient Greek Great Mother
goddess, a goddess of the cultivated earth, the
giver of fruitfulness and abundance and provider
of the gift of agriculture. She and her
daughter Persrphone, called by the Greeks "the
Goddesses," together represent the continuous
cycle of life and death, the two phases of the
vegetative power of the earth. Demeter is
remembered primarily for her great love for
her daughter--when Persephone was abducted
by Hades, Demetersgrief caused the whole
earth to go barren. Demeter offers a blessing
of fruitfulness and possibility, of coming joy, of
abundant life, and of hope.
DISCORDIA:
Roman Goddess of Discord and Strife, who preceeded the
chariot of Mars. Greek equivalent Eris. DORIS - Greek Greek
sea-goddess. Daughter of Okeanos and Tethys (see also
Okeanides). Mother of the Nereids by her consort Nereus.
DRYADS(Dryades, Hamadryads):
Greek Greek woodland nymphs. Each dryad was associated
with a particular tree and died when that tree died.
DUBH LACHA(Doov LAH-kah):
Celtic An early Irish Goddess of the sea of whom little is
known.
EADON(AE-don):
Celtic Goddess of poetry who was also a bard. Female bards
wereknown, but most of their legends have not survived.
EDAIN or ETAIN (EE-dawn)(AY-deen):
Celtic She was a beautiful blond queen of the Tuatha De
Danaan, and a superb horsewoman for which she earned the
name "Edain the Horse Rider." Her story was immortalized in
Fiona MacLeod's "The Immortal Hour." Ask Edain to help you
with past or future life explorations, invoke her to enhance
personal appearence. Correspondances include lilac oil, the
butterfly, the serpent (espically one with its tail in its mouth to
symbol reincarnation.)
EDAIN OIG:
Celtic Edian's daughter who was hidden away beacuse of her
barrenness. However, she gave birth to a daughter who would
later be the mother of King Conaire Mor.
EILE(EL-lee):
Celtic The sister of Queen Maeve of Connacht.
EILEITHYIA(Latin: Ilithyia):
Greek Greek goddess of childbirth. Daughter of Zeus and
Hera. Sister of Ares, Eris, Hebe and Hephaistos. Her cult
appears to have originated in Crete, where it remained most
popular after its spread to the rest of the Greek world. In
Homer she is described as the personification of the pain of
childbirth. In later times, she was largely superseded by Artemis
as a goddess of childbirth.
EIR:
Norse Goddess of healing, patroness of health-care workers,
called on against sickness or injury. She is one of the goddesses
on the mountain called Lyfia ("to heal through magic"), and
gives both physical and psychic means of healing; shamanic
healing, especially, falls into her realm.
EIRE(AIR-uh):
Celtic The native form of her name, Erin, has been used as a
poetic name for Ireland for Centuries. She has been
worshipped as the Goddess/Protectoress of Ireland. She was a
daughter of the Dagda and Delbaeth, the maiden/spiritual part
of a triplicity with Banbha and Foldha, and was the third of the
three to be approached by the Milesian invaders. Eire's magic
was so potent that she was able to throw mud balls down on
her enemies whereupon they turned into hundreds of warriers
when they smached. Eire won the battle, but lost the land.Yet,
out of respect for her power, the Milesians agreed to name the
land after her. She was also the wife of MacGreine, the Sun of
the Son, so she may be part of the creation myths. Call on her
for qualities of leadership, to aid in keeping memories as in
keeping one's name alive, and for finding creative ways to
overcome enemies. She corresponds with the harp and the
shamrock, the age old symbols of Ireland, and with the color
green.
EIRENE(Latin: Irene):
Greek "Peace". Greek goddess of peace. One of the three
Horae (Seasons) along with her sisters Dike and Eunomia.
Daughter of Zeus and Themis. Equated by the Romans with
their goddess Pax.
ELVE:
Norse Usually called "alfs" in the Troth to avoid confusion with
the elves of Shakespeare or Tolkien. The Elves sometimes
appear to be the ghosts of dead ancestors still dwelling in
mounds or hills; sometimes they are more similar to land-wights
(earth spirits). The Elves are worshipped together with the Disir
(see above) and often with Frey. Sometimes they are kindly, as
names like Alfred (Elf-Counsel) show; when offended, they
shoot humans or animals with elf-shot, causing stroke and other
forms of sickness. They are divided into Light Elves (often seen
as wights of sun and air), Dark Elves (the dead in the mound),
and Swart Elves (see "dwarves"). Old Norse Álfar (singular
álfr), Anglo-Saxon Ælf, Modern English Alf.
EMER(EE-mer):
Celtic A heroic woman of great pride in all she accomplished,
which was considerable. She was also beautiful, intelligent,
witty, and multi-talented, which she was all well aware. Call on
her when you need a boost of self esteem or self pride. She can
also help you to release your own creative spirit and mental
prowess.
ERNMAS(AIRN-maas):
Celtic A granddaughter of Nuada of the Silver Hand who was
the mother of several tripple goddesses. Use her energy for
fertility rites or earth spells.
EMPOUSAE:
Greek Greek demonesses and emissaries of Hecate.
ENYO:
Greek A minor Greek goddess of war who accompanied Ares
into battle. Daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. Equated by the
Romans with their goddess Bellona.
EOS:
(Latin Aurora) - Greek Greek goddess of the dawn. Daughter
of Hyperion and Theia. Sister of Helios (sun) and Selene
(moon). Homer referes to her as "rosy- fingered dawn". The
morning dew was said to be the tears she shed for her son
Memnon who fell at Troy. Hesiod gives her consort as
Astraeus, by whom she was said to be the mother of winds
Zephyrus, Notus, as well as of the evening star Hesperus.
Other versions make her the consort of Aeolos. The Romans
referred to her as Aurora.
EPONA:
Celtic Goddess of Horses.
ERATO(Erebus):
Greek Greek muse of lyric poetry, particularly love poetry.
Daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Usually depicted with a
lyre.
ERI OF THE GOLDEN HAIR:
Celtic She was a virgin Goddess of the Tuatha. One day she
was out at the bank of a river when a man ina silver boat
floated down to see her on a beam of light. She was so
overcome with emotion at the sight that the two fell in the boat
and made love. The man left Eli pregnant with Bres. He left a
golden ring to remember him by. Utilize Eri's energy as the
female principle of creation. As the mate to the sun, she can be
lionked to moon mother images.
ERIN:
Irish. One of the Three Queens of the Tuatha De Danann,
daughters of the Dagda, who asked that Ireland be named after
them.
ERINYES(sing. Erinys, Eumenides, Roman Furies):
Greek Greek avenging goddesses. According to Hesiod, they
were born from the blood of the castrated god Ouranos which
fell upon Gaea, the earth. Euripedes was the first to give there
number as three: Alekto ("unceasing"), Megaira ("jealous"), and
Tisiphone ("avenger of murder"). They punished criminals,
especially those who sinned against their parents. Depicted with
snake-covered heads and bearing torches from the underworld,
where they lived. Often referred to euphemistically as the
Eumenides ("the kind ones") or as the Semnai ("the venerable
ones").
ERIS:
Greek Greek goddess of discord and strife. Daughter of Zeus
and Hera. Sister and companion of Ares. Mother of Ate by
Zeus. It was her Golden Apple ("apple of discord") which
created the strife among the gods that ultimately led to the
Trojan War. Eris threw the apple among the guests at a
wedding feast, with the inscription "to the fairest". Hera,
Aphrodite and Athena each claimed the apple. Zeus attempted
to resolve the conflict by having Paris decide the issue. Paris
awarded the apple to Aphrodite, who rewarded him by helping
him to take Helen with him to Troy. Hera and Athena vowed to
bring destruction to Troy in revenge for the slight. Her Roman
equivalent was Discordia.
ETAN:
Celtic A daughter of Dianececht who married Qghma.
ETAR:
Celtic A woman who drank Edain when, as a butterfly, fell into
Etar'sale. She later gave birth to Edian in human form.
ETHNE:
Celtic A daughter of Aengus MacOg, who when he tried to
rape her, she escaped by becomming a being of pure light.
When she vanished from humanity, she took with her the
Tuatha's Veil of Invisibility, which had protected them from the
invading Milesians.
EUNOMIA:
Greek "Good Order". Greek goddess of law and order. One
of the Horae (Seasons) along with Dike and Eirene. Daughter
of Zeus and Themis. The Horae were entrusted with guarding
the gates of Olympus. They were collectively honoured in the
annual festival of the Horaea.
EUPHROSYNE(Euphrosine):
Greek "Joy". One of the Greek Charites (Graces). Euphrosyne
was the personification of joy and festivity. The Charites were
said to be the daughters of Zeus and either Hera or Eurynome.
EURYALE:
Greek One of the Greek Gorgons, daughters of Ceto and
Phorkys. Her sister Gorgons were Medusa and Stheno.
EURYDICE:
Greek A Greek Dryad (woodland nymph); wife of Orpheus.
She was bitten by a snake while fleeing Aristaeus, whence she
died and descended to the Underworld. In a famous tale, her
husband Orpheus descended to the Underworld to retrieve her.
Hades allowed Eurydice to follow Orpheus to the surface, on
condition that Orpheus refrained from looking upon Eurydice
until they had left the Underworld. The two reached the
threshold between the Underworld and the world of the living,
but Orpheus turned to look at Eurydice before they had actually
crossed the threshold, and Eurydice was immediately whisked
back to the realm of Hades, condemned to eternal death.
EURYNOME:
Greek One of the Greek Oceanids (Okeanides), daughters of
Okeanos and Tethys. According to Apollonius of Rhodes,
Eurynome was a primordial goddess who ruled Olympus with
Ophion before the advent of Kronos. She had a cult centre at
Phigaleia in Arcadia.
EUTERPE:
Greek Greek muse of flute playing, variously given as the
patron of tragedy or of lyric poetry. Daughter of Zeus and
Mnemosyne. Her symbol was the double flute, which she was
said to have invented.
FACHEA:
Celtic A goddess of Poetry and patron Diety of Bards. Invoke
her to inspire creativity in yourself.
FATES (Latin Fata or Parcae; Greek Moirae):
Greek Hesiod gives the Greek Moirae as Atropos, Clotho and
Lachesis. Their Roman counterparts were Decima, Nona
(goddesses of birth) and Morta (goddess of death).
FEA(fee):
Celtic See also the Morrigan. This war goddess whose name
means "The Subordinate One" is a subordinate diety.
FEDELMA:
Celtic She was a faerie Queen who can be invoked to increase
psychic abilities. She corresponds with glass.
FINNCAEV:
Celtic Her name means "fair love" and she was a minor
Princess among the Tuatha De Danaan, perhaps a diety of
Love or Fertility.
FLORA:
Roman Goddess of Spring and Birth.
FORTUNA:
Roman Goddess of Fate.
FRANCONIAN-DIE-DRUD:
Celtic A Druidess associated with the horse goddess Mare, the
bringer of dreams.
FREYA:
Norse Freya is one of the best-known and best-loved of the
goddesses today. Her title simply means "Lady"; her original
name is not known. Freya is the "wild woman" among the
deities of the North: free with her sexual favours (though furious
when an attempt is made to marry her off against her will);
mistress of Odin and several other gods and men; skilled at the
form of ecstatic, consciousness-altering, and sometimes
malicious magic called seidhr; and chooser of half the slain on
the battlefield (Odin gets the other half). Freya's chief attribute
is the necklace called Brisingamen, which she bought from four
dwarves at the price of four nights of her love. This necklace is
sometimes seen today as embodying her power over the
material world; the necklace has been the emblem of the earth-
goddess since the earliest times. This goddess drives a wagon
drawn by two cats, perhaps large forest-cats such as lynxes,
and is seen today as the patron goddesses of cats and those
who keep them. As a battle-goddess, she also rides on a boar
called Hildisvini (Battle-Swine). Like Odin, Freya is often a
stirrer of strife. As Gullveig ("Gold-Drunkenness"), she came
among the Aesir to cause trouble. She was stabbed and burnt
three times, but arose from the flame each time; through this
torment, she transformed herself into Heith ("the Glorious"),
mistress of magic, in a typical shamanic initiation. This also
seems to have started the war between the Aesir and the Vanir.
Freya is sometimes seen as a fertility goddess, but there are no
sources suggesting that she was called on to bring fruitfulness to
fields or wombs. Rather, she is a goddess of riches, whose
tears are gold and whose "daughters", in the riddle-poetry of
the skalds, are precious objects. However, the giants are
always trying to take her away from the gods, and it is clear that
this would be a great disaster: she was obviously known to be
the embodiment of the holy life-force on some level. Perhaps
because of this, Wagner gave her some of Idunna's attributes,
making her the keeper of the golden apples without which the
folk of Asgard would wither and die. Old Norse Freyja, Old
English Freo, Modern German Frau, Wagnerian Freia, Modern
English Frowe.
FRIGG(Frigga):
Scandinavian Her name means "wife" or "beloved." Goddess
of marriage and justice, associated with fertility and love. Her
home in Asgard was the beautiful palace Fensal. Shehad eleven
maidservants, sometimes considered to be various aspects of
Frigg herself: Fulla, Hlin, Gna, Lofn, Vjofn, Syn, Snotra, Eir,
Var, Gefjon, and Vor. Wife of Odin. Mother of Balder and
Aesir. Frigg, although she did love Odin, was known to have
affairs, so did Odin. Frigg also knew the future, but never
spoke of it to anyone.
FUAMNACH:
Celtic The jealous wife of Midhir, who turned his captured
bride, Edain, into a pool of water, a brown worm, and a
mayfly. In some legends, Edain was not rescued, but rather
blew away in a furious storm raised by Fumnach.
GAIA(Gaea, Ge, Terra)(earth):
Known period of worship: circa 1500 BC until Christianization
(circa 400 AD).
Center(s) of cult: oracle at Delphi.
Art references: Sculptures and reliefs.
Literary sources: Theogony, Hymn to Gaia in the socalled
Homeric hymns (Hesiod); Aristophanes.
Her attributes include fruit and cornucopia.
Usually symbolized by a mares head.
Worship her in fields
Sacred color: GREEN
Scared animal: COW
Holidays: Spring Equinox
Sacrifice/Offerings: Seeds
Greek Archetypal earth mother. Gaia is an ancient pre-Hellenic
goddess who was mainly revered in Attica. She is primordial
essence of the earth, one of the creations of Aether and Hedera,
the primordial beings of the cosmos. Through the encouragement
of Eros she became the mother of Pontos(sea) and Ouranos
(heaven). According to tradition, through liaison with Ouranos, she
also engineered the race of Titans, Kronos, Okeanos, and the
Cyclops. By consorting with the underworld Tartarus she created
the monstrous Typhon. Perceived as a placid and resilient
goddess generally somewhat apathetic to the going-on around her
in the tale of beginnings, she had an oracle at Delphi that predated
that of Apollo. In Hellenic times she became Da-meter or
Demeter, the grain mother whose daughter is Kore, the grain
spirit. She was said to be second in the order of existence after
Chaos, or was said to be his daughter. Later, when Ouranos
was castrated by Kronos, his semen combined with Gaia to
engender the Erinyes, the Giants, and perhaps Aphrodite as
well. Similarly, when Hephaistos failed in his attempt to rape
Athena, his semen fell to the earth and resulted in the birth of
the Athenian serpent-king Erechtheus. Her attributes included
the fruits of the earth and the Cornucopia. According to Homer,
Gaia was invoked in oaths along with Helios (sun).
GALATEA :
Greek Greek Nereid of Sicily.
GLAISRIG, GLAISTIG:
Scottish Undine; beautiful and seductive, but a goat from the
waist down (which she hides under a long green dress). She
lures men to dance with her and then sucks theirblood. Yet she
can be benign, looking after children or old people or herding
cattle for farmers.
GODDESS OF SOVEREIGNTY (Banbha, Fodla, Eriu):
Celtic The Land and the King were wed through many
ceremonies. Essentually the fate of the King and the fate of the
land were One and vice versa. The Favor of the Goddess could
be granted by some heroic act or by being Magickally chosen
Women who held the Sovereignty of the land were often
referred to as the Goddess (Such as Medb, Boudicca and
Macha-Red Mane).
GORGONS:
Greek Greek female monster figures. Homer spoke of only
one Gorgon. In Hesiod, however, there were three Gorgons:
Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa -- the daughters of Phorkys and
Ceto. They were winged, had hair consisting of snakes, and
were depicted with large teeth and protruding tongues. Any
mortal who looked upon would be turned to stone.
Representations of their heads were used to ward off evil in
Greek temples. Stheno and Euryale were immortal. Medusa,
however, was mortal, and she was eventually killed by Perseus.
Medusa's head was subsequently affixed to the Aegis, Athena's
famous goatskin shield.
GRACES:
Greek Greek Charites. The Romans referred to them as the
Gratiae, which differ little from the Charites.
GRAII (Graeae) - Greek Greek grey goddesses who guarded
the cavern of the Gorgons. Daughters of Phorkys and Ceto.
Their names were Deino, Enyo and Pephredo. They were
depicted as old hags who had one eye and one tooth among
them, which they shared. Perseus stole both the eye and the
tooth on his mission to kill the Gorgon Medusa.
GRISMADEVI:
This Buddhist goddess whose name means "summer" joins us to
welcome the season and energize our efforts for goddess-
centered living. In works of art she often appears wearing the
color red, the hue of life's energy, and carrying a cup offering
refreshment to all in need.
GRIAN (GREE-awn):
Celtic A faerie Goddess who is still believed to live in a burgh
beneth Pallas Green Hill. Her name means "sunny" and she was
undoubtedly at one time a potent regional sun diety. Call on her
for seasonal rites. She and Aine can easily represent the Holly
and Oak kings roles.
GRUAGACH, THE:
('The Long-Haired One') Scottish. Female fairy to whom the
dairymaids used to pour libations of milk into a hollow stone.
GULLVEIG:
("Gold Branch") Teutonic. A giantess and sorceress, one of the
Vanir, whom the Æsir tried to kill. This caused war between the
Vanir and the Æsir, which the Vanir won. Vanir and Æsir seem
to have been two early Nordic people who eventually merged.
GWENHWYFAR, GUINEVERE, GUENEVA :
British Arthur's queen. Traces of Triple Goddess.
HABONDIA, DAME HABONDE, ABUNDIA:
British Medieval witch goddess name, doubtless implying
"abundance". Referring to the goddess NICNEVEN.
HAMADRYADS:
Greek Greek tree nymphs. See Dryads.
HARPIES (Harpy):
Greek "Snatchers". Greek winged female monsters or demons.
They may have originated as wind spirits: in Homer they were
merely described as winds that swept people away. They were
usually three in number, the most common names being Aello,
Kelaino (Podarge) and Okypete. Daughters of Thaumas and
Elektra, or of Poseidon and Gaia. In early myths they were
described as beautiful, but later writers depicted them as ugly
bird-like monsters with large claws. In one version, the Harpies
were eventually killed by Calais and Zetes.
HATHOR:
Egyptian. An ancient Sky Goddess; Ra's daughter by Nut, or
his wife; sometimes the wife or mother of Horus the Elder,
Goddess of pleasure, joy, love, music and dancing. Protectress
of women and embodiment of the finest female qualities.
HECATE, HEKATE:
Greek (also, Roman) Greek goddess associated with the
underworld and with magic. Not mentioned in Homer, she is
believed to have originated in Caria in southwest Anatolia.
According to Hesiod she was the daughter of the Titan Perses
and the nymph Asteria. Elsewhere she is said to be the daughter
of Zeus and Demeter. She was also a goddess of crossroads
and waysides, and pillars known as Hekataea were commonly
erected at crossroads and doorways, perhaps to ward off evil.
She was especially associated with travel by night, although it is
nor clear whether she was regarded as the protectress of night
travellers or their chief peril. Hekate was also considered a
patron of Medea and of witches, and she had an occult
following among women in Thessaly, where she was regarded
as a moon goddess. She assisted in the search for Persephone
after her abduction by Hades. In this connection, as well as in
connection with her role in night travel, she was depicted
bearing a torch. In later representations, she was shown as
having three bodies, particularly in the Hekataea which allowed
her to keep watch over all roads at once. Her epithets included
Enodia, a reference to her role as a goddess of waysides, and
Trioditis, a reference to her role as a triform goddess of
crossroads.
HEL, HELA:
Norse Goddess of Death, Ruler of the underworld. Teutonic
Goddess of the kingdom of the dead, not considered as a place
of punishment. Daughter of Loki and Angurboda, and sister of
the Midgard serpent of the ocean encircling the Earth, and of
the devouring Fenris-wolf. Half her face was totally black. Hel-
Ruler of the kingdom of death, the Prose Edda describes her as
half-black, half-white (she is sometimes seen as half-rotting, half
alive) and of grim and unmistakable appearance. Her name may
originally derive from theburied slab-rock grave-chambers of
the Stone Age. TheHel-word is known to all branches of the
Germanic speech,and clearly very old, but there is some
question as to whether the goddess was recognised as an
independentperson before the Viking Age. The Prose Edda,
probably suffering from semantic contamination (the use of the
English word Hell for the frightful Christian afterworld),
describes her hall as full of horrors, but older sources make it
rather pleasant, and indeed a close reflection of the idealized
god-house seen in descriptions of Valhall (Hel and Odin have
much in common, in fact). The specialization of the Germanic
afterlife into the glorious Valhall where the chosen battle-dead
go and the hideous Hel where everyone else ends up is
probably a product of Christian influence on the retelling of
Norse god-lore; our earlier sources offer far more options
(going to the hall of the deity to whom one is closest, dying into
a hill or rock where the other ghosts of one's family dwell,
remaining as the guardian of a stead, being reborn in a child
who bears one's name and/or lineage), and the name Valhall
does not become specialized for Odin's hall until the middle of
the tenth century, when it is probably a description rather than a
proper name. There is no evidence for the worship of the
goddess Hel in elder times, but there are several folk who work
with her today. Also called Hella.
HEMERA:
Greek "Day". Greek goddess of the day. Hesiod gives her as
the daughter of Erebus and Nyx. She may also have been the
consort of her brother Aether.
HERA:
Greek Greek queen of heaven. Daughter of Kronos and Rhea.
Sister and wife of Zeus. Mother of Ares, Hephaistos, Hebe and
Eileithyia. Though widely worshipped throughout the Greek
world, Hera was chiefly known as the jealous and often
vindictive wife of the philandering Zeus. In her own right, she
was worshipped as a goddess of marriage, of childbirth, and of
the life of women in general. Her marriage was said to have
resulted after Zeus seduced her in the form of a peacock,
although in some versions it was Hera who seduced Zeus with
the aid of a magic girdle. At Athens and Samos their marriage
was celebrated as the hieros gamos ("sacred marriage"), even
though the conduct of Zeus would seem to have made a
mockery of this notion. The morality of Hera's conduct was
also questionable by modern standards, as she mercilessly
persecuted mortal women for the crime of having been raped
by her husband. Her chief cult centre was at Argos, where the
Heraeum boasted a statue of Hera in ivory and gold by
Polycletus. Other important sanctuaries were at Athens and on
Crete and Samos, although she had sanctuaries throughout the
Greek world. A festival of women's games was also held in her
honour every four years at Olympus. The cow and the peacock
were sacred to her, and the apple and the pomegranate were
her sacred fruits. She was often depicted as a matronly figure
seated on a throne, bearing a diadem and a sceptre.
HERMAPHRODITOS (Hermaphroditus):
Greek Greek androgynous deity. The cult of Hermaphroditos
appeared first in Cyprus, but never became prominent in the
rest of the Greek world until the Hellenistic period. Originallythe
son of Hermes and Aphrodite. The Naiad Salmakis (associated
with a fountain of the same name in Caria, a region of Anatolia)
fell so passionately in love with him that their bodies merged
into one. In some versions, it was her entreaties to the gods that
finally resulted in their becoming one being.
HESPERIDES:
Greek Greek nymphs who guarded the tree of the golden
apples. According to Hesiod, they were the daughters of
Erebos and Nyx (night). Other accounts make them the
daughters of Atlas and Pleione, Atlas and Hesperis, Phorkys
and Ceto, or of Hesperos. Their names were most commonly
given as Aegle, Erytheia, and Hesperia (or Arethusa).
HESTIA (Roman Vesta):
Greek Greek goddess of fire and the hearth. Daughter of
Kronos and Rhea. She remained a virgin all her life, on the
assumption that she was wedded to the sacred hearth fire. Her
worship was largely focused on household hearths, but public
cults later emerged at the civic hearth. Small offerings of food
and drink were typically made at household hearths before
meals.
HOLDA:
Norse Goddess similiar to Hel. A goddess known through
German folklore, her name means "the Gracious One". She has
much in common with Frigga, being the patroness of spinners
and the keeper of social order, especially enforcing taboos
about working on holy days. She is also said to be the keeper
of the souls of unbaptized (or sometimes simply young)
children, andwomen who want to bear children ask for them at
her well. Holda also appears at times as the leader of the
WildHunt. According to one tale, it was she who taught
humanshow to plant and process flax. When it snows, Holda is
supposed to be shaking out her feather-bed.
HORAI (Horae):
Greek The Seasons. Greek goddesses associated with the
three Greek seasons: spring, summer and winter. Daughters of
Zeus and Themis. Their names were Eunomia (good order),
Dike (justice), and Eirene (peace). The Athenians recognized
only two Horai: Thallo, associated with the blossoms of spring,
and Karpo, associated with the ripened fruit of summer or
autumn. The Horai were honoured in the annual festival known
as the Horaia. The Horai eventually developed into the four
modern seasons.
HYGIEIA (Hygeia):
Greek Greek goddess of health. Daughter of Asklepios, the
god of healing. Some later writers made her the consort of
Asklepios. Her sacred animal was the snake, depicted drinking
from a saucer or other drinking vessel held in her hand. Her
worship spread to Rome in 293 BC, where she came to be
identified with Salus.
IDUNNA:
Norse. The goddess who keeps the apples of youth, by which
the gods stay ever-young.
INANNA (Venus, Ishtar):
Sumerian Goddess of War, Knowledge, Lust and Love. The
Sacred Whore with a heart of Gold, Goddess of Warriors and
Protectors, patron of sacred love.
INGHEAN BHUIDHE (EEN-awn BOO-ee):
Celtic Her name means "yelow haired girl." Though most
knowledge ofher is lost, we know she was a middle sister of a
tripple goddess and she represented the coming of summer,
beltaine, and was honored on May 6 involving a sacred well.
Use her energy in Beltaine rituals, for flower festivals, or to
bless the spring planting. (See also Lassair and Latiaran)
INO:
Greek heroine who raised the infant Dionysos while herself a
child. Later, Hera drove Ino and her husband Athamas mad,
and Ino leaped to her death in the sea, carrying her son
Melicertes. She was elevated to the rank of sea goddess under
the name of Leukothea, and Melicertes became Palaemon.
IRIS:
"Rainbow". Greek goddess of the rainbow, and messenger of
the gods. She was particularly the agent of Hera. According to
Hesiod, she was the daughter of the Titan Thaumas and the
nymph Electra. Also in Hesiod, it was her task to draw water
from the River Styx which the gods used whenever declaring a
solemn oath. She was depicted with wings and her attributes
included a herald's staff and a water pitcher.
ISIS:
Egyptian The most complete flowering of the Goddess concept
in human history. Daughter of Earth God Geb and Sky
Goddess Nut. Protectress of the Home. Goddess of Magick,
Earth, the Moon, Love, Wisdom, fertility, and Mothers.
JUNO :
Roman Married to Jupiter. Goddess of Women and
Motherhood.
KALI:
Hindu Goddess of Love, Birth and Death, Destruction.
Personification of Creation, with Life given and Life taken upon
the same coin.
KER (pl. Keres, Cer):
In Greek belief, a destructive or malevolent female spirit of the
dead. Although some sources seem refer to a single Ker, the
more common belief was in a host of Keres. They were said to
be the daughters of Nyx and Erebos. In the Attic festival of the
Anthesteria, the spirits of the dead, or Keres, were driven from
the house.
KORE:
Greek "Girl". An epithet of Persephone.
KOURETES (Kuretes, Curetes):
Greek Semidivine beings who were believed to have been
early inhabitants of Crete. It was the Kouretes who prevented
Kronos from discovering the hidden infant Zeus by dancing and
clashing their weapons to prevent his cries from being heard.
They were often equated with the Korybantes. The Kouretes
may have had their origin as worshippers of Zeus Kouros (Zeus
as a young man), perhaps dating back to Minoan times.
LACHESIS:
Greek One of the Greek Moirai (qv), or Fates. According to
Hesiod, the Moirai were daughters of Zeus and Themis.
Lachesis was the "caster of lots" and it was she who spun out
the thread of life.
LADA (Leda):
Greek Lycian mother or fertility goddess who was the
probable original of the Greek Leto.
LAMIA :
Greek A female demon in Greek belief who devoured children.
According to some sources she was a queen of Libya who fell
in love with Zeus. The jealous Hera deformed her and killed her
children. Lamia then turned to hunting and devouring children
whom she lured away from their parents. Alternatively, she
took on the form of a beautiful woman, enticing young men
whom she would subsequently devour.
LADY OF THE LAKE:
British (Arthurian) In some legends Vivienne (or Viviane); in
others, Vivienne was the daughter of the Lady of the Lake by
Dylan, son of Arianrhod and Gwydion. In Thomas Mallory, the
Lady of the Lake is called Nimue.
LASSAIR:
Celtic The eldest of a tripple goddess. Her name means
"flame." Invoke her during seasonal rites. (See also Inghean
Bhuide and Latiaran)
LATIARAN:
Celtic The youngest of a tripple Goddess with Inghean Bhuidhe
and Lassair. She represented the first harvest of Lughnasadh.
Her sister Inghean Buidhe represented Beltaine, as Lassair
represented Midsummer. Use her aid in fire magic at
Lughnasadh.
LEANNAN SIDHE:
Irish Fairy lover, succubus. In the Isle of Man she is malevolent
and vampiric. LEDA - Greek Greek goddess; former
Anatolian mother goddess.
LETHE:
Greek Greek nymph associated with the underworld river of
the same name. Daughter of Eris (strife). The Lethe was the
river of forgetfulness or oblivion.
LETO (Latin Latona):
Greek Greek Titaness and possible mother goddess. Daughter
of Coeus (Kois) and Phoebe. Mother of Apollo and Artemis
by Zeus. Leto appears to have been derived from a Lycian
goddess named Lada, and she had cults of local importance in
Lycia and at Phaistos on Crete.
LEUKOTHEA (Leucothea):
Greek "White Goddess". Greek sea goddess. The name given
to the deified Ino. Daughter of Cadmus. As Ino, she had been
the wife of Athamas. Having been driven mad by Hera in
punishment for raising the infant Dionysos, Ino leapt to her
death in the sea along with her son Melicertes. She was popular
among sailors and fishermen. Believed to help sailors in distress,
she was first mentioned in the Odyssey where she saved
Odysseus from drowning.
LILLITH:
Hebrew In ancient Hebrew legend, she was Adam's first wife,
who would not subordinate herself to him and was turned into a
demoness.
LOCHA:
Celtic Maidservent to Queen Meave who died defending her in
a war with Ulster.
LORELEI :
German A beautiful siren who sat on a cliff above the Rhine,
luring boatment to their death with her songs.
LUNA :
Roman Moon Goddess, identified with Diana and the Greek
Selene.
MAAT:
Egyptian (Ma’at) Goddess of Divine Order and Justice. Her
Symbol is the Feather.
MACHA (MAAX-ah):
Celtic One of the morrigan, this crone Goddess of death, strife,
and destruction was a cheif of the Red Branch. When she was
heavily pregnant, she was forced to race against the fastest
horse in Ireland. She completed the course, but dies at the end
while giving birth to twins. As her life ended, she cursed all the
men to have labor pains so they could not fight. Cuchulain was
immune to the curse, but the rest of the men fell under the curse
and were defeated by Connacht. Cultivate her to aid you in
childbirth, to gain wisdom, to overcome enemies, or to uncover
past lives. She corresponds with the Tower tarot card,
Belladonna, the waning moon, serpents and apples.
(Queen) MEAVE (Medb, Madb, or Mayv):
Celtic She was a powerfull Goddess who merged later with a
historical figure. Her name means "Intoxicated Woman," and
she is known for her long golden hair, iron will, and fiery
temper. Invoke her in sex magic, spells for leadership skills, to
gain perseverance and stregnth, or to ward off enemies.
Pathwork with her to understand your own or your partners
feminine power. She corresponds with red, yellow, and purple,
and the Star tarot card.
MAIA:
Greek Greek mother of Hermes.
MAIRE NI CIARAGAIN:
Celtic A warrior queen whose legends have been lost.
MARE (MAH-re):
Celtic She is a horse Goddess. She is also the bringer of
Dreams, both good and bad. The english word of Nightmare is
derived from her name. Call upon her for dream work, fertility
or war. Use her help in banishing nightmares. She corresponds
with horses, vervain, oats, white and black.
MEDUSA :
Greek. The only mortal member of the three Gorgons. Her hair
was turned to serpents by Athene because she dared to claim
equal beauty with hers. Her gaze turned men to stone.
MELETE:
Greek Boeotian Muse of practice. The other Boeotian Muses
were Aoide (Aeode) and Mneme
MELPOMENE :
Greek Greek Muse of tragedy. Daughter of Zeus and
Mnemosyne. Her attributes include the tragic mask and the
cothurnus (pl. cothurni), the boots traditionally worn by tragic
actors.
MESE:
Greek In Greek mythology, the Delphic Muse associated with
the middle string of the lyre. The other Delphic Muses were
Hypate and Nete.
MESHKENT:
Egyptian Goddess of Birth.
MESSBUACHALLO (MESS-boo-HAHL-la):
Celtic The granddaughter of Eochaid and Edain, a daughter of
their only child with Edain Oig. She was fostered by a cow-
herder who taught her embroidery. She remained hidden with
the herder for fear of her true iddentity being discovered. Later,
a king recievesprophecy stating that shewould bear him a male
son, tho he didn'tknow of her heritage. A bird from the
otherworld was sent to tell her this news, and she went to the
king and bore him Conaire Mor. Use her help with fertility and
as a general aid to magic.
METIS:
Greek Greek goddess of wisdom. Daughter of Okeanos and
Tethys. The first wife of Zeus whom he swallowed when he
discovered that she was pregnant, fearing that she might give
birth to a son mightier than he. Subsequently, Athena sprang
fully armed from the head of Zeus. Metis is thus given as the
mother of Athena, although some sources consider that, given
the circumstances, she was the daughter of Zeus alone.
MINERVA:
Roman. (Athena:Greek) Wife of Jupiter, forming a triad with
his other wife, Juno. Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom
MNEME:
Greek Boeotian Muse of memory. The other Boeotian Muses
were Aoide (Aeode) and Melete.
MNEMOSYNE:
Greek goddess of memory. According to Hesiod, mother of the
nine Muses by Zeus. One of the Titans. Daughter of Ouranos
(heaven) and Gaia (earth).
MOIRA:
Greek Greek divine personification of fate, to whom even the
gods were subject.
MOIRAI (Moires, Moirae):
The Greek Fates. According to Hesiod, the daughters of Zeus
and Themis. They were Atropos (the unbending, or the
inevitable), Clotho (the spinner), and Lachesis (the caster of
lots). As determiners of fate, they had supremacy even over the
gods. Clotho spun out the thread of life, Lachesis determined its
length, and Atropos cut it, resulting in death. The Romans called
them the Parcae.
MORGAN:
British (Arthurian, 'Of the Sea') Arthur's half-sister Morgan le
Fay; but would seemto be a much older Goddess, possibly the
Glastonbury Tor one, for her island is Avalon.
MORRIGHAN, THE, MORRIGAN, MORRIGU:
Celtic The Dark aspect of the Celtic Triple Goddess. The
"Washer at the Ford" (seem washing bloody laundry prior to
battle by those destined to die). The Battle Goddess, also
Queen of the Witches and Goddess of Magick. Could appear
as a Raven, a beautiful Maiden or an ugly Hag. Marries the
Dagdha at Samhain. The Goddess of Death. Direction: North
or North-west. Sometimes seen as the triple goddess made up
of three Crone goddesses of death, war, and distruction; Badb,
Macha, and Nemain. Their collective name means "The
Phantom Queen." They were said to fly over battles in the form
of a raven or carrion crow. They are a powerful force which
people prefer to work with one on one. Call on them for
passing over rituals or to overcome enemies. They are also a
potent force for the waning moon and banishing magic,
however, their collective energy can easily turn violent.
MUSES (Mousai, Moisai, Musae):
Greek goddess of the arts and sciences. Nine in number.
Hesiod was the first to give them individual identities, and gave
their parenst as Zeus and Mnemosyne. They included Calliope
(epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love poetry), Euterpe (lyric
poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (song), Terpsichore
(dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy).
NAIADS (Naiades):
Greek nymphs of freshwater: lakes, rivers, springs and
fountains. They were depicted as beautiful women, and
believed to be long- lived, but not immortal.
NAPAEAE:
Greek nymphs associated with valleys (Greek nape = dell).
NEHELENNIA:
Dutch She is portayed with a dog and a basket of apples, and
she was sometimes described as holding a horn of plenty. A
statue of her dating from the first century has been found in
Walcheren, on of the islands now forming the Dutch province of
Zeeland. On this island was the Temple of Nehellenia. Possible
fertillity goddess.
NEMESIS:
Greek goddess of justice and vengeance. She was essentially
an abstraction, although she is given as the daughter of Erebos
and Nyx. She was responsible for punishing human misconduct
and arrogance (hubris). One of the legends associated with her,
that of her rape by Zeus in the form of a swan, by whom she
subsequently gave birth to Helen, probably refers to a separate
goddess who is the deified form of Leda. The cult of Nemesis
was particularly prominent at Rhamnus in Attica and at Smyrna.
NEMIAN (NIM-awn):
Celtic Her name means, "The Venomous One," and she is one
of the Morrigan.
NEPHTHYS (Nephythys, Nebthet):
Egyptian Egyptian goddess of the dead. Sister of Isis, Osiris
and Seth. Mother of Anubis by Osiris. Depicted with horns and
a solar disc on her head. Her principal sanctuary was at
Heliopolis. She guards the corpse of Osiris along with Isis.
NEREIDS:
Greek Greek sea nymphs and attendants of Poseidon.
Daughters of the sea god Nereus and the Oceanid Doris. The
most famous Nereids were Amphitrite and Thetis.
NETE:
Greek Delphic Muse of the low not of the lyre. The other
Delphic Muses were Hypate and Mese.
NICNEVEN :
Scotland "Divine", "Brilliant". Witch Goddess. Said to ride
through the night with her followers at Samhain. Tradition
places her night according to the old (Julian) calendar, on 10
November. During the Middle Ages she was called Dame
Habonde, Abundia, Satia, Bensozie, Zobiana, and Herodiana.
NIKE:
Greek goddess of victory. First mentioned in Hesiod's
Theogony. Daughter of the giant Pallas and the underworld
river Styx. She seems originally to have been an attribute of
Zeus or Athena (e.g.: Athena Nike), in which capacity she was
wingless and often depicted as a small figure held in the hand of
either deity. As an independent deity, she was depicted as
winged and bearing the laurel wreath which was delivered to
the victor in a competition, whether in war, sport, artistic
contests or any other endeavour. However, she was never
entirely independent, as she remained the personification of
victory delivered by Zeus or Athena. She was known to the
Romans as Victoria.
NIMUE :
British (Arthurian) Thomas Mallory's name for the Lady of the
Lake.
NYMPHS :
Greek In Greek mythology, a minor class of female nature
deities. They were usually associated with the fertile aspects of
nature and with water. They were believed to be long-lived but
not immortal. They were generally considered to be beneficent
rather than destructive, and well disposed toward humans. The
nymphs were commonly grouped into an array of subtypes:
Oceanids (nymphs of the ocean), Nereids (sea nymphs),
Naiads (freshwater nymphs), Dryads or Hamadryads
(associated with forests and trees, particularly oak trees),
Oreads (mountain nymphs), Napaeae (nymphs of valleys),
among others. See also the entries under the individual
subtypes.
NYX (Nux, Nox):
Greek "Night". Greek goddess of night. Often regarded as little
more than a personification of the night, particularly in Greek
cosmogony. Also regarded as a primordial goddess derived
from Chaos. Her power was said to be great, overwhelming
even Zeus. She was the mother of a number of primordial gods
or entities, such as Hemera (day), Aither (light, or heaven),
Hypnos (sleep), and Thanatos (death).
ODRAS:
Celtic This girl refused to let her cow be mated with Slemauir,
the Smooth, the famous bull belonging to the Morrigan. So they
took the cow away and she followed them to the underworld
where they turned her into a pool of water to purify
newcommers to the land. Odras' tale teaches us that we cannot
cheat death. When her livelihood (cow) was taken, she died
(return to elements) tho she tried to fight the Death Goddesses.
Use her to learn about inevitable cycles of time rather than
fighting them. (This does not mean that we shouldn't fight for
life, but rather that we should be wise as to realize where the
fight must end.)
OKEANIDES (Oceanids):
Greek Minor Greek sea goddesses, or sea nymphs.
Daughters of Okeanos and Tethys. Also the name given to the
river gods said to be the offspring of Okeanos.
ONAUGH or OONA (OU-nah):
Celtic She was the faery wife of the Tuatha leader Finvarra.
She tolerated his cheating with a mortal woman and seemed
asexual herself.
OREADS (Oreades):
Greek nymphs of mountains and caves.
OSUN(Oshun):
Yoruba(Nigeria, West Africa, West Indies) River Godess of
love and fertility. The daughter of Oba Jumu and Oba Do and
the consort of the God Shango. The guardian deity of the river
Osun, revered particularly in the towns and villages along the
banks of the river where sacred weapons are kept in her
shrines. Also a goddess of healing. She is worshiped
particularly by women and is honored in an annual festival, the
Ibo_Osun, during which new cultic priestesses are selected.
"Oshun, the Yoruba Goddess of Love and Life-Sustaining
Rivers, is the Goddess of all the arts, but especially dance.
Beauty belongs to Oshun and represents the human ability to
create beauty."-Sandra M. Stanton
PANACEA:
"All-Healing". Minor Greek goddess of health.
PANDORA ('Gift of All'):
The Greek Eve, fashioned in clay by Hephaestus on Zeus'
orders to punish Prometheus for having stolen fire from heaven.
Her name means that each God or Goddess gave her an
appropriate gift. Zeus gave her a box which she must not open.
She did open it, and all the evils that plague humankind came
out of it. All that was left at the bottom was Hope.
PASITHEA:
One of the Greek Muses in some versions. Daughter of Zeus
and Eurynome. May simply be another name for Aegle
(Aeglaia).
PEITHO:
"Persuasion". Greek goddess of persuasion. Daughter of
Hermes and Aphrodite, although Hesiod makes her the
daughter of Okeanos. An attendant of Aphrodite.
PEPHREDO:
One of the Graiae in Greek mythology. Daughter of Phorkys
and Ceto. Sister of the other Graiae, Deino and Enyo.
PERSE (Perseis):
Greek underworld goddess. Conosrt of the sun god Helios.
Mother of Circe and Pasiphae. Perse embodied the underworld
aspects of the moon. She was also known as Neaira, "the new
one", or the new moon.
PERSEPHONE (Roman Proserpina):
Greek goddess of the underworld. Daughter of Zeus and
Demeter. Once, while picking flowers in the Vale of Nysa
(reputedly in Sicily), she was abducted by Hades, who forced
her to become his wife in the underworld. The gods, concerned
that her mother's grief was causing the earth's vegetation to
shrivel and die, sent Hermes to negotiate for her return. He
succeeded in gaining Hades permission but, because
Persephone had eaten a single pomegranate seed while in the
underworld, she was only allowed to return to her mother for
two thirds of the year. The earth's vegetation was believed to
prosper during the two thirds of the year that Persephone was
with her mother and waste away during the third spent in the
underworld. This paralleled the cycle of the seasons in the
Mediterranean, where late summer is a period of drought. This
celebration of this story became the central part of the
Eleusinian mysteries. She was referred to as Kore ("girl" or
"maiden") in her association with Demeter, and some scholars
believe she was only an aspect of Demeter and not a deity in
her own right. Certainly the story of Persephone was
inseparable from that of Demeter, as was her worship. In
Orphism, a mystery religion centering around the similar legend
of Orpheus and Eurydice, Persephone was the mother of
Zagreus by Zeus.
PHEME (Roman Fama):
Greek goddess of popular rumour. She had an altar at Athens.
POLYHYMNIA (Polhymnia, Polymnia):
Greek Muse of song. Daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne.
According to some traditions, she was the mother of Orpheus
by Oeagrus.
PYTHIA -('Pythoness'):
Greek. Serpent Goddess, daughter of Gaia.
RHEA (Rheia):
Greek mother of the gods. Daughter of Ouranos (heaven) and
Gaia (earth). Consort of Kronos. Mother of Demeter, Hades,
Hera, Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus. When Kronos swallowed his
children, Rhea spirited Zeus away to a cave on the island of
Crete, substituting a stone wrapped in swaddling cloths for the
infant. Rhea was later equated with the Anatolian mother
goddess Kybele.
RHIANNON ('Great, or Divine, Queen'):
Welsh Fertility and Otherworld Goddess. Also, Goddess of
Horses, Birds, and the Underworld. Great Mother Goddess.
SCATHACH:
Sgathach or Skadi. Irish/Scottish. "She Who Strikes Fear".
The Irish/Scottish Goddess of martial arts. The Destroyer
aspect of the Dark Goddess. A great sword warrior and
instructor. Native to the Isle of Skye. Teacher of Cuchulain.
Patroness of martial arts, prophecy, blacksmiths and magic.
Direction: East.
SCENA:
Celtic Wife of Amergin who once had a shrine at the mouth of
a River Kenmare. Experiment with her energies as a Goddess
of mergers and subtle changes.
SCOTA:
Celtic A Mother Goddess. She died in the war of the Milesians
and is said to be buried in a doleman in County Kerry. The
Scottish people are said to be named after her.
SEHKMET:
Egyptian Lion Headed Goddess of War and Hunting Cats.
SELENE:
Greek Greek goddess of the moon. Daughter of the Titans
Hyperion and Theia. Sister of Helios (sun) and Eos (dawn).
Mother of Pandia by Zeus, and of fifty daughters by Endymion.
She rode across the sky in a chariot drawn by two white
horses. Also a tutelary deity of magicians. Selene was
sometimes identified with Artemis as a moon goddess. She
became syncretized with Hekate in later Greek mythology. The
Romans equated her with Luna. Selene is a Moon Goddess,
known for aid in Magick and Solutions.
SEMELE:
Greek Minor Greek goddess. She may have originated as a
Phrygian or Thracian earth goddess. Daughter of Cadmus
(Kadmos) and Harmonia. According to some traditions, she
was the mother of Dionysos by Zeus. The story goes that the
jealous Hera tricked her into asking Zeus to prove his divinity to
her. When Zeus revealed himself to her in his divine form,
Semele, then a mortal, was burned to death by the intensity of
his appearance. Zeus later deified her and she took her place
among the gods under the name of Thyone.
SEMNAI THEAI :
Greek Greek earth-goddesses.
SEQUANA :
Celtic River Goddess.
SIRENS :
Greek Hybrid creatures in Greek mythology who were half
bird and half woman. In Homer, there were two Sirens on an
island in the western Mediterranean. Their number later
increased to three or more. The names most commonly given
are Parthenope, Ligeia and Leucosia. They were said to be the
daughters either of the sea god Phorkys or of the river god
Acheloos. They were depicted in Greek art either as birds with
the heads of women, or as winged women with bird legs. They
were known for luring sailors to their island with their
bewitching song, where their victims starved to death.
Odysseus managed to escape them by having his men stop up
their ears and tie him to the mast of his boat. When the
Argonauts had to pass them, Orpheus sang a song that was
even more enchanting than theirs, so that the sailors paid no
attention to them.
SOPHIA:
('Wisdom') Ancient Hebrew Wisdom personified as female;
also characteristic of Hebrew and Greek-Hebrew ideology.
STHENO:
Greek One of the Greek Gorgons. Daughter of Phorkys and
Ceto. Her sisters were the Graii and her fellow Gorgons,
Medusa and Euryale.
STYX :
Greek "Hateful". Greek goddess of the underworld river of the
same name. According to Hesiod, she is the daughter of
Okeanos and Tethys. Mother of Nike, Bia, Kratos and Zelos
by the Titan Hyperion. When the gods swore their most solemn
oaths, they drank water drawn from the Styx.
SYRINX :
Greek An Arcadian nymph or Hamadryad who turned herself
into a reed to escape the advances of Pan.
TAILLTE (TAWL-tay):
Celtic A Goddess of Lughnasadh associated with the harvest
of the first grains, a feminine fertility symbol. She was the
daughter of thh Fir Bolg, Magh Mor and wife of Duach the
Dark, one of the Tuatha De Danaan.
TARA (power of hunger):
Hindu Goddess (Vedic, Epic and Puanic). Due to the fact that
the word Tara can be interpreted as "star" this Goddess may
have originally had astral connotations. She is one of a group of
mahavidyas personifying the Sakti of Siva and may also be the
consort of Candra(Soma). Her aspects include Krodharati. She
is three-eyed and is often pictured with snakes, knife, skull,
skin, and the sword.
TARA:
Buddhist Goddess(Mahayana and Vajrayana.) An epithet of
Maya the Mother Buddha. She is also one of a series of female
dieties, the dhyanibuddhasakti considered to be aspects of the
Sakti of Avalokitesvara or of Amogashiddhi. She may also be
the Sakti of Adibiddha and of the various dhyanibuddhas, in
which case she is characterized by their colors such as "White
Tara" and so on. Also look up Bhrkuti, Ekajata, Kurukulla,
Sitatara and Syamatara. In Tibetan Buddhism she is known as
sGrol-ma.
TEISIPHONE (Tisiphone):
Greek One of the Erinyes, the Greek avenging goddesses.
Daughter of Gaia, impregnated with the blood of the castrated
Ouranos. Her sisters and fellow Erinyes were Megaira and
Alekto.
TERPSICHORE:
Greek Muse of dancing. Daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne.
She was depicted with a lyre. According to some traditions, she
was also the mother of the Sirens by the river god Acheloos.
TETHYS:
Greek Greek demi-goddess of the sea. One of the Titans.
Daughter of Ouranos (heaven) and Gaia (earth). Consort of
Okeanos. Mother of the Okeanides.
THALIA (Thaleia):
Greek Greek Muse of comedy. Daughter of Zeus and
Mnemosyne. Hesiod also made her one of the three Charites
(Graces), although this may have been a separate individual. As
the Muse of comedy, her attributes were the comic mask and a
shepherd's staff.
THALLO:
Greek One of the Athenian Horai (Seasons). Thallo was
associated with the spring. Daughter of Zeus and Themis. Her
sister was Karpo (autumn).
THEIA (Thea, Euryphaessa):
Greek Minor Greek goddess. One of the Titans. Daughter of
Ouranos (heaven) and Gaia (earth). Consort of her brother
Hyperion. Mother of Helios (sun), Eos (dawn) and Selene
(moon).
THEMIS:
Greek goddess of justice and order. One of the Titans.
Daughter of Ouranos (heaven) and Gaia (earth). She was the
second consort of Zeus, after Metis. Mother of the Horai
(Seasons) and the Moirai (Fates). She had oracular powers,
and was said to have started the oracle at Delphi, which she
later gave to Apollo. Her cult was popular throughout Greece,
and she shared a temple at Rhamnus in Attica with the goddess
Nemesis. She was often represented holding a pair of scales.
THETIS:
Minor Greek goddess or nymph. Daughter of the sea god
Nereus. Wife of the mortal Peleus. Mother of Achilles. Thetis
attempted to make Achilles invulnerable by dipping him in the
waters of the river Styx. It was at her wedding that the goddess
Eris rolled the Golden Apple that began the dispute among the
gods which eventually led to the Trojan War, in which Achilles
died. She lived in the ocean depths attended by a retinue of
Nereids.
TITANS:
Greek Secondary race of Greek gods. The children of
Ouranos (heaven) and Gaia (earth). They formed six married
pairs: Kronos and Rhea, Okeanos and Tethys, Hyperion and
Theia, Coeus and Phoebe, Iapetos and Clymene, Crius and
Eurybia. The Titans were also siblings of the Cyclops and
Hekatoncheiroi. Led by Kronos, the Titans overthrew their
father Ouranos. In turn, however, they were themselves were
overthrown by Zeus and the Cyclops. Zeus then hurled them
into the underworld, where he kept them imprisoned.
TYCHE:
Greek Greek goddess of fate and fortune. According to
Hesiod, she was the daughter of Okeanos and Tethys. In
Pindar, Zeus is given as her father. She was often associated
with Agathos Daimon, the "Good Spirit", and with Nemesis, the
goddess of justice and vengeance. Tyche was depicted with a
rudder or a cornucopia, and often with wheel as a symbol of
the transitory nature of fortune and of the fickle character of the
goddess herself. She had a temple at Argos, where the first set
of dice were said to have been invented. Her temple at Antioch
remained intact at least until the reign of the Roman Emperor
Theodosius (AD 379-95).
URANIA :
Greek Muse of astronomy and astrology. Daughter of Zeus and
Mnemosyne. Her attributes were the globe (representing the
heavenly sphere) and compass.
VALKYRIES
(Valkyrjr is Old Norse for "Choosers of the slain"):
Scandinavian Odin's Daughters. Female Warriors Who
Carried the Souls of heroic Men Killed in Battle to Valhalla.
The names of some of the Valkyries are: Hild (warrior), Goll
(screaming), Hrist (Shaker), Mist (Mist), Skogul (Raging),
Skeggjold (Ax Time), Hlokk (Shrieking), Herfjotur (Host
Fetter), Geirahod (Spear Bearer), Randgrid (Shield Bearer),
Gunn (Battle), and Rota. The Goddess Freya was Commander
of the Valkyries. Freya was entitled to half of the dead heros,
and she brought then to her own hall, Sessrumnir. Odin's
Favorite of the Valkyries was Brynhild (AKA:Brunnehild,
Brunhild, Brunhilda). She disobeyed Odin and he punished her,
putting her to sleep in a ring of fire where only a brave hero
could go and awaken her.
VENUS (Aphrodite:Greek):
Roman Goddess of Love, Beauty and Romance.
VESTA:
Roman Goddess of Fire.
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