Gods and Goddesses Featured
Greek/Roman Mythology
Eros
As the Greek God of Love, it should be mentioned here about Eros. Spring is the time of year when young love abounds. Like being "twitter-pated" in Bambi.
Eros is the constant companion of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, Lust and Beauty, and represents all aspects of love and desire. He is generally depicted being an extremely handsome young man with wings. He constantly had his bow and arrows which could strike the hearts of men and gods alike, inspiring fierce desire or extreme repulsion, whichever the young god chose.
Aphrodite
Ah, yes! The beautiful and vain Goddess of Love, Beauty and Lust, Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the one responsible for inspiring desire in hearts of men and gods. Her husband was the lame smith god, Hephaestus, but She had many lovers, the most notable of which was Ares, God of War.
Aphrodite could be a generous goddess, or a jealous and vengeful goddess. In the story of Atalanta, Aphrodite gives Hippomenes 3 golden apples to distract Atalanta during a foot-race. The apples do indeed delay Atalanta, and the two are wed. However, after the wedding, Hippomenes forgot to give Aphrodite proper respect, and as punishment, Aphrodite turned the lovers into lions.
In some myths, the famous Gorgon, Medusa, was once a priestess of Aphrodite. Medusa was a very beautiful woman, whose pride was in the gloriousness of her hair. Medusa defiled the temple of Aphrodite one night however, while making love to the sea god, Poseidon. Aphrodite swiftly punished the girl, turning her hair into a writhing mass of serpents. Medusa maintained her beauty however, so as further punishment, the goddess made it so that Medusa's gaze would turn a man to stone.
Pygmalion was a gifted sculptor who was disgusted by the women who surrounded him. He secluded himself away and avoided all women. Then he created the most beautiful sculpture of a woman and named her "Galatea". Pygmalion fell deeply in love with his statue, and was broken-hearted that the cold marble lips could not return his kisses.
When the festival of Aphrodite came around, Pygmalion made his offering in the temple of Aphrodite and prayed: "If the gods are able to grant anything, I desire for my wife..." Aphrodite Herself was present at this festival, and took pity on Pygmalion. As a token of Her good will, a flame burned brightly before him and flared up into the air.
After Pygmalion returned home, he gasped when his beautiful Galatea greeted him with loving kisses and whispered words of love. Aphrodite had granted his wish! Ever after, Pygmalion and Galatea lived together happily, never forgetting to give Aphrodite her proper dues.
Pan
The goat footed God of the Wild, Pan was the son of Hermes and a nymph. He was half man and half goat, and when he was born, his mother ran away in fright. But Hermes was delighted with His son's strange appearance and brought him to Olympus.
He is the epitome of rash lust and is constantly falling in love with nymphs, who mostly run away. Syrinx was one such nymph, who rejected the advances of Pan. Pan loved her and pursued her where ever she ran, and finally, in desperation, Syrinx changed herself into a bed of reeds. Pan could not locate her, and hearing the lovely sounds the winds made when blowing through the reeds, created the first pan-pipes from the reeds.
When Pan was in a good mood, he would play on his pipes and all the woodland spirits would dance and frolic under the moonlight. However, when Pan was in a bad mood, he would hide himself away in a deep cave, making horrible shrieks and cries to all who dared trespass. Our word for "panic" is derived from Pan's name, and is given because trespassers would panic when they heard the unearthly cries of Pan.
Eos
Rosy fingered Eos is the Goddess of the Dawn and Springtime. She is the mother of the Four Winds. Eos is a very sexual goddess, and once took Ares for her lover. As punishment, Aphrodite caused Eos to perpetually fall in love with young mortals.One famous account of Eos' love for mortals is when she fell in love with the handsome Prince Tithonus of Troy. Eos begged Zeus to grant her lover, Tithonus, eternal life. Zeus complied and Eos happily lived with Tithonus for many years. But soon, Eos began to realize the folly of her request. Tithonus indeed had been given eternal life, but after some years, he began to age, and the strength left his once strong arms. He finally faded away into a cicada or grasshopper. Eos kept him in her house still, but shut away now, in a basket in a corner.
Sylvanus
The Roman god of forests, groves and wild fields. He also presides over boundaries. As a fertility god he is the protector of herds and cattle and is associated with Faunus. He shows many similarities with the Greek Pan (Sylvanus also liked to scare lonely travelers). The first fruits of the fields were offered to him, as well as meat and wine--a ritual women were not allowed to witness. His attributes are a pruning knife and a bough from a pine tree.
Flora
The goddess of blossoming flowers of spring. Her festival of the Floralia, celebrated on April 28 -May 1. Flora is identified with the Greek Chloris.
Celtic/Welsh Mythology
Aengus Óg
The God of Love for the Celts, Aengus Óg was often equated with the Greek god of Love, Eros. Aengus is also known as "Aengus the Young". He was a young handsome god that had four birds flying about his head -- some say they symbolize kisses -- who inspired love in all who heard them. He was the son of Dagda and Boann.
Once, Aengus was troubled by the dream of a young maiden, He instantly fell in love with her and became love sick. He told his mother Boann and she searched the whole of Ireland for the maiden, but after a year she still had not found the maiden. Then Dagda was called and he searched Ireland for a year, and still did not find the maiden. Finally Bov the Red, king of the Dananns in Munster and Dagda's aide, was called to search and after a year he found the maiden.
Aengus was taken to the lake of the Dragon's Mouth, and there he saw 150 maidens all chained with gold into pairs. He spied her at once and her name was Caer, the daughter of Ethal and Anubal, a prince of the Dananns of Connact. On November 1st, she and all the other maidens are transformed into swans for a year. He was told if he could identify her as a swan he could marry her. On November 1, Aengus went out to the lake and called to his love, and once he had found her he then turned in to a swan himself and joined her. They flew off together singing such a beautiful song that all who heard them fell asleep for three days and nights.
Aengus had a son called, "Diarmuid Ua Duibhne" or Diarmuid of the Love Spot. One night while hunting Diarmuid met a maiden who made a magic love spot appear on his head, and from then on no woman ever looked upon him with out falling in love with him.
Blodeuwedd
Blodeuwedd was created out of flowers by Gwydion, to wed Llew Llaw Gyffes, for Llew was cursed by his mother Arianhrod to take no bride of any race now on earth. She betrayed Llew because she resented being his chattel. She fell in love with Goronwy and, wishing to be rid of Llew, she tricked out of him the only manner in which he could be killed: neither by day nor night, indoors nor out of doors, riding nor walking, clothed nor naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made. She asked him to explain this, and he did: he could be killed only if it were twilight, wrapped in a fish net, with one foot on a cauldron and the other on a goat, and if the weapon had been forged during sacred hours when such work was forbidden. Blodeuwedd told her lover this, and together they plotted for the downfall of Llew. Blodeuwedd convinced Llew to demonstrate how impossible such a position was to achieve by chance, and when he was in it, Goronwy leapt out and struck. Llew was transformed into an eagle and eventually restored to human form, after which he killed Goronwy. Blodeuwedd was transformed into an owl, to punish her for her transgressions, forever to haunt the night in loneliness and sorrow, shunned by all other birds.
Anglo-German Mythology
Eostre
In ancient Anglo-Saxon myth, Eostre is the personification of the rising sun. In this, She is associated with the spring and is considered to be a fertility goddess. She is the friend of all children and to amuse them she changed her pet bird into a rabbit. This rabbit brought forth brightly colored eggs, which the goddess gave to the children as gifts. From her name and rites the festival of Easter is derived. Eostre is identical to the Greek Eos and the Roman Aurora.
Once
long ago, a hare wandered through the forest, pondering on what to give his
beloved goddess, Eostre. While wandering, he came upon a fresh new egg. He was
very delighted, since eggs were a fairly rare thing indeed. As much as the
little hare wanted to eat the egg, he decided to give it to Eostre.
"But wait!" the little hare thought to himself, "My Lady Eostre can have as many eggs as She likes, whenever She wants, for She is a Goddess and can do those things!"
So the hare decided he needed to make the egg as beautiful as Eostre herself. He took the egg and began to decorate it. He painted the egg with all the colors of Springtime, and added many beautiful symbols that were sacred to Eostre.
When the egg was finished, the hare presented it to Eostre. She was so pleased with the little hare's humble offering, that she asked him to go out and share this delightful egg to all the world, especially the children, who are also symbols of springtime. So to this day, the hare's descendents honor Eostre's request and deliver decorated eggs to all the world's children on the Spring Equinox