As religion, magick and art emerged together in our ancestor's lives, one
common theme was focused upon – the power and majesty of the Great Goddess.
One of her titles is The Goddess of One Thousand Names because people sought
to understand and connect with this enormous life-giving power by naming Her
in Her aspects, abilities and creative expression. All over the world,
people gave Her different names in an attempt to comprehend and connect with
specific aspects of the Goddess which had meaning to their lives. We can
enrich our lives today by reading her myths and stories as we seek to make
our own connection with the Great Mother.
Myths are traditional stories which serve to unfold part of the worldview or
experience of a people or explain a practice, belief or natural phenomenon
common to that group of people. Myths embody ideals and institutions of a
society. They give reason and continuity to the values of a community and
explain the rituals and experience of their world. Myths are used to pass
down to future generations the values, history, and understanding of the
universe. They tend to include a story complete with symbols and a moral.
For example creation stories such as that of the Cosmic Egg from which the
Universe was born or that of the First Mother who gave birth to the world.
Myths can also be used as a Mystery enactment. These are general a religious
truth which one can know only thru revelation & cannot be fully understood in
simply an intellectual way and are usually presented in ritual form such as
the Eleusian Mysteries of Greece.
Myths have also been used to change, influence and reinforce new values of
the conquerors of nations or tribes to replace the history of a people with a
new paradigm reflecting the values and perspectives of the conquerors. Again
these myths Include a story complete with symbols and a moral. Examples of
this would be newer creation stories such as Adam & Eve and the new Greek
patterns where the Great Father gives birth to the world through His thoughts
which come springing from His head.
Myths contain what are known as ARCHETYPES which are defined as an original
patterns or models from which all things of the same type are representations
or copies. An archetype is an inherited idea that is derived from the
experience of the culture and is present in the unconscious of the individual
as well as the community or group mind. Archetypes are shared worldwide as a
common symbol such as the Sun (source of life and light), the Moon (source of
fertility and mystery), the Mother (nurturer and gateway), the Father
(protector and source of wisdom), the Tree (knowledge and ladder between
worlds). Archetypes often contain several ideas which can sometimes be
paradoxical in nature.
There are differences between the myths that have developed during the last
3,000 years and previous myths. It has been in the last 3000 years that the
concept and development of duality (opposites) has led to monotheism
beginning with Zoroaster around 600 bce followed by Yahwehism around1500 bce.
These duality focused myths tend to be exclusionary (only one God and He
better be mine!) and have led to conflict with peoples who did not recognize
the supremacy of the new monotheistic model. This has also led to the
creation of the intermediary role of priesthood wherein the ‘common' folk
require a religious figure to intercede and communicate with God for them.
Prior to this change, people were aware of and interacted with thousands of
Goddesses and Gods the world over. Depending on their climate and survival
needs, different tribes or peoples gave names to the Divine to enable them as
individuals to make their own personal connection and have a direct
relationship with the Divine. Certainly in unusual circumstances such as a
drought or plague, the community might call upon the priest/ess or shaman of
the tribe to help with the emergency but otherwise individuals had a personal
and immediate relationship with God or Goddess.
Here is a selection of Goddesses from various cultures around the world:
CREATION
Gaia (Greek) - in the beginning only formless chaos, light and dark, sea and
land, which settle into form through the influence of Gaia; Gaia: the deep
breasted one. Existed before time, She created everything here, Earth, Gods,
humankind; including Time.
AYIDA WEDO (Voudoun) - with her mate, Damballah, both rainbow serpents
created Earth thru making love; Goddess of rain, fertility.
KALI (India) - created universe from her menstrual blood. 3 aspects maiden
(Nitya Kali); mother (Maha Kali); crone Kali Uma)
IZANAMI (Japan) - with her mate Azanagi gave birth to all things, first all
was sea, then they rise, stand on rainbow, create world, populate it; when
she gives birth to fire, she descends to underworld.
SUSSITANAKO (Pueblo) - Spider Woman who spun the world into being.
BIRTH
INANNA (Sumaria), ISHTAR (Babylon) - Mothers of life, grain, fertility.
Husband Tammuz, Dumuzi who dies, she must travel to underworld to bring him
rebirth by having intercourse. By doing so, brings life back to world.
DIANA (Roman) - granter of conception. Originally Sun and Moon (her name
means light), gave Sun to her brother. Rode across the sky in chariot pulled
by lions as the sun.
DEMETER (Greek) - De= vulva Meter= mater, mother. Rites of Eleusis in
Greece dedicated to her mysteries. Mother of Kore (Persephone is another
name for Kore which means First Serpent), gave the world its 4 seasons and
gave birth to Dionysus (who was laid in a manger of grain complete with halo,
his was the first communion of bread and wine).
MARY (Christian) - daughter of Hannah (ana, anat, inanna) who had 3 daughters
all named Mary (triad). Stella Mari, star of the sea; Mari; Goddess of sun
and earth; Mariamne, spinner of fate; Mother of God; gave birth to sacred
child, never died.
ISIS (Egypt) - Isis is actually the Greek version of the Egyptian name Auset
(meaning spirit) Often appears in a Triad of Father, Mother and Sacred
Child: Osiris, Isis, Horus Goddess of rebirth and magicks.
LOVE/SEX
EZRULI (Voudoun) - Goddess of Love, feasting, play, perfume. Brings lovers
thru erotic dancing and is exuberant, generous, beauty.
SHEELA NA GIG (Irish) – Sheela - woman Gig - vulva. Playful eroticm and
humor; gateway of birth and death. Image carved on 16th c churches in
British Isles.
HUITACA (Columbia) - Goddess of feasting, music, love, perfume, jokes. Brings
joy, light heartedness and passion.
PELE (Hawaii) - still actively worshipped in Hawaii today, she taught the
hula (fertility dance); formed islands as she mated with the ocean; known for
her passion and sexuality, will take many forms to take new lovers. As
always missionaries discouraged worship of Pele and many natives converted to
Christianity. However, the old songs, chants and offerings were not
forgotten. In 1880 when Mauna Loa erupted, the 63 yr old Priestess, Ruth
Keelikolani walked up to the edge of the lava flow, reciting the sacred words
and offering gifts of cloth and libations of awa. The eruptions stopped.
Again in 1955 when the village of Kapoho was threatened, the villagers
offered food and tobacco as gifts, again the lava stopped.
INSPIRATION/ WISDOM/ HEALING
ATHENA (Greek) - architecture, weaving, agriculture, strategy. Originally
from N Africa or Crete (Neith). Usurped by patriarchal Greece in later myths
sprang from the head of Zeus.
BRIGIT (Celtic) - poetry, medicine, metalwork, hearth, fertility. The number
19 is sacred to her as it is number of years that it takes the new moon to
coincide with Winter Solstice.
SHEKINAH (Hebrew) - (dwelling place of spirit) source of all soul,
enlightenment, thru her reach god, wisdom, creativity, divine Bride welcomed
on the eve of the Sabbat. Challah bread is her braids.
SOPHIA (Gnostic) – Sophia means Wisdom - bringer of knowledge of the Divine.
She is part of the triad of Father, son and Holy Ghost - dove.
KWAN YIN (China) - (feminine Earth) Buddhist bodhisattva demigod. Originally
from Nu Kua the ocean snake dragon woman who gave birth to all life, brings
peace, compassion, wisdom.
DEATH
NEPHTHYS (Greek version of the Egyptian name Nebthet) - twin underworld
sister of Isis who helped Isis bring Osiris back to life.
ERISHKIGAL (Sumerian) - (great earth) Queen of the Underworld; twin of
Inanna, wife of Tammuz). Story similar to Isis's descent into the underworld
for her husband. Her journey through the 7 levels to underworld is
re-enacted in the dance of the 7 veils and is seen again in Dante's 7 levels
of Hell.
HECATE (Greek) - Hekat, Nubian name; Hekau, Egyptian name which is also
Egyptian word for magick; Queen of the Crossroads, night, gateways, birth and
death, cauldron, 3 is her sacred number.
THE MORRIGAN (Celtic) - Goddess of war, picked the doomed in battle, ravens
are her animal. The Morrigan is a Triad: Macha, beautiful warrior goddess
who strengthened soldiers; Babh, who came in form of raven, washed the armor
of soldiers picked to die and Nemain, who watched the battle from afar as a
serpent and decided the turn of battle.
KALI UMA (India) - bringer of death, gateway of birth and death, both which
happen in blood; wears necklace of skulls, she is the hungry Earth who gives
birth to and devours her children. We often see her depicted as squatting on
her lover, Shiva's corpse in intercourse.
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