9 World Chronicles

Symbolism of the egg. the egg symbolizes Genesis the perfect microcosm.  a universal symbol for the mystery of original creation. it encloses nascent life to emerge from it. It embodies the idea of rebirth and rejuvenation in the cycle of life, reflected also in its shape, with neither beginning nor end.

Life bursting from the primordial silence. Few simple natural objects have such an self-explanatory yet profound meaning and the body of myth and folklore that surrounds the egg is huge.

In many creation myths ranging from Egypt and India to Asia and Oceana a cosmic egg sometimes fertilized by a serpent but more often laid in the primordial waters by a giant bird gives form to chaos and from it hatches the sun symbolized by the Golden yolk the division of earth and Sky and life and all forms.

Creation symbolism is strengthened by the egg shape to testicles and by the sexual  duality of eggs yolk and white in the region of the Congo the yellow yolk stood for Female warmth while the white stood for male sperm.

Ancient Egypt, an egg was revered as the origin of the world. One version of the creation myth mentions the cosmic egg hatching the ‘bird of light’. aspect within the Ogdoad is the Cosmic Egg, from which all things are born. Life comes from the Cosmic Egg; the sun god Ra was born from the primordial egg in a stage known as the first occasion

In Hindu myth the cosmic tree girls from the Golden egg witch board brahma.

Similarly, the egg is linked with resurrection, the Phoenix dying, and fire rose from its own egg. The God Dionysus was shown carrying egg as a symbol of his rebirth.

Associated in pre-Christian times with the promise and hope of spring, the egg took a readymade place in Christian Easter ceremonies as a symbol of resurrection.

 The eggs white purity embodies the miracle of life contained within its blank shell, One such  connotation found in literature “Madonna and the child,  circa 1450, in which an egg symbolizes the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

In Jewish custom at the Seder meal eaten at Passover the egg is a symbol of promise and traditionally eggs are the first food offered to a Jewish mourner.

In folklore throughout the world the egg is a symbol suggesting luck wealth and health. Magical eggs are Golden or silver and are often guarded by Dragons.

 From eggs are born gods and heroes. In one Greek myth Helen of Troy came from an egg that had fallen from the moon.

Alternatively, she was born from an egg laid by Leda Queen of Sparta after she had coupled with a Swan which was the God Zeus in disguise.

In Dogon mythology (West Africa): "In the beginning, Amma, alone, was in the shape of an egg: the four collar bones were fused, dividing the egg into air, earth, fire, and water, establishing also the four cardinal directions.

This number  8 would be significant as its represents the 4 Ogdoad pairs Kuk and Kauket, Huh and Hauhat, Nun and Naunet, Amun and Amaunet.

Within this cosmic egg was the material and the structure of the universe, and the 266 signs that embraced the essence of all things.

In Later Kemetic mythology is it revealed that in inside the great egg is the the God Ra.

Once upon a time, before there was land, fish, animals, or human life, there was the great expansion of primordial waters that encompassed the Universe.  Nothing existed in these primordial waters since the beginning of time, until a great egg appeared in the water.  This egg contained a living God by the name of Ra.  Once his egg hatched, he burst forth into the Universe and took his place as its great ruler. 

In this scenario we also see the significance of Ra as representing the number 9 which is the number of Completion. As Amma was 1 the beginning, he was 9 the completion and thus a new stage of life is entered. The egg containing all the elements from start to finish for it is the cycle of life.

A pentagram is a five pointed star. Traditionally, the five points of the star represent the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, and Air) and Spirit.

Pentacle or pentagram. A geometric symbol of harmony health and Mystic powers. A five-pointed star with lines that cross to each point. When used in magical rituals design is usually called the pentacle.

The pentagram seems to have originate it in Mesopotamia approximately 4000 years ago probably as an astronomical plot of the movements of the planet Venus. It became a Sumerian and Egyptian stellar symbol is start to have been the figure used on the seal of King Solomon of Israel.

In Greece the Pythagoreans adopted it as an emblem of health and Mystic harmony the marriage of heaven and earth combining the number 2 terrestrial and feminine, and three heavenly and masculine.

 The resulting #5 symbol lives the microcosm of human body and mind. From this point on the pentagram steadily acquired Mystic meaning.

The pentagon is endless  sharing the symbolism of perfection and power of the circle. Five is a circular number as it produces itself in its last digit when raised to its own power.

 Gnostics and alchemist associated with the five elements, Christians with the 5 wounds of Christ. Medieval sorcerers with Solomon’s reputed powers over nature and the spiritual world.

Magicians sometimes wore pentacle caps of buying linen to conjure up supernatural help. In casting spells special powers were credited to pentacles drawn on Virgin caps can but they were also protectively inscribed in wood on rocks and on amulets or rings.

In Wicca and various forms of “white magic,” the encircled, upright pentagram is considered a symbol that provides protection of some kind. Pagan and neo-pagan groups use the pentagram in all manner of rituals and ornamentation because it symbolizes infinity, the binding of the five elements, and protection of the self.

With one point upward and two down the pentacle was the sign of white magic the druids foot. Representing the triumph of spirit over matter.

In Christian symbolism, the basic pentagram (without a circle) was originally used to represent the five wounds of Jesus Christ. It was soon supplanted by the symbol of the cross, but the pentagram was still recognizable as a Christian symbol for a few hundred years after Jesus’ resurrection. Some say that the continuous line was also considered symbolic of the Alpha and Omega.

 With one point down and two up It represented the goatsfoot and horns of the devil a characteristic symbolic inversion. inverted pentagram represents the descent of spirit into matter.

 Latin or kabbalistic Hebrew letters often appear on talismanic pentacles drawn within protective circles. The Pensacola was also a Masonic aspirational symbol known as the flaming star.

The pentagram was used in ancient Chinese and Japanese religions to symbolize the five elements of life. In Japanese culture the symbol was also considered magical. Ancient Babylonian culture was also using the pentagram to represent various gods and religious beliefs of their own.

Historical associations of the pentagram include the five senses, the five fingers, the five wounds of Christ, and astrological representation of the five planets: Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn, and Venus.

Marici she who is shining or Ray of Light

Classification: Deva, Bodhisattva

Culture: Buddhist Mahayana beliefs

Associated: light and the Sun

She is among the lists one of the guardian devas, specifically the Sixteen Devas

An Astro goddess in Buddhist Mahayana beliefs an emancipation of Vairocana whose name means coming from the sun.

 She also his female aspect or Sakti . She is further identified as the Bodhisattva  or budda-designate. She may also be the mother of Sakyamuni a form of the Buddha.

Considered by some to be the equal of Surya a Hindu Vedic sun deity worshipped circa 1700 bce and persist unto present times.

 She may be depicted in three headed form in which case her left hand is that of a pig. During this time the pig stood for mother hood, prosperity happiness. The Kemetic Goddesses Nut and Isis had associations to the pig or sow. And several Mesopotamian goddesses shared the connection.

She rides a chariot drawn by 7 boars. The boar was a primordial symbol of strength, fearless aggression, resolute courage Their colors are red yellow or white. her attributes also include the arrow the bow the fly wisk, prayer wheel, staff sword, and Trident.

Anti – One who Travels

Classification: Neter/God

Culture: North African Kemetic/Egyptian

Associated: Travel , Ferrymen

A Guardian deity associated with Egyptian upper kemit seems to have been a associated as Horus was

His main role is one of the protectors of the eastern Sky in which sun rises.

Anti is best known from coffin text circa 2000bce.

His worship is quite ancient, dating from at least the 2nd dynasty, at which point he already had priests dedicated to his cult. Originally, Anti appears to have been the patron of the ancient area around Badari, which was the centre of the cult of Horus.

He is depicted as a falcon or a human with a falcon’s head.

he became considered simply as the god of ferrymen, and was consequently depicted as a falcon standing on a boat, a reference to Horus, who was originally considered as a falcon. As god of ferrymen, he gained the title Nemty, meaning (one who) travels. His later cult centre Antaeopolis was known as Per-Nemty (House of Nemty).

Anti appears in the tale The Contendings of Horus and Seth which describes the settlement of the inheritance of Osiris, seen as a metaphor for the conquest of Lower Egypt by Upper Egypt (whose patron was Seth), at the beginning of the Old Kingdom.

In this tale, one of Seth's attempts to gain power consists of his gathering together the gods, and providing good arguments, convincing all of them (in later traditions, all except Thoth). Set fears magical intervention by Isis, Horus' wife (in early Egyptian mythology), and so holds the gathering on an island,

instructing Anti not to allow anyone resembling Isis to be ferried there. However, Isis disguises herself as an old woman, and unknowingly Anti takes her across after being paid a gold ring, having rejected the first offer of gruel, resulting in the disruption of the council by her use of magic.

Anti is punished for his error, by having his toes cut off, which is more severe than it appears, since as a falcon, he would no longer be able to perch.

He would be appropriated into Greek myth as Antaeus.

Athtart  Atargatis (Semetic) – the first Mermaid

Geography/Culture: Babylonia: city of Der. Syria

Also Dagitu, the feminine form of the word for fish. Appropriated into Greek culture as Derceto

Period of Worship : 2,000 bce to 1,000 Common era

Associated: the moon feminine powers, and water

Description: Great fish Goddess of water and its fishes; She Who swallows and gives birth to the sun; City-Protectress.

Male Associate: Son, Oannes solar fish God.

To Whom Sacred: whale.

She is said to be the Mother of Semiramis, Queen-Goddess of great beauty, intelligence, mighty works, love and sensuality.

Derceto is the goddess of fertility, her anthropomorphic form is that of a mermaid, highlighting her relationship to the seas and fertility.

She was sacred to the whales of the Oceans and it is said that their songs are to serenade the Goddess.

According to the myth Atargatis fell in love to a mortal shepherd called Hadad and they had a daughter called Semiramis. Semiramis later on became queen of Assyria. She was most well -known for creating the famous hanging gardens of Babylonia.

Atargatis accidentally caused the death of Hadad. She could not live with her guilt and drowned herself into a lake near Ascalon. Waters however could not hide her beauty and she was transformed into a mermaid. A woman with a tail of a fish.

Atargatis was worshiped in a temple dedicated to her in the ancient city of Ascalon in Israel

Yaro – the bringer of the day

Classification: God

Culture Kaffa of Ethiopia.

The kingdom of Kaffa existed from 1390 to 1897 and was centered in what is now Ethiopia.

Yaro is a sky god to whom the Kafa people venerated. He is said to have created the all of mankind with a thought and the utterance of one word, exuding the power of the spoken word.

He brings mankind the days and the seasons.

He is celebrated in annual festival that coincided roughly with the Summer and winter solstice.

Rituals for this deity are celebrated on  either hill tops or river banks in rural areas.

Offerings to this Yaro were typically roasted meats, wine, and sweet cakes.

Yaro is said to be a kind benevolent gods, but when he becomes angry he can create terrible rains and storms.

His sacred day is the

Deng, Bringer of Fertility and Rain

Classification: God

Culture/Religion: Dinka and Nuer of the Sudan and South Sudan

Associated: Storms and Fertility

Deng, also known as Denka, is a sky, rain, and fertility god in Dinka mythology for the Dinka people of Sudan and South Sudan. He is the son of the goddess Abuk.

She is the only well-known female deity of the Dinka. She is also the patron goddess of women as well as gardens. Her emblem or symbols are, a small snake, the moon and sheep.

Among his followers, Deng is regarded as the intermediary between humans and the supreme being. Closely linked with the supreme god Nhialic, he was regarded as the son of god and sometimes as the son of the goddess Abuk. In some areas of Dinka country, Deng and Nhialic are "regarded as one and the same".

He was an important sky god, to some clans an ancestor and creator god of the Dinka people, and he manifested himself in the fertilizing water that fell from the heavens.

The Dinka believe that in the beginning the sky was very low, so low that man had to be extremely careful when hoeing or pounding grain so as not to hit the sky. One day the greedy woman Abuk pounded more grain than she was allotted, using an especially long pestle. Deng was so angered by this that he cursed mankind, saying people would have to work harder for the fruits of the earth and in the end would also have to die.

Lightning is Deng’s club, and rain and birth are manifestations of his presence. If one is struck by lightning, one is not to be mourned because it is believed that Deng has taken that person directly to himself.

Among the Nuer, Deng is considered to be "a foreign deity" and "a bringer of disease".

Gandharvas

Classification: Divine or Heavenly beings/Demi Gods

Associated: Music, messengers,

Literary References: Mahabharata

In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, a Gandharva is a distinct heavenly being. It is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music.

They are male nature spirits and husbands of the Apsaras. Some are part animal, usually a bird or horse. They have superb musical skills. They guard the Soma and play beautiful music for the gods in their palaces. Gandharvas are frequently depicted as singers in the court of the gods.

Gandharvas in the historic sense acted as messengers between the gods and humans. In Hindu law, a Gandharva marriage is one contracted by mutual consent and without formal rituals.

The Gandharvas of ours are a class of Hindu demigods who are said to inhabit the heavens of the war God Indra along with the Apsaras. as natural spirits are associated with the fertility of the earth.

The Gandharvas Guard, the soma the sacred drink. Soma, in ancient India, an unidentified plant the juice of which was a fundamental offering of the Vedic sacrifices. ... The personified deity Soma was the “master of plants,” the healer of disease, and the bestower of riches.

The Soma drink conveyed divine powers to the Gods and draws comparisons the ambrosia of the Greek Gods.

In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, A Gandharvas united with and Apsara and produced the first two humans Yami and Yama.

Gandharvas can fly through the air, and are known for their skill as musicians. They are connected with trees and flowers, and are described as dwelling in the scents of bark, sap, and blossoms. They are among the beings of the wilderness that might disturb a monk meditating alone.

What is beauty?

Beauty is defined the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.

Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, together with art and taste, is the main subject of aesthetics, one of the major branches of philosophy

One difficulty for understanding beauty is due to the fact that it has both objective and subjective aspects: it is seen as a property of things but also as depending on the emotional response of observers.

Because of its subjective side, beauty is said to be "in the eye of the beholder". It has been argued that the ability on the side of the subject needed to perceive and judge beauty, sometimes referred to as the "sense of taste", can be trained and that the verdicts of experts coincide in the long run. This would suggest that the standards of validity of judgments of beauty are intersubjective, i.e. dependent on a group of judges, rather than fully subjective or fully objective.

Conceptions of beauty aim to capture what is essential to all beautiful things. Classical conceptions define beauty in terms of the relation between the beautiful object as a whole and its parts: the parts should stand in the right proportion to each other and thus compose an integrated harmonious whole.

 Hedonist conceptions include the relation to pleasure in the definition of beauty by holding that there is a necessary connection between pleasure and beauty.  that for an object to be beautiful is for it to cause disinterested pleasure. Other conceptions include defining beautiful objects in terms of their value, of a loving attitude towards them or of their function.

A quality or feature that is most effective, gratifying, or telling.

A quality or combination of qualities that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is often associated with properties such as harmony of form or color, proportion, authenticity, and originality.

We have dedicated much worship the concepts of beauty.

Hathor

One of the most ancient goddesses of Egypt, Hathor stands for beauty, love sexuality, and dance. As a goddess of love and beauty, she is the archetype of the goddess of beauty.

Aphrodite, the Greek goddess associated with love, passion and procreation, symbolizes the classical representation of beauty.

Lakshi She who leads ones goals if the Hindu goddess of wealth fortune, love beauty, joy and prosperity

Oshun the Yoruba Orshia represented love, beauty wealth and prosperity.

The Euro- pean beauty standard is the notion that the more closely associated a person is with European features, the more attractive he or she is considered; these standards deem attributes that are most closely related to whiteness, such as lighter skin, straight hair, thinner lips and slimmer, less pronounced hips and rear ends.

It is said than an Asian or Chinese “epitome of beauty” should have fair skin, a slim face, large eyes and a “tall,” narrow nose. —

The phrase “black is beautiful” referred to a broad embrace of black culture and identity.

In its philosophy, “Black is beautiful” focused also on emotional and psychological well-being. The movement affirmed natural hairstyles like the “Afro” and the variety of skin colors, hair textures, and physical characteristics found in the African American community.

The idea and concepts of beauty transcend the physical expressions of geometry and precise and delve into ideas of self-image, tribalism, and racist constructs. It is influenced by media representation, social taboos, and colonial aspirations.

Mihos he who is true beside her

Classification: Neter/god

Region/Culture: North African, Kemetic, Later Egyptian

Associated: war, protection, and weather, as well as that of knives, lotuses, and devouring captives

The son of the goddess Bastet and the god Ptah.  He is depicted in leonine form he was venerated at the cult center Leontopolis in Lower Kemet which included enclosures for live lions.

whose name means "he who is true beside her"

A sanctuary in his honor war built at Bubastis by Osorkon III 

He was depicted as a lion or a lion-headed man. When shown as a lion-headed man, Mihos would wear a short kilt and any one of a number of headdresses. He would often be shown holding a knife and with a bouquet of lotuses near him.

He helped Re in the daily battle against Apep. Mihos was a god of war and a patron of sacred places. A late Greek text described him as a god of storms and darkness.

As a protector and guardian of Egypt he was given titles such as the "Lord of the Massacre", the "Lord of Slaughter" and the "Wielder of the Knife".

The role of Mihos also included upholding the 'Spirit of Ma'at' upholding the principles of truth, morality and justice. In this role he was given the titles of "Helper of the Wise Ones" in reference to the gods Ma'at, Thoth, Seshat and Imhotep and the "Avenger of Wrongs" in reference to ensuring justice according to the laws of Egypt.

Like his mother Bastet (see picture below), the symbol of Mihos was the the flint knife or dagger used in ancient Egypt that was called a Khop. Depictions of Mihos also included him wielding these knives.

Baiame the Sky Hero

Classification: Creator God

Culture: Australian aboriginal

Period of worship: from antiquity

Biame is a creator god revered as the supreme being and instrument of good. Principally by the Wiradyuri and Kamilaroi groups of aboriginals in the southeast of Australia.

His voice is represented when the bull roarer native instrument is swung. .

The Baiame story tells how Baiame came down from the sky to the land and created rivers, mountains, and forests. He fashioned two men and two women from the Red Earth of Australia  He then gave the people their laws of life, traditions, songs, and culture. He also created the first initiation site. This is known as a bora; a place where boys were initiated into manhood. When he had finished, he returned to the sky and people called him the Sky Hero or All Father or Sky Father

He is the father of Daramalan and is identified in the Heavens by the Southern Cross

It was forbidden to mention or talk about the name of Baiame publicly. Women were not allowed to see drawings of Baiame nor approach Baiame sites—which are often male initiation sites (boras).

In rock paintings Baiame is often depicted as a human figure with a large head-dress or hairstyle, with lines of footsteps nearby. He is always painted in front view; Dharramalan is drawn in profile. Baiame is often shown with internal decorations such as waistbands, vertical lines running down the body, bands and dots.

Arawa  she who is beloved

Culture/Region  - East African moon goddess. Associated with the Suk and Pokot tribes of Kenya and Uganda

Associated: The Moon, lunar cycles

Sacred Stone: Moon Stone

Sacred Number 29

Arawa was the daughter of Tororut who was the creator and Seta (a fertility goddess). 

The Moon Goddess is an important deity in many cultures around the world where they form a central role in mythology. 

The moon is associated with the divine feminine as in many tribal societies the feminine cycles were linked to the phases of the moon. Through this Arawa is connected to womanhood.

The Moon was important in ancient calendars, helping people to measure time and to determine when the best time was for planting and harvesting crops. And she is thus tied to the fertility of the land.

She is a beloved and benign deity who is venerated by dance and festival.

Tienoltsodi

Classification: God/Spirit

Culture Navajo

Associated: Oceans and Fresh Water

Sacred Stone: Turquoise

He controls the waters which have fallen on to Earth. As distinct from those in the Heaven which are rule by the rain god Tonenili.

He is described as a kind god who ensures the fertility of the land and keeps the sky clean.

He was venerated in dance and may have been the object of token worship as well.

Through his association with water, he is associated with fertility and the renewal of life.

Hi natural enemy is the god Hastsezini, who invented fire and thus the mantle of fire god.

Myth tells us that the Fire gods grew mad with his power and threatened to consume the entire Earth for his pleasure.

The people danced for Tienoltsodi, the god arrived with a great storm and the flames of the fire god were extinguished.

Ganaskidi

Goddess  of harvests, plenty and of mists.

Verethragna the most highly armed.

Classification God

Culture: Persian Iranian

His sacred animal is the Wild Boar whose iron-shoden feet crush opponents and is perceived to be ever present in the fierce wind.

"as a giver of victory Verethragna plainly enjoyed the greatest popularity of old." In Zoroastrian Middle Persian,

the figure of Verethragna is highly complex, parallels have also been drawn between, Puranic Vishnu, Manichaean Adamas, Chaldean/Babylonian Nergal, Egyptian Horus, Hellenic Ares and Heracles.

In the Bahram Yasht

Verethragna is described as "the most highly armed" the "best equipped with might" , with "effervescent glory" , has "conquering superiority" , and is in constant battle with men and daemons.

he is connected with sexual potency and "confers virility" , has the "ability to heal"  and "renders wonderful"

ten forms in which the divinity appears: As an impetuous wind; as an armed warrior and as an adolescent of fifteen and in the remaining seven forms as animals: a bull with horns of gold ; a white horse with ears and a muzzle of gold; a camel in heat, a boar a bird of prey (veregna,; a ram ; and a wild goat.

Verethragna was both identified as Ares and associated with Heracles, and given the Greek name Artagnes.

Ipy mistress of magical protection

Classification: Goddess/neter

Culture: North African Kemetic/Egyptian

Cult Center: Thebes, Karnak Temple Complex

Associated: Motherhood

Literary references: Pyramid text

Ipy appear as a benevolent guardian and wet nurse to the pharaoh.

She is perceived to exert a benign influence on amulet.

Opet was usually depicted as some sort of combination of hippopotamus, crocodile, human and lion, though her hippopotamus aspect is dominant. She was represented as a female hippopotamus, usually standing upright on legs which have the feet of a lion.

The Hippo itself is associated with the protective nature of mother as is reflected in the neter Taweret.

First reference to her comes from the Pyramid Texts, where the king asks that he may nurse at her breast so that he would "neither thirst nor hunger...forever".

 Afterwards, she is called "mistress of magical protection" in funerary papyri. Under the epithet 'the great Opet',

She appears to have had a very strong connection with the Theban area and might have even been considered a personification of that city. In the theology of Thebes, she was thought to be the mother of Ausar.

Title

Author

Date

Publisher

Reference Number

Ancient Gods Speak, The: A Guide to Egyptian Religion

Redford, Donald B.

2002

Oxford University Press

ISBN 0-19-515401-0

Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, The

Wilkinson, Richard H.

2003

Thames & Hudson, LTD

ISBN 0-500-05120-8

Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many

Hornung, Erik

1971

Cornell University Press

ISBN 0-8014-8384-0

Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, A

Hart, George

1986

Routledge

ISBN 0-415-05909-7

Egyptian Religion

Morenz, Siegfried

1973

Cornell University Press

ISBN 0-8014-8029-9

Gods and Myths of Ancient Egypt

Armour, Robert A.

1986

American University in Cairo Press, The

ISBN 977 424 669 1

Gods of Ancient Egypt, The

Vernus, Pascal

1998

George Braziller Publisher

ISBN 0-8076-1435-1

Gods of the Egyptians, The (Studies in Egyptian Mythology)

Budge, E. A. Wallis

1969

Dover Publications, Inc.

ISBN 486-22056-7

Behhanzin

Classification – God

Culture: Fon People of West Africa

Invoked by fishermen to ensure plenticul catches.

Bera Pennu –  she who receives human sacrifice.

Classification: Goddess

Culture: Khonds in Bengal North India

Sacred Number 8

Associated: Vegetation

A crucial influence on the success of the crop and thus the harvest she was among the most revered for these people.  The Khonds are people of the hills and jungles of Orissa state, India. Their numbers are estimated to exceed 800,000, of which about 550,000 speak a langue of the Dravidian language family.

She was the recipient of human sacrifice to ensure good harvest, particularly of the spice turmeric, and as a protection against disease and infirmity.

The sacrificial victim or meriah was youthful, often kept for years as a holy person before death and was always either the offspring of a previous sacrificial victim, or purchased from impoverished families for the purpose. He or she was generally strangled, sometimes in the fork of a tree, after days of festivities. In other instances the victim was cut up alive.

Odin – the king of the Norse gods – demanded human sacrifices.

In Mesoamerican culture human sacrifices were viewed as a repayment for the sacrifices the gods had themselves made in creating the world and the sun.

Erzulie Dantor – Voodoo Goddess of love romance, art, jealously, passion and sex.

Classification: Loa/Goddess

Cultural Origins: Haitian Voodoo

Associated: Love Romance Beauty, love, art, passion and sex

Dantor is the patron loa of lesbian women, fierce protector of women experiencing domestic violence and patron loa of New Orleans. Beauty, love, and sensuality are Her Creations. Emotions are what link Her to the endless reservoir of universal creativity.

“She has tribal scars on Her cheek, and is considered heterosexual because She has children, but She is also the patron loa of lesbian women. Thus, She loves women fiercely, and will defend them to the death. She loves knives and is considered the protector of newly consecrated Voodoo priests and priestesses, as well as of women and children who are victims of domestic violence, and women who have been betrayed by a lover.

She is highly respected and much feared due to Her Woman Power. Most Haitian women serve Dantor, and she is also the patron loa of New Orleans and so she is served by many there as well. She also supports independent business women and is the patron of women’s finances. Many women invoked Erzulie Dantor against their partners (male or female) should they become violent. And enlightened men also serve Dantor, especially men who honor, love and respect women.”

The relevance of the water deity is held in high regard in almost every culture. Water is  life, fertility and renewal.

Water deities may manifest in oceans rivers, brooks, streams or flask.

They can be wise and gentle, or volatile and tempestuous.

Creatures of the sea have been vile terrors and divine teachers.

Benin

Ezili, goddess of sweet water, beauty, and love.

Dogon

Nommos, amphibious spirits that are worshiped as ancestors.

Serer

Mindiss (or Mindis) is not a deity in Serer religion, but a pangool with goddess–like attributes. She is a female protector of the Fatick Region. Offerings are made in her name at the River Sine. She appears to humans in the form of a manatee

Yoruba

Oshun, a river orisha.

Olokun, an ocean orisha.

Yemoja, a river orisha and ocean orisha as well in new world Yoruba religions.

Lugandan

Sezibwa, goddess of the Sezibwa River.

Batonga Nyami Nyami, a river spirit of the Batonga of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Kongo

Bunzi, goddess of rain, rainbow and waters.

Funza, goddess of waters, twin phenomenon and malformations in children. Wife of Mbumba.

Kimbazi, goddess of sea storms.

Kuitikuiti, serpent god of Congo river.

Lusunzi, god of spring and waters.

Mamba Muntu, goddesses of waters and sexuality.

Makanga.

Mpulu Bunzi, god of rain and waters.

Mundele, albino gods of the sea.

Simbi dia Maza, nymphs or goddesses of waters, lakes and rivers.

Canaanite

Yam (god), god of the sea.

Egyptian

Anuket, goddess of the Nile and nourisher of the fields.

Bairthy, goddess of water and was depicted with a small pitcher balanced on her head, holding a long spear-like sceptre.

Hapi, god of the annual flooding of the Nile.

Khnum, god of the Nile.

Nephthys, goddess of rivers, death, mourning, the dead, and night.

Nu, uncreated god, personification of the primordial waters.

Osiris, god of the dead and afterlife; originally a god of water and vegetation.

Satet, goddess of the Nile River's floods.

Sobek, god of the Nile river, depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile.

Tefnut, goddess of water, moisture, and fertility.

Hebrew

Leviathan, sea serpent.

Mesopotamian

Abzu, god of fresh water, father of all other gods.

Enbilulu, god of rivers and canals.

Enki, god of water and of the river Tigris.

Marduk, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic.

Nammu, goddess of the primeval sea.

Nanshe, goddess of the Persian Gulf, social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing.

Tiamat, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods.

Sirsir, god of mariners.

Buk – the daughter of the Fireflies

Classified as a goddess or guardian spirit.

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Culture : Nuer of the Sudan

Associated: River

A guardian against attack by  crocodiles.  Her protection is invoked by the ritual sacrifice of a goat,

She is typically  depicted as beautiful woman with

She’s the mother of Deng, who is the creator god in this mythology. As well as Candit and Nyaliep, both of whom are river deities.

The role of a river of water goddess is very important in its role in creation. AS the mother of the creator god the water is thus the source of the creation of life.

The river its self if of particular important inn the foundation of human settlements and essentially human civilization.

But with the benefits of the river come the danger.

The West African crocodile inhabits much of West and Central Africa, ranging east to South Sudan and Uganda, and south to Democratic Republic of the Congo (Other countries where found include Mauritania, Benin, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Gabon, Togo, Ivory Coast and Republic of Congo.

Mauritanian traditional peoples who live in close proximity to West African crocodiles revere them and protect them from harm. This is due to their belief that, just as water is essential to crocodiles, so crocodiles are essential to the water, which would permanently disappear if they were not there to inhabit it.

Hakea

Classification: evil (rejected spirit)/ God

Culture: Polynesian, Hawaii

Associated: The Underworld

Sacred Animal: the Devil Fish

Her role is shared with the chthonic goddess Miru.

She is depicted as a squid or an octopus. But just as often as a beautiful woman.

She was part of a group of spirits that were “spit out” by the gods.

Lead by Kanaloa, another spirit, they launched a rebellion against the gods but were defeated.

They were banished to the underworld.

The Ant

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. It is estimated that there are roughly 22 thousand species of ant.

Ant society have a division of labor, communication between individuals, and the ability to solve complex problems

A symbol of diligence, patience, humility and foresight. In China, the  ant symbolized order and the tireless servant.

Its industry seen in the bible as a virtue is considered somewhat excessive in Hindu and Buddhist thought, thus becoming a symbol of the ceaseless, petty activity of those blind to the transience of human life.

In Mali ants were the beneficent organizers, originators of the skills of building and weaving and by the sympathetic magic their nest could bring fecundity.

Anteaters conversely symbolism harm and chaos.

In Greek mythology the Myrmidons were a nest of ants that Zeus transformed into humans. They were said to be among the most fierce and efficient armies in Greece.

In some southwestern tribes, ants played a more important mythological role-- in the Cahuilla creation myth, it was ants who spread the earth out for people ant animals to live upon, and in Hopi mythology, it was the Ant People who sheltered humans underground during the destruction of the First World.

In northern California tribes, ants were said to predict earthquakes, and it was considered taboo to disturb their nests. In South America, ants are more often portrayed as warriors in Indian legends, probably because of the painful sting inflicted by South American fire ants, and some Native South American initiation rites involve young people subjecting themselves to ant bites.

there are some southwestern tribes with Ant Clans, including the Hopi, Pueblo, and Akimel O'odham (Pima) tribes. Ant groupings were particularly important among the Pimas, where the people of every Pima village used to be divided into one Red Ant Clan and one White Ant Clan. The Cherokee also have an Ant Dance among their tribal dance traditions.

The Ant  is credited in North African myths with teaching the first humans about the uses of plants and grains.

The Berber and Kabyl tribes have a myth that tells the story of the wise ant that helped the first humans. Teaching them to cook grains in spring water. gave them directions for grinding the grain into flour. he showed them how to start a fire with stones, dried grass and wood, and a flint stone. The Ants taught them to bake bread.

It was the ant that directed man to save seeds and to plant them in the rainy season.

In the mythology of the Kuba People of Conga Nyonye Ngaga, the eldest son of the creator god Bumba, is the creator of the humble ant.

He made billions of ants and died of fatigue. His effort would be the standard for ants work ethic.

 the ants were grateful to Nyonye Ngana for making them, and scurried into the earth to give him a decent burial. They’ve been busy doing that ever since.

colonies consist of various castes of sterile, wingless females, most of which are workers (ergates), as well as soldiers (dinergates) and other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens" (gynes). The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony.

Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. Ants thrive in most ecosystems and may form 15–25% of the terrestrial animal biomass.

The symbolism of the bull. Power potency fecundity, a protein symbol of divinity royalty and the elemental forces of nature.

 changing in significance between different epochs and cultures. In cave art the bull is second only to the horse as the most frequently painted image of vital energy.

As the incarnation of many Supreme eastern gods the bull was one of the most important sacrificial animals.

In ritual and iconography it has represented both the moon and the sun earth and the Sky rain and heat feminine procreation and male ardor.  Both death and regeneration.

As a symbol of death and resurrection it is central to mithraism a Persian cult popular in the Roman Empire. Myth rack sacrifices celebrated the sun God mithras slaughter of a primordial bull from whose blood and ***** spraying new life.

Bulls appear from northern Europe to India as an emblem of divine power especially linked with lunar solar and sky or storm gods including the Mesopotamia and EL who is bull horned and bow . The Egyptians Ra, Ausar,  Ptah who was incarnated as the sacred apis bull and Seth .

The Greek Zeus Dionysus and  Seibel. The Norse Thor and Freya . And the Hindu Indra Aditi,  Agni,  Rudra and Shiva.

Tibetan Buddhism has the bull headed fierce deity protector Yama Dharmaraja

The physical attributes of the bull underline much of its symbolism. Its horns or link with the Crescent moon its strength suggests a support for the world in Vedic and Islamic traditions it's prolific semanis stored by the moon in Persian myth.

 and its colossal dangerous energy was widely venerated notably in Minoan Crete. Were a dangerous ritualistic sport involved somersaulting over a bull's horns developed

The orchestrated ritual of modern bull fighting continues an ancient Mediterranean tradition of using the bull to flirt with death.

Crete is a setting of numerous later Greek bull miss most famously of the monstrous half man half bull the minotaur.

Zeus transformed himself into a bull in order to abduct Europia carrying her to Crete. A bull is thus one of the attributes of Zeus and may also symbolize the continent of Europe.

 A former beast the bull from ancient times became adversaries as well as icons. Challenging its power was a task of legendary heroes such as Heracles who captured another cretin bull as his 7th labor an fought Acilius in the guise of a bull.

 And Theseus who slew the minotaur.

The Bull of Heaven was a pawn of the goddess Inanna, and the vessel of her rage against the demi god Gilgamesh. She unleashed the bull on Earth, and he began a path of devastation. He was killed by Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu.

 Blue symbolism of the color blue .

Blue is one of the three primary colours of pigments in painting and traditional colour theory, as well as in the RGB colour model. It lies between violet and green on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when observing light with a dominant wavelength between approximately 450 and 495 nanometres.

Blue symbolizes Infinity, eternity, truth, devotion, faith, purity, chastity, peace, spiritual, and intellectual life . It is the color of the ocean and the sky; it often symbolizes serenity, stability, inspiration,wisdom or health. It can be a calming color, and symbolize reliability.

cultures associations that appear in many ancient cultures and expressed a general feeling that blue, the color of the Sky, is the coolest most attached and least material of all hues.

The Virgin Mary and Christ are often shown wearing blue and it is the attribute of many Sky gods including Amun of  kemitic beliefs,   the Sumerian great mother,  the Greek Zeus and Hera,  the Hindu gods Indra and Vishnu and Vishnu’s blue skinned incarnation Krishna.

Blue is linked to mercy in Hebrew tradition and to wisdom in Buddhism .

 In folk tradition it stands in Europe for Fidelity in parts of China for scholarship and happy marriage and more recently the term Blues means melancholy or sad.

Hues of blue include indigo and ultramarine, closer to violet; pure blue, without any mixture of other colours; Cyan, which is midway in the spectrum between blue and green, and the other blue-greens turquoise, teal, and aquamarine.

Blue also varies in shade or tint; darker shades of blue contain black or grey, while lighter tints contain white. Darker shades of blue include ultramarine, cobalt blue, navy blue, and Prussian blue; while lighter tints include sky blue, azure, and Egyptian blue.

In Kemet blue was associated with the sky and with divinity. The Kemetic god Amun could make his skin blue so that he could fly, invisible, across the sky. Blue could also protect against evil; many people around the Mediterranean still wear a blue amulet, representing the eye of God, to protect them from misfortune.

Kauket

Classification: Primordial Goddess

Culture: Kemet

Kauket is one of the eight primordial deities of the Ogdoad cosmology.

She is representative of the chaos and darkness of pre existence of the universe.

She is paired with the god Kek  they appear in anthropomorphic form, Kauket with the head of the snake Kek, with the head of from. Some would argue that this ais a reference to binary code

Nun  and his wife Naunet symbolized the primordial waters

 Kuk and Kauket   represented darkness.

Huh and Hauhet the eternity of space.

Amun and Amaunet represent invisibility or the hidden.

As cosmic gods they are represented in anthropomorphic form. They are also sometimes conceived as chthonic animals the male gods appearing as frogs the female as snakes.

The pair epitomized the primordial darkness. The chaos existed without the light, and thus Kek and Kauket came to represent this darkness. They also symbolized obscurity, the kind of obscurity that went with darkness, and night.

She was depicted greeting the rising sun in the form of a baboon

Mithra

God of the Upper air

Culture Persian/Iranian

Known period of worship circa 400 bc to 200 common era.

Aliases Mitra (Hindu) Mithras (Roman)

Cult Center Persian influence

Literary Sources: The Avesta  The Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in Avestan language.

commonly known as Mehr, is the Zoroastrian angelic divinity (yazata) of covenant, light, and oath.

Originating in India Mitra is a god of light who is translated in the attended of the God Ahura Mazda in the light religion of Persian. From this he was adopted into the Roman deity Mithras. He is regarded as the fertilizing power of warm light air. According to the Avesta, he possesses 10,000  eyes and ears and rides in a magical chariot.

He represent truth in the endless battle between light and darkness. He is responsible for keeping oaths and contracts.  In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest, and of the Waters.

He was born from a rock, and legends tells us that he engaged in a primeval battle with Ahura Mazda’s first creation, a wild bull.

He subdued and restrained the bull. A crucial victory in the battle against chaos. The bull later escaped but was captured by Mithra who slit his throat. From his blood sprang the first plant life.

Mitra is not worshipped on his own but served as the intercessor between gods and men he was an integral part of the worship.

Modimo  - he who control the light and darkness

Classification – Creator God

Culture Tswana (Botswana, South Africa)

Associated: Creation of life, the balance of the universe

Supreme God of the Tswana. His very name is sacred,

Modimo and the universe have always existed, He is received as the river of existence which flows through space and time. He rules both aspects of light and dark opposite as well as the order of lie on Earth.

The Badimo of which there are many, are manifestations of him. Most of the Tswana people’s daily deity needs are met by the Badimo spirits, who act as Modimo’s little helpers and also ensure that rituals are performed correctly.

 Aesir

Classification: Pantheon/Civilization

Cultural Origin Icelandic

Viking worship from 700 to 1100 common era

Center of Cult : throughout areas of the Nordic Influence particularly in Uppsala in Sweden

Art references: engravings on stone and weapons, other art objects

Literary Sources : Prose Edda Historica Danica

The Aesir are the Gods of Norse mythology. They represent for these people the creators of the world as we know it, keep the forces of chaos at bay and will be consumed in the great reckoning Ragnarok

The 12 Aesir gods are headed by Odin the all father and are probably derived from the Germanic pantheon established in prehistory.

The Aesir exist in a realm called Asgard which is most likely the the Asegar Star cluster in the Taurus Star System.

Asgard is a grand empire, the finest in the 9 realms an important concept in their cosmology.

9 World Cosmology

The Aesir documented 9 distinct realms Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim and Helheim.

The creation myth of the Aesir states that in the beginning there was a region of intense cold and one of incredible heat.

Muspell was the first world to exist. It was a place of light and heat. So hot that only those born to this place could survive its heat.

Beyond Muspell lay the great and yawing void called Ginningagap. And beyond that lay Niflheim the land of darkness and cold.

In between the two the perfect conditions existed and from the steam of the heat and mealting cold formed the frost giant Ymir.

Ymir slept, falling into a sweat. Under his left arm there grew a man and a woman. And one of his legs begot a son with the other. This was the beginning of the frost ogres.

Audhumla

Thawing frost then became a cow called Audhumla. Four rivers of milk ran from her teats, and she fed Ymir. The sacred cow obviously Hathor,

Buri, Bor, and Bestla

The cow licked salty ice blocks. After one day of licking, she freed a man's hair from the ice. After two days, his head appeared. On the third day the whole man was there. His name was Buri, and he was tall, strong, and handsome.

Buri begot a son named Bor, and Bor married Bestla, the daughter of a giant.

Odin, Vili, and Vé

Bor and Bestla had three sons: Odin was the first, Vili the second, and Vé the third.

It is believed that Odin, in association with his brothers, is the ruler of heaven and earth. He is the greatest and most famous of all men. A triad which we see in many beliefs. I think of Zeus, Posiedan Hades

The death of Ymir

Odin, Vili, and Vé killed the giant Ymir.

When Ymir fell, there issued from his wounds such a flood of blood, that all the frost ogres were drowned, except for the giant Bergelmir who escaped with his wife by climbing onto a lurFrom them spring the families of frost ogres

Earth, trees, and mountains

The sons of Bor then carried Ymir to the middle of Ginnungagap and made the world from him. From his blood they made the sea and the lakes; from his flesh the earth; from his hair the trees; and from his bones the mountains. They made rocks and pebbles from his teeth and jaws and those bones that were broken.  Tiamat and Marduk

To protect themselves from the hostile giants, the sons of Bor built for themselves an inland stonghold, using Ymir's eyebrows. This stonghold they named Midgard.

Ask and Embla

While walking along the sea shore the sons of Bor found two trees, and from them they created a man and a woman.

Odin gave the man and the woman spirit and life. Vili gave them understanding and the power of movement. Vé gave them clothing and names. The man was named Ask and the woman Embla.

The Vanir – The chronicles of the Aesir speak of a great war against another equal civilization who were the Vanir. The two would reach a peace after years of conflict. The Vanir are identified as the Pleiades or the so called blondes of Nordic myth. Their celestial home has been identified as the Pleiades star system.

The true enemies of the Aesir would be the various giants. And this represented the concept of order versus chaos as the central them of the mythology

Thor

The earth was Odin's daughter and his wife as well. By her he had his first son, Thor. Might and strength were Thor's characteristics. By these he dominates every living creature.

Thor would be significant as the face of the belief system and its primary protector hero. His battle against the Midgard serpent in the highlight of the conflict of order versus chaos.

Ragnarok,

 The Aesir prophecy of the end of creation was the inevitable event that would be known as Ragnarok. This was the time when the forces of chaos would win the day and all creation would burn in its fires.

But this is a story of renewal and though the old gods would die, a Son of Odin Vidar would rise as a new King. A Son of Thor would survive and become the realms new hero.

Acat  the God of Tattooers

Culture : Mayan

Classification: God or spirit

Association: Tattooers, the fetus.

Acat was a deity in Maya mythology associated with the process of tattooing. The Maya placed great importance on the tattooing process, believing that tattoos in the image of a god would imbue a person with some of that god's power.

many believe his name means ‘reed’ , a reference to the art of tattooing the skin with a reed.

Because of the importance and difficulty of this art form it was only natural that there was a god responsible for it. Acat was said to bless the ink, needles, and work spaces, and steady the hands of the artists for better results.

To them, tattooing was an act of faith. Body modification was very popular amongst the Mayans and became increasingly extreme by today’s standards the higher the person’ social standing was. Babies’ skulls were elongated by wrapping their heads tightly in cloth, or by tying a board to the backs of their head with cloth and gradually tightening a rope mechanism to create the desired shape. Numerous piercings were also encouraged, teeth were inlaid with precious stones and a more extreme form of tattooing was also practiced.

The Mayans decorated themselves with a plethora of images and iconography when tattooing: everything from celestial entities to flowers and gods, but the most important thing to them was the sacrifice and pain involved in the process. Without it, their world would quite literally cease to exist.

Tattoos had major religious significance for the Mayans. They believed that by drawing the symbols of gods on their bodies, they could attain to some of the characteristics of those gods. So accuracy was highly valued in such tattoos.

Tattoos had major religious significance for the Mayans. They believed that by drawing the symbols of gods on their bodies, they could attain to some of the characteristics of those gods. So accuracy was highly valued in such tattoos.