Air is a symbol of spiritual life, freedom, and purity air
is the primal element in most cosmology equated with the soul by many
philosophers.
Air shares much of
the symbolism of breath and wind. In terms of a spirit air is considered one of
the three great spirit forces in Inuit beliefs together with the sea spirit and
the moon spirit. It is known as weather or the intelligence the air spirit
lives far above the earth controlling rain, snow, weather, and sea. It is
inherently benevolent but is perceived of as threatening because of its
sensitivity to human misdeeds to which it responds by sending sickness, bad
weather and failure in hunting.
Kemetic Myth: Shu,
god of the Air.
He was called “the emptiness" or "he who rises
up" was one of the primordial Egyptian gods, spouse and brother to goddess
Tefnut, and one of the nine deities of the Ennead of the Heliopolis cosmogony.
He was the god of peace, lions, air, and wind.
Enlil, the Sumerian god of air, wind, breath, loft
is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth,
and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon,
but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and
Hurrians.
Stribog is the name of the Slavic god of winds, sky and air.
The Norse God King Odin, was also considered a god of the air/breath.
Persian Zoroastarian Vata is the god of atmosphere/air.
A name in
Christianity for the devil the embodiment of evil and discord. It is first
mentioned in the Book of Isiah where condemnation to hell of the King of Babylon
of compared the fall of Lucifer, the morning star.
Lucifer is
the name of various mythological and religious figures associated with the
planet Venus.
Due to the
unique movements and discontinuous appearances of Venus in the sky, mythology
surrounding these figures often involved a fall from the heavens to earth or
the underworld.
Christian
tradition of apply the name Lucifer, and its associated stories of a fall from
heaven, to Satan.
Generally
translates the term in the relevant Bible passage (Isaiah 14:12) as
"morning star" or "shining one" rather than as a proper
name, "Lucifer”.
In the Book
of Luke the name is applied to Satan where it is said he was to have fallen
like lightning from heaven.
A similar
theme is present in the Babylonian myth of Ethana and Zu: Etana was led by his
pride to strive for the highest seat among the star-gods on the northern
mountain of the gods ... but was hurled down by the supreme ruler of the
Babylonian Olympus.
In Sumerian
Mythology the goddess Inanna, known for her rebellious nature, is associated
with Venus. She attempts and fails, to conquer both heaven and the underworld
on separate occasions.
In Canaanite
myth Attar who is the personification of the Morning Star attempted a coup
against the throne of Baal. After his defeated he descended to the underworld
to rule.
Certain
Gnostics sects view him as a divine figure who is the first born son of god.
In classical
Greek mythology, Lucifer ("light-bringer" in Latin) was the name of
the planet Venus, though it was often personified as a male figure bearing a
torch.
The Greek
name for this planet was variously Phosphoros (also meaning
"light-bringer") or Heosphoros (meaning "dawn-bringer").
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds, that
inhabit wetlands, forests, and plains.
The African sacred ibis was an object of religious
veneration in ancient Egypt, particularly associated with the deity Djehuty or
otherwise commonly referred to in Greek as Thoth. He is responsible for
writing, mathematics, measurement and time as well as the moon and magic.
In artworks of the
Late Period of Ancient Egypt, Thoth is popularly depicted as an ibis-headed man
in the act of writing.
The symbolism was perhaps based on the habits as an
inquisitive wading bird with a curving beak somewhat like a Crescent moon. Hundreds
of thousands of mummified Ibis have been discovered at Sakkara, near Memphis
the ancient capital of Egypt.
A monster in
Phoenician mythology. Known in Ugarit by the name Lotan.
Leviathan is
the female water entity, paired with the male land entity Behemoth.
It is
referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of
Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the Book of Amos; it is also mentioned in the
apocryphal Book of Enoch.
In the Old
Testament is it called the dragon of Chaos. And referred to as the crooked
serpent.
In general
it is a denizen of the sea, and hence is equated with the crocodile and the
whale.
In
apocalyptic literature and in Christianity, Leviathan figures as one of the
forms in which the devil manifest himself.
The
Leviathan of the Book of Job is a reflection of the older Canaanite Lotan, a
primeval monster defeated by the god Baal Hadad.
Parallels to
the role of Mesopotamian Tiamat defeated by Marduk have long been drawn in comparative
mythology.
As have been
wider comparisons to dragon and world serpent narratives such as Indra slaying
Vrtra or Thor slaying Jörmungandr.
The Book of
Enoch (60:7–9) describes Leviathan as a female monster dwelling in the watery
abyss (as Tiamat), while Behemoth is a male monster living in the desert of
Dunaydin ("east of Eden")
Blood a symbol of life force believed in many cultures to
contain a share of divine energy or more commonly the spirit of an individual
creature.
Blood had rain
bearing or fertilizing power according to some traditions as in near eastern
marriage ceremonies were the bride stepped over the sprinkle blood of a sheep.
the oldest ancient deity who consumed blood was probably
Lilith. She is also described as the first demon, or a female spirit which
exemplified all of the darkest attributes of the world.
Persian folklore also speaks of some spirits who consumed
blood. The most famous of these was Estries. She was a demon - specifically a
shapeshifter.
Usually she was
believed to have appeared as a beautiful woman who looked for men to drink
their blood. , She was also well-known in Jewish legends.
In order to strengthen the Tree God Pemba, the Bambara of
West Africa sacrificed blood to it, and
in some myths it is called the Blood Tree.
Bull's blood was used
for it suppose that magical power in the Roman rites of Mithras and Cybele.
With the same symbolism of the life force blood is sometimes still drunk at
Mexican bull fights.
From Hindu Beliefs – Kali as depict as a fearsome creature with her tongue lolling
out, having deep reddish eyes, filling the regions of the sky with her roars,
falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she
devoured those hordes of the foes of the devas.''
At the height of the Aztec empire the blood of thousands of
victims a year will spill to reinvigorate the sun.
They believed the gods sacrificed their own blood to create
the universe, so in turn, the Aztecs offered blood to the Gods as a sort of
reciprocal exchange and gift for their creations (Pendragon 2). Furthermore,
the supply of ritual blood was believed to maintain plentiful fertile crops and
aid in the continuation of the Aztec world.
If blood was not sacrificed to the gods, the humans believed
they would be punished and endure excessive pain “more violent than any man
could ever do”
In ancient Greece, the disciples of Hecate the Goddess of
Magic, performed blood rituals to enhance the power of their goddess
The mingling of blood is a Symbol of union in many
traditions and can mark a seal or a covenant. In Roman Catholic doctrine Christ
blood is present in the trans substantial wine of the Euchrarist.
A common blood ritual is the blood brother ritual, which
started in ancient Europe and Asia. Two or more people, typically male,
intermingle their blood in some way.
Blood sacrifice is sometimes considered by the practitioners
of prayer, ritual magic, and spell casting to intensify the power of such
activities. The Native American Sun Dance is usually accompanied by blood
sacrifice
Some blood rituals involve two or more parties cutting
themselves or each other followed by the consumption of blood. The participants
may regard the release or consumption of blood as producing energy useful as a
sexual, healing, or mental stimulus.
The great potency of blood has been utilized through
sacrifice for a number of purposes—e.g., earth fertility, purification, and
expiation.
Buddhism forbids all blood sacrifices
The gods demanding blood sacrifice are most commonly
described as “fierce, violent and ‘hot’” (Fuller The gods who fall under this
category are dark forms such as Durga, Kali, and village goddesses, such as
Sitala Mata, Mariyamman, Bhairava and Narasimha.
Pantheon/ Culture: Dahomey of
West Africa, Haitian Vodou
Gender: Male
Category: God/Loa
Celebration day: November 1
Known Aliases: Papa Legba
Associated: speech, communication
Legba a celestial trickster
in the Dahomey of West Africa to whom mankind owes the art of prognostication
and the interpretation of oracles.
His sacred animal is the dog which he uses as
a Messenger.
He stands at a spiritual
crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the gods, and is
believed to speak all human languages. ... Legba facilitates communication,
speech, and understanding.
Legba is also the god of
travel, opportunity, and luck.
The rat is Legba's sacred
animal and his colors are black red and white. His honor day is November 1st,
when bonfires are lit in his honor. Besides that he has feast days on March
18th, 19th or 20th and June 29th.
The moon deity of the Hurrian
in ancient Asia minor corresponding to the Hattic moon God Kasku. His sacred
numbers 30 corresponding to the lunar month of 30 days. In one myth the moon
God is pursued by the weather God but the goddess of healing comes to his aid.
An Aztec rain God whose
dwelling was to be in the partly in the cloud capped mountains and partly in
the Springs and lakes.
As he often conceals himself behind a dark
storm cloud he is portrayed in manuscripts as black of body with a painted face.
In his hand he carries a
staff which is the symbol of lightning it may be too or may have snakes
entwined around it.
Those who were drowned or struck
by lightning and those who have leprosy are admitted into the kingdom of Tlalocland
where they will never again suffer.
He was widely worshipped as a
beneficent giver of life and sustenance. However, he was also feared for his
ability to send hail, thunder, and lightning, and for being the lord of the
powerful element of water.
Tlaloc is also associated with caves, springs,
and mountains, most specifically the sacred mountain in which he was believed
to reside. His animal forms include herons and water-dwelling creatures such as
amphibians, snails, and possibly sea creatures, particularly shellfish.
Pele is a Hawaiian word for
volcanoes and the magma that flows from these volcanoes.
Pele volcano goddess in
Hawaiian mythology known for being unpredictable and liable for sudden
outbursts of anger. Traditionally she came from Tahiti expelled by her divine
brothers who could no longer put up with her insubordination.
She makes her way to Hawaii
and settles there.
In other myths she is the
creator of the Hawaiian Islands and this her epitaph “She who creates the sacred
lands.”
Pele is also called Hina ai malama
which means “She know who eats the moon” It is possible that she is the
Hawaiian form of the common Polynesian moon God Hina an both goddesses are also
in control of lightning.
she is a well-known deity
within Hawaiian mythology and is notable for her contemporary presence and
cultural influence as an enduring figure from ancient Hawaii.
Known
Aliases: King of Kings, The Father, King of Heaven
Associated:
Lightening, sky, weather
Classification:
Patron God
Period
of Worship:3500 B.C.E-Current
Discipline:
E Particle
Height:
unconfirmed
Weight:
unconfirmed
Hair:
Brown (variable)
Eyes:
Green
Unusual
Features:
Occupation:
Ruler
Martial
Status: Married
Known
Affiliations: The Greek Gods
Known
Relatives: Kronos (father), Hera (wife), Herkules (son)
Strength
Class: 10
Weapons:
the thunderbolt
Accessories
History:
in ancient Greek religion, chief deity of the pantheon, a sky and weather god
who was identical with the Roman god Jupiter (q.v.). Zeus was regarded as the
sender of thunder and lightning, rain, and winds, and his traditional weapon
was the thunderbolt. He was called the father (i.e., the ruler and protector)
of both gods and men.
According
to a Cretan myth that was later adopted by the Greeks, Cronus, king of the
Titans, upon learning that one of his children was fated to dethrone him,
swallowed his children as soon as they were born. But Rhea, his wife, saved the
infant Zeus by substituting a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes for Cronus to
swallow and hiding Zeus in a cave on Crete.
There he was nursed by the nymph (or female goat) Amalthaea and guarded by the
Curetes (young warriors), who clashed their weapons to disguise the baby's
cries. After Zeus grew to manhood he led a revolt against the Titans and
succeeded in dethroning Cronus, perhaps with the assistance of his brothers
Hades and Poseidon, with whom he then divided dominion over the world.
As
ruler of heaven Zeus led the gods to victory against the Giants (offspring of
Gaea and Tartarus) and successfully crushed several revolts against him by his
fellow gods. According to the Greek poet Homer, heaven was located on the
summit of Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece and the logical home for a
weather god. The other members of the pantheon resided there with Zeus and were
subject to his will. From his exalted position atop Mount Olympus Zeus was
thought to omnisciently observe the affairs of men, seeing everything,
governing all, and rewarding good conduct and punishing evil. Besides
dispensing justice, Zeus was the protector of cities, the home, property,
strangers, guests, and supplicants.
Zeus
was well known for his amorousness—a source of perpetual discord with his wife,
Hera—and he had many love affairs with both mortal and immortal women. In order
to achieve his amorous designs, Zeus frequently assumed animal forms, such as
that of a cuckoo when he ravished Hera, a swan when he ravished Leda, or a bull
when he carried off Europa. Notable among his offspring were the twins Apollo
and Artemis, by the Titaness Leto; Helen and the Dioscuri, by Leda of Sparta;
Persephone, by the goddess Demeter; Athena, born from his head after he had
swallowed the Titaness Metis; Hephaestus, Hebe, Ares, and Eileithyia, by his
wife, Hera; Dionysus, by the goddess Semele; and many others.
Though
regarded by Greek religionists everywhere as omnipotent and the head of the
pantheon, Zeus's very universality tended to reduce his importance compared to
that of powerful local divinities like Athena and Hera. Although statues of
Zeus Herkeios (Guardian of the House) and altars of Zeus Xenios (Hospitable)
graced the forecourts of houses, and though his mountaintop shrines were
visited by pilgrims, Zeus did not have a temple at Athens
until the late 6th century BC, and even his temple at Olympia postdated that of Hera.
In
art Zeus was represented as a bearded, dignified, and mature man of stalwart
build; his most prominent symbols were the thunderbolt and the eagle.
