9 World Chronicles

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.

­­

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.