9 World Chronicles

Sopona Bringer of Small Pox

Classification: Orisha

Culture: West African Yoruba, Dahomean Religion, Afro-Brazilian

Associated: Small pox

Sopana is said to be the true name of the Orisha Babalú-Ayé, He has dominion over all skin ailments, major and minor, as well as infectious and viral diseases. He controls all illnesses that manifest on the skin, like measles or chicken pox. Babalu Ayé has emerged as the spirit of AIDS and the patron who protects those suffering from this illness. He owns all secrets of death, disease, and cemeteries. who is a patron for those who are suffering. He is the embodiment of both disease and cures.

When he was angered his true name Sopona is used. Because of the nature of this Orisha, priesthood was highly controlled and only a priest could use his real name.

people of this religion believed that if the priests were angered, they were capable of causing smallpox outbreaks through their intimate relationship with Shapona.

After the British invasion of the Gold Coast worship and priesthood of Sopona was banned.

In Dahomean religion Sopono is known as Sakpata, Shakpana or similarly Sopono. He is the divinity of smallpox and can inflict both insanity and disease on humans.

Sopona is known in the Afro-Brazilian tradition of Candomblé as Sakpata or Sakpata-Omolu in the (Jejé nation). He is associated with the colors red, black, and white, as in Africa. Insects associated with him are Sakpata-Omolu beetles, black butterflies, flies, and mosquitoes. A skirt and hood made of straw that covers the entire body is the clothing associated with Sakpata-Omolu followers and worship.

In the Trinidad Orisha tradition, Sopona is known as Shakpana, and is similarly a ferocious god associated with healing smallpox.

The cup of Eternity

Classification: Sacred Object

Associated: immortality, longevity

Also Known As: the Holy Grail, The Cup of Life, The Serpent Grail

Culture: Hindu. Indian Sub Continent, Christianity (Europe) , Eastern Philosophy myth of China and Korea

Literature:  Aramahansa Yogananda’s poem, “The Cup of Eternity”. Medieval folk lore

. . . The deathly thirst so fleshly born

Shall parch his soul, oh, ne'er again!

The cup he'll drink, but not the bane,

To quench his thirst and bliss attain.* . . .

aramahansa Yogananda’s poem, “The Cup of Eternity” speaker is dramatizing the spiritual longing, metaphorically describes as “thirst,” which can by quenched only by God-realization through gaining awareness of the soul within the physical and mental encasements.

Cacoch

Classification: Creator God

Culture: Mayan Classic Mesoamerican

According to tradition he engendered the water lily from which sprang the other deities of the Mayan Pantheon .  The ancient Maya had over 150 Gods in their complex religion, each with clearly defined characteristics and purposes

Zamn the lord of Heaven

Chac god of rain

Ah Mun god of Corn and agriculture

Ah Puch  god of death

Ek Chuah the god of war

 Thanatos the name of Death

Classification: Personification or Spirit

Culture: Greek

Associated: Gentle Death

Literature References: The Theogony, The Illiad

Minor God of death. Greek culture According to legend his is one of the sons of Nyx the goddess of the night. He lives on aa remote cave beside the river Lethe which her shares with his brother Hypnos who personified sleep.

His name literally translates to “death” in Greek. In some myths, he's considered to be a personified spirit of death rather than a god. The touch of Thanatos was gentle, often compared to the touch of Hypnos, who was the god of sleep.

Most literature states that Thanatos was the son of the night goddess NYX, and that he had no father. Rather than being the offspring of gods, he was a broken-off piece of Nyx’s essence or spirit.

Thanatos has a dominant role in two Greek myths. There’s a myth wherein he was sent to bring Alkestis back to the underworld. However, HERACLES drove him off through combat. In another myth, Sisyphus was a criminal who trapped Thanatos in a sack so that he wouldn’t die.

In the Iliad, Thanatos were charged by Zeus via Apollo with the swift delivery of the slain hero Sarpedon to his homeland of Lycia.

"Then (Apollon) gave him [Sarpedon] into the charge of swift messengers to carry him, of Hypnos and Thanatos, who are twin brothers, and these two presently laid him down within the rich countryside of broad Lycia." [6]

Counted among Thanatos' siblings were other negative personifications such as Geras (Old Age), Oizys (Suffering), Moros (Doom), Apate (Deception), Momus (Blame), Eris (Strife), Nemesis (Retribution) and even the Acherousian/Stygian boatman Charon.

Thanatos was loosely associated with the three Moirai daughters of Night), particularly Atropos, who was a goddess of death in her own right.

And there the children of dark Night have their dwellings, Sleep and Death, awful gods. The glowing Sun never looks upon them with his beams, neither as he goes up into heaven, nor as he comes down from heaven. And the former of them roams peacefully over the earth and the sea's broad back and is kindly to men; but the other has a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomsoever of men he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to the deathless gods.

Thanatos was thus regarded as merciless and indiscriminate, hated by – and hateful towards — mortals and gods alike. But in myths which feature him, Thanatos could occasionally be outwitted, a feat that the sly King Sisyphus of Korinth twice accomplished. When it came time for Sisyphus to die, Zeus ordered Thanatos to chain Sisyphus up in Tartarus. Sisyphus cheated death by tricking Thanatos into his own shackles, thereby preventing the demise of any mortal while Thanatos was so enchained.

He was freed by the War god Ares who need Thanatos Free so that warriors could die.

"Thanatos: Much talk. Talking will win you nothing. All the same, the woman goes with me to Hades' house. I go to take her now, and dedicate her with my sword, for all whose hair is cut in consecration by this blade's edge are devoted to the gods below.

Thanatophobia is the fear of things associated with or reminiscent of death and mortality, such as corpses or graveyards. It is related to necrophobia, although the latter term typically refers to a specific fear of dead bodies rather than a fear of death in general.

Thanatology is the academic and scientific study of death among human beings. It investigates the circumstances surrounding a person's death, the grief experienced by the deceased's loved ones, and larger social attitudes towards death such as ritual and memorialization. It is primarily an interdisciplinary study, frequently undertaken by professionals in nursing, psychology, sociology, psychiatry, social work and veterinary science. It also describes bodily changes that accompany death and the after-death period.

Thanatophoric dysplasia is a severe skeletal disorder characterized by extremely short limbs and folds of extra (redundant) skin on the arms and legs. Other features of this condition include a narrow chest, short ribs, underdeveloped lungs, and an enlarged head with a large forehead and prominent, wide-spaced eyes.

The term thanatophoric is Greek for "death bearing." Infants with thanatophoric dysplasia are usually stillborn or die shortly after birth from respiratory failure.  

Euthanasia, "good death" in Greek, is the act or practice of ending the life of an individual who would otherwise experience severe, incurable suffering or disability.

Though a minor figure in ancient times Thanatos lives in modern mythology as a powerful creature who has wrestled control of the primal elements of the universe.

"Thanatos: Much talk. Talking will win you nothing. All the same, the woman goes with me to Hades' house. I go to take her now, and dedicate her with my sword, for all whose hair is cut in consecration by this blade's edge are devoted to the gods below.

Nyx – The darkness of the Earth

Classification: Primal God

Culture: Greek

Associated: Darkness, Chaos, Death , Time

Nyx the darkness of the earth one of the primal Greek deities which arose from chaos at the beginning of creation.

Nyx and Erobus the darkness of the underworld had sex and produce Aither (The Either or bright upper air) and Hemera (The Day)

Nyx  was the mother of the fates Eris who was discord,  Thanatos who was death and Hypnos was sleep.

Even Zeus feared her black winged figure. Nyx was associated with inflexible destiny and was associated and was shown clad in a robe or cloak of stars riding a chariot pulled by black horses or by nocturnal creatures such as owls and bats.

She is depicted wearing a Crown of poppies an carrying two of her children sleep and death. She is personified in western art by maternal figure with a white child who was sleep and a black one who was deaf. An image that can conveys the ambivalent symbolism of the night.

Usually depicted in a calm figure with folded wings she may be represented with a mask a Crescent moon or an owl. And illustrations night and day are depicted as black and white mice gnawing at time. In the orphic creation myth Nyx was a daughter and consort Phanes the creator God and gave birth the deities Gaia and Uranos.

Uranos would rule until dethroned by his son Cronus. King Cronus would find the dame fate at the hands of his son Zeus.

Abode  Tartarus

Personal information

Parents Chaos

Siblings Gaia, Tartarus, Erebus

Consort Erebus

Children               Aether, Hemera, Moros, Apate, Dolos, Nemesis, the Keres, the Moirai, the Hesperides, Oizys, Momus, the Oneiroi, Hypnos, Thanatos, Philotes, Geras, Eris, Charon

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