Thursday 13

Goddesses from around the world -

1. Arianrhod. She is the Celtic moon goddess who rules over a magical realm called Caer Sidi. She can change into a large owl and uses this form to observe mortals. Through her large owl eyes, she can see into the depths of a human soul.

2. Freya is the Valkyrie warrior goddess who also represents love, beauty and fertility. Oh, and death, too. That's a lot to throw on one goddess. She is often depicted with two large, blue cats, gifts from the god, Thor.

3. Idunn is the Norse goddess of youth and springtime. She keeps the Golden Apples and allows each god and goddess to eat one each do. This keeps them young and immortal (need to find that particular tree, I guess).

4. Isis is the Egyptian goddess who represents the ideal femininity. She is patron to all women, mothers, and children. She gave humans the gift of agriculture and reading. (To bad her name has turned into a foul acronym in modern times.)
 
5. Pomona is a Roman goddess who is responsible for agriculture. She watches over fruit trees and cares for those who take care of them.

6. Venus is another Roman goddess who is associated with vineyard, love, and beauty. She also has the power to transform weapons into objects of peace.

7. Eos is the Greek goddess of the dawn. She rises into the sky each morning and break up the night with her rays of light. Her siblings are Helios (the sun) and Selene (the moon).

8. Gaia is said to the be the first Greek deity, as she it the goddess of earth. She was born from chaos, and all other gods and goddesses supposedly are descendants of her union with Uranus (the sky).

9. Ix Chel is a Mayan goddess who is responsible for sending rain. She is also a protector of mothers and children. She brings floods if she is unhappy. (Apparently West Virginia took the brunt of her sadness earlier in the week, along with China, which I don't think we in the USA even heard about, but there was a big weather issue there, too, and around 100 people died and over 800 lost their homes.)

10. Pachamama is the Ican goddess of the earth. She protects the harvest and represents fertility. If she is angry, she turn into a dragon and causes earthquakes.

11. Inanna is the Sumerian goddess of love, wandering, and restlessness. She creates chaos in the lives of those who disobey her, and therefore is frequently associated with war or disaster. (She sounds like one to stay away from.)

12. The White Buffalo Woman of the Lakota and Sioux Native American tribes in the U.S. is considered to be the mother of life. She gave the first Native Americans their ceremonies, songs, and dances. She carries a sacred pipe, which she gives as a gift to those who wish to remain in communication with the spirit world.

13. Oshun is the West African goddess of love and fresh water. She heals the sick and brings fertility and prosperity. (I think, given the state of the water supply today and in upcoming years, we may need her to come around more often.)


These goddesses were taken from Goddesses Coloring Book by Marty Noble, a Dover Coloring Book, copyright 2012.



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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 454th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.