QueenNefertari being led byIsis, the ancient Egyptian mother goddess of magic
Agoddess is a femaledeity.[1] In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example,Shaktism (one of the three majorHindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all reality, is Supreme Goddess (Mahaiia) and in some forms of TantricShaivism, the pair ofShiva andShakti are the ultimate principle (with the goddess representing the active, creative power of God). Meanwhile, inVajrayana Buddhism,ultimate reality is often seen as being composed of two principles depicted as two deities in union (yab yum, "father-mother") symbolising the non-duality of the two principles of perfect wisdom (female) and skillful compassion (male).[2] A single figure in a monotheistic faith that is female may be identified simply asgod because of no need to differentiate by gender or with a diminutive. An experiment to determine the effect of psychedelics on subjects composed of leaders from diverse religious groups revealed a general experience that the divine the subjects encountered was feminine.[3]
Polytheist religions, includingPolytheistic reconstructionists, honour multiple goddesses and gods, and usually view them as discrete, separate beings. These deities may be part of a pantheon, or different regions may have tutelary deities. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes ofspinning,weaving, beauty, love, sexuality, motherhood,domesticity, creativity, andfertility (exemplified by the ancientmother goddess cult). Many major goddesses are also associated with magic, war, strategy, hunting, farming, wisdom,fate, earth, sky,power, laws, justice, and more. Some themes, such asdiscord or disease, which are considered negative within their cultural contexts also are found associated with some goddesses. There are as many differently described and understood goddesses as there are male,shapeshifting, devilish, or neuter gods.
The noungoddess is a secondary formation, combining the Germanicgod with the Latinate-ess suffix. It first appeared inMiddle English, from about 1350.[4] The English word follows the linguistic precedent of a number of languages—includingEgyptian,Classical Greek, and severalSemitic languages—that add a feminine ending to the language's word forgod. Occasionally, one finds the root term being applied without the secondary ending.
Cybele: Her Hittite name was Kubaba, but her name changed to Cybele inPhrygian andRoman culture. Her effect can be also seen onArtemis as the Lady of Ephesus.
Hebat: Mother Goddess of the Hittite pantheon and wife of the leader sky god,Teshub. She was the origin of theHurrian cult.
Arinniti: Hittite Goddess of the sun. She became patron of theHittite Empire and monarchy.
Leto: A mother Goddess figure inLykia. She was also the main goddess of the capital city of Lykia League (Letoon)
In pre-IslamicMecca the goddessesUzza,Manāt andal-Lāt were known as "the daughters of god". Uzzā was worshipped by theNabataeans, who equated her with the Graeco-Roman goddessesAphrodite,Urania,Venus and Caelestis. Each of the three goddesses had a separate shrine nearMecca. Uzzā, was called upon for protection by the pre-IslamicQuraysh. In 624 AD, during theBattle of Uhud, the war cry of the Qurayshites was, "O people of Uzzā, people ofHubal!" (Tawil 1993).
According toIbn Ishaq's controversial account of theSatanic Verses (q.v.), these verses had previously endorsed them as intercessors forMuslims, but were abrogated. Most Muslim scholars have regarded the story as historically implausible, while opinion is divided among western scholars such asLeone Caetani and John Burton, who argue against, andWilliam Muir andWilliam Montgomery Watt, who argue for its plausibility.
The Quran (Q53:19-31) warns of the vanity of trusting to the intercession of female deities, in particular "the daughters of god".[9]
Anahita: orAnahit, or Nahid, or Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā, or Aban: the divinity of "the Waters" and hence associated with fertility, healing, beauty and wisdom.
Daena: a divinity, counted among theyazatas, representing insight and revelation, hence "conscience" or "religion".
Spenta Armaiti: orSandaramet, one of theAmesha Spentas, a female divinity associated with earth and Mother Nature. She is also associated with the female virtue of devotion (to family, husband, and child). In the Iranian calendar, her name is on the twelfth month and also the fifth day of the month.
Gaia: Primordial goddess of the Earth. Most gods descend from her.
Hecate: Goddess of sorcery and crossroads. Often considered achthonic or lunar goddess. She is either portrayed as a single goddess or a triple goddess (maiden, mother, crone).
Hera: Goddess of womanhood, marriage and childbirth, queen of Olympus as the wife of Zeus.
Hestia: Virgin goddess of the hearth, domesticity and family.
The Celts honoured goddesses of nature and natural forces, as well as those connected with skills and professions such as healing, warfare and poetry. The Celtic goddesses have diverse qualities such as abundance, creation and beauty, as well as harshness, slaughter and vengeance. They have been depicted as beautiful or hideous, oldhags or young women, and at times may transform their appearance from one state to another, or into their associated creatures such as crows, cows, wolves or eels, to name but a few. InIrish mythology in particular, tutelary goddesses are often associated withsovereignty and various features of the land, notably mountains, rivers, forests andholy wells.[11]
Surviving accounts ofGermanic mythology andNorse mythology contain numerous tales of female goddesses,giantesses, and divine female figures in their scriptures. TheGermanic peoples had altars erected to the"Mothers and Matrons" and held celebrations specific to these goddesses (such as the Anglo-Saxon"Mothers-night"). Various other female deities are attested among the Germanic peoples, such asNerthus attested in an early account of the Germanic peoples,Ēostre attested among thepagan Anglo-Saxons, andSinthgunt attested among the pagan continental Germanic peoples. Examples of goddesses attested in Norse mythology includeFrigg (wife ofOdin, and the Anglo-Saxon version of whom is namesake of the modern English weekdayFriday),Skaði (one time wife ofNjörðr), Njerda (Scandinavian name ofNerthus), that also was married toNjörðr during Bronze Age,Freyja (wife ofÓðr),Sif (wife ofThor),Gerðr (wife ofFreyr), and personifications such asJörð (earth),Sól (the sun), andNótt (night). Female deities also play heavily into the Norse concept of death, where half of those slain in battle enter Freyja's fieldFólkvangr,Hel's realmof the same name, andRán who receives those who die at sea. Other female deities such as thevalkyries, thenorns, and thedísir are associated with a Germanic concept offate (Old NorseØrlög, Old EnglishWyrd), and celebrations were held in their honour, such as theDísablót andDisting.
In African and African diasporic religions, goddesses are often syncretised withMarian devotion, as inEzili Dantor (Black Madonna of Częstochowa) andErzulie Freda (Mater Dolorosa). There is also Buk, a Sudanese and Ethiopian goddess still worshipped in the southern regions. She represents the fertile aspect of women. She is related to the deity of a similar name, Abuk.[12] Another Ethiopian goddess isAtete, the goddess of spring and fertility. Farmers traditionally leave some of their products at the end of each harvesting season as an offering while women sing traditional songs.
A rare example of henotheism focused on a single Goddess is found among theSouthern Nuba of Sudan. The Nuba conceive of the creator Goddess as the "Great Mother" who gave birth to earth and to mankind.[13]
Mazu is the goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors, widely worshipped in the south-eastern coastal areas of China and neighbouring areas in Southeast Asia.
The Goddess Weaver Zhinü, daughter of the Celestial Mother, wove thestars and their light, known as "the Silver River" (what Westerners call "The Milky Way Galaxy"), for heaven and earth. She was identified with the star Westerners know asVega.[14]
There is much diversity in thetheology of the various traditions of Hinduism. Some theologies (e.g.Advaita) see all gods and goddesses as emanations of a single formless impersonal source calledBrahman. Other theologies are more personal regarding the ultimate deity.
Some traditions posit a dual deity in the form ofLakshmi-Vishnu,Radha-Krishna,Brahma-Saraswati, orShiva-Parvati. These are presented as a pair with a male god (Shaktiman, "possessor of power") and his consort, a female "power" (Shakti), and their relationship is interpreted in different ways depending on the tradition's theology.
InShaktism, the supreme deity is the Great Goddess (Mahadevi), called by different names such as Shakti orAdi Parashakti (Primordial Supreme Power).Shaktas consider the Goddess to be the ultimate source of all things and the mother of all gods and goddesses. She is considered to have ten main avatars called the tenmahavidyas in some traditions. Another important concept is the Shakta trinity, thetridevi, which sees Mahadevi as manifesting in three main goddesses:Mahasaraswati,Mahalakshmi, andMahakali.
The Hindu warrior goddessDurga killing the buffalo-demonMahishasura.
In the great Shakta scripture known as theDevi Mahatmya (Glory of the Goddess), all the goddesses are aspects of one presiding female force—one in truth and many in expression, which also is the creative power of the cosmos. It expresses through philosophical tracts and metaphor, that the potentiality of masculine being is actuated by the feminine divine.
Local deities of different village regions inIndia were often identified with "mainstream" Hindu deities, a process that has been calledSanskritisation. Others attribute it to the influence ofmonism orAdvaita, which discounts polytheist or monotheist categorisation. While the monist forces have led to a fusion between some of the goddesses (108 names are common for many goddesses), centrifugal forces have also resulted in new goddesses and rituals gaining ascendance among the laity in different parts of Hindu world. Thus, the immensely popular goddessDurga was a pre-Vedic goddess who was later fused with Parvati, a process that can be traced through texts such as Kalika Purana (10th century), Durgabhaktitarangini (Vidyapati 15th century), Chandimangal (16th century) etc.
Widely celebratedHindu festivalNavaratri is in the honour of the divine feminineDevi (Durga) and spans nine nights of prayer in the autumn, also referred as Sharada Navratri.
IndianMahayana Buddhism revered several female deities, includingPrajñāpāramitā Devi,Cunda,Marici,Sitātapatra,Tārā,Uṣṇīṣavijayā andVasudhārā.[22] In the Mahayana, female deities grew in importance, becoming powerful bodhisattva savior figures, liberators associated with powerful mantras (which are also termedvidyās when a mantra is seen as a feminine power) anddharanis.[22] In some cases, such as withPrajñāpāramitā Devi, these goddesses were even called "mother of Buddhas" (Sanskrit: buddhamatr) and bhagavati, indicating they were seen as fully awakened Buddhas themselves.
In the Mahayana traditions, some are considered to bebodhisattvas (beings advancing on the path to Buddhahood) or fullBuddhas, while others are justdevas (worldly deities).[20] The most important Buddhist female deities inEast Asian Buddhism are the bodhisattvaGuanyin and the "mother of Buddhas"Cundi. InTibetan Buddhism,Tara is the most important female deity (often considered to be a full Buddha).[23]
The tantricdakiniVajrayogini is an important tantric meditation deity (yidam) in TibetanVajrayana, and is also considered to be a female Buddha in her own right.[24][23] Tantric Buddhist goddesses were often considered to be fully awakened Buddhas and sometimes are depicted with unique tantric elements, such as skullcups and flaying knives. These tantric deities includeSimhamukha,Mahamaya,Vajrayogini,Chinnamunda andKurukulla.[23]
Mahayana goddesses are often termed "devis" (Sanskrit: devi, "female deity", "goddess", Tibetan: lhamo) or even bhagavani (the female version ofbhagavan, indicating Buddhahood).[25]
The Zohar tradition has influencedJewish folklore, which postulates God created Adam to marry a woman namedLilith. Outside of Jewish tradition, Lilith was associated with theMother Goddess,Inanna – later known as bothIshtar andAsherah. In TheEpic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh was said to have destroyed a tree that was in a sacred grove dedicated to the goddess Ishtar/Inanna/Asherah. Lilith ran into the wilderness in despair. She then is depicted in the Talmud andKabbalah as first wife to God's first creation of man,Adam. In time, as stated in the Old Testament, the Hebrew followers continued to worship "False Idols", likeAsherah, as being as powerful as God.Jeremiah speaks of his (and God's) displeasure at this behaviour to the Hebrew people about the worship of the goddess in the Old Testament. Lilith is banished from Adam and God's presence when she is discovered to be a "demon" and Eve becomes Adam's wife.
The following female deities are mentioned in prominent Hebrew texts:
More commonly, modern Judaism acknowledgesShekhinah as the feminine aspect of God.[28][29]Shekhinah is considered to be the presence of God on Earth and/or the spirit of the Jewish people, forever trying to reunite with the other elements of God throughtikkun olam.[30] She is also associated with themoon, the earth,David, andRachel.[31][32]
Marian devotion similar to this kind is also found inEastern Orthodoxy and sometimes inAnglicanism, although not in the majority of denominations ofProtestantism.In some Christian traditions (like the Orthodox tradition),Sophia is the personification of either divine wisdom (or of an archangel) that takes female form. She is mentioned in the first chapter of theBook of Proverbs. Sophia is identified by some as the wisdom impartingHoly Spirit of theChristian Trinity, whose names in Hebrew—Ruach andShekhinah—are both feminine, and whose symbol of thedove was commonly associated in theAncient Near East with the figure of theMother Goddess.
Inmysticism,Gnosticism, as well as someHellenistic religions, there is a female spirit or goddess named Sophia who is said to embodywisdom and who is sometimes described as avirgin. InRoman Catholicmysticism, SaintHildegard celebrated Sophia as a cosmic figure both in her writing and art. Within theProtestant tradition inEngland, the 17th-century mysticuniversalist and founder of the Philadelphian SocietyJane Leade wrote copious descriptions of her visions and dialogues with the "Virgin Sophia" who, she said, revealed to her the spiritual workings of the universe. Leade was hugely influenced by the theosophical writings of 16th-centuryGerman Christian mysticJakob Böhme, who also speaks of Sophia in works such asThe Way to Christ.[34] Jakob Böhme was very influential to a number ofChristian mystics and religious leaders, includingGeorge Rapp and theHarmony Society.
The members of most denominations in theLatter Day Saint movement believe in, although they do not directly worship, aHeavenly Mother who is the female counterpart of theHeavenly Father. Together they are referred to asHeavenly Parents. Adherents also believe that all humans, both women and men, have the potential to become gods through a process known asexaltation.
MostModern Pagan traditions honour one or more goddesses. While some who followWicca believe in aduotheistic belief system, consisting of a single goddess and a single god, who inhieros gamos represent a united whole, others recognise only one or more goddesses.
InWicca "the Goddess" is the deity of prime importance, along with her consort theHorned God.Within many forms of Wicca the Goddess has come to be considered as a universal deity, more in line with her description in theCharge of the Goddess, a key Wiccan text. In this guise she is the "Queen of Heaven", similar toIsis. She also encompasses and conceives (creates) all life, much likeGaia. Similarly to Isis and certain late Classical conceptions ofSelene, she is the summation of all other goddesses, who represent her different names and aspects across the different cultures. The Goddess is often portrayed with strong lunar symbolism, drawing on various cultures and deities such asDiana,Hecate, andIsis, and is often depicted as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone triad popularised byRobert Graves (seeTriple Goddess below). Many depictions of her also draw strongly onCeltic goddesses. Some Wiccans, or Witches, believe there are many goddesses, and in some forms of Wicca, notablyDianic Wicca, the Goddess alone is worshipped, and theGod plays very little (or no) part in their worship and ritual. The first history of Wiccans or Witches (nature based religion) appear on cave paintings that show early humans worshipping a feminine nature deity for luck and harvest (BCE). Later Celtics form a more formal form of Witches (Wiccans) with the triquetra (maiden mother crone), pentagram etc. They have evolved into the strong, nature based, animal rights loving and women rights religion of today.
Goddesses or demi-goddesses appear in sets of three in a number of ancient European pagan mythologies; these include the GreekErinyes (Furies) andMoirai (Fates); the NorseNorns;Brighid and her two sisters, also called Brighid, from Irish orCeltic mythology.
Robert Graves popularised the triad of "Maiden" (or "Virgin"), "Mother" and "Crone", and while this idea did not rest on sound scholarship, his poetic inspiration has gained a tenacious hold. Considerable variation in the precise conceptions of these figures exists, as typically occurs in Neopaganism and indeed in pagan religions in general. Some choose to interpret them as three stages in a woman's life, separated bymenarche andmenopause. Others find this too biologically based and rigid, and prefer a freer interpretation, with the Maiden as birth (independent, self-centred, seeking), the Mother as giving birth (interrelated, compassionate nurturing, creating), and the Crone as death and renewal (holistic, remote, unknowable) — and all three erotic and wise.
At least sincefirst-wave feminism in the United States, there has been interest in analysing religion to see if and how doctrines and practices treat women unfairly, as inElizabeth Cady Stanton'sThe Woman's Bible. Again insecond-wave feminism in the U.S., as well as in many European and other countries, religion became the focus of some feminist analysis in Judaism, Christianity, and other religions, and some women turned to ancient goddess religions as an alternative to Abrahamic religions (Womanspirit Rising 1979;Weaving the Visions 1989). Today both women and men continue to be involved in theGoddess movement (Christ 1997). The popularity of organisations such as theFellowship of Isis attest to the continuing growth of the religion of the Goddess throughout the world.
While much of the attempt at gender equity in mainstream Christianity (Judaism never recognised any gender for God) is aimed at reinterpreting scripture and degenderising language used to name and describe the divine (Ruether, 1984; Plaskow, 1991), there are a growing number of people who identify as Christians or Jews who are trying to integrate goddess imagery into their religions (Kien, 2000; Kidd 1996,"Goddess Christians Yahoo Group").
"Divine Feminine" redirects here. For the Mac Miller album, seeThe Divine Feminine.
The term "sacred feminine" was first coined in the 1970s, inNew Age popularisations of the HinduShakti. Hinduism also worships multitude of goddesses that have their important role and thus in all came to interest for the New Age, feminist, and lesbian feminist movements.[35]
The term "goddess" has also been adapted to poetic and secular use as a complimentary description of a non-mythological woman.[36] TheOED notes 1579 as the date of the earliest attestation of such figurative use, inLauretta the diuinePetrarches Goddesse.
Shakespeare had several of his male characters address female characters as goddesses, including Demetrius toHelena inA Midsummer Night's Dream ("O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!"), Berowne to Rosaline inLove's Labour's Lost ("A woman I forswore; but I will prove, Thou being a goddess, I forswore not thee"), and Bertram to Diana inAll's Well That Ends Well. Pisanio also compares Imogen to a goddess to describe her composure under duress inCymbeline.
^Wolkstein, Diane; Kramer, Samuel Noah (1983).Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer. New York City, New York: Harper&Row Publishers. p. xviii.ISBN0-06-090854-8.
^Kinsley, David (1988).Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions. University of California Press,ISBN0-520-06339-2.
Dexter, Miriam Robbins, andVictor Mair (2010).Sacred Display: Divine and Magical Female Figures of Eurasia.Cambria Press.
Barnhart, Robert K (1995).The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology: the Origins of American English Words.HarperCollins.ISBN0-06-270084-7
Gorshunova . Olga V.(2008),Svjashennye derevja Khodzhi Barora…, ( Sacred Trees of Khodzhi Baror: Phytolatry and the Cult of Female Deity in Central Asia) in Etnoragraficheskoe Obozrenie, n° 1, pp. 71–82.ISSN0869-5415.(in Russian).
_1856.png)
.jpg)
