In the Hawaiian tradition, the god Milu presides over Lua-o-Milu -- the underworld.
Known as the goddess Miru in the Cook Islands, she "intoxicates the the souls of dead people with kava and then burns them eternally in her oven (also called Avaiki)."
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
Our recent trip to the UK included a trip to Bath, a place no doubt familiar to those of your who are Jane Austen fans.
One of the places we visited there was the Temple at Bath -- a world heritage site and one of only two truly classical temples leftover from Britain's Roman era. More important for our purpose today, it was the place where the cult statue of the goddess Sulis Minerva was housed.
In his essay, What we don't know about the ancient Celts, Rowan Fairgrove describes Sulis Minerva's power "to grant healing, of course, but also to witness oaths, catch thieves, find lost objects and generally right wrongs." Worshippers would leave Sulis Minerva their "prayers" at the temple.
... "I have given to Minerva the Goddess Sulis the thief who has stolen my hooded cloak whether slave or free, whether man or woman. He is not to redeem this gift unless with his blood." and "May he who carried off Vilbia from me become as liquid as water. May she who obscenely devoured her become dumb whether Velvinna, Exsupeus Vbrianus, Severinus Augustalis, Comitianus, Catusminianus, Germanilla or Jovina." and "Docimedis has lost two gloves. He asks that the person who has stolen them should lose his mind and his eyes in the temple where she appoints."
According to the BBC, Sulis Minerva is a hybrid goddess, both Celtic and Roman in origin.
Under the Romans the bathing complex at Bath was presided over by the deity Sulis Minerva. How did this goddess evolve? Sulis is the Celtic goddess of healing and sacred waters and Minerva the Roman goddess of wisdom. The creation of the hybrid Sulis Minerva demonstrates the Roman's adaptation of Britain's Celtic traditions to establish their own dominance.
Just as much as Paul changed aspects of Christianity to meet the needs and tastes of his foreign audiences in order to sell it, the BBC also notes that the Sulis Minerva phenom is
... an intriguing example of the methods used by the Romans to colonise Britain. Their appropriation of the sacred waters and the native Celtic deity reveals a shrewd pragmatism that helped them conquer and Romanise Britain. We only know about this process of adaptation thanks to the survival of a few pieces of evidence: folklore and excavated Celtic coins. Without this evidence we may have wrongly identified the site as a purely Roman one. Who knows how many other stories of Roman adaptation have been lost?
It makes you wonder what the space aliens will find when they finally land on Earth a few hundred years from now. Acheological evidence of Buddhists taking communion?
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
Lord of the apes and an incarnation of Lord Shiva, Hanuman is one of the most popular divinities in the Hindu religion. Worshippers admire his strength and valor with such relish that they fast on Tuesdays and Saturdays in his honor.
One may find the story of Hanuman in the great Indian epic Ramayana, but here's something short on his significance:
The character of Hanuman teaches us of the unlimited power that lies unused within each one of us. Hanuman directed all his energies towards the worship of Lord Rama, and his undying devotion made him such that he became free from all physical fatigue. And Hanuman's only desire was to go on serving Rama. Hanuman perfectly exemplifies "Dasyabhava" devotion — one of the nine types of devotions — that bonds the master and the servant. His greatness lies in his complete merger with his Lord, which also formed the base of his genial qualities.
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
My husband and I attended the grand opening of the National Museum of the American Indian this week. While we found the museum architecturally stunning, we both thought the collection was a bit spotty, leaving out many critical historic events and Native American peoples.
We were also annoyed that their current art exhibitions -- "native modernism" and "Jewelry by Ben Nighthorse" -- resembled much of the horrible southwestern "art" that populates shopping malls all over North America. In short, it was what my painter-mother used to call "starving crotch artist crap."
It's important to note that this museum will be the last structure added to The Mall, despite the protestations of many other groups hoping to add their "voice" to the locale. No more memorials. No more museums. No more monuments. That's it.
We are, however, hopeful that the collection will change and grow into an important resource on Native American culture. So, in celebration, our "deity of the week" is the Native American god, Raven.
Raven is a central figure in West Coast traditions from California to Alaska. Among his many feats, he stole the moon and sun from the Sky Chief and put them in the sky, brought humans the first berries and salmon, and (according to several traditions) called the first humans up from the earth, or discovered the first human babies within a clamshell. Raven was perpetually hounded by the trickster-god, Coyote. Raven is known by many names, including He'maskas (Bella Bella tradition), Txamsem or We-gyet (Tsimshian), Nankil'slas (Haida), Yehl (Tlingit), and Kwekwaxa'we (Kwakiutl).
The God of Oceans, Lord of Storms, and a master of magic, Manannan mac Lir is a Celtic God who presided over the ancient Manx of the Isle of Man.
He was said to have caused great mists to rise around the Isle so invaders would not be able to find it's shores. Other accounts say he created the illusion of great armies manning the beach any time outsiders tried to land. Traditional ballads account how the only rent the Manx people had to pay Manannan was a bundle of course meadow grass yearly, and the people of his Isle lived without care and anxiety under his rule. This begins Manannan's reputation for being a protective and caring god. Manannan was also part of the Irish Celtic Tuatha De Danann (Children of the Goddess Danu) although his origins are often speculated to date from a time before this family.Manannan is featured in many important myths. In one myth he gives the Tuatha De Danann the gift of invisibility and sanctuary in the fairie mounds of Ireland. Manannan is also said to ferry souls from the mortal word into the world of the spirits. Another famous myth involves the Irish King Cormac which portrays Manannan's trickster side.
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
NOKOMIS, Mother Earth, she is also known as the "swinging grandmother." As Algonquin legend goes,
It all started when she was a young and very beautiful Love Goddess. Full of high spirits, she liked to swing from heavenly heights on a vine until one day jealous rivals cut through it. She made a big splash when she plummeted into the primordial ocean. There was no way back.So she floated with the wind and waves, which went out of their way to waft her into pregnancy. This caused her to give birth to just about everything and it all became a little crowded.
As she floated she became more bloated, supporting lots of life, and she grew larger and larger until one day she was as big and round as the Earth. Because that is exactly what she had become. The grandmother of all Earth Mothers.
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
The Norse goddess Freya is a fairly typical European female divinity, representing love, fertility and ultimate beauty.
She is the patron goddess of crops and birth, the symbol of sensuality and was called upon in matters of love. She loves music, spring and flowers, and is particularly fond of the elves (fairies). Freya is one of the foremost goddesses of the Vanir.She is the daughter of the god Njord, and the sister of Freyr. Later she married the mysterious god Od (probably another form of Odin) ...
You can learn more about Freya here.
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
Who else could serve as this week's divinity (although Nike ran a close second) but Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill.
[Athena] was the favorite child of Zeus. She had sprung fully grown out of her father's head. Her mother was Metis, goddess of wisdom and Zeus' first wife. In fear that Metis would bear a son mightier than himself. Zeus swallowed her and she began to make a robe and helmet for her daughter. The hammering of the helmet caused Zeus great pain in the form of headaches and he cried out in agony. Skilled Hephaestus ran to his father and split his skull open and from it emerged Athena, fully grown and wearing her mother's robe and helmet. She is the virgin mother of Erichthnonius.Athena and her uncle Poseidon were both very fond of a certain city in Greece. Both of them claimed the city and it was decided that the one that could give the finest gift should have it. Leading a procession of citizens, the two gods mounted the Acropolis. Poseidon struck the side of the cliff with his trident and a spring welled up. The people marveled, but the water was as salty as Poseidon's sea and it was not very useful. Athena's gift was an olive tree, which was better because it gave the people food, oil and wood. Athena named her city Athens.
Athena's companion was the goddess of victory, Nike, and her usual attribute is the owl. Athena possessed the Aegis.
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
Arianrhod is the Celtic Moon-Mother Goddess and one of the descendants of Don. She had two brothers -- Gilfaethwy and Gwydion. A counselor to King Math, Gwydion recommended his sister for a special service for the King ... and that's what gets the party started:
King Math could only remain alive if his feet lay in the lap of a virgin at all times except when he led his armies into battle. During one such battle the virgin who had held King Math's feet was raped, and so there was need for a replacement. Gwydion recommended his sister, Arianrhod. King Math put her virginity to the test by asking her to step over his magic wand. As she stepped over the wand she gave birth to a boy child with yellow hair. The child cried loudly, and Arianrhod, humiliated, ran for the door, dropping yet another small object on the ground in the process. Before anyone could catch a glance at the object, Gwydion wrapped it and hid it inside a chest. King Math then performed rites for the yellow haired boy child, naming him Dylan. Dylan immediately ran for the sea and received the sea's nature and was never seen again.
Deity of the Week is a regular Sunday feature.
Anahita is the Persian water goddess and patroness of women. She is also the goddess of war.
Her name means "the immaculate one". She is portrayed as a virgin, dressed in a golden cloak, and wearing a diamond tiara (sometimes also carrying a water pitcher). The dove and the peacock are her sacred animals.Anahita was very popular and is one of the forms of the 'Great Goddess' which appears in many ancient eastern religions (such as the Syrian/Phoenician goddess Anath). She is associated with rivers and lakes, as the waters of birth. Anahita is sometimes regarded as the consort of Mithra.
