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82-457: Mami , also known as Belet-ili , or Nintu , is a goddess in the Babylonian epic Atra-Hasis and in other creation legends. She was probably synonymous with Ninhursag . She was involved in the creation of humankind from clay and blood. As Nintu legends state she pinched off fourteen pieces of primordial clay which she formed into womb deities, seven on the left and seven on the right with

164-451: A Greek a translation of the works of a Phoenician author, Sanchuniathon , but which modern researchers consider to be a combination of both Phoenician and Greco-Roman elements, Baalat Gebal is referred to as Dione . Ouranos sends her and her two sisters, Astarte and Rhea , to trick and defeat their brother Kronos , but the latter instead marries them, and they subsequently give birth to his children. Ouranos most likely stands for

246-521: A Phoenician deity representing heaven. Rhea is not explicitly identified with any Phoenician deity, and might be the Greek goddess. Kronos is also referred to as El elsewhere in the Phoenician History , but there is no other evidence for a consort relation between Baalat Gebal and El, and the pairing of Dione and Kronos is also unusual from Greek perspective, as the goddess bearing this name

328-486: A brick between them, who produced the first seven pairs of human embryos. She may have become Belet Ili ("Mistress of the Gods") when, at Enki 's suggestion, the gods slew one among themselves and used that god's blood and flesh, mixed with clay, to create humankind. This article relating to a myth or legend from the ancient Middle East is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Goddess A goddess

410-456: A few instances she is paired with the Egyptian god Amun , who in all of these cases occur before her. It is not known how the letters were received, though Marwan Kilani speculates that the frequent references to Baalat Gebal presumably would not be perceived positively by Rib-Addi’s contemporary Akhenaton due to his religious policies. No direct references to this pharaoh’s attitude towards

492-406: A few. In Irish mythology in particular, tutelary goddesses are often associated with sovereignty and various features of the land, notably mountains, rivers, forests and holy wells . Surviving accounts of Germanic mythology and Norse mythology contain numerous tales of female goddesses, giantesses , and divine female figures in their scriptures. The Germanic peoples had altars erected to

574-595: A given name, with one of its bearers being the nurse of one of Ahmose I ’s daughters. Oldest examples have been identified in texts from the Middle Kingdom . It is not known if families of any of the women named nkt-kbn originated in Byblos, or if the choice of this name was influenced by the Egyptian worship of Baalat Gebal. A reference to Baalat Gebal has been identified in the satirical Egyptian text known as Letter of Hori , possibly originally composed during

656-665: A goddess, I forswore not thee"), and Bertram to Diana in All's Well That Ends Well . Pisanio also compares Imogen to a goddess to describe her composure under duress in Cymbeline . Ba%60alat Gebal The Phoenician theonym Baalat Gebal ( b’lt gbl ) can be translated as “Lady of Byblos ”. A direct Akkadian translation, NIN ša Gub-la , read as Bēltu ša Gubla, occurs in the Amarna letters . Shortened variants NIN- nu ( bēletnu , “our lady”) and NIN are also attested. The name

738-424: A long reign. Another king of Byblos, Yehawmilk , who reigned in the fifth century BCE, similarly hoped Baalat Gebal would grant him a long life and reign. There is evidence that Egyptians were involved in the cult of Baalat Gebal in Byblos. Egypt and Byblos had a long history of interactions dating back to the third millennium BCE, as recognized by local rulers such as Rib-Addi, who at one point wrote that “Byblos

820-643: A mantra is seen as a feminine power) and dharanis . In some cases, such as with Prajñāpāramitā 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 be bodhisattvas (beings advancing on the path to Buddhahood) or full Buddhas , while others are just devas (worldly deities). The most important Buddhist female deities in East Asian Buddhism are

902-584: A pantheon, or different regions may have tutelary deities. The noun goddess is a secondary formation, combining the Germanic god with the Latinate -ess suffix. It first appeared in Middle English , from about 1350. The English word follows the linguistic precedent of a number of languages—including Egyptian , Classical Greek , and several Semitic languages —that add a feminine ending to

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984-430: A process that has been called Sanskritisation . Others attribute it to the influence of monism or Advaita , 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,

1066-455: A restored damaged passage she is most likely identified with Hathor in this context. For unknown reasons, Baalat Gebal is entirely absent from the Story of Wenamun , even though it describes a journey to Byblos. An implicit reference to her might only be present in the description of a sacrifice to the local deities. In the Phoenician History of Philo of Byblos , which he presents as

1148-521: A sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all reality, is Mahadevi (Supreme Goddess) and in some forms of Tantric Shaivism , the pair of Shiva and Shakti are the ultimate principle (with the goddess representing the active, creative power of God). Meanwhile, in Vajrayana Buddhism , ultimate reality

1230-682: A single Goddess is found among the Southern Nuba of Sudan. The Nuba conceive of the creator Goddess as the "Great Mother" who gave birth to earth and to mankind. Goddess Amaterasu is the chief among the Shinto gods ( kami ), while there are important female deities Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto , Inari and Konohanasakuya-hime . In the Dharmic religions (mainly Hinduism , Buddhism and Jainism ), there are many goddesses that are widely venerated. The earliest source for several of these goddesses

1312-414: A single one might be depiction of Anubis holding the was scepter . It is commonly assumed that they were produced locally, though it has also been proposed that they were imported from Egypt roughly between 2050 and 1800 BCE due to stylistic parallels with similar objects from Mentuhotep II ’s tomb located at Deir el-Bahri . Baalat Gebal was venerated by the kings of Byblos , possibly as early as in

1394-537: 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 by menarche and menopause . Others find this too biologically based and rigid, and prefer a freer interpretation, with the Maiden as birth (independent, self-centred, seeking),

1476-590: A woman named Lilith . Outside of Jewish tradition, Lilith was associated with the Mother Goddess , Inanna – later known as both Ishtar and Asherah . In The Epic 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 and Kabbalah as first wife to God's first creation of man, Adam . In time, as stated in

1558-824: Is a female deity . 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 of spinning , weaving , beauty, love, sexuality, motherhood, domesticity , creativity, and fertility (exemplified by the ancient mother 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 as discord 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 , or neuter gods. In some faiths,

1640-441: 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. Another Ethiopian goddess is Atete , 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

1722-497: Is an important source for the goddess idea in Vedic religion . Important Hindu goddesses today include Lakshmi , Saraswati , Durga , Kali , Tripurasundari , Parvati , and Radha . There is much diversity in the theology of the various traditions of Hinduism. Some theologies (e.g. Advaita ) see all gods and goddesses as emanations of a single formless impersonal source called Brahman . Other theologies are more personal regarding

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1804-541: Is evidence that Baalat Gebal might have been identified with Isis as well, including an inscription on a statue of Osorkon II found in Byblos, which mentions Isis, and to a reference to a connection between Isis and the city of Byblos in Plutarch 's De Iside et Osiride . Marwan Kilani notes that the inhabitants of Byblos might have attempted to accommodate the changes occurring in the religion of Egypt by identifying their goddess with Isis. Depictions of Baalat Gebal from

1886-456: Is impossible to determine what factors guided this choice. Frank Moore Cross suggested that the identification of Baalat Gebal as Dione reflected the parallel between the names Zeus and Dione and El and Elat. This has been criticized by Baumgarten, who points out the name Elat was never used to refer to Baalat Gebal, and that even if Cross’ theory was adjusted to apply to names Baalat and Baal, it would remain impossible to prove. Baalat Gebal

1968-462: Is not impossible that inhabitants of Byblos saw “Baalat Gebal” as a proper name, with no other “true name” designating the local goddess. She points out that in Phoenician inscriptions her name is left undivided, while a divider occurs between the two elements of the title mlk.gbl (“king of Byblos” ), which she assumes indicates the former was understood as a proper name rather than a title like

2050-429: Is not like those other cities. Byblos has been my lord the king’s loyal city from time immemorial” in a letter sent to the pharaoh. It is assumed that the temple of Baalat Gebal played a role in the political interactions between them. An Old Kingdom relief with an Egyptian inscription referring to a monarch whose name is not preserved as the “beloved of Hathor, Lady of Byblos” has been identified during excavations of

2132-409: 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). Polytheist religions , including Polytheistic reconstructionists , honour multiple goddesses and gods, and usually view them as discrete, separate beings. These deities may be part of

2214-524: Is possible that the connection was reinforced by Egyptian involvement in local construction projects. No references to the connection between Baalat Gebal and Hathor postdate the New Kingdom , both due to less frequent contact with Byblos and due to the latter being partially replaced by Isis in Egyptian religion . These two Egyptian goddesses were also partially identified with each other, and there

2296-449: Is possible that this phenomenon had an ideological dimension, as interpreting foreign goddess as Hathor made it possible to present payments made to local temples in areas such as Byblos and Punt, possibly made to acquire local goods, as a display of piety towards an Egyptian deity . In a text from the reign of Thutmose III , the official Minmose lists the temple of “Hathor, Lady of Byblos” among these belonging to Egyptian deities, and it

2378-521: Is the Vedas . However, goddesses can also be found in the art of the even more ancient Indus Valley civilisation . Hinduism is a diverse complex of many belief systems which includes numerous gods and goddesses. The earliest Hindu source, the Rigveda , contains many goddesses such as Prithvi (earth), Aditi (cosmic moral order), Vāc (sound), Nirṛti (destruction) and Saraswati . The Devīsūktam

2460-674: Is the Great Goddess ( Mahadevi ), called by different names such as Shakti or Adi 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 ten mahavidyas in some traditions. Another important concept is the Shakta trinity, the tridevi , which sees Mahadevi as manifesting in three main goddesses: Mahasaraswati , Mahalakshmi , and Mahakali . In

2542-579: Is the name of Adam 's first wife, who was created at the same time as Adam. She left Adam and refused to return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael . Her story was greatly developed during the Middle Ages in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim , the Zohar and Jewish mysticism . The Zohar tradition has influenced Jewish folklore , which postulates God created Adam to marry

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2624-643: Is the personification of either divine wisdom (or of an archangel) that takes female form. She is mentioned in the first chapter of the Book of Proverbs . Sophia is identified by some as the wisdom imparting Holy Spirit of the Christian Trinity , whose names in Hebrew— Ruach and Shekhinah —are both feminine, and whose symbol of the dove was commonly associated in the Ancient Near East with

2706-555: 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 as Diana , Hecate , and Isis , and is often depicted as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone triad popularised by Robert Graves (see Triple Goddess below). Many depictions of her also draw strongly on Celtic goddesses. Some Wiccans, or Witches, believe there are many goddesses, and in some forms of Wicca, notably Dianic Wicca ,

2788-584: 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 as Nerthus attested in an early account of the Germanic peoples, Ēostre attested among the pagan Anglo-Saxons , and Sinthgunt attested among the pagan continental Germanic peoples. Examples of goddesses attested in Norse mythology include Frigg (wife of Odin , and

2870-532: The Achaemenid period show similarity to images of “Hathor-Isis” from Egypt, which might indicate she was specifically identified with the syncretic form of these two goddesses. She was portrayed holding an Egyptian scepter and wearing a horned crown decorated with the sun disk. Greek authors seemingly regarded Baalat Gebal as analogous to Aphrodite . Philo of Byblos instead equates her with Dione . According to Alan I. Baumgarten, due to lack of evidence it

2952-488: The Ancient Near East . Izak Cornelius also considers her to be a separate deity, and rejects an association between Baalat Gebal and Asherah, noting that a link to Astarte is more plausible. Evidence for the presumed identification of Baalat Gebal with Astarte is limited to three late, unprovenanced inscriptions; in one, which is bilingual, Astarte occurs in Greek and Baalat Gebal in Phoenician, which appears to indicate

3034-881: The Catholic faith . Mary is venerated as the Mother of God , Queen of Heaven , Mother of the Church , the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea , and other lofty titles. Marian devotion similar to this kind is also found in Eastern Orthodoxy and sometimes in Anglicanism , although not in the majority of denominations of Protestantism . In some Christian traditions (like the Orthodox tradition), Sophia

3116-642: The Fellowship 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"). The term "sacred feminine"

3198-509: The Horned God . Within many forms of Wicca the Goddess has come to be considered as a universal deity, more in line with her description in the Charge of the Goddess , a key Wiccan text. In this guise she is the "Queen of Heaven", similar to Isis . She also encompasses and conceives (creates) all life, much like Gaia . Similarly to Isis and certain late Classical conceptions of Selene , she

3280-485: The Satanic Verses ( q.v. ), these verses had previously endorsed them as intercessors for Muslims , but were abrogated. Most Muslim scholars have regarded the story as historically implausible, while opinion is divided among western scholars such as Leone Caetani and John Burton, who argue against, and William Muir and William Montgomery Watt , who argue for its plausibility. The Quran ( Q53:19-31 ) warns of

3362-576: The 17th-century mystic universalist and founder of the Philadelphian Society Jane 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-century German Christian mystic Jakob Böhme , who also speaks of Sophia in works such as The Way to Christ . Jakob Böhme

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3444-412: The Anglo-Saxon version of whom is namesake of the modern English weekday Friday ), Skaði (one time wife of Njörðr ), Njerda (Scandinavian name of Nerthus ), that also was married to Njörðr during Bronze Age, Freyja (wife of Óðr ), Sif (wife of Thor ), Gerðr (wife of Freyr ), and personifications such as Jörð (earth), Sól (the sun), and Nótt (night). Female deities also play heavily into

3526-695: The Buddha). Some of these figures remain important in Theravada Buddhism today, including Maya and Prthivi (known as Phra Mae Thorani in Southeast Asia ). Indian Mahayana Buddhism revered several female deities, including Prajñāpāramitā Devi , Cunda , Marici , Sitātapatra , Tārā , Uṣṇīṣavijayā and Vasudhārā . In the Mahayana, female deities grew in importance, becoming powerful bodhisattva savior figures, liberators associated with powerful mantras (which are also termed vidyās when

3608-452: The Egyptian acts of devotion to Baalat Gebal might have been one of the means to secure favorable political and economic relations with local rulers, as Byblos was a major center of trade and a source of wood, oil, wine and lapis lazuli imported to Egypt. It is presumed that Baalat Gebal was worshiped in some capacity in Egypt as well. The translation of her name, nbt-kbn , is attested as

3690-468: The Goddess alone is worshipped, and the God 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

3772-685: 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 since first-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 in Elizabeth Cady Stanton 's The Woman's Bible . Again in second-wave feminism in

3854-806: The Norse concept of death, where half of those slain in battle enter Freyja's field Fólkvangr , Hel 's realm of the same name , and Rán who receives those who die at sea. Other female deities such as the valkyries , the norns , and the dísir are associated with a Germanic concept of fate (Old Norse Ørlög , Old English Wyrd ), and celebrations were held in their honour, such as the Dísablót and Disting . Goddesses of various Native North American peoples include: In African and African diasporic religions, goddesses are often syncretised with Marian devotion , as in Ezili Dantor ( Black Madonna of Częstochowa ) and Erzulie Freda ( Mater Dolorosa ). There

3936-629: The Old Testament, the Hebrew followers continued to worship "False Idols", like Asherah , 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 acknowledges Shekhinah as

4018-600: 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 the Goddess movement (Christ 1997). The popularity of organisations such as

4100-514: The autumn, also referred as Sharada Navratri. There are numerous female deities in the various Buddhist traditions. Buddhist goddesses are widely depicted in Buddhist art . Early Buddhism in India venerated various female goddesses. These were mostly considered to be devas or spirits (such as yakshinis ). They include Prthivi (earth goddess), Hariti , Lakshmi and Mayadevi (the mother of

4182-477: The average scribe should be familiar with the city. Baalat Gebal is also mentioned twice in a collection of Egyptian incantations, most of them directed against snakes, from the reign of Ramesses XI (BM EA 9997 + 1030). In the sixth of the preserved texts , which describes Isis healing her son Horus , who is portrayed as a child and has been bitten by a snake, she is invoked to heal the poison alongside other goddesses, such as Nephthys and Serket . Based on

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4264-907: The bodhisattva Guanyin and the "mother of Buddhas" Cundi . In Tibetan Buddhism , Tara is the most important female deity (often considered to be a full Buddha). The tantric dakini Vajrayogini is an important tantric meditation deity ( yidam ) in Tibetan Vajrayana , and is also considered to be a female Buddha in her own right. 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 include Simhamukha , Mahamaya , Vajrayogini , Chinnamunda and Kurukulla . Mahayana goddesses are often termed "devis" (Sanskrit: devi, "female deity", "goddess", Tibetan: lhamo) or even bhagavani (the female version of bhagavan , indicating Buddhahood). According to Zohar , Lilith

4346-469: The cases of any other religious personnel mentioned in the Amarna letters. This situation was accepted by the king, who tried to act as a middleman between the supposed priestess and the pharaoh, who she wanted to contact. Marwan Kilani notes that in contrast with sources from Egypt and Mesopotamia , references to female clergy are rare in texts from Bronze Age West Semitic speaking areas, and suggests that

4428-458: The connection between the two goddesses occurs in the Coffin Texts . In the relevant passage, Hathor is addressed as the “Lady of Byblos” while she is invoked as a protector of the passengers of the solar barque . This association finds parallels in instances of linking the same Egyptian goddess to various other distant areas, including Sinai , Punt , Wadi el-Hudi and Gebel el-Asr. It

4510-515: The date of the earliest attestation of such figurative use, in Lauretta the diuine Petrarches Goddesse . Shakespeare had several of his male characters address female characters as goddesses, including Demetrius to Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream ("O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!"), Berowne to Rosaline in Love's Labour's Lost ("A woman I forswore; but I will prove, Thou being

4592-443: The early Bronze Age, though no individual rulers are identified in sources from that period. Rib-Addi , who reigned during the period documented in the Amarna letters , ended most of the messages he sent to the pharaoh with a wish for Baalat Gebal to protect the latter. Similar formulas appear in his letters to other Egyptian officials. A total of twenty seven instances have been identified. This habit which finds no parallels in

4674-459: The fact that Byblos’ tutelary deity was a goddess rather than a god might be the reason behind Ummaḫnu’s relative prominence. Multiple first millennium BCE kings of Byblos, including Abibaal, Elibaal and Shipitbaal, referred to themselves as protected by Baalat Gebal. Elibaal dedicated a stele to her, as indicated by the surviving inscription of this object, in which he addresses her as “his mistress”. Shipitbaal in own inscription asked her for

4756-464: The feminine aspect of God. 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 through tikkun olam . She is also associated with the moon , the earth, David , and Rachel . The veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus , as an especially privileged saint has continued since the beginning of

4838-511: The figure of the Mother Goddess . In mysticism , Gnosticism , as well as some Hellenistic religions , there is a female spirit or goddess named Sophia who is said to embody wisdom and who is sometimes described as a virgin . In Roman Catholic mysticism , Saint Hildegard celebrated Sophia as a cosmic figure both in her writing and art. Within the Protestant tradition in England ,

4920-483: The former served as interpretatio graeca of the latter, while in the other two Astarte is addressed as the goddess of Byblos, though with the title rbt gbl rather than b’lt gbl . Direct evidence on the contrary comes from Philo of Byblos ’ Phoenician History , where Astarte and Baaltis (Baalat Gebal) are two separate goddesses, portrayed as sisters, and only the latter is linked to Byblos. As argued recently by Anna Elise Zernecke  [ de ] (2013), it

5002-469: The goddess are known, but during his reign Byblos was not recognized in Egyptian sources as a religious center of particular importance, and played no role in what Kilani deems “ Atonist ideology”. In one letter Rib-Addi mentions a certain Ummaḫnu, the “maidservant” of Baalat Gebal, presumed to be her priestess. Apparently she attempted to play a role in the city’s foreign relations, which finds no parallel in

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5084-637: The great Shakta scripture known as the Devi 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 in India were often identified with "mainstream" Hindu deities,

5166-399: The immensely popular goddess Durga 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 celebrated Hindu festival Navaratri is in the honour of the divine feminine Devi ( Durga ) and spans nine nights of prayer in

5248-550: The language's word for god . Inanna was the most worshipped goddess in ancient Sumer . She was later syncretised with the East Semitic goddess Ishtar . Other Mesopotamian goddesses include Ninhursag , Ninlil , Antu and Gaga . Goddesses of the Canaanite religion : Ba`alat Gebal , Astarte , Anat . In pre-Islamic Mecca the goddesses Uzza , Manāt and al-Lāt were known as "the daughters of god". Uzzā

5330-418: The latter. Zernecke’s approach has also been adopted by Michael J. Stahl in his study of the goddess (2021). It has been pointed out that most of the explicit evidence for the identification of Baalat Gebal and other deities is limited to Egyptian and Greek sources, which makes it possible that such texts constitute an example of interpretatio graeca and analogous phenomena. Frances Pinnock has suggested that

5412-686: The maintenance of her temple. The pharaoh himself mentions her in on a stela from the temple of Amun in Jebel Barkal in Nubia , which commemorates the construction of ships for a military campaign in the north from wood from the “neighborhood of the Lady of Byblos.” A reference to her might also be present in a damaged text found in the Theban tomb of one of his officials, Senneferi , which describes an expedition to Byblos. Andrés Diego Espinel notes that

5494-788: The past researchers have often attempted to prove that “Baalat Gebal” should be understood as an epithet rather than a proper name. She has been variously identified as a local form of Asherah , argued to be an appropriate tutelary goddess for a port city due to being addressed as “lady of the sea” in Ugarit , Anat (as suggested by Edward Lipiński ) and especially commonly Astarte . Frank Moore Cross argued that Baalat Gebal might have been identical with Qudshu , who he identifies as an alternate name of Asherah (Elat) according to him used in Ugarit and Egypt . However, Christiane Zivie-Coche describes Qudshu as an Egyptian invention, with no forerunners in

5576-430: The potential to become gods through a process known as exaltation . Most Modern Pagan traditions honour one or more goddesses. While some who follow Wicca believe in a duotheistic belief system, consisting of a single goddess and a single god, who in hieros gamos represent a united whole, others recognise only one or more goddesses. In Wicca "the Goddess" is the deity of prime importance, along with her consort

5658-428: The reign of Ramesses II , in which the eponymous figure discusses her cult center: “I will tell you of another mysterious city. Byblos is its name; what is it like? And their goddess, what is she like?” According to Marwan Kilani, is not certain if describing Byblos as “mysterious” (or alternatively: “hidden”) is an allusion to an unknown mystical or religious event, or a sarcastic figure of speech meant to highlight that

5740-566: The rest of the correspondence belonging to this text corpus . While wishes for wellbeing of the recipient were common, no other local ruler invoked his own local deity to bless the pharaoh. Furthermore, in a single case Rib-Addi presented Baalat Gebal as one of the deities the pharaoh owed his position to, which similarly is not otherwise attested for rulers of Levantine polities. It is not known if he used similar formulas in letters addressed to people from outside Egypt, as no such texts survive. In most cases he only invokes Baalat Gebal, though in

5822-664: 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 Greek Erinyes (Furies) and Moirai (Fates); the Norse Norns ; Brighid and her two sisters, also called Brighid, from Irish or Celtic 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

5904-612: The temple of Baalat Gebal. A dedication to the same deity has also been found in the so-called Temple of the Obelisks, where it was presumably reused in the Middle Bronze Age . An inscription on a stone table from the former of the two temples mentions an endowment on her behalf made during the reign of Pepi I of the Sixth Dynasty . Later texts, dated to the reign of Thutmose III , allude to Egyptian involvement in

5986-411: The ultimate deity. Some traditions posit a dual deity in the form of Lakshmi - Vishnu , Radha - Krishna , Brahma - Saraswati , or Shiva - 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. In Shaktism , the supreme deity

6068-546: The vagueness of her name might have resulted in foreign rulers from Egypt, and possibly also Ebla and elsewhere, being able to identify her as an aspect of their own deities. Due to contacts between Byblos and Egypt, Baalat Gebal came to be identified with Hathor . Egyptians referred to the latter goddess as the “Lady of Byblos” ( nbt kpn ), a reflection of Baalat Gebal’s name. She could also be referred to as “Lady of Dendera who dwells in Byblos”. The oldest attestation of

6150-824: The vanity of trusting to the intercession of female deities, in particular "the daughters of god". Pre-Christian and pre-Islamic goddesses in cultures that spoke Indo-European languages. Goddesses and Otherworldly Women in Celtic polytheism include: 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, old hags 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

6232-576: Was first coined in the 1970s, in New Age popularisations of the Hindu Shakti . 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. The term "goddess" has also been adapted to poetic and secular use as a complimentary description of a non-mythological woman. The OED notes 1579 as

6314-401: Was meant to highlight her connection to the city. It has been proposed that a male deity with a similar name, the “Lord of Byblos”, also existed, and can be identified with the figure of AN.DA.MU from the Amarna letters, but this proposal is not universally accepted. Nadav Na'aman instead suggests interpreting AN.DA.MU as a “honorific title” of Baalat Gebal herself, “the living goddess”. In

6396-443: Was the largest sanctuary in Byblos. As it is unlikely that Baalat Gebal had more than one temple in the city, the "Obelisk Temple" also identified during excavations might have been instead dedicated to a male figure connected to her. A number of sheet metal figurines have been discovered as a part of the temple votive offering in the temple of Baalat Gebal. Most are representations of men, either in conical hats or without, while

6478-531: Was the principal deity in the local pantheon of Byblos , located on the Mediterranean coast in modern Lebanon . She has been described as “the most recurrent character in the history of the city”. She was associated with commerce. A temple dedicated to her was located in the center of the settlement. It remained in use without interruption from the third millennium BCE down to the Roman period . It

6560-523: Was typically associated with Zeus instead. The number and names of Dione’s children are not preserved. Later on, when Kronos assigns cities to various deities, she receives Byblos as her domain. The temple of Baalat Gebal is mentioned in Lucian ’s De Dea Syria . She is referred to as the “Byblian Aphrodite ” ( Greek : Ἀφροδίτης Βυβλίης ). Lucian states that in Roman times rites focused on Adonis took place in her temple, which might be an echo of

6642-639: Was very influential to a number of Christian mystics and religious leaders, including George Rapp and the Harmony Society . The members of most denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement believe in, although they do not directly worship, a Heavenly Mother who is the female counterpart of the Heavenly Father . Together they are referred to as Heavenly Parents . Adherents also believe that all humans, both women and men, have

6724-621: Was worshipped by the Nabataeans , who equated her with the Graeco-Roman goddesses Aphrodite , Urania , Venus and Caelestis. Each of the three goddesses had a separate shrine near Mecca . Uzzā, was called upon for protection by the pre-Islamic Quraysh . "In 624 at the battle called " Uhud ", the war cry of the Qurayshites was, "O people of Uzzā, people of Hubal !" (Tawil 1993). According to Ibn Ishaq 's controversial account of

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