Goddesses Of Animals

  

Both wild and domesticated animals appear as goddess images. 

In at least one case, we find a wild and a domesticated version of the same animal representing separate god desses: Egyptian Bast (domesticated cat) and Sekhmet (lioness). 

In all circumstances, however, the goddesss familiar animal was common in the area where she was wor shiped; goddesses are not represented by exotic or alien fauna. 

One of the most important animal images for the goddess is the cow. 

Domesticated in Egypt approximately 5,000 years ago from wild cattle (where cows were honored as images of the goddesses Hathor and Neith), the cows nourishing milk symbolically connects this animal to human mothers. 

In a few cases, the goddess is seen associated with a bull. 

Greek Europa was carried across the sky by a bull, Mesopotamian Innana owned the bull of heaven (see Eastern Mediterranean), Irish Medb kidnapped a mag ical bull (see Celtic). 

But most commonly, the milch cow serves as a symbol of the abundant and nurturing goddess. 

In Scandinavia, the cow was a primal being, Audhumbla, who freed the first beings from the primordial ice in which they were frozen. 

Among the Irish Celts, we find Boand, ‘‘she of the white cows, who brought fertility to the land through the waters of the river that bears her name (Boyne). 

Honoring the ‘‘sacred cow, embodiment of the Hindu goddess Prthvı, in India gives religious support for respecting the cows economic and nutritional importance. 

In the same culture, the goddess of wealth, Laks˛mı, appears as a beautiful cow, and cows are called by her name. 

In Egypt, Hathor was depicted with the horned head of a cow, which had huge wings rising from her shoulders; in this shape, she gave birth to the universe. 

Anahita (see Eastern Medi terranean) was embodied in herds of cows on whose brows moons were branded. 

Nearby, Ugaritic Anat took on the form of a cow to mate with her beloved brother, the god Baal. 

The cow was not only an earthly creature but was imagined as heavenly as well. 

When a greedy person milked Irelands Glas Ghaibhleann (see Celtic) into a sieve, the animal was so insulted that she levitated into the heavens where she walks the ‘‘White Cows Path, the Milky Way. 

The Greeks connected this broad band of stars with the cow goddess Hera, who sprayed the heavens with milk while feeding her son Heracles. 

In some Christian narratives, the starry road was formed from the milk of the virgin Mary (see Eastern Mediterranean). 

The Egyptians saw the sky as a great cows belly, with the sun rising between the horns of the solar cow Hathor. 

Another domesticated animal that provided meat and milk, as well as skin for leather, was the goat, whose usefulness became part of her symbolic importance. 

The hollow horn of Greek Amaltea became the cornucopia, symbol of abundance. 

The Scandinavian heavenly goat Hedrun provided endless intoxicating mead that fed heroes in the afterlife. 

Goats were offered as sacrifices to Hittite Wurusemu (see Eastern Mediterranean). 

Other goddesses to whom goats are sacrificed are Tibetan Tara (see India) and Ethiopian Atete (see Africa). 

Used less often for food than for transportation, the horse appears connected with goddesses prominently in the mythologies of most Indo-European cultures as well as that of other lands. 

Goddesses can appear in horse form, accompanied by or riding horses, or drawn by them in a chariot. 

Many are associated with celestial powers, including the sun and moon. 

Celtic Epona and A ine may have represented the sun that speeds across the sky in a chariot drawn by horses; the folkloric English figure Lady Godiva (see Celts) may descend from a horse goddess. 

The feminine solar horse appears in India as well, in the figures of Samjn a and the dawn maiden Usas, who drove a chariot pulled by red horses. 

Two divine horses pulled the chariot of Scandina vian Sol, while Hungarian Xatel-Ekwa rode three horses simultaneously. 

Occasion ally, a lunar goddess was associated with the horses that pull the moons silver chariot; Greek Selene rode in such a chariot. 

Persian Anahita (see Eastern Mediterra nean) rode in a chariot drawn by four white horses signifying her control over the weather. 

Although typically connected with light, horses can also be associated with goddesses of darkness. 

A nightmarish horse, Russian Mora (see Slavic), killed people as they slept. 

In Scandinavia, the goddess Nott drove black horses that pulled the dark ness across the sky at nightfall. 

As horses were often used in battle, it is not surprising to find goddesses of war associated with this animal. 

In Greece, horses were connected with the warrior women called Amazons, who bore horse-names like Hippolyta and Melanippe. 

In Scandina via, a similar group of horsewomen, the Valkyries, brought dead heroes from the battlefield to heaven. 

In Ireland, the war goddess Macha was identified with horses, for she could outrun them even when nine months pregnant. 

Horses can represent transformation, as with Sumerian Ereshkegal (see Eastern Mediterranean), whose horse rode the boundary between death and life, or Greek Medusa who gave birth to the winged horse Pegasus, symbol of transformative poetry. 

Medusa may be connected with an obscure form of the grain goddess Demeter, who was impregnated while wearing a horses head. 

In the Baltic, the death goddess Giltine˙ drove two black horses, while in Wales the goddess Rhiannon rode a white horse from the Otherworld and was later forced to carry people on her own back like a mare. 

In hunting societies, wild herd animals like deer and buffalo appear as divinities, sometimes pictured in whimsical fashion. 

In Scandinavia, the Skogsfruen (see Busch frauen) herded wild animals and, when not otherwise occupied, liked to knit socks. 

But the underlying image of the goddess of wild herds is as a cosmic game warden, controlling access to the beasts and thus to the meat they provide. 

In southeastern Europe, Dali was goddess of mountain sheep who appeared as a nubile woman with whom male hunters had intercourse, which empowered them to become great hunters. 

Yet, like other goddesses of the hunt, she put prohibitions on hunters and killed any who broke her commands. 

The connection of goddesses with hunting is common, despite similarly common prohibitions on human women hunting. 

Greek Artemis wanders through the forests accompanied by her Nymphs, tending to woodland creatures and helping animals safely bear their young. 

Other such goddesses are Celtic Arduinna and Artio, Irish Flidais (see Celtic), Finnish Mielikki, Eskimo Sedna, and Siberian Umaj (see Circumpolar). 

In North America, Wohpe, the white buffalo calf-woman of the North American Sioux, is not only a guide to correct behavior when hunting but a general power of order. 

Such woodland goddesses set the rules and expectations for hunters, who were rewarded with success if they treated the goddess with respect. 

Dogs often appear as goddess images, as do their wild counterparts, wolves. 

Often the dog appears as a companion of the goddess rather than an embodiment of her, as with Celtic Nehalennia, Greek Hecate, and Hawaiian Pele (see Pacific Islands). 

Eskimo Sedna (see Circumpolar) lived with a dog, described sometimes as her hus band. 

Scandinavian Frau Goˆde (see Holle in Scandinavia) always traveled with a dog, which she used to annoy people who did not sufficiently respect her. 

Babylonian Gula was always shown accompanied by dogs, and dogs were buried in her temple, suggesting that they were connected with her healing powers. 

In rare cases, as with Irish Uirne, the divine figures are themselves canine in form, but more typically we find the dog by the goddesss side. 

Wolf goddesses, by contrast, were embodied in wolf form rather than merely traveling in their company. 

The related Roman figures of Rhea Silvia, Lupa, and Acca Larentia show the goddess in both human and lupine form. 

Both as dog and as wolf, the goddess appears more protective than threatening, although as Brimwylf (see Scandinavian) she can appear monstrous to those who would threaten her child. 

Like canines, felines can appear as both wild and tame in goddess iconography. 

However, when the tame cat appears as the wild lion, she changes from an affectionate goddess (Egypts Hathor, with her cat ears; Scandinavias sensual Freya; Chinese Wu Lo, goddess of fertility) to a fierce one (Indias Durga, a warrior goddess; Babylonian Eriskegal, queen of death; Egypts raging Sekhmet). 

At times, a complex but generally kindly goddess such as Cybele (see Southeastern Europe) or Chinas Xiwang Mu appeared accompanied by lions or tigers, which suggest the goddesss fiercer powers. 

Among other wild animals that serve as goddess images or vehicles, the bear appears as both the goddess herself (Greek Callisto and Artemis, Celtic Artio) and as her mate (Tlingit Rhpisunt; see North America). 

The goddess appeared as a fox in Japan (Inari), where she could transform herself into a beautiful woman to seduce and kill men. 

Finally, occasional goddesses take on animal forms appropriate to a spe cific region, such as Egyptian Taweret (hippopotamus). 

~ Kiran Atma

You can learn more about Goddess Symbolism here.

Goddesses Of Air

Goddesses of air are uncommon, perhaps because air is not visible, audible, or tangible until it forms itself into wind and thus is difficult to imagine as having personality, much less gender. 

Only one goddess represents the invisible atmosphere that envelops and sustains us. 

The name of Inuit Sila (see Circumpolar) has been translated as ‘‘air, and this goddess embodies the entire cosmos that sustains life. 

She is also associated with the visions of shamans, who traveled through the air without touching ground. 

More commonly, a goddess might be associated with the air that she breathes into inert matter, thus vivifying it. 

Examples of such breath-creatrixes are Egyptian Hekt, Sibe rian Ajysyt (see Circumpolar), Greek Aphrodite, Lakota Whope (see North America), and South American Amaru. 

Flying goddesses, whose domain can be interpreted as including air, are quite common. 

Most, like Scandinavian Frigg and Russian Baba Yaga (see Slavic), rode in some kind of vehicle: a chariot drawn by cats in the first case, a mortar rowed with a pestle in the second. 

Persian Anahitas vehicle was drawn by four majestic white horses, Babylonian Ishtars by lions (see Eastern Mediterranean for both). 

Wild boars pulled Indian Marıcı. 

In some cases, such high-flying goddesses were connected with dawn or with the sun, as with Indian Usas and Scandinavia Sol. 

Celestial goddesses are often difficult to distinguish from air goddesses, as both travel through the atmosphere. 

Goddesses connected to birds can arguably be called air divinities. 

In some cases, as with Southeast Asian Kinnarı or Hindu Yoginı (see India for both), the goddess can be embodied as a bird, rather than as a human female. 

The same was true of Samoan Tuli (see Pacific Islands), who created the world in the form of a bird flying across the pri meval sea. 

Sometimes the bird becomes the goddesss vehicle, as in Russia, where the air goddess Berehinia rode the magnificent Firebird (see Slavic). 

More obvious air goddesses are connected to wind. 

Such goddesses are not always violent or stormy. 

The Greek breeze goddesses, the Litae, carried prayers to the gods. 

In Finland, the helpful goddess Ismo blew out fires that threatened to burn down houses; her sisters were healing divinities who healed by blowing on wounds. 

But some air goddesses are clearly dangerous, as with the Caribbean Guabancex, who caused hurricanes. 

It can be difficult to distinguish storm goddesses from goddesses of weather (see above), who like African Mujaji and O ya control both stormy winds and the accompanying thunder, lightning, and rain. 

~ Kiran Atma

You can learn more about Goddess Symbolism here.

Goddesses Of Time And Seasons

The concept of time appears as a goddess in several cultures. 

In Hindu India, Nidra is the sleep of time, whose passage is beyond human control, while Kalı represents the many eras of the worlds life, with the final era named after her. 

In North America, the Cherokee saw time as ruled by the sun goddess Unelanuhi, who divided night from day and thus invented all measurement. 

Among the pre-Roman Etruscans, time was the goddess Nortia, in whose honor nails were pounded each year into her temple. 

The later Roman Juno represented time as embodied in womens passage through lifes stages, with multiple Junos representing each woman as she aged. 

Some time goddesses are also foretellers of fate, as was Arabic Manat (see Eastern Mediterra nean), Finally, many goddesses are associated with the period before day was divided from night. 

These divinities appear in a primordial, often chaotic ‘‘time before time, and are often creatrixes who form the universe. 

Many goddesses, especially earth goddesses, are associated with specific seasons that paralleled the seasons of a womans life. 

Spring goddesses (Roman Flora, Greek Hebe, Slavic Kostrubonko, Scandinavian Rana Neida) are typically young and sex ually active or even promiscuous, unburdened by children. 

They are kind and gener ous, beautiful and tender. 

Often spring goddesses are associated with dawn, both representing the promise of new beginnings. 

Just as dawn goddesses (see Light/Day, above) could be dangerous as well as desirable, so figures connected with spring, like Slavic Rusalki, could present themselves as threatening. 

Spring was a time of hunger to subsistence farmers, who had devoured their stored crops and were awaiting new growth. 

Even for gathering-hunting cultures, spring could be difficult, so in the Arctic we find Asiaq (see Circumpolar), to whom shamans made sacrifices if ice did not break up in the rivers, allowing fishing. 

Thus maiden spring goddesses such as Greek Persephone were connected to death, an ever-present danger in hungry springtime. 

Summer goddesses, by contrast, are typically maternal, indicative of the earth in its agricultural abundance. 

Like Roman Ceres (from whom we derive the word ‘‘cereal), these goddesses are often associated with food plants, which flourish in summer weather (see also Vegetation, below). 

In North America, such goddesses could be embodied in the important food-crop, maize or corn; see Selu and Oniata. 

Such goddesses are typically depicted as mature and fertile, women in the prime of their reproductive years. 

But in desert lands, summer goddesses could appear as threat ening, as with Egyptian Sekhmet who represents the scorching sun, or Sri Lankan Pattinı (see India) who began as a gentle woman but became rage-filled and destruc tive later. 

It might be assumed that autumn goddesses would represent decline and death, but fall is a season for both harvest and the hunt. 

Thus goddesses connected with autumn could be paradoxically both fertile and deadly. 

Some, such as Irish Tailtu, were sacrificed in order to provide fertility to the land, while in other cases such as Slavic Baba Yaga, they threatened others with death by devouring. 

In Mesoamerican ritual, a mature woman assumed the identity of Toci and was sacrificed and flayed at her har vest festival. 

Other autumn goddesses (South American Pachamama, Greek Demeter, Roman Pomona) were goddesses of abundance, appropriate to harvest sea son. 

These goddesses are typically shown as a woman past the prime of life but still vigorous. 

With the Irish Cailleach, this vigor included sexual appetite; this divine female could exhaust and even kill young men with her demands. 

Winter goddesses, typically envisioned as old women, are often threatening. 

This is hardly surprising, as winter in earlier times was a time of hardship and want. 

Winter goddesses are shown with the power to control the weather (see Weather, above). 

Thus they were to be propitiated, lest they grow angry and bring on dangerous storms. 

The Scandinavian winter goddess appeared as a pair, with friendly Holle shaking her feather beds to make snow and rewarding those pleasant to her with gold, while her twin Perchta roamed through the world looking for people to punish for minor infrac tions, bringing bitter cold with her. 

Some winter goddesses are paired with a spring deity. 

In Scotland, the Cailleach appeared with the girl Bride, who spent winter trying to escape the hags grasp. 

Finally, some winter divinities are witches (Roman Befana, Finno-Ugric Louhi) who kidnap good weather and growth, holding it hostage until spring. 

~ Kiran Atma

You can learn more about Goddess Symbolism here.

Goddesses Of Darkness And Night

Light has a physical source in the sun, which can readily be envisioned as a divinity. 

But darkness, the absence of light, has no similarly specific source. 

Darkness as a qual ity, then, is less often imagined embodied as a goddess, although India provides one in the form of kindly Ratri, sister to the dawn goddess Usas, representing restful night. 

The Greeks, too, had a goddess of night, Nyx, a primordial figure who gave birth to the early gods and represented a time before the creation of light. 

A similar figure, No¨tt, appears in Scandinavian myth. 

Many goddesses are described as having dark skin, usually to emphasize their con nection to the dark fertile soil rather than to indicate their connection to nighttime. 

This appears to be the case with the so-called Black Madonnas (see Mary, Eastern Mediterranean), found in an area predominantly occupied by light-skinned people. 

Some goddesses of death, such as Sumerian Erishkegal (see Eastern Mediterranean) are described as powers of darkness, apparently because they are associated with the physical inability to see light after death. 

Goddesses associated with darkness could be associated with magic, as with Greek Hecate who appeared at the dark of the moon accompanied by black dogs. 

Finally, darkness sometimes indicates a peoples natural complexion and has no special symbolic meaning. 

Racism is occasionally found in mythology, reflecting soci etal divisions and injustices. 

For example, the Indian goddess Parvati, originally dark skinned like many of her worshipers, underwent an initiatory experience in order to attain a presumably more beautiful light skin. 

The presumption that ‘‘dark indicates negative forces or even evil is unfounded in most mythologies. 

Even when a goddess is connected with death, that does not necessarily indicate that her powers are negative, as death is a natural part of life. 

~ Kiran Atma

You can learn more about Goddess Symbolism here.

Goddesses Of Light And Day

Goddesses of light are usually associated with the sun (see above), but occasionally we find divinities associated with light in general. 

An example of such a goddess is Roman Diana, often described as a moon goddess but originally a goddess of the sky, espe cially when lit by one of the celestial luminaries. 

Other light goddesses appeared as midwives (Roman Lucina, Babylonian Bau), for they represented the first light that a newborn sees. 

Even more generally, the Australian light goddess Yhi represented the moment of creation, at which all creatures came forth into light. 

Some light goddesses are connected with a specific time of day. 

Slavic Poldunica was bright noontime, while Greek Eos and Hindu Usas both represented dawn. 

Other dawn goddesses include Eastern Mediterranean Aja (see Ishtar), Chinese Zhunti (see Ma-tsu), Buddhist Marıcı (see India), Polynesian Atanua and Hina, Hungarian Xoli-Kalte (see Finno-Ugric, Xatel-Ekwa), and Roman Mater Matuta. 

At the other end of day, Greek Hesperides and Slavic Zorya represented the fading light of eve ning, often embodied in the first stars seen in the darkening sky (see Stars, above). 

The temperaments and symbols of these goddesses vary according to the kind of light they represent, with dawn goddesses appearing often as lusty maidens, full of energy, while deities of evening are more sedate but nonetheless seductive (see also Fire, below). 

~ Kiran Atma

You can learn more about Goddess Symbolism here.

Goddesses Of The Sky

 

The earths blue atmosphere rarely appears in mythology as divine, although the sky as an image of the upper world or heavens is found in many cultures, especially those that posit a multistory universe inhabited by different beings at different levels. 

Although often gendered as masculine, the heavens also appear in female form, as with the Roman goddess Diana, originally a goddess of the open sky who was later limited to the moon, and Maori Mahora-nui-a-rangi (see Pacific Islands), a heavenly creatrix. 

Such sky divinities can be connected with boundlessness (Indian Adıtı), because the sky seems to have no beginning nor ending. 

Occasionally such goddesses represented the entire cosmos, earth and sky together (Eastern Mediterranean Tanit). 

Because of the vastness of the sky, it was sometimes depicted as dual-sexed, as with African So (see Mawu), who was considered a goddess despite having a masculine aspect. 

Although sky goddesses often have little personality and seem remote from human affections, the Egyptian sky goddess Nut was the mother to whom the dead returned and, as such, was painted across the inside lid of coffins, stretching out her starry body. 

She was also a lusty goddess who had to be forcibly separated from her lover, the earth god. 

The need to separate earth and sky, who remain otherwise in unending inter course, is a common mythic tale, although most of the sky divinities are male, the earth female. 

The skys light, especially at dawn, was often pictured as a voluptuous and promis cuous goddess (Roman Aurora, Greek Eos, Indian Usas). 

The lustful goddess is more typically pictured as the morning and evening star. 

However, the goddess as a creator of light, and as light itself, is found in many cultures. 

Some earth goddesses and divine ancestors appear as women who originally lived in the sky but descended to the earths surface, often because of love for an earthly man. 

Thus African Nambi fled her sky home, bringing the food that humanity needed to survive down with her. 

Andriambavirano of Madagascar (see Africa, Andriana) similarly became enamored of a human male, but her original descent was motivated by boredom and curiosity about the earth. 

Finally, some figures are described as living in the sky but are not otherwise specifically associated with the heavens (see African Mbokomu and Nambi; Chinese Tai-hsu¨an Nu¨; Circumpolar Kadlu.) 

~ Kiran Atma

You can learn more about Goddess Symbolism here.

Goddess Worship In Ireland

 

How Prevalent Was Goddess Worship In Ireland?

Ireland has a long association with Goddess and water because to the fact that it is a nation entirely surrounded by the ocean. 

Goddess' nutritious milk flows swiftly in springs, wells, lakes, and rivers, and it is no accident that civilizations first encountered her and flourished close to these water-rich areas. 

To dwell near water meant to live close to the Giver of Life, where her secrets were accessible, as shown by Brigid's holy wells in Ireland, Sequana's Seine River in France, and Persephone's Lake Pergusa in Sicily. 

The healing waters that flow from the holy locations where Goddess has manifested in her many forms are still being collected by devotees. 

Examples include Artemis' epiphanies in Ephesus and the Mother Mary's apparitions at Lourdes and Knock. 

Both Chalice Well at Glastonbury and Sulis Minerva's spring in Bath, England, flow in a tint of crimson suggestive of the Mother's holy life-giving blood. 

Many English communities still choose to honor the hallowed waters with rituals known as "well dressings" that pay homage to their ancestors' pagan traditions. 

Goddess as water is personified in some of these holy locations. 

Goddess Worship At Castle Clonegal. 

There is no museum, relic, or ruin to be found in the Temple of Isis at the 17th-century castle in Clonegal, Ireland. 

In a maze-like maze of rooms under the castle, there is a functioning temple perched over a holy well. 

The international group The Fellowship of Isis calls Clonegal Castle home, and rituals and rites are still performed there. 

Under the direction of Lady Olivia Robertson, a 90-year-old founder of the group, they revere the Goddess in all of her manifestations. 

In the middle of the 1970s, Lady Olivia, Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, and Pamela Robertson, his wife, formed the temple and organization. 

In other regions of the globe, other leaders expanding the knowledge of goddess spirituality were also becoming more visible at this time. 

Even when it was unfashionable for a woman to be a rebel, Lady O, as some of the Fellowship of Isis members refer to her, has always been a liberal and open-minded thinker. 

She started researching esoteric sciences while still a popular author in the 1950s in order to use her innate psychic abilities. 

She had always seen ghosts and angels, but in 1976, she had a vision of the goddess Isis, which surprised and perplexed her. 

Despite the fact that her cousin Robert Graves (author of The White Goddess) was not well respected in the family or in what was considered "proper society" at the time, she was able to relate to their beliefs. 

Scota, also known as "the black one," was an Egyptian Priestess of Isis and the daughter of the Pharaoh Cincris. 

According to Lady Olivia and Lawrence, Scota was also a hereditary Daughter of Isis. 

Following Olivia's encounter with the Goddess Isis in the middle of the 1970s, Pamela, Lawrence, and Olivia made the decision to convert their family castle, Clonegal Castle, into the headquarters of the Fellowship of Isis. 

The Fellowship is prospering, with more than 20,000 members worldwide as of the time of this writing, despite the passing of Lawrence and Pamela. 

The Noble Order of Tara was established by the Fellowship of Isis, or FOI, in 1990. 

Its members were committed to promoting environmental causes. 

They have other environmentally conscious initiatives going on and have been crucial in stopping strip mining on Mount Leinster. 

The Druid Clan of Dana, named after the Irish Mother Goddess, was established in 1992 and is committed to the secrets of the Druids. 

They arranged the 1993 Druid Convention in London via their publication, Aisling, which participates in the Council of British Druid Orders. 

A second Goddess-oriented group, the Fellowship of Isis, was one of two that attended the Chicago-based World Parliament of Religions in 1993. 

The Fellowship reveres all Goddesses, so why does Lady Olivia seem to connect with Isis the most? Isis is the global Goddess, the Isis of Ten Thousand Names, in her own words. 

Demeter, Lakshmi, Kwan Yin, Dana, Ngame, and Mary are all mentioned by her. 

As most Neo-Pagans could concur, Mary of the Christian faith was Isis to Lady Olivia. 

After Osiris' resurrection, Christ was both Osiris and Horus. 

In Lady O's opinion, the Goddess Isis is physically and spiritually appearing at this moment of universal change and the birth of the Feminine Divine. 

As they return to the "old ways," millions of people all around the world claim to hear the Goddess calling. 

These followers of the Divine Feminine believe that unless we once again value women and the Divine Feminine, the ecological, spiritual, and technical destruction brought about by a patriarchal society would eventually result in disaster. 

Goddess spiritualists believe that Mother Nature's ultimate goal is to reestablish love and peace amongst all living things so that everyone may nurture and benefit from a healthy, bountiful way of existence. 

The main sanctuary, naïve, Chapel of Brigid, and shrines honoring the twelve signs of the Zodiac are among the 26 shrines that make up the castle temple. 

This is an illustration of what one would see when entering the shrines, but they do vary from time to time. 

Devotees enter in procession through elaborately carved doors at the sound of a gong, and the Egyptian deity Thoth, protector of the secrets, stands directly in front of them. 

A landing is reached by way of stone stairs. Goddess symbolism are seen everywhere. 

There is a plaque with a picture of Jesus that is surrounded by further art that shows the Divine Feminine. 

The main temple area, which is to the left, would be surrounded by sculptures of goddesses. 

An iron gate leading to the historic castle well stands in front of you. 

A large Tibetan bell that is used to signal entry into the Temple is located to the left of the gate. 

The temple's interior, which is made of granite, measures 79 by 40 feet (24 by 12 meters). 

There is a sizable sanctuary there, as well as nine stone pillars arranged in a row. 

The sanctuary is surrounded by a short brick wall and two brick pillars that stand before the High Altar. 

The clergy offer invocations on a modest elevated stone dais before the High Altar. 

The High Altar of Isis serves as the main altar for all temple ceremonies. 

The Fellowship of Isis commissioned gifted woodworker David Robertson, son of Lawrence and nephew of Olivia, to carve Isis of 10,000 Names as its centerpiece. 

There are five primary chapels, each with characteristics of an element. 

The historic Druidic well, which is 17 feet (5 meters) deep and known for its therapeutic virtues, is located within the Chapel of Brigid. 

The Holy of Holies, also called the Chapel of Ishtar and devoted to the fifth element, Spirit, is reached via carved doors from Brigid's chapel. 

Daily rituals and meditation are conducted at the temple as Lady Olivia assists in healing and attunes with members all across the globe. 

The castle is situated next to a holy grove of trees in Ireland's stunning and verdant landscape. 

The Fellowship of Isis, whose goal is to restore the Goddess to the world by whatever ways the Divine Feminine sees suitable, is still hard at work. 

Rituals often include theatrical acts that impart knowledge of eternal secrets. 

From a small group of three, the FOI's vision and goal have expanded to become a means for thousands of people to recognize and adore Goddess. 

#How to reach Clonegal Castle. 

Southeast Ireland's little town of Clonegal is home to Clonegal Castle. 

Invitations are required for rituals. 

Drop-in visits are not seen as appropriate manners, thus detailed instructions to the castle won't be given here. 

Please contact Lady Olivia Robertson, Fellowship of Isis, Clonegal Castle, Enniscorthy, Ireland, if you would like further information on visiting Clonegal Castle. 

The FOI operates lyceums and institutes both domestically and abroad. 

On the Fellowship of Isis website, one may obtain details on the closest FOI chapter. 

The FOI sells books and rituals that Lady Olivia has written in print and on audiotape, along with correspondence courses, a newsletter, and other products. 

Goddess Worship At Kildare.

While it is exceedingly impossible to visit conservative, Christian Ireland without physically running across manifestations of the Goddess, travelers may experience at least four different facets of the Divine Feminine in Kildare. 

Goddess-seekers may locate a Sheila-na-Gig, a Brigid-related holy well, a Brigid-related fire sanctuary, and the Brigidine Sisters known as the Sisters of the Solas Bride (pronounced breed). 

Similar to Athena and the Roman Vestal Virgins, Celtic Brigid belongs to the category of Virgin Goddess (See Rome and Athens). 

She is revered as a triple goddess and is the protector of smiths, healers, and poets. 

As seen by her hallowed well and fire sanctuary in Kildare, Brigid is also a creative source of energy in her qualities of flowing water and blazing fire. 

Interestingly, steam is created when water and fire come together; this is undoubtedly another source of unending strength and energy. 

Her fire melts the smith's metal, and the water cools it to form the tools that will save humanity. 

She has observable ties to her Neolithic origins via her affiliation with the benevolent female snake known as "the queen." Later, she became a part of Celtic Christianity and was elevated to sainthood as Brigid the virgin nun. 

Because of this relationship, Brigid the Saint and Brigid the Goddess are revered as one by the Brigidine Sisters of Ireland, also known as Solas Bride. 

The flame of Brigid is maintained by current nuns who continue the old custom. 

Visitors may see the flame and take it home with them from their sacred location. 

This is accomplished by lighting a candle from the Solas Bride's eternal flame and then passing the symbolic flame from one candle to another, wick to wick. 

Miriam Robbins Dexter cites Geraldus Cambrensis in relation to the eternal flame of the Goddess and claims that the rivers Brigid in Ireland, Braint in Wales, and Brent in England were all given their names in honor of Brigid or Bride. 

The final nun remarked to Brigid on the twentieth night, "Brigid, I have cared for your fire... and so, the fire having been abandoned... 

it was discovered again, unextinguished." At the time of Brigid, twenty nuns were employed here to serve a master as a soldier, with she herself being the twentieth. 

Brigid is described as "the female sage" and "Brigit the goddess, whom poets worshiped because her protective care over them was very great and extremely renowned" in Archbishop Cormac Mac Cullenan's Cormac's Glossary, written in 908 CE. 

Brigid "originated at an era when the Celts worshipped goddesses rather than gods, and when knowledge – leechcraft, husbandry, inspiration — were women's rather than men's," according to Scottish academic J. A. Mac Cullock in 1911. 

According to the forbidden shrine in Kildare, Brigid had female clergy and it was believed that males were not allowed to participate in her devotion. 

Brigid became a nun and established a monastery in Kildare, a county renowned for its fertility and richness, according to Barbara Walker and Robert Graves. 

They contend that like other components of society that the Catholic Church failed to abolish, they integrate. 

They claim Brigit's bower was the center of an endless springtime where the village cows never ran dry and flowers and shamrocks sprung forth in her wake. 

Brigid was compared to Mary by authors and poets who thought she was more than just a saint and was really the Queen of Heaven. 

"Mother of my Sovereign," "Mary of the Goidels," "Queen of the South," "Prophetess of Christ," and "Mother of Jesus," according to Graves, are names given to Brigid. 

According to Marija Gimbutas, Brigid was connected to childbirth like Artemis and Diana and served as the "midwife to the Blessed Virgin and thus the foster mother of Christ." Others compared Brigid to Tanit, the Heavenly Goddess, and June Regina. 

According to Gimbutas, Brigid, the Greek Artemis Eileithyia, the Thracian Bendis, the Roman Diana, and the Baltic Fate Goddess were all prehistoric decedents of the life-giving Goddesses who survived Indo-Europeanization in the form of Nature, the giver of health, and in the guise of birds and animals. 

Brigid was associated with weaving, spinning, twisting, and stitching, much like her European sisters, and it is stated that this women's activity must be halted on Friday, the holy day of the Goddess. 

It's interesting that she was associated with Saint Patrick, who was allegedly a pagan before converting to Christianity. 

Additionally, she was frequently mistaken for Brigid's early Pagan lover, Dagda, or "father," and was supposed to be a Christianized version of him. 

Irish folklore holds that Saint Patrick is to blame for Ireland's lack of native snakes. 

The account of Saint Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland raises the possibility that the patriarchy subjugating Goddess spirituality is a metaphor for these linkages, as well as Brigid's connection to Neolithic snake imagery. 

According to Gimbutas, local traditions include constructing snake effigies on Brigid's holy day of Imbolc, when "serpents are reported to come from the highlands." According to Walker, the twenty Brigid priestesses who were present in Kildare reflected the 19-year cycle of the Celtic "Great Year" She goes on to talk about how the Greeks made references to Apollo going to the "temple of the moon goddess" (Brigid) every nineteen years in their stories. 

Around the Stonehenge circle, markers were placed to designate these Great Years. 

According to researcher Patricia Monaghan, Brigid is linguistically related to Bridestones, also known as sarsens, which are the large sandstones used to build Stonehenge. 

This suggests that Brigid was known in early Neolithic, pre-Celtic periods. 

In addition to the Thuggees of Kali and the "Assassins," who revered the Arabian Moon Goddess, Walker mentions another part of Brigid related to martial arts and her warriors known as brigands as an example of a goddess's follower becoming vilified. 

Brigid, also known as Brigantia in England, Bride in Scotland, and Brigandu in Celtic France, has many distinct names. 

Patricia Monaghan, a scholar, presents a somewhat different story of Brigid. 

In this mythological cycle, Brigid is the human offspring of a Druid who was subsequently canonized and baptized by Saint Patrick. 

It was said that the Christian Brigid had many of the same traits and abilities as the Goddess Brigid, and that the abbess had exceptional authority to choose bishops who had to be goldsmiths. 

Imbolc or Candlemas, Brigid's feast day on February 1st, was a celebration of the "lactation of the sheep, symbolic of new life and the approach of spring," according to Gimbutas. 

She claims that a milk libation was thrown into the Earth and connects the life-giving material to Brigid's flower, the dandelion, which when crushed generated milky juice, supplying sustenance for the young lambs. 

Anyone who has experienced the gloom of Ireland's winters understands how uplifting it is to start to glimpse the light again, the symbolic fire of Brigid. 

This festival also commemorates the return of the light as the world emerges from the winter's darkness. 

This was a joyful period of processions, singing, dancing, and ceremonial baking. 

Gimbutas asserts that "honoring the Bride, giving presents, crafting dolls, preparing special cakes, greeting the Saint in every home, and anticipating her presence as a blessing must have roots deeper than the final decades of paganism; much of it carries on Neolithic customs." 

Brigid's fire sanctuary in Kildare is described by Rufus and Lawson as a "low stone wall, rectangular and not round as in ancient times." 

The recreated shrine is neat, orderly, and quiet, speaking nothing of its past existence as a spiritual center for Irish women, both during the Goddess' lifetime and for centuries following. 

In the heart of Kildare, in the graveyard of the Cathedral Church of Saint Brigid, is where you'll find Brigid's Fire House. 

Before leaving the church, look inside for the Sheela on Bishop Wellesley's tomb from the 16th century. 

It is beautifully placed below the left-hand corner of the top slab and above a panel depicting the Crucifixion. 

The Sheela's legs are split, and her pubic hair is visible. 

The Tobar Bride, also known as Brigid's Well, is a mile or so from the fire sanctuary. 

With a statue of Saint Brigid dressed as a nun and a natural well of healing waters, the holy site suggests that it is equally dedicated to the Saint and the Goddess. 

The brick arch that crosses the holy stream-like well is decorated with Brigid's pagan emblem, the Cross of Brigid. 

Don't forget to bring a container so you may transport the restorative waters of Bride home. 

Votive gifts, such as rags or pieces of fabric fastened to trees (sometimes referred to as clootie trees), are often left at the location. 

In accordance with Gimbutas, who cited Wood-Martin, "The rag or ribbon, removed from the clothes, is thought to be the storehouse of the spiritual or physical maladies of the suppliant. 

Rags are riddances rather than just offerings or votive objects. 

(In another type of riddance ritual, the matriarch of the house would distribute to family members a strip of cloth called the brat Brighide, or Saint Brigit's mantle, which was hung on a tree or bush a few days before Saint Brigit's Eve to protect the family from illness or misfortune in the upcoming year.) 

The healing properties of Brigid's waters have been known since Neolithic times, which helps to explain why numerous wells under Mary-related churches and temples (such as those at Clonegal, Chartres, and Lourdes) may have retained their reputation for miracles. 

It was believed that a few of the goddesses' holy wells may increase a woman's fertility. 

Devotees would go to the wells on the first day of spring to undertake purification rituals, including washing their hands, faces, and feet, removing strips of cloth from their garments, walking around the stone, praying, chanting, kneeling, and sipping from the holy waters. 

They might then go to "a river stone which has footprints," where they would continue to pray, according to Gimbutas, who is quoting Wood-Martin once more. 

Footprints may be observed carved into the stone near the holy waters at Tobar Bride. 

Brigid the Goddess and those who honor her are warmly embraced by the nuns of the Church known as the Sisters of the Solas Bride. 

You are welcome to visit their refuge, but only with previous preparations. 

The Sisters welcome individuals and groups and have joyfully accommodated and shared ritual space with small groups of committed practitioners of Goddess Spirituality. 

Interested parties will be needed to make personal contact to organize a visit. 

How to get to Kildare? 

Kildare is conveniently accessible by rail, bus, and private vehicle and is situated 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Dublin. 

If you're driving, use the N7 Dublin-Limerick Road to the Kildare Cathedral, which is in the town's center. 

One mile south of Kildare is where the well is situated. 

Following the directions out of town toward the Japanese Gardens, there will be a sign directing drivers to the Tobar Bride down a tiny road to the right approximately 300 yards (270 m) before you arrive at the Gardens. 

Goddess Worship At Newgrange.

Another marker pointing left down the path will be located around 100 yards (90 m) farther; this sign will direct tourists to the well at Newgrange. 

The great megalithic tomb of Newgrange is ranked alongside the temple of Ggantija in Malta as one of the most impressive prehistoric monuments in Europe, according to any old guidebook, but mainstream scholars are still divided over how to interpret the significance of this magnificent Goddess site constructed more than 5,000 years ago. 

According to some experts, the imagery found on Western European megalithic art is connected to altered states of consciousness. 

The altered states may sometimes be brought on by using hallucinogens, and they can also be brought on via shaman trance dances. 

When they find the controversial archaeologist Marija Gimbutas' work compelling, many goddess proponents depart from conventional thinking. 

Even Marija was unable to pinpoint the precise events that took place at Newgrange, but Gimbutas' decades of research into Neolithic archaeology and the significance of artwork and artifacts in a cultural and religious context have given passage graves like Newgrange a fuller and richer meaning. 

Advocates contend that Newgrange was a holy location for the Goddess and that its artwork symbolizes concepts of birth, death, and rebirth, with the passage grave serving as both "womb and tomb," based on the graphic language she invented, folk literature, and a little amount of intuition. 

"The heart of the religion of the Goddess in the British Isles," according to author Peg Streep, is Newgrange. 

It is without a doubt a location for ritual, processions, and significant gatherings that are suggestive of the early Neolithic builders' religion! 

Many claim that Newgrange is the best example of a passage grave in Western Europe. 

Carbon-dating research suggests that it was constructed around 3200 BCE. 

Farmers who kept livestock were the people who constructed Newgrange. 

They used stone as opposed to metal to create this complex edifice, which required not only extraordinary labor but also knowledge of design and engineering. 

They also watched and analyzed astronomical movements. 

It measures 265 feet (81 meters) in circumference and 45 feet (14 meters) high. 

Only 12 of the 35 standing stones, or menhirs, that previously surrounded it are still standing. 

According to Streep, this circle may have served as a barrier between the mother's womb's holy area and the rest of the world. 

Although the mound is now covered in grass, many academics believe that white quartz once covered it. 

The quartz would have significance beyond just aesthetic value since it was a rare stone that had to be imported from a distance. 

Gimbutas compares the mound to the world's cosmic womb or egg, and the white coating was designed to resemble an egg's shell. 

For the construction of Newgrange, an estimated 180,000 tons (163,080,000 kg) of stone were needed. 

The entrance to the mound faces the dawn in the middle of winter. 

The 62-foot (19-meter) long tube leads to a central room from which three side chambers branch out. 

On the midwinter solstice, sunlight streams into the chamber via a roof box lintel at the entrance. 

During the solstice, the sun can be seen slowly filling the interior passageway until it reaches the back chamber and illuminates a carving of a triple spiral that some people think represents the Goddess. 

A symbolic (or literal?) rebirth and regeneration of the dead may result from this, as well as the effect of awakening her powers. 

Before moving back down the entrance passageway and leaving the mound in complete darkness once more, the light briefly fills the cavern. 

It has been speculated that this dramatic effect might have been performed using a polished mirror at other significant times throughout the year, but that is just conjecture. 

Gimbutas thought sacred symbols and patterns that recurred all over Neolithic Old Europe were used to invoke the Goddess. 

According to Streep's citation of Gimbutas, "ritual action" served as a means of "communicating with the divine" and an invocation of the Goddess' enshrined regenerative abilities. 

The art's iconography includes the ideas of life, death, and regeneration, which are all aspects of the Goddess. 

The imagery of the owl and snake—symbols of rebirth and rebirth—represented these ideas. 

These theories are further supported by the structure's orientation and commanding position close to the Boyne River's (named for the Goddess Boand) bend. 

Even if some of the pictures are more abstract, when they are studied across all of Europe, a language and a unified iconography start to take shape. 

The stone near Newgrange's main gate is vividly engraved with three snake coils, which stand for three sources of life. 

Similar to Neolithic Catal Hüyük, iconography starts to emerge in three-groupings. 

The brow ridge of the Owl Goddess, stone basins, engravings of triple snake spirals, coils, and cartouches, as well as side cells at Newgrange, are all discovered in triplicate. 

Gimbutas can identify the large snake coils that are inscribed on orthostats and are connected to V, M, chevrons, and zigzag bands. 

She postulated that the presence of arcs, wavy lines, bands of zigzags, and serpent shapes indicated a belief in the reproductive capacity of water as well as a relationship between the snake and the strength of stone. 

Triangles are depicted on the walls and curbstones of Newgrange. 

Sometimes they are by themselves, other times they are in rows and pairs linked at the tip or the base, or they are encompassed by arcs. 

These pictures are of the Goddess of Death and Regeneration, according to Gimbutas. 

Her interpretation of the "serpent ship" motif connected to the religion of the dead is particularly intriguing. 

At Newgrange, the union of zigzags or winding serpents (symbols of renewed life) with triangles or lozenges (both special signs of the Goddess of Regeneration) creates abstract images of "serpent ships," which can be taken literally to mean ceremonial ships connected to death rituals that carry the dead toward renewal. 

Gimbutas describes spheres and snake coils representing a full moon, opposed crescents alone or with a snake coil in the middle depicting a moon cycle, and wavy lines of winding serpents measuring time as additional indications of time and lunar movements in the stone carvings at Newgrange. 

She claims that up to thirty winding snake turns corresponded to a near approximation of the lunar month and that serpentine patterns with fourteen to seventeen turns signified the number of days the moon waxes. 

It is possible to speculate that Neolithic practitioners included both of these elements in their death ritual because the structure is linked to death and rebirth and contains imagery that is both reflective of sunlight and water. 

This brings discussions back to folk literature mixed with some whimsy. 

The study of Roman literature, figurines, and inscriptions has revealed what is known about ancient Ireland. 

What before is mostly unknown since Celtic literature did not become widely read until the second century CE. 

It is widely acknowledged that Brigid represented the elements of fire and water (or light), as well as connections with the serpent, whose history dates back to the Neolithic era. 

In light of the fact that the rituals performed at this particular mound are beginning to comprehend and revere her imagery and essence, perhaps we should take a moment to consider how she might be related to Newgrange. 

We should also keep in mind that according to folklore, the god Dagna, who is occasionally referred to as Brigid's consort, constructed Newgrange for himself and his sons. 

What if this is just a patriarchal interpretation of the story? It is entertaining to speculate if Dagna really did construct Newgrange as a spectacular expression of his love for his consort, much as Ramses did when he constructed the Taj Mahal or the little Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel in honor of his great love Nefertari. 

According to a different piece of mythology, Bru na Boinne, the Gaelic name for the area near Newgrange, means "the house of the Goddess of the River Boann." 

It claims the River Boyne, also known as Boinn or Boand, is named after the Goddess Boand and is located close to Newgrange (she of the white cows). 

Boand, who is regarded as one of the main Earth Goddesses of prehistoric Ireland, is the embodiment of the abundance and vitality found in water, or the nourishing milk that flows from a revered cow. 

Boyne, its modern Celtic name, which translates to "illuminated cow," is transliterated as Buvinda. 

Additionally, the Celtic term denotes brightness, whiteness, and knowledge. 

The wise salmon, along with other fish connected to the Goddess, dwells in the River Boyne. 

Perhaps in Newgrange, in a manner similar to Eleusis, the priestesses and priests of the Goddess taught their people the lessons of life and death while performing ritual. 

According to legend, Boann and her partner Elemar were Newgrange's original residents until Elemar was replaced by Dagna, which leads us back to Brigid. 

Could Boann have been a younger version of Brigid? We already know that Brigid inspired the naming of rivers. 

Since Brigid is a Goddess of Healing, the River Boyne was also praised for its therapeutic properties. 

There are undoubtedly no concrete solutions, but many connections cause cultural diffusionists to pause and give a thoughtful "ah-ha." # How to get to Newgrange. 

About 6 miles (10 km) west of Drogheda, in the Boyne Valley, which is located to the south of the N51 Drogheda–Navan Road, is where you'll find Newgrange. 

From Drogheda, you may go to Newgrange by train or bus. 

On the nearby road to Slane, you can find the Knowth and Dowth mounds. 

Within the Bru na Boinne complex, there is also a prehistoric ritual pond made by humans called Monknewtown that might be worth a look. 

If you're traveling by car, think about taking a day trip from Dublin, which is 45 km (28 mi) south of the site. 

There is a visitor center on site, but it is advised to call ahead because there has been discussion about restricting access to Newgrange's interior. 

Much of the discussed imagery can be seen by simply walking around the grounds. 

The tremendous feeling of the sun entering the chamber is reenacted by guides using a flashlight to give tourists some idea of the event, but it is almost impossible to be within the mound on the solstice since individuals are wait-listed for years to enjoy the privilege. 

It could be a good idea for travelers to have a small container with them so they can gather water from the River Boyne. 

Worship Of Goddess Sheila-na-Gigs.

Stone carvings of female genitalia known as Sheila-na-Gigs, also known as Sheelas, are typically found on the walls and doorways of Celtic churches and monasteries in Western Europe and the British Isles, though they can also be found in Indonesia, South America, Australia, Oceania, and India. 

The real role of Sheelas is not clearly known, however most say they were icons or symbols of protection, much like the guardian gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals or the gorgon on Athena’s shield. 

This author concurs with that assertion and suggests that the sign could have stood for the idea that being within the building on which the Sheela is carved is equivalent to entering the holy vulva, a portal leading to the protection of the Mother Goddess' womb. 

The figures' stance of sitting, reclining, or standing with legs akimbo and completely exposed yonis has been suggested as a potential emblem of exhibitionism, however that hardly seems plausible given that they were discovered carved in hallowed locations. 

In addition to raising the intriguing hypothesis that Sheelas are connected to Celtic or pre-Celtic forms of Oriental and Mediterranean holy prostitutes, Rufus Camphausen has also indicated potential ties to Baubo and Ama-no-Uzume. 

He suggests the term nu-gag, which refers to "the pure and immaculate ones" and was used to describe the sacred temple prostitutes of Mesopotamia, as a potential linguistic indicator of the Sheila-na-Gigs' earliest forms. 

Sheelas are often found with the carved portion of the yoni worn by the contact of several hands, probably made in respect or prayer. 

It reminds people of fertility symbols, which some cultures think, if touched, may bring forth plenty and procreation. 

The Sheela, according to author Shahrukh Husain, is connected to the goddess Brigid of the Celts, and she may have represented the "split-off of the sexual aspect of a virginal goddess." 

Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas compared the spread-legged prehistoric Frog Goddess, the frog-headed Egyptian Goddess Haquit (Heket), and the ancient Greek goddess Hekate, known as "Baubo," or toad, to Sheelas. 

Gimbutas asserts that the names for toads in European languages include the connotations of "witch" or "prophetess," and that the toad "was incarnated with the powers of the Goddess of Death and Regeneration, whose duties were both to bring death and to restore life." 

At an archaeomythology symposium in Madouri, Greece, Professor Joan Cichon reports scientists Miriam Robbins Dexter and Starr Goode think the iconography of the Sheelas resemble the “Sovereignty Goddess” of the ancient Irish. 

Some modern ladies have been turning up their noses at traditional taboos and embracing the brazen iconography of the Sheela to indicate their empowerment, sexual liberty, and knowledge of their connection to the Goddess.

~Kiran Atma

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Goddess Zara, Zaria, Or Zorya

 

Slavic goddess of beauty, also known as Zaria, Zoria, and Zorya.

Zaria rules the morning and the dawn.

She is the heavenly bride, the perfect mortal wife's symbol, because she is pure, honorable, and beautiful.

The morning star is depicted as Zaria.

In Slavic tradition, Zorya (which means "Dawn" and has various variations including Zarya, Zara, Zaranitsa, Zoryushka, etc.) represents dawn in a feminine form. 

Depending on the myth, she could manifest as a single being known as "The Red Maiden" or as two or three sisters simultaneously. Zorya has many traits with the Proto-Indo-European goddess of the morning *H2éwss, despite their etymological dissimilarity. 

She is often shown as Zvezda, the Morning Star, the Sun, the Moon, and Zvezda, the Moon's sister. 

She resides in the Palace of the Sun, protects his white horses, opens the entrance for him every morning so he may go across the sky, and is also said to be a virgin. She stands in for the ultimate power invoked by a practitioner in the Eastern Slavic tradition of zagovory.

The all-Slavic term zora, which means "dawn, aurora," and its forms (from Proto-Slavic *zoà), have a common linguistic ancestor with the all-Slavic word zrti, which means "to see, observe" but may have originally meant "shine." 

The term "zara" may have been influenced by the word "ar" (PS *ar), which means "hot." PS *zoà is derived from the unclearly etymological Proto-Balto-Slavic *ori (see Lithuanian 'arà, 'arijà).

*H2éwss is the hypothesized Proto-Indo-European name for the dawn goddess. Her name was reconstructed using a comparative method based on the names of Indo-European goddesses of the dawn, such as Greek Eos, Roman Aurora, or Vedic Ushas. 

Likewise, the characteristics of the Proto-Indo-European goddess were reconstructed based on the characteristics of the goddesses of the dawn.

Even though the Zorya religion is only known through folklore, it has origins in Indo-European antiquity and the Zorya exhibits the majority of *H2éws' traits. Most goddesses of the dawn share the same traits with Zorya:

She makes an appearance with Saints George and Nicholas (interpreted as divine twins)

hues red, gold, yellow, and rose

She resides abroad on the Buyan Island.

opens the Sun's entrance.

A golden boat and a silver oar belonged to her.

Zarubin compared Slavic mythology with the Indo-Aryan Rigveda and Atharvaveda, which both include representations of the Sun and its partners, the Dawns. 

These pictures have their roots in ancient ideas, ranging from the first fetishistic (the Sun as a ring or circle) to the later anthropomorphic. A miniature of two ladies may be found in the late 13th-century Chludov's Novgorod Psalter. 

One of them, a fiery red woman identified as "dawn zora," holds a red sun in her right hand in the shape of a ring while holding a torch in her left hand that ends in a box from which a bright green stripe extending into a dark green stripe emerges. 

This stripe is marked "evening zora" in green on the right hand of another lady, who is holding up her left sleeve to reveal a bird. This may be understood as the Morning Zorya setting the Sun on its course for the day and the Evening Zorya waiting for the Sun to rise. 

In a cave temple from the second or third century AD in Nashik, India, a very similar design was discovered. 

The bas-relief shows two ladies, one holding a torch to illuminate the Sun's circle and the other waiting for it to set. Ushas and Pratyusha, two morning deities, are seen in other bas-reliefs, and the Sun is often accompanied by dawns in hymns. 

In the Norse Edda or the Indo-Aryan Rigveda, as well as in folklore, the Sun is depicted as a wheel. During the Germanic and Slavic peoples' yearly festivities, they burned a wheel that, according to medieval writers, represented the sun.

Images like the Psalter and Nashik's may be seen across Slavic regions, including: On a carved and painted gate of a Slovak peasant estate (village of Oová), the Morning Zora is depicted on one of the pillars with a golden head, a glow above her, and even higher is the Sun, which rolls along an arched road. 

The Evening Zora is depicted on the other pillar with a setting sun above it. On this relief, there are also darker suns that may represent dead suns from Slavic legend. The Russian proverb "The sun will not rise without the Morning Zoryushka" also supports these themes. 

A similar design may also be seen on the back of a 19th-century sled, where two Zoryas are shown standing in the doorway and the Sun is depicted as a circle, and on a peasant rushnyk from the Tver area, where two Zoryas are depicted riding up to the Sun, one in red and the other in green.

The Zorya In Norse mythology

The luminary goddesses Vakarine and Ausrine are said to have a similar dual function in Lithuanian folklore: Vakarine, the Evening Star, made the bed for the sun goddess Saul, while Aurin, the Morning Star, kindled the fire for her as she prepared for another day's voyage. 

According to various legends, Ausrine and Vakarine are the daughters of the male Moon (Meness) and female Sun (Saule), who take care of their mother's castle and her horses.

The Zorya In Russian Mythology. 

In Russian mythology, they often take the form of two virgin sisters, Zorya Vechernyaya (Evening Aurora, from véer "evening") as the goddess of twilight, and Zorya Utrennyaya (Am Zorya, from tro "morning"). 

Each was to occupy a separate side of the Sun's throne made of gold. 

When the Sun rose in the morning, the Morning Zorya opened the entrance of the celestial palace, and the Evening Zorya shut the gate when the Sun went to sleep. Buyan Island intended to serve as the home of Zorya's administration.

A later tale describes three Zoryas and their unique mission:

Three small sisters, or little Zorya, may be found in the sky: the morning, the evening, and the midnight. Their responsibility is to watch after a dog that is attached to the Little Bear constellation by an iron chain. The end of the world will occur when the chain snaps.

As shown by her frequent presence in wedding chants, Zorya also supported weddings and facilitated unions amongst the gods. She is specifically given credit for doing the following task in one of the Malo-Russian ballads when the Moon encounters Aurora while roving in the sky:

Ah, dawn, dawn! Where have you been, exactly?

Where have you been, exactly? Where do you plan to reside?

Where do I plan to call home? Why there at Pan Ivan's?

Located at Pan Ivan's Court

Both at his court and residence

And he enjoys two things in his home:

Getting his kid married is his first delight;

And the second pleasure was to marry his daughter.

In several iterations of the same zagovory storylines, Maria (Mother of God) and Zara-Zaranitsa (also known as "Dawn the Red Maiden") both make appearances as the ultimate power that a practitioner invokes.

In addition, she was prayed to as Zarya for fruitful crops and wellbeing:

Hey, you morning and evening Zaryas! fall onto my rye so that it might become as strong as an oak and as tall as a forest!

Mother Zarya of dawn, evening, and midnight [presumably twilight here]! As you softly fade away and vanish, may my illnesses and sorrows—those of the morning, evening, and midnight—quietly go from me, the servant of God!

According to Professor Bronislava Kerbelyt, the Zoryas were also summoned in Russian tradition to aid in birthing (under the name "орки арноки") and to cure the infant (by calling upon "ар-дeвиа," or "утренн ар араскаве" and "веерн ар оломоне").

Additionally, Zarya was summoned as a protectoress and to banish dreams and insomnia:

Заря, зарница, васъ три сестрицы, утренняя, полуденная, вечерняя, полуночная, сыми съ раба Божія (имя) тоску, печаль, крикъ, безсонницу, подай ему сонъ со всѣхъ сторонъ, со всѣхъ святыхъ, со всѣхъ небесныхъ.

Another spell calls for Zarya-Zarnitsa, a "morning Irina," and a "midday Daria" to vanquish a child's sorrow and carry it "beyond the blue ocean."

In his book The Ancient Faith of the Serbs and the Croats, Croatian historian Natko Nodilo stated that Zora was known as a "shining maiden" ("svijetla" I "vidna" djevojka) by ancient Slavs, and that Russian riddles depicted her as a woman who resided in the sky ("Zoru nebesnom djevojkom").

Regarding the Dawn's parents, she is referred to as the "Sister of the Sun" and "sweet little Dawn" in a Russian hymn.

She is referred to as Zaranitsa (арана) or Zara-zaranitsa (ара-арана) in Belarusian folklore. In one of the sections, St. George and St. Nicholas, who in Indo-European myths are often brothers of the dawn goddess and, according to comparative mythology, serve as divine twins, meet Zaranica: "Saint George was traveling with Saint Nicholas and encountered Aurora."

She also takes the shape of a riddle in folklore:

Zara-zaranitsa, a stunning virgin, lost her keys as she was walking through the air. The moon saw them but made no comment. When the sun saw them, it raised them.

This has to do with the dew, which the moon ignores and which vanishes when the sun is present. Zaranica is a diminutive name that may be used to show reverence for Zara, who is most likely just the morning goddess and may be rendered as "Dawn."

The stars are sometimes referred to as zorki and zory in Belarusian culture. For example, Polaris is called Zorny Kol ('star pole') and polunochna zora ('star of midnight').

The three sister Zoras (Trzy Zorze) of Polish folklore are the Morning Zorza (Polish: Zorza porankowa or Utrenica), Midday Zora (Zorza poudniowa or Poudnica), and Evening Zora (Zorza wieczorowa or Wieczornica). These three Zoras occur in Polish folk charms and, according to Andrzej Szyjew Additionally, they serve as Rozhanitsy.

Zarzyce, three sisters, and zarze.

The Mother of God gathered golden foam while sailing on the sea;

When St. John saw her, he asked her, "Mother, where are you going?"

My little boy will be healed by me.

The zorzyczki, the zorzyczki

You three are here.

her in the morning

she of noon,

she of the night.

Take away my child's cries,

give him his sleep back.

Zorzeczeki, zorzecze!

All of you are my sisters!

Mount your crow horse.

also ride for my friend (lover).

He can't go without me, therefore

neither eats nor sleeps,

neither chat nor sit down.

In order for me to stand, work, and willingly satisfy him.

so that I may be grateful and amiable to both God and others,

together with my partner.

The Zorya In Polish Mythology. 

Another popular Polish proverb goes like this: "Arze, zarzyczki, jest was trzy, zabierzcie od my daughter pakanie, przywrócie mu spanie."

In a Polish magical love charm, the girl begs the dawn (or morning-star) to visit her lover and compel him to adore her alone:

Let's go now

Good morning, morning star.

The Zorya In Ukrainian Mythology. 

Additionally, there are terms in the Ukrainian language that are derived from "Zorya," such "zrka" (dialectal "zira" and "ziry") and "zirnitsa" (or "zirnytsi," a lyrical phrase that means "tiny star," "aurora," and "dawn."

There are many stars (рок) in the sky, but only two Zori: the morning one (свтова) and the evening one (верн), according to a proverb gathered in "арквин" (Kharkiv Oblast).

The mourner declares in an orphan's lament that he will steal the "keys of the dawn" ("о в ор кл вла").

The girl calls upon the "three star-sisters" (also known as the "dawn-sisters") in a magical love charm:

You have three options: one nudna, one pryvitna, and one pechal'na.

You three sisters in the sky, the boring one, the inviting one, and the somber one, you dawn-stars.

The Zorya In Slovenian Mythology. 

In the Slovene folk ballad "Zorja prstan pogubila," the singer requests that her mother ("majko"), brother ("bratca"), sister ("sestro"), and beloved ("dragog") search for her missing ring.

According to professor Monika Kropej, the sun rises in the morning accompanied by the morning dawn known as Sonica (from the Slovene word for sun) and sets in the evening followed by the evening dawn known as Zarika (from the Slovene word for dawn, zarja). 

Additionally, a Slovenian narrative folk song about their rivalry features these female characters. In addition, F. S. Copeland described another lyric with the name Ballad of Beautiful Zora and understood both characters as the legendary Sun and Dawn. 

In his book on Slovene myths and folktales, Slovene folklorist Jakob Kelemina (sl) claimed that a Zora emerges as the Snake Queen's daughter (perhaps a manifestation of the night) in the so-called Kresnik Cycle.

Professor Daiva Vaitkevien claims that the Virgin Mary undoubtedly took the role of the goddess Zaria in East Slavic charms. In Russian charms, the Virgin Mary is often referred to as "Zaria."

The announcer mentions "Maria-the-Dawn" and "Maremiyaniya-the-Dawn" in a charm that was compiled in Arkhangelsky and published in 1878 by historian Alexandra Efimenko (ru).

Another charm uses the "Evening Star Mariya" and "Morning Star Maremiyana" to banish insomnia.

Additionally, charms for health are said to summon Goddess Zaria (or, alternatively, a group of three goddesses called Zori). This "is a very common theme of the Slavic charms," claims professor Daiva Vaitkevien.

As the name of a song performed by Colinda tori and the Romanian word for dawn, "zori," the term "Zorya" has become a loanword (zorile).

Other names for The Morning Star include Dennica, Zornica, and Zarnica.

The Zorya In Croatian Mythology. 

Venus is referred to as Zornjaa in Serbo-Croatian languages when it rises in the morning and Veernjaa when it sets.

The Dawn/Morning Star is portrayed as the bride of a masculine Moon in a folk song.

In several Croatian folk songs, which Rikardo Ferdinand Plohl-Herdvigov gathered and published in 1876, a "zorja" is used with the word "Marja" in the phrase "Zorja Marja prsten toi," and it is referred to as "Zorja, zorija" in the phrase "Marija sinku nainila koulju."

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who is Zorya, the goddess?

In Slavic tradition, Zorya (which means "Dawn" and has various variations including Zarya, Zara, Zaranitsa, Zoryushka, etc.) represents dawn in a feminine form. Depending on the myth, she could manifest as a single being known as "The Red Maiden" or as two or three sisters simultaneously.

In American Gods, who is Zorya's god?

One of the Old Gods, Zorya Polunochnaya, is a figure from Slavic mythology. Zorya Vechernyaya, who symbolizes the Morning Star, and Zorya Utrennyaya, who represents the Midnight Star, are her sisters (Evening Star). They form the Zorya collectively.

Who are the American Gods' Zorya sisters?

In American Gods, three sisters are introduced. Zorya Vechernyaya (Evening/Twilight) Dawn/Morning Zorya Utrennyaya Zorya Polunochnaya (Midnight).

What is the origin of the name Zorya?

Origin and Meaning of Zorya: Zorya is a girl's name that means "star." The morning and evening stars, respectively, are referred to by the names Zorya Utrennyaya and Zorya Vechernyaya of the two star goddesses in Slavic mythology. In Russia and other nations with Slavic-based languages, it is used as a name.

~Kiran Atma

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