A mother goddess is a goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother, who serves as a general fertility deity, the bountiful embodiment of the Earth. The Cucuteni culture, better known in the countries of the former Soviet Union as Trypillian culture or Tripolie culture, is a late Neolithic The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa The Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman of Willendorf, is an 11 A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities Fertility is the natural capability of giving life As a measure "Fertility Rate" is the number of children born per couple person or population EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 As such, not all goddesses should be viewed as manifestations of the mother goddess. This goddess is depicted in Western traditions in many variations, from the rock-cut images of Cybele to Dione ("the Goddess")who was invoked at Dodona along with Zeus, until late Classical times. Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in Dione in Greek mythology is a vague goddess presence who has her most concrete form in Book V of Homer 's Iliad as the mother of Aphrodite Dodona (from Doric Greek Δωδώνα Ionic Greek: Δωδώνη - Dodone) in Epirus in northwestern Greece, was a prehistoric In the Homeric Hymns (7-6 century BC) there is a hymn to the mother goddess called "Hymn to Gaia, Mother of All". The Sumerians wrote many erotic poems about their mother goddess Ninhursaga (Sex & Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature, G, Leick, Routledge, 2003). Sumer ( Sumerian: sux-Latn [[Ki (earth ki]]-[[EN (cuneiform en]]-'''ĝir15''', Akkadian: Šumeru; possibly Biblical Shinar

Contents 1 Contention 2 Paleolithic figures 3 Neolithic figures 4 Examples of the mother goddess type of deity 4.1 Egyptian 4.2 Sumerian, Mesopotamian, and Greek 4.3 Celtic 4.4 Germanic 4.5 Turkic Siberians 4.6 Greek 4.7 Roman 5 Hinduism 5.1 Shaktism 6 Christianity 7 Neopaganism 8 Earth Mother 9 In Fiction 10 See also 10.1 Figures 10.2 Other 11 Notes 12 Further reading 13 External links

Contention

Clearly, deities fitting the modern conception of the "Mother Goddesses" as a type have been revered in many societies through to modern times. James Frazer (author of The Golden Bough) and those he influenced (such as Robert Graves and Marija Gimbutas) advanced the theory that all worship in Europe and the Aegean that involved any kind of mother goddess had originated in Pre-Indo-European neolithic matriarchies, and that their diverse goddesses were equivalent or derived from that concept. The Golden Bough A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of Mythology and Religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir Robert Graves (24 July 1895 &ndash 7 December 1985 was an English Poet, Translator and Novelist. Marija Gimbutas ( Marija Gimbutienė) ( Vilnius, January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles, United States February 2 Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age Civilizations of Greece and the Aegean. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Matriarchy is a term which is applied to gynocentric form of Society, in which the leading role is by the Female and especially by the Mothers

Although the type has been well accepted as a useful category for mythography, the idea that all such goddesses were believed in ancient times to be interchangeable has been countered in 1968 by archaeologist Peter Ucko, who proposes instead that the many images found in graves and archaeological sites of these ancient cultures were toys. A mythographer, or a mythologist, according to a strict dictionary definition is a compiler of myths Mythography (from Greek μυθογραφία Peter John Ucko FRAI FSA (27th July 1938- 14th June 2007 was Professor Emeritus of Comparative Archaeology, former Executive Director of University College London ^[1]

Paleolithic figures

Several small, corpulent figures have been found during archaeological excavations of the Upper Paleolithic, the Venus of Willendorf, perhaps, being the most famous. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa The Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman of Willendorf, is an 11 ^[2] It is estimated to have been carved 24,000–22,000 BCE. Some archaeologists believe they were intended to represent goddesses, while others believe that they could have served some other purpose. These figurines predate the available records of the goddesses listed below as examples by many thousands of years, so although they seem to conform to the same generic type, it is not clear whether they, indeed, were representations of a goddess or that, if they are, there was any continuity of religion that connects them with Middle Eastern and Classical deities. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean

The Paleolithic period extends from 2. The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" 5 million years ago to the introduction of agriculture around 10,000 BCE. Archaeological evidence indicates that humans migrated to the Western Hemisphere before the end of the Paleolithic. It is the prehistoric era distinguished by the development of stone tools, and covers the greatest portion of humanity's time on Earth. A broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other

Neolithic figures

Diverse images of Mother Goddesses also have been discovered that date from the Neolithic period, the New Stone Age, which ranges from approximately 10,000 BCE when the use of wild cereals led to the beginning of farming, and eventually, to agriculture. A statue menhir is a type of carved Standing stone created during the later European Neolithic. Rodez ( Occitan: Rodés) is a city and commune in southern France, in the Aveyron département, of which it is The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The end of this Neolithic period is characterized by the introduction of metal tools as the skill appeared to spread from one culture to another, or arise independently as a new phase in an existing tool culture, and eventually became widespread among humans. The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across Regional differences in the development of this stage of tool development are quite varied. In other parts of the world, such as Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, independent domestication events led to their own regionally-and distinctive Neolithic cultures arose independently in Europe and Southwest Asia. During this time, native cultures appear in the Western Hemisphere, arising out of older traditions that were carried during migration. Regular seasonal occupation or permanent settlements begin to be seen in excavations. Herding and keeping of cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs is evidenced along with the presence of dogs.

Almost without exception, images of what are interpreted as Mother Goddesses have been discovered in all of these cultures.

Examples of the mother goddess type of deity

There is no dispute that many ancient cultures worshipped female deities who match the modern conception of a "mother goddess" as part of their pantheons. The following are examples.

Egyptian

Mother goddesses are present in the earliest images discovered among the archaeological finds in Ancient Egypt. Dendera Temple complex, ( Ancient Egyptian: Iunet or Tantere) In Egyptian mythology, Hathor (Pronounced Hah-Thor ( Egyptian for house of Horus) was originally a personification of the Milky Way Mut, which means mother, was an Ancient Egyptian Mother goddess with multiple aspects that changed over the thousands of years of the culture Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now One figure of a deity, depicted standing between two lionesses, exists among those on one of the earliest paintings found among the Naqada Culture. The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. This article is about the Egyptian village See also Naqahdah for the fictional element from the Stargate setting

An association with animals seen as good mothers—the lioness, cow, hippopotamus, white vulture, cobra, scorpion, and cat—as well as the life-giving primordial waters, the sun, and the night sky and the earth herself—is drawn to the early goddesses of Egypt. The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius) from the Greek ἱπποπόταμος ( hippopotamos, ιππος hippos meaning "horse" The Egyptian Vulture ( Neophron percnopterus) is a small Old World vulture, found from southwestern Europe and northern Africa Cobras ( are venomous Snakes of the family Elapidae, of several genera, but particularly Naja. Scorpions are eight-legged Carnivorous Arthropods They are members of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001

Even through the transition to a paired pantheon of male deities matched or "married" to each goddess, reached a later male deity dominated pantheon that arose much later, the mother goddesses persisted into historical times (such as Hathor and Isis). In Egyptian mythology, Hathor (Pronounced Hah-Thor ( Egyptian for house of Horus) was originally a personification of the Milky Way Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners Advice from the oracles associated with these goddesses guided the rulers of Egypt and the tradition spread to other ancient cultures. An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion an Infallible authority usually spiritual in nature

The image of Isis nursing her son was worshipped into the sixth century A. Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners D. and has been resurrected by contemporary "cults" of an Earth Mother. Some suggest that the reverence for the mother of Jesus, took the place of the worship of Isis that could not be suppressed, including incorporating the imagery associated with Hathor-Isis from three thousand years before Christianity.

Sumerian, Mesopotamian, and Greek

Tiamat in Sumerian mythology, Ishtar (Inanna), and Ninsun in Mesopotamia, Asherah in Canaan, `Ashtart in Syria, and Aphrodite in Greece, for example. Sāmarrā ( Arabic, سامَرّاء) is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is the sea personified as a Goddess, and a monstrous embodiment of Primordial chaos. Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian Akkadian Assyrian and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris Ishtar ( D IŠTAR 𒀭𒌋𒁯 is the Assyrian and Babylonian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to In Sumerian mythology, Ninsun or Ninsuna ("lady wild cow" is a goddess best known as the mother of the legendary hero Gilgamesh, and as Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding Asherah (from Hebrew אשרה generally taken as identical with the Ugaritic goddess Athirat (more accurately transcribed as ʼAṯirat) was Canaanites redirects here For the 1940s social and political movement in Israel, see Canaanites (movement. Astarte (from Greek Ἀστάρτη ( Astártē) is the name of a Goddess as known from Northwestern Semitic regions cognate in name origin Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

Celtic

The Irish goddess Anu, sometimes known as Danu, has an impact as a mother goddess, judging from the Dá Chích Anann near Killarney, County Kerry. Saint Martin ( Guernésiais and French Saint Martin; historically Saint-Martin-de-la-Bellouse) is a parish in Guernsey, Channel A statue menhir is a type of carved Standing stone created during the later European Neolithic. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings Not to be confused with Annan. In Irish mythology, Anann ( Anu, Ana, Anand) was a Goddess In Irish mythology, Danu (Old Irish or Dana (the Modern Gaelic and Scottish form was the mother Goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples Killarney (Cill Airne meaning "The church of the sloes" is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. County Kerry ( Contae Chiarraí in Irish) is a southwestern county of Ireland. Irish literature names the last and most favored generation of deities as "the people of Danu" (Tuatha de Dannan).

Germanic

In the 1st century BC, Tacitus recorded rites amongst the Germanic tribes focused on the female goddess Nerthus, whom he calls Terra Mater, 'Mother Earth'. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Nerthus is a Goddess in Germanic paganism associated with fertility. Prominent in these rites was the procession of the goddess in a wheeled vehicle through the countryside. Among the seven or eight tribes said to worship her, Tacitus lists the Anglii and the Longobardi. The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestral region of Angeln, a modern district located in ^[3] A nearly unbroken chain of evidence of her worship can be found in the historical records of these people.

Among the Anglo-Saxons (Tacitus' Anglii), a Christian incantation known as the Æcerbót, involving a procession through the fields while calling upon the Christian God for a good harvest, invokes 'eorþan modor' (Earth Mother) and 'folde, fira modor,' (Earth, mother of men), whom many scholars identify as a pagan goddess. ^[4] There, the Christian god, in place of the ancient Indo-European sky-father, is called upon to impregnate her with his seed, so that she may become fertile in his embrace. The account of the procession that accompanies this invocation is reminiscent of the procession of Nerthus, and supported by the accounts of other wagon processions in medieval Europe, labeled as heathen and prohibited by the Church. Nerthus is a Goddess in Germanic paganism associated with fertility. The most famous of these is the procession of the god Freyr found in the Flateyjarbók, Ogmundar þáttr dytts. "Frey" redirects here For other uses of Frey and Freyr, see Frey (disambiguation. ^[5] The Longobardians, on the other hand, in their first historical record, pay homage to Frea, Godin's wife, who takes an active part in their affairs. In this story, Frea turns the bed of her husband, so that he catches sight of her favorites the Winnilli upon waking. He asks "who are these long-beards"? With that, Frea demands he give them victory in battle, as he has given them a name. Thereafter, they are known as the Longobardi, and enter history as the Lombards. This tale, told in the History of the Lombards by Paul the Deacon, is the earliest record of Odin and Frigg as a divine pair. Paul the Deacon (c 720 &ndash 13 April probably 799 also known as Paulus Diaconus, Warnefred and Cassinensis (i Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. They next appear together with their son Baldur in central Germany in the Second Merseburg Charm. The Merseburg Incantations (die Merseburger Zaubersprüche are two medieval magic spells charms or Incantations written in Old High German.

In Central Germany, we find legends of Frau Holle throughout the Middle Ages. In Germanic folklore as established by Jacob Grimm, Frau Holda or Holle is the supernatural matron of spinning, Childbirth and domestic She appears as a helpful goddess, in charge of spinning and household affairs. ^[6] She rides through the countryside during the Twelve-nights, sometimes asking local peasants for assistance repairing her wagon. Those who help are rewarded with woodchips or dung, which they soon discover turns to gold. Among her many names are Holda, Berchta, Perht, and Frekka, the last of which directly connects her to Odin's wife Frigg. Many German harvest customs surround both Odin (Wotan, Godan, Wold) and Frau Holle. ^[7] In several German legends, she is known as Frau Goden, and connected to the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Northern Western and Central Europe Goden is simply another name for Odin, again indicating that Frau Holle is most likely a remembrance of Odin's wife, Frigg. In Snorri Sturlusson's Prose Edda, a handbook on poetry written more than two centuries after the Christian conversion of Iceland, Earth and Frigg, however, are presented as independent entities. Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland (

It seems apparent that to the heathen poets Frigg was the goddess who represented the earth. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Frigg has been named as Odin's wife, since their earliest historical appearance. In Icelandic poetry from the heathen era, the kenning "Odin's wife" is a common designation for the Earth. Bynames of the Earth in Icelandic poetry include Jörð, Fjörgyn, Hlóðyn and Hlín. In Norse mythology, Jörð ( Old Norse "earth" jɔrð Jarð jɑrð in Old East Norse --> sometimes Anglicized as Jord In Norse mythology, Jörð ( Old Norse "earth" jɔrð Jarð jɑrð in Old East Norse --> sometimes Anglicized as Jord In Norse mythology, Hlín is one of the three handmaids of Frigg, together with Fulla and Gná. In skaldic poetry, Hlín is used as a byname of both Jörð and Frigg. Fjörgynr (a masculine form of Fjörgyn) is said to be Frigg's father, while the name Hlóðyn is most commonly linked to Frau Holle, as well as to a goddess, Hludana, whose name is found eteched in several votive inscriptions from the Roman era. In Germanic folklore as established by Jacob Grimm, Frau Holda or Holle is the supernatural matron of spinning, Childbirth and domestic ^[8] Frigg's character as an earth goddess is best evidenced in the Baldur myth, where she requests all earthly things to do her son no harm. The one thing she omits is the mistletoe, which does not sprout in the earth, but hangs as a parasite from trees. Mistletoe is the common name for a group of hemi-parasitic Plants in the order Santalales that grow attached to and within the Upon his return from the underworld, Odin's messenger Hermod, presents Frigg with a veil and a reproducing ring, both appropriate gifts for the Earth mother. Hermóðr the Brave ( Old Norse "war-spirit" is a figure in Norse mythology. The veil is best interpreted as spring vegetation which originates underground to beautiful the earth, after the spring thaw, explicitly represented in the myth by all things weeping for Baldur's return, as they do when they move "from cold into heat".

Connections have been proposed between the figure of Nerthus and various figures (particularly figures counted amongst the Vanir) recorded in 13th century Icelandic records of Norse mythology, including Frigg. Vanir is the name of one of the two groups of gods in Norse mythology, the other and more well known being the Æsir. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. Due to potential etymological connections, the figure of Njord has been proposed as the consort of Nerthus. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Njörðr is a Vanir god in Norse mythology. In surviving sources Njörðr is the father of the major deities Freyr and Freyja by his unnamed ^[9] In the Eddaic poem Lokasenna, Njörd is said to have fathered his famous children by his own sister. Lokasenna ( Loki's flyting, Loki's wrangling, Loki's quarrel) is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. This sister remains unnamed. Once Frigg is recognized as the Germanic Earth Mother, her role as sister of Njörd and the mother of the fertility twins Frey and Freyja becomes an ever increasing probability.

Main article: Grendel's mother#Debate concerning the nature of Grendel's mother

Due to specific terms used to describe the figure of Grendel's mother from the poem Beowulf, some scholars have proposed that the figure of Grendel's mother, like the poem itself, may have derived from earlier traditions originating from Germanic paganism. Grendel's mother ( Old English: Grendles modor) is one of three Antagonists (along with Grendel and the Dragon) in the work of Grendel's mother ( Old English: Grendles modor) is one of three Antagonists (along with Grendel and the Dragon) in the work of Beowulf is an Old English Heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between Germanic paganism refers to the religious beliefs of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization.

Turkic Siberians

Umai, also known as Ymai or Mai, is the mother goddess of the Turkic Siberians. Umai, also known as Ymai or Mai, is the mother goddess of the Turkic Siberians She is depicted as having sixty golden tresses, that resemble the rays of the sun. Sunlight, in the broad sense is the total spectrum of the Electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. She is thought to have once been identical with Ot of the Mongols.

It is interesting to note that Shiva's consort is called Parvati and also Uma. And in India the mother worship also is called Devi Maa or Maya. Both imply linguistic links.

Farther to the west in Turkey, the Neolithic settlement from 7500 BC, Çatalhöyük, has yielded many examples of worship of a mother goddess. Çatalhöyük (ʧɑtɑl højyk in Turkish also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without Diacritics çatal is Turkish Examples found show that images of the goddess greatly exceeded the small number of a male deity found in early associations and that the male images eventually ceased to appear at all after a certain time, as evidenced in the temporal stratification of the excavations of the site. ^[10] To date eighteen levels have been identified. These careful figurines were found primarily in areas Mellaart believed to be shrines. One, however – a stately goddess seated on a throne flanked by two lionesses – was found in a grain bin, which Mellaart suggests might have been a means of ensuring the harvest or protecting the food supply. This article is about royal thrones for the order of Angels by the same name see Thrones. The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. ^[11] The image to the right was found in excavations there and depicts a Mother Goddess seated on a throne that is flanked by two lionesses. It is dated as c. 6000-5500 BC and resides in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.

Greek

In the Aegean, Anatolian, and ancient Near Eastern culture zones, a mother goddess was worshipped in the forms of Cybele (revered in Rome as Magna Mater, the 'Great Mother'), of Gaia, and of Rhea. Etymology In ancient times there were various explanations for the name Aegean. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black The Ancient Near East refers to early Civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in Gaia (ˈgeɪə or /ˈgaɪə/ (" land " or " Earth " from the Ancient Greek Γαîα also Gæa or Gea Rhea ( ancient Greek) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus, the sky and Gaia, the earth in classical Greek mythology

The Olympian goddesses of classical Greece had many characters with mother goddess attributes, including Hera and Demeter. The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (ˈhɪərə or /ˈhɛrə/ Greek) or Here ( in Ionic and Homer Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater ^[12]

The Minoan goddess represented in seals and other remains, whom Greeks called Potnia theron, "Mistress of the Animals", many of whose attributes were later also absorbed by Artemis, seems to have been a mother goddess type, for in some representations she suckles the animals that she holds. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. Potnia Theron ("Mistress of the Animals" is an ancient title of the Minoan Goddess an aspect of her power that was assumed by Artemis among others in the In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister

The archaic local goddess worshiped at Ephesus, whose cult statue was adorned with necklaces and stomachers hung with rounded protuberances^[13] who was later also identified by Hellenes with Artemis, was probably also a mother goddess. Ephesus ( Hittite Apasa; Ancient Greek; Turkish Efes) was a city of ancient Anatolia.

The Anna Perenna Festival of the Greeks and Romans for the New Year, around March 15, near the Vernal Equinox, may have been a mother goddess festival. Anna Perenna was an old Roman deity of the circle or "ring" of the year as the name ( per annum) clearly indicates An equinox is the event of the Sun passing over the Earth's equator in its annual cycle Since the Sun is considered the source of life and food, this festival was also equated with the Mother Goddess.

Roman

Aphrodite's counterpart in Roman mythology, Venus, eventually was adopted as a Mother Goddess figure. Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its Venus was a major Roman Goddess principally associated with Love, Beauty and fertility, the equivalent of the Greek goddess She was seen as the mother of the Roman people, being the mother of Rome's ancestor, Aeneas, and the ancestor of all subsequent Roman rulers, and by the time of Julius Caesar's era, she was dubbed "Venus Genetrix" (Mother Venus). This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation.

Magna Dea is Latin for "Great Goddess" and may refer to any major goddess worshipped during the Roman Republic or Roman Empire. Magna Dea is Latin for " Great Goddess " and can refer to any major Goddess worshipped during the Roman Republic or Roman Empire Magna Dea could be applied to a goddess at the head of a pantheon, such as Juno or Minerva, or a goddess worshipped monotheistically. The MInisterial NEtwoRk for Valorising Activities in digitisation, or MINERVA, is a European Union organization concerned with the digitisation of cultural and For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] Juno may have origins in the Etruscan mother goddess deity as well, whose identity merged with the Roman goddess later.

Hinduism

In the Hindu context, the worship of the Mother entity can be traced back to early Vedic culture, and perhaps, even before that time. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. This article discusses the historical religious practices in the Vedic time period see Hinduism and Indian religions for details The Rigveda calls the divine female power, Mahimata (R. The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" V. 1. 164. 33), a term which literally means Mother Earth.

At places, the Vedic literature alludes to her as Viraj, the universal mother, as Aditi, the mother of gods, and as Ambhrini, the one born of the Primeval Ocean. In Hinduism, Durga ("the inaccessible" or "the invincible" or Maa Durga (Mother Durga is a form of Devi, the supreme Goddess Aditi ( Sanskrit अदिति - limitless) ''a'' not + ''diti'' bound from the verbal root ''da'' to bind unbounded free as a noun infinite and shoreless Durga represents the empowering and protective nature of motherhood. In Hinduism, Durga ("the inaccessible" or "the invincible" or Maa Durga (Mother Durga is a form of Devi, the supreme Goddess An incarnation of Durga is Kali, who came from her forehead during war (as a means of defeating Durga's enemy, Mahishasura). Kali redirects here See Kali (disambiguation for other uses Not to be confused with Kali (demon, the personification of Kali Yuga In Hindu mythology, Mahishasura was an Asura. Mahishasur's father Rambha was king of the Asura, and he once fell in love with a water buffalo Durga and her incarnations are particularly worshipped in Bengal. Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang

Today, Devi is seen in manifold forms, all representing the creative force in the world, as Maya and prakriti, the force that galvanizes the divine ground of existence into self-projection as the cosmos. Devi ( Devanagari: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism. Maya ( Sanskrit sa माया māyā) in Indian religions, has multiple meanings Prakrti or Prakriti (from Sanskrit language प्रकृ्रति prakṛti is according to Vedanta philosophy the basic matter of which the She is not merely the Earth, although even this perspective is covered by Parvati (Durga's previous incarnation). Parvati ( Sanskrit: Pārvatī sa [[wiktपार्वती पार्वती]] sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hindu

All of the various Hindu female entities are seen as forming many faces of the same female Divinity. However mother and nursing child imagery has been found in Hindu art, namely the depiction of Yashoda and Krishna. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Yasoda ( Sanskrit: यशोदा was wife of Nanda within the Puranic texts of Hinduism. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism ^[14]

In Sanskrit there is the term Yaganmatri for Mother of the Universe. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical

Shaktism

This form of Hinduism, known as Shaktism, is strongly associated with Vedanta, Samkhya, and Tantra Hindu philosophies and is ultimately monist, although there is a rich tradition of Bhakti yoga associated with it. Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi (pronunciation; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth Parvati ( Sanskrit: Pārvatī sa [[wiktपार्वती पार्वती]] sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hindu Saraswati (pronounced as; Sanskrit: sa सरस्वती sarasvatī; Malay: Saraswati Thai: สุรัสวดี is the The Trimurti ( English: ‘three forms’ Sanskrit: trimūrti) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Shaktism ( Sanskrit: Śāktaṃ sa शाक्तं lit "doctrine of power" or "doctrine of the Goddess") is a denomination of Vedanta ( Devanagari: sa वेदान्त Vedānta) is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the Self-realisation Sankhya, also Samkhya, ( सांख्य, IAST: sānkhya - 'enumeration' is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit ''{{IAST|āstika}}'') schools of thought or darshanas (literally "views" Sankhya Monism is the metaphysical and Theological view that all is one that all reality is subsumed under the most fundamental category of being or existence Bhakti Yoga ( Devanāgarī: भक्ति योग is a term within Hinduism which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to God The feminine energy, Shakti, is considered to be the motive force behind all action and existence in the phenomenal cosmos in Hinduism. Shakti, meaning sacred force, power, or energy, is the Hindu concept or personification of the divine feminine aspect sometimes referred The cosmos itself is Brahman, the concept of the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality that is the Divine Ground of all being, the "world soul". Brahman ( bráhman-, Nominative bráhma sa ब्रह्म is a concept of Hinduism.

Masculine potentiality is actualized by feminine dynamism, embodied in multitudinous goddesses who are ultimately reconciled in one.

The keystone text is the Devi Mahatmya which combines earlier Vedic theologies, emergent Upanishadic philosophies and developing tantric cultures in a laudatory exegesis of Shakti religion. The Devi Mahatmya ( Sanskrit: devīmāhātmyam, sa देवीमाहात्म्यम् or "Glory of the Goddess " is a Hindu The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric Demons of ego, ignorance, and desire bind the soul in maya (illusion) (also alternately ethereal or embodied) and it is Mother Maya, Shakti, herself, who can free the bonded individual. Maya ( Sanskrit sa माया māyā) in Indian religions, has multiple meanings The immanent Mother, Devi, is for this reason focused on with intensity, love, and self-dissolving concentration in an effort to focus the shakta (as a Shakti worshipper is sometimes known) on the true reality underlying time, space, and causation, thus freeing one from karmic cyclism. In Indian religions, Moksha ( Sanskrit: sa मोक्ष mokṣa) or Mukti ( Sanskrit: sa मुक्ति literally "release" Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्म, kárman - "act action performance" Pali: kamma) is the concept of "action"

Christianity

Some Christians regard Mary, the Theotokos (or mother of God) for many believers, as a "spiritual mother," since she not only fulfills a maternal role, but is often viewed as a protective and intercessory force, a divinely established mediator for humanity, but she is not worshiped as a divine "mother goddess" officially. Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches identify "the woman" described in Revelation 12 as the Virgin Mary because in verse 5 this woman is said to have given "birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod" whom they identify as Jesus Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Then, in verse 17 of Revelation 12, the Bible describes "the rest of her offspring" as "those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus. " These Christians believe themselves to be the other "offspring" because they try to "keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus," and thus they embrace Mary as their "mother". They also cite John 19:26-27 where Jesus entrusts his mother to the Apostle John as evidence that Mary is the mother of all Christians, taking the command "behold your mother" to apply generally.

The Virgin Mary receives many titles in Catholicism, such as Queen of Heaven and Star of the Sea, that are familiar from earlier Near Eastern traditions. Queen of Heaven is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Christians, mainly Catholics and Orthodox, to whom the title is a consequence Our Lady Star of the Sea is an ancient title for the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. Due to this correlation, Protestants often accuse Catholics of viewing Mary as a goddess, but the Catholic Church always has condemned "worship" of the Virgin Mary. Part of this accusation is due to the Catholic practice of prayer as a means of communication rather than as a means of worship. Catholics believe that the dead who followed their God, have eternal life and can hear prayers in heaven from people here on earth.

The Bible refers to the personified Heavenly Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in feminine terms. Most Christians who are Catholics believe that "God the Father" is masculine and that Jesus was a man; and further, that "the Church" is the female counterpart of God and is the Bride of Jesus.

Some Christians do not agree on this teaching and assert that God subsumes and transcends both masculinity and femininity. From their point of view the grammatical gender used to address the deity is a mere convention, and the masculine designations for the persons of the Trinity characterize a relationship and not gender, per se. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных However, this is a relatively recent phenomenah, and as such, would have constituted heresy for most of the early history of Christianity.

Some of the Black Madonna icons are believed by some to derive from depictions of ancient goddesses, in particular the Egyptian Goddess Isis with her child Horus sitting on her lap. The Ptolemaic dynasty (sometimes also known as the Lagids, from the name of Ptolemy I's father Lagus) was a Hellenistic Macedonian royal family Our Mother of Perpetual Help (or of Succour) or Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, associated with a Byzantine A Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of Mary in which she is depicted with dark or black skin Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners Medieval images of Mary and Jesus share this similarity, as well.

In many languages, such as Syriac, the word translated "spirit" takes the feminine gender. See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath In Linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called Noun classes are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words every noun must belong In early Christian literature in these languages, the Holy Spirit is therefore discussed in feminine terms, especially before c. In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance A. D. 400. ^[15] Some scholars argue that it was based upon an original goddess figure who was minimized in later traditions.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) believe in, but do not worship, a Heavenly Mother, the wife and female counterpart—and equal of the Heavenly Father ^[16]. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States and the largest and most well-known This belief is not emphasized, however, and adherents pray to the "Father in Heaven. "

Neopaganism

The Mother Goddess, amalgamated and combined with various feminine figures from world cultures of both the past and present, is worshipped by modern Wiccans and others (see Triple Goddess). In ancient Indo-European mythologies various Goddesses or demi-goddesses appear as a triad, either as three separate beings The mother goddess is usually viewed as Mother Earth by these groups.

Wiccans and some other types Neo-Pagans worship the Mother Goddess. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is an Umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements particularly those influenced by historical Most commonly she is worshiped as a Triple Goddess; usually envisioned as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone archetypes. In ancient Indo-European mythologies various Goddesses or demi-goddesses appear as a triad, either as three separate beings An archetype ( pronounced: /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ (Brit or /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/ (Amer She is associated with the full moon and with Earth. Full moon is a Lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 Many ancient Pagan religions had mother goddesses; it has been argued that the figure of Mary the mother of Jesus is patterned on these.

The term "Great Goddess" itself can refer to a mother goddess in some contemporary Neopagan and Wiccan religions

Even among those who are not Pagan, expressions such as Mother Earth and Mother Nature are in common usage, personifying the Earth's ecology as a fertile and sustaining mother. Mother Nature is a common Anthropomorphized representation of Nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing features of nature by embodying it in the form of Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of

Earth Mother

The Earth Mother is a motif that appears in many mythologies. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" The Earth Mother is a fertile goddess embodying the fertile earth and typically the mother of other deities, and so, also are seen as patronesses of motherhood. A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always "Mom" "Mum" and "Mommy" redirect here This is generally thought of as being because the earth was seen as being the mother from whom all life sprang.

The Rigveda calls the Female power, Mahimata (R. The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" V. 1. 164. 33), a term which literally means Mother Earth.

In Fiction

In Gore Vidal's ironic dystopia "Messiah", a new death-worshipping religion sweeps the world and wipes out Christianity. Gore Vidal (born October 3 1925 ˌgɔər vɪˈdɑːl or /vɪˈdæl/ is an American Novelist, Screenwriter, Playwright, A dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος alternatively cacotopia, kakotopia, cackotopia, or anti-utopia) is the vision of a society Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Yet at the conclusion of the book, a woman names Iris who was among the new religion's founders starts to be worshipped as a new manifestation of the Mother Goddess, though there was no such concept when the religion was founded. Vidal's point was clearly to show that worship of the Mother Goddess is an immemorial institute and would find a manifestation within whatever religion emerges.

See also

Figures

• Aphrodite
• Blessed Virgin Mary
• Brigid
• Cybele
• Demeter
• Devi
• Durga
• Freyja
• Frigg
• Gaia
• Hathor
• Hecate
• Ishtar
• Isis
• Jord
• Kamakhya
• Kali
• Laxmi
• Mut
• Nerthus
• Ops
• Tawaret
• Triple Goddess
• Yashoda

Other

• Father god
• God (male deity)
• God and gender
• Goddess movement
• Goddess
• Great Goddess, a disambiguation page
• Great Mother, a disambiguation page
• Mother
• Sacred feminine
• Sky father
• Petrosomatoglyph

Notes

Further reading

• Marija Gimbutas. Marija Gimbutas ( Marija Gimbutienė) ( Vilnius, January 23, 1921 – Los Angeles, United States February 2 The language of the Goddess. Harpercollins (1989). ISBN 0062503561
• Neumann, Erich. Erich Neumann (אריך נוימן January 23, 1905 Berlin - November 5, 1960, Tel Aviv) was a Psychologist (1991). The Great Mother. Bollingen; Repr/7th edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN 0-691-01780-8.
• J. F. del Giorgio. The Oldest Europeans. A. J. Place (2006). ISBN 980-6898-00-1
• Goldin, Paul R. (2002) "On the Meaning of the Name Xi wangmu, Spirit-Mother of the West. " Paul R. Goldin. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 122, No. 1/January-March 2002, pp. 83-85.
• Knauer, Elfried R. (2006)"The Queen Mother of the West: A Study of the Influence of Western Prototypes on the Iconography of the Taoist Deity. " In: Contact and Exchange in the Ancient World. Ed. Victor H. Mair. University of Hawai'i Press. Pp. 62-115. ISBN-13: ISBN 978-0-8248-2884-4; ISBN-10: ISBN 0-8248-2884-4

External links

• Reflections on Erta as named on the Franks Casket by Alfred Becker (PhD)
• A Chapel of Our Mother God

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