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 Radio1 - The Body
Provided By: Achriel
Composer: Abney Park
Title: Love
Radio2 - The Mind
Radio3 - The Soul
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Despite the cost of living have you noticed how it remains so popular?
-- Anon
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· Using Witchvox – a walkthrough
(Sep 02, 2009)
· Nutritionist Stephen Heuer Arrested in FDA Raid
(Jan 19, 2009)
· Spelling it like it isn't
(Aug 09, 2008)
· Funding the pagans
(Mar 08, 2008)
· Giuliani gets Robertson Endorsement
(Nov 12, 2007)
· The Dangers Of Feminism
(Aug 30, 2007)
· The secrets behind crazy airfare prices
(Aug 27, 2007)
· Petition To Rename Stretch Of 401 'Highway Of Heroes'
(Aug 24, 2007)
· Mummified Toronto child a newborn boy
(Jul 27, 2007)
· Quick Summer Meals without all the heat!
(Jul 18, 2007)
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 Topic: Gods, Goddesses & Deities
The new items published under this topic are as follows.
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Brigit the Goddess
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Posted by: Makarios on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 - 08:00 AM
140 Reads
The Romans equated Brigantia with Minerva, a goddess of war, wisdom and crafts. There is evidence of this from a statue at Birrens in Dumfriesshire which shows her with Minerva’s symbol of the Gorgon’s head on her breast, a mural crown, a spear and the globe of victory.
Modern scholars accept the link between Brigit and Brigantia who was the tribal protector of the Brigantes, a powerful tribe in the north of England. She was a bringer of fertility and prosperity, a patron of the arts and associated with healing. On the continent there was a tribe known as the Brigantii near Bregenz in Austria and since we know that Minerva was honoured there it is reasonable to assume that Brigantia was also a Celtic goddess of that area and that tribe.
There are seven inscriptions to Brigantia, in two of them she is referred to as ‘dea Victoria’ which possibly reflects her function as tribal protector. In another she is called ‘Nympha Brigantia’ and invoked for healing (‘pro salute’). In yet another she is described as ‘Caelestis Brigantia’ or heavenly Brigantia which evokes images of her as both exalted and wonderfully pleasing, and suggests that she has a place in the heavens perhaps as the sun which is a heavenly body.
Read the complete article: Brigits Forge
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Apollo: “Light” God or “Dark” God?
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 12:00 PM
216 Reads
By Fiamma
<snip> So there is this god, I’m not going to tell you his name. He is a god of many things- of light, of music and beauty, poetry, truth and healing. He is rational and wise. He is called Radiant, and Averter of Evil, Rescuer, Protector from Harm, Healer. He is known for defending his mother from attackers and insults, his music is unrivaled. He id a god of knowledge. Some consider him a sun-god. Surely, this is a light god I am speaking of, no?
And there is a god who is known far and wide for his wrath. One who, with his sister, killed innocent children for their mother’s insolent bragging; who skinned alive a satyr who dared challenge him to a musical contest and lost. He is a god of death, one who sends plague. His lovers are slain or punished through his wrath- or otherwise meet with tragic endings- the latter, he mourns. He is enigmatic, mysterious, oblique. There is no question: we are speaking of a dark god, are we not?
The two gods are, of course, the same. The god is Apollo, one thought of by many as a “light” god.
Read the complete article: Memories of Pain and Light
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Bacchus and Dionysos – more than just good drinking buddies
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Posted by: Makarios on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - 04:00 PM
229 Reads
By thehouseofvines
Every now and then I come across people who insist that the Greek and Roman gods are completely separate beings. Not only do they possess totally different names, have different forms of worship attached to them, and performed different functions within their respective pantheons, but they feel different to those who worship them.
Such are the most logical arguments brought to the discussion, though I must confess that most of the discourse isn’t carried out on this level. We’ll ignore the often rude, vulgar, and nonsensical arguments that this often generates and instead focus on something more relevant. Namely the fact that far too often people who ought to know better assert that the ancients themselves never accepted the identification of the respective pantheons, and that the only reason that some people do today is because of the popularity of the early 20th century children’s handbooks on mythology by the likes of Thomas Bullfinch and Edith Hamilton. I can only assume that such people haven’t bothered to crack open a copy of Ovid, Vergil, Horace, or even Plutarch for that matter, but I suppose expecting literacy among people on the internet is asking for too much.
Read the complete article: The House of Vines
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Who is Tyr?
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Posted by: Makarios on Monday, January 18, 2010 - 08:00 AM
192 Reads
By Uncle Thor
The references to Tyr are scattered throughout the Germanic, Nordic and Anglo-Saxon lore. These are scant. In some places, evidence shows that Tyr and Odin were worshiped equally. We know that in much of Norway and Denmark, Odin was considered the chief God between 800 and 1100 CE. Other evidence shows that in formerly Viking areas of Scotland, Tyr was either the main God or was worshiped equally. We get the same from Germany. Keep in mind that the designation of chief God is more human preference than a Divine writ. Much of the old lore is human perception of the Gods rather than the revelation of the Gods themselves.
Tyr is referred in one Runic charm as “the oldest God.” Once again, belief is subject to local variances. The Eddas have a myth where Thor helps Tyr recover a cauldron. It tells of Tyr’s parents as being jotuns. This is but a local variant wherein Tyr is not a major deity, but a minor one. In most of the old references, Tyr is a major God and, again, he is regarded as the chief God in several of them.
Read the complete article: Uncle Thors Lessons
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Hekate: Threeformed Images
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Posted by: Makarios on Friday, January 15, 2010 - 12:00 PM
301 Reads
By Sorita d’Este
When we examine the myths and legends of the many cultures and religions of the ancient Mediterranean, the Goddess Hekate stands out from the rest. There is simply no other Goddess like her, with evidence stretching back into time, but also crossing the boundaries of tradition, religion and pantheon in rather remarkable ways. Her mysteries are open to all, and her magic to those who have the wisdom to see and who are able to put fear aside in order to cross the boundaries and learn from her.
Like many other people I first encountered Hekate in literature, poetry and art, from where I learned about the image of her as a scary mistress of Witchcraft, who is invoked on moonless nights to bring forth her infernal powers. Many years later when I discovered her again, it was very much this image of Hekate which inspired those around me, who were eager to speak of her as a scary old Crone Goddess, as part of the modern “Maiden Mother Crone” construct, who whilst being wise, should be feared and who would bring doom and gloom upon those who made any mistakes in the evocations which were taking place.
Read the complete article: Penton Pagan Magazine
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Gaia, Greek Goddess of the Earth
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Posted by: Makarios on Thursday, January 07, 2010 - 12:00 PM
304 Reads
By Mary DAlba
Today, we are going to discuss Gaia (also called Gaea or Ge), the Greek Goddess of the Earth. Gaia is considered as the “Great Goddess”, “Mother Earth” and “Mother Nature”. Her equivalent in Roman mythology is Terra Matter. She is usually pictured as a woman with some sort of green around her. Most pictures have shown her pregnant with the world in her belly. There are others with Gaia sitting in the leaves, blowing them around off her hand and finally others of her sitting on a throne with cornucopia surrounding her. The Root Chakra, femininity, nature, fertility and spirit are associated with Gaia.
Gaia was created out of Chaos to give birth to all of earth. When living things die, they must return to her when their lives and time on earth is over. Gaia is known in the Greek tradition to have stretched out of the beginning of time, becoming the earth’s land. She continues to give life and sustenance to the world, even when the weather turns cold. Promises made with one hand “one Gaia’s sacred soil” are known to be irrevocable. Gaia is known for abundance, thankfulness, nature, promises and earth.
Read the complete article: Pagan Pages
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Janus, the Two Faced God
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Wednesday, January 06, 2010 - 03:00 PM
292 Reads
 by Patti Wigington
In the mythology of ancient Rome, Janus was the god of new beginnings. He was associated with doors and gates, and the first steps of a journey. The month of January -- of course, falling at the beginning of the new year -- is named in his honor. He is often invoked together with Jupiter, and is considered a high-ranking god.
In many portrayals, Janus is depicted as having two faces, looking in opposite directions. In one legend, Saturn bestows upon him the ability to see both the past and the future. In the early days of Rome, city founder Romulus and his men kidnapped the women of Sabine, and the men of Sabine attacked Rome in retaliation. The daughter of a city guard betrayed her fellow Romans and allowed the Sabines into the city.
Read the complete article: About
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The Horned God: His lore and Worship
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Posted by: Makarios on Friday, December 25, 2009 - 12:00 PM
256 Reads
By BlueDruid
As the winter solstice approaches, I’d like to spend some time writing about one intimately connected to this season, The Horned God, by whatever name you choose to call him (Cernunnos, Herne, etc) as viewed by a contemporary Pagan (i.e. me) . As part of my effort to spend more time focusing on my Druidry, I’ve been trying to better know this enigmatic figure in my own personal practice. For me it has not been easy, but I feel the rewards are worth the effort. I feel that there are two ways to get to know a deity, through their historical body of lore and through the UPG and experiences of their current worshipers. Unfortunately both seem to be lacking where Cernunnos is concerned. Originally either Tracian or Gaulish, almost all historical lore on him has been lost beyond the name, and try as I might I can find almost no one sharing their experiences with him on the net. For the longest time I just considered him to be the “generic horned god ” and I could not relate to such an impersonal figure. That is one of the main reasons I am a polytheist (as opposed to a monotheist or a duotheist). I seek a personal connection to the Divine that I just cannot begin to touch with either of those other systems of belief. For the longest time I came to the conclusion that he just wasn’t real enough or relevant to my spiritual practice. It turns out I just had to dig a little deeper to learn of his mysteries. I will split this post into two parts, Lore and my experiences:
Lore of the Horned God
As I mentioned above his lore is sparse. The deity that modern pagans call Cernunnos is most likely a collection of antlered and horned Gods based around local cult centers across Europe that all seem to have gotten collected under one umbrella. The only reason we know of the name is because it is because of inscriptions found in France and Germany. The name literally means Horned God. This name was then attributed to many carvings of an antlered god found on relics all across Europe. One of the most famous of these is the Gunderstrup Cauldron. These depictions all share similar elements, namely an antlered, sometimes ithyphallic man sitting cross legged. He holds two items, a torc and a ram-horned serpent, and is surrounded by various animals such as wolves, stags, bulls, dogs, rats, etc. Sometimes he is holding a bag of money. His worship seems to stretch back into the Iron Age and he is also often associated with a famous cave painting found in France termed The Sorcerer showing just how far back his worship goes.
Read the complete article: Of Oak and Ivy
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Deities of Winter Solstice
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 - 01:00 PM
297 Reads
 by Patti Wigington
While it may be mostly Pagans and Wiccans who celebrate the Yule holiday, nearly all cultures and faiths have some sort of winter solstice celebration or festival. Because of the theme of endless birth, life, death, and rebirth, the time of the solstice is often associated with deity and other legendary figures. No matter which path you follow, chances are good that one of your gods or goddesses has a winter solstice connection.
Alcyone (Greek): Alcyone is the Kingfisher goddess. She nests every winter for two weeks, and while she does, the wild seas become calm and peaceful.
Ameratasu (Japan): In feudal Japan, worshippers celebrated the return of Ameratasu, the sun goddess, who slept in a cold, remote cave. When the the other gods woke her with a loud celebration, she looked out of the cave and saw an image of herself in a mirror. The other gods convinced her to emerge from her seclusion and return sunlight to the universe.
Read the complete article: About
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Freyja – Queen of the Valkyries
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Posted by: Makarios on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 - 08:00 AM
173 Reads
By Mary DAlba
Freyja (also known as Freya) was one of the major goddess of Norse mythology and leader of the Valkyries. She was the goddess of love, fertility and beauty. She is also known as the Goddess of war, battle, death, magic, prophecy and wealth. She could be seen as the counterpart to Rhiannon and looked upon as the Lady. It is thought that the day of “Friday” was named after Freyja.
Freyja was married to mysterious God Od, who is sometimes associated with Odin. One of the myths associated with this is that Od left her and as she searched for him, she cried tears which turned to Gold. This is known to be where the world got its Gold (and also its Amber). Once she found him, Od saw her beauty and came back to her.
Read the complete article: Pagan Pages
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Born Again Gods
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Monday, December 07, 2009 - 01:00 PM
217 Reads
by Miriam Harline
After Samhain, the world plunges into darkness. It's the witches' new year, but the time of the dead. Days grow shorter and shorter, wending to their ultimate pinch. Leaves scatter in the cold wind, and the rains come.
Then, on the winter solstice, we break from darkness to celebrate the return of the light: the return of the divine Child, born to the Mother, symbolism repeated throughout Western myth. Never so brightly does this symbol shine as in the myths of Dionysos, Greek god of wine, and Osiris, Egyptian god of vegetation and the dead, both said to be reborn at the winter solstice. Having experienced death, they returned, each born again of their mother and lover. Having experienced rebirth, in their mystery cults of antiquity they could promise rebirth to initiates, a template later borrowed for the promise of the risen Christ. Even easier than seeing the features of Christ in these two gods is seeing Dionysos' features in Osiris, and vice versa.
In fact, Dionysos and Osiris may have been the same deity, seen through the different lenses and cult practices of Greece and Egypt. The promises they made their mystery devotees seem to have been the same: eternal life, reached paradoxically by undergoing bodily death.
Read the complete article: Widdershins
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Gender-Changing in Gods and Daimones
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, November 28, 2009 - 02:00 PM
344 Reads
By Laria
The theme of gender-changing, whether by one’s own hand or choice or by another’s, occurs frequently in Hellenic mythologies. It is accompanied, often, by gender-reversal; by gods and daimones acting as the opposite gender, rather than actually becoming the opposite gender. Part of this is undoubtedly due to the gender fluidity of the gods (and certain gods in particular), and part to the necessity of their act for their own gain, or for the gain of the entire kosmos. In this essay, I will be discussing, in-depth, the three most notable occurrences of gender-changing – Hermaphroditos’, Agdistis-Rhea-Kybele’s, and Attis’.
The most memorable case of gender-changing is that of Hermaphroditos, the god of hermaphrodites, effeminate men, masculine women, transsexuals, transgenders, etc. Hermaphroditos’ gender-change (or, more correctly, gender-merge) is also his primary mythology. He is rarely named in the literature that points to the Erotes, although he is numbered among them, both by his parentage and divine function; and even the mythology of his birth is short and barely-considered. His pre- and post-merge mythology is barely touched upon; despite his Olympic parentage, he seems to have been all but forgotten by the Classical writers, in all respects other than detailing his merge with the nympha Salmakis.
Read the complete article: The Mirror Palace
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Riding With Holda
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Sunday, November 22, 2009 - 11:00 AM
348 Reads
 by Selena Fox
Like someone else we know, this yuletide goddess also flew through the air, slipped down chimneys, and delivered gifts. You thought the person in the red outfit giving out treats to children on Christmas Eve was a jolly, overweight elf with a white beard and a team of reindeer leading the way. Nah. That's just what Santa's spin doctors want the world to believe.
Want to know who really decides who's naughty or nice? Try Holda, the Teutonic goddess of winter. She's the beautiful blonde wearing a shimmering gown and red or white goosedown cape who flies through the night sky on December 24 bringing gifts and spreading joy. In Pagan religions, goddesses are an important part of our celebrations because they help tie us to ancient traditions and the seasons of the year. Holda is one of my favorites. Stories about her are found in old folktales of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Denmark, Norway, and other parts of Europe. Her name means " kind" and "merciful."
Read the complete article: Beliefnet
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Yemaya – The Great Mother
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Posted by: Makarios on Friday, November 06, 2009 - 10:00 AM
313 Reads
By Mary DAlba
Yemaya is the Goddess of the Ocean and is also known as the Great Mother and the Mother of All Creation. She is also the Protector of Children and women, especially pregnant women. She is the Mother of the Fish and the Goddess of Surrender. Yemaya is an Orisha, which is one of the Gods of the Yoruba religion, which was brought to America from Africa. One of the theories is that she traveled from Egypt to Africa and her name changed from Isis to Yemaya. Yemaya is associated with the river of Ogun, because this river is known to cure infertility.
Yemaya has many other names. Known as the Star of The Sea in Brazil, In Macumba, she is known as Ocean Goddess of the Crescent Moon. In Haiti, she is Agwe. New Orleans women worship her as La Balianne. And, in Cuba she has three names, depending on which part of her personality you wish to speak with: Yemaya Ataramagwa, The Wealthy Queen Of The Sea, this is her stern persona. Yemaya Achabba, violent, and, the overpowering, Yemaya Olokun who is said to only be seen in dreams.
Yemaya is associated with many aspects of the sea – ocean, the moon, stars, conch shells, and the female mysteries. One of Yemaya’s stories is that her first gift to the mortals was a conch shell so their voices could be heard. This is attributed to the idea of holding a conch shell to a person’s ear to hear the ocean, which is Yemaya’s voice.
Another story of Yemaya is that she was raped by her son, Orungan. In order to escape further trauma, she falls and from her burst fourteen Yoruban Gods and Goddesses. One of the other stories is that after she is raped by her son, she decides to end her life on a mountain peak. As she dies, she not only gives birth to the fourteen Yoruban Gods and Goddesses but from her uterine waters the oceans of the world were created. From her bones, the first mortals were created. This lends to the idea that from tragedy comes great creation and birth to something new.
Read the complete article: Pagan Pages
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By Austin Cline
by Kris Bradley
