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| Aphrodite |
| Goddess's of the Month-April May-Spring/Beltane Goddesses |
| Aphrodite (Greek) Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was born from the foam of the sea. She was married to Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithy to the gods. Sacred to her are the myrtle, rose, apple, poppy, sparrow, dove, swan, swallow, tortoise, ram, the planet Venus, and the month of April. Eros was produced from a liason with Zeus. Her favorite lover is the god of war, Ares. She represented sex, affection, and the attraction that binds people together The Goddess of Love and Beauty was called, in more ancient times, Astarte. She has many incarnations and her power transcends culture and time. Her presence is as real today as it was in ancient times. She is also known as "Maiden of the Sea", "Astarte", "Ishtar", "Diana," "Venus". |
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| Freyja |
| In Norse mythology, Freya is a goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses. She is the patron goddess of crops and birth, the symbol of sensuality and was called upon in matters of love. She loves music, spring and flowers, and is particularly fond of the elves (fairies). Freya is one of the foremost goddesses of the Vanir. She is the daughter of the god Njord, and the sister of Freyr. Later she married the mysterious god Od (probably another form of Odin), who disappeared. When she mourned for her lost husband, her tears changed into gold. |
| Her attributes are the precious necklace of the Brisings, which she obtained by sleeping with four dwarfs, a cloak (or skin) of bird feathers, which allows its wearer to change into a falcon, and a chariot pulled by two cats. She owns Hildesvini ("battle boar") which is actually her human lover Ottar in disguise. Her chambermaid is Fulla. Freya lives in the beautiful palace Folkvang ("field of folk"), a place where love songs are always played, and her hall is Sessrumnir. She divides the slain warriors with Odin: one half goes to her palace, while the other half goes to Valhalla. Women also go to her hall. "Freya." Encyclopedia Mythica. http://www.pantheon.org/ articles/f/freya.html |
| Brigid (Celtic) Goddess of Earth, Sea, Sky, Wisdom, Inspiration, Healers, Poets, Mystics, and Smiths. With the coming of Christianity worship of Brigid was discouraged, but it could not be entirely suppressed. The Goddess Brigid became St. Brigid. February 1st is Imbolc, dedicated to the Goddess Brigid. The worship of the Goddess has been preserved to this day in Christian Ireland, February 1st is celebrated as the Feast day of St. Brigid. For thousands of years the Sacred Flames of Brigid burned to honor of the Goddess.It was tended by nineteen Priestesses dedicated to Her. Each Priestess tended the flame for a day, and on the twentieth day, the flame was tended by the Goddess Brigid herself. Today, nineteen Nuns tend Brigid's sacred flame and on the twentieth day, Brigid Herself still watches over Her sacred fire. The Goddess was also known as Brigit, Bride, Brigantia, Brigindo. |
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| In Honor Of Beltane, The marriage of the God and Goddess, I will also feature here some Male deities. After all, ALL Goddesses need a lover... Appropriate Deities for Beltane include all Virgin-Mother Goddesses, all Young Father Gods, all Gods and Goddesses of the Hunt, of Love, and of Fertility. Some Beltane Goddesses to mention by name here include Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Artemis, Astarte, Venus, Diana, Ariel, Var, Skadi, Shiela-na-gig, Cybele, Xochiquetzal, Freya, and Rhiannon. Beltane Gods include Apollo, Bacchus, Bel/Belanos, Cernunnos, Pan, Herne, Faunus, Cupid/Eros, Odin, Orion, Frey, Robin Goodfellow, Puck, The Great Horned God, and The Green Man. |
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| Freyr |
| Freyr is the god of sun and rain, and the patron of bountiful harvests. He is both a god of peace and a brave warrior. He is also the ruler of the elves. Freyr is the most prominent and most beautiful of the male members of the Vanir, and is called 'God of the World'. After the merging of the Aesir and the Vanir, Freyr was called 'Lord of the Aesir |
| Freyr was also called upon to grant a fertile marriage. He is married to the beautiful giantess Gerd, and is the son of Njord. His sister is Freya. He rides a chariot pulled by the golden boar Gullinbursti which was made for him by the dwarves Brokk and Eitri. He owns the ship Skidbladnir ("wooden-bladed"), which always sails directly towards its target, and which can become so small that it can fit in Freyr's pocket. He also possesses a sword that would by itself emerge from its sheath and spread a field with carnage whenever the owner desired it. Freyr's shield bearer and servant is Skirnir, to whom he gave his sword, which Skirnir demanded as a reward for making Gerd his wife. On the day of Ragnarok he will battle without weapons (for he gave his sword away to Skirnir), and will be the first to be killed by the fire giant Surt. The center of his cult was the city Uppsala in Sweden. In southern Sweden he was called Fricco. "Freyr." Encyclopedia Mythica. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/f/ freyr.html |
| Continued from above... Green George, as he is usually called in spring Pagan rites, is represented by a young man dressed head to foot in greenery, who leads the festival procession. In various festivals, Green George, or an effigy of him, is dunked in a river or pond to ensure that there will be enough rain to make the meadows and pastures green. >{? It is also believed by some the Green Man shares an affinity with the forest-dwelling fairies since green is the fairy color. In some locals of the British Isles the fairies are called "Greenies" and "Greencoaties." In the myth of "The Fairy Children," there appears two fairy children, a brother and a sister, who have green skin and claim to be of a race with green skin |
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| The Green Man |
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| A legendary pagan deity who roams the woodlands of the British Isles and Europe. He usually is depicted as a horned man peering out of a mask of foliage, usually the sacred oak. He is known by other names such as "Green Jack, "Jack-in-the-Green" and "Green George." He represents spirits of trees, plants and foliage. It is believed he has rain making powers to foster livestock with lush meadows. He was frequently depicted in medieval art, including church decorations. Continued below... |