Gods Study Group: Mother and Father Deities

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	05 May 2002
Okay guys, time's up for Creator Deities research, although for those of you who haven't yet completed it, we'll let it pass. Don't feel pushed or anything to get it in, but we would like to see it some time! :) Now, the second thread is going to be about Father and Mother deities. Enjoy! Kiama

Kiama	16 May 2002
Mother and Father Deities Mother: Don Don is another name for Danu, Anu, or Dana, the Great Mother Goddess. She is said to be the Mother of the Tuatha De Danaan, (Meaning Children of Don) who were a light-skinned, fair-haired matriarchal people who came to the Bristish Isles about 1500 bce, from across the sea. Scholars have not yet been able to agree upon where exactly they came from, although there are three main theories: 1) They were Greeks or Phoenicians from an island named Danu in the Aegean sea, which was vacated around the same time the Tuatha were said to arrive in the British Isles. 2) They came from the valley of the Danube River, named for the Goddess Danu, in what is now Germany. 3) They were remnants from the island civilisation of Atlantis. The Tuatha De Danaan settled in parts of Wales and Ireland, moving the local Picts and Fomorians out, often by force. They were firmly established when what we know as the Celtic peoples arrived, but Danu was later masculinised by the Irish, who renamed Her Don, although the Welsh still held Her as their Mother Goddess. Danu was said to have given birth to the race of Gods who were the Tuatha De Danaan, and here is a list of the most influential ones: - Gwydion, whom later went on to bring up Llew Llaw Gyffes, his son by his sister Arianrhod, and who helped Gilvaethwy his brother, mentioned below, to rape the King's handmaiden and thus caused the War of Pryderi's Pigs. - Arianrhod: Tricked by Gwydion into bearing him two children, she was shamed before the King. Her shame came not from the fact that she had children by her brother, but the fact that she was no longer a virgin, in the 'new' sense of the term. (Nb- In these days, there were two different meanings for the word, 'virgin'. The Tuatha held a virgin to be an unowned woman, so a woman could be sexually active, but she was still a virgin as long as she was entirely independent and unmarried. The tribes that came later held the modern notion of virginity) The story that followed due to this, between Gwydion, Arianrhod, and their son is one of my favourites from the Mabinogion, and we will come to that later on in the study group, cuz it doen't have a place here! - Govannan: The smith God. - Amaethon: Lord of the Fields - Gilvaethwy: Caused the War of Pryderi's Pigs, and had an incestuous relationship with his brother, Gwydion whilst they were in the guise of animals. (Yep, this is weird. You guys must be thinking I have chosen a loony pantheon of Gods to worship here!) What actually happened was that the punishment given to Gilvaethwy and Gwydion cuz of their rape of the King's footmaiden, and the cause of the War of Pryderi's Pigs, was that they spend three years as three different pairs of animals. They were a Hart and Hind, a Sow and Wild Pig, and finally a She Wolf and Wolf... Their unions as animals bought forth three sons, who were changed into human form. - Ellen - Penardim - Maelan (Above three, all minor Goddesses) - Brighid: Goddess of smithing, fire, poetry, healing Father: The Dagda Dagda means 'Good God'. He is said to have owned a magickal harp, in which he had bound melodies that would not sound until he summoned them. This harp had three different strains, each having a different effect upon the listener: 1) Suantraigh, 'sleep strain.' This put people to sleep. 2) Goiltraigh, 'sorrow strain. This made people weep. 3) Geantraigh, 'joy strain.' This made people laugh. The Dagda was the Father of the Tuatha De Danaan, so what I have said above about Danu can pretty much apply to him Kiama

Melvis	16 May 2002
Note: Although I will usually use the past tense to desribe the gods/goddesses of middle- ( or "meso-") America, there may still be native peoples who worship these deities in Mexico, Guatemala, and other mesoamerican countries. Most of the texts I'm using, though, refer to the mesoamerican religions at the time of the Spanish conquest, so the past tense seems more natural for me to use. Also, please forgive me if I spell a god's or goddess' name differently from one thread to another...there are so many varied interpretations of Aztec and Mayan writings, that not all my sources match on their spelling! Aztec: The creator god, Ometeotl, God of Duality, resided in the uppermost thirteenth heaven of Omeyocan, Place of Duality. Possessing both the male and female creative principles, Ometeotl was also referred to as the couple Tonacatecuhtli and Tonacacihuatl, Lord and Lady of Our Sustenance. Although Ometeotl constitutes the ultimate source of all, his/her children, also powerful deities, perform the actual deeds of creation. Since humans were considered the offspring of these younger gods, Ometeotl was something akin to the Aztecs grandparents. Perhaps for this reason, and to indicate his and her primordial origins, Ometeotl was often portrayed as an aged being with a sagging lower jaw. However, old age is by no means synonymous with infirmity; among the Aztec and other Mesoamerican peoples, individuals are thought to accrue more life force in the process of aging. Sometimes called Ometecuhtli in his/her masculine form, he is the lord (or androgynous master) of duality and of the unity of the opposites. He had no formal cult and no temples built in his honor, but he was deemed to be present in every ritual and in all things in this world. Omecihuatl is the female half of this "Supreme Couple", and is known as the "Mother Goddess". In the form of Tonacatecuhtli, Ometeotl is the food giving god in Aztec mythology. He set the world in order at creation, dividing sea and land. The name means ‘the being at the center,’ and was thought of as the still point of the center of a moving ring, where everything is at balance and at rest. Tonacacihuatl is the wife of the creator god Tonacatecuhtli. She is the female principle. It is interesting to note that one of my texts tells of the invading Christians taking these two deities into their own religion, making Tonacacihuatl the "Virgin of Guadelupe". Maya: Hunab Ku is the supreme god and creator of the Maya. He is the head of the Mayan pantheon and called 'god of the gods'. Hunab Ku rebuilt the world after three deluges, which poured from the mouth of a sky serpent. The first world he created was inhabited by dwarfs, the builders of the cities. The second world was inhabited by the Dzolob, 'the offenders', an obscure race. The third and final world Hunab Ku created for the Maya themselves (who are destined to be overcome by a fourth flood). The god Itzamna is his son. He is similar to the Aztec Ometeotl. Itzamna is the founder of the Maya culture. He brought his people maize and cacao and taught them script, healing, and the use of calendars. As the bringer of culture he became the state-god of the Mayan empire. As the moon-god he rules over the night. Itzamna is also called 'God D' and bears the title of 'lord of knowledge'. He is a son of Hunab Ku and with Ixchel he is the father of the Bacabs (a group of four protective Mayan deities). His attributes are the snake and the mussel. His was the first priest and rainmaker. Ixchel is the Mayan earth and moon goddess and patroness of pregnant women. She invented the art of weaving. Ixchel is thought to be the consort of Itzamna and with him she is the mother of the Bacabs. She is portrayed with a snake as a head-band and her skirt is embroidered with crossbones. Ixchel was the first woman to spin cotton, weave, bear children, and be a midwife. She is often depicted with a cotton spindle as part of her headdress! The relationship between the Mayan people and Hunab Ku was similar to that of the Aztecs and Ometeotl. Hunab Ku was not directly worshipped, but he was considered to be an ever-present deity. Itzamna and Ixchel, though, were often invoked in rituals. "The Bacabs" consisted of the following gods: Cauac - Associated with the South, and the color red; Ix - West, black; Kan - East, yellow; Mulac - North, white. The Quiche' Maya, who are responsible for the text, "Popol Vuh" (which I referred to in the "Creator Gods/Goddesses" thread) also have a 'grandparent/parent' set of gods. Hun Hunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu are the Father and Mother creator gods, while Xpiyacoc and Xmucane are their parents, who are responsible for instigating the creation of the universe by Hun Hunahpu and Vucub Hunahpu. Peace, Melvis

Melvis	16 May 2002
After I posted the above research on the Aztecs and Maya, I found several rather indignant websites that are trying to alert the world as to how Mexica (Aztec) spirituality really works. They do not have a pantheon of gods, they have one god with many manifestations. The idea that they had several gods is due to poor translations by Spanish invaders and missionaries, according to the websites I've looked at. So, in interest of fairness, here are the sites I looked at: http://www.geocities.com/itzliehecatl/ometeotl.html http://www.mexica-movement.org/theology.html#ana-theo But be warned...'indignant' is rather a tame word for me to use for some of the pages on these sites. I can understand their anger, to a certain point, though. I will do my best to adjust future research to include these perspectives. Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

amyel	17 May 2002
well, folks, I have spent some time searching the net in between my 12 hour days at work lately - and I've got nuthin'. It appears that the NW Coast natives & Eastren Woodlands natives don't have many recorded myths or stories about "Mother Earth/Father Sky" that I have been able to dig up. Which seems kinda strange to me, but as I've said, I've not had much time to do a thorough search. I know these regional native groups have the basic belief of "Mother Earth/Father Sky". I even know there is a children's book by the same name. But I can find no other stories about either. Now, there are an abundance of stories where there is an old lady or an old man (read the story I posted on creation myths for an example) - but I don't think these are the myths that fit here. Just wanted to check in, so no one thinks I've abandoned the thread or study group!

purplelady	23 May 2002
Alright, this is also from zoroastrian mythology. The story is not nearly as long as the creation of the world myth. The first human couple grew from the seed of Gayomart which had passed into the earth. Their name was Mashye and Mashyane. (Gayomart was the first and only human or man created by the "good" creator god, and he was killed by the "bad" god) . At first, Mashye and Mashyane grew together in the shape of a plant in such a way that man and woman were indistinguishable. Together they formed the tree whose fruit was the 10 races of mankind. When they finally assumed human form , the wise lord instructed them in their responsibilities: "You are the seed of man , you are the parents of the world, you have been given by me as the best perfect devotion. Think good thoughts, speak good words. do good deeds, and do not worship the demons." But evil lurked at hand to seduce them away from their true path. Ahriman (The evil god) attacked their thoughts and they uttered the first falsehood-- they declared the evil god to be the creator. Attributing the origin of the world to evil was thus man's first sin. For the zoroastrian it is the gravest sin. The first couple began to wander from the life god had planned for them, their orientation in life was lost. Violence and malice charactarized the world , for they dug wells , smelted iron, and made wooden tools. The demons corrupted them spiritually by inducing them to worship them rather than god, AND by taking away their desire for intercourse for 50 years. Celibacy is no virtue in zoroatriasm. It is indeed the opposite, for it fails to increase the good creation of the wise lord, thereby neglecting a fundemental religious duty of all men and women. Even when the first couple did produce offspring, they devoured them! SO the wise Lord took away the sweet taste of children! Then at last, Mashye and Mashyane fulfilled their function by giving birth to the whole human race. credits- taken from the book "Persian Mythology" by John R. Hinnells p.s Kiama, I have an idea for another catagory - Gods, Goddesses , stories and myths of the End of the World. I know there's a whole chapter devoted to it in my persian mythology book. I think many other cultures have End of the World myths also. p.p.s- where is everybody who signed up for this project?

The Gods Study Group: Mother and Father Deities thread was originally posted on 05 May 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.