A Look At A Few Dark Goddesses.doc

A Look At A Few Dark Goddesses
By Sarah the SwampWitch

Nuit, Mother Sky-Goddess and Goddess of the Starry Sky

"Nebes, nebes, nebes
Nebes em hotep
Nehes em neferu
Tu a atu...."

Nuit (also called Nut, Nwt, or Neuth) is the ancient Egyptian sky-
goddess. Nuit is the consort and twin sister of Geb, the Earth God;
and is the daughter of Shu and Tefnut (wow, these Egyptian deities
are really into the sibling/mate thing ). She is the mother of the
major Egyptian deities Osiris, Isis, Seth (Set), Nephthys, and
sometimes Haroeris. The circumstances of Their births is described
in the Story of Re. They were born on the five epagomenal days of
the year (in Egyptian, "the five days over the year"). Every year
these days were celebrated throughout Egypt.
Nuit is the personification of the sky and of the heavens,
especially the starry sky of nighttime which all people can look up
into and see eternity. It is said that She swallows the stars every
morning and then gives birth to them later into the night sky. As
sky-goddess Nuit is portrayed either as a cow or as a naked woman
covered with painted golden stars with 5 points who wears on Her
head a vase of water. Many times She is shown as a woman whose hands
and feet touch the ground so that her body forms a semi-circle. Her
hands and feet each touched one of the four cardinal points or
directions and the arc of Her body represents the arc of heaven and
the stars of the Milky Way. Her arms and legs represent the four
pillars on which the sky rests. She is held up by Her father Shu
(the God of the air). Her husband Geb lies on the ground reclining
on one elbow and His knees in the air. In this position He depicts
the hills and valleys of the land. It was said that when Shu raised
Nuit (the sky) above Geb (the earth) He brought an end to chaos and
if He ever left this position, chaos would return.
The principal sanctuary of Nuit was at Heliopolis. The priestesses
of Nuit were known for their erotic dance ritual, the forerunner of
modern erotic dance and stripping. At Heliopolis, Nuit is honored as
a death Goddess and plays a part in the resurrection of the dead.
Nuit's star-studded body is often painted on the inside of coffins
and sarcophagi with outstretched arms, so that she may "embrace the
deceased.". The pharaoh was said to enter Her body after death, from
which he would later be resurrected.
The modern English words "night", "nocturnal", and "equinox" (as
well as the French "la nuit", meaning night) are all derived from
Nuit's name.
Nuit's symbols are the stars, the night sky, and cows. Lapis Lazuli
is also sacred to Her. Nuit is associated with Thursday and also
with March.


Nyx, Goddess of the Night

"Black-winged Night,
Into the bosom of the rebus dark and deep,
Laid a wind-born egg, and as the seasons rolled
Forth sprang Love,
the longed for,
shining,
with wings of gold." (Aristophanes)

Nyx is pivotal in the creation myth of the theology of the Orphic-
Dionysic Mysteries. The ancients believed that before the universe
was created there existed only a void of chaos that was black and
silent. From this chaos rose the first deity, Nyx, also called
Mother Night. She is said to have been in the form of a great black
winged spirit. Nyx then conceived of the wind and laid a silver egg
in the darkness. The upper part of the egg was the sky and the lower
section was the earth.
Nyx actually came from the earliest times of Greek mythology (These
earlier divinities have names that correspond directly to elements
of the natural world, like Gaia, Ouranos, Pontos, Nyx, Hemera). By
the classical times in Greece, Nyx had less of a cult-following. In
this later Greek pantheon Nyx is the personification of the night,
and was its goddess. She was revered for Her ocular powers, and Her
realm was in a cave in the far West beyond the land of Atlas. She
was portrayed as a young woman, dressed in a star-covered gown. On
several Greek vases She is shown riding a chariot pulled by four
horses. Her attribute is a reversed torch. The Greek Nyx is related
to the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, Goddess of the Black Night.
Nyx is associated with the Night; the color black; eggs and birth.
Nyx is a good Goddess to call forth when you need to reclaim your
awareness of your original essential nature.


Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution and Daughter of the Night

"The hand of Nemesis balances the scales of justice.
She untangles the threads spun by the Fates.
Lift the burden of this problem, great Nemesis.
Guide me to the solution.
If there can be no harmony, separate us from the other.
Untangle my life-thread, Nemesis.
This I do ask with a sincere heart..." (ritual for Nemesis, 'Moon
Magick' by D.J. Conway)

When Nyx, Mother Night, gave birth to a silver egg in the sea of
chaos, this was symbolism for saying that She gave birth to the
moon.... From this egg came the daughters of Nyx, one of whom was
Nemesis.
Nemesis is known as the Goddess of Retribution and daughter of the
Night. In the later patriarchal deity days of Greece She is seen as
a monstrous figure of revenge and anger, however in earlier Greece
Her nature was more as an abstract force of justice rather than
retaliation.
In Greek mythology, Nemesis is portrayed as serious and thoughtful
looking woman wearing a silver crown adorned with stag horns. She is
often pictured as carrying a wheel of fortune in one hand and an
apple bough in the other, with a scourge hanging at Her waist.
Nemesis had Her primary sanctuary at Rhamnus, a village in the
northern part of Attica. Nemesis was said to be a check on Tyche,
Goddess of Fortune and also was said to be an attendant to Themeis,
the Goddess of law.
Nemesis is honored in the celebration known as 'Nemesea' or the
Festival of Nemesis on August 23rd. Because of this celebration,
Nemesis is associated with the August full moon, which is commonly
called 'The Corn Moon'.


The Erinyes, Children of the Night and Daughters of the Earth and
Darkness

"Then fell Tisiphone with Rage was stung,
and from her mouth th' untwisted serpents hung,
Girt in a bloody gown a torch she shakes,
And round her neck twines speckled wreathes of snakes.
Part of her tresses loudly hiss, and part
Spread poison as their forked tongues they dart..." (Metamorphoses,
Book IV)

The Erinyes, the three Goddesses of revenge, are among the most
ancient Goddesses and predated Zeus and all the other Olympians. In
Greek mythology, They are called the Erinyes - in Roman mythology
They are called the Furies ("the furious") or Dirae ("the
terrible"). They are usually represented as three black sisters:
Alecto ("the Unceasing"), Megaera ("the Grudging") and Tisiphone
("the Avenging").
The Erinyes are the children of Gaia and Uranus. They were created
from drops of blood coming from the wounds of Uranus when He was
castrated by His son Cronus and which fell upon the Earth (Gaia).
The first drop of blood formed Aphrodite, which is why She is
sometimes referred to as the oldest of The Erinyes.
Artists in ancient times depicted The Erinyes as women with fiery
eyes and snake hair and with attributes such as torches and whips.
Sometimes They were dressed as hunters.
The Erinyes were placed in Hades and are Goddesses of the dead. They
also are called upon to revenge the crimes - especially those
against women and mothers - of murder, perjury, ingratitude,
disrespect, harshness, violation of filial piety and the laws of
hospitality. They are impartial and impersonal, and pursue these
wrongdoers until they are driven mad and die. But even in death, the
criminal does not find rest until he shows remorse.
The Erinyes are associated with funeral trees: the alder, the black
poplar, and the yew. The color associated with the three is black
and the animal associated with Them is the snake.

The Hesperides, Daughters of the Evening

"...amidst the gardens fair
Of Hesperus and his daughters three,
That sing about the golden tree." ("Comus" by Milton)

The Hesperides are Daughters of Nyx, the Mother Night - although
later mythology has Them as daughters of Atlas or of Hesperus. The
three sisters - Aegle (the luminous one), Erytheia (the crimson one)
and Hesperia (the evening one) - are nymphs who live in a beautiful
garden, situated in the Arcadian Mountains (Greece) or,
alternatively, at the western extreme of the Mediterranean, near Mt.
Atlas. In this garden grows the tree with the golden apples of
immortality. This garden is guarded by Ladon, a dragon with a
hundred heads and who has the gift of human speech. The Hesperides
are known for Their sweet singing voices and also have the ability
to change Their shapes and become trees - Aegle into a willow,
Erytheia into an elm and Hesperia into a poplar.
The only person who ever succeeded in obtaining some of the immortal
golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides was Hercules, who
tricked the God Atlas to get the apples for him. The apples were
later returned to the garden by Athena because the sacred fruit were
not to remain outside the garden.
The Hesperides have as associations: the apple; the color gold;
immortality; gardens; and the trees poplar, elm and willow.


The Moirae, also known as the Fates

"O Fates of Life, I ask your aid.
To clear my path and set me free." (Prayer to the Fates)

The Greek Goddess of Fate is a daughter of Nyx, Goddess of the
Night. In Her singular form, the Goddess of Fate is called Moira;
and in Her triple form She becomes three sisters known as the
Moirae. The Moirae are: Klotho the Spinner, who spins the thread of
a person's life; Lachesis the Measurer, who decides how much time is
to be allowed each person, and Atropos the Cutter, who cuts the
thread when you are supposed to die. The name 'Moira' actually
means 'part' and in fact, the triple form of the Fates mimics the
triple moon phases and the three phases of life - maiden, mother and
crone. Moira is known to the Romans as Fortuna, to the Scandinavians
as Norns, to the Anglo-Saxons as Wyrd, and to the Celts as Morrigan.
During the middle ages, the Fates became known as the Parcae.
As the spinner of Fate, Moira spins out the days of our lives as
yarn and weaves it into a tapestry. The length of the yarn - hence
your life span - is decided solely by the Goddess of Fate. All the
Gods are subject to the whims of the Fates as are mortal man.
Because of this, even though the other Gods are almighty, and
supposedly immortal, even Hera has reason to fear Moira. Moira's
function is to see that the natural order of things is respected and
She possesses the gift of prophecy - Her priests and priestesses are
always oracles or soothsayers (seers of the future). Moira is often
accompanied by the Keres (Dogs of Hades), who are three beings with
sharp teeth and who are robed in red. In ancient times, the Fates
were honored by sacrifices of honey and flowers.
Moira is associated with December's full moon - which is often
called the Cold Moon or the Wolf Moon. The colors of Moira are red,
black and white.


Kali, The Black One

"O Dark Primordial Mother!
Thou givest birth to and protectest the universe,
and at the time of dissolution
does withdraw to Thyself
this world and all beings." (Karpuradi Stotra)

Kali ("the black one") is the Hindu mother goddess, symbol of
dissolution and destruction. She destroys ignorance, maintains the
world order, and blesses and frees those who strive for the
knowledge of God. In the Vedas, the name is associated with Agni,
the god of fire, who had seven flickering tongues of flame, of which
Kali is seen as the black, horrible tongue. This meaning of the word
has meanwhile been replaced by the goddess Kali, the grim consort of
Shiva. Her appearance is fearsome: baleful eyes, a protruding
tongue, and four arms. In Her upper left hand She wields a bloody
sword and in Her lower left hand She holds the severed head of a
demon. With Her upper right hand She makes the gesture of
fearlessness, while the lower right hand confers benefits. Draped
around Her is a chain of severed human heads and She wears a belt
made of dismembered arms. As the Divine Mother, She is often
represented dancing or in sexual union with Shiva. As Bhavatarini,
the redeemer of the universe, She stands upon the supine form of Her
spouse.
She is also known as Kalikamata ("black earth-mother") and Kalaratri
("black night"). Among the Tamils She is known as Kottavei. Kali is
worshipped particularly in Bengal. Her best known temples are in
Kalighat and Dakshineshvara.
Variations on the name Kali for female divinity can be found in many
ancient cultures outside India, which suggests that in the distant
past a common or related matriarchal religion pervaded much of the
world. For example, in pre-historic Ireland people worshipped a
powerful goddess known as Kele (Her priestesses were known as
Kelles), in ancient Finland there was the all-powerful Goddess Kal-
ma, in the Sinai region of the Middle East there was the Goddess
Kalu, and in ancient Greece an aspect of the Goddess was known as
Kalli. It is likely that these very similar names for the Great
Goddess in different cultures was the result of the export of
spiritual ideas and practices "out of India" by early invasions.


Ereshkigal, Sumerian Death Goddess

"Kakka went down the long stairway of heaven.
When he reached the gate of Ereshkigal, he said,
'Gatekeeper, open the gate to me!' (Sumerian Myth)

Ereshkigal is the Sumerian and Babylonian Death Goddess. She was the
Queen of the Dead and of the Underworld long before she was joined
by a male god (and then Nergal managed to become co-ruler of the
Underworld only by raping her). Ereshkigal is so terrifying that the
Sumerians never described Her in any detail, though the Babylonians
said that when She was enraged, Her lips were black and Her face was
a livid blue.
Ereshkigal has a palace in the Underworld and is due a visit by
those entering. When Inanna, (Goddess of Life, Love and War)
trespassed on Her domain by descending into the Underworld,
Ereshkigal dealt with Her as She dealt with all newcomers to the
Land of the Dead. At each of the gates of the Underworld, Inanna was
ordered to remove a piece of jewelry or clothing until She stood
before Ereshkigal naked. Ereshkigal then spoke a single word that
slew Inanna instantly:


"She spoke against her the word of wrath.
She uttered against her the cry of guilt
She struck her..."
(from "Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Underworld")


And then Ereshkigal hung Inanna's nude corpse up on a stake. The
Goddess of Death had swallowed up the Goddess of Life. But having
done so, Ereshkigal began to suffer the pains of childbirth. Yet the
Goddess of Death could not give birth and so She lingered in misery.
At last, Enki, God of Abzu (the watery abyss and also semen) and
Wisdom, grew anxious over Inanna's failure to return and so created
two special beings to go to the Underworld and rescue Her. Being
made as sexless neuters, the creatures did not violate the laws of
the land of Death. They found Ereshkigal in Her painful and
fruitless labor. They sympathized with Her pain, echoing Her cries
and complaints. Grateful for their attentions, Ereshkigal offered
them any gift they wanted. They asked for no gift but Inanna's body,
still hanging from its stake. The Goddess of Death gave it to them
and only then was Inanna restored to life with the Bread of Life and
the Water of Life.
As a dark moon Goddess, Ereshkigal represents the devouring of life
and its subsequent renewal. She rules over the magickal arts, secret
knowledge, and oracles. Her animals are those that live beneath the
earth - dragons, serpents and snakes - and those that love the
night - owls, ravens, crows, black dogs and black horses.


Hel, Ruler of Helheim

"Thaukt will wail
With dry tears
Baldur's bale-fire.
Let Hela keep her own." (from The Death of Baldur)

In Norse mythology, Hel (also known as Hell, Hela or Hella) is the
ruler of Helheim, the realm of the dead. She is the youngest child
of the God Loki (Loki is a giant who became a member of the Aesir
when Odin made Loki His blood brother. Loki is the god of mischief,
a trickster, and very cunning.) and the giantess Angurboda. Hel has
two brothers: Fenrir (Fenris-wolf) and Jormungand (Midgard serpent).
Hel is usually described as a horrible hag, half alive and half
dead, with a gloomy and grim expression. Her face and body are said
to be those of a living woman, but Her thighs and legs are those of
a corpse, mottled and moldering. Other descriptions of Her say She
is half white and half black
The other Gods feared the offspring of Loki and had abducted Hel and
Her brothers from Angurboda's hall. They then had cast Hel into the
underworld. She now resides in Helheim ("house of Hel"). This cold,
dark and misty abode of the dead is located in the world of
Niflheim, on the lowest level of the Norse universe. It is in this
land that Hel distributes those dead who are sent to Her, the dead
referred to as the 'dishonored dead'. The dead who die of old age or
disease and those not killed in battle go to Helheim - while those
who die bravely on the battlefield go to Valhalla. Once they enter
Helheim, not even the Gods can leave the place, because the
impassable river Gjoll flows from the spring Hvergelmir and
encircles Helheim. The entrance to Helheim is guarded by Garm, a
monstrous hound, and Modgud. The giant Hraesvelg ("corpse eater")
sits at the edge of the world, overlooking Helheim. Hraesvelg has
the form of an eagle and with his flapping wings he makes the wind
blow.
Hel built Her hall called Eljudnir (misery) in Helheim. She is
tended in Her hall by a manservant and maidservant named Ganglati
and Ganglot, both of who's names mean 'tardy'. They are so slow that
no one can tell that they are moving. On Her table sits Hel's plate
which is called Hunger, Her knife which is called Famine. In Her
hall is Her bed named Sick Bed and Her bed hangings are called
Glimmering Misfortune.
Hel will make Her last stand at the twilight of the Gods when She
brings Her hoard of dead up and out of Nifilheim to join Her father
and the other giants in the final battle of Ragnarok.


Naunet, Goddess of the Primordial Abyss of the Underworld

"Hail, Naunet
Protector of the void,
Guardian of the abyss......"

The Egyptians had many different versions of a creation myth. In all
of them, the original God sprang from Nun (also called Nu) who was
described as being 'the primordial waters'. Nun was more than an
ocean, He was a limitless expanse of motionless water. Nun was
portrayed as a bearded man with a blue or green body, symbolizing
water and fertility. In one hand He holds a palm frond, a symbol of
long life and wears another one in His hair. Since He is known as
the "Father of Fathers and the Mother of Mothers" and is sometimes
shown with female breasts as well, His feminine aspect is known as
the Goddess Inu. In another Egyptian version of the deities, rather
than have a feminine version of Nun, He is said to have a consort
named Naunet (sometimes called Nunet). Naunet is considered to be
the Goddess of the Primordial Abyss of the Underworld. Naunet is a
member of the Ogdoad of eight primordial deities who together
personify the essence of the primordial chaos before the creation of
the world. The Ogdoad created from Themselves the mound upon which
lay the egg from which the sun god emerged. This Sun God, named
Atum, became the first God of the earth. Eventually, Atum became
associated with Ra. Ra-Atum was the coming of the light to disperse
the darkness of Nun and is symbolized by the Phoenix in this
context. His next task was to create other gods, which He did by
masturbation, not by having a mate. This was not offensive to
ancient Egyptians, but in fact intensified His power in their minds.
As the Goddess of the Primordial Abyss of the Underworld, Naunet
protects the 12 veils of negation. These are gateways to the void...
cracks in the fabric of creation. Naunet embodies the primal womb in
which the cycles of birth, life, death and rebirth are carried out.
She frees all beings to follow their individual cycles of life.


Sekhmet, Lady of the Place of the Beginning of Time

"Eye of Horus, Eye of Ra,
Gentle Mother, tooth and claw
Family lover, ruthless maw,
Bast will nuture, Sekhmet awe..."

The Goddess Sekhmet (also sometimes called Sakhmet or Sekhautet) is
undoubtedly one of the most ancient Deities. She came into Egypt
from a place unknown and unrecorded, and so is also known as "One
Who Was Before the Gods Were." Sekhmet is a fiery warrior Goddess
associated with war and divine vengeance. Her name comes from the
word 'Sekhem' which means strength or power. She is often depicted
as a woman with the head of a lioness. Her main center of worship
was the Old Kingdom capital of Memphis and there She was worshipped
as a member of a divine triad with Her husband Ptah and Her son
Nefertem.
What is best known about Sekhmet comes from a single myth
called "The Myth of the Destruction of Mankind." In this myth humans
entered into a conspiracy to overthrow the Gods. Hearing of their
plan, Ra (the main Sun God) called the most powerful of the ancient
of deities together. After a long meeting they decided to send for
Sekhmet who would punish all the conspirators. When Sekhmet went
among mankind, She destroyed them, night after night, wading in
their blood. She became so drunk with the lust for slaughter on the
blood that the Gods became afraid that She would destroy all of
mankind. They made a mixture of powerful mind altering drugs and
blood and poured this liquid out upon the ground. When Sekhmet came
to this area She drank all of this liquid and "Her heart was filled
with joy" and She no longer wanted to destroy mankind. From that
time on, this liquid was used to celebrate (without the blood) at
orgiastic festivals. The people danced, played, and shook the
sistrum. From that time on Sekhmet was celebrated as "Beautiful"
and "Brilliant" and came to represent the ecstasies of love.
However Sekhmet also is known as a Goddess of War, and in this role
She was often said to accompany the Pharaoh into battle, where She
aided him by shooting arrows at his enemies. Sekhmet is also
the "Lady of Pestilence" who can send plague and disease. She is
also revered as a healer of these ailments, a role which seems
paradoxical in such a bloodthirsty deity.
Sekhmet is also Protectress of the Divine Order and, as such,
protects the Gods and Goddesses against evil forces. Like the
lioness, She fiercely protects what She loves and that for which She
is responsible. She has never been known to initiate an attack, but
welcomes the opportunity to respond to aggression and Her power is
dedicated to righteous ends. All of Her actions stem from loyalty
and love. Sekhm...