Eshu - The Trickster Orisha Of The Yoruba Mythology

Nephthys was one of the original gods in the genealogy of Egyptian divinities defined by the priests of Heliopolis. Born from Geb and Nut she was the fourth one after Osiris, Isis, Seth and was the older sister of blind Horus. The goddess Nephthys features in the narratives as the devoted companion of her sister Isis, but she was also a protective deity in funerary rituals who attended mummies on their mortuary biers. In Egyptian mythology, Nephthys was usually pictured as a kite or as a woman with outstretched falcon wings, a symbol of protection, and the meaning of her Egyptian name is mistress of the house or Lady of the temple enclosure. Being the sister of Isis and especially Osiris, Nephthys is a deity who symbolizes the death experience just like Isis represented the birth experience. Alongside Isis, Neith and the scorpion goddess Selket, Nephthys guarded the remains of the dead, for they are mentioned in the Pyramid scriptures as the four goddesses watching over the pharaoh’s mummified body and organs, and their images were found inside the tomb of Tutankhamun as the guardians of his canopic vessels. Though she doesn’t appear in many stories, the goddess Nephthys is best known for the part she played in the Osiris myth as we cannot talk about it without mentioning her and Isis.

In ancient Egypt, women were treated the same way as men because the Egyptian cosmology was made of both male and female divinities. Throughout the Egyptian religion, female divinities were mostly seen as nurturers and protectors of the pharaoh and his people. But unlike mainstream goddesses like Sekhmet or Isis, there are two others who are rarely talked about when discussing the Egyptian mythology, so today we are going to discuss the legend surrounding the entities closely related to the pharaoh’s sovereignty, the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet representing the Upper and Lower domains of Egypt. According to the ancient Egyptian scriptures, the "Two Ladies" was a religious epithet for the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet, the two deities worship by all after the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt. When the two kingdoms were joined together, a lot of similar deities from different cities were combined to form a unique entity, but this was not the case of Wadjet and Nekhbet as they were simply kept separated. From the early dynastic period, the Two Ladies were the divine protectors of the king and were featured on royal headdresses, jewelries and furniture. Nekhbet whose name signifies She of Nekheb was a local mother goddess identified with the crown of Upper Egypt, equating to Wadjet, the snake-goddess of royal authority whose name stands for the green one or She of the Papyrus.

Yemaya was a primordial spiritual entity charged by the supreme deity to assist Obatala with the creation of humanity. She is mainly venerated by women as the giver of life within the Yoruba spirituality. In traditional Yoruba culture, Yemaya is seen as the queen of the sea, she first appeared in Yorubaland in modern day Nigeria where she is known as the Orisha of the Ogun River. Yemoja is frequently portrayed as the wife of various male Orisha and was perceived to be at the root of numerous ancient goddesses. The Orisha Yemaya is often depicted as a beautiful, queenly-looking mermaid wearing a dress with seven skirts symbolizing the seven great oceans. Yemaya went by many other names including Yemoja and Iemanja, the etymology of her name reveals that Yemaya is a contraction of the Yoruba words Iye meaning mother, Omo meaning children and Eja meaning fish, when put together and translated roughly means Mother whose children are the fish. Originally, Yemaya was a river entity who had nothing to do with the ocean nor the seas. Her worship spread beyond African borders, and was notable in Cuba and Brazil where she came to be called Yemaya, which is in fact the Spanish variant of the Yoruba Yemoja. Some stories describe Yemaya as the most nurturing Yoruba deity whose motherly presence was crucial for the beginning of all life, She is viewed in a way as the protector of women and children, and as such Yemaya governs everything pertaining to a mother’s relationship to their offspring. Yemaya also played an important role in another myth involving her counterpart, Olokun, the Orisha representing the unknown and deep bottom of the seas while she represents all superficial waters.

The Haitian people believe that the first man buried in a cemetery becomes the manifestation of its guardian who is reality the Baron, an entity considered to hold knowledge of the dead and the underworld. Baron Samedi often comes into the world as a beggar with a unique presence, but he is depicted as a tall black man wearing a formal attire which includes a black tuxedo and a top hat. Along with his iconic cane, the baron often appears with his face painted to resemble that of a skull, no wonder why in some cases he is depicted as having a skull instead of a human face. The Baron is represented by phallic symbols and noted for obscenities and debauchery, with a particular fondness for tobacco and alcohol. There are few symbols associated with the Baron as well and these include coffins, black goats, roosters and skeletons. Even the colours black and purple which appear in his clothing have become to be related with this powerful Lwa. To understand the Baron and his powers, we must first understand the religion that he was born into. Voodoo is a monotheistic religion originated from French colonies and common in Haiti and New Orleans, Voodoo brings together Catholic and African beliefs to form a unique set of rituals including dolls and symbolic drawings.

As the central figure of the Shinto religion, the heaven-shining Amaterasu is the ancestress by of the imperial family of Japan, she has always been an important Kami in the Japanese spiritual life. Amaterasu is a glorious goddess and the personification of the rising sun, the queen of Shinto divinities. based on Japanese mythology, the sun represents order and purity, two important concepts in Shintoism. Amaterasu symbolizes not just order but the justice that maintains it as well. The sun goddess is often depicted as a beautiful woman holding a mirror, the raven Yata Garasu is believed to be the messenger of the goddess. The name Amaterasu comes from the verb Amateru which can be translated as to shine from heaven, and this is the shorthand for Amaterasu ōmikami.

Brigid was a pre-Christian Irish goddess of fertility and life. As a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, she was the master of healing sharing similarities with the Catholic St. Brigid of Kildare. Originating from the word Briganti, meaning the Exalted One, the name Brigid has been anglicized from the old Irish Brig becoming the term for Bride. Brigid refers to the goddess’ connection to sunlight and fire, but may also be related to dawn goddesses across the Indo-European world. Some mention Brigid as a triple goddess, but unlike most triple goddesses in Ireland, all of her aspects were named Brigid and had dominion over Smithcraft, healing and poetry. Brigid is associated with healing, fertility, motherhood, and inspired many writers and poets, Irish novelists credited Brigid as their inspiration. Her epithet, the Exalted One reflected her connection to crafting and wisdom. The Lebor Gabála Érenn established Brigid as the daughter of the Dagda, chief of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and her mother was the namesake mother-goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

The Legend of Krampus, the demon of Christmas from German folklore is a creature that accompanies Saint Nicholas during the Yuletide season, and who contrarily to Saint Nicholas, punishes children who have been naughty throughout the year. Some may know Krampus as the counterpart of Santa Claus, while others know him as the Christmas devil, Krampus roams the streets during the night of December 5th, kown as Krampusnacht or Krampus night, to find the misbehaved children in company of Saint Nicholas, or sometimes on his own.

Valhalla, also known as the hall of the slain is believed to be the Norse afterlife for fallen heroes in Scandinavian Mythology. In Norse mythology, it is said that warriors who lost their lives defending a cause would go to Valhalla, where they will feast with other heroes and Odin himself until Ragnarok comes.  Valhalla was believed to be located in the grove of Glasir in Asgard, the real of the Aesir gods. The Einherjar was the name given to these brave warriors who went to Valhalla. According to Norse mythology, it's believed that upon their death, the ancient Vikings were chosen by Odin's Valkyries to become an army that will combat the forces of chaos at Ragnarok. Each day, the warriors would practice the art of Combat, slaying and being slain, only to recover by the evening after which they could feast altogether in the hall, with meat and wine of honey which never ran out. Although being often considered as the main afterlife for the Vikings, Valhalla was one out of the five realms dedicated for the souls. Another realm for the souls of fallen heroes would wait was Folkvangr, a realm governed by the Vanir goddess Freya (Freyja).

Perun is known as the Slavic god of thunder in Slavic mythology, he is the god of war, justice and lightning. Often related to Perkunas from Baltic mythology with whom he shares the same attributes and the name's origin, Perun is perceived as the chief of the Slavic gods in Slavic mythology.

The Hindu goddess Durga also known as Maa Durga, Durgatinashini and even Devi, is probably the most popular female form of the supreme being from Hindu Religion. Durga is highly venerated by Hindus as she also bears the name of Shakti, the female principle of divine energy.