It is difficult to imagine a culture in whose mythology special attention was not paid to such a deity as the goddess of fertility. She was identified everywhere with the planet by Venus, and her day was considered to be Friday. A number of researchers believe that this cult dates back to the Paleolithic and is identified with the image of a "mother woman".
Goddess of fertility and farming
With the development of agriculture, the cult of the fertility goddess has only become stronger, like the matriarchal charter in human communities. Over time, this era has passed, but the image of the deity in cultures has remained steadfast. Between different hypostases of the goddess of fertility, a clear connection is revealed, including in myths. Thus, the maternal deities not only give life to all, but also select, because of which they have a chthonic character.
Goddess of fertility with the Romans
In the ancient Roman pantheon of deities, a special place has long been occupied by the goddess of fertility Ceres. There is a lot of information about the trembling attitude of the plebeians towards her. From the peasant class chose a priest who honors her. There was also an annual festival, named after the goddess, which was held in April - the relics. It is known that during the eight April days the plebeians arranged meals and treated each other so that the Roman goddess of fertility was happy.
Ceres, according to ancient myths, brings the spring to the earth. Associate this with the legend of the abduction of Proserpine, which is an analogue of ancient Greek legends about Demeter and Persephone. Seeking her daughter, the goddess was forced to descend into the underworld, because of which the world around her began to wither. Since then, she spends half a year with Proserpine in the Plutonian kingdom. So, when she leaves, she takes all the heat with her, and when she returns she brings it back.
Goddess of fertility among the Slavs
No matter how many pre-Christian Slavic peoples there were and how they were not disunited, they were always united by the goddess of fertility Makosh. According to some hypotheses, it is the image of the Mother of the Crusty Earth, which not only gave life to all things, but also determined the fate of their creations. Helped her in this two other deities - Share and Nedolya. Together, these deities, through their yarn, predetermined the existence of each person, like the Ancient Roman Parks or the Ancient Greek Moira.
Remarkable is the fact that this goddess of fertility was also prized by Prince Vladimir, the baptizer of Russia, who ordered the destruction of all idols. This is evidence of Makosh 's apparent exclusivity in the world view of the ancient Slavs. Among other things, she was revered as the patroness of motherhood, of any national economy and land.
Goddess of fertility among the Greeks
In Hellas, as in other parts of the world, there was a "Great Mother", the myths about which were reflected in the idea of the world of the Romans. Goddess of fertility and farming in Ancient Greece - Demeter was one of the most revered celibates of Olympus. This is evidenced by many epithets, which acquired her name:
- Anpheus;
- Achaea;
- Europe;
- Fury;
- Ennea;
- Erinia;
- Iul;
- Herkin;
- Htonia.
However, a more appropriate epithet, which was the goddess of fertility Demeter - "Sieve", which in translation from ancient Greek means "hlebodarnaya." He successfully emphasizes her patronage over agriculture, after all, according to the myth of Persephone's abduction, she taught plowing the land of Tryptolemus, the son of the Eleusinian tsar, in gratitude for the hospitality she received. He was forever a favorite of the goddess, becoming the inventor of the plow and distributor of sedentary culture.
Goddess of fertility among the Egyptians
Hardly at the banks of the Nile ever was a more revered goddess than Isis. Her cult was so widespread that she began to absorb the features and properties of other deities. So, the goddess of fertility in Egypt was still an example of femininity, motherhood and faithfulness. Due to the fact that Isis was the mother of Horus, the god of royalty, she was considered the patroness and ancestor of the pharaohs.
The most common narration about the nobility of Isis is the myth of her and her husband Osiris - the chthonic god who taught people farming. According to this legend, the king of the afterlife was killed by Seth. When Ishida learned of her husband's death, she went in search of his chopped body with Anubis. Finding the remains of Osiris, they created the first mummy. With the help of ancient magic, the goddess of fertility was resurrected by her husband. Since then, Isis has been depicted with beautiful wings, symbolizing protection.
Phoenician goddess of fertility
In the ancient "purple country" Astarte had a special meaning for people. The Phoenicians everywhere glorified their goddess, because of which the Greeks believed that the whole people were dedicated to her. However, they, like the Romans, some time considered her the goddess of love, identifying with Venus or Aphrodite. This is attributed to the fact that the goddess of fertility in Phenicia for centuries absorbed new functions and titles. She was revered as the goddess of the moon, state power, family and even war, and her cult spread throughout the Mediterranean coast.
Indian goddess of fertility
Saraswati is the goddess of the Hindu pantheon, who is revered as the patroness of the hearth, well-being and fertility. She is considered a river goddess, because her name means "one that flows." The attributes of the goddess are:
- a modest white robe;
- white rosary beads;
- Veda;
- vana is a musical Indian instrument;
- a bowl of holy water;
- White Swan.
It can also be called people like "Mahadevi" - "Great Mother". The goddess of fertility in India is reverently revered in our era. Saraswati is the wife of Brahma - one of the gods of Trimurti, who created the universe, because of which he occupies a special place in the pantheon. Mahadevi also protects teaching, wisdom, eloquence and art.
The African goddess of fertility
In the vast expanses of Africa, totemism and religious fetishism were common, but individual tribes and groups of tribes could have formed pantheons of gods. Thus, Ashanti, living in the territory of modern Ghana, have been revered for centuries by Asaae Afua, the wife of the supreme god Nyame. However, there is a remarkable fact that over time, the notion of her has changed in the way that her cult has spawned two opposite deities: Asaoe Afua - the goddess of the earth and fertility, and Asaoe Ya, symbolizing infertility and death.
Goddess of Maya Fertility
Ish-Chel, or "mistress of the rainbow" was revered by women. The goddess of fertility and motherhood of Maya was portrayed as a woman with a rabbit sitting on her knees, but later her image changed - the artists began to present her as an old woman with jaguar eyes and tusks, snakes in her hair. According to the legends, the serpent goddess was the mistress of Kinich-Ahau, the god of the Sun, and the wife of Itzamna. Ish-Shel is also known as the patroness of witchcraft, the moon and female creativity. It is known that Maya was called Ish-Kanlem.
The goddess of fertility in Japan
In the Land of the Rising Sun, one of the more revered goddesses is still Inari. She devoted more than a third of all Shinto temples, she is revered in Buddhism. Initially, she could be portrayed as a beautiful girl, a bearded old man or androgen depending on the geographical area, but over time, thanks to her associativity with the harvest and well-being, she became revered as the goddess of female fertility. Inari patronizes the soldiers, actors, industrialists and prostitutes.
Akkadian goddess of fertility
In the mythology of the Akkadians, the central female deity was Ishtar. In addition to fertility, she personified carnal love and war, and was also the patroness of prostitutes, homosexuals and hetaera. The goddess of fertility in the Akkadian myths was of great importance, but until now our integrity and preservation have not been as many narratives about her as we would like.
The central myth associated with Ishtar in Akkady was the legend of her and Gilgamesh. According to the narrative, the goddess of terrestrial fertility offered him her love, but was refused, since she ruined all her lovers. Ishtar, disgruntled by failure, sent to the city of Gilgamesh, Uruk, a great monster - a heavenly bull. The second most important among the Akkadians was the myth of its descent, but researchers claim its Sumerian origin.
Sumerian goddess of fertility
Inanna is one of the most revered deities among the Sumerians. It corresponds to the Akkadian Ishtar and the Phoenician Astarte. Her character, according to sources, was quite similar to the human. Inanna was distinguished by cunning, impermanence and lack of generosity. Her cult eventually overcame the cult of Anu in Uruk. The goddess of fertility among the Sumerians personified also love, justice, victory over the enemy.
The main myth about her was the legend of the descent into the underworld, which in places may resemble the story of Proserpine and Persephone. For unknown reasons, Ishtar was forced to leave, along the way parting with her attributes. Having reached Ereshkigal, the chthonic queen killed her. However, the demons persuaded her to resurrect Ishtar, but that the goddess of fertility could be freed, someone had to take her place. So, since then every six months Dumuzi spends in the underworld. When he returns to his wife, Ishtar , spring comes.
Having become acquainted with the goddesses of fertility of the most diverse cultures, it is impossible not to notice a number of regularities and common features. Some people believe that this is a proof of their existence, others - explain the common origin of people and migrations. Whom to believe is a private matter for everyone, but the cult of the Mother of God was forever reflected in human civilization.