Red Veil Belly Dance
The Thirteen Goddesses
Here are brief descriptions of the thirteen Goddesses after whom the months in the McKenna-Meyer (Lumar) Calendar are named.
1. Athena > (a.k.a. Athene) "is the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, of household arts and crafts, of spinning and weaving, of textiles. Inventor of the flute, the plough and the ox-yoke, the horse bridle and the chariot." She is the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and Craftsmanship.
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2. < Brigid is the Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing and craft
(especially metalcraft). She is the inspiration to all bards and artisans, scholars and any who work with words." She is also known as Bride and Brighid”.
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3. Cerridwen > “is the Welsh Goddess of magic and transformation. She is a grain and sow-goddess, keeper of the cauldron of inspiration. Cerridwen signifies inspiration from unexpected corners; let a project take it’s shape as it will”.
4. < Diana "is the Roman goddess of the wild places who protects women and girls, especially virgins. ... [She] loves forests and the hunt, is the patroness of childbirth, and is associated with the light of the moon. The Romans recognized three aspects of her — as the Moon-Goddess, they called her Luna; as an underworld deity of magic, Hekate; and as the huntress-goddess, Diana."
5. Epona > “is a Celtic and Roman goddess of fertility and a protector of horses and their owners. She is always depicted with very long hair, riding sidesaddle or lying half naked on a white mare. She is also often described as being accompanied by three birds and having ties to the Underworld”.
6. < Freya (a.k.a. Freyja) is "a Norse goddess of love and fertility, war and wealth. Her attributes include a famous necklace named Brisingamen, acquired from the dwarves by sleeping with them, a cloak with the property of allowing her to transform into a bird, and a chariot driven by large cats."
7. Gaea > (pronounced Jee-ah; a.k.a. Gaia) "is the ancient Greek Goddess of the Earth, ... the Mother of All, who nourishes and cares for Her children, and brings rich blessings. As Goddess of the Earth, She was also an Underworld goddess who brought all Her creations back to Her and destroyed as well as created."
8. < Hathor (pronounced Hat-hor) "is the Ancient Egyptian sky-and mother goddess, who is ... the goddess of women, love and joy, music, dance, celebration, and beauty. She protects women and is present whenever they beautify themselves. She blesses women with fertility, and many of the ritual objects associated with Her ... she also has an erotic significance, and in fact, the Greeks identified Her with their Aphrodite."
9. Inanna > "is the Sumerian Great Goddess and forerunner of the
Babylonian Ishtar with whom She shares similar legends. ... [She] is the First Daughter of the Moon, and the Star of Morning and Evening, ... is linked to the planet Venus and is a love-goddess. Her wedding to the Shepherd Dumuzi was celebrated on the first day of the new year as a sacred marriage rite, and Her legends show Her to be a woman of powerful sexuality."
10. <Juno is "the Goddess of marriage, pregnancy and childbirth ... an
embodiment of the traditional female roles of wife and mother. Together with Vesta, the protector of virginity, these two mighty goddesses were sacred to Roman women”.
11. Kore >"Kore and Demeter are thought of as two faces of the same goddess, and with Persephone, Kore's name as Queen of the Underworld, they make up the classic Triple Goddess — Kore (whose name means simply 'The Maiden'), Demeter ('Earth/Barley Mother') and Persephone ('Destroyer of Light'), the Crone or Death-goddess. Within Herself, the Goddess (and Woman) contains the whole cycle of life, from birth to death to rebirth. ... The journey of the Great Goddess through death and rebirth formed the basis of the famed cult of the Eleusinian Mysteries ..."
12. < Lilith "is a Sumerian/Babylonian demon-goddess, who is perhaps better known for Her role in Hebrew legend ... [where] Lilith is Adam's first wife; she was there from the beginning. She refused to have sex with Adam because she did not want to be beneath him and willingly left Paradise rather than submit to him. In recent times, Lilith is revered as a strong and independent Goddess.
13. Maria > Now and then a living goddess appears, and in the 20th C., we had Maria Callas, perhaps best known for her 84 performances as Norma, the Druid high priestess in Bellini's opera of the same name, in which she famously sings a prayer to the Moon Goddess, Casta Diva ('chaste goddess'). Maria is also the Latin name of the goddess Mary, portrayed as a sexless virgin, but as a devoted mother, by a dour patriarchal Christian Church. And there's Mary Magdalen, the esoteric initiate of Jesus.
