Ajysyt, or the Birch Goddess

This week I read about Ajysyt, "literally 'birthgiver'. The mother goddess of the Yakuts, a Turkic people living near the Lena River in Siberia." She is part of a myth involving a "white youth who encountered a calm 'lake of milk' near the cosmic tree. Having besought the blessing of the tree, the white youth felt a warm breeze, heard the tree creak, and observed a female divinity arise from the roots. She proferred him milk from her full breasts, and having satisfied his thirst, he felt how his strength had increased a hundredfold. The milk breasted mother goddess and the tree of life are thus combined" (source).

I wanted to know what kind of tree this was. After research, the birch seemed most likely. Sacred to Freya, Frigg, Nerthus, Holda, Eostre, Brigid, Kupala, and other Goddesses of the North, the birch is a pioneer species and would have been one of the first to recolonize as the glaciers of the ice age receded.

Ajysyt, or Birch Goddess. Tree of Life original painting available through Saatchi Art. Stickers, prints, and other merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America.

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Nuwa

Nuwa is the great mother goddess of Chinese mythology, credited with creating humanity. She molded the first people out of clay by hand. Then she got tired, dipped a rope in the mud, and swung it around her head to make more. Thus were made the nobles and the peasantry. She has the body of a serpent. Nuwa, original painting by Echoing Multiverse. Available via Saatchi Art .

Sophia and the Apocryphon of John

In 1945, thirteen leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by an Egyptian farmer near the town of Nag Hammadi, Egypt. These early Christian texts date from the 3rd century CE, and include writings attributed to John the Baptist. The writings of John became known as the Secret Book of John, or the Apocryphon of John. A translation by Frederik Wisse can be read online . In the Apocryphon, there is a female counterpart to the Father - the holy Mother, Barbelo. "She is the forethought of the All - her light shines like his light - the perfect power... The first power, the glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory in the aeons, the glory of the revelation... she became the womb of everything, for it is she who is prior to them all, the Mother-Father." I became aware of the Apocryphon of John after reading a graphic novel by Marisa Acocella, The Big She-Bang, The Herstory of the Universe According to God the Mother (highly recommended, by ...

The Burney Relief

The Burney Relief , also known as Queen of the Night, lives at the British Museum . It is a Mesopotamian high relief plaque from 1800 - 1750 BCE. Studies of pigment residue have revealed that it was originally colored as shown in my painting below. The relief is believed by many to be Ishtar (Inanna's new name after around 2300 BCE). However, others believe the relief instead depicts Ereshkigal - Ishtar/Inanna's sister - the goddess of the underworld. What do you think - which sister? To me, owls say underworld. I think this is Ereshkigal, triumphant after Inanna's visit. Would you like the triumphant goddess of the underworld on merch, or a print, or even the original painting? She could adorn your life, thanks to Fine Art America .

Demon Cats

You've probably seen the happy, waving, beckoning Maneki Neko, but have you heard of her cousins, the Bakeneko? Bakeneko are demon cats. If a cat lives longer than 13 years in Japan and has not been treated like a god, it is likely to turn into a demon cat. It may kill its owner and shapeshift to take their place. If you have an old cat, beware. Every October in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, there is a bakeneko parade. I visited, through the magic of YouTube. Original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America .

Kumari, Living Child Goddess of Nepal

Kumari is the living child Goddess of Nepal. I learned about her today from a BBC video on YouTube, and made a painting based on an image from that video of a seven year old girl sitting in a cage on the street while people ask for blessings, give offerings, and take photographs. Once a young girl is selected as Goddess - generally before the age of 6 - the youngest was 1.5 years old - she is not allowed to speak to anyone outside of her family, smile, or let her feet touch the ground outside of the temple until she has her first period, rendering her unclean, impure, and mortal again. Kumari, child Goddess of Nepal, original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America .

The Furies....of Politics

The Erinyes, or Furies, of Greek mythology were born from blood splatters when Kronos cut off the genitals of Ouranos and tossed them across the Earth into the ocean. They are the goddesses of vengeance for bad behavior. You might think you get away with a crime, but then the Erinyes show up with their brass studded scourges and rage. Here Mr. Unfettered Capitalism Fossil Fuel Earth Killer Military Industrial Complex is visited by three modern furies, Greta Thunberg, AOC, and Bernie. How can Bernie be a goddess? Didn't you know that Gloria Steinem named him an honorary woman ? True story. The Furies original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Arts America . This would be an excellent greeting card, right? Or socks...RedBubble has socks.

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