By Gatha Thakur
Index
Ch 1-Zeus-Indra-Ra-Odin
Ch 2-Hera-Lakshmi-Isis-Frigg
Ch 3- Poseidon-Varun-Sobek-Njord
Ch 4-Demeter-Parvati/Annapurna-Osiris-Sif
Ch 5-Ares-Kartikey-Set-Tyr
Ch 6-Athena-Saraswati-Neith-Mimir
Ch 7-Apollo-Surya-Horus-Baldur
Ch 8-Artemis-Kali-Bastet-Skadi
Ch 9-Hephaestus-Agni-Ptah-Brokkr
Ch 10-Aphrodite-Rati-Hathor-Freya
Ch 11-Hermes-Narad-Set-loki
Ch 12-Dionysus-Shiva-Osiris-Frey
Ch 13-Hades- Yama-Osiris-Hel
Myths are just stories that haven't been proven true, legends believed by some, but not all, this doesn't mean that they aren't real.
Mythologies drive people together in religion, communities, and even works of fiction. Millions of Mythologies and pantheons exist, not necessarily in different places. Mythologies like the Hindu pantheon are still believed to exist whereas some, like the Greek, are no longer celebrated. Nevertheless, all these mythologies exist on one planet. To figure out how myths are similar, we will dive as deep as the seas controlled by Poseidon and figure out the parallels between the Greek, Hindu, Egyptian, and Norse mythology.
For simplicity, we will be comparing the twelve Greek Olympians (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, (Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Dionysus) along with the god of the underworld (Hades) to their equivalents in other Pantheons.
The reason I have chosen to go with thirteen gods is that thirteen is considered an unlucky number in quite a lot of countries and religions, but it is also the age I am currently at and I wanted to explore deeper into it.
Ch 1- Zeus-Indra-Ra-Odin
Zeus- Zeus was born as the fifth and last child to Kronos and Rhea. His elder siblings, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon were all killed and eaten by their father, Kronos. Kronos was once haunted by a prophecy that showed him the supposed future, He then started believing that all of his children would kill him and take over his throne. What was his solution? Of course, he decided to eat them (Such an amazing father right) The youngest child, Zeus, tricked him and escaped him (Youngest child privileges). He, somehow, was able to force Kronos to gag out all his older siblings. He, along with the other gods, staged a mutiny, but since Kronos was immortal, he could not be killed. Instead, Zeus and the gang cut him up and threw him down into Tartarus then forced Kronos to gag out his siblings. As fate would have it, Zeus was the one crowned as the king of the gods (Youngest child privileges am I right).
Indra-Born to Kashyap and Aditi, Indra was crowned the king of Hindu gods after he attained victory from innumerable demons, enemies, and wrongdoers. He has been believed to have brought back the sun when it was captured by demons. Indra dev causes rain by hunting Black clouds, bursting with water on his noble steed, or shall I say, Elephant-Airavata-who is often depicted in paintings as having four trunks, Airavata came out of the ocean of milk once it was churned. Airyavata is not Indra dev’s only treasure and, naturally, having so much wealth and so many treasures, the king of the gods, was very insecure about his belongings, he was generally concerned about his valuables and that common men would try and steal them and take advantage of them. To keep his belongings safe, he used to disturb the sages during their meditation and was often cursed, one of his greatest curses was when he killed a Brahmin (Which is a great sin in Hindu mythology). Surprisingly though, Indra Dev does have stories, okay one story, of kindness. This was when, during the Mahabharata, he awarded his divine crown-Kirit- to Arjun after he helped Indra dev kill a lot of dangerous demons, and for this reason, Arjuna was also called Kiriti.
Ra-The king of gods, the first god in existence according to Egyptian myths was Ra. Ra, the sun god and the ruler of all Egyptian divines, having the head of a falcon, was never believed to have been born, he just always existed. Egyptians believed that Ra created seasons, plants, mankind, and the entire world. Apep, Sobek, and Serket are three of his siblings. Being the god of the sun, he has an incredibly important duty, he rides the sun boat across the sky every day, a few gods were blessed with the opportunity to get chosen to travel with Ra, Bastet (Chapter eight), daughter of Ra, used to travel with him to keep him safe from Apophis, Ra’s mortal enemy. Ra used to travel throughout the duat or the underworld causing the twelve parts of the day.
Odin- Odin, the creator of the world, the All-Father, was born to Bor and the giantess Bestla, his wife was Frigg, the goddess of marriage (Chapter Two). Half of the warriors who die bravely in battle go to his hall, The great and mighty Valhalla where they will live until Ragnarok. At the onset of Ragnarok (the end of the world), all Einjahrs (People who live in Valhalla) would fight from the side of the gods and eventually die when Surt’s heavy fire burns down all the nine worlds. Odin himself has been predicted to die during the final battle against the giants and the children of Loki. During this fight, one of Loki's children, Fenrir, has been said to eat Odin, thus ending his life. Odin was a one-eyed god. How did he lose his eye you may ask? Well, he plucked out his eye and gave it to the Norse god of wisdom, Mimir (Chapter 6) as payment. Odin has also been said to have hung himself for nine days and nine nights on the world tree or Yggdrasil to learn about the nine worlds -Alfheim, Asgard, Midgard, Vanaheim, Jotunheim, Nidavellir, Muspellheim, Niflheim, Helheim. Odin himself resides in Asgard.
As we have noticed, two of the kings of gods also substitute as the god of the sky and thunder, Indra Dev and Zeus. But the other two, Ra and Odin are a different case. Both Indra Dev and Zeus have often caused problems, but Odin and Ra solve problems. Thus, we cannot categorise all kings of the gods as one.
Ch 2-Hera-Lakshmi-Isis-Frigg
Hera- Hera, the youngest daughter of Kronos and Rhea was one of the children consumed by her father. After the crowning of Zeus, she became the queen of gods and of Olympus. The most powerful goddess on Olympus and second most powerful in all of Greek mythology, second only to Nyx who was the Greek goddess of darkness. A common misconception about Hera is that she was a calm, composed, and sweet goddess, the truth whereas, was the complete opposite. Hera was responsible, (Even if it was just partially) for most of the conflicts on Olympus, Heracules for one. Heracules (Often written as Hercules) was born to Zeus and Alcmene. Hera actually cared for him and raised him as her own, until she figured out who his father was. Out of pure spite for her husband Hera decided to punish Hercules and tried to kill him, despite his and Zeus’s attempts to calm her down, one of them being his name, Zeus named Hercules after Hera herself (Oh, bribery). After many attempts, she failed to kill him, so she moved onto plan B, she put him under an extreme spell of madness, causing him to murder his own wife and children. Overcome by grief, Heracules sought the Oracle of Delphi, he prayed to Apollo for guidance and support, and the god of the prophecy told him to serve the king Eurystheus for ten years, where he was given twelve, seemingly, impossible tasks.
Lakshmi-Goddess of wealth, good fortune, happiness, youth, and beauty, wife of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi had been said to have retreated into the ocean of milk, and she immersed sitting in a lotus flower during the churning of the ocean along with many other things. Lord Vishnu had gone on earth in the form of Ram, and Lakshmi ma followed in the form of Sita, hence earning the title of the ideal Hindu wife. She is prayed to every Diwali, a festival in India celebrating the victory of light over darkness, for wealth and happiness.
Isis- Child of Net and Geb, wife of the king of the underworld, Osiris, and mother of Horus, Isis was the Egyptian goddess of magic, wisdom, and motherhood as well as the protector of children. Isis’s headdress represents her role as queen of gods. When Set killed Osiris, cutting him into fourteen parts, Isis collected thirteen of them and resurrected Osiris as the king of the underworld. Apart from this, there was a fight between Horus and Set, In the middle of the fight, Isis lost her head and took the form of Hathor with the head of a cow.
Frigg- Goddess of marriage and motherhood, the queen of Asgard, Frigg is the wife of Odin. As we will learn later about the story of Baldur, Frigg tried to save the life of her son by taking oaths from everything on this planet, an oath that they would not hurt Baldur after he started having terrible nightmares. Most myths depict her as a mourning mother for her son Baldur while others stress her loose morals. Queen of Valkyries. Valkyries were strong human females who identified people worthy of Valhalla. They lived mostly among humans, but some in Asgard as well. No specifics have been mentioned about the fate of the queen during Ragnarok, but some believe that she would survive and rule over Valhalla.
Goddesses of Wealth and marriage are some of the most overlooked but powerful goddesses in existence. Most of them are also the queen of the gods, and one specific goddess is a bit of a troublemaker. All queens of gods have either played the role of the perfect wife or mother. That is all, except Hera, but she’s as good as any god in Greek mythology can go.
Ch 3-Poseidon-Varun-Sobek-Njord
Poseidon- Second oldest son of Kronos and Rhea, Poseidon was also eaten by the titan. God of Ocean, storms, earthquakes, and horses (Yes horses). Poseidon is considered a part of the ‘Big Three’ Consisting of the brothers -Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Poseidon, like his ocean, was not a calm fella. He and his niece, Athena (Chapter Six) were mortal enemies, this probably has something to do with the story behind Athens. Both the deities held a challenge, they would both offer gifts to the capital city of Greece and whoever had their gift chosen would become the patron and protector of the city. Poseidon offered the city the very first horse in existence, while Athena created the first olive tree and offered it to Athens. The people of Athens proceeded to choose the great Olive tree over the horse and in turn, chose the goddess of wisdom as their patron. Poseidon, angered, struck Athena, which she cleverly blocked. Before the fight accelerated, Poseidon gave up and returned to his domain.
Poseidon was also a nuisance to the king of Ithica- Odysseus. After being blinded by Odysseus and his crew, the cyclops Polyphemus prays to his father, Poseidon, who kills the majority of Odysseus's fleet as punishment and lengthens their journey by years, it took Odysseus twenty years to return to Ithaca, and that too, without any crew. He also attacks him after he escapes Calypso’s island, Ogygia (Chapters Six and Eleven).
Varun- God of sea and rain, son of Aditi and Kashyap. In the Ramayana, when Sita was abducted by Ravan, Lord Ram used to pray to Varun Dev for safe sea passages. He uses the power of Maya to create numerous forms of the universe.
Sobek- The Egyptian god of Crocodiles and water. Son of Neith, husband of Renenutet (I know, a mouthful). Sobek’s head is said to resemble the head of a crocodile. In ancient Egypt, it is believed that crocodiles do not have tongues thanks to Sobek. One day, while in the river Nile, the god saw Osiris’s body and could not resist himself from having a meal. He was, obviously, brutally punished, by cutting his tongue off.
Njord- Father to the fraternal twin gods, Frey (Chapter twelve) and Freya (Chapter ten), God of ships, sailors, fishermen, wind and the sea. Njords wife was Skadi, the goddess of winters (Long story). Sailors called on Njord for safe passages and bountiful fishing trips. He was also often prayed to for good riches. Njord was at first against the Aesir and led the Vanirs against them in the battle. However, the peace treaty caused him to join the Aesir. Where most gods have been destined to die at Ragnarok, Njord is one of the few who has been predicted to return alive.
The deities of seas and water were very powerful creatures, not the most helpful, often the opposite actually. Most gods of seas and water have been destructive and as scary as the sea (Pun intended) but gods like Varun, really helped Ram through his tough times.
Ch4-Demeter-Parvati/Annapurna-Isis-Sif
Demeter- Goddess of the harvest, Seasons, fertility, and the earth. The second child to Kronos after Hestia (Goddess of the hearth, she gave up her place on Olympus) and Rhea. She was also ingested by Kronos. Demeter had a daughter named Persephone- the Goddess of grain and harvest and the queen of the underworld. Persephone was the daughter of Zeus as well. Hades had kidnapped Persephone (With the consent of Zeus) and taken her to the underworld. Demeter, furious at Zeus, demanded him to bring her back. The god of lighting on the other hand could not mess with the underworld. Meanwhile, in the underworld, Persephone was starving; she, in protest, refused to eat anything offered to her by Hades. She searched the entire underworld and she soon found a tree of pomegranate, she plucked the fruit and ate six seeds. Later, Persephone found out that just those six seeds were enough to keep her in the underworld forever. On the earth, Demeter was awaiting her daughter's return and crops had stopped growing. People were dying of starvation due to the shortage of grain. Zeus, worried, made a pact with Hades. For two-thirds of each year, Persephone would be in the land of the living, causing the spring, summer, and monsoon seasons, and the remainder would be spent in the underworld hence resulting in the infertile winter seasons. Soon mother and daughter were reunited but only for a short while each year, The rest was spent by Persephone ruling the underworld.
Annapurna- A version of Ma Parvati, Annapurna is the goddess of grain, food, and feeding. Being a form of the goddess While Goddess Parvati took care of the world by nurturing it, Her husband, Lord Shiva, began to depreciate her work. He believed that all material things were merely called Maya. Parvati once realized that she would have to prove to Shiva that her job was just as important. She knew that without both forces balancing each other out, the earth would remain static. So, she took away her force. Soon the world was stuck in a crisis, a scarcity of food, fields became dry, and living things ceased to exist. People slept hungry with rumbling bellies and empty hearts. Shiva figured out the importance of the material world. Parvati’s compassion could no longer stand around watching the earth perish and she came back in the form of Annapurna. She carried a bowl of rice and a bejeweled ladle. They would thrive once more. At Kashi, she opened a kitchen with food, people could eat till they felt as if they would burst. Humbled, Shiva himself presented himself in front of Annapurna in the form of an old man, begging for her food, for this reason, the great deity is often seen begging for food in front of Annapurna herself.
Isis- Child of Net and Geb, wife of the king of the underworld, Osiris and Mother of Horus, Isis, goddess of magic, wisdom, motherhood as well as the protector of children. The reason she is so similar to Demeter is that she is also seen as a goddess of fertility as well as a motherly figure in the myths, as mentioned in chapter two.
Sif- Goddess of harvest, grain, and fertility. Better known as the wife of Thor, Sif was the daughter of Mandifari. Sif was the reason Thor got his famous hammer, Mjolnir. Loki, the trickster god, once cut off Sif’s luscious golden hair, Sif was miserable and told Thor. Thor, furious, demanded him to fix this mess he created. Loki went to the best builders in the nine worlds, the dwarfs. He decided to put two dwarf families against each other. The first family, The sons of Ivaldi, agreed but the other, Brokkr and Eitri were sceptical, so they set a wager that if they won, Loki would have to forfeit his head. Loki, though scared, agreed and tried to sabotage the competition, but failed. Both teams created three items each, The sons of Ivaldi were the ones who created a golden wig for Sif. Brokk and Eitri created Mjolnir, a magnificent hammer that would never break, always hit its mark, and always return to Thor after being thrown. Clearly, Brokk and Eitri won and how Loki saved his head was his wit. Although Sif may seem like a huge softie, she isn't. Sif has been known to lead rescue missions alongside Thor, Balder, and other powerful gods. We also know that most gods are destined to die on Ragnarok, but Sif is one of the few destined to survive, she is to become the new leader of Aesir following the death of both Odin and Thor. She will settle in Vanaheim and rule over the nine worlds as Odin once did.
Some of the most important deities are the goddesses of fertility and harvest. Without them, crops would not grow, fields would become infertile and people would die.
Ch 5-Ares-kartikeya-Set-Tyr
Ares- Son of Hera and Zeus, Ares was the child of war and courage. Ares represents the more brutal parts of war, while his sister, the great Athena shows the noble parts of war. Though Ares is the god of war, he is also the weakest god on Olympus for obvious reasons, He relies more on brute force than strategy. Ares often used to change sides mid-battle; he was not favoured by other gods. He has also fared terribly in battle against supernatural opponents. One such story is when Ares was captured by giants and kept in a bronze jar for over a year till, he was rescued. Unlike his sister, Ares was the child most hated by Zeus probably because of his terrible history in battle.
Kartikey- Son of Lord Shiva and Parvati Ma, Kartikeya is the god of war. As we will see in part nine, it was said that the child of Shiva and Parvati would kill the demon Tarakasura. Kartikeya took an eternal child-like form named Kumara. He led all other gods into battle and then soon became the warrior god. When Tarakasura saw Kumara come to battle him, he felt amused that a literal child was coming to battle him, little did he know, that little boy was the god of warriors who soon defeated Tarakasura and fulfilled the prophecy.
Set- God of war, chaos, and storms, Set was the youngest son of Nut and Geb with his siblings, Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Nephthys. Set is also a trickster god, the god of the sky and deserts as well as a protector of Ra alongside Horus. He has been depicted as having the head of a red canine-like creature. Set also killed his brother Osiris, so that he could get the throne, He was then defeated by Horus (Osiris and Isis’s son). Set also had an important role He was a reconciled combatant; he used the keep the balance with Horus. He represented the red land (Desert) whereas Horus represented the Black land (Fertile land)
Tyr- The one-handed god of Bravery and war. Tyr was the son of Odin. He was one of the oldest gods in Germanic literature and was worshipped for a long amount of time. Now, how did he lose his hand? The one responsible for this was none other than Fenrir Wolf. Loki had three monstrous children, Fenris, Hel, and Jorgmungand. Once Odin had nightmares that plagued him every night. They were of three monstrous figures. He sent Tyr and Thor to capture the three of them. When they did, Fenrir wolf was a small pup, and so Tyr put the cub in his pocket and took him to Odin. The three were to be banished as soon as possible. Jorgmungand was banished to the depths of the sea, Hel to Helheim, and Fenrir challenged the gods. Odin decided to keep an eye on the growing cub. He grew, from a cub, to a wolf, to a beast. Odin was afraid of him, Tyr on the other hand grew fond of Fenrir and visited him frequently. One day, Odin created the heaviest chains they could and told Fenrir that this was to test his growing strength. Fenrir accepted and broke through the chains easily. He did the same again, with heavier chains, which also shattered. So, Odin sought help from the best creators, the dwarfs. They crafted an unbreakable chain, Glepnir. Odin challenged Fenrir again but before accepting, He looked at the chain and sensed trickery. He then said that he would accept if a god had his hand in Fenrir’s mouth the entire time. Tyr was ready to make this sacrifice, trusting Fenrir. Fenrir was bound and he strained against the chains, but they only became tighter. Fenrir felt betrayed and bit through Tyr’s wrist. Similarly, At Ragnarok, Tyr’s other hand would be bitten off, and he would bleed to death.
Gods of war and bravery are often seen as unapologetic creatures, but what about gods like Tyr and Kartikeya, who would do anything for the wellbeing of the world?
Ch 6-Athena-Saraswati-Neith-Mimir
Athena- What can I say about the goddess of wisdom, the favourite child of the king of gods? Daughter of Zeus and Metis. Athena was born out of Zeus’s noggin. Zeus, angry at Metis turned her into a fly and ate her (No idea why the second part was necessary but anyway), after a few days, Zeus had a terrible headache and soon later, Athena burst out, all aged and armoured. The goddess of wisdom, war, strategy, and craft and let's not forget weaving. You can thank her for ships, rakes, chariots, plows and so much more. Athena played a great part in the journey of Odysseus. Similar to Hermes, Athena helped Ody escape Ogygia by advocating for him to Zeus. After a huge debate involving Zeus, Apollo, Hephaestus, Hera, and Aphrodite, Zeus finally agreed and convinced Calypso to let him off the island. But Athena was not always helpful. A lady named Arachne once said that she was better than Athena herself when it came to weaving. After a contest (Which Arachne won) Athena turned her into an eight-legged creature- a spider- and forced her to weave for the rest of her life.
Saraswati- Two stories exist about the birth of the goddess of wisdom. The first was that she was born of the sea and the other than Lord Brahma created her of his own imagination. Saraswati Maa is the goddess of wisdom, music, art, and learning. Saraswati was also a river that flowed in India, the river of knowledge. In early India, children had curiosity, they wanted to learn and study. The children were seen running around noticing things, flowers, animals, food, everything. But soon, learning became a burden. Children just memorized lessons and narrated them like parrots, so they were often depicted with parrot heads. Now the river Saraswati had white lotuses and a lotus would bloom every time a child used to tell it something they had learnt. If they said something that they memorized the lotus would wither. Soon all lotuses in the river died and the river slowly and steadily lost all her water hence disappearing from the surface of the world. It is often said that the Saraswati River flows in the minds of children with curiosity and interest in learning.
Neith- Goddess of creation, war, wisdom and weaving. Neith is a self-created goddess who is one of the oldest Egyptian deities. She has been worshiped for thousands of years. Neith has been said to be present at the time of the creation of the world. In some versions of mythology, Neith has been said to be the mother of Ra himself. Grandmother to the Egyptian gods, Neith was the mother to Sobek and Aphophis as well. Instead of a different head, Neith wore a headpiece made of bows and a shield.
Mimir-Son of Giants Bestla and Bolthorn. Mimir is the Norse god of wisdom. Mimir lives in the roots of Yggdrasil, in the well of knowledge there. Fun fact, Mimir does not have a body. He is known for letting people drink from the well of knowledge in exchange for service, pain, suffering, or something precious to the person. Why doesn’t he have a body? Well, Mimir was a hostage and was sent by the Aesir to the Vanir. He was returned as a head for he was decapitated. Odin then preserved the head, gained knowledge from him, and lost his eye as payment.
Even though all of them were deities of war and wisdom, they didn't always make the best decisions and choices. Athena could have chosen to help Odysseus throughout his journey, but did not. Mimir could have saved his body using his wit.
Ch 7-Apollo-Surya-Horus-Baldur
Apollo- The great Apollo is the god of not only the sun but also music, healing, archery, truth, light, prophecies, poetry, diseases, and a minor god of art, beauty, order, dance, agriculture, and knowledge. Talk about talent! Apollo and his twin, the goddess of the moon and hunting, Artemis, were children of Zeus and the Titaness Leto. Apollo and Artemis are the only gods to share the Olympian dias. Apollo, at the ripe age of four days old, decided to avenge his mother from the python at Delphi, who had tormented his Leto while she was pregnant. With the help of his archery skills, he succeeded in killing the python and made his temple at Delphi. This, in turn, angered Gaea, mother of the Python as well as the goddess of the earth (Evil earth mother). Gaea forced Zeus to banish Apollo to the depths of Tartarus. Zeus, taking pity instead, banished him for nine years onto earth as a slave to a demigod.
Surya- Surya dev, is the supposed creator of Prakriti, or the material universe. Surya Dev is the child of the goddess of the eternal heavens, Aditi, and Kashyapa, a sage. He is also known for dispelling darkness and his healing powers (Similar to Apollo). Shadows were created due to him and his wife. Surya Dev was married to a woman named Sanjana. Sanjana one day realized that the sun god shined too bright, brighter than she could handle, so she decided to leave the heavens and convinced a maid named Chaaya to take her place (Chaaya meaning shadow). Chaaya often used to neglect the children of Sanjana. And so, when they complained to their father, Surya Dev found out about his wife. He then proceeded to walk around the earth looking for her. When he finally did find Sanjana, she refused to return with him since she could not look at him without blinding herself, so the sun god returned to the heavens without his wife.
Horus- A powerful god of war and the sky, The great Horus. Horus is the only child of the great Isis and Osiris. Horus has been depicted as having the head of a Falcon wearing a crown. Since Horus is the sky. It is said that the sun and moon are both a part of him. The sun his right eye and the moon his left. When Horus travelled the sky in the form of a falcon. The celestial bodies followed. Set, Osiris’s brother, and Horus's uncle. Wanted the throne, and would cross any boundaries to reach it. He had already killed his brothers, and Horus was next. Eventually, Horus did defeat Set but with a cost. His left eye, the moon, got damaged during the process, thus creating the phases of the moon.
Baldur- The loved god of Light and radiance, joy and purity, peace and forgiveness. Child of Odin and Frigg along with his twin brother, the god of darkness, the blind Hod (Sound familiar?). Baldur was the most loved god, not just by Midgardians (Mortals) but also by other deities. He once started having nightmares about being killed by monsters, so his mother, Frigg, traveled the nine worlds, taking oaths from everything in existence (Living or not), and made them promise not to hurt Baldur the Great. Once she had completed her journey, all the gods gathered to test Baldur's immortality. Random objects were thrown at him from knives to leaves. Everyone was happy and enjoying the festivities except for two, Loki and Hod. The god of mischief (Loki), fed up with the celebration, shapeshifted, and interrogated Frigg. He asked her whether she had, by chance, forgotten anything. Frigg shrugged and answered that she did not get an oath from mistletoe. So, Loki gathered mistletoe and gave Hod a chance to participate. He guided Hod’s aim and shot. And so, Baldur’s light dimmed as his life slipped out of him. During Ragnarok, he has been said to return and survive the entire destruction.
The deities of light, sun, healing, and music may be some of the most loved or best-known gods, but that doesn't mean that they weren't the start of problems. Take Baldur for instance, if he hadn't had those dreams, or made a big deal about them, he would’ve still been alive.
Ch 8- Artemis-Kali-Bastet-Skadi
Artemis- The goddess of the moon, hunting, Archery childbirth, care of children, the wilderness, wild animals, and Minor goddess of nature and vegetation. The almighty Artemis, Twin sister to Apollo, daughter of Zeus and Leto, shares the Olympian dais with her twin brother. Artemis was the older twin; her mother was in great pain while birthing the god of the sun. Artemis, Minutes old, helped Leto through her pain. It took nine days to give birth to Apollo (Probably his big ego). Apollo and Artemis both dearly loved their mother. Artemis, along with the help of her brother, killed the children of Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, for boasting that she was a better mother than Leto. Niobe, out of grief, transformed into a rock and lived like that for the rest of her life. Artemis, being the goddess of the hunt, founded a group, the famous hunters of Artemis. The hunters, like Artemis, had to take an oath that they would turn their backs to the company of men.
Kali- Kali Ma is the Hindu goddess of the wild, darkness, destruction, and death. She is also the symbol of nature. She was born out of the wrath inside the goddess Durga, the goddess of power. Kali ma is often called up to battle. One of her most famous battles was her fight against the demon Raktabija. Normally demons could be easily defeated, but he was a special case. You see, Raktabija could be reborn with a clone every time his blood touched the ground. The Other gods only called the goddess when they had succeeded in summoning a Raktabija army. The goddess then, after struggling against him. Got a bowl and filled it with his blood, refusing to let it touch the ground, thus killing him. But this did not end there, Kali ma came out of the fury of Durga maa, and so, she was nearly unstoppable. She kept wreaking havoc, killing people and rampaging. She was only stopped by Shiva when he stepped in her path.
Bast-The ancient Egyptian goddess of cats, with the head of a cat (Yes you read that right, Cats). She was originally the lioness warrior goddess of the sun, sounds cool, right? But seriously, Bast was also the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health. Daughter of Ra and Isis and wife of Ptah, she is often depicted as having the body of a woman and the head of a cat. In some variations Bast is the eye of Ra, which means, she could transform into the lioness Sekhmet to carry out Ra’s wish, in other versions, Sekhmet is the sister of Bast. The goddess was said to ride through the sky with Ra, to protect him from the giant Serpent Apophis or Apep. By night, she turned into her cat form and stood over him, so that she would be able to kill Aphopis at a moment's notice.
Skadi-A skilled huntress, a strong goddess, Skadi, despite being the daughter of the giant Thiazi, is accepted by all deities by the goddess of Winter and hunting. She is also married to the Norse god of the seas, Njord. The goddess is said to be able to hunt while skiing down snowy mountains with her wolf Ruttisdir by her side. Stories about her are far too few. One of them is when she went to Asgard to avenge her father, where the gods offered her the chance to choose a husband from the gods. Skadi agreed, only to be stuck with Njord. Njord wanted to live near the seas whereas Skadi wanted to live on her snowy mountaintops. They decided to stay nine nights in each place, this agreement did not last and both of them stayed in their own abode. Skadi was apparently the one who placed a snake over the head of Loki as his eternal punishment, the snake that will be mentioned in part eleven. Skadi’s fate at Ragnarok is unclear. Some scholars say she is supposed to live while others claim that she will die in the fire.
Goddesses of wilderness and hunting are without a doubt some of the most powerful and mindful goddesses in all the pantheons. Except for Kali Ma, she did need help calming down after defeating the demon.
Ch 9-Hephaestus-Agni-Ptah-Brokk
Hephaestus- Blacksmiths, Forges, Volcanoes, and Fire, not the prettiest, but how did he get married to the goddess of beauty? Hephaestus was born to Hera, and…just Hera. When Hephaestus was born and the queen of gods got a good look at him, she felt a wave of disgust wash over her, he was the ugliest child she had ever seen. So she did what any logical person would do, She threw him off Mount Olympus with hopes that he would not survive. He was then rescued by two goddesses. They taught him to craft jewellery out of seashells and taught him the skills he had. Hephaestus wanted revenge. Once Zeus allowed him to come back to Olympus, he crafted a throne for his dear mother and the moment she sat on it, she was stuck. She begged Hephaestus to set her free, but he had come prepared with a demand. He wanted Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty’s hand in marriage, and Hera, reluctantly, agreed.
Agni-Son of…we aren't sure. Some people say he was born to Dyaus Pita (The sky) and Prithvi (The earth), others believe he is the son of the sages Kashyap and Aditi or Brahma and Savha. Agni dev was given the job of carrying the offerings made by humans to the gods. He was afraid of the task at first since three of his brothers had perished carrying this out. Agni dev is also associated with the funeral pyre, being the god of fire, be it the fire of the sun, of lightning, or even the sacrificial hearth.
Ptah- God of craftsman. He is believed to have been born to Nun and Naunet (Personification of water). Ptah, being the craftsman, can create anything, including other gods. He has been said to have created the cosmos. He would imagine them in his heart and breathe them to life with his voice. He created other living creatures from wood, metal, and sometimes stone.
Brokkr- Do you remember the dwarf Brokkr we talked about in the story of Thor? The same Brokkr (Also called Brokk) was also the god of blacksmiths. Let's quench your curiosity and dive deeper into the same story. During the competition, Brokk was taking care of the fire whereas his brother, Eitri was building the magical objects. Loki had shapeshifted into a fly to save his head (His head was on the line) and bit Brokk many, many times, but he didn't flinch. Finally, during the creation of Mjolnir, Loki bit Brokk on his eyelid which caused the hammer not to be in the fire long enough and the handle was shorter than needed. During the judging, the defect was noticed, but the properties of Mjonir overcame that shortage and they won. But of course, Why does Loki still have his head you may ask, well, wait for chapter eleven to find out. During Rangarok, Brokkr would be fighting against Odin and so, he would be Stabbed in the heart by Odin himself.
The gods of craftsmen, fire, and blacksmiths are some of the least known gods, but quite important in their field. Brokkr, as we saw, was responsible for Loki being put in his place, similarly Hephaestus was able to humble Hera after she threw him off Mount Olympus.
Ch 10-Aphrodite-Rati-Hathor-Freya
Aphrodite- Goddess of Love, Beauty, and grace. Daughter of Dione and Zeus (Yes, another one) Once all three goddesses, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera asked a Greek named Paris which of the three goddesses was the fairest (Yes, Paris Paris on the wall who’s the fairest of them all). All the three offered him something to say their name, Athena offered him great wisdom, almost as her own, and amazing battle strategy and luck. Hera promised him power, she showed him flashes of conquering thrones and that all of Asia would be at his feet. Aphrodite offered him the hand in marriage of the most beautiful mortal, Helen of Sparta. Helen was already married to Menelaos and this was the cause of the great Trojan War that would soon go down in history.
Rati- The Hindu goddess of love. The daughter of Prajapati Daksha. She is the female counterpart to the god Kama. There was once a prophecy that the child of the goddess Parvati and the god Shiva would kill the demon Tarakasura. Goddess Parvati was in a hurry to wake up lord Shiva so she called on Kama Dev. He was then burnt to ashes by the third eye of Shiva. So Rati cursed Parvati that she would never have a child.
Hathor-The goddess of love, beauty, and dancing. Hathor was the daughter of Ra and Nut (No she is not the goddess of nuts, she's the sky goddess). We know about the battle between Horus and Set. Well, during the fight, Isis lost her head and after looking for a new one, the head she picked up was of a cow, so, she became Hathor. Not only a cow, she often also turned into a cat, goose, and lioness as well. Hathor was quite funny, festive, and delightful, hence her name, Woman of Delights. Another name given to Hathor was ‘Mother of Mothers’ since she used to help women and mothers having puzzling personalities.
Freya- Goddess of love, gold, magic and beauty. Daughter of Njord and twin sister to Frey- God of summer, spring, and a lot more. Freya is also a quite important goddess when it comes to war (Similar to Aphrodite) She had been said to drive a chariot guided by two cats (She’s a cat lady) into war. Now Freya gets half the slain warriors. Half of them go to Valhalla and the other half to Folkvanger which is said to be a peaceful place- Unlike Valhalla, where fights were typical. Fun fact about Freya, she sheds legitimate tears of gold, thus the title of the goddess of gold. Freya has been said to either die in battle during Ragnarok or kill herself out of grief.
Goddesses of Beauty and love are not soft beings. Aphrodite used to be believed to also be a goddess of war. Freya herself fights in battles often. Rati cursed the wife of the great Shiva and Hathor, being Isis earlier, died for her son before coming back as Hathor.
Ch 11-Hermes-Narad-Set-Loki
Hermes- Another child of Zeus, Hermes, born to the god of lightning, and Maia, the goddess of the fields. He is the god of Thieves, tricksters, travelers, merchants, messengers, boundaries, and literature. He also, sometimes, guided souls to the underworld after their death. Hermes' stories of trickery and thievery began at a juvenile age. At only a few hours old he stole Apollo’s cattle. Zeus, angered at his son, demanded him to return his cattle to his older brother. Instead, he played a stringed instrument he invented called the Lyre. Apollo, as the god of music, was mesmerized and let Hermes keep the cattle in exchange for the instrument (Which soon became the symbol of Apollo). Hermes is also known for helping the king of Ithaca in the Odyssey (Like his older sister Athena). When Ody was trapped on the island of Ogygia with Calypso for seven years, Hermes helped him escape and also helped him overcome Circe- a sorceress- by giving him the root Moly that neutralized the powers of the sorceress.
Narad- He is a sage, a traveling musician, and a storyteller, he carries news and wisdom and is one of the mind-created children of Brahma ji, He is Narad Muni. With the power to travel the three worlds, Swarg, Dharti, and Patal he served the priests, and them, pleased with him, offered him the prasada of lord Vishnu. He loved the stories of Vishnu ji narrated by the priests and soon after the death of his mother, he went into the forests in search of enlightenment.
Anubis- Anubis was the guide of souls, the god of mummification and the afterlife. He is an important figure in Egyptian mythology. Son of Set of Nephthys, Anubis is quite different from his father. He wasn't raised by either of the two, instead, Nephthys abandoned Anubis and he was raised by Osiris and Isis, as their son. Anubis is the one responsible for weighing the hearts of people to see if they are worthy of the Duat or not (Further discussed in chapter thirteen) along with this, he also is the keeper of the feather of truth which hearts are weighed against. Anubis is often depicted as having the head of a jackal. Anubis helped Isis resurrect Osiris and guided him down to the underworld to rule there.
Loki-Ah, Loki. The troublesome deity in Norse myths. God of Chaos and trickery. Honestly speaking, half of these problems wouldn’t have been caused if Loki were in the picture, but what can we do about that? Loki was the son of Farbauti- a Jotunn (Giant) and Laufey. He had many children (Who also caused ruckuses) Hel, Fenrir, Jormungand, Narvi, Vali and so many more (he was also the mother of the Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed) Now back to the story of how he didn't lose his head. When Brokk and Eitri demanded his head. Loki smartly replied that they did have rights to his head, but not his neck, so the dwarfs would not be able to cut his head. Brokkr in reply decided to sew Loki’s lips shut, so that he couldn’t talk. The stories of Loki don’t end there, after the killing of Baldur. Hermod, messenger god, went to Helheim and tried to convince Loki's daughter Hel, (she looked like a human on one side and a rotting corpse on the other). Hel considered taking pity but decided against it. She gave Hermod a challenge. If he could prove that every living thing wept at Baldur’s death. Hermod would have succeeded if not for, you guessed it, Loki. Loki shapeshifted into a giant and refused to shed a tear for Baldur. Hermod soon realized that he had been tricked by Loki. As punishment Loki was tied to boulders with poison dripping onto his face from a serpent's mouth, burning it. Still, somehow Loki hasn't given up and wreaks havoc all around the world. During Ragnarok, Loki has been said to escape and fight Heimdal, the guard of the entrance to Asgard. Heimdal and Loki will kill each other in the process.
Tricksters, are supposedly the most troublesome and, surprisingly the most helpful. Loki, apart from his mischief, has helped the Aesir quite a few times. Hermes helped Odysseus a lot. Anubis is the one who helps souls reach the underworld.
Ch 12-Dionysus-shiva-osiris-frey
Dionysus-Youngest son of Zeus and Semele, God of wine, partying, orchards, fruits, fertility, theatre, and craziness. Dionysus has been a nuisance not only to the gods but also mortals. Being born to a human, Dionysus is technically a demigod. He still is one of the twelve Olympians and was born out of the thigh of Zeus after Semele was killed by Hera, Zeus saved the child by implanting him into his leg. Dionysus was soon born and became the iconic person he was. Zeus soon realized that his son was not safe on Olympus because of the wrath of Hera, so he gave him away, to whom he was unsure. Some scriptures say he was raised by Hermes, others by Rhea, Athamas, or even Persephone. Whoever raised him, raised him as a little devil. The god had once met King Lycurgus from Thrace. The ruler refused to acknowledge the godliness of Dionysus with him technically being a demigod (Him being a demigod) and he was an opponent of the cult of Dionysus. The god once caused a great madness to take over Lycurgus, causing his death. The god and his followers were often shown acting out plays of tragedy, comedy, and much more. Dionysus was also responsible for many festivities in Athens as well as the rest of Greece.
Shiva-The destroyer, God of entertainment, Lord Shiva, Natraja, Mahadev among many others. Once the god faced the demon of ignorance, selfishness, and forgetfulness, Apasmara. Shiva took the form of Nataraja and performed Tandav or the cosmic dance, and crushed Apasmara during his performance under his foot. The Lord has the mighty river Ganga flowing out of his hair. When the goddess Ganga was to descend onto the earth. She was falling with such a force that the gods were afraid that the earth would crack in half. They begged Shiva to help and he caught the goddess and put her in his hair, from where she flowers peacefully.
Osiris- Osiris was the god of fertility before his death but began ruling the underworld soon after he was killed by his younger brother, Set. Osiris was said to have been wearing a headpiece that marked him as the king of the underworld. (More on this in chapter thirteen)
Frey- Frey was the god of Fertility, peace, good weather, spring, and summer and lord of Alfheim, where the sun is always shining. Twin brother of Freya, son of Njord. The god had a powerful sword- the sword of summer better known as Sumerbrander. Once he was looking for his lovely sister and sat on the throne of Odin so that he could see throughout the nine worlds. A giant Gerd caught his eye, he, in exchange for her, gave away his sword to Skirnir. At Ragnarok, it has been said that Sumerbrander will fall into the wrong hands of Surt, the fire giant, and Frey’s fate would be to be killed by his sword. Being the son of Njord, he has a ship that folds into a small cloth.
Gods of wine and partying are some of the most iconic gods. Shiva is one of the most worshipped gods in all of India. Frey is worshipped for good weather and seasons. Dionysus…He didn't really help anyone, but he's still there. And Osiris was the king of the underworld.
Ch 13-Hades-Yama-Osiris-Hel
Hades- God of the underworld, and against all stereotypes, the calmest god in the Greek pantheon. Hades was another of Kronos and Rhea’s children who was eaten by their father. Hades was the king of the underworld. His main job was to make sure that no spirits escaped the underworld and to make sure the spirits requiring punishment went to the fields of punishment, spirits requiring rewards went to Elysium and people not worthy of either, people who never did anything significant in their life, go to the fields of Asphodel. A fun fact about Hades is that he is a dog person, his three-headed hellhound Cerberus, guards the entrance of the underworld and is Hades’s second in command, making sure no spirit escapes. Hades is not one of the Olympians, but why? Well, Hades's realm, often called Hades itself, was positioned quite far from Olympus, hence not letting Hades be an Olympian (At Least he doesn't have to face the drama up there).
Yama- The most impartial god in the Hindu pantheon. Yama is the soul collector, the judge, and the god of death. According to some myths, Yama was the first mortal to die and get deported to the afterlife, hence he became the ruler of the deceased. It is also said that Yama dev is the collector of souls. It is said that he had a twin sister named Yami, and he was the one deported first. Similar to Hades, Yama had two dogs, both having four eyes.
Osiris- The older son of Nut and Geb, Osiris became the king of the underworld after he was killed by Set. Osiris was the embodiment of a dead and resurrected god. Osiris, though not a collector of souls (That would be Anubis) is the judge. He weighs the heart of a person next to the feather of truth, if the feather is lighter, the person’s soul lives on in the Duat, but if it is heavier, the person’s soul would seize to exist, their heart is eaten by Ammit, the destroyer of the dead, with the head of a crocodile, forelimbs like that of a lion and hindlegs like a hippopotamus.
Hel- Daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboa, goddess of death and the underworld. Hel is a fascinating woman with half of her body like a beautiful woman, and the other half, a rotting corpse. She rules the realm of Helheim, where all deceased, worthy of neither Valhalla nor Folkvanger, go to spend their time till Ragnarok. Hel and her siblings, Fenrir Wolf and Jormungand on Ragnarok will fight on the side of Loki though Hel is to be destroyed by the fire set by Surt (A fire giant) and will destroy the nine worlds, causing the end of the world.
Rulers of the dead, judges of whether people deserve punishment or praise. As well as the most wrongly viewed gods in all mythologies. They are often seen as unforgiving and scary, but the reality is the opposite.
Even though all these mythologies, gods, cultures, and religious practices are different, their myths and stories are still similar at their core. Yes, the essence has been differentiated due to the culture, location, needs, and landmarks, but all of them have a similar idea on the creation of the universe, on the birth, life, and death of a person. Though the way of narrating these might be severely separated and the places may be kilometres away, they all share a similar idea, the idea of greater divine beings that rule over the mortals. The gods, demons, Asuras, monsters, giants, whatever is specific to the mythology changes the perspective of how they are reviewed and portrayed.
By Gatha Thakur
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