The female role in philosophy/mythology/religion has always fastinated me. I would like to hear about the ones you like the most and perhaps a bit of information about them as well.
Pictures would be interesting too.

One of my favorites is Nut, Egyptian Goddess of the Sky.



The spirits of the dead passed through the sky to Nut to become eternal with the stars. She also protects earth from the chaos beyond in space. She alone is responsible for the rising and setting of the sun on a daily basis.

i read myth and sexuality by jamke highwater, several times...what's fascinating is how he traces goddesshood as far back as he can and using the eventual conquering of one nation by another nation...demonstrated how the goddess became a god, demonstrating that while christians may be the current bastards on the block, they learned from even more, devastating cultures...

goddess wise, i've always liked macha



male dominance through sheer sexuality, decapatated heads on stakes and given credit over choosing those who live and die on a battle field with her crows and spears...now that's a goddess.

I'm a follower of Isis She is the Queen of Magic, and the Beloved wife of Osiris, who is the Lord of the Underworld........but my God is Anubis, Weigher of the Heart against the Feather of Truth, Patron of Children and the Lost, and the Light of the Way to the Summerland.

Goddess of Love.



Homer says that Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and the oceanid Dione. Hesiod says that Aphrodite was formed from the remains of the titan, Ouranos. A part of Ouranus was cut off and thrown in to the sea by his son Cronus. From that severed part, emerged Aphrodite who floated back to land on a giant seashell. That is what Aphrodite by Botticelli depicts. There are also similarities between her and Astarte, an ancient semitic goddess. In Rome, she is known as Venus



She was married to Haephaestus, but she prefers Ares, the god of war. She had kids with both gods.

Children
Eros often appeared as a winged infant equipped with a bow and a quiver full of love darts which never missed their mark and took effect on both god and man. His half-brother
Anteros, son of Ares, punished those who failed to return the love of others.
Hermaphroditus, son of Hermes, was welded with a nymph into a body with both sexes.
Hymen and Priapus, sons of Dionysus, While Hymen was worshipped as the god of marriage, the monstrously ugly Priapus represented human lust.

Aphrodite's offspring show just how total her control over love and other passions truly was. Through her children, she had power over all areas of human emotion. As all people, despite their character or position in life, possessed some capacity for feeling, Aphrodite's influence was perhaps more widespread than that of any other god.

Aphrodite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aphrodite

I love Botticelli, he is by far, one of my favorite artists

I've always had a fondness for Circe. Waterhouse painted her poisoning the sea.

...While Scylla bathed in a small spring, the jealous Circe poured a potion of herbs into the water, then cast her spell. From the lower half of her body Scylla grew six monstrous dogs, but the upper half remained intact...



Notice the skull by her feet.

John William Waterhouse: Circe Invidiosa - 1892 « Paintings

Another one of my favorite Goddesses is Persephone: Daughter of Demeter and Queen of the Underworld



(The Rape Of Persephone by Berini)

Persephone ignites the changes in the seasons with her inevitable return to the realms above Hades's kingdom. Beloved by both Hades and Demeter, Persephone is forced to divide her time spent with both of them. Half the year is spent in the Underworld during which we endure Fall and Winter decay. The other half of the year she returns to the surface and brings about the fruitful months of Spring and Summer.

My favorite Goddess is Vesta

The Roman Virgin Goddess of home, hearth and family.
Her worshipers, The Vestal Virgins, tended the sacred fires in Her Temples.

well it would seem the greeks and romans have the corner market on favorite goddesses, but i still have to stand by the gaels and theirs...

i suppose i could be saucy and say, st. bridgit




the morrigu is always a delight...

I've always been fascinated with Artemis, greek goddess of the moon and the hunt.

One of the myths that stuck with me most vividly was the tale of Actaeon the hunter, who stumbled across Artemis and some nymphs bathing in a pool while he was out hunting. Artemis punishes his transgression by turning him into a stag, and he's torn apart and devoured by his own hunting dogs.

Wow Shad....I thought you were an avowed atheist....but you went up 15+ bonus points.

I've never claimed to be an atheist and I'm not claiming to be a pagan, either.
One doesn't have to worship gods and goddesses to have an appreciation for myths or the truths they tell.

Points? We're on a point system here? Why the hell doesn't anyone ever tell me these things? Are there any extra-credit projects I can do to catch up?

I just thought you were an atheist (as I've seen you make quite the argument for them in the past).

And no, those are my super-dee-dooper points that I give to cool comments. (Can you tell I need a job???)

Please post a picture and description of a goddess along with your posts

something like this?

but the icy north will always offer my favorites...


Freyja, (Freya, Freyia) in Norse mythology, the goddess of love and beauty and sister of Frey. (There are other spellings and variations depending on various geographical locations. ) She was the northern Venus and the most beautiful of all the Nordic goddesses.

As Valfrya, she also rode to the battlefield in her chariot, there to claim the slain. These she feasted in her great banqueting hall while Odin, chief god of the Aesir, transported all the others to Valhalla. She controlled the golden apples at the top of the world which were the secret of the immortality of the gods. When she was captured by Fafnir and Fasolt the Jötung and held hostage in demand for the Ring of the Nibelung her abscence caused the gods to begin to grow old and die; to fade into legend. "The Twilight of the gods".

She was married to Odur the god of sunshine, but he left her to roam in distant lands. She followed him, weeping teardrops that changed to gold in the rocks and amber in the sea. In later mythology, Freyja is often confused with Frigg, Odin's wife.

I love Ishtar. I can't stress out how much I love that goddess. Apart from her, I'd prolly head for Isis and Morrighan. Oh and Tiamat. =)

And that's Ishtar