Difference between revisions of "Lady"

Revision as of 07:34, 24 May 2012

How to Fuse

Kikuri-Hime

Main article: Kikuri-Hime

In Japanese mythology, Kikuri-Hime (or Shirayama-Hime) is the dragon goddess worshipped at Mt. Hakusan and is considered the Shinto goddess of negotiation and mediation. She is also said to bring the rains to the farmlands. In Japanese "Kiku" means "chrysanthemum", which is her symbolic flower.

It is written in the Kojiki that after Izanagi was driven out of Yomi (Shinto Netherworld), Kikuri-Hime mediated on behalf of Izanami so that the husband and wife could engage in a debate. The exact content of this debate is not recorded, although there has been much conjecture. It is the actions of Kikuri-Hime that established the duty of later Japanese maiden when communicating with Yomi.

Kushinada-Hime

Main article: Kushinada-Hime

Artemis

Main article: Artemis

One of the twelve Olympian deities of Greek mythology. the goddess of hunting and virginity. She is also recognized as a moon goddess. and is identified with the Greek goddess Selene and the Roman goddess Luna. She and her twin brother, the sun god Apollo. are the children of Zeus and Leto.

Artemis is an expert archer and bears the title "Lady of the Long Arrow." The arrows she shots were said to kill their targets painlessly. Strong-willed. she was also given to pitiless acts of cruelty.

In ancient times. the moon was though to possess great magic power. Because the moon changes its face as it waxes and wanes. it was seen as another face of Artemis who formed a trinity along with the underworld goddess Hecate and the moon goddess Selene.

Parvati

Main article: Parvati

In Hindu mythology, Parvati is the daughter of the lord of the mountains, Himavan, and the apsaras Mena. She is also the reincarnation of Sati, the first consort of Shiva. Parvati personifies many noble virtues such as fertility, devotion, marital happiness, asceticism, and power. Some teachings even say that she is the source of all power in the universe, and is where Shiva gets his power, even going as far as to sometimes portray her as one-half of Shiva. She is widely worshiped by married women to ensure the health and longevity of their husbands.

Parvati is the divine mother of the deities Ganesha and Kartikeya. Kali and Durga are considered to be her core aspects as produced by the Devi.

Parvati first tried to meet Shiva by asking the god of love, Kamadeva, to shoot him with his arrows-of-desire thus disrupting his meditation so that Parvati could get his attention. Sadly the plan backfired, and as soon as Shiva was struck by the arrow he opened his third eye and annihilated Kamadeva in a rage. This act was catastrophic for mankind, as the world became barren and unregenerative. Eventually Shiva did fall in love with Parvati, and they were married, and by request of the other deities and the intercession of Parvati on Kamadeva's behalf, he was resurrected by Shiva, and the world flourished once again

Kali

Main article: Kali

In Hindu mythology, Kali is the violent goddess of destruction who was created from the forehead of Parvati's second aspect, Durga, and as such, she is associated with the deity Shiva by marriage. She is depicted as a flesh-eating woman with red emaciated skin, four arms, three eyes, a gaping mouth with her tongue lolling out, wearing a tiger's skin, holding a sword and a staff decorated with a garland of skulls. In more recent years, Kali has been worshiped by certain sects as a benevolent mother deity and has a city named Kolkata (or Kalikata, meaning "Kali's bathing pool") honouring her.

The most famous tale involving the creation and personality of Kali is told in the story of the asura Raktabija. Durga led the Matrikas in a battle against Raktabija in an attempt to destroy the demon and were able to wound him in various ways. However he had obtained a boon which stated that whenever a drop of his blood was spilt, it would become an exact copy of him. The more Durga attacked Raktabija, the more of him were created, and the situation became increasingly more dangerous. Feeling the battle slipping out of her control, Durga used her mystic powers to summon forth the most destructive aspect of herself. From her brow leapt the fearsome Kali, instilling panic in any that approached her.

Kali immediately lay upon the asura hordes in a wild frenzy, devouring all of Raktabija's clones and sucking out his blood so that not a drop was spilled. Pleased with her victory, Kali began to dance upon the field of battle, trampling the bodies of the fallen and causing the earth to shake violently. None of those present were able to calm Kali, and it seemed liking that she would cause the earth to split. Suddenly Kali heard the cries of her husband Shiva who was laying among the slaughtered asura, and seeing him she was immediately calmed.

Many other tales of Kali's battles with the demonic and evil forces that wished to overthrow the devas were told, always with Kali showing a violent and bloodthirsty nature. For this reason, some of the religious sects in early Hinduism that worshiped Kali would offer live human sacrifices or sacrifices of blood.

Skadi

Main article: Skadi

In Norse mythology, Skadi was a giantess and the wife of Njord, the god of the sea. She was celebrated as the goddess of the snow and associated with shadow in the form of nothingness. It is written that during Ragnarok, all the gods shall return to her.

When the Aesir killed her father, Thjazi she traveled to Asgard to enact revenge. The gods decided that they should repay her in some way, so they agreed to let her marry one of them, but she could only look at the feet of the gods when she choses. She desired to marry the god Baldr, as he was the most handsome god in Asgard, and so she went for the most beautiful feet, assuming they could only belong to him. However she had actually picked the feet of the god of the wind and sea, Njord, whose feet were exceptionally clean due to the seawater. Secondly the gods agreed to make her laugh, which was a seemingly impossible task. This was not going well until Loki tied one end of a cord around the beard of a goat and the other end to his testicles. Loki and the goat began to pull each other back and forth while making loud squealing sounds, until Loki fell over into Skadi's lap, and she burst out laughing. As a final act of penance, Odin placed Thjazi's eyes into the night sky to shine as stars. Skadi and Njord had a good relationship, but they couldn't stand each other's living conditions (Njord liked the sea, while Skadi liked the icy mountains). Eventually they came to the agreement to live together for only a few weeks a year.