New Delhi: Navratri, the festival of worshiping Adyashakti, has begun. Goddess Shakti is worshiped all over India for 10 days every year. But is India the only country where the Goddess is worshipped? Navratri is a festival of worship of sacred goddesses in Hinduism which is commonly celebrated across India. Goddess Shakti is worshiped as the main deity. It is believed that everything in the world depends on them. It is also claimed that women have the place of goddess in India. But the claim that India is the only country where Goddess is worshiped is not true.
The position of women in spirituality is very different from that of women in society
Most cultures around the world have worshiped the Goddess in some form. But nowadays there is a trend to see it from a feminist point of view. Some goddesses are symbols of love and life, some are symbols of mercy, salvation, prosperity and some are also symbols of justice, war and destruction. It has also been observed that some goddesses have a significant contribution to the importance of some gods and goddesses. However, the place of women in religion and spirituality is very different from that of women in society. Yet often the stories of these gods and goddesses, the legends built up around them also show the importance of women in the folk culture of that place.
Isis and Hathor of Egypt
‘Isis’ is known as the most prominent and most powerful goddess in ancient Egypt. The head of Isis appears to be wearing a helmet shaped like a vulture or the sun emerging from between the horns of a cow. According to the ancient Egyptians, Isis taught people about farming methods.
She is seen as the daughter of Geb, the god of the earth, and Nut, the goddess of the sky. Isis is also considered the goddess of justice, motherhood, life and healing. Stories of Isis mention her magical powers, her devotion to her husband Osiris and her son Horus. The popularity of this goddess seems to have influenced Greek and Roman culture as well.
Throughout the history of art, we can see many depictions of ‘Mother and Child’ over the centuries. It also appears in beautiful paintings and sculptures. It is believed to have originated from Isis. Images of Isis breastfeeding the son of Horus are known from antiquity. Another goddess is historically important in Egypt. Her name is ‘Hathor’ and she is considered a symbol of love, joy, music and dance. She is also considered the goddess of the sky, the origin of children and women.
Hathor’s name is associated with Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt, often cited as the first female ruler in known history. Hatshepsut was the first female ruler and claimed to be Hathor’s daughter to prove her right to the throne. Hathor is depicted as a cow and the cow is sometimes worshiped as her symbol. Hathor is also sometimes seen in India as an incarnation of the warrior goddess Sekhmet, similar to Mother Kali.
Greek and Roman Goddesses
Athena is considered a goddess in Greek culture. This goddess is seen in association with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena is considered the mother of knowledge, art, war, gods and culture, civilization, justice and mathematics.
In Greek mythology, Athena is often depicted dressed in white. The owl with the ability to see even in the dark of night is a symbol of Athena. The capital of Greece was named ‘Athens’ from this Athena. The Greek goddess Aphrodite is still known today as the goddess of love and lust.
This goddess is mainly mentioned in festivals associated with the arrival of spring. It received the name Venus in Roman culture. Shukra is also considered as the most beautiful goddess. The pictures of Venus emerging from churning ocean are very famous.
Amaterasu Japanese sun goddess
In many cultures, the Sun is considered a deity in a masculine or masculine form. But in the Shinto religion of Japan, the sun is represented as a goddess, Amaterasu. She is believed to be a goddess shining from heaven. According to legend, Amaterasu’s younger brother Suzanne is the god of the sea and storms. Once they got into a fight and then went to Amaterasu and hid in a cave. Because of which darkness has spread all over the world. It was only after much persuasion that she came out and then the light came into the world.
In Chinese Taoism, the goddess Kuan Yin (Guanyin) is known as the goddess of wisdom and purity. His devotees believe that Kuan Yin, seated in a lotus, is compassionate and his thousand hands are a symbol of mercy. She is also known as the goddess who fulfills people’s desires and cures diseases. She is also seen as a goddess avatar of Lord Buddha.
Ishtar, Inna and Ishchel
Assyrian and Sumerian civilizations flourished in Mesopotamia (i.e. present-day Iraq and Syria) about four and a half thousand years ago. Ishtar was the main deity of the area, also known by some as Ina, while others believe that the two were separate goddesses. Both Ishtar and Inna were the main ancient goddesses of the region. They are symbols of love, power and war. According to legend, the eight-pointed star and the lion are symbols of the goddess Ishtar. Also in the Maya culture of present-day Mexico and parts of Central America, Ishcheel was worshiped as a goddess of childbirth and war.
Stories about them can be heard in present-day Mexico and South America. Ishsheel is the goddess associated with the moon. Her claws and ears are like those of a jaguar, and she has a snake wrapped around her head. Additionally, in many other cultures of the world, female deities are often worshiped as goddesses of principles such as water, earth, fire, or emotions such as love and anger. But the place of gods and goddesses in religion and spirituality and the treatment of women in society is not the same everywhere.