Inanna/Ninanna- Middle East Mistress of the Heavens; the Morning and Evening Star; War Goddess; Sovereign Lady of the Land; Queen of the Assembly of deities. The most important Sumerian goddess, she was represented riding on her sacred lion, sometimes with a pack of hunting dogs. One of her symbols was a gatepost hung with a streamer; another, a serpent coiling round a staff; her planet was Venus.
Isis/As/Aset/Eset/Tait- Egyptian Supreme Egyptian Goddess; Moon Goddess; Great Mother; Giver of Life. As Tait , Isis was the weaver and knotter of the threads of the Tat. She was pictured with dark hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Identified with Demeter, Hera, and Selene. With Osiris, Isis (the mother) and Horus (the divine child) made up the holy trinity. Great festivals in the spring and autumn honored her with splendid processions, along with a June festival called the Night of the Teardrop. Isis-Hathor was believed to bind or loose the lives of humans with the Tat (Knot of Fate); from her came the art of making and blowing on magick knots. The cow was sacred to her, as were the magic Buckle of Isis and the sistrum. Her sistrum was carved with a cat image that represented the Moon. As High Priestess, she was a powerful magician.
Ishtar/Inanna/Ashtart/Astarte/Anat/Atar- Middle East Lady of Sorrows and battles; Queen or Lady of Heaven; Goddess of the Moon and evening; Great Mother; Shining One; Mother of Deities; Source of Oracles of Prophecy; Lady of Vision; Processor of the Tablets of Life's records. She was the sister of Erishkigal. Her symbols were the eight-point star, the pentagram, dove, serpents, and the double-axe, her planet Venus. She wore a rainbow necklace much like that of the Norse Freyja; the Persians converted this necklace (the rainbow) into a razor-sharp bridge that led to the Mount of Paradise. In ancient Sumer, she had 180 shrines where women gathered daily for prayer, meditation, and socializing. Goddess of the positive and negative sides of all she ruled.
Lilith/Lilithu- Middle East Moon Goddess; patroness of witches; female principle of the universe; demon goddess to the Jews and Christians. Her sacred bird was the owl. Protector of all pregnant women, mothers, and children. Wisdom, regeneration, enticing sorcery, feminine allure, erotic dreams, forbidden delights, the dangerous seductive qualities of the Moon.
Maat/Maa/Maut/Mayet Egyptain "The Mother"; "Lady of the Judgment Hall"; the Virgin; cherished daughter of Ra and wife of Thoth. Her law governed the three worlds, even the other gods had to obey ("live by Maat"). In the Hall of Double Justice where Osiris held his tribunal, Maat stood in one pan of the balance scale opposite the heart of the deceased when it was tested for truthfulness. There were 42 Assessors of Judges of Maat who passed judgment on souls. The heart had to be empty of evil to balance the feather weight on the scales. She was often pictured wearing an ostrich feather on her head while standing or sitting on her heels; she held a scepter and ankh. Associated with Thoth. Goddess of truth, right, justice, law, final judgment of human souls, order, divine order, reincarnation.
Mari/Mariham/Marratu- Middle East Basic name of the Goddess; she wore a blue robe and a pearl necklace, both symbols of the sea. In the Amorite City of Mari, she had a six acre temple-palace, fertility, childbirth, the Moon, the Sea.
Mehueret/Mehurt- Egyptian A Universal Mother Goddess; Lady of Heaven; Mistress of Earth. Associated with night.
The Morrigu/Morrigan/Morrighan/Morgan- Celtic "Great Queen"; "Supreme Queen"; "Supreme War Goddess"; "Queen of Phantoms or Demons"; shape-shifter. Reigned over the battlefield, helping her with magic. The Crone aspects of the Goddess; Great Mother; Moon Goddess; Great White Goddess; Queen of the Fairies. In her dark aspect she is the goddess of war, fate, and death; Goddess of rivers, lakes, and fresh water. Patroness of priestesses and witches. Revenge, night, magic, prophecy.
Nemisis- Greek Also called Adrasteia (the inevitable). Goddess of destiny, divine anger against mortals who broke moral laws or taboos. At times she would intercede with the Fate Atropos to allow a longer lifespan.
The Norns- Norse The Fates; the Wyrd Sisters; three women usually found near the World Tree at the Wall of Urd in Asgard. Urd/Ertha/Wurd/Weird (Past, destiny), Verthando/Verdnandi (Present), and Skuld (the future).
Nymphs- Greek Female spirits of water, plants, and Earth. The Naids were nymphs of brooks, the Crenea or Pegae of spings, the Limnads of stagnant waters, the Oreads of grottoes and mountains, the Dryads of forests and trees, the Hamadryads of specific trees, and the Napaeae, the Auloniads, the Hylaeorae, and the Alsaeids of woods and valleys. They sometimes lived within the waters.sometimes in grottoes nearby. They gave the gify of prophecy and oracles, healed the sick, watched over flowers, fields, and flocks.
Nereids- Greek A Greek catch-all phrase for Fairies, nymphs, mermaids, female Nature spirits. They were also shape-shifters. Also the name of the sea nymphs of the Mediterranean; the 50 granddaughters of Pontus (sea god) and Gaea (Earth Mother).
The Muses- Greek Companions of Apollo; goddesses of springs, memory, and poetry. They were nine: Clio (history), Euterpe (flute playing), Thaleia (comedy), Melpomene (tragedy), Terpsichore (dancing and lyric poetry), Erato (love poetry), Polyhymnia (mime), Urania (astronomy), Calliope (epic poetry). Their music was based on the seven-tone musical scale which came from the music of the seven spheres or planets. Willow wands were used to invoke the muses.
Seshat/Sesheta- Egyptian "Mistress of the house of Books"; "the secretary"; "mistress of the house of architects"; star goddess. The female equivalent and wife of Thoth, this goddess was in fact older than Thoth. At first Seshat was pictured wearing on her head a star, reversed crescent, and two long straight plumes. Later the crescent was replaced with two long down turned horns. She was the record-keeper of the gods and keeper of the inventory of the pharaoh's enemy booty. Goddess of writing, letters, archives, measurements, calculation, record-keeping, hieroglyphics, time, stars, sky, history, books, learning, invention.
White Lady- Celtic Known to all Celtic countries. Dryad of Death; indentified with Macha; Queen of the Dead; the Crone form of the Goddess. Death, destruction, annihilation.
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