5 Fold Goddess
5 Fold Goddess
5 Fold Goddess
hek-a-tee; accent on the 1st syllable. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, three goddesses play a prominent role: Persephone, the Daughter or Maiden Demeter, her Mother, the Fruitful One Hekate, their aged friend, the Wise One It is these three who are honoured in the idea of the threefold Goddess. We women should always be wary of the ancient myths as they appear in classical writings. Greek religion was patriarchal, forcibly replacing the ancient worship of the Goddess. The traditional three aspects of the Goddess express a very male view of woman: Maiden, too young to bear children Matron, bearing children Crone, too old to bear children The much older legends of the goddesses and gods of the very ancient Middle East present a more complete picture. The Great Goddess has many names: Anahita, manna, Anath, Astarte, Ishtar, Isis and Magna Mater. But by whatever Name She is known, the Great Goddess has five sides to her nature. 1. The Many-breasted Mother, source of all fruitful benevolence 2. The Ever-Virgin Maiden, her infinite potentials not yet realised 3. The Warrior, who will war with anyone who would seek to conquer her 4. The Wanton, freely giving herself to whoever she chooses for her lovers
Spirit, the Wise Crone, She inheres in all through Wisdom, Understanding & Knowledge All five aspects of the Goddess can be found among the Goddesses of any of the later pantheons, for example, in Greece and Rome: The Virgin, Persephone and Proserpina The Warrior, Pallas Athene and Minerva The Wanton, Aphrodite and Venus The Matron, Demeter and Ceres The Wise, Aged One Hekate and Hecata Among the Tarot, Her five aspects are shown in: 8 Strength, the Virgin taming the Beast
14 Temperance, the Wanton mingling the Rows 11 Justice, the Warrior wielding her sword 3 2 Empress, the seated pregnant Matron High Priestess, the Wise Old Woman
The Star is the Naked Goddess Anahita, Mistress of all the Male and Female Flows and Conqueror of the Dragon Chaos. She is the supreme expression of good tidings, the Fivefold Goddess, and embodies all her aspects.