A have a dear friend who has been exploring warrior goddesses, which prompted me to revisit my favorites:
 | Irish Goddess Morrigan. The Morrigan (“Phantom Queen”) incites warriors to battle, encourages them to perform brave deeds, and incite fear in their enemies. She sings runes and chants before battle to strengthen her champions. The personification of battle fury, the Morrigan can take the form of a carrion crow and is often seen before battle washing the bloodstained clothing of those doomed to die. The Morrigan embodies the sovereignty of the land and the power to protect it. |
 | Norse Goddess Freyja. Freyja is the Vanadis, ruling ancestor of the elder gods, the Vanir. When the patriarchal Aesir gods arrived (Odin, Thor, and company), they tried to destroy Freyja. Three times they burned her as a witch, and three times she emerged unscathed. Thus Odin was forced to concede the first choice of battle dead to Valfreyja and her Valkyrie corpse-maidens. Valfreyja welcomes the dead to her Marsh-hall, to be reborn in the moist womb of the earth. Freyja drives a chariot pulled by cats and uses a cloak of falcon feathers to fly. The namesake of Friday, she’s associated with magic and a lust for life. |
 | Hindu Goddess Druga. Durga (“Impassable", "Invincible”, or “Unassailable") drinks the blood of her enemies and rides a lion (or tiger) into battle. During a fierce stand-off with the demon army, the other gods handed their weapons to Durga, who was stronger than all the other gods combined. She used their weapons in her many arms to dismember and destroy the demons. Durga’s name comes from Durg, meaning “fortress, something difficult to defeat or pass”. She is portrayed as a beautiful yellow-skinned woman who fights oppression and wickedness. |
 | Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet. Sekhmet (“The Powerful”) is a lion-goddess of war. When humans rebelled against the aging sun god Ra, he sent Sekhmet to quell the uprising, but Sekhmet became uncontrollable, rampaging and slaughtering everyone. Her fury terrified the gods, who mixed 7,000 vats of pomegranate juice and beer, which she mistook for human blood. Sekhmet chugged the red beer and became too intoxicated to continue fighting. Sekhmet breathes the hot fiery winds of the desert. She is the most frequently represented god in amulets and statues from ancient Egypt. |
 | Mesopotamian Goddess Tiamat. Tiamat is a primordial dragon goddess of the shining sea, who “roared and smote in the chaos of original creation.” When her children-gods killed her consort, Mother Tiamat went into battle against them. They sent a war god, Marduk, to defeat her. In some versions of the myth, Marduk divided Tiamat into two parts, and her body became the heavens and earth. In other translations, the battle continues, with the hero Marduk swallowed every year by the water-dragon Tiamat when the spring rains arrive. More on Tiamat. |
Resources: The Book of Goddesses and Heroines by Patricia Monaghan; The Enclycopedia of Amazons by Jessica Amdanda Salmonson; Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology by James MacKillop; The Witches' Goddess by Janet and Stewart Farrar; The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G. Walker; and Wikipedia.
RSS Feed