Goddess
Female deity venerated across many cultures and faiths.
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A goddess is a female deity.[1] According to the encyclopedia entry, a goddess is defined as a female deity, and in certain belief systems, a sacred feminine figure occupies a central role in worship and prayer.[1] The term "goddess" entered the English language as a noun during the Middle English period, with its first recorded use dating to around 1350.[2]
Quick Facts
- Known for
- Central figure in polytheistic and some monotheistic faiths
- often associated with fertility
- wisdom
- war
- and creation
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
In African and African diasporic religions, goddesses are often syncretised with Marian devotion.[3] Goddess Amaterasu is the chief among the Shinto gods.[4] In ancient Sumer, the deity Inanna received the highest level of worship among all goddesses.[5]
What the cited sources add
The goddess Tārā is worshipped predominantly in Tibet and its surrounding regions within Vajrayāna Buddhism.[6] A Tibetan painting features the goddess Shri Devi, one of the eight dharmapālas of Tibetan Buddhism.[6] The Japanese goddess Benzaiten is a highly syncretic deity of Hindu origin who assimilated aspects from Buddhist and Shinto traditions.[6] Benzaiten is often depicted playing a lute, a nod to her beginnings as the Hindu goddess Sarasvati.[6]
She is commonly depicted as one of the Seven Lucky Gods.[6]
References
- Wikipedia, "Goddess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ellwood, "The Encyclopedia of World Religions", Facts on File, 2007, p. 181 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Goddess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barnhart (1995:323). (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Goddess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Relke, "CHAPTER 4: THE AFRICAN NILOTIC PEOPLES AS ETHNOGRAPHIC PARALLELS: FINDING THE RIGHT "FIT": AN APPROPRIATE ETHNOGRAPHIC PARALLEL", UNE, 2001 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Goddess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Amaterasu", World History Encyclopedia (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Goddess" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wolkstein, "Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer", Harper&Row Publishers, 1983, p. xviii; Sylvia Brinton Perera, Descent to the Goddess (Toronto 1982) re Inanna and Ereshkigal.; Nemet-Nejat, "Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia", Greenwood, 1998, p. 182; Collins, "Papers of from the Institute of Archaeology", UCL, 1994, p. 110–111 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Wisdom, Compassion and Wrath: The Many Faces of Female Buddhist Deities – Intern Exhibition OnlineRuth Chandler Williamson Gallery", rcwg.scrippscollege.edu. facts only, no text reused. rcwg.scrippscollege.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Goddess (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Goddess (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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