Goddesses of the Americas & Oceana

Goddesses of The Americas

CENTRAL AMERICA

As defined here, Central America includes the cultures/regions of Mexico, Central America proper (or MesoAmerica), and the islands of the Caribbean. For an overview of the Goddesses of Latin America as a whole, see also South American Goddesses.

The most well-known pre-Columbian inhabitants of Central America are the Maya and the Aztecs. The Maya flourished from 250-900 CE... They inherited many of the inventions and innovations of earlier cultures, such as the Olmec and Teotihuacan, but were equally inventive themselves. They developed astronomy, beautiful ceremonial architecture, a complex hieroglyphic writing system and a sophisticated, two-pronged calendrical system. An elite priesthood and nobility ruled over the majority of Maya. For reasons still unclear, the Maya civilization began to decline about 900 CE. Contrary to popular belief, the Maya are not extinct; many still live in the southern provinces of Mexico.

The Aztecs flourished in what is now central Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of the common era; their capital, Tenochtitlan, now lies beneath Ciudad de Mexico. The central symbols of their foundation myth--eagle, snake, cactus--now appear on the Mexican flag. A despotic and militaristic people, the Aztecs were gifted agriculturalists, who introduced irrigation, drained swamps, created artificial islands and cultivated all arable land. The Aztecs are most often remembered (and vilified) for their bloody religious rituals, which often centered around live human sacrifice. The Aztecs, much like the Maya, believed that blood was the life-force of the universe; their Deities needed blood, preferably human, to survive. If the Gods and Goddesses died, there would be no rain, no maize crop, and humans too would die. It was a symbiotic relationship. The Aztec were finally overthrown by the Spanish in 1521 CE, who were aided by many of the tribes subjugated by the Aztecs.

Aida Wedo, Rainbow Snake

This Goddess of Haiti is known as the Rainbow Snake, a common manifestation of Deity in Africa, Oceania and Central and South America. Her husband is Damballa, God of Rivers and Springs. Anthropologists consider Her the equivalent of the African Mawu

Ayizan, Mat of the Earth

She, too, is a Serpent Goddess. This creation story comes to us from Haiti.

Chalchiuhtlicue, Lady of Waters

This Aztec Goddess, whose name means "Jade Skirt," was Matron of lakes and streams. Her husband is Tlaloc, God of Rain.

Chantico, Lady of the Hearth

This Aztec Goddess of the Hearth was a Matron of lapidaries and warriors. She is often associated with the Goddess Xochiquetzal

Coatlicue, Serpent Skirt

This Aztec Supreme Goddess is the Mother of all Aztec Deities. Her statue now stands in the National Museum of Anthropology in Ciudad de Mexico.

Erzulie, Lady of Love

This Vodoun Goddess is worshipped by Haitians as Matron of love, beauty, health and the moon. She is personified as a water snake.Vodoun was originally unique to Haiti, a combination of Catholicism and Yoruban cosmology developed by slaves as a tool of survival and rebellion. It has since been carried by Haitian immigrants to the United States. Karen McCarthy Brown published a critically-acclaimed text about a Voodoo priestess in New York: MAMA LOLA. It is highly recommended.

Hoatziqui, Lady of the Dead

This Goddess of the Dead was worshipped by the Opata people of pre-Columbian Mexico. The tale reveals something of Opata relations with their ancient neighbors, the Pima.

Ix Chel, Lady Weaver

Ix Chel is a complex Goddess of ancient Mexico. She and still is worshipped by the Putun and Yucatec Maya. The hare is one of Her primary symbols. Her husand is Itzamna, God of the Sun and Creation.

Ixtab, Mistress of Death

Two Yucatec Mayan Goddesses share variations on this name: Ixtab and Ix Tab. They may or may not be the same Goddess; from the similarity of Their stories, I have chosen to interpret Them as One, much as the Greek Artemis and Roman Diana are merged as One Deity. Ixtab is the Mayan Goddess of Death, Sacrifice and Suicides.

Loa, Beautiful Lady

This Vodoun Goddess of Haiti is much-loved and generally benevolent. "Loa" is also a general term meaning "spirit" or "deity" or "spirit."

Mayahuel, Many-Breasted

This Aztec Goddess of Agriculture is often associated with Chalchiuhtlicue and Tlazolteotl (both profiled in this section). Like Artemis of the Ephesians (see Diana, Graeco-Roman section), She is portrayed with many breasts.

Olosa, Lady Crocodile

This Santeria Goddess of Puerto Rico and Haiti uses crocodiles as Her messengers. She is closely associated with Olokun, God of the Sea.

Teteoinnan, Lady Midwife

This ancient Goddess of the Aztecs is known as "Mother of Sacred Ones." She is a Mother Goddess.

Tlazolteotl, Filth Lady

An ancient and much-loved Aztec Goddess, Tlazolteotl was Matron of both Pleasure and Sin, though not in the sense many Christians would think. Her name means "Filth Deity."

Xochiquetzal, Flower Mistress

Her name means "Flower Feather." She is the Goddess of Pleasure and Beauty. The Gardens of Xochimilco, south of Ciudad de Mexico, are named for Her.

Axomama, Lady of Potatoes

Her name means "Potato Mother." Potatoes have been the staple food of the peoples of the Andes since ancient days; they come in a wide variety, which are only now being discovered by distributors in industrialized nations.

Caipora, Lady of the Beasts

Among Brazilians, She is a Goddess of the Wilderness. She protects animals from human hunters.

Chasca, Lady of the Dawn

Among the Inca of Peru, She was honored as a Goddess of the Dawn and Twilight. She was the special Protectress of virgins and young girls.

Cocamama, Lady of Coca

This tale from Peru recounts the creation of that most deliciously addictive food, chocolate. The ancient Peruvians believed coca brought health and happiness.

Mama Pacha, Mother Earth

Mama Pacha was the Earth Mother of the Chincha of Peru. She oversees planting and harvesting. Some depict Her as a great dragon Who causes earthquakes.

Mama Quilla, Lady Moon

In the Incan tongue, Her name means "Mother Moon" or "Golden Mother." She oversaw marriages, the calendar and feast days.

Nungui, Lady of the Manioc

Among the Jivaro of Peru, She is an Earth Goddess Who oversees vegetation. She is honored as the Giver of Civilization. The manioc is Her special plant.

Star Woman, Heavenly Wife

This is another tale of a supernatural woman who weds a mortal man. As told by the Chaco, Ge and Apinaye of Brazil, a woman brought agriculture to the people of earth.

Yemanja, Mistress Sea

Originally an African Goddess, She is now worshipped through the Carribbean and along the Atlantic coast of South America, particularly in Brazil. She is the benevolent Goddess of the Sea.

Alahtin, Lady Moon

ASGAYA GIGAGEI (Cherokee) The Red Man or Woman evoked in spells to cure the ill. Asgaya Gigagei is either male or female, depending on the sex of the patient. ATIRA (Pawnee) The Earth, Sacred Mother of every living creature.The Pawnee were hunters. When told to abandon hunting and settle down to farming, their priest replied: "You ask me to plow the ground! Shall I take a knife and tear my mother's bosom? Then when I die she will not take me to her bosom to rest. You ask me to dig for stone! Shall I dig under her skin for her bones? Then when I die I cannot enter her body to be born again. You ask me to cut grass and make hay and sell it, and be rich like white men! But how dare I cut off my mother's hair? It is a bad law and my people cannot obey it."

Bear Maiden, Salmon Mistress Chuginadak, Passionate One Corn Mother, Restorer of Life

DEOHAKO (Iroquois/Seneca) Spirits of maize, beans and gourds who live together in a single hill. Searching for dew, the maize spirit Onatha was captured by the evil spirit Hahgwehdaetgah who took her off to the underworld. Sun rescued her, and ever since she has remained in the cornfields until the corn is ripe. ESTANATLEHI (Navajo) First Woman's adopted daughter. To punish mankind for pride, First Man and First Woman sent a plague of monsters to kill and devour them. The time came when First Woman repented of the evils she and First Man had visited upon men, and she sought a means for their deliverance. First Woman discovered the infant Estanatlehi lying on the ground near First Woman's mountain, and took her in. The infant Estanatlehi grew to adulthood in four days. Making love with the Sun, she gave birth to the Twin Brothers who after many adventures slew the monsters. FIRST WOMAN (Navajo) In the beginning, First Man and First Woman ascended from the underworld together with Coyote, leading the people through trials and tribulations into the surface world which became their home. Deciding that the sky was too empty with only Sun and Moon, First Man, First Woman and Coyote gathered up glittering stones and placed them in the sky to serve as stars. (Asintmah) GAHE Also GA'AN (Apache) Supernatural beings who dwell inside mountains. The can sometimes be heard dancing and beating drums. Because they can heal and drive away disease, they are worshipped. In the ritual dances of the Chiricahua Apache masked dancers painted a different color for each point of the compass represent all the Gahe except the Grey One. The Grey One, though he appears as a clown, is really the mightiest of all the Gahe.

Gendenwitha, Morning Star

KACHINAS (Hopi) Nature spirits which inhabit and control everything -- animal spirits, spirits of departed ancestors, spirits of natural resources such as wind, rain and thunder. Their exact number is not known, but at least five hundred appear in the mythologies of the different villages.

Maka, Mother Earth

MICHABO (Algonquin) The Great Hare. A trickster. A shape-shifter. Creator of men, the earth, deer, water and fish. Michabo drives away cannibal spirits. In the House of Dawn, Michabo is host to the souls of good men, feeding them succulent fruits and fish.

Minnehaha, Buffalo Bride

NOKOMIS (Algonquin) "Grandmother." The Sacred Earth Mother. Nokomis nurtures all living things.

Norwan, Dancing Porcupine Onenha, Lady Corn Pinga, Lady of the Hunt

RAVEN (Northwestern tribes) Another trickster god. Very greedy, forever seeking food. Raven stole the moon from a miser and placed it in the sky. SEDNA (Inuit/Eskimo) Goddess of the sea and the creatures of the sea. A one-eyed giant. A frightful old hag, but she was young and

beautiful when her father threw her in the sea as a sacrifice. A sorcerer wishing to visit Sedna must pass through the realms of death and then cross an abyss where a wheel of ice spins eternally and a cauldron of seal meat stews endlessly. To return he must cross another abyss on a bridge as narrow as a knife edge. SELU (Cherokee) "Corn." Sometimes known as First Woman. Kanati's wife. Selu created corn in secret by rubbing her belly. SUN (Cherokee) A goddess. When Sun's daughter was bitten by a snake and taken to the Ghost Country, Sun hid herself in grief. The world was ever dark, and Sun's tears became a flood. At last the Cherokee sent their young men and women to heal Sun's grief, which they did with singing and dancing. (Inuit/Eskimo) A beautiful young maiden carrying a torch who is chased through the sky by her brother Aningan, the moon. The planet Jupiter is the mother of the sun and very dangerous to magicians. If they are careless, she will devour their livers.

White Buffalo Woman

Apakura, Vengeful Mother

She is a Goddess honored by the Maori of New Zealand. She is one of many mythological mothers Who shaped Their sons for excellence & glory.

Brogla, Spirit of Dance

Her name means "Native Companion." She is honored by the Aborigines of Australia. A dancer of great fluidity and beauty, She was taken away by the dancers of nature, the Whirlwinds.

'Eleipaio, Lady Flycatcher

She is a Goddess honored by the Hawaiians, particularly canoe builders. This tale is an example of the intertwining of natural phenomena, human experience and mythology.

Haumea, Mother of Hawai'i

She is the Mother of Hawaii, Who taught women the correct way to give birth. Her daughters are Pele, the Goddess of Volcanoes, and Hi'iaka, the Goddess of the Hula

Hi'iaka, Lady of the Hula

She is honored by the Hawaiians. Her name means "Cloudy One," a reference, perhaps, to the clouds of steam which rise when lava meets sea, or to the clouds of soot which rise when Pele's fire burns the forests.

Hine moa, Passionate Princess

Hine and Hina are common Goddess names throughout the Pacific; in some cases, the name has become a title, bearing connotations of sacrality, greatness, and femininity. The various Goddesses Hine/ Hina worshipped may simply be aspects of one Great Goddess. This particular Hine is honored by the Maori of New Zealand for Her love, determination and bravery.

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Julunggul, Rainbow Serpent

Rainbow serpents are a common motif throughout world mythology, but most particularly in Oceania, Africa and South America; universally, they are associated with immortality/rebirth, rain and water. This rainbow serpent, Julunggul, is a great Goddess of the Aborigines of Australia. She oversees the initiation of adolescent boys into manhood.

Kura, Falling Flower

Like Kore of Graeco-Roman mythology, Kura fell into the Underworld. Her story is told by the Maori of New Zealand.

Magigi, Lady of the Flood

In many myths, the world is destroyed in punishment for a great sin; usually, a husband and wife survive to repopulate the earth (sometimes a brother and sister, sometimes more than two people). In the case of this tale from the Caroline Islands, Magigi forsees the flood, and so She and Her husband survive.

The Mar'rallang, Twin Wives

This Aboriginal story may upset some feminists: it recounts the marriage of two sisters to one man, who were so alike that they bore the same name. The sameness of the sisters, however, may allude actually to a two-season year, a two-sun cosmology, a dual-ruler system, the dichotomy/unity of life and death, and so on. In Greek mythology, the opposite is common: twin brothers (or a father and son, or uncle and nephew) marry the same woman.

Pele, Fiery Creation

Pele is the most well-known Oceanic Goddess. She is the Goddess of Volcanoes, Lava and Volcanic Fire. She can be both benevolent and malevolent, and appears as a hag or young woman.

Purlimil, Flowers of Blood

This tragic tale of love and murder comes from Australia. Remember it when next you see a red field of the Flowers of Blood.

Rata, Lady of Inspiration

Rata is the Goddess of Inspiration honored by the Hawaiians. In a way, Her role is the same as that of the serpent in the Book of Genesis.

Sinebomatu, Warder of Bwebweso

Her name means "Woman of the Northeast Wind." She is honored by the Dobu of Melanesia as the Doorkeeper of the Land of the Dead.

Tei Tituaabine, Mother of Trees

She is worshipped by the natives of the Gilbert Islands of Micronesia. She is a Tree Goddess Whose tale is similar to that of Sago Woman.