Creative Writing at the Haven - Goddesses 3

Africa  - Oshun and Isis

More candidates for the Great Goddess:

Isis  is the Greek name of the Egyptian goddess "Aset" or "Eset." Images of Isis typically show her wearing on her head a sign representing the throne symbol or a crown of cow-horns around a sun disk. Her special symbol is an amulet known as the "tyet." Isis was a very popular Egyptian goddess who was associated with Demeter and Hera, Greek goddesses. In fact, Isis was so well liked by the Greeks that she also became popular among the Romans. Isis was thought to watch over the people of the Nile while her husband Osiris spread civilization to the rest of the world.

Oshun, or Ochun  in the Yoruba religion, is an deity who reigns over love, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy. She is worshipped also in Brazilian Candomblé Ketu, with the name spelled Oxum.  (She should not be confused, however, with a different Orisha of a similar name spelled "Osun," who is the protector of the Ori, or our heads and inner souls. ) Ochun relates mostly to woman but also man.

Ọṣhun is beneficent, generous and very kind. She does, however, have a horrific temper, one which she seldom ever loses. When she does, it causes untold destruction. 

We discussed the idea of ANGER and created a joint mindmap exploring this interesting emotion.  The goddesses seem to behave very badly and are horrendously destructive when roused.  We mortals may aim to use our anger more creatively ..... or perhaps that's only for saints.

ANGER

Yvette

Anything can make you blow

No-one knows how you feel

Great feeling when you clear the air

Everyone holds that anger gene

Rejoice, rejoice! Sometimes you need to hear your voice!

A couple of minor digressions.  The wonderful poem "Flying Crooked" which I encountered by chance thanks to a talk given by the British composer Ian Venables who has set it to music.  It was written by Robert Graves but I would never have guessed it:

Flying Crooked

Robert Graves

The butterfly, the cabbage white,
(His honest idiocy of flight)
Will never now, it is too late,
Master the art of flying straight,
Yet has — who knows so well as I? —
A just sense of how not to fly:
He lurches here and here by guess
And God and hope and hopelessness.
Even the aerobatic swift
Has not his flying-crooked gift. 

We decided it is good to have both qualities - to enjoy some  crooked flying and know when to go straight.

The second digression was a look at another ancient Egyptian goddess that is less well-known but certainly one of the oddest:

Nekhebet - Protectress of women in childbirth, this Egyptian Vulture Goddess suckled the royal children and the Pharaoh. She is the protectress of ancient Upper Egypt. Goddess of Death & Rebirth. Egypt's oldest oracle was the shrine of Nekhebet. The Egyptian word for Mother was the sign of the vulture.

Isn't she sweet?  I was wondering if we could revive her cult for Mother's Day?  Would your mother enjoy being called "vulture"? 

Here's a thought:  

Siriol

The Mother Goddess

Mother goddesses don't make good mothers

They ignore their daughters

And spend their time protecting others

A last word goes to Yvette:
(poem inspired by Robert Graves' poem "The White Goddess" - 

White Goddess or Is She a Shade of Grey?

Yvette

Pursed, pouting and puckered up

These rowan-berry lips

Gave way to curvy hips.

The song-bird fanfare

Heralded her presence

Tall and willowy in essence

She came in bold as brass

Nearly falling on her ass  …..ets

So complex full of facets

In the next bright bolt

We came to a halt

No more bright light