The Pregnant Goddess: Your Guide to Traditions, Rituals, and Blessings for a Sacred Pagan Pregnancy

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It’s believed that the twins Freyr and Freyja had a central role in the old Scandinavian religion, as people of the Viking age relied on farming—and fertility gods ensured successful harvests and increased wealth. Apart from the agricultural side of fertility, Freyr was also invoked at weddings to ensure virility. 14- Cernunnos god By Nationalmuseet, CC BY-SA 3.0, The ancient Egyptian protective goddess of childbirth and fertility, Taweret, is certainly one of the most unique goddesses of the ancient world. She is displayed in the form of a large upright hippopotamus, with feline legs and a crocodile tail, with drooping female breasts. Her bestial and frightening form is a part of her protective role - her ugliness was thought to repel demons and protect the newborn children. Ostara) is one of the oldest and widely attested Germanic goddesses, associated with the coming spring and fertility. She is found in almost all Germanic nations, with the largely unchanged versions of her name found in Old German, Anglo Saxon, and other Germanic languages. She is most popularly mentioned in the work of an 8th century Benedictine monk, Bede, who tells us that in Anglo Saxon pagan belief, Ostara had her own month - seemingly April - known as Ēastermōnaþ, in which feasts were held in her honor signifying the fertility of the coming spring.

Sauska was the Hurrian-Hittite goddess of fertility and was also associated with war and healing. She was known from the time of the Hurrians throughout the ancient empire of Mitanni. Later, she became the patron goddess of the Hittite king Hattusilis II and was adopted by the Hittite state religion. She was called upon to increase one’s ability to conceive a child, as well as the fertility of the earth. The goddess is usually depicted in human form with wings, accompanied by a lion and two attendants. 6- Ahurani goddess Estsanatlehi is the fertility goddess of the Navajo people, the Native Americans of the Southwestern United States. She was likely the most powerful deity in the pantheon, as she possessed powers of self-rejuvenation. She’s also the mother of the war god Nayenezgani and the consort of the sun god Tsohanoai. As a benevolent goddess, she’s believed to send the rains of summer and warm winds of spring.One of her attributes is a golden apple, a common Slavic feature that is a part of numerous myths. Her name and the myths related to her are largely cognate to the Norse goddess Sif, with some similarities in the name as well. This points to a common, much older Ind- European root, and a proto-form of a motherly fertility cult. She is the moon and dawn goddess and the patron of childbirth, personified as a hare. She was greatly revered by the Ob-Ugric tribes, considered as the keeper of destinies, and a gentle, motherly wise woman, capable of uncovering the mysteries of life. Nerthus Dea Gravida, a term that has been applied to these types of figures by modern archaeologists, translates to "pregnant goddess." [2] The term gravida comes from the Latin word gravidus and is used to describe a woman who is pregnant. Tyria is a reference to Tyre, where many such figures have been found. [3] Role in cult [ edit ] Oshun (known as Ochún or Oxúm in Latin America) also spelled Ọṣun, is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of God in the Ifá and Yoruba religions. She is one of the most popular and venerated orishas. Oshun is the deity of the river and fresh water, luxury and pleasure, sexuality and fertility, and beauty and love. She is connected to destiny and divination.

Taweret's image served a functional purpose on a variety of objects. The most notable of these objects are amulets, which protected mothers and children from harm. Such amulets, appearing before 3000 BCE, were popular for most of ancient Egyptian history. She also consistently appeared on household furniture throughout history, including chairs, stools, and headrests. [9] Apotropaic objects became popular in the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BCE) and are thought to have been used in rituals related to pregnancy and birth. As is aforementioned, ivory wands and knives showing long processions of deities became widely used in this period. These objects have been shown on tomb paintings in the hands of nurses and wear patterns on the tips indicate that these nurses likely used them to draw protective patterns in the sand. Taweret is featured on almost all known wands, as her powers were invoked particularly to protect children and their mothers. The other deities are almost exclusively deities that accompany the mature sun god in his nightly journey through the dangerous Amduat (underworld). Taweret's inclusion among this company suggests a protective solar role. This is supported by later Ptolemaic (c. 332–30 BCE) conceptions of the goddess, which state that she reared – and in some traditions, birthed – the young sun god (cf. Metternich Stela). [18]Wengrow, David (2011). "Cognition, Materiality, and Monsters: the cultural transmission of counter-intuitive forms in Bronze Age societies". Journal of Material Culture 16:2 (2011), 137. The amulet is an apotropaic item that is valued to protect the living and the dead because the ancient Egyptians believed that when one was newly dead they were in an equally weak state as when they were born (Robins 2008). Therefore, the presence of Taweret’s amulet in burial as stated previously by scholars is valid because the rebirth into the next life needs protection which is an attribute of Taweret; which is why she is seen sometimes with the ‘sa’ hieroglyph. Lakapati: the hermaphrodite Tagalog deity and protector of sown fields, sufficient field waters, and abundant fish catch; [3] a major fertility deity; [4] deity of vagrants and waifs; [5] a patron of cultivated lands and husbandry [6] Inanna is mentioned in the temple hymns and cuneiform texts such as the Inanna’s Descent and the Death of Dumuzi, and the Epic of Gilgamesh, where she appears as Ishtar. In earlier times, her symbol was a bundle of reeds, but later became a rose or a star during the Sargonic period. She was also seen as the goddess of the morning and evening stars, as well as the rain and lightning goddess. Ishtar

When you are expecting, you become the very essence of the Goddess as you transition from one state to another throughout the journey of creating life. The Pregnant Goddess introduces you to rituals, meditations, and celebrations to help you explore and embrace the challenges and gifts of this time as your body and spirit change and evolve. Juno, goddess of marriage and childbirth, equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera; has the epithet Lucina [15] Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-01-18 . Retrieved 2020-09-08. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link) Budin, Stephanie Lynn (2014). Images of Woman and Child from the Bronze Age: Reconsidering Fertility, Maternity, and Gender in the Ancient World. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. p.221. ISBN 9781107660328.Thor, some strains of Norse paganism saw him as a fertility god (possibly due to bringing rain) and the father of Freyr and Freyja instead of Njordr Brigit was a fertility goddess associated with prophecy, crafts and divination. She has a Celtic origin, mainly Continental European and Irish, and was worshipped since prehistoric times until Christianization around 1100 CE. She was later Christianized as St. Brigit of Kildare, who founded the first female Christian community in Ireland. She’s mentioned in the Books of Invasions, Cycles of Kings, and various inscriptions. 16- Xochiquetzal Xochiquetzal goddess For a full discussion of the deities on these wands, see Hartwig Atlenmüller, Die Apotopaia und Die Götter Mittelägyptens (Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians University, 1965). The figure of Taweret I will be focusing on is the amulet in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection dates the piece between the twenty-sixth and twenty-ninth dynasty, which is part of the Late Period. They have defined that the amulet is made of faience.