Rhiannon was the Celtic goddess of horses and birds. One day she was out riding, and she caught the eye of Prince Pwyll, who was mesmerized by her beauty. He rode after her, but his horse was no match for her gleaming white steed, and Rhiannon quickly disappeared.
Demeter, the goddess of the bountiful harvest, had a lovely daughter named Persephone. Persephone’s father was Zeus, the father of all gods, however Zeus was married to Hera, and seemed to give neither Demeter nor Persephone little thought.
In the early 1900s a statue of a round, curvy woman, known as the Goddess of Willendorf, or the Venus of Willendorf, was discovered in Austria. It was found that this figurine was created between 23,000 and 26,000 years ago.
The figurine is an acknowledgment that once upon a time, women were greatly honored for their ability to not only give life but to nurture and care for others.
A daughter of Gaea, Echo was an Oread Nymph from Greek mythology. It is said that she was so beautiful, she had to trick the god, Pan, in order to escape from his advances.
Zeus, who greatly desired to be with his lovers, needed a distraction for his wife, the goddess Hera. He took Echo into his confidence for she proved to be useful in distracting his wife because she could chatter on so. Zeus used Echo for his own gain, and most likely never gave a thought about what could happen to her if Hera were to find out.
The daughter of a sea god and goddess, Medusa was not (at first) frightening at all. In fact, she was divinely beautiful. With long, golden hair, and a face so fair, many a goddess found herself more than a bit jealous of Medusa’s beauty.
Medusa served as a priestess in the temple of the goddess Athena. There Poseidon became fascinated with her. Medusa, however, did not return his affection. He was so driven by his desire for her that he raped her on the altar of Athena. Medusa’s cries for help to the goddess went unheard.
Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine,
Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team
Which love thee, yearning for thy yoke, arise,
And shake the darkness from their loosened manes,
And beat the twilight into flakes of fire
From “Tithonus” by Lord Alfred Tennyson
Persephone, the lovely goddess of springtime, was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and Zeus, the father of all gods. The beauty of Persephone was known far and wide, and many a man and god desired her.
Throughout time we have been fascinated with tales of dragons and the dragon slaying heroes who protect us from them. From knights in shining armor to archangels, dragon slayers have come in all shapes and sizes (including several women dragon slayers).
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