Wiccan Deities

[Deoridhe]

Neko_Bast

phoenix shadowwolf

Neko_Bast

That is why (taking a example from Tea) Freya and Venus are both called on for love but are not the same goddess, or Loki and Coyote are both tricksters but not the same god. The cultures that they come from make them different.

yet gods can't really be pigeon-holed like that. for one, Venus and Freya are significantly different, and not just based on their cultures. Venus and Freya are both certainly goddesses of love and beauty, but Venus is also attributed to fertility in agriculture, specifically gardens and vineyards, while Freya is also a warrior goddess. when calling on certain gods, sometimes you have to consider their subtle (or not so-subtle) flavors that make them significantly different from another cultures deity of the same function.

I only said love because that is what most people see them as, love goddesses.

So "most people" now determines what religious people sho do in regards to their gods?

I don't see Freya as a "love god." I don't see any of my gods as "X god," in fact, because they are individuals with personalities, not blocks I can stick into a hole when I want to.

It's this proprietary, "I'll call on the god and make him or her do what I want him or her to do" attitude that bothers me; this rendering of gods as objects to be selected or discarded. It's inherently disrespectful to them.  

[Neko_Bast]

Deoridhe

Neko_Bast

I only said love because that is what most people see them as, love goddesses.

So "most people" now determines what religious people should do in regards to their gods?

I don't see Freya as a "love god." I don't see any of my gods as "X god," in fact, because they are individuals with personalities, not blocks I can stick into a hole when I want to.

um....no, it doesn't determine what should people do. I wasn't saying she is only a Goddess presiding over love. I know she does other things. Some people that don't research would say that she is because of what many books say in there correspondence tables in the back. No God is an "X god," but many of them have one thing they do best, or something that is most commonly known. Like Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, or Aries being a God of War.

Quote:

It's this proprietary, "I'll call on the god and make him or her do what I want him or her to do" attitude that bothers me; this rendering of gods as objects to be selected or discarded. It's inherently disrespectful to them.

Yes, it is. I would never presume to "make a god or goddess do what I what him or her to do." That would just be asking for trouble.  

[maenad nuri]

Neko_Bast

um....no, it doesn't determine what should people do. I wasn't saying she is only a Goddess presiding over love. I know she does other things. Some people that don't research would say that she is because of what many books say in there correspondence tables in the back. No God is an "X god," but many of them have one thing they do best, or something that is most commonly known. Like Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, or Aries being a God of War.

Erm, I would hope that they aren't referring to Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, since that would be Hestia. Hera, if you have to put a "of the__" on her, is much more interested in Marriage.

And Aries is my birthsign, you mean Ares I assume.

Sorry, nitpicks.  

[Neko_Bast]

Nuri

Neko_Bast

um....no, it doesn't determine what should people do. I wasn't saying she is only a Goddess presiding over love. I know she does other things. Some people that don't research would say that she is because of what many books say in there correspondence tables in the back. No God is an "X god," but many of them have one thing they do best, or something that is most commonly known. Like Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, or Aries being a God of War.

Erm, I would hope that they aren't referring to Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, since that would be Hestia. Hera, if you have to put a "of the__" on her, is much more interested in Marriage.

And Aries is my birthsign, you mean Ares I assume.

Sorry, nitpicks.

sweatdrop my bad........I was thinking Marriage and typed Hearth, and yah..............I spelt the wrong Ares. redface  

[Pelta]

Neko_Bast

Deoridhe

Neko_Bast

I only said love because that is what most people see them as, love goddesses.

So "most people" now determines what religious people should do in regards to their gods?

I don't see Freya as a "love god." I don't see any of my gods as "X god," in fact, because they are individuals with personalities, not blocks I can stick into a hole when I want to.

um....no, it doesn't determine what should people do. I wasn't saying she is only a Goddess presiding over love. I know she does other things. Some people that don't research would say that she is because of what many books say in there correspondence tables in the back. No God is an "X god," but many of them have one thing they do best, or something that is most commonly known. Like Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, or Aries being a God of War.

And then you get into complications of Apollo being a God of... Erm.... Sunmusicandmedicine! Or Odin being a God of... Hel I'm not even going to go there. It just gets too complicated. And that's the point. Gods are beyond the petty restrictions our simple mind attempts to put on them. Sure you could call on Apollo for help in music, but you could never narrow him down to simply being a "Music God." That would be leaving out all his other, extremely important, attributes.  

[Neko_Bast]

missmagpie

Neko_Bast

Deoridhe

Neko_Bast

I only said love because that is what most people see them as, love goddesses.

So "most people" now determines what religious people should do in regards to their gods?

I don't see Freya as a "love god." I don't see any of my gods as "X god," in fact, because they are individuals with personalities, not blocks I can stick into a hole when I want to.

um....no, it doesn't determine what should people do. I wasn't saying she is only a Goddess presiding over love. I know she does other things. Some people that don't research would say that she is because of what many books say in there correspondence tables in the back. No God is an "X god," but many of them have one thing they do best, or something that is most commonly known. Like Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, or Aries being a God of War.

And then you get into complications of Apollo being a God of... Erm.... Sunmusicandmedicine! Or Odin being a God of... Hel I'm not even going to go there. It just gets too complicated. And that's the point. Gods are beyond the petty restrictions our simple mind attempts to put on them. Sure you could call on Apollo for help in music, but you could never narrow him down to simply being a "Music God." That would be leaving out all his other, extremely important, attributes.

lol.........very true. Some gods are easier to "put in a box" then others. I try not to just think about one attribute over another. Its really important to know all the attributes of any god you work with. That way you know they are not just one thing.  

[Pelta]

Neko_Bast

missmagpie

Neko_Bast

Deoridhe

Neko_Bast

I only said love because that is what most people see them as, love goddesses.

So "most people" now determines what religious people should do in regards to their gods?

I don't see Freya as a "love god." I don't see any of my gods as "X god," in fact, because they are individuals with personalities, not blocks I can stick into a hole when I want to.

um....no, it doesn't determine what should people do. I wasn't saying she is only a Goddess presiding over love. I know she does other things. Some people that don't research would say that she is because of what many books say in there correspondence tables in the back. No God is an "X god," but many of them have one thing they do best, or something that is most commonly known. Like Hera being a Goddess of the Hearth, or Aries being a God of War.

And then you get into complications of Apollo being a God of... Erm.... Sunmusicandmedicine! Or Odin being a God of... Hel I'm not even going to go there. It just gets too complicated. And that's the point. Gods are beyond the petty restrictions our simple mind attempts to put on them. Sure you could call on Apollo for help in music, but you could never narrow him down to simply being a "Music God." That would be leaving out all his other, extremely important, attributes.

lol.........very true. Some gods are easier to "put in a box" then others. I try not to just think about one attribute over another. Its really important to know all the attributes of any god you work with. That way you know they are not just one thing.

But more importantly they're not a thing, They're an entity. They are amalgamations of all things that they consist of. For example, I am a musician. Now, you can't say, "She is a musician," and leave it at that. I am also a woman, a writer, a lover, a sex object, a painter, a pagan... The list goes on. So you can see my identity is not simply my profession; there is so much more that creates the fabric of my being. And I'm just human. When it comes to gods, who are infinetly more vast and complex than simple humans it becomes impossible to attach labels to them. Do you see what I mean?  

[Neko_Bast]

missmagpie

Neko_Bast

lol.........very true. Some gods are easier to "put in a box" then others. I try not to just think about one attribute over another. Its really important to know all the attributes of any god you work with. That way you know they are not just one thing.

But more importantly they're not a thing, They're an entity. They are amalgamations of all things that they consist of. For example, I am a musician. Now, you can't say, "She is a musician," and leave it at that. I am also a woman, a writer, a lover, a sex object, a painter, a pagan... The list goes on. So you can see my identity is not simply my profession; there is so much more that creates the fabric of my being. And I'm just human. When it comes to gods, who are infinetly more vast and complex than simple humans it becomes impossible to attach labels to them. Do you see what I mean?

um......Yah. I ment that they are not just an attribute. You can still attach lables (sometimes mutlipule lables) to them just as you do to people. You just have to be aware that the lable is not all that they are. Just as they are not the whole of any one person  

[Aya Azura]

-What deities (if any) do you worship/believe in?To tell the truth, I only refer to them as the god, and Goddess. But I also have the Holly King, and Oak King, and The Maiden, Mother, and Crone, and also the Horned God. Also, once in a while, I call upon Hecate, and Freyjya.
-What does the word 'deity' mean to you?
To me, the word deities basically means gods. It's something that you call on, or go to when you can't a non-spiritual answer for help. It's also who I worship in rituals, because I know that even when I'm not asking for help, they help me.
-Is there any information that you think is important for me to have in my article? I think you should have the fact, that if, and when you get initiated in a coven, you learn the names of the Gods, but you should also know that whichever name you use, or whatever you are asking or praying for, you should relate to it, or you need the name to relate to it to. Does that make sense?