Goddesses and their many variations in personality, attributes, and mythologies are very much tied into the cultures from which they came, and so they represent many of the ideals of these societies. There might be common themes throughout the world, such as the moon, fertility, and creation, but you’ll soon realize that each goddess is uniquely her own self.
AFRICA
Africa has been shown to hold the earliest traces of humankind, and so it is no wonder that it is a repository of a vast array of unique beliefs informed and shaped by early hunting and gathering lifestyles as well as agricultural practices. Many of the myths are connected to the natural realm that people were in, with animals and spirits often being present as mythical beings with powers.
In Fon creation stories, Yewa is known as the first woman in existence on Earth, who educated her children in worship and then returned to heaven after seven years. A goddess in Fon creation known as Mawu is the goddess of the moon as well as the ruler of the night, and her twin brother rules the day. Themes of twin deities were very common in African mythology as each one represented one part of a binary to make a whole. The Yoruba people are so called because they are believed to have been the children of Yoruba, a fertility deity and goddess of the earth. The Egyptian civilization had many goddesses with whom they connected.
ASIA
The largest continent on Earth has myriad cultural traditions that formed from migrations and word-of-mouth stories and sacred texts. In ancient China, Nu Wa was known as the creator goddess as well as a fertility deity. Hsi Wang Mu, also known as Queen Mother Wang, is a goddess of eternal life, a patron of women, and the goddess to pray to for guidance and protection when a daughter is born into a family. In an interesting Indian–Chinese cultural fusion, Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy and aid in contraception, was shared by both.
In ancient Japan, goddesses had specialized roles that often embodied the lighter and happier aspects of life. Uzume is the Shinto goddess of happiness and dancing. Amaterasu is the goddess of sun and weaving, and Wakahiru-Me is the goddess of the rising sun. It is interesting to note the placement of the female figure next to the powers and energy of the sun. Benten was the goddess of music, luck, and expressiveness.
The Middle East was once full of goddess-worshipping civilizations. During ancient times the civilization of Mesopotamia thrived. It included Assyria, Babylonia, and Sumer. After that, near the same area, known at the time as the Fertile Crescent located in modern day Iraq and Iran, the Phoenician civilization also worked with goddess archetypes such as Astarte, Asherat, and Astoreth.
AUSTRALIA
Australia and Oceania, though geographically separated from the rest of the world, do not lack in diversity of goddesses and show a continuation of themes observed in other parts of the world. In Australia, origin stories and tales of journey take the limelight in the stories of Aboriginal people. The Yolngu people passed along an ancestor story of the Wagalak Sisters, who were two sisters who journeyed throughout Australia and named wildlife, plants, and places.
The islands that make up Oceania are bountiful in specialized goddesses. Hine-Te-Wauin was the Polynesian goddess of childbirth, and it was said that the spell that that goddess used to make birthing easier is still recited and practiced in New Zealand. The Maori called their Mother Earth Papa, and it was she who spread her life on Earth. Pele was the fire and volcano goddess of Hawaii and was considered one of the most powerful beings in existence in Hawaiian culture.
Europe is rich in a high variety of civilizations with similar themes within their ideologies, such as the Norse and Finns of the north, the Celts of the west, and the Slavs who populated the eastern part of the continent. Before the Roman Empire took hold, the Etruscans populated modern-day Tuscany, and the better-known Greeks and Romans were a major fixture in Europe. Many have different creation myths, along with the portrayal of the gods and goddesses as a family unit and the mythologies of those families and their interactions with other mythological families of the same traditions.
In the Norse tradition, Frigg is the goddess of fertility and also the queen of Asgard. She also is known as Freyja, a fertility goddess who personifies beauty and is a love goddess. According to the Finns, Luonnotar, who is known as an air girl, was the creator of the world after she dropped eggs into the water and thus formed all that is on the Earth and beyond it. The Slavs were so steeped in the family/gender role aspect of their beliefs that they even honored household goddesses such as Kikimora, who aided hardworking women, and Dugnai, who was a bread-making goddess. The Celts venerated Nantosuelta, goddess of the hearth and home. They also embodied the concept of the Triple Goddess in the Triple Mother, who is a singular being depicted as three different women.
Native North Americans are a diverse set of people who found their start on the continent over 12,000 years ago and gradually moved southward toward South America. Civilizations were identified by their cultural and lifestyle identifiers, and so the goddesses they worshipped reflected their realities. The Caribou Inuit people in the Arctic, for example, survived by fishing and hunting game. One of their most significant goddesses is Pinga, a hunting deity who would help direct animals to the Inuit to hunt.
Goddesses connected to food production are very common in many societies, and this makes sense with the common themes of fertility and creation that normally are associated with the female being. Native peoples who inhabited the American Great Plains venerated an agricultural goddess known as Corn Woman who made corn grow. In the same region, the goddess White Buffalo Woman was honored for her role in gathering and scattering packs of buffalo.
All throughout North and Central America, corn was seen as a staple food source. The Navajo in the Southwest recognized Yellow Corn Girl for bringing corn to them; in their culture, corn was considered a sacred plant and also was used in ceremonial events. The Aztec in Central America had numerous corn goddesses, one being Chicomecoatl, who represented stored seeds for the next year’s harvest.
In Mexico and Central America, the Mayan and Aztec goddesses, such as Xochiquetzal, Ix Chel, and Coatlicue, also known as Toci, were contacted during elaborate rituals.
In South America, as opposed to North America, civilizations were much more fixated on religion and the accompanying rituals. The worship of gods and goddesses was very ornate and elaborate, with large stone temples built to honor them. Mama Kilya was a beloved goddess of the moon who represented passing time and fertility. She also was called a protector of women in Inca society. It was believed that when an eclipse occurred, it was due to Mama Kilya being attacked by a great serpent. The Inca were very protective of her, and to stop this attack they would make loud noises to scare the serpent away. Chaska-Qoylor was a star deity and was honored as the sun’s handmaiden. She was known as a patron of young girls.
The climate in South America, though considered tropical, actually prompted very difficult living conditions. Rain was a common theme for prayer for its importance in raising crops. Pacha Mama was an earth goddess who was second only to the sun god. She was called the giver of life and was given coca leaves as a sacrifice to help in producing good crops.
There are many beautiful, universal themes to goddess mythology throughout the world. Creation, fertility, love, justice, art, music, math, agriculture, and intuition are just some of the ways goddesses were thought to enhance life. All over the planet the divine feminine influenced life and was revered. The sacred She was part of ordinary life and a bestowal of miracles and beauty. She was nature’s rainbows. She was the fruitful harvest. She was the moon and the stars above and the soil and earth below. She breathed life into babies and sustained life. She transported the dead to the afterlife. She was everything.
Now, as modern-day goddesses in training, we can learn from these traditions and create out own to share the beauty and benevolence of the divine feminine with our daughters, nieces, friends and family. Mothers who respect their feminine natures can also raise sons who treat women with care and respect and understand the interplay between the essences of masculine and feminine. When we connect with our own inner divine feminine we can live from that wellspring of inspiration. And we can pass on the ancient wisdom of the goddess.