Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

Gefjon 103of the creator god TSUNIGOAB. He was engagedin a primordial struggle for supremacy duringwhich Tsunigoab was wounded but eventuallytriumphed, consigning Gaunab to the so-called“black heaven.”Gauri (whitish brilliant)1. Goddess. Hindu (Vedic and Puranic). Consortof the god VARUNA, said to have been created atthe churning of the ocean of milk. An epithet ofPARVATI as a goddess of the corn. Also a SAKTI ofMahesvara, a minor aspect of ŠIVA. Her attendantanimal is a lion or a wolf. Attributes: fish, forestgarland, image of GANESA, lotus, mirror, rosary,trident and water jar. Three-eyed. Also Varuni.2. Goddess. Buddhist. One of eight GAURIS ofterrible appearance. Attributes: head and noose.3. Messenger goddess. Jain [India]. A SASANADE-VATA. Also one of sixteen VIDYADEVIS or goddessesof learning headed by SARASVATI. Color:white. Attribute: a hook.NOTE: Gauri-Tara is a distinct minor BuddhistMahayana goddess.Gautama BuddhaSee BUDDHA.GayatriPersonification of a hymn. Hindu. The name ofa popular hymn in the Rg Veda, dedicated to thesun. Also the name of one, possibly the second, ofthe consorts of BRAHMA.See also SARASVATI.GEB(earth)ORIGIN Egyptian. Chthonic or earth god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP Old Kingdom(circa 2600 BC) to end of Egyptian history (circaAD 400).SYNONYMS Seb (erroneous).CENTER(S) OF CULT none specific but often associatedwith tombs.ART REFERENCES paintings in Valley of theKings, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid and coffin texts;New Kingdom religious papyri including thePapyrus of Tentamun.Geb, the offspring of ŠU and TEFNUT, is a “thirdgeneration” deity of the ENNEAD in Heliopolisand, as the brother and consort of NUT, becomesthe father of ISIS and OSIRIS in the Heliopolisgenealogy. Geb appears on papyri from the NewKingdom typically wearing the crown of LowerEgypt, lying on the ground with his armsstretched in opposite directions: “one to the sky,one to the earth.” When drawn with Nut, who isa sky goddess, his penis is often erect andextended toward her. He may also be accompaniedby a goose (his sign in hieroglyphic).Geb is a vegetation god, frequently coloredgreen and with greenery sprouting from him. Heis also seen as a god of healing, particularly calledupon for protection against scorpion stings. In aless benign context, Geb reputedly snatches thesouls of the dead and may imprison them againstpassing into the afterlife. He is also a god concernedwith judgment in the dispute betweenHORUS and SETH. As Horus’s father, he presidedover his crowning, and therefore continued toprotect each rightful heir to the crown of Egypt.GefjonGoddess of agriculture. Germanic and Nordic(Icelandic). One of the AESIR deities and an attendantof the goddess FRIGG according to traditionmentioned by Snorri in the Edda. She bore fourgiant sons whom she turned into oxen and usedthem to plough a tract of land which was thentowed out to sea to become Zeeland (Sjaeland).She is also said to have founded a royal Danishdynasty. Also Gefiun.