Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

190 Mari (1)DAMKINA. His consort is the goddess ZARPAN-ITU(M) with whom his marriage was re-enactedin an annual New Year festival. In the Old Babylonianperiod he was comparatively insignificant,but in subsequent times he rose to prominence,taking over the role of AN and replacing ENLIL.At the time of the Assyrian takeover, Assyrianscribes replaced Marduk with ASSUR.In the mythology of the creation epic, Mardukis engaged in a primordial cosmic battle with TIA-MAT, the power of the ocean. He kills her, splittingher in half and using parts of her corpse to makeheaven and earth. Tiamat fought him in revengefor the death of APSU, the deep, and is said to havecreated an exact replica of Apsu, the Ešarra.The symbol of Marduk is the triangular deviceused in Mesopotamia as an agricultural tool andcalled a mar.The main Marduk festival was the akitu, alsoperformed at New Year, which continued up to aslate as 200 BC. It was performed by the Persianruler Cambyses circa 538 BC. Marduk’s sanctuaryin Babylon is the Esagila and the E-temen-ankiziggurat.Mari (1) (killing)1. Deification of literature. Buddhist. One of agroup of DHARANIS. Color: reddish white. Attributes:needle, thread and staff.2. Mother goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia].See also MARI MAI.Mari (2) (queen)Supreme mother goddess. Basque [Pyreneanregion]. She is both a sky and chthonic goddessand her consort is MAJU. She is depicted dressedin rich clothing and jewels. Her home is withinthe earth but she also rides through the air in achariot pulled by four horses or carried by a ram.She may breathe fire and is symbolized by therainbow. When she and her consort meet, a thunderstormforms. Her symbol is a sickle which isstill employed as a device to ward off evil.Mari Mai (mother death)Plague goddess. Hindu. The sister of SITALA,associated with cholera. Her Tamil counterpart isMARIYAMMAN.Marici (shining)1. Astral goddess. Buddhist (Mahayana). An emanationof VAIROCANA and also his female aspect orSAKTI. She is further identified as a buddha-designateor BODHISATTVA. She may also be the motherof SAKYAMUNI (a form of the BUDDHA). Consideredby some to be the equal of the Hindu SURYA.She may be depicted in a three-headed form (asthe Sakti of HAYAGRIVA), in which case her lefthead is that of a pig. She rides in a chariot drawnby seven boars. Color: red, yellow or white.Attributes: arrow, bow, fly whisk, horse’s headimage in the hair, needle, prayer wheel, staff,sword, thread and trident. Three-eyed.2. Demiurge. Hindu. A product of the creatorgod BRAHMA.Mariyamman (mother of smallpox)Plague goddess. Dravidian (Tamil) [southernIndia]. A terrible goddess, one of the NAVASAKTISand linked with the goddess KALI. She is honoredin a ritual during which victims (in penance) aresuspended from a rope and an iron hook throughthe flesh of the back and whirled around a pole.Also Mariyattal.MarnasLocal tutelary god. Pre-Islamic northern Arabian.Probably regarded as a fertility deity, his cult was