Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

Ala 11same name runs into the Ionian Sea. Attributesinclude bull horns. Also Achlae (Etrurian).AkenChthonic underworld god. Egyptian. The keeperof the underworld ferry boat.AkerChthonic earth god of passage. Egyptian. Knownfrom the Old Kingdom (circa 2700 BC onward).Controls the interface between eastern and westernhorizons of the underworld, and is theguardian of the gate through which the kingpasses into the underworld. Aker provides a safecourse for the barque of the sun god during itspassage through the underworld at night. He maybe seen as the socket holding the boat’s mast. Heis also considered benevolent against snake bites.Represented by opposite facing pairs of human orlion heads.AkeruPluralistic chthonic earth gods. Egyptian. Probablystemming from the pre-Dynastic period.Malevolent deities who can seize and imprisonthe souls of the deceased.AkonadiOracular goddess. Ghanaian [West Africa]. Knownin the region around Accra where she has had acelebrated oracular shrine. She is regarded as agoddess of justice and a guardian deity of women.AkongoCreator god. Ngombe [Democratic Republic ofCongo, central Africa]. The supreme deity consideredto have given the world, and all that is init, form and substance.Aksayajnana-Karmanda (undecayingknowledge of Karma)Deification of literature. Buddhist. One of agroup of twelve DHARANIS. Color: red. Attributes:basket with jewels, and staff.AKSOBHYA (imperturbable)ORIGIN Buddhist [India]. The second dhyanibuddhaor meditation buddha.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 500 BC topresent.SYNONYMS Vajrasana; Vajraheruka.CENTER(S) OF CULT pan-Asiatic.ART REFERENCESmetal and stone sculptures,paintings.LITERARY SOURCES Sadhanamala and Tantric ritualtexts.One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of ahuman buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. A productof the ADIBUDDHA who represents the branch ofthe cosmos concerned with consciousness. Heoriginates from the blue mantra HUM and lives inthe eastern paradise Abhirati. His SAKTI is LOCANAand he is normally accompanied by two elephants.Color: blue. Attributes include bell, three monkishrobes and staff, also jewel, lotus, prayer wheeland sword. Aksobhya may also be a tutelary deityin Lamaism [Tibet] in which case his attributes aresimilar. Emanations include HERUKA, MANJUSRI,VAJRAPANI and a large number of minor names.See also AMITABHA, AMOGHASIDDHI, RAT-NASAMBHAVA and VAIROCANA.AlaChthonic fertility goddess. Ibo [eastern Nigeria,West Africa]. A popular deity who is also goddessof the underworld linked with a cult of the dead(which rest in her womb). Her temple is the Mbariwhich contains a cult statue depicting the goddessseated with a child in her arms and adorned with