Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

28 ArensnuphisArensnuphis [Greek]Local god of uncertain affinities. Egyptian(Nubian). Probably significant circa 700 BC toAD 400 as an attendant of ISIS. He appeared inEgyptian sanctuaries during the Greco-Romanperiod and seems to have been of benevolentnature. There is also a sanctuary known fromPhilae in Greece where he is linked with Isis.Depicted in anthropomorphic form wearing aplumed crown or in the form of a lion. AlsoAri-hes-nefer (Egyptian).of human skulls. Another notorious son of Areswas the dragon slain by Kadmos as he sought tofound the city of Thebes. Its teeth, which hesowed in the earth, germinated and sprang up aswarriors, the grandsons of Ares, who promptlyturned on each other in mortal combat. Aresentered into a brief liaison with APHRODITE, thegoddess consort of HEPHAISTOS, and through herfathered a daughter, HARMONIA, whom Kadmoslater married, thus paving the way to establishThebes in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.ARES (throng of war)ORIGIN Greek. God of War.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 800 BC, butprobably from earlier times, until Christianization(circa AD 400).SYNONYMS none.CENTER(S) OF CULT no sanctuaries known untilRoman times, when a temple was dedicated inthe Agora in Athens.ART REFERENCES the Parthenon frieze; a celebratedstatue by Alkamenes; other contemporarysculpture.LITERARY SOURCES chiefly Iliad (Homer) andTheogony (Hesiod).Ares is a lesser known member of the Olympic pantheonof great gods, the son of ZEUS and HERA,who allegedly lived in Thrace. As a warriorgod he is contrasted with the more prominent andsuccessful goddess ATHENA who fought andvanquished him in a war between the gods.Although Athena stands for victory in battlethrough glory and honor, Ares epitomizes the eviland more brutal aspects of warfare. In the eyes ofZeus he is “the most hateful of gods.” His war chariotis pulled by Phobos (fear) and Deimos (terror).Ares’ sons were even more barbaric than he.Kyknos was a ferocious killer who, until slain byHERAKLES, was proposing a temple constructedAriadneGoddess of vegetation. Greek. Possibly derivedfrom an unnamed Minoan goddess identified onCrete. According to Homer and Hesiod she is adaughter of MINOS and a consort of DIONYSOS.Her crown, given by ZEUS, is the Corona Borealis.Tradition has it that she was wooed and thendeserted by the hero Theseus.ArianrhodChthonic earth goddess. Celtic (Welsh). Responsiblefor initiation of souls in the otherworldin the tower of Caer Sidi. Mentioned in theMabinogion texts as the possible daughter of Beli,consort of DON and mother of LLEW LLAWGYFFES and Dylan.ArimaniusChthonic underworld god. Roman.See also AREIMANIOS.Arinna (sun goddess)Solar deity. Hittite and Hurrian. May have takenandrogynous form, but also identified as the consortof the weather god TEŠUB. Probably the headof the Hittite state pantheon. There is little detailbecause the religious center of Arinna is known