Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

64 Chang Tao LingChang Tao LingGod of the afterlife. Taoist (Chinese). The headof the heavenly Ministry of Exorcism, andallegedly the first head of the Taoist church. Bytradition he vanquished the five poisonous animals—thecentipede, scorpion, snake, spider andtoad—placing their venom in a flask in which heconcocted the elixir of life. Having drunk thecontents at the age of 123, he ascended toheaven. He is depicted riding upon a tiger andbrandishing a sword. Before the communisttakeover of China, the gods of exorcism lived ina sanctuary on the Dragon Tiger mountain inKiangsi province. Exorcised spirits were trappedin jars which were stored in the cellars.Chantico (in the house)Hearth goddess. Aztec (classical Mesoamerican)[Mexico]. A household guardian deity personifiedby hearth fires. One of the deities collectivelyclassed as the XIUHTECUHTLI complex.Chaob (carrying off)Wind god(s). Mayan (Lacandon, classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. They live in thefour cardinal directions and, according totradition, will bring about the end of thecurrent world with earthquakes and tempestswhen the last of the Lacandon people dies.They will blow so hard that they blast themonkeys out of the trees. The names of twoare identified, Hunaunic in the east andChikinkuh in the West.ChaosPrimordial deity. Greco-Roman. The amorphousmale power who, with the female presence, NYX,personifies the empty space which existed beforethe formation of the cosmos.CharisMinor goddess. Greek. The consort of HEPHAIS-TOS. Later the name becomes more familiar as theGRATIAE or Graces (Aglaia, Euphrosine andThalea) who then become the Charites in theRoman pantheon.Chattrosnisa (with an umbrella)God. Buddhist. One of eight USNISA deities apparentlyconnected with the guardian sky deities ordikpalas. Color: white. Attribute: parasol.Chaya (shadow)Goddess. Hindu (Epic and Puranic). The reflectionof the goddess SANJNA, consort of SURYA andmother of the astral deity SANI.ChemoshChi Sung TzuRain god. Chinese.See KEMOS.ChibiriasChthonic earth goddess. Mayan (classicalMesoamerican) [Mexico]. The consort of the creatorgod ITZAM NA and the mother of theBACABS. She sends the rain for Itzam Na and, asan iguana, is said to have flooded the world in aprevious cycle. She also paints the earth, theleaves of certain plants and the crest of the woodpeckerred with her paintbrush. She invented theart of weaving and is the patroness of weavers.Attributes include a hank of cotton or cloth. AlsoIX CHEBEL YAX; Ix Hun Tah Dz’ib (lady uniqueowner of the paintbrush); Ix Hun Tah Nok (ladyunique owner of the cloth); IX ZACAL NOK (ladycloth-weaver).