Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

INTRODUCTIONTO THE FIRST EDITION6In compiling a book like Encyclopedia of Gods, oneis struck both by the enormous number and varietyof deities that occur in different religionsaround the world, and also by the way patternsrepeat themselves—almost every culture has itscreator gods, gods concerned with a locally importantaspect of the weather, goddesses of fertility,gods whose duty it is to protect the home. Thesame mysteries have puzzled people on everycontinent, the same fears have beset them and theyhave all attempted to explain the mysteriesand allay the fears in the same way—through theworship of gods.We know, beyond reasonable doubt, that aworld measured purely in spiritual dimensions hasbeen identified for at least 60,000 years—it mayhave been present as an innate part of the humanpsyche since the very beginnings of consciousness.But why does the human spirit harbor such a needfor gods?The beginnings of an answer to this questionmay be found in the beliefs of the simplest cultures.Primitive peoples attribute to all of nature,everything which exists in a physical state, aspiritual identity that is ever-present but unseen,conjured or appeased by the special powersplaced upon certain individuals of the tribe, theshamans or wise ones. These spirits may be poorlydefined, but they are endowed with human formand human habits: they walk, talk, enjoy sexualrelations, exhibit anger, sorrow, joy, mischiefand so on. Thus one finds in simple shamanisticfaiths such characters as “cloud man” and “grasswoman,” “old man of rocks” and “reindeer child.”As this animistic style of religion develops, therather vague ethereal spirits of clouds, rocks, trees,birds and animals become detached from theirtemporal “shells” and take on progressively moreabstract associations. Thus we find a goddess ofchildbirth, a god of storms, a god of blacksmithsor sailors, even a deity concerned with the properuse of pots and pans. As the scope of their responsibilitiesbroadens, the deities become moreclearly defined, more “human” personalities. Wecome to know them by their appearances, by theirstyle of dress, by the attributes they carry. Yetsome of their animistic traits persist and they maystill be identified in inanimate symbols anddevices, and be represented as animals or otherliving things. The social infrastructure of the spiritworld may also closely mirror our own: thusdeities become arranged in hierarchical ordersknown as pantheons and may be separated intogroups, not only responsible for different areas ofworldly control, but also directing their powerstoward good or evil.To explain the precise significance in our lives ofgods and goddesses is more complicated becauseit may alter according to environment and accordingto the stage of social and economic development.Again it necessitates a return to the templateprovided in the most simple religions. Withoutthe benefit of science, technology and history, thenatural world is a puzzling and frightening place,vii