Other Gods And Goddesses – Deities Of Marriage

OtherGods And Goddesses

Because the deities come from so many cultures and times,it is important to invoke only the positive qualities you need and to rememberthat some did reflect dark as well as benign aspects of divinity. For example,Diana, the goddess of the Moon and the hunt, is thought by most to be asympathetic soul; but you might be surprised to learn that she would, accordingto myth, have her rejected lovers torn apart by her hounds. So, when setting upyour icons, read about them first, and decide which are the attributes thatwill assist your magical workings. Some deities fit into more than onecategory, so I have listed them under their most significant one.

DeitiesOf Marriage

These deities can be invoked in rituals concerning thefamily and the home.

Frigg

Frigg was the Viking Mother Goddess whose jewelledspinning wheel formed Orion’s belt; as patroness of marriage, women, mothersand families, she can be invoked for all rituals concerned with families anddomestic happiness. She invited devoted husbands and wives to her hall afterdeath so that they might never be parted again and so is goddess of fidelity.

As Ostara, goddess of spring, she was known among theAnglo-Saxons and is remembered in the festival of Easter as a fertility goddessand bringer of new beginnings. In her role as Valfreya, the Lady of theBattlefield, Frigg recalls the Northern tradition of warrior goddesses andoffers courage to women.

Hera

Hera, the wife-sister of Zeus, is a the supreme Greekgoddess of protection, marriage and childbirth whose sacred bird is thepeacock. She is a powerful deity of fidelity and is called upon by womenseeking revenge upon unfaithful partners.

Hestia

Hestia is the Greek goddess of the hearth and home, allfamily matters and peace within the home. She is a benign, gentle goddess andso can be invoked for matters involving children and pets.

Juno

Juno, the wife-sister of Jupiter, is the Roman queen ofthe gods, the protectress of women, marriage and childbirth and also wise counsellor.Together with Jupiter and Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, she made up thetriumvirate of deities who made decisions about humankind and especially Romanaffairs. Her month, June, is most fortunate for marriage and, like Hera, herGreek equivalent, her sacred creature is the peacock. She is invoked in sexmagick as well as for all matters concerning marriage, children, fidelity andwise counsel.

Parvati

Parvati is the benign and gentle Hindu Mother Goddess,consort of the god Shiva and the goddess daughter of the Himalayas.Her name means ‘mountain’ and she is associated with all mountains. She andShiva are often pictured as a family in the Himalayaswith their sons Ganesh, god of wisdom and learning, and six-headed Skanda, thewarrior god. She is invoked for all family matters and those concerningchildren and by women in distress.

Vesta

Vesta is the Roman goddess of domesticity and of thesacred hearth at which dead and living were welcomed. The Vestal Virgins of Rome kept alight thesacred flame in Vesta’s temple and this was rekindled at the New Year, as werehousehold flames. Vesta can be invoked in rituals centred around the elementFire.