On My Etsy Shop: Pan

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Pan Art Prints $20. In Greek religion and mythology, Pan is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds and rustic music, and companion of the nymphs. He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr and is often associated with sexuality.

On My Etsy Shop: Oya

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Oya Art Prints $20. In Yoruba Mythology, Oya is the Undergoddess of the Niger River. She is a female warrior and the Orisha of fire, fertility, lightning, wind and magic. She creates hurricanes and tornadoes, and guards the passage to the Underworld. She is the spirit of tornadoes (which are said to be her whirling skirts as she dances), of lightning (the power of which she acquired from her husband, Chango), of earthquakes, and of any form of natural destruction. In essence, Oya is the spirit of change, of transition, and of the chaos that often brings it about. Her association with the marketplace, and more specifically with the gates of cemeteries (as opposed to the entire Underworld), emphasizes her aspect as a facilitator of transition.

Oya has been syncretized in Santeria with the Virgin of Candelaria.

YouTube Treasures: Orisha Oshun Dance from Cuba

YouTube Treasures: Obatalá Dance - Marta Ruiz

On My Etsy Shop: Obatala

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Obatala Art Prints $20. Obatala is an Orisha. He is the Sky Father and the creator of human bodies, which were brought to life by the smooth breath of Olodumare. Obatala is the father of all Orishas and the owner of all ori.

On My Etsy Shop: The Morrigan

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 The Morrigan $20. The Morrigan (also known as the Morrigu) was the shape-shifting Celtic Goddess of War, Fate and Death. She presided over rivers, lakes and fresh water, in addition to being the patroness of revenge, night, magic, prophecy, priestesses and witches. Her name is interpreted in various forms..."Great Queen," "Phantom Queen" or "Queen of Demons." She was said to hover over battlefields in the form of a raven or hooded crow and frequently foretold or influenced the outcome of the fray.

On My Etsy Shop: Isis

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Isis Art Prints $20. Isis was a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship would later be adopted by many other ancient cultures. She was worshiped as the ideal mother and wife, as a patron of nature and magic, as well as a compassionate friend to all who call upon her, be they slaves, sinners, artisans or wealthy aristocrats. Isis is also known as the goddess of simplicity, from whom all beginnings arose, and was the Lady of bread, of beer, and of green fields. In later myths, Ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile River flooded every year because of her tears of sorrow for her dead husband, Osiris. This occurrence of his death and rebirth was relived each year through rituals.

On My Etsy Shop: Hera

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Hera Art Prints $20. Hera is the goddess of women and marriage in Greek mythology and religion. She is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Hera is married to her brother Zeus and is titled as the Queen of Heaven. One of her characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus's other lovers and offspring, as well as against the mortals who cross her.

On My Etsy Shop: Hecate

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Hecate Art Prints $15. Queen of Witches... Queen of Ghosts... Mother of the Dark Moon... Goddess of Magick, the Underworld, and Guardian of the Triple Crossroads—the pre-Olympian moon goddess, Hecate, has carried many titles and worn many masks through the ages, but her power and influence still remain unbowed.

On My Etsy Shop: Gaea

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Chango Art Prints $20. Gaea (Gaia) or Mother Earth, was the great goddess of the early Greeks. She represented the fertile Earth and was worshiped as the omnipotent Universal Mother. In Greek mythology, she created the universe and gave birth to both the first race of gods, known as the Titans, and the first humans.

On My Etsy Shop: Eve

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Eve Art Prints $15. Eve is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as she was the first woman created by God. She was created from Adam's rib to be both his wife and companion. Unfortunately, however, she would eventually unwittingly succumb to the Serpent's temptation and eat the forbidden fruit from off the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve shares the fruit with her husband, and as a result, the first humans are cursed and expelled from the Garden of Eden by God forever for their disobedience.

YouTube Treasures: Eleggua - Daymé Arocena - Cubafonía

On My Etsy Shop: Eleggua

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Eleggua Art Prints $20. In Yoruba mythology, Eleggua is the Orisha associated with the crossroads or "opening the ways". Often depicted as a child or a small man, he is a playful trickster and a brilliant strategist amongst the divinities. Worshipers often have a cement head with a metal spike in its top, and cowrie shells for eyes and a mouth, as a representation of Eleggua which receives offerings and bestows protection in return. He is the appropriator of ceremonies. No ceremony should be started without paying tribute to him first. Without Eleggua being acknowledged first, chances are the outcome desired in a ceremony will not come to full fruition.

On My Etsy Shop: The Divas of Egypt

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 The Divas of Egypt Art Prints $20. Bast, Isis, and Sekhmet stand united as they watch over and nourish their beloved Egypt.

On My Etsy Shop: Dionysus

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Dionysus Art Prints $20. Dionysus is the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, fertility, theatre and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth.

YouTube Treasures: El Chacal - Shangó

On My Etsy Shop: Chango

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Chango Art Prints $15. Chango is a god of thunder, and the ancestor of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Chango was envied for his vast magical powers, but was feared because whenever he spoke, fire would shoot forth from out of his mouth. Chango is a son of Yemaya, queen of all the oceans and the mother goddess of the Orishas. He was known to have had three wives: Oya, who fearlessly stole the secrets of Chango's magic in an attempt to save him from his enemies; Oshun, the beautiful river goddess of love, who is his favorite because of her culinary abilities; and Oba, who desperately tried to win his affections by offering her own ear for him to eat.

On My Etsy Shop: Cernunnos

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 Cernunnos Art Prints $15. Cernunnos is the “Horned One”, a Celtic god associated with sexuality, fertility, the hunt, and the underworld. He was worshiped as the “lord of wild things” by the iron age Celts all across Europe as late as the first century, but his worship began centuries before that. Cernunnos is nearly always portrayed with animals, in particular the stag. He alternates with the goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death, continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and reincarnation.

On My Etsy Shop: La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre Art Prints $20. La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, also known as Our Lady of Charity, is the patroness of Cuba. Her story began around 1608, when two brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, along with their slave, Juan Moreno, set out to the Bay of Nipe for salt. Salt was needed for the preservation of the meat at the Barajagua slaughter house, which supplied the inhabitants and workers of Santiago del Prado, now known as El Cobre. While out in the bay, a terrible storm arose, rocking their tiny boat violently with its waves. The three men prayed desperately to the Virgin Mary for her protection and deliverance. The skies suddenly cleared as if in response, and the great storm was gone. In the distance, the men saw a strange object floating in the water. They rowed towards it as the now gentle waves began to bring it closer. At first they mistook it for a bird, but it was, in actuality, a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus and a golden cross in her hand. The statue was fastened to a board with an inscription saying, "Yo Soy la Virgen de la Caridad" or "I am the Virgin of Charity." The statue was dressed in real cloth, had real hair and the skin tone of a multi-ethnic woman. Much to their surprise, the statue had remained completely dry while afloat in the water.

On My Etsy Shop: St. Brigid of Ireland

On My Etsy Shop: Signed & Matted 5x7 St. Brigid of Ireland Art Prints $20. In Celtic religion and Irish mythology, Brigit or Brighid is the daughter of the Dagda (the "All-father") and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann (a race of people thought to derive from the pre-Christian deities of Ireland). Brighid was once the divine patroness of poetry, smithing, medicine, arts and crafts, cattle and other livestock, and was associated with fire and the coming of spring. During the Middle Ages, she was syncretized with a Christian saint, and became St. Brigid of Kildare or Ireland, who is one of Ireland's patron saints along with St. Patrick and St. Columba.