Idun - Goddess of Eternal Youth

Idun (whose name means "She who Renews") is the Norse Goddess of Youth and it is her magickal apples of immortality that when a Norse God or Goddess feels old age approaching, all, they have to do is to eat one of her apples in order to become young again.

Her father was a dwarf smith, Ivalde, who was considered to be one of the older families of all the Norse Gods.  Married to Bragi, the God of poetry, Idun (also spelt Idunna or Ithun) or is also considered to be the Goddess also associated with fertilityand death.  It is possible that she was originally one of the Vanir (originally a group of wild nature and fertility Gods and Goddesses who lived in Vanaheim and who were the sworn enemies of the warrior Gods of the Aesir).

Goddesses of the Zodiac

Arise, Goddess of Spring

Here at The Goddess House it is almost September, yet the long reaching fingers of the Cailleach, the Gaelic Goddess of Winter, can still be felt.  Whilst my Dutch irises have been out for a number of months, very few of the traditional Spring flowers can be seen - one grape hyacinth appeared a few weeks back, as if to test the weather, and only now are the freesias starting to appear.  This time last year the garden was boosting a wonderful display of daffodils and jonquils, especially around the sacred circle.  This year however it is a different story.

Honouring Bast and Anubis

The August service at The Goddess House carried an Egyptian theme Bast (the cat headed Goddess associated with women and the moon) and Anubis (the jackal headed God associated with guiding the souls into the Underworld) were honoured.

Probably the most famous Egyptian Goddess after Isis, Bast (or Bastet) was believed to have originally been a Sun Goddess, but during the Greek rule of Egypt, she became associated with Artemis and the Moon.

Spring has arrived at The Goddess House

I came back from a weekend away to find that amongst an increasing display of purple, one white iris has emerged.  My purple Dutch irises have been delighting me since late June when they started to spike ... but now, with other colours emerging, this is certainly a sign that Persephone is returning from the Underworld and Spring is on its way.

Almost ironically however my other Spring flowers, the jonquils, daffs and freesias have yet to make an appearance. 

As the weather warms, I am reminded of a poem about Demeter's quest penned by the late Shekhinah Mountainwater ...

All golden now

She springs to the earth

And alights to turn the brown grasses green

Her Mother's tears mix with Her own

And fall to make the green more green ...

 

Bright Eyed Warrior Maid, Athena

Within Greek mythology, according to Hesiod, the first wife of Zeus, the leader of the Olympians, was Metis who was considered to be "the most knowing" (as the word metis is interpreted) of all beings. 

Prior to Metis giving birth, Zeus deceived his pregnant wife with cunning words and assimilated her into his own body.  Both Mother Earth and Father Sky had advised him to do this as such an action would prevent any of his descendants from robbing him of his kingly rank, as this is what happened to both his father, Cronus (who he overthrew) and his grandfather, Uranus.