Dark Gods & Goddesses...

[Auroro]

I'm trying to get information on as much Dark Gods and Goddesses, meaning those of Death, Destruction, The Night, anything that is within the night, and etcetera... Examples are Hecate and the Morrigan. I'd appreciate your guys's help!
:smile:

[Djinn]

Google "dark goddess" and/or "dark gods." You'll get tons of stuff.

[Agaliha]

uh, from the top of my head:

Goddesses:
Nemesis
The Erinyes, There are three: Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone.
Nyx
Hekate
Persephone
Eris
The Moirae--Klotho, Lachesus, Atropos
Kali
Ereshkigal
Hel
Badb, Nemain, Macha
The Morrigan
The Cailleach
Cerridwen
Nebt Het (Nephthys)
Sekhmet-- destruction, Divine vengeance, Eye of Ra
Baba Yaga (some consider her a Goddess, others don't. A thread about her HERE (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=104144&highlight=baba+yaga))


Gods:
Ah Puch
Erra
Yama
Mot
Yama
Tummuz
Mors
Thanatos
Hades
Anubis
Set
Erebus

And the Google/yahoo idea is a good one. There is tons of info about them all on there ;)

[MariThorn]

You may also look at Chthonic God/desses . . .

Good luck,
MariThorn

[Agaliha]

You may also look at Chthonic God/desses . . .


Chthonic just means of the underworld....and most of the ones I meantioned are from the Underworld ;)

Auroro-- for Greek underworld dieties look here: http://www.theoi.com/Cat_Daimones.html they have a good list of them.

:artist:

[BlueMoon13]

Some also consider Lilith to be a dark goddess as well.

[Toby Stimpson]

Well, it all depends on what your view of 'dark' is. Kali could be seen as a dark Goddess...unless you look at her benevolent motherly aspects. Astarte may be seen as a dark goddess, for her connection with the underworld...(or Inanna?). What does Dark mean??

Tobias

[Mithrea]

Best book on the subject: Mysteries of the Dark Moon (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=yX1y3YLCFV&isbn=0062503707&itm=2) by Demetra George

[RedRaven]

I dont see why people keep thinking Cerridwen is a dark Goddess. Ive been working with her for a good while now and she hasnt shown anything "dark" at all.

[David19]

Hades is a chronic god, also Hel of the Norse and Lilith - ancient jews. but that's about all i can think of now

[JadeNSC]

What is the criteria for naming a god/dess as "dark"? I'm just curious because I saw that Eris was listed as a dark goddess and, while I certainly don't consider her a fluffy cuddly goddess, I also wouldn't label her as "dark." I guess what I'm asking is, what is everyone's definition of dark?

I guess I just consider "dark" to be subjective. I think everyone would have a different definition of what makes something "dark" and whether or not that's a bad thing. Just curious here. :)

[Agaliha]

Auroro asked about not just Dark dieties but ones associated with Night, destruction and dark things. Eris qualifies to be on that list. I wasn't saying she was "dark"...


Here is my reasoning:
Goddesses:
Nemesis --- Divine retribution, vengeance, punishment
The Erinyes, There are three: Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone. --similar to Nemesis
Nyx -- Night.
Hekate -- Underworld, darkness, Crone/Triple Goddess
Persephone -- Underworld, death, darkness, winter months: destruction of land
Eris -- Chaos, discord...destruction
The Moirae--Klotho, Lachesus, Atropos -- live in the Underwold
Kali -- the Destroyer aspect of Devi, she who Liberates
Ereshkigal-- Underworld, darkness, death
Hel-- Underworld, darkness
Badb, Nemain, Macha-- Battle, death, war, destruction
The Morrigan-- Battle, death, war, destruction
The Cailleach-- Crone, things that are hidden, Mysteries
Cerridwen-- Crone
Nebt Het (Nephthys)-- Underworld, death
Sekhmet-- destruction, Divine vengeance, Eye of Ra
Baba Yaga (some consider her a Goddess, others don't. A thread about her HERE (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=104144&highlight=baba+yaga))-- Death, darkness, Crone


Eris is the Goddess of discord and chaos- I think that fits with the 'destruction' category, which is why I put it. I never said all these Goddesses were 'dark', rather I was answering his question which had other categories.
To me Dark does not equal Death or bad. I don't really seperate Dieties according to "Dark" and "Light"...but Auroro is practicing "Dark" Witchcraft...so I'm assuming he does. I just see them how they are and don't really pay much attention to the 'Dark Goddess' label. ::shrug::

But for his question I just put all the ones I could think of that--
1. Associated with the Night/Darkness
2. Destruction/Chaos
3. Vengeance/Revenge/Punishement
4. Crone
5. Associated with the Underworld
6. Associated with Death

Which is what he was asking for.

[JadeNSC]

I wasn't offended or anything. Sorry if it came off that way. (Sometimes I wish the Internet could convey emotions better.) I was just curious as to what people consider "dark." Now that you put it in context, it makes more sense. :)

I'm a follower of Eris, and while I don't consider her dark, I don't fault anyone else for saying she is. I mean, I can understand why someone would say that. I think when it comes down to it we all just have different ideas of darkness. :D

[Agaliha]

I wasn't offended or anything. Sorry if it came off that way. (Sometimes I wish the Internet could convey emotions better.) I was just curious as to what people consider "dark." Now that you put it in context, it makes more sense. :)
I'm a follower of Eris, and while I don't consider her dark, I don't fault anyone else for saying she is. I mean, I can understand why someone would say that. I think when it comes down to it we all just have different ideas of darkness. :D

Don't worry about it. I just wanted to clarify myself so there wasn't more people asking the same thing, because I think most of Auroro's question was lost and everyone zoned in on "dark".
I don't consider Eris dark, or any of the others. Like I said, I don't say [insert name] is Light and [insert name] is Dark. I know some do, though and that's fine. Everyone has their own view of things.

As for the 'why is Dark' angle I think there are some threads about it. Let me check...

Dark as opposed to? (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=88484&highlight=dark)
Humm, well here are the search results, maybe you can find some stuff there: HERE (http://www.mysticwicks.com/search.php?searchid=1143485&pp=25&page=1)

[JadeNSC]

Thank you for the links. *Goes off to read and lets the thread get back to subject at hand.*

[MariThorn]

Yes, Chthonic means Death or Underworld. The reason I mentioned it is because scholarly articles and sites lean towards that word. :) I tend to not put them into "Light" and "Dark". I work with the Morrigan and the Demeters, and while they have their harder sides . . . they also have their beneficial sides. All of us do . . . I know I can be pretty bitchy when I want to . . . but that doesn't limit me.

[Mithrea]

Yes, Chthonic means Death or Underworld. The reason I mentioned it is because scholarly articles and sites lean towards that word. :) I tend to not put them into "Light" and "Dark". I work with the Morrigan and the Demeters, and while they have their harder sides . . . they also have their beneficial sides. All of us do . . . I know I can be pretty bitchy when I want to . . . but that doesn't limit me.

Do you mean benevolent (instead of beneficial)? . . . .because "harder" can be beneficial too. Which is sorta the point, IMO.

[Theres]

Yes, Chthonic means Death or Underworld.
well, sort of.
it has certainly come to represent that, but actually chthonic means 'of the earth'. so strictly speaking the underworld definition is rather limiting too.

[Agaliha]

well, sort of.
it has certainly come to represent that, but actually chthonic means 'of the earth'. so strictly speaking the underworld definition is rather limiting too.

Yeah, it does mean 'of the earth' as well. Demeter is considered Khthonic I think...and she is of the Earth more so that the Underworld.
I checked dictionary.com for a definition and got this--
Chthonic
adj : of the underworld; "nether regions"
[syn: chthonian (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=chthonian), lower (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=lower), nether (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=nether)]

Ah, but there we are-- Chthonic comes from khthón, the Greek word for earth.

So I think it carries both meanings. Earth and Underworld...

[Theres]

right. like i said it has certainly come to represeny underworld, and when we speak of chthonic deities everyone knows we mean Persephone and Hades, etc.

but i think the original meaning was supposed to convey the idea that these were deities who were of the earth as opposed to those of the Cosmos (Apollo, etc).

(hmmm... wondering where Pan fits into this?)

[Mithrea]

right. like i said it has certainly come to represeny underworld, and when we speak of chthonic deities everyone knows we mean Persephone and Hades, etc.

but i think the original meaning was supposed to convey the idea that these were deities who were of the earth as opposed to those of the Cosmos (Apollo, etc).

(hmmm... wondering where Pan fits into this?)

This is my understanding of the word as well.

[9-2-2]

Hope this helps...
Spiritonline.com (http://www.spiritonline.com/gods/)

That site has been defunct for several years, but their deity search still works. When you first load the page, a nasty little ad will redirect you... you'll have to time it so that you hit the "stop" button in your browser before you get redirected.

[Agaliha]

I found this:

khthonioi theoi= Underworld Gods
khthoniai theai=Demeter and Persephone
http://persephones.250free.com/words.html


In mythology chthonic (from Greek χθονιος-pertaining to the earth; earthy) designates, or pertains to, gods or spirits of the underworld, especially in Greek mythology.
Greek khthon is one of several words for "earth"; it typically refers to the interior of the soil, rather than the living surface of the land (as does gaia or ge) or the land as territory (as does khora). It evokes at once abundance and the grave.
Its pronunciation is somewhat awkward for English-speakers — for this reason, many American dictionaries recommend that the initial "ch" should be silent. However, most other dictionaries, such as the OED, state that the first two letters should be pronounced "k".
Chthonian and Olympian
While terms like "Earth deity" have rather sweeping implications in English, the words khthonie and khthonios had a more precise and technical meaning in Greek, referring primarily to the manner of offering sacrifices to the god in question.
In the typical chthonic cult, the animal victim was slaughtered into a bothros "pit" or megaron "sunken chamber". In the cult of the Olympian gods, by contrast, the victim was sacrificed onto a raised bomos "altar". Chthonic deities also tended to favor black victims over white ones, and their offerings were usually burned whole or buried rather than being cooked and shared among the worshippers.
Cult type versus function
While chthonic gods and goddesses had a general association with fertility, they did not have a monopoly on it, nor were Olympian gods wholly unconcerned from the earth's prosperity. Thus Demeter and Persephone both watched over aspects of the fertility of land, yet Demeter had a typically Olympian cult while Persephone had a chthonic one.
Even more confusingly, Demeter was worshipped alongside of Persephone with identical rites, and yet was occasionally classified as an "Olympian" in poetry and myth.
In between
The categories Olympian and Chthonic were not, however, hard and fast. Some Olympian gods, like Hermes and Zeus, also received chthonic sacrifices and tithes in certain locations. The deified heroes Heracles and Asclepius might be worshipped as gods or chthonic heroes, depending on the site.
Moreover, a few deities are not easily classifiable under these terms. Hecate, for instance, was typically offered puppies at crossroads — not an Olympian sacrifice, to be sure, but not a typical offering to Persephone or the heroes, either. But because of her underworld functions, Hecate is generally classed as chthonic.
FROM:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chthonic

Don't know if that helps or not.

ETA: Here is a link to some info about Hero Cults-- http://www.uh.edu/~cldue/3307/herocults.html
It mentions Chthonic things there.

[Theres]

nice work Belle. there's some cool stuff in there. :)

i might add that the type of sacrifice was further determined by it's purpose. if the sacrifice was for protection from some evil, etc, then the cthonic definition above would apply. but if the sacrifice was as part of a festival (giving thanks, etc), then the edible portions would be shared by the participants and the viscera, etc reserved for the gods. this would be the case regardless of the deity's association, and there were other types of sacrifice as well.

[RubyRose]

I'd also consider any Goddess associated with the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess, to be part of the "Dark" aspect.

Bendithion,
RubyRose

[Darkwater Stone]

I dont see why people keep thinking Cerridwen is a dark Goddess. Ive been working with her for a good while now and she hasnt shown anything "dark" at all.


Hello RedRaven. By deffinition of dark, it implies the darker aspect as in night time. Nocturnal like. I have worked with Cerridwen for a LONG time now... She is not "dark" in an evil aspect, dark in what she excels in which is magic, intuition, among other things. She is associated with the moon and owl as well which are dark/night related.
Hope that helped.

[aluokaloo]

you can also search mysticwicks there are several posts on dark Gods and Goddesses.

[aluokaloo]

you know if dark is more inutitive, and softer, and light, is more active, masculine, and aggressive, wouldn't mnore aggresive deities be light, and less agrresive deities be dark? Yin/Yang, do we have it confused?

[MariThorn]

Yes I meant beneficial . . . I always see Demeter, Hecate, and Persephone (not in that order) as the Demeters. Three in One (Maiden, Mother, and Crone.) In a way I can see what Belle says regarding Earth and the Underworld and the word Chthonic. If you think about the fact that all things are born from the Underworld, ie death gives birth to life, then calling deities like Demeter Chthonic makes sense.

[RubyRose]

I dont see why people keep thinking Cerridwen is a dark Goddess. Ive been working with her for a good while now and she hasnt shown anything "dark" at all.

Cerridwen, as it has been stated elsewhere in this thread is also associated with being a Crone. I think it's probably because of what her story says about her. And because she holds the Cauldron of Wisdom, Inspiration, Rebirth and Transformation, called Amen.

There are darker Goddesses, and even though she can represent all three stages of the triple Goddess, she is (to me at least) foremost a Crone.

[Nantonos]

right. like i said it has certainly come to represeny underworld, and when we speak of chthonic deities everyone knows we mean Persephone and Hades, etc.

but i think the original meaning was supposed to convey the idea that these were deities who were of the earth as opposed to those of the Cosmos (Apollo, etc).

(hmmm... wondering where Pan fits into this?)

As you just noted, there need to be three groups - the celestial gods, the infernal gods and the earthly gods.

[Theres]

Yes I meant beneficial . . . I always see Demeter, Hecate, and Persephone (not in that order) as the Demeters. Three in One (Maiden, Mother, and Crone.)
you see Hekate as a grain goddess? (or Persephone, for that matter)

[Agaliha]

you see Hekate as a grain goddess? (or Persephone, for that matter)

Maybe she's refering to them as a Triad?
I've seen them called that.
Same with Artemis, Selene and Hekate [for the moon]

Persephone and Hekate aren't really Grain goddesses though....

[Theres]

tricky things, these 'triads'.

[Arion]

Aphrodite has a very dark aspect to her. She has many titles that show this such as: Melaenis (Black One), Scotia (dark one), Androphonos (man-slayer) and Epitymbria (of the tombs).

[MariThorn]

Actually I was referring to them as a triad, however if you open your mind past the accepted norms of mythology and see Persephone as the young grain and Hecate as the dying Grain then yes they could be. Demeter is only a Mother . . . and Grain does have more than one stage to it. ~shrugs~ All I know is how they come to me, and the great thing about the Craft is that not everyone does things the same.

Cheers

[Agaliha]

Actually I was referring to them as a triad, however if you open your mind past the accepted norms of mythology and see Persephone as the young grain and Hecate as the dying Grain then yes they could be. Demeter is only a Mother . . . and Grain does have more than one stage to it. ~shrugs~ All I know is how they come to me, and the great thing about the Craft is that not everyone does things the same.

Cheers

That makes sense...I like the grain symbolism. It's similar to how people see the triad of Atremis [waxing moon], Selene [full moon] and Hekate [waning moon]. Young, grown and dying. :)

[Rin Daemoko]

Daddy (anubis) is the keeper of medicine and poisons. One of the meanings of his name is "he who is on his mountain" because he was believed to stand on a mountain to watch over the valley of the kings, as protector of the dead.

He used to rule the Underworld, but out of respect for the newly dead Osiris, he stepped aside and instead focused his attention on escourting the newly dead to the Underworld where they'd have their heart weighed against the feather of Ma'at.

He's very good at what he does. He can be very kind, but he can also be a dirty bastard. If he takes a liking to you (which is usually a big if, since he's such a princess about things) then he may play tricks on you. Such as sending visible spirits of the dead to visit. He also likes spiced rum and pennies ... though probably not mixed together. Oh, and dark chocolate. He keeps bugging me for raw meat, though. He'll have to be satisfied with the rum for now. I can't afford steak at the moment.

He's also the patron of the lost and orphaned, so he's a good one to keep around when travelling somewhere new or unfamiliar. He's also a perfectionist. He'll demand upstanding behavior the likes of which would qualify you to live as a monastic in Nepal. (But the details of which could get you kicked out.)

[eyeshiftshady]

One Night I was fantasizing about Diana and how she would look to me. After reading my first book on Witchcraft I saw my Deity wich looked EXACTLY how I pictured her. She appered in my doorway as bright and beautiful as the Divine light it's self, the turned around and walked away. I do know that she is realated to witchcraft, but I must no more about her. Any good books out there?? Or could some one PLZ right back and tell me anything anything at all.

I would also like to here about anyone else's Deity stories.

Plz help.

[eyeshiftshady]

Has anyone read a book called NECRONOMICON by H.P. Lovecraft. Has anyone tryed it out, and what happend?