Goa'uld as the Gods of the Egyptians

Amaterasu According to legend, the sun goddess Amaterasu is the divine ancestor of the Imperial family and, by extension, the whole of the Japanese people. A century and a quarter after its founding, her namesake, Japan's first extrasolar colony, has not only produced a prosperous new "land of the rising sun", but one of rising contradictions as well. A modern power that pays fealty to an ancient monarchy; where state-of-the-art technologies are launched with timeless Shinto rites. A land of great concern for the environment...and the most smog-choked city on Tirane. A Place of civilized people living in harmonious law and order...and capital of illegal cybernetics throughout human space. A land of bumpkins, lumberjacks, and living mascots...who are well on their way to becoming the new center of the Japanese Federation. Text by Gordon Amonet (also known as Amaunet) As the first wife of Amun, she is a member of the pantheon called the Ogdoad of Hermopolisone (group of eight gods). The same as Amun, her name also means "The Hidden One". her shadow, among the primeval gods, is a symbol of protection. She is the teacher of the Pharaohs and the embodiment of the northern wind. She is a Snake Deity usually depicted as the snake that sits on the crown of Lower Egypt. Info by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Anubis (Inpew, Yinepu, Anpu) Anubis was an Ancient Egyptian God of the underworld who guided and protected the spirits of the dead. He was known as the 'Lord of the Hallowed Land' - the necropolis - and Khenty Amentiu, 'Foremost of the Weterners' - the Land of the Dead was thought to be the west, where the Egyptians buried their dead.(Khenty Amentui was the name of the previous canine deity who was superseded by Anubis.) The worship of Anubis was an ancient one - it was probably even older then the worship of Osiris. [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Apophis (Apep) Also called Apep, he is the Serpent of the Underworld. Apophis is the embodiment of darkness, evil, and chaos. This snake god is the chief of the antagonists of the sun god Re and each night he tries to stop the sun god's barque on his journey through the underworld. This battle represents struggle between light and darkness. In the struggle between light and darkness, the monster is wounded by the divine entourage of Re with knives and spears. The god Seth and the god Mehen were often depicted defending the solar barque. Apep is the personification of darkness, evil, and chaos. Occasionally, the battle is decided in his favor, causing a solar eclipse, but his victories were of short duration for Re always triumphs in the end. Eventually, Apep is slain by Re, who cut up his body and burned it. The Greeks referred to him as Apophis. Ba'al The antiquity of the worship of the god or gods of Baal extends back to the 14th century BCE among the ancient Semitic peoples, the descendants of Shem, the oldest son of Biblical Noah. Semitic is more of a linguistic classification than a racial one. Thus, people speaking the same or similar languages first worshiped Baal in his many forms. The word Baal means "master" or "owner". In ancient religions the name denoted sun, lord or god. Baal was common a name of small Syrian and Persian deities. Baal is still principally thought of as a Canaanite fertility deity. The Great Baal was of Canaan. He was the son of El, the high god of Canaan. The cult of Baal celebrated annually his death and resurrection as a part of the Canaanite fertility rituals. These ceremonies often included human sacrifice and temple prostitution. [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Bastet Bast, Perfumed Protector, Cat Goddess In early times Bast (written as 'Bastet' by scribes in later times to emphasise that the 't' was to be pronounced) was a goddess with the head of a lion or a desert sand-cat and was regarded as mother of Maahes, a lion-headed god, and wife to Ptah . She was usually depicted as a cat, or as a woman with the head of a cat or lion. She was also connected to Hathor,Sekhmet, Tefnut, Atem (her father) and Mut. It was only in the New Kingdom that she gained the head of a house cat and became a much more 'friendly' goddess, though she was still depicted as a lion-headed woman to show her war-like side. As with Hathor, Bast is often seen carrying a sistrum. [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Bel Bel, signifying "lord" or "master", is a title rather than a genuine name, applied to various gods in Babylonian religion. The feminine form is Belit 'Lady, Mistress'. Bel is represented in Greek and Latin by Belos and Belus respectively. Linguistically Bel is an east Semitic form cognate with northwest Semitic Ba'al which has the same meaning. Early translators of Akkadianbelieved that the ideogram for the god called in Sumerian Enlil was to be read as Bel in Akkadian. This is now known to be incorrect; but one finds Bel used in referring to Enlil in older translations and discussions. Bel became especially used of the Babylonian god Marduk and when found in Assyrian and neo-Babylonian personal names or mentioned in inscriptions in Mesoptamian context it can usually be taken as referring to Marduk and no other god. Similarly Belit without some disambiguation mostly refers to Bel Marduk's spouse Zarpanitu, However Marduk's mother, the Sumerian goddess called Ninhursag, Ningal and Ninmah and other names in Sumerian, was often known as Belit-ili 'Lady of the Gods' in Akkadian. Of course other gods called "Lord" could be and sometimes were identified totally or in part with Bel Marduk. The god Malek - Bel of Palmyra is an example, though in the later period from which most of our information comes he seems to have become very much a sun god which Marduk was not. Bel was known as the son of Marduk and Zarpanitu. Text by Gordon Chac Known as Tel'Chac in Stargate Chac is a reptilian critter with fangs and a rather droopy snout. His hair is a permanently knotted tangle of confusion, which we find quite endearing. Very important for harvests and growing, Chac sends rain into the world by weeping from his large benevolent eyes. He's very good like that, even teaching the secrets of farming at no extra cost. Chac comes in four fashionable colors symbolising the four corners of the world, red (east), white (north), yellow (south) and black (west). Text by Gordon Egeria In Roman mythology, the water nymph Egeria ("of the black poplar") was associated with Diana, presiding over childbirth (for her aid was invoked by women in labor), and sharing her wisdom and prophecy. Egeria was one of the Camenae who were superseded by the Muses as Rome fell under the cultural hegemony of Greece; so Dionysius of Halicarnassus listed her among the Muses (ii. 6o). Egeria seems to predate Roman myth and to have been of Etruscan origins, for she was a nymph consort to Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome, whom she would meet in her sacred grove and whom she taught matters relating to being a wise and just king (Livy i. 19; Juvenal iii. 12). When Numa Pompilius died, she changed into a well (Ovid, Metamorphoses xv. 479), either the one close by Rome, at Porta Capena, or located in the sacred forest of Aricia in Latium, the grove of Diana Nemorensis ("Diana of Nemi"). "At Aricia there was also a Manius Egerius, a male counterpart of Egeria" (Encyclopædia Britannica 1911). The name is used as an eponym for a woman advisor or counselor. Text by Lillianne Z. Hathor (also known as Athor or Athyr) Godness of fertility, love, inebrity and music. She is the Ra's daughter and Horus' wife. She is regarded as the protectress of town of the dead, women and marriage. Normally she is shown as a cow-headed woman. Heru'ur (see Horus, Hor) He is one of the most important deities of Egypt. The earliest royal god is the shape of a falcon, with the sun and moon as his eyes. The sky-god is the ruler of the day. The many forms of Horus are: Re-Harakhti, Harsiesis, Haroeris, Harendotes, Khenti-irti, Khentekhtay (the crocodile-god), and Harmakhis, which is Horus on the horizons, in which the Sphinx of Giza is considered to be his aspect. As the Child, Horus is the son of Osiris and Isis, who, upon reaching adulthood, avenges his father's death, by defeating and castrating his evil uncle Seth. He then became the divine prototype of the Pharaoh. As Heru-Ur, "Horus the Elder", he was the patron deity of Upper (Southern) Egypt from the earliest times; initially, viewed as the twin brother of Seth (the patron of Lower Egypt), but he became the conqueror of Seth c. 3100 B.C.E. when Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and formed the unified kingdom of Egypt. Imhotep Imhotep was no god, he was, in fact, a real man embued with the status of demi-god. Under the reign of the Pharoah Djoser (III Dynasty, c. 2635-2570 BCE), Imhotep was first minister. He was also a physician, astronomer, scientist, scribe, as well as the visionary architect, having designed the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. In addition, his architectural ideas and concepts inspired and led to the design and construction of the Pyramids at Giza decades after he died. A movement arose among the educated of Egyptian society, glorifying Imhotep and believing Imhotep to have been the son of Ptah, Egyptian god and architect of the entire universe. Hence, his elevated status from man to demi-god. Text by Lisanne Isis Isis (Greek corruption; the Egyptian is Aset) was originally a goddess from Nubia, and was adopted into Egyptian belief very early. Her name literally means (female) of throne, i.e. Queen of the throne, although the hieroglyph used originally meant (female) of flesh, i.e. mortal, and she may simply have represented deified, real, queens. When deified, symbolic of the queen, it was sometimes said that she was the daughter of Tawaret, the goddess of royal birth. [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Iskur Iskar is the reason an ancient jaffa rebellion who became known as the Sodan who serve the Ori. Isku was a storm god, Mesopotamian (Sumerian) [Iraq); worshipped from about 3500 BC, probably earlier, to 1750 BC and his cult center was Karkara. This deity was the major thunder and rain god of the herdsmen, and is described as the brother of sun god Utu. In creation mythology Iskur was given charge over the winds, the so-called "silver lock of the heart of heaven," by the god Enki. Other authors state that in prehistoric times he was perceived as a bull or as a lion whose roar is the thunder. He may be depicted as a warrior riding across the skies in a chariot, dispending raindrops and hailstones. In one text he is identified as the son of An and twin brother of Enki. He has been compared to Nimurta, the primary god of the farmers. He was also adopted by the Hittites as a storm god. Text by Gordon Kali Kali is a destructive and creative aspect of God as the Divine Mother in Hinduism. Kali is the fierce aspect of Devi, God's energy, i.e., Shakti or God as the Divine Mother, who is fundamental to all other Hindu deities. [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Klorel Kore - "The maiden" or "the daughter". It is a frequent epithet of Persephone. A moon Goddess. Text by Lillianne Z. Kronos (Cronus) Cronus (of obscure etymology, perhaps related to "horned"), also spelled Cronos or Kronos, is often confused with Chronos/Khronos. In Greek mythology, Cronus was the leader and (in some myths) the youngest of the first generation of Titans. His mother was Gaia, and his father was Uranus, whom Cronus envied. [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Marduk [mär'dook] (Sumerian spelling in Akkadian AMAR.UTU "solar calf"; Biblical Merodach) Marduk was the name of a late generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon permanently became the political centre of the united states of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi (18th century BC), rose to the position of the head of the Babylonian pantheon. [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Melec Metis Metis was the daughter of Titan Ocean and the mother of goddess Athina, the goddess of wisdom. When Metis got pregnant from Zeus, Gaea told him that after his daughter was born, Metis would get pregnant again, with a son this time, who would rule the world. To avoid this, Zeus swallowed pregnant Metis, just like Cronus had done when he swallowed up his own children in order to block succession. Metis gave birth to her daughter inside Zeus' head! Athina was born from Zeus' head, after Hephaestus split it open with an axe. The word Metis is also used to indicate intelligence and ability, ingenious and complex thought, sharpness of mind, inventiveness, alertness and multiple dexterities. Text by Gordon Moloc (From Hebrew Molech, "King" and Bosheth, "Shame") (Canaan, Syria, Mesopotamia [Babylon], Palestine, Persia [modern Iran], Phoenicia [modern Lebanon], and Ugarit) As Moloch means king, it is difficult to tell if it should be thought of as a name of a deity or as a title. He has been identified with Milcom, (National God of the Ammonites), Malik (A pre-Islamic Northern-Arabian god), or Baal. Since the afore mentioned gods are Sun/Fire-Gods and Moloch’s primary function was sacrifice through fire, it is reasonable to say that Moloch was a Sun/Fire-God. The sacrifices were described as "to pass through the fire." Moloch appears in several passages of the Bible. In 1 Kings 11.7, Soloman builds a temple to Chemosh (Moabite National God) and Moloch in the Ben-Hinnom Valley where children were sacrificed. This place is known as Gehenna or Tophet (Although, Tophet is also used to describe the sacrificial altar). [Read more ...] Text by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Montu (Mont, Month, Monthu, Mentu, Menthu) Symbols: weapons, bulls, falcons Cult Center: Hermonthis Montu was the falcon-headed god of war. He was called the "lord of Thebes" even though his chief seat of worship was 10 miles to the south in Hermonthis. Hermonthis was the capital of the Theban nome. Montu was portrayed as a falcon-headed man wearing a headdress consisting of the sun-disc encircled by the uraeus topped by two plumes. In his hands he would hold various weaponry, including the schimtar, bows and arrows, and knives. Early in Theban history, Montu was an important and prominent god. Later when Amon rose in popularity, Montu became overshadowed and was incorporated into the Theban worship of Amon and became the son of Amon and Ammonet. He was sometimes shown with a bull's head during this period. He was said to be the destructive element of the sun's heat. Also, Montu was said to slay the sun's enemies from the prow of the night-boat of the sun. During the 11th Dynasty, Montu was particularly powerful. Four kings in this period were named after him as Mentuhotep. In all periods, Montu's warrior aspect was evident. He was almost always shown carrying a weapon of some sort and even slaying the enemies of Egypt. In the famous narrative of the Battle of Kadesh, Rameses II was said to have seen the enemy and "raged at them like Montu, Lord of Thebes." Text by Gordon Morrigan (Celtic Translation: Mór, "Great"; Rigan "Queen") Depicted wearing armor and armed. Pronounced: More Ree-an) Also sometimes called Morrigu, she is a Goddess of War, Strife, and Fertility. She is usually depicted as a crow wearing a hood. She is also a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She originates with the "Mother" cult from megalithic times, in which the goddesses were depicted in the guise of the "triple goddesses" (similar to Selene/Phoebe/Artemis of Classical Greek Tradition). [Read more ...] Text by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Mot (Translation: "Death") ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAThe Canaanite and Phoenician God of Death, the Underworld, and Sterility; he is the archenemy of Baal. Mot is the son of El (The Supreme God) and the brother of Baal, Anat (Earth Goddess of Love and War), and Yamm. Mot challenged Baal to come to the underworld and to eat mud, which is the food of the dead. This killed Baal. El ordered that Baal be revived, however Mot refused. Anat kills Mot and dismembers his body, burns it, grinds it like grain, and scatters it across the Earth. This brings Baal back to life. This story explains the change of seasons. Text by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Nefertem Symbols: lotus, perfume Cult Center: Memphis Nefertem was an ancient sun-god of Lower Egypt. He was important to various creation myths. Nefertem was associated with the young boy (Atum) who emerged from the lotus of Nun at the beginning of time. It was this boy that shed the tears from which all of mankind emerged. Due to this relationship, Nefertem was often called "the young Atum". The lotus from which Nefertem emerged was sacred to him from the earliest times. He was almost always depicted as a man wearing the lotus and two plumes on his head. It was said that Nefertem brought Re a sacred lotus to ease his suffering. Nefertem was a member of the holy triad of Memphis. He was the son of the god Ptah and the goddess Sekhmet. In Buto, he was called the son of the cobra-goddess Buto. In art, Nefertem was usually portrayed as a man wearing the lotus and two feathers on his head, sometimes this elaborate headdress also included two Menet necklaces. Occasionally, Nefertem was also shown as a lion-headed man. Text by Gordon Nereus (Nerus) NEREUS was the ancient God of the bounty of the sea (fish, shellfish, and even salt). He dwelt in the depths of the Aegean Sea with his fifty Nereid daughters. Like many other sea-gods his form was liquid, allowing him to change his shape at will. He also possessed the gift of prophecy, and it was for his knowledge that Herakles once engaged him in wrestling. Nereus was depicted as an old man bearing a staff and accompanied by Nereides. Sometimes he was depicted with the tail of a serpentine fish in place of legs but, unlike the fish-tailed gods Akheloios and Triton Nereus was always shown clothed in a chiton and wielding a staff. Text by Gordon Nirrti Myth ancient India: "Destruction". An Indian goddess of destruction and death. She is said to live in the south (which is regarded as the land of the dead). Her husband and masculine aspect is Nirrta. In later Hinduism, Nirrti herself becomes a male dikpala god of terrifying aspect. Text by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Olokun The Yoruba god of the sea. He lives in a huge underwater palace with both humans and fish as his servants. In some traditions Olokun is feminine. Olokun is experienced in male and female personifications, depending on what region and of West Africa He/She is worshipped. Olokun is personified in several human characteristics; patience, endurance, sternness, observation, meditation, appreciation for history, future visions, and royalty personified. Its characteristics are found and displayed in the depths of the Ocean. Its name means Owner (Olo) of Oceans (Okun). [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Ori Ori (Mind) is a is the Nigerian God of Wisdom, the deity who, in heaven, guides the soul but who acts as a personal guardian, controlling individual ability, so that one person becomes wise and another foolish. Text by Gordon Osiris Osiris is one of the main gods in egyptian mythology. He is regarded as god of the dead, and the god of the resurrection into eternal life. He is ruler, protector, and judge of the deceased, and his prototype (the deceased was in historical times usually referred to as "the Osiris"). Osiris watches over the nether world and is rejuvenated in his son Horus. As the symbol of eternal life he was worshipped at Abydos and Philae. His cult originated in Abydos, where his actual tomb was said to be located. Osiris was the first child of Nut and Geb, thus the brother of Set, Nephthys, and Isis, who was also his wife. By Isis he fathered Horus, and according to some stories, Nephthys assumed the form of Isis, seduced him thus, and from their union was born Anubis. Osiris ruled the world of men in the beginning, after Ra had abandoned the world to rule the skies, but he was murdered by his brother Set. Through the magic of Isis, he was made to live again. Being the first living thing to die, he subsequently became lord of the dead. His death was avenged by his son Horus, who defeated Set and cast him out into the desert to the West of Egypt (the Sahara). Qetesh (Qadesh) Host: Vala Mal Duran Qetesh is a goddess of Semetic origin. She was worshipped as a nature goddess, and a goddess of sacred ecstasy and sexual pleasure. Her cult became popular in Egypt during the New Kingdom. Qetesh's sexuality led to a natural association with the Egyptian goddess Hathor. In early portrayals she is shown as a naked woman standing upon a lion. On her head is the cresent moon and disk. Later interpretations show Qetesh again on the lion, but with the headdress of Hathor, wearing a deep necklace and a tight-fitting dress which extends to her ankles. Her hands hold symbols of eroticism and fertility. In her right hand she holds lotus flowers and in her left, two snakes. Like Bes (and contrary to Egyptian artistic convention), Qetesh is always pictured full-face. Qetesh was part of a triad with the child, Min, and her husband, Reshpu (another foreign god). Text by Gordon Ra (Re) He is god of the sun. The name is thought to have meant "creative power", and as a proper name "Creator", similar to English Christian usage of the term "Creator" to signify the "almighty God". Two of his powers are 'sia' (knowledge, omniscient) and 'hu' (creator-word, claim to will). He is ruler of heaven and earth. Ra is represented either as a hawk-headed man or as a hawk. Ra is regarded as creator and ruler of the universe, his main symbols are the sun-wheel and the Obelisk. In order to travel through the waters of Heaven and the Underworld, Ra is depicted as traveling in a boat. Ra is father of Shu and Tefnut, grandfather of Nut and Geb, great-grandfather of Osiris, Seth, Isis and Nephthys, and great-great-grandfather to Horus. Sekhmet Lion-headed goddess of war and battle of Memphis. Although she was the malignant sun, Sekhmet attracted osteopaths to her cult. She was happily married to Ptah, the most creative of gods. Her name simply means the 'powerful' and is extremely apt in view of the destructive aspect of her character. She is shown with the body of a lady and the head of a lioness. Sometimes the linen dress she wears exhibits a rosetta pattern over each nipple, an ancient leonine motif that can be traced to observation of the shoulder-knot hairs on lions. She is daughter of the sun-god Re and became regarded as the consort of Ptah of Memphis, where she subsumed (certianly by the New Kingdom) local cults as 'mistress of Ankhtawy' (= 'life of the Two Lands', a name for Memphis). [Read more ...] Text by Lillianne Z. Seshat (Seshet, Sesheta) Seshat was in the episode in season 8 where Lord Yu was Killed. Symbols: seven-pointed Star or flower atop a pole, palm branch, writing pen and palette,papyrus scrolls and books Seshat was an ancient goddess of writing and measurement. She was also the patroness of mathmatics, architecture and record-keeping. Though she shared these duties with her husband, Thoth, Seshat was primarily a royal goddess. As early as the Dynasty II, Seshat was shown with the pharaoh stretching a cord to measure the dimensions of a new temple. To grant the king immortality, she recorded the name of the king of the leaves of the Tree of Life, which grew near where she lived. Also, she calculated the days of the king's earthly life and marked the number on the notched palm branch which she carried. Throughout Egypt's history, Seshat was shown recording the number of captives and other booty taken during the king's military campaigns. She also recorded the goods brought back to Egypt from Punt during Hatshepsut's famous expedition. Seshat was portrated as a woman wearing a dress and the priestly leopard skin. In her hands she holds the notched palm branch or the scribe's pen and palette. On her head she wears her headress which resembles a star or flower atop a pole or a bow. Seshat carried many titles, such as "Lady of Builders", "Mistress of Books", and "Foremost in the Library". Text by Gordon Seth (Setech, Set or Sutech) Seth is the son of Geb and Nut. This powerful god is regarded as god of the desert, making him a god of foreign lands (he also protects Egypt from foreigners). Seth is the brother of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys (according to some versions of the myths he is also father of Anubis). In earliest times, Seth was the patron deity of Lower (Northern) Egypt, and represented the fierce storms of the desert whom the Lower Egyptians sought to appease. However, when Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and ushered in the First Dynasty, Seth became known as the evil enemy of Horus (Upper Egypt's dynastic god). Seth is best known for murdering his brother and attempting to kill his nephew Horus; Horus, however, managed to survive and grew up to avenge his father's death by establishing his rule over all Egypt, castrating Seth, and casting him out into the lonely desert for all time. Sokar Also called Seker and Socharis (by the Greeks). A God of the Dead and a God of Craftsmen. He is also the God of the Memphis Necropolis and the craftsmen who worked there (Necropolis = Greek "necro" meaning "dead" and "polis" meaning "city", hence "City of the Dead" similar to a cemetery). Sokar is thought of as an apparition of the murdered Osiris at Abydos during the Old Kingdom era. Sokar is also related to the production of the tools used in funerary rituals and embalming. He is the creator of "royal bones," and he is depicted in the royal tombs in Thebes. He is usually depicted as a man with the head of a hawk. He is never considered to be an evil god. Text by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Svarog In Slavic mythology, Svarog (Polish: Swaróg, Cyrillic ??????) is the Slavic god and spirit of fire; meaning bright and clear. So sacred was the fire that it was forbidden to shout or swear at it while it was being lit. Folklore portrays him as a fire serpent, a winged dragon that breathes fire. Older myths describe him as a smith god, identified with the generative and sexual powers of fire. In those myths, Svarog fights Zmey, a giant serpent or a multi-headed dragon. Zmey kills people indiscriminantly. Svarog catches Zmey with blacksmith's tongs and uses him to pull the plough, thus separating the land of the living (Jav) from the land of the dead (Nav), bringing order (Prav). Zmey takes over the dead. In some myths, the ploughed ditch becomes the Smorodina River, and Zmey becomes the guardian of the bridge (Kalinov Bridge). In neo-paganist religions, Svarog is often the supreme god-creator and the central part of the (holy) trinity Triglav. He completed the creation of the world by giving it Prav. Svarog is associated in Christianity with Saint Damian, Saint Cosmas, and Saint Michael the Archangel. His animals are a golden horned ox, boar, horse, and a falcon named Varagna, as well as a shape-shifter into the wind. Svarog legends can be traced back to 8th-6th century BC when Slavic tribes developed agriculture. The etymology of the word Svarog is likely to be Sanscrit svarga (sky) or Slavic svar (bright and clear). Text by Lillianne Z. Tanith Tanith, Tanit, Tent (Phoenician and Punic); Tanis (Greek) Tanit is a Phoenician goddess and the chief goddess of Carthage, consort of Ba`al-Hammon. She is a goddess of fertility and of the heavens, including the stars and the moon. The roots of her name mean Serpent Lady. This name also appears to be cognate with the Egyptian Tanetu, a form of Hathor as goddess of light. The scholar S. Olyan convincingly argues that she is actually a later form of ´Asherah, although many scholars still identify her with `Ashtartu/ Astarte. Her Punic symbol was a triangle, representing her robe, surmounted by a circle, her head, with a horizontal line between them, her shoulders. Often there is a vertical line rising up from each end of the horizontal bar, as her arms upraised in blessing. She was also the palm tree, the tree of life in the Mediterranean desert areas. Another of her symbols, often called a caduceus, is a vertical line with wavy lines emanating from it, but it is actually the Tree of Life surmounted by her serpents. The Romans associated her with Juno and often represented her as a winged goddess with a zodiac around her head and the sun and moon in either hand, calling her Dea Caelestis, Latin for "Heavenly Goddess." Text by Lillianne Z. Thoth (Translation: “Leader") Also called Djehuti, Djehuty, Tehuti, Tahuti; Thoth is a mistake in the Greek translation of “Tahuti.” The Greeks also called him Trismegistus (Greek for “Trice-Great”). He was self-created at the beginning of time, with his wife Ma'at (Goddess of Truth and Order), other times he was created by Ra. In some stories his wife was said to be Seshet (Patroness of Libraries and Archives). His center of worship was mostly in Khemenu (Hermopolis) although he was worshiped through out Egypt. He was the Scribe of the Gods. He is also the god of healing, counting, the moon, writing, and wisdom. He is said to have invented numbers, the measurement of time, and the writing system. He is said to have written the Book of the Dead. He is often shown in Last Judgment (Weighing the Heart) scenes. He was also a magician because he knew the secrets of healing. Because of his great wisdom he was also very honest. He is usually shown as a man with the head of an ibis (A sacred Egyptian bird, similar to a heron) and at times he carried a pen, scrolls, and a medicine bottle. He is sometimes shown as a baboon. Compared to Hermes by the Greeks. Text by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Yu Myth ancient China: He is sometimes portrayed as half-man, half-dragon, but later portrayed as all human. He is the hero of the flood. For 13 years he works to lead the floodwaters (the Yellow River) to the sea by creating rivers, cutting holes through the mountains, and creating springs. He often works in the form of a bear. One of Yu's symbols is a double snake. Yu was also the first emperor of the Xia Dynasty (est. reign 2205 - 2197 BC). Text by Sarah (Truth Behind Stargate) Zarpanitu Kendra Zarpanitu is the birth goddess, Mesopotamian (Babylonian-Akkadian). She was the consort of Marduk whose marriage was celebrated annually in Babylon. I believe from the way Kendra was talking in the episode Thors Hammer that the Goa'uld that she was the host to could have been the consort of Marduk Zarpanitu. Text by Gordon Zipacna Zipacna was a great giant in Mayan mythology, written about in the Popul Vuh, a compilation of Mayan myths and legends. He was brother of Cabrakan and son of Vucub Caquix, the Great Macaw. These three were considered by the gods to be the most arrogant of all at that time. They therefore dispatched the hero twins, Hun-Apu and Ixbalanque to slay them. These two boys were the undoing of this great giant. The creation of the Pleiades star cluster is also attributed to Zipacna. [Read more ...] Text by Lee H.