The Creatrix. The Mother Goddess, presiding over life, death, and rebirth, associated with the Milky Way, with the Sun in the Underworld, and with owls and weaving, is among the most ancient and revered of deities. The seeing eye symbol, going back to prehistoric times, is part of this tradition.
Vanessa Lavellée, author of Ancient Goddess Magic is a feminist and an animist (she practices animism and believes in the goddesses). She wishes to show that the ancient goddesses were associated with the cosmos and celestial objects, not the earth and fertility. She believes and gives evidence for a time long ago when dangerous feminine energies were revered by all people, men and women alike. She believes patriarchy grew over time and the goddesses diminished. But she implies that evidence from the distant past suggests women once had more power in society than we might think.
In her chapter on the Creatrix goddesses, she quotes a Queen of Egypt, Hatshepsut—who was the wife of Thutmose II (1493-1479 BCE), then regent, and finally became the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Hatshepsut wrote this prayer:
O my mother Nut, spread yourself over me, so that I may be placed among the imperishable stars and may never die . . . that my name might remain in this temple forever and ever.
This prayer adds credence to Lavellée’s theory that the stars and constellations were the realm of goddesses and the place of afterlife in some ancient cults.
Creatrix goddesses were especially important in the dark months, winter. They needed to be appeased so that rebirth in the spring might happen. Their power and protection were important in funerals and burial rites. Lavellée says we should think of them as “the vital force that gave birth to the cosmos” and therefore not as “fertility goddesses.” Rebirth is a much larger category than fertility and birth, encompassing death and perhaps a cycle that never ends.
Weaving is often associated with such goddesses. Ninhursag, the great Creatrix of Sumeria, had a daughter who was the goddess of weaving (Uttu). Uttu was symbolized by a spider. And art from the Sumerian era will show a spider beside a woman spinning wool or weaving on a loom. This was associated with protection for women and also with weaving fate.
Creatrix goddesses were also associated with the owl. It was believed that owls carried departed souls to their resting place (underworld, stars).
Lavellée shares an example of the influence ancient goddesses still have on our culture now. Aging and dying are more difficult for women in our society, with the unrealistic expectation that women will not be seen aging, but will somehow remain youthful in appearance. She says in ancient cultures where goddesses were revered, there were positive archetypes for older women. But as the goddesses diminished, being superseded by male deities, only men continued to have positive associations with aging. I could not say if her theory is a valid explanation of the gender differences in our culture with respect to aging, but she is persuasive.
Creatrixes were associated with the sun. This may surprise modern readers, used to male deities such as Helios, Apollo, and Horus. But Lavellée points out the ancients believed the Sun passed through the underworld at night and it was Creatrixes who had power over the underworld Sun.
Finally, Creatrixes were associated with the all-seeing eye. This was a figure of art and religion. Travelers to the Middle East today can find eye charms and multiple explanations for their value. Such charms and figurines of deities with solar eyes were often placed in tombs for protection in the afterlife, especially in the tombs of children. Tell Brak in Syria became the site of a major temple to Ninhursag (a monumentally important goddess in Sumeria). In times before the temple was built, the site featured an abundance of eye goddesses. Lavellée theorizes these were proto-Ninhursag goddesses.
In summary, Creatrixes were associated with the Sun and the Milky Way. I will say more about this in the next essay in this series, featuring more information on Ninhursag and also the Egyptian goddess Hathor. Symbols of Creatrixes included the owl, lion, trees, stones, weaving, and spiders. Their season especially was winter (because people especially needed to worship them in the dark months). Their symbolic message was rebirth.
Comments