Deities and Lesser Spirits Worksheet

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The Great mother myth
Religion or culture of origin
The great mother myth gives a presentation of a Goddess in the ancient religions of the Middle East. The mother goddess was used to signify a symbol of fertility of the earth. The ancient cultural beliefs of the Middle East and some parts of Europe covering regions of the Egyptian empire-where she was known as Isis, Greece-as Gaea, Rome-as Maia and West Asia. In some regions such as the ancient cities of Phrygia and Lydia, she was known as Cybele. The Babylonians and the Assyrians referred to her as Ishtar while the Syrians and Palestinians knew her as Astarte.
What are the characteristics of the Great Mother?
The Great mother goddess was perceived to possess both positive and negative characteristics. Her attributes are majorly similar across all the cultures. Prominent among these characteristics is her universal motherhood. She is perceived as the great parent not only of other gods but also of human beings and the beasts. The cultures put a great emphasis on her maternity over the wilderness. She has the characteristic wealth of motherhood experience professed by all living animals and beasts. The Great mother is one of the very few goddesses of ancient Egypt that is presented as naked, apart from the youthful goddess Horus. This is perhaps a more emphasis to her fertility attributes. On the negative...