Luna: Goddess of the Moon 🌕

            🌕Moon goddesses 🌕           

The moon has captivated humans since the beginning of time.

Every culture in every corner of the globe has some myth or legend regarding it's origin or the god or goddess's that represents it.

Luna the Roman Goddess of the Moon.

Luna is the Roman goddesses of the moon, and her Greek counterparts we're often formed in a triadic manner hence Luna was associated with two further goddesses, Diana and Hecate. Luna was the goddess in heaven and of the full moon (Greek counterpart being Selene), Diana was the goddess on earth and of the halfmoon (Greek Artemis) and Hecate (or Hekate) was the goddess in the underworld and of the dark moon.

Diana was originally a goddess of fertility and was worshipped by women as the giver of fertility and easy births.

 She was also the goddess of nature and of hunting. 

Hecate was the underworld goddess of magic and witchcraf, she is often linked with Luna and  Diana but is also further association with other goddesses linked to chastity and childbirth such as Prosperina and Juno Lucina, an ancient maternal character. The latter may even have been a more central figure within the triad of moon goddesses with Hecate being a later addition.

The multiple facets of women, femininity and childbirth were believed to be associated with the phases of the moon: the new moon represented the maiden goddess, Diana, always new, virginal, reborn and ready for the hunt whereas the waxing moon increasing in size represented the fertile mother goddess, pregnant with life. 

The darkening moon reflected the wise crone or witch, Hecate, with power to heal and transform.and Luna being a literal representation of the moon and sky in all it's beauty.

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HEKATE (Hecate) was the guardian of the crossways and goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. She was the only child of the Titanes Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea. She also represents the Maiden, Mother and Croon with statues often showing three faces.

The Romans believed that the moon controlled many other facets of  life including the wind, rain, tides, animal life, mineral growth and earthquakes. Suetonius (Roman historian AD69 - AD122) wrote ‘The moon is a great magnet of vapour and all substances characterised by moisture. When the moon grows so do all fruits, and as it was, so they also shrink’. 

Luna was also believed to have the power to mask reality, to pierce illusion, to awaken intuition and to spark visions. This latter arising from association of the night and the moon with dreams.

 She was also known as a patron of solutions which came to people in dreams, when the subconscious mind processes information.

🌕Other Moon Goddess's 🌕

Rhiannona A Welsh, Celtic Goddess of the moon, horse's fertility rebirth and forgiveness.

Devana, A Slavic Moon Goddess also associate with nature, forests and hunting. She the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis and the Roman goddess Diana.

Selene Titan goddess and personification of the moon. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged horse's 

 

Goddess Myeongwol; Korean goddess of the moon her beauty shins brightest during the full moon.

Chang'e Originally known as Heng'e, is the goddess of the Moon and wife of Yi, the great archer. Renowned by her beauty, Chang'e is also known for her ascending to the moon with her pet Yu Tu, the Moon Rabbit and living in the Moon

These are only a few of the more well known goddess's. But there are So many more. I will do separate posts on some of the other later.

The Evil Eye. 🧿

 

Superstition's, Magic and Curse's: The Evil Eye 🧿

Human beiefs in the strange or otherworldly. Superstition's, Curse's, Magic, Paranormal Cursed objects ect have to existed for has long as people have romed this planet...

One of the most well known superstition's is none other then The Evil Eye. 

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But what exactly is it and what does it mean? 

Some believe the  originals of the evil eye can be traced to ancient Greek culture. But it has also been found in several other countries for centuries even as far back as 5,000 years in ancient Egypt. The Mediterranean region is rich with legends ary pottery and jewelry depicting it . As well as ancient Jewish text's.

The belief is far reaching  throughout the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and even Latin America, some cultures  believing that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury,while others believe it to be a kind of supernatural force that casts or reflects a malevolent gaze back upon those who wish harm upon others (especially innocents). The idea also appears multiple times in Jewish rabbinic literature.

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It's believed that when someone is jealous of you, they can curse you with a look.

In the Aegean Region and other areas where light-colored eyes are relatively rare, people with green eyes, and especially blue eyes, are thought to bestow the curse, intentionally or unintentionally.

The evil eye is well known throughout history. It is mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman texts, as well as in many famous literary works, including the Bible (Proverbs 23:6: "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats") it's also mentioned in  the Koran and even some of Shakespeare's plays. 

Though belief in the evil eye is widespread, it's not universal. A 1976 cross-cultural survey by folklorist John Roberts found that only 36 percent of cultures believed in the evil eye. That number has likely changed by now.

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Apotropaic magic (from Greek αποτρέπω, apotrépō 'to ward off') or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye.  this includes charms, pendants, rings ect 

Different cultures have different methods  to protect against the evil eye.

 Some of the most famous talismans against the evil eye include the nazar amulet, itself a representation of an eye, 

and the hamsa, a hand-shaped amulet. Older iterations of the symbol were often made of ceramic or clay; 

however, following the production of glass beads in the Mediterranean region in  1500 BC, evil eye beads were popularised with the Indians, Phoenicians, Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans and Ottomans.

Ancient Romans also used representations of phallus, such as the fascinus, to protect against the evil eye, while in modern-day Southern Italy a variety of amulets and gestures are used for protection, including the cornicello, the cimaruta, and the sign of the horns.

 In Roman times, not only were individuals considered to possess the power of the evil eye but whole tribes, especially those of Pontus and Scythia, were believed to be transmitters of the evil eye.

Many different objects and charms were used for protection from fascination. The protective items referred to by the Greeks with a variety of names such as apotropaia, probaskania, periammata, periapta and profylaktika.

The fascinus or fascinum, from the Latin verb fascinare "to cast a spell" (the origin of the English word "fascinate"), is one example of an apotropaic object used against the evil eye. They have been found throughout Europe and into the Middle East from contexts dating from the first century BC to the fourth century AD phallic objects where also believed to ward off the evil eye 

Phallic charms would be made for personal adornment (such as pendants and finger rings), but also appeared as stone carvings on buildings.

The  Greeks placed talismans in their houses and wore amulets to protect them from the evil eye.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans also believed that the evil eye could affect both humans and animals.

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For those that don't believe in magic or superstition's the phrase Giving someone the evil eye just means giving them an angry or irritated look. 😠🧿

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More post will be added on a weekly basis until the end of October 🎃