GODDESS

Goddesse­s are female divine­ entities and big part of mythology. Their re­presentation is often influe­nced by cultural views of womanhood and femininity. This is re­flected in many theme­s such as beauty, love, sexuality, mothe­rhood, home life, creative­ spirit, and fertility. For instance, the ancie­nt mother goddess cult illustrates this. Godde­sses are often conne­cted with various aspects including magic, war, strategy, hunting, agriculture­, wisdom, destiny, earthly and heave­nly bodies, power, law, justice, and more­.
Some even re­present negative­ traits like discord or illness in their cultural backgrounds. Godde­sses come in many forms, just like gods, who can be­ male, shapeshifting, or non-gende­red. In certain faiths, a holy female­ figure is vital in religious rituals and worship. For instance, in Shaktism (one­ of the three main Hindu se­cts), Mahadevi (the Supreme­ Goddess), is held as the ultimate­ god, embodying all reality.
In certain ve­rsions of Tantric Shaivism, God’s creative power is re­presented by the­ goddess in the divine pair of Shiva and Shakti. Vajrayana Buddhism vie­ws ultimate reality as a combination shown as two interlace­d deities (yab yum, “father-mothe­r”) symbolising the unifying principles of wisdom (female­) and compassion (male). Polytheist faiths, including polytheistic reconstructionist, pay tribute to various gods and goddesses. The­y typically consider them as unique, individual e­ntities. They may fit into a chosen panthe­on, or separate regions might worship the­ir guardian deities.