Art by Kris Waldherr




Odin

Odin Riding Sleipnir by Paul Brodas

Odin was a Scandinavian god of magic, wisdom and poetry. He set the sun and moon in motion, discovered the runes and their meanings, and learned seithr from Freya. Vafthrudnr, wisest of the giants, was asked by Odin for information about the price asked by Mimir for a drink from the Well of Rememberance. Vafthrudnr said the right eye of the seeker was Mimir's price to drink from his well, and that none had dared give that. But Odin went to Mimir and offered to pay that price. Mimir most wise looked up from the well he guarded and then filled his horn from it. Once Odin had drank deeply and long, he plucked the promised eye and Mimir tossed it to sink to the bottom of the well, where it shines like a gem still. And Odin knew the past and the future. Odin was also called Woden, Wotan or Wodan. Wednesday is named after him (Woden's Day). In this image he sits astride his 8-legged horse, Sleipnir, whose teeth were inscribed with runes.







Oshun

Oshun by Sandra Stanton

Oshun is the Yoruba orisha (Goddess) of love, beauty and sensuality. Oshun is the Orisa of Love and Sensuality. The Yoruba peoples of Nigeria brought her to the New World via Brazil and Cuba. She is sometimes depicted as an old wise woman sad at the loss of her beauty. Alternately, she may be shown as tall, light brown-skinned and with the sensuality of a prostitute. She is patroness of rivers and the bloodstream, and wears seven brass bracelets. She wears a mirror at her belt to admire herself, is companioned by the primping peacock and cricket, and carries river water in her pot. Powerful spells are worked through this lady of opposites











Osiris (Asar, Wesir, Ausar, Unnefer):
A Golden Statue of Osiris
Osiris ruled the world of men in the beginning, after Ra had abandoned the world to rule the skies. Osiris ended up an Egyptian god of the Underworld, and he was also worshipped as a fertility, resurrection, and vegetation god. He was married to Isis, and father to Horus and Anubis. Osiris was the first child of Nut and Geb, and therefore the brother of Seth (Set), Nephthys, and Isis. Osiris symbolized in his death the yearly drought, and in his miraculous rebirth the periodic flooding of the Nile and the growth of grain. He was a god-king who was believed to have given Egypt civilization. As the first son of Geb, the original king of Egypt, Osiris inherited the throne when Geb abdicated. At this time the Egyptians were barbarous cannibals and uncivilized. Osiris saw this and was greatly disturbed. He went out among the people and taught them what to eat, the art of agriculture, how to worship the gods, and gave them laws. Having civilized Egypt, Osiris traveled to other lands (leaving Isis as his regent) to teach other peoples what he taught the Egyptians. During Osiris' absence, Isis was troubled with Seth's plotting to acquire both her and the throne of Egypt. Shortly after Osiris' return to Egypt, Osiris was killed by his brother Seth (see our Legends Page for the entire story). It is as the King of the Afterlife that Osiris gained his supreme popularity. The name "Osiris" is the Greek corruption of the Egyptian name "Asar" or "Usar". Osiris was usually portrayed as a bearded, mummified human with green skin, wearing the atef crown, and his hands emerge from the mummy wrappings to hold the flail and crook.



Oya

Oya

Oya is the Warrior Goddess of the Wind. Oya represents the winds of change, and her shrine image is typically shown in this posture. As Yoruban Goddess of the Marketplace she creates change of fortune. She was the wife of Shango, Lord of Thunder and Fertility, and her power is associated with lightning, tornadoes, cemeteries and death. Oya is tall, stately and an Amazon in battle. This is the orisa of power and action, for every breath we take is the gift of Oya. Here she nurtures one of her nine children.







More Coming.......





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