Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family and friends
Here some of popular gods of the harvest from around the world.
Demeter (Greek) is
the Goddess of the Green Earth, fertile land, grains, fruit, agriculture and
the harvest. She is the sister to Zeus and mother of Persephone. She also
presided over the cycle of the Seasons. She is responsible for feeding the
earth and its inhabitants! The Goddess
Demeter was beloved for her service to mankind in giving them the gift of the
harvest, the reward for cultivation of the soil.
Dagon (Semitic):
Worshipped by an early Semitic tribe called the Amorites, Dagon was a god of
fertility and agriculture. He's also mentioned as a father-deity type in early
Sumerian texts and sometimes appears as a fish god. Dagon is credited with
giving the Amorites the knowledge to build the plough.
Dagon was the principal deity of the Philistines, whose
ancestors migrated to Palestinian shores from Crete. He was the god of
fertility and crops. Dagon also figured prominently in the Philistine concepts
of death and the afterlife. In addition to his role in the religion of the
Philistines, Dagon was worshiped in the more general society of Canaanite
peoples.
Ceres (Roman):
Ever wonder why crunched-up grain is called cereal? It's named for Ceres, the
Roman goddess of the harvest and grain. Not only that, she was the one who
taught lowly mankind how to preserve and prepare corn and grain once it was
ready for threshing. In many areas, she was a mother-type goddess who was
responsible for agricultural fertility.
Freyr of the
Vanir was brother of Freya and son to Njord. He is the Norse God of the Sun,
Harvest and Rain, and very popular for being the bringer of peace, prosperity,
bountiful harvests and fertile marriages. After the war and the joining of the
Aesir and the Vanir; Freyr is called 'Lord of the Aesir' paradoxically he was
both a god of peace and a warrior, possessing a magic sword that could
emerge from its sheath on its own and spread a field with carnage and death.
Also Lord of Alfheim and the Ruler of the Elves, Freyr was
the most celebrated and most beautiful of the Vanir men, called 'God of the
World' by the ancient Vikings. His dear companion, Gullinbursti the wild pig
carried him in a chariot made by the dwarfs Brokk and Eitri. He was very
similar to the god Apollo and goddess Persephone of Greek mythology in many
ways.
Sif (Norse) is
the Goddess of the grain who is a prophetess, and the beautiful golden-haired
wife of Thor. Thor is the Thunder God, Champion of the Gods and Man and
frequent companion of Loki, as He makes the perfect lackey, being not
too bright. Sif is of the race of Gods or Aesir. She is a swan-maiden, like the
Valkyries, and can take that form.
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