BadAss Goddesses

In this episode, Alison chats with Arwynne O’Neill a research astrologer in Vancouver. Arwynne has created some beautiful and evocative artworks related to the goddesses and the zodiac signs. See her contact details at the end.

Support

If you wish to support Arwynne’s art practice and purchase one of these original artworks, please click on the image and it will take you to Arwynne’s online shop. Thank you in advance. We appreciate you.

Aries: BadAss Goddesses Amazons

The Amazons were a tribe of warrior women from Greek mythology, who lived in what is now Ukraine. Most famous among them were queen Penthesilea, who fought in the Trojan War, and her sister Hippolyta. No men were allowed among the Amazons, so they maintained their numbers through annual visits to a nearby tribe of male warriors. Baby girls resulting from these encounters were raised as fierce warriors, while male babies were either returned to the village of their fathers or left to die in the elements. (Alternatively, the Valkyeries)

Taurus: BadAss Goddess Watamaraka

Lightning and thunder herald the arrival of Watamaraka, the Zulu goddess of evil, at the temple where she rules over the Land of Darkness. She is the mother of all the world’s demons, and her mate, Burumatara, is their father—a half-bull, half-crocodile creature the size of an elephant.

Gemini: BadAss Goddesses Ta’xet and Tia

Ta’xet and Tia: The Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands in Western Canada have a death god duality called Ta’xet and Tia who guard the portal between life and death, through which all humans must pass to reach the realm of the afterlife. Ta’xet is the god of violent death, and Tia is the god of peaceful passing.

Cancer: BadAss Goddess Gaia

Gaia is the personification of the Earth, and one of the first Greek deities born from the void of Chaos. She is the mother of the Titans, who preceded the gods of Mount Olympus. Her offspring, Cronus and Rhea, were the parents of Zeus, who eventually overthrew the Titans and became the king of the gods.

Leo: BadAss Goddess Bastet

Bastet is the Egyptian cat goddess, originally worshiped in the form of a lion. Her status grew as cats were domesticated and her cult spread to Italy, where her symbols and statuary have been found in the ruins of ancient Rome and Pompeii.

Virgo: BadAss Goddess Artemis

Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt, twin of Apollo and daughter of Zeus and Leto. Artemis rules the moon and childbirth, motherhood and virginity, wild animals and hunters. She took an oath of chastity and defended it with deadly force when necessary. A hunter who happened upon her bathing in the river was turned into a deer for his transgression. She was just as fierce at defending her virginal followers and meting out swift punishment to those who threatened them.

Libra: BadAss Goddess Venus

Venus is the Roman goddess of love and beauty, and the ruler of Libra. She was born of the ocean foam rising from the severed testicles of the god Uranus. She is the epitome of feminine charm, gorgeous and irresistible, but also vain and faithless, prone to jealous rage and capricious violence. By the numbers, her legacy of lovers is dwarfed by the victims left in her… ahem, wake. The beautiful boy who didn’t return her affection, turned into a crab. An entire island’s women, struck blind. Love hurts.

Scorpio: BadAss Goddess Serket

Serket is the ancient Egyptian goddess of magic and medicine, and the ruler of poisonous creatures. She specialized in curing the venomous stings of spiders, snakes, and especially scorpions, which are her totem. She embodies both the venom and its antidote. Serket was the chosen patroness of many pharaohs, and their protector in the afterlife.

YouTube

Follow along with our conversation about Arwynne’s artworks on YouTube.

Sagittarius: BadAss Goddess Ayao

Ayao is a Yoruba goddess in the Santería pantheon and an Orisha, or spirit of the air. She resides in the forest and in the eye of the tornado. She is a fierce warrior who wields many weapons, including a crossbow, a serpent, a quill and nine stones. (Alternatively, the Amazons)

Capricorn: BadAss Goddess Estanatlehi

Estanatlehi is the Navaho and Apache goddess of time, creation, transformation and immortality known as the Changing Woman. As an old woman she walks toward the east until she sees her younger self coming towards her, then she merges with herself, becoming young again. She progresses through an endless stream of lives, always changing and renewing but never dying. (Alternatively, Medusa)

Aquarius: Goddess Sedna

Sedna is the vengeful Inuit goddess of the sea, worshiped by hunters and fishermen who depend on her for their livelihood. As a beautiful maiden, Sedna rejected many suitors until a deceitful god tricked her into marriage. Her father sailed to her rescue, but was so terrified by her husband’s wrath that he threw Sedna overboard and cut off her fingers to prevent her from climbing back into the boat. She sank to the bottom where she was adopted as the protector of all the ocean’s creatures.

Pisces: BadAss Goddess Meng-Po

Meng-Po, Buddhist Lady Meng (whose name means “Dream”) is the goddess who guards the door of the Ninth Chinese Hell, where she dishes out a mystic brew for the souls of the dead to drink. Her potion makes them lose all memories of their previous lives, which ensures that everyone is reborn with a clean slate. The only thing a soul carries from one incarnation to the next is its Karma, kind of like spiritual metadata.