Liber ab Clementia (Book of Humanity)^299
Lilith. This is interesting, as with Lilith’s
demonification came the stories of how she
eats children.Belitis—See NinlilBellona—Female—Mediterranean
Husband: Mars
Plant association: Belladonna
‘War’—Roman goddess of war and combat.
She is depicted with spear and shield and ac-
companies her husband Mars into battle.Beltis—Female—Mediterranean
Husband: Bel
Babylonian moon and love goddess. She is
sometimes seen as wife to Bel and other times
as his female equivalent.Bendis—Female—Mediterranean
(Also known as Bendidi)
Husband: Sabazius
Thracian/Greek moon goddess. She was
known to the Greeks as both Bendis and to
some degree as Artemis, depending on the
time in history. Her worship often involved
wild orgies. Although this may be a wild theory,
we see the Thracian Bendis/Bendidi with wild
orgies over and over in mythology. We then
see her adopted as Artemis by the Greek, and
then we see the Roman Diana with her asso-
ciation to the Greek Artemis. Years later, we
receive Aradia: Gospel of the Witches from
Charles Leland, which in part reads: “And ye
shall make the game of Benevento.” Those
words are the advice of Diana as presented by
her daughter Aradia. Could the celebrations
of Bendis/Bendidi be the origin of the seaport
named Benevento? And if so, could the term
‘game of Benevento’ be a reference to the his-
torically documented orgies associated with
the worship of Bendis/Bendidi?Benten—Female—Far East
(Also known as Benzai-ten, Benzai-tennyo)
Animal associations: Dragon, Snake (white)
Japanese love goddess of music and wealth.
She is called on for luck, especially by gamblers.Bertha—See HuldaBerus—Female—Mediterranean
Husband: Elium
Phoenician All Mother.Bes—Male—Africa
(Also known as Bisu)
Wife: Ta-Urt
Egyptian dwarf who protects women dur-
ing childbirth. Prayed to by parents and couples
for the betterment not only of children, but also
the relationships that support them. He is of-
ten depicted skyclad with exaggerated genitals.
The key to understanding Bes as a protective
god is found in his tremendously ugly outer ap-
pearance. Evil cannot see his inner beauty, so
it is driven off. The message here seems to be
clear: Those with a pure heart are not intimi-
dated or scared by external appearances.Bestla—Female—North Europe
Lover: Bor
Plant association: Yew
Mother of Odin and goddess of the yew tree.Bhaga—Male—Near East
Father: Kashyapa
Mother: Aditi
Hindu patron of marriage and god of pros-
perity. Bhaga is one of the Adityas. The Hindu
month Magha (January 21–February 19) is sa-
cred to Bhaga. See Adityas.Bhairavi—Female—Near East
Husband: Shiva
Hindu avatar/incarnation of Parvati.Bharti—Female—Near East
Hindu goddess of human speech and language.Bhatta—Female—Near East
Hindu goddess of magick and spellcraft.Bhavani—Female—Near East
Plant associations: Cypress, Myrrh, Poppy (es-
pecially white)
Holiday: Feast of Lamps on the new moon
closest to Samhain.z WB Chap 17.p65 299 7/11/2003, 6:04 PM