A Wiccan Bible - Exploring the Mysteries of the Craft from Birth to Summerland

(Barré) #1

Liber ab Clementia (Book of Humanity)^319


help bring that decision but not necessarily the
right or most correct. Often there is not one
choice more right or correct.

Enurta—Male—Mediterranean
Father: Enlil
Wife: Gula
Babylonian god of war and triumph over
physical confrontations.

Eos—Female—Mediterranean
(Also known as Aurora)
Father: Hyperion
Mother: Theia
Husband: Astraeus (first)
Animal association: Horse (Pegasus)
‘Dawn’—Greek mother of the four Winds
and personification of Dawn. See also her sons
Boreas, Zephyrus, Eurus, and Notus. She was
much loved by Ares. That love brought the jeal-
ousy of Aphrodite, who also loved Ares greatly.
As revenge, Aphrodite caused Eos to fall in
love with several others, including Orion.
Orion was later killed and Eos felt much grief.
The story changed as did her men, but at the
end of each relationship Eos was miserable,
and Aphrodite was usually the cause. The story
here seems to be a warning about the pains
that love can bring one who does not have clear
intent or who desires another woman’s man.

Eostra—Female—Central Europe/North
Europe
(Also known as Ostara, Eostre, Eastre)
Animal association: Hare
Plant association: Birch
Holiday: Easter
Germanic personification of sunrise who
is associated with the Spring, and thus a fertil-
ity goddess in her own right. She is often cited
as having a kin familiar of a hare whom she
changes into a bird as a magic trick to amuse
and entertain children, which she loves. As a
result of the transformation, the hare laid won-
drously colored eggs that she gave to the chil-
dren. She is one of the many wonderful
examples of why Wiccans have no reason to

reject cultural holidays. After all, in her story
we see that Easter (typically rejected by many
Wiccans) is the celebration of the Goddess
Eostra (or Eastre). It is interesting to note that
the Christian celebration of Easter marks the
celebration of the rising of the son of their god,
and the Pagan celebration of Easter celebrates
the rising of the Sun, Eostra (or Eastre).

Epona—Female—Central Europe/Mediterranean
Animal association: Horse, Goose, Dog
Celtic horse goddess who was involved in
the judging of souls after human death. So
popular did she become in the Roman army
that a temple was erected to her in the Ro-
man capital. From the spread of her worship
from the Celts to the Romans, we see that con-
flict tends to generate a two-way flow of cul-
tural traditions.

Epunamun—Male—South America
Araucanian god of war who was so vicious
in battle that even his own people had occa-
sion to fear him.

Erato—Female—Mediterranean
‘Lovely’—Greek muse of love poetry. See
also Muses, The.

Erh-lang—Male—China
(Also known as Er-lang)
Animal association: Dog
Master of the dogs of Heaven who destroys
evil by sending his dogs to devour it in any form.

Erigone—Female—Mediterranean
Father: Icarius
Animal association: Dog
Plant association: Pine
Greek daughter of Icarius. When she
found that her father had been put to death
unjustly by her own people due to a misunder-
standing, she committed suicide by hanging
herself from a pine tree. Her kin familiar is a
dog named Marea. When Dionysus found what
had happened, he caused all the maidens of
the land to become insane and to take their
own lives as did Erigone.

z WB Chap 17.p65 319 7/11/2003, 6:04 PM

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