Du’uzu — Named after god Tammuz.
Festivals to thank gods and seek blessings.
Included processions of god statues, Enuma Elish recitation, temple rites at Esagila, king's humility ritual (stripped and reinstated), sacrifices, feasts.
It was primarily associated with the Babylonian god Marduk and the renewal of kingship and the cosmos.
It symbolized the victory of the god Marduk over the forces of chaos.
Gods' Procession: Statues of gods from various temples in Babylon and nearby cities were brought to the Esagila, Marduk's temple.
Offerings: Extensive sacrifices of animals and other offerings were made to Marduk and other gods.
King's Legitimacy: The rituals emphasized the king's divine right to rule, reinforcing his authority and connection to the gods.
Significance: Nabu, the god of wisdom and writing, was another important deity during the Akitu Festival.
Recitations and Rituals: Sacred texts, like the "Enuma Elish," were recited to recount the gods' victories and the creation of the world.
Processions: Statues of the gods were taken from their temples in elaborate processions, often moving between temples to symbolize journeys through the cosmos.
Sacrifices and Offerings: Animals, food, and other offerings were presented to the gods to seek their favor and blessings for the coming year.
He gained early fame by defeating the Philistine giant Goliath with a slingshot, showcasing his bravery and faith in God.
He is revered as a model king and a "man after God's own heart," despite his flaws.
The stele begins with an introduction by King Mesha, who identifies himself as the son of Chemosh-yat, the king of Moab, and a devout follower of the god Chemosh.
Chemosh was the primary god of the Moabites, and his worship was central to their religious and cultural identity.
For example, in 1 Kings 11:7, King Solomon is criticized for building a high place for Chemosh on a hill east of Jerusalem, as part of his accommodation of the foreign gods worshipped by his wives.
In Judges 11:24, Jephthah, a judge of Israel, acknowledges Chemosh as the god of the Moabites in a diplomatic context, illustrating the recognition of Chemosh's importance to Moab.
Chemosh is often depicted as a god of war and victory, reflecting the martial character of Moabite society.
For example, the Ammonite god Milcom and the Phoenician god Baal share certain similarities in terms of worship practices and attributes.
These sacrifices were meant to appease the gods, seek their favor, or atone for sins.
Worship of these gods included feasts and festivals, which involved communal meals, offerings, and celebrations.
Baal, being a storm and fertility god, had festivals that celebrated agricultural fertility and the seasonal rains.
This was facilitated by the close interactions and sometimes overlapping territories of the peoples who worshiped these gods.
Temples dedicated to these gods housed statues or idols representing the deity.
Archaeological evidence from various sites in the Levant shows similar architectural styles and decorative motifs in temples dedicated to these gods.
Worshipers of Chemosh, Milcom, and Baal often made vows or offered intercessory prayers to gain the gods' favor for personal, agricultural, or military success.
David's legacy includes unifying the Israelite tribes, establishing Jerusalem as the capital, and his covenant with God, which promised that his descendants would rule Israel.
Adam recoiled with horror, and exclaimed, “God has given me one thousand years; wherefore comest thou now?”
The ancient Egyptians linked the phoenix with their sun god, Ra, and the city of Heliopolis, where it was said the bird would come to rest and be reborn.
The young phoenix then carries the remains of its predecessor to Heliopolis and deposits them on the altar of the sun god.
The phoenix places this ball on the altar of the Sun in Heliopolis, an ancient city in Egypt dedicated to the worship of the sun god.
This young phoenix then takes up the remains of its parent and flies to Heliopolis to deposit the remains on the sun god’s altar.
The newly reborn phoenix then gathers the ashes of its parent into an egg made of myrrh and flies to the temple of the sun god in Heliopolis, Egypt.
There, the phoenix places the egg on the altar as a tribute to the sun god.
Pliny also mentions that the young phoenix embalms its predecessor in an egg made of myrrh and flies with it to Heliopolis, where it places the egg on the altar of the sun god.
The young phoenix then flies to the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, known as the "City of the Sun," and places the myrrh egg on the altar of the sun god.
Consuming these peaches at the feast ensures that the gods and immortals maintain their divine status and immortality.
These apples were a wedding gift from Gaia (Earth) to Hera, the queen of the gods, upon her marriage to Zeus.
The apples that Idunn guards are golden and are crucial to maintaining the youth and immortality of the Aesir, the pantheon of gods in Norse mythology.
The trickster god Loki was coerced by Thjazi to lure Idunn out of Asgard (the realm of the gods) and into a forest, where Thjazi, in the form of an eagle, kidnapped her.
Without Idunn and her apples, the gods began to age and weaken.
The gods, realizing their dire situation, forced Loki to rescue Idunn.
Upon her return, the gods regained their youth and strength by eating the apples.
The gods must regularly consume these apples to preserve their eternal youth and strength.
The Olympian gods and goddesses consumed ambrosia to maintain their immortality and eternal youth.
Its consumption is exclusively reserved for the gods, setting them apart from mortals.
The gods also consume ambrosia to maintain their immortality.
Tantalus, a mortal who was favored by the gods, stole ambrosia and nectar from the gods to share with mortals.
The gods (Devas) and demons (Asuras) collaborated to churn the ocean to obtain Amrita, the elixir of immortality.
In the Bible, God is often called "One," symbolizing unity and singularity.
It is also significant in many mythologies, such as the three Fates in Greek mythology and the three Norns in Norse mythology, who control the destiny of gods and men.
In the Bible, 6 is significant as it represents the six days of creation before God rested on the seventh day.
That great Sage, Plato, one of the world's masterintellects, whose lofty ideas have dominated European thought, makes the pregnant statement: "God geometrises." The more we know of Nature, the more we realise this fact.
The religious student will think of the seven Ameshaspentas of the Zoroastriaii, of the seven Spirits before the throne of God of the Christian: the Theosophist of the supreme Triple Logos of the system, with His Ministers ; the "Rulers of seven Chains" round Him, each ruling His own department of the system as a Viceroy for an Emperor.
12 Olympian gods in Greek mythology
Beginning in the second millennium B.C., Babylonian theologians classified their major gods in a hierarchical numerical order.
Anu was represented by the number 60, Enlil by 50, Ea by 40, Sin, the moon god, by 30, Shamash by 20, Ishtar by 15, and Adad, the god of storms, by 6.
The Gigantomachy was a battle between the gods of Olympus and the Giants, born from the blood of Uranus.
He is the god of the sky, and his name, Οὐρανός (Ouranos), means "sky" or "heaven" in Greek.
Uranus is one of the primal gods, born from Chaos or emerging directly from Gaia (the Earth), depending on the mythological account.
He represents the sky in its primal, untouched form, enveloping the earth and providing a place for the gods to reside.
Uranus' mythological narrative is fundamental in Greek mythology, representing themes of creation, conflict, and the cyclical nature of power dynamics within the pantheon of gods.
For, the soul is that child of the universal consciousness ye call God, and is made aware of same by the application of laws pertaining to same in the own self.
Neptune, called by the Etrurians Nethunus, the God of the Mediterranean Sea, appears here to have been, when living, a Friesland Viking, or sea-king, whose home was Alderga (Ouddorp, not far from Alkmaar).
It was a portable divine center housing God's presence, essential during their desert travels.
Shavuot has a dual significance: it commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to the entire nation of Israel assembled at Mount Sinai, although the association between the giving of the Torah and Shavuot is not explicit in the biblical text.
In biblical times, Jews were required to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God.
Jesus calls out to God, then gives a shout and dies.
These were mythological beings depicted as sages or demigods, often associated with the god Ea (Enki in Sumerian mythology), the god of wisdom and waters.
In Sumerian texts, the Abgal are seven sages created by the god Enki to establish culture and give civilization to mankind.
They are described as wise demigods or advisors sent by the god Enki (Ea in Akkadian) to teach humanity the arts of civilization, such as writing, law, temple building, and kingship.
Some of them are shown as part-human and part-fish, symbolizing their origin from the watery domain of Enki, the god of wisdom and water.
These sages are considered semi-divine beings sent by the god Enki (Ea) to teach humanity and establish civilization before the Great Flood.
Connected to Sippar View Map, a city dedicated to the sun god Shamash.
Functioned as intermediaries, delivering divine instructions and knowledge from the gods.
In later traditions, Apkallu who defied the gods were demonized.
Uanna (Adapa) was considered a sage gifted with extraordinary wisdom by the god Ea (Enki) in Mesopotamian lore.
Yaldabaoth in Gnostic texts is depicted as a creator god with great power and knowledge, though in a much more ambiguous moral framing.
Mars, the Roman god of war, symbolizes aggression, conflict, but also protection and defense—traits that align with the strategic and sometimes militaristic qualities of these figures.
Moses is a central figure in the Abrahamic religions, often considered a prophet who led his people and communicated God’s laws—the Ten Commandments—thus playing a pivotal role in religious and ethical law-giving.
Mercury, the Roman god of communication, trade, and travel, symbolizes the capacity to transmit knowledge and negotiate, traits inherent to these figures who often act as mediators, teachers, and leaders.
Jupiter, the king of the gods in Roman mythology, symbolizes authority, law, sky, and thunder, but also protection and prosperity, reflecting the overarching and benevolent influence these figures have on their societies.
Saturn, the Roman god of time, harvest, and discipline, symbolizes the overarching themes of time management, wisdom acquired over long periods, and the harsher aspects of rule or authority.
One Rabbinical interpretation of the text, "And God created man in His own image, male-female created He them," is that Adam and Eve were formed back to back, united at the shoulders, and were hewn asunder with a hatchet; but of this more presently.
They also say that, for the marriage-feast of Adam and Eve, God made a table of precious stone, and each gem was a hundred ells long and sixty ells wide, and the table was covered with costly dishes.
The Mussulman tradition is, that Adam having eaten the bunch of grapes given him as a reward for having preached to the angels, fell asleep; and whilst he slept, God took from his left side a woman whom He called Hava, because she was extracted from one living (Hai), and He laid her beside Adam.
He put forth his hand to take that of Hava, but she withdrew hers, answering his words of love with, "God is my master, and I cannot give my hand to thee without His permission; and, moreover, it is not proper for a man to take a wife without making her a wedding present."
Adam thereupon sent the angel Gabriel to ask God's permission to take to him Hava as his wife.
Then they were bathed in one of the rivers of Paradise and brought before the presence of God, who bade them dwell in Paradise.
And when Adam opened his eyes, he saw her, and asked her who she was, and she replied, "I am thy wife; God created me out of thee and for thee, that thy heart might find repose."
The Rabbi Samuel Ben-Nahaman held that the first man was created double, with a woman at his back, and that God cut them apart. "Adam," said other Rabbis, "had two faces and one tail, and from the beginning he was both male and female, male on one side, female on the other; but afterwards the parts were separated."
The Talmudists assert that God cut off Adam's tail and thereof formed Eve.
The Gods desired at once to reduce their might and punish their temerity, but did not wish to destroy the human race; consequently at the advice of Zeus, each androgyne was hewn asunder, so as to leave to each half two arms and a pair of legs, one head and a single sex.
"The Sire who rules the earth and sways the poleHad spoken; laughter filled his secret soul:He bade the crippled god his hest obey,And mould with tempering water plastic clay;With human nerve and human voice investThe limbs elastic, and the breathing breast;Fair as the blooming goddesses above,A virgin likeness with the looks of love.He bade Minerva teach the skill that shedsA thousand colours in the glittering threads;He called the magic of love's golden queenTo breathe around a witchery of mien,And eager passion's never-sated flame,And cares of dress that prey upon the frame;Bade Hermes last endue, with craft refinedOf treacherous manners, and a shameless mind."
They gave to Adam a wife, formed of clay, along with Adam, and called her Lilith; resting on the Scripture, 'male and female created He them:' but when this woman, on account of her simultaneous creation with him, became proud and a vexation to her husband, God expelled her from Paradise, and then said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.'
And this they confirm by the words of Adam when he saw the woman fashioned from his rib, 'This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh,' which is as much as to say, Now God has given me a wife and companion, suitable for me, taken from my bone and flesh, but the other wife he gave me was not of my bone and flesh, and therefore was not a suitable companion and wife for me.
The author believed that through esoteric rituals, one could achieve communion with God.
Magic for the author consists of prayers to the gods, the creation of talismans, and manipulation of the special properties of things.
(A) In the beginning, as was outlined, there was presented that that became as the Sons of God, in that male and female were as one, with those abilities for those changes as were able or capable of being brought about.
Hence the legend of the associations of the body during that period before there was brought into being the last of the creations, which was not of that that was not made, but the first of that that was made, and a helpmeet to the body, that there might be no change in the relationship of the sons of God with those relationships of the sons and daughters of men.
The highest spiritual beings — called the "Sons of God" — were not split into male and female like we are today.
But God (the "First Cause" or Creative Forces) didn't just create a random partner from the outside.
God wanted these high spiritual beings to stay connected to their own kind and to their divine purpose.
If they had simply paired with the more physical, earthly humans (called the "sons and daughters of men"), they would have lost their spiritual nature and “fallen.” By creating the true partner from within, the spiritual beings would have their own perfect match — someone who belonged to the same spiritual level — so their relationship would help them stay aligned with God rather than pull them down.
Genesis 1 = The “Sons of God” who were androgynous (male and female as one), created in the spiritual image.
According to the “first Eve” account, God fashioned Lilith from dust and placed her in the garden alongside Adam.
Upon Lilith’s departure, Adam informed God, prompting the dispatch of three angels – Senoi, Sansenoi, and Sammangelof – to retrieve her.
For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one.” ’According to this account, Lilith uttered the name of God (a sign of great power), took flight in the air and left the Garden of Eden, flying to the Red Sea coast, which she made her new home.
Lilith refuses to submit to Adam and, after uttering the ineffable name of God, leaves the Garden of Eden.
In this age of the world the transmigration of souls was universal, all men were twice born; and in this age it was that the thousand gods settled themselves in heaven.
Til (God) made men and bade them live together in peace and happiness, labor for five days, and keep the sixth as a festival.
The frog was accursed by God, because when He made the animals it hopped over His foot.
Then God ordered the men to build mountains: they did so, but they soon forgot God's commands, killed the beasts, and quarreled with one another.
Therefore, Til (God) sent fire and destroyed them, but saved one of the races, named Musikdegen, alive.
When they were grown up, God ordered them to marry, the white together, and the black together.
God then made the animals subject to death, but the men He made were immortal.
The Fantis relate that they are not in the same condition as that in which they were made, for their first parents had been placed in a lofty and more suitable country, but God drave them into an inferior habitation, that they might learn humility.
In the beginning, God created three white and three black men and women, and gave them the choice between good and evil.
A great calabash was placed on the earth, as also a sealed paper, and God gave the black men the first choice.
So God left the black men in the bush and took the white men to the sea, and He taught them how to build ships and go into another land.
This fall from God caused the black men to worship the subsidiary Fetishes instead of Him.
The Caribs of South America relate that Luoguo, the first man and god, created the earth and the sea, and made the earth as fair as the beautiful garden in the heaven where dwell the gods.
"The sister of Eliulap the first man, who was also a god, felt herself in labour, so she descended to earth and there brought forth three children.
The godless Sammael had made an alliance with all the chiefs of his host against the Lord, because the holy and ever-blessed Lord had said to Adam and Eve, "Have dominion over the fish of the sea," and he said, "How can I make man to sin and drive him out?" Then he went down to earth with all his host, and he sought for a companion like to himself; he chose the serpent, which was in size like a camel, and he seated himself on its back and rode up to the woman, and said to her, "Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" And he thought, "I will ask more presently." Then she answered, "He has only forbidden me the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge which is in the midst of the garden.
And He said, 'In the day thou touchest it thou shalt die.'" She added two words; God did not say anything to her about touching it, and she spoke of the fruit, whereas God said the Tree.
Do you also touch it and try." But when Eve drew near to the tree she saw the Angel of Death waiting sword in hand, and she said in her heart, "Perhaps I am to die, and then God will create another wife for Adam; that shall not be, he must die too." So she gave him of the fruit.
Puranas are Hindu books of gods, ages, and origins.
Humans, gods, and other beings rise and fall before the current age.
This bird with the feathers of emeralds and pearls was not only the most beautiful creature God had made, but it had also been endowed with a sweet and clear voice, wherewith it daily sang the praises of God in the highways of Eden.
"I belong to the Cherubim who praise God night and day, and I have slipped out of their ranks without being observed, that I might take a glimpse of the Paradise God has prepared for the saints.
"How shall I do that which may draw down on me God's disfavour?" asked the peacock.
"By God the Almighty it is so."
When she had passed Ridhwan in security, the serpent opened her mouth and asked Eblis to take her with him to the highest heaven, where she might behold the majesty of God.
have we not all that can be desired in this garden of God?"
"By eating of this fruit," answered the tempter,—"this fruit which is denied us through the envy of God.
"I swear by God who made me."
Thereupon all Adam's heaven-given raiment fell from him, his crown slipped off his head, his rings dropped from his fingers, his silken garment glided like water from his shoulders, and he and Eve were naked and unadorned, and their fallen garments reproached them with the words, "Great is your misfortune; long will be your sorrows; we were created to adorn those who serve God; farewell till the resurrection!"
The throne recoiled from them and exclaimed, "Depart from me, ye disobedient ones!" The horse Meimun, which Adam sought to mount, plunged and refused to allow him to touch it, saying, "How hast thou kept God's covenant?" All the inhabitants of Paradise turned their backs on the pair, and prayed God to remove the man and the woman from the midst of them.
God himself addressed Adam with a voice of thunder, saying, "Did not I forbid thee to touch of this fruit, and caution thee against the subtlety of thy foe, Eblis?" Adam and Eve tried to fly these reproaches, but the branches of the tree Talh caught Adam, and Eve entangled herself in her long hair.
"From the wrath of God there is no escape," cried a voice from the tree Talh; "obey the commandment of God."
"Depart from Paradise," then spake God, "thou Adam, thy wife, and the animals which led you into sin.
Amaru, the plumed serpent god
The Norse story is that Loki, the spirit of evil, is one of the gods, and sat with them at their table till he declared himself their enemy, when he with his vile progeny, the wolf and the serpent, were cast out.
In the Sumerian texts, Enki, the god (Sirian) who protects humanity, is also portrayed as a serpent.
The judgment that the serpent is “evil” is more contemporary and may have been a ploy used by the gods (Lyrans) to keep humanity in fear and thus from following the instructions of the Sirians who were attempting to assist humankind.
In Gnostic belief, Abraxas is described as a god with various attributes and was depicted on ancient amulets and gems, often with the head of a rooster, the body of a human, and snakes for legs, symbolizing the supreme being who encompasses both the divine and the demonic.
Abraxas is the god who is both good and evil, light and darkness, life and death.
He is the god of the fullness of life, and he is the god of transformation.
Yaldabaoth is the same god, but he is also the god of the unconscious mind.
He is the god of our shadow selves, and he is the god of our fears and our desires.
On this trail they are wardens of matter: planetary and cosmic powers under a chief craftsman-god, blocking escape until true knowledge breaks through.
A demiurge, in this cosmology, is a lesser craftsman-god who fashions the material world and often traps souls in it.
The chief Archon is Yaldabaoth (also Yaltabaoth), also called Saklas (“fool”) and Samael (“god of the blind” / blind god).
Their chief is blind; because of his power and his ignorance and his arrogance he said, with his power, “It is I who am God; there is none apart from me.” When he said this, he sinned against the entirety.
And this speech got up to incorruptibility; then there was a voice that came forth from incorruptibility, saying, “You are mistaken, Samael” – which is, “god of the blind.”
He is a blind power who claims to be the only god, then meets correction from the higher realm.
… For he said, “I am God and no other god exists except me,” since he is ignorant of the place from which his strength had come.
Sabaoth, in Reality of the Rulers, is an offspring who repents and is set over the seventh heaven as “God of the forces.” Pistis Sophia keeps a neighboring trail in which she supports Sabbaoth’s rebellion and kingdom over the twelve gods of chaos.
He is the ignorant demiurge who claims to be the only god.
He gives knowledge of medicine and of all hidden things, reconciles enemies, and gives favor with both God and man.
Mercury is the Roman name for Hermes, the Greek god of trade, communication, travel, and thievery.
Hermes/Mercury is known for being a messenger of the gods and a guide for souls to the underworld.
Budha (Sanskrit: बुध) is the Sanskrit word for the planet Mercury. Budha is also a god of Planet Mercury.
From Elohim, God (El).
In Roman mythology, Mars is the god of war, often depicted as a figure who embodies military power and vigor.
He was one of the most prominent and worshipped gods in ancient Rome.
Pistis Sophia supported Sabbaoth in his rebellion against his father, so she established the kingdom for Sabbaoth over everyone that he might dwell above the twelve gods of chaos receiving great authority against all the forces of chaos.
He lengthens life to 700 years if God allows it.
Raphael translates to "God heals" or "He who heals" in Hebrew, underscoring his association with healing and divine restoration.
Means "medicine of God" or "God heals," representing the healing power of God.
His name generally means "God is my light" or "Fire of God".
Derived from Hebrew words that can be translated as "light of God" or simply "God's light." This name reflects the aspect of God associated with illumination and enlightenment.
He asks God how Israel can be kept in misery if God is just.
The archangel Uriel is sent to answer the question, responding that God's ways cannot be understood by the human mind.
Micha-El(God)
Translates to something akin to "protector of God," symbolizing God's strength and protection.
Disgusted by all this, "the Gods" decided to have a Great Flood to rid the earth of the Nephilim and other ghastly creatures (according to the Book of Enoch.
He plays a crucial role in God's decision to imprison the rebellious Watchers.
Michael is often portrayed as a mediator who communicates God's judgments and also as a protector who stands up against the evil deeds of the fallen angels.
“Now have come the salvation and the powerand the kingdom of our God,and the authority of his Messiah.For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,who accuses them before our God day and night,has been hurled down.11 They triumphed over himby the blood of the Lamband by the word of their testimony;they did not love their lives so muchas to shrink from death.12 Therefore rejoice, you heavensand you who dwell in them!But woe to the earth and the sea,because the devil has gone down to you!He is filled with fury,because he knows that his time is short.”
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
He is said to be friendly, asking God for mercy toward humans, and is, according to Muslim legends, one of the first to obey God's orders to bow before Adam.
It is said that Michael is at the right hand of God.
He has always been with God for he did not venture away.
And he is like a messenger for God.
If He wishes to speak to someone, perhaps not quite so directly, God will sometimes send Michael or Gabriel.