Collectionearth
Divine Mothers
Nurturing earth mothers and protective maternal figures who embody fertility, nature, and the cycles of life.
Across traditions
The figures
They share a theme; their roles, beliefs and histories differ from one tradition to the next.
Greek PantheonDemeterIllustrationGoddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility.
Egyptian PantheonIsisIllustrationThe most powerful goddess in the Egyptian pantheon, wife of Osiris and mother of Horus.
Norse PantheonFriggIllustrationQueen of the Aesir and wife of Odin.
Celtic PantheonDanuIllustrationThe primordial mother goddess whose name lives on in the Tuatha Dé Danann, the divine tribe of Ireland.
Hindu PantheonParvatiIllustrationGoddess of power, fertility, love, and devotion.
Aztec PantheonCoatlicueIllustrationEarth mother goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars, and Huitzilopochtli.
Egyptian PantheonHathorIllustrationGoddess of love, beauty, music, and motherhood.
Aztec PantheonTlaltecuhtliIllustrationThe monstrous earth deity from whose dismembered body the world was created.
The stories
Inanna's Descent to the UnderworldMesopotamian PantheonThe Queen of Heaven descends to the underworld to confront her sister Ereshkigal, passing through seven gates where she is stripped of her power at each one. She dies and hangs upon a hook, and is only revived through cunning intervention.
The Creation of JapanJapanese PantheonThe primordial gods Izanagi and Izanami create the Japanese islands and countless kami, establishing the divine origins of Japan and its imperial line.
About this collection
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Collections group figures and myths by a shared theme. A shared theme is an editorial lens, not evidence that the traditions borrowed from one another.