GREAT MOTHER GODDESS WORSHIP - WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE? GREAT MOTHER GODDESS WORSHIP IN ANCIENT TIMESEARLIEST ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN INEXPLICABLEMANKIND HAS ALWAYS WRESTLED WITH HOW WORLD, INCLUDING MAN, PLANTS & ANIMALS CREATEDALL EARLY SOCIETIES HAD CREATION MYTHSALSO HAD MYTHS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER WORLD CREATEDWARS, FLOODS, ETC.OTHER THING PEOPLE PONDERED HOW CAN CHANGING SEASONS BE EXPLAINED?HOW CAN DEATH & REBIRTH OF SOIL & PLANTS BE EXPLAINED?SCHOLARS REFER TO THESE AS RESURRECTION MYTHSRESURRECTION MYTHS MORE IMPORTANT TO FARMERS WAITED FOR SPRING TO COME AFTER WINTERHUNTING PEOPLES & PASTORALISTS MORE CONCERNED WITH CREATION& BIRTH OF ANIMALS, ETC.FIRST APPEARANCE OF GODDESS WORSHIPIN PREHISTORIC & EARLY HISTORIC PERIODS PEOPLE BELIEVED THEIR SUPREME CREATOR AS FEMALETITLES GIVEN TO THIS CREATOR OR CREATRIXGREAT GODDESS DIVINE ANCESTRESS GREAT MOTHER GODDESS QUEEN OF HEAVEN & EARTH OCCURRED FROM PALEOLITHIC & NEOLITHIC PERIODS FROM C. 30,000 B.C.UNTIL CLOSING OF LAST GODDESS TEMPLES ABOUT 500 A.D.SO FROM 30,000 B.C. TO 500 AD..BUT MORE SOLID EVIDENCE FROM NEOLITHIC PERIODC. 7500 B.C.FROM PALEOLITHIC TIMES MOST ARTIFACTS FEMALESHARDLY ANY MALE FIGURINESMADE FROM VARIETY OF MATERIALSTONECLAYMETALVARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF MEANINGSOME BELIEVE THESE FIGURES GODDESS OF FERTILITY OTHERS MOTHER GODDESSOTHERS BELIEVE CONCEPT OF SYMPATHETIC MAGICRITUALS & SYMBOLS AIMED AT MAKING INDIVIDUAL WOMAN PREGNANTBUT EVIDENCE SHOWS GREAT GODDESS FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES WORSHIPED ASGUARDIAN OF CHILDBIRTHSOURCE OF WISDOMDISPENSER OF HEALINGLADY OF BEASTSFOUNT OF PROPHECYSPIRIT WHO PRESIDED OVER DEATHSYMBOL OF FERTILITYGUARANTOR OF CROPSANIMALSHUMANSWHY ONLY WORSHIP OF GODDESS?BEFORE PROCESS OF REPRODUCTION UNDERSTOOD BABIES SIMPLY BORN TO WOMENNO CONNECTION MADE WITH INTERCOURSETHOUGHT MEN HAD NO PART IN REPRODUCTIONONLY WOMEN COULD PRODUCE NEW LIFESO REVERED POWER OF WOMEN OVER NATUREBELIEF AROSE WOMAN DIVINE NOT HUMAN& SO BORN WORSHIP OF GREAT MOTHERARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF MOTHER GODDESSGODDESS FIGURE FROM CZECH REPUBLIC25,000 B.C.GODDESS OF LAUSELL, FRANCEROCK CARVING 22,000-1800 B.C.VENUS OF VILLENDORF - AUSTRIA30,000 B.C.VILLAGE SETTLEMENT OF CATAL HUYUK IN TURKEYC. 8000 B.C.AT LEAST 40 SHRINES TO GODDESSIN 3 INCARNATIONS MAIDEN, MOTHER & CRONEIN JERICHO - 1ST SHRINES TO MOTHER GODDESSC. 7000 B.C.EARLIEST WRITTEN RECORDS RE MOTHER GODDESS WORSHIP1ST WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF TEMPLE OF GODDESSC.4000 B.C.UNDER TITLE OF QUEEN OF HEAVEN AT ERECH (MODERN URUK) IN SUMERIABY 3000 B.C.MOTHER GODDESS APPEARS EVERYWHERE IN KNOWN WORLDIN STATUES, SHRINES & WRITTEN RECORDSCOMMON CHARACTERISTICSEARLIEST GODDESS FACELESSAS IF TO ACCENTUATE HER UNIVERSALITYEARLIEST LACKING FEETAPPEARED TO COME STRAIGHT OUT OF EARTHUNCLOTHED & FREQUENTLY BIG BREASTEDOTHER FIGURINES SHOW HER ENTIRE BODY AS AMPLEHUGH BREASTS, BELLY & BUTTOCKSAS IF PLENTITUDE OF HER BODY WOULD INSURE PLENTIFUL CROPS & HERDSSOMETIMES SHE IS PREGNANTSOMETIMES SHE IS GIVING BIRTHSOMETIMES SHE IS NURSING A CHILDSHE MAY BE SLENDER TOOSHOWING EMPHASIS ON HER SEXUAL POWERSIN OTHER REPRESENTATIONS SHE APPERS IN REGAL POSE2OFTEN HOLDING OR SUPPORTED BY ANIMAL OR WEARING JEWELRYINTRODUCTION TO SYMBOLS & ICONOGRAPHY OF MOTHER GODDESSSIMILARITY OF STATUES, TITLES, SYMBOLS IMPLY SAME GODDESS THROUGHOUT LANDS JUST WITH DIFFERENT NAMEALTHOUGH STILL ONGOING DEBATE ON THISMARIJA GIMBUTASTHE LANGUAGE OF THE GODDESSPOET, WRITER & MYTHOLOGIST ROBERT GRAVES (WHITE GODDESS)AMAZING HOW MUCH OF GODDESS IMAGERY SURVIVEDHISTORY OF RELIGION TEXTS FAIL TO BRING THIS OUT AS NEOLITHIC PREGNANT GODDESS DIRECT DESCENDANT OF FULL-BELLIED PALEOLITHIC "VENUSES"SAME IMAGE SURVIVES IN PREGNANT MARY OF MEDIEVAL CHRISTIAN ICONOGRAPHYNEOLITHIC IMAGE OF YOUNG GODDESS OR MAIDEN CAN BE SEEN INVENERATION OF MARY AS HOLY VIRGIN& ANCIENT FIGURE OF MOTHER-GODDESS HOLDING HER DIVINE CHILD & NURSING HIMESPECIALLY ISIS & HER SON HORUSSYMBOLSSERPENT OR SERPENTSSHEDS THEIR SKIN & ARE REBORNPART OF GODDESS'S POWERS OF REGENERATIONTRIPLE SPIRAL3 ASPECTS OF GODDESSBULLSBEARSRUSSIAARTEMIS, DIANADEER & REINDEERARTEMIS, DIANACOWHATHOR HAS HORNS OF COWDOVEHUICHALMOTHER GODDESS KUKURUKUOWL WISDOM SYMBOLLILITH, INANNA, SOPHIA, IN O.T.ATHENA OF ATHENSBUTTERFLIESSYMBOLS OF METAMORPHOSIS& TRANSFORMATIVE POWERS OF GODDESSSTYLIZATION OF BUTTERFLYPRINCIPAL SYMBOL OF GREAT GODDESS APPEARING WIDELY THROUGH MEDITERRANEAN & ASIA MINORCRETE ANCIENT MINOAN CIVLEVEN LATER CRETAN DOUBLE-HEADED AXEREMINISCENT OF HOE AXES USED TO CLEAR FARM LANDSWATER3WATER GODDESS CHALCHIHUITLICUEGODDESS OF JADE PETTICOAT FROM MEXICORESPONSIBLE FOR GREAT FLOOD BUT NO AGGRESSIVE MOTIFSNO SPEARS, SWORDS OF THUNDERBOLTSNB MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING SUN/MOON;HEAVEN/EARTH DEITIESALWAYS SAID SUN WORSHIPED AS MALEWHILE MOON REVERED AS FEMALEYET SUN GODDESS IN CANAAN, ANATOLIA, ARABIA & AUSTRALIA, ESKIMOS, JAPANESE & KHASIS OF INDIA SUBORDINATE BROTHERS SYMBOLIZED AS MOON& SAID EARTH ALWAYS SYMBOLIZED AS FEMALE, MOTHER EARTH & HEAVEN MALEYET NEARLY ALL FEMALE DEITIES OF NEAR & MIDDLE EAST TITLED QUEEN OF HEAVENIN EGYPT NOT ONLY ANCIENT GODDESS NUT KNOWN AS HEAVENBUT HER BROTHER-HUSBAND GEB SYMBOLIZED AS EARTHSPECIFIC MOTHER GODDESS FIGURES IN ANCIENT HISTORYMOTHER GODDESS FIGURE IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAEARLIEST KNOWN CREATION MYTH FROM EXTANT SOURCESFROM SUMERSURVIVES ONLY IN FRAGMENTARY STATENAMMU = GODDESS OF SEARESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING UNIVERSE BY GIVING BIRTHTO HEAVEN & EARTHAPPARENTLY UNAIDED INANNAEVENTUALLY BECOMES MOST NB GODDESS& APPEARS TO HAVE TAKEN OVER ATTRIBUTES ORIGINALLY ATTRIBUTED TO NAMMUNONE RIVALLED HERMANY HYMNS COMPOSED TO HER AS QUEEN OF HEAVENWHEN SEMITIC AKKADIANS TAKE OVER REGIONINANNA BECOMES ISHTARKNOWN AS QUEEN OF HEAVEN & GODDESS OF WARWHILE ISHTAR OF BABYLONIANS IS COSMIC UTERUSSTARS OF ZODIAC HER RAIMENTGAEA OR GAIA, ANATOLIA MOTHER EARTH, EMERGES FROM PRIMAL VAGINAABYSS OF ALL=FEELING AND ALL-KNOWINGAS OTHER PEOPLES INHABITED MIDDLE EAST AREAMANY NAMES IDENTIFIED MOTHER OR CREATRIX GODDESSBUT IN EACH LANGUAGE NAME DENOTED GREAT GODDESSBY OLD TESTAMENT TIMESASTARTE = CANAAN NAME FOR HERASHTORETH OR ASHERAHPAGAN GOD OF O.T. ACTUALLY ASTARTEBIBLICAL SCRIBES USED MASCULINE GENDER OF NAME EGYPTIN EGYPT MORE COMPLICATEDIN PREHISTORIC EGYPT MORE THAN ONE CREATION MYTH 1 GODDESS HELD SUPREMACY IN UPPER EGYPT4NEKHHBTSYMBOLIZED AS VULTURELOWER EGYPTANOTHER SUPREME GODDESSUA ZIT = GREAT SERPENTFROM ABOUT 3000 B.C. ON GODDESSKNOWN AS NUT, NET OR NITPROBABLY DERIVED FROM NEKHEBTMYTHS RELATE NUT CREATED ALL NUT PLACED RA,