All the Gods

[all-the-gods]

Artemis by Huang Guangjian on ArtStation

"I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on the hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden sword. Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earth quakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart, this huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother Phoebus Apollo, to the rich land of Delphi, there to order the lovely dance of the Muses and Graces. There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows, and heads and leads the dances, gracefully arrayed, while all they utter their heavenly voice, singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children supreme among the immortals both in thought and in deed.

Hail to you, children of Zeus and rich-haired Leto! And now I will remember you and another song also."

- Anonymous. The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Homeric Hymns. Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914.

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The Goddess Durgā by Charles Ellik

"In the earlier age, during the period of Svayambhuva, in the beginning of Krtayuga, the goddess who is known as Mahamaya, Yoganidra, Jagaddhatri, and Jaganmayi, assuming a mighty figure with sixteen arms, renowned by the name Bhadrakali (appeared) on the northern shore of the Milk Ocean with a view to destroy Mahishasura and with a desire to do good to the world.

"She with the lustre of the colour of flax blossom, with earrings made of flaming gold, being adorned with long twisted hair, and with three diadems together with the crescent (moon), having a snake as her necklace and adorned with golden necklaces; always holding a trident and a discus, a sword, a conch-shell, an arrow, a lance, a thunderbolt and a staff in her right arms, looks splendid with her radiant teeth, the goddess continuously holds a shield, a hide, a bow, a noose, a hook, a bell, an axe, and a mace in her (eight) hands (from the uppermost to the lowermost respectively); she was on the back of a lion, was shining extremely like the flame with her three eyes, which were red as blood, she had been piercing the demon Mahisha with the trident and was treading Mahisha with her left foot; the goddess was the embodiment of the world.

"All the gods then having seen the demon Mahisha being killed by the (goddess Durga) did not utter a single word."

- Kalikapurana, Chapter 60:55-64, from Kalikapurane Murtivinirdesah, trans. & ed. by Biswanarayan Shastri (Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, 1995), 59-61.

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'Medusa' by Christopher Lovell

"She was the most famed for her beauty, and the coveted hope of many wooers; nor, in the whole of her person, was any part more worthy of notice than her hair: I have met with some who said they had seen it. The sovereign of the sea is said to have deflowered her in the Temple of Minerva. The daughter of Jove turned away, and covered her chaste eyes with her shield. And that this might not be unpunished, she changed the hair of the Gorgon into hideous snakes."

-Ovid, Metamorphoses, translated by Henry Thomas Riley

[all-the-gods]

Ramayan by Nisachar on DeviantArt

"While that excellent arrow was being fixed by Rama, all the beings were frightened and the earth trembled. That enraged Rama, stretching his bow well and with an attentive mind, hurled that arrow which can tear off the vitals, towards Ravana. That arrow, which was inviolable as a thunderbolt hurled by the arms of Indra and irresistible as Yama the lord of Death, fell upon Ravana's chest. That arrow, released with great speed and which was capable of destroying the body, tore off the heart of that evil-minded Ravana. That arrow, which was capable of causing death to the body, after taking away the life of Ravana and having been anointed with blood, penetrated the earth... Having lost his life, that king of demons for his part, who was endowed with terrible swiftness and invested with great splendour, fell down from the chariot to the ground."

-Srimad Valmiki Ramayana

https://www.valmikiramayan.net

[all-the-gods]

Hades version 2 by Emiroth on DeviantArt

"All was divided among us three ways, each given his domain. I [Poseidon] when the lots were shaken drew the grey sea to live in forever; Aides (Hades) drew the lot of the mists and the darkness, and Zeus was allotted the wide sky, in the cloud and the bright air. But earth and high Olympos are common to all three."

-Homer, Iliad 15. 187 ff (trans. Lattimore)

[all-the-gods]

Gold and Wax - Isis and Osiris, Jeszika Le Vye on ArtStation

"His sister [Isis] hath protected him, and hath repulsed the fiends, and turned aside calamities (of evil). She uttered the spell with the magical power of her mouth. Her tongue was perfect, and it never halted at a word. Beneficent in command and word was Isis, the woman of magical spells, the advocate of her brother. She sought him untiringly, she wandered round and round about this earth in sorrow, and she alighted not without finding him."

- Papyrus of Ani (c. 1250 BCE) by Unknown, translated by Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge

[all-the-gods]

Njord god of the sea by Emiroth on DeviantArt

"there has Njorth For himself a dwelling set; The sinless ruler | of men there sits In his temple timbered high."

Njorth spake: "Great was my gain, though long was I gone, To the gods as a hostage given; The son did I have whom no man hates, And foremost of gods is found."

-THE POETIC EDDA translated by HENRY ADAMS BELLOWS

Though Njord (or Njorth) is barely mentioned in the eddas that have survived, he was widely worshiped as a god of the seas.

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MMXVI B.C., by Alin Alexandru on ArtStation

Athena, daughter of storming Zeus... cried out in a piercing voice that stopped all fighters cold, “Hold back... back from brutal war! Break off—shed no more blood—make peace at once!” So Athena commanded. Terror blanched their faces, they went limp with fear, weapons slipped from their hands and strewed the ground at the goddess’ ringing voice... "Call a halt to the great leveler, War— don’t court the rage of Zeus who rules the world!”

- The Odyssey, Homer, translated by Robert Fagles

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Narasimha Avatar, by Kallesh Thippeswamy on ArtStation

NARASIMHA by Cristian Huerta on ArtStation

"O divine Simha (lion)! Your eyes are glowing like the fire erupted inside the hair as yellow as the gold itself. A slight blow of your nails is harder than a thunderbolt. I salute you the supreme Isvara (god) of great eminence. May the plough-like nails of god Nrsimha turn into red owing to the mud of the heart-field of the Hiranyakasipu demon, provide protection to you all."

- Narasimha Purana with English Translation by Dr. Narinder Sharma

[all-the-gods]

La Morrigan by Yoann-Lossel on DeviantArt

"I have stood fast; I shall pursue what was watched; I will be able to kill; I will be able to destroy those who might be subdued."

- Cath Maige Tuired: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired, translated by Elizabeth A. Gray

[all-the-gods]

Enkidu by Rebecca Yanovskaya

"Aruru washed her hands, she pinched off some clay, and threw it into the wilderness. In the wildness she created valiant Enkidu, born of Silence, endowed with strength by Ninurta. His whole body was shaggy with hair, he had a full head of hair like a woman, his locks billowed in profusion like Ashnan. He knew neither people nor settled living, but wore a garment like Sumukan. He ate grasses with the gazelles, and jostled at the watering hole with the animals; as with animals, his thirst was slaked with (mere) water."

- Epic of Gilgamesh, Translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs

[all-the-gods]

Lalitā by Charles Ellik

"From the fire rose Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari. She was extremely beautiful, having dark thick long hair with scent of Champaka, Asoka and Punnaga flowers, having eyelids which appeared as if it is the gate of the house of God of love, having eyes which were like fish playing in the beauteous lake of her face... having such a beautiful smile that Lord Shiva himself could not take his eyes off, having breasts which were capable of buying the invaluable love of Kameswara... having thighs which steal the heart of Kameshwara, having knees which looked like crowns made of precious gems, having voluptuous legs, ...having feet which resembled the lamps made of gems which could dispel worries from the mind of devotees and a body with the golden red colour."

Lalita Sahasra Namam

Translated by P. R. Ramachander

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Kali by James Jean

"Out of the surface of her (Durga's) forehead, fierce with frown, issued suddenly Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange khatvanga(skull-topped staff ), decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger's skin, very appalling owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having deep reddish eyes, filling the regions of the sky with her roars, falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hordes of the foes of the devas."

(Devi Mahatmyam)

[all-the-gods]

Fugen Bosatsu by Sgt-lonely on DeviantArt

Fugen Bosatsu is the Japanese name of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, who was entrusted to protect and preserve the Buddha's teaching.

"Then the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Samantabhadra said to the Lord: At the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, I will protect the monks who keep this Satrânta; I will take care of their safety, avert blows [or punishment], and destroy poison, so that no one laying snares for those preachers may surprise them, neither Mâra the Evil One, nor the sons of Mâra, the angels called Mârakâyikas, the daughters of Mâra, the followers of Mâra, and all other servitors to Mâra; that no gods, goblins, ghosts, imps, wizards, spectres laying snares for those preachers may surprise them. Incessantly and constantly, O Lord, will I protect such a preacher. And when a preacher who applies himself to this Dharmaparyâya shall take a walk, then, O Lord, will I mount a white elephant with six tusks, and with a train of Bodhisattvas betake myself to the place where that preacher is walking, in order to protect this Dharmaparyâya. And when that preacher, applying himself to this Dharmaparyâya, forgets, be it but a single word or syllable, then will I mount the white elephant with six tusks, show my face to that preacher, and repeat this entire Dharmaparyâya. And when the preacher has seen my proper body and heard from me this entire Dharmaparyâya, he, content, in high spirits, ravished, rejoiced, joyful, and delighted, will the more do his utmost to study this Dharmaparyâya, and immediately after beholding me he will acquire meditation and obtain spells, termed the talisman of preservation, the talisman of hundred thousand kotis, and the talisman of skill in all sounds... I shall arouse, excite, and stimulate them, and give them spells whereby those preachers shall become inviolable, so that no being, either human or not human, shall be able to surprise them, and no women able to beguile them. I will protect them, take care of their safety, avert blows, and destroy poison.

The Lotus Sutra

SADDHARMA-PUNDARÎKA

OR, THE LOTUS OF THE TRUE LAW.

Translated By H. Kern (1884)

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Izanami by Noxypia on DeviantArt

"Maggots were swarming. and [she was] rotting, and in her head dwelt the Great-Thunder, in her breast dwelt the Fire-Thunder, in her left hand dwelt the Young-Thunder, in her right hand dwelt the Earth-Thunder, in her left foot dwelt the Rumbling-Thunder, in her right foot dwelt the Couchant-Thunder:—altogether eight Thunder-Deities had been born and dwelt there."

(The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com)

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Ereshkigal

by JasonEngle on DeviantArt

When she said "Oh my heart", they said to her "You are troubled, our mistress, oh your heart". When she said "Oh my body", they said to her "You are troubled, our mistress, oh your body". (Then she asked:) "Who are you? I tell you from my heart to your heart, from my body to your body -- if you are gods, I will talk with you; if you are mortals, may a destiny be decreed for you." They made her swear this by heaven and earth. They were offered a river with its water -- they did not accept it. They were offered a field with its grain -- they did not accept it. They said to her: "Give us the corpse hanging on the hook." Holy Ereškigala answered the gala-tura and the kur-ĝara: "The corpse is that of your queen." They said to her: "Whether it is that of our king or that of our queen, give it to us." They were given the corpse hanging on the hook. One of them sprinkled on it the life-giving plant and the other the life-giving water. And thus Inana arose.

(Inana's descent to the nether world, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk

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Marduk

by yigitkoroglu on DeviantArt

"A god was engendered, most potent and wisest of gods. In the heart of Apsu was Marduk created, in the heart of holy Apsu was Marduk created. He who begot him was Ea, his father; she who conceived him was Damkina, his mother. The breast of goddesses did she suck. The nurse that nursed him filled him with awesomeness. Alluring was his figure, sparkling the lift in his eyes. Lordly was his gait, commanding from of old. When Ea saw him, the father who begot him, he exulted and glowed, his heart filled with gladness. He rendered him perfect and endowed him with a double godhead. Greatly exalted was he above them, exceeding throughout. Perfect were his members beyond comprehension, unsuited for understanding, difficult to perceive. Four were his eyes, four were his ears; when he moved his lips, fire blazed forth. Large were all hearing organs, and the eyes, in like number, scanned all things. He was the loftiest of the gods, surpassing was his stature; his members were enormous, he was exceedingly tall. 

"My little son, my little son! 

My son, the Sun! Sun of the heavens!" 

Clothed with the halo of the ten gods, he was strong to the utmost, as their awesome flashes were heaped upon him."

(Enuma Elish, The Babylonian Epic of Creation)

www.ancienttexts.org