Porneia is the gnostic goddess/aeon/light-being of Fornication, mother of harlots (porne) and male prostitutes (pornos). Her male aspect was Porneuo. She was a vulgar, "fallen," or polluted form of Aphrodite (whose epithet was Porne). Among Porneia's other Gnostic names was Prouniekos, whore aspect of Barbelo, and the Fallen Sophia.
In the Nag Hammadi gnostic text "Apocryphon of John" Porneia was the mother of Wickedness, Empty Pride, and other dark angels. She corrupted even the Earthmother Ge [Rv 19:2], and, having maenadic wine-cult qualities, Porneia and her brother-consort were associated with drunken violence.
"All the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of Porneia, and the kings of the Earth have become Porneuo with her" [18:3]; or, "The Great Whore sat upon many waters. With her the kings of the Earth (Ge) became Porneuo, and the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of Porneia" [7:2].
In the "Testament of Judah," two wicked spirits, Envy and Fornication, arrayed themselves against Judah after he criticized Reuben for desiring Bilhah; and to punish him for the pride of thinking himself superior to Reuben, the two spirits induced Judah to desire Bathshua the Canaanitess, as well as his daughter-in-law Tamar bat-Elam of Mesopotamia [Test: Judah 13:3-4].
Though Porneia wanted control of bodies, human flesh was not intended for her [1 Cor 6:13,18]. She moved among all people [5:1], and led wives astray [Mt 5:32; 19:9; Rm 1:29]. She is named among other demonic forces, both male and female [Mt 15:19; Col 3:5; Rv 9:21], which come from within to befoul humanity [Mk 7:21-23], and who are the works of flesh made manifest [Gal 5:19-20].
Her companion was the female aeon of impurity, Akatharsia [Eph 5:3], or the female aeon of lasciviousness, Alesegeia [2 Cor 12:21]. Porneia was adverse to marriage, so that marriage was proof against her [1 Cor 7:2]. Much of the negativity toward Porneia is really a rejection of Mother Goddess worship and Her temple priestesses or prostitutes.
But Gnostics sought her purification, to restore the essence of all living to the original creatrix, the Divine Sophia. This could be helped along by refraining from reproductive sex (homosexuality was fine) so that no more of the spirit of Sophia would be trapped in the materiality; and by our own good behavior which purifies the Fallen Sophia.
Goddess: Foricatio aka Luxuria, one of the Seven Sins who most parallels Porneia. Print made by Crispijn de Passe the Elder (1564-1637), after Maarten de Vos (1532-1603)
