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The Goddess: Isis and Her Various Other Names and Symbols: Athanasius Kircher: From (1652-4)

1. The document describes the goddess Isis and her various names and symbols across different cultures and religions. 2. Isis is described as the "natural mother of all things" who governs the elements and is worshipped in many places under different names like Minerva, Venus, Diana, and Hecate. 3. The document then provides explanations of Isis's various symbols which represent her powers over the heavens, vegetation, water, medicine, the moon, and her role as a universal mother goddess.

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156 views4 pages

The Goddess: Isis and Her Various Other Names and Symbols: Athanasius Kircher: From (1652-4)

1. The document describes the goddess Isis and her various names and symbols across different cultures and religions. 2. Isis is described as the "natural mother of all things" who governs the elements and is worshipped in many places under different names like Minerva, Venus, Diana, and Hecate. 3. The document then provides explanations of Isis's various symbols which represent her powers over the heavens, vegetation, water, medicine, the moon, and her role as a universal mother goddess.

Uploaded by

jacklo228
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Goddess: Isis and her various other names and symbols

Athanasius Kircher: From Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652-4) Based on Apuleius, The Golden Ass, Book 11, chapter 47: Then by little and little I seemed to see the whole figure of her body, mounting out of the sea and standing before me, wherefore I purpose to describe her divine semblance, if the poverty of my human speech will suffer me, or her divine power give me eloquence thereto. First she had a great abundance of hair, dispersed and scattered about her neck, on the crown of her head she bare many garlands enterlaced with flowers, in the middle of her forehead was a compass in fashion of a glass, or resembling the light of the Moon, in one of her hands she bare serpents, in the other, blades of corn, her vestment was of fine silk yielding divers colours, sometime yellow, sometime rosy, sometime flamey, and sometime (which troubled my spirit sore) dark and obscure, covered with a black robe in manner of a shield, and pleated in most subtile fashion at the skirts of her garments, the welts appeared comely, whereas here and there the stares glimpsed, and in the middle of them was placed the Moon, which shone like a flame of fire, round about the robe was a coronet or garland made with flowers and fruits. In her right hand she had a timbrel of brass, which gave a pleasant sound, in her left hand she bare a cup of gold, out of the mouth whereof the serpent Aspis lifted up his head, with a swelling throat, her odoriferous feet were covered with shoes interlaced and wrought with victorious palm. Thus the divine shape breathing out the pleasant spice of fertile Arabia, disdained not with her divine voyce to utter these words unto me: Behold Lucius I am come, thy weeping and prayers hath moved me to succour thee. "I am she that is the natural mother of all things, mistress and governess of all the elements, the initial progeny of worlds, chief of powers divine, Queen of Heaven, the principal of the Gods celestial, the light of the goddesses: at my will the planets of the air, the wholesome winds of the seas, and the silences of Hell be disposed; my name, my divinity is adored throughout all the world in divers manners, in variable customs and in many names, for the Phrygians call me the mother of the Gods: the Athenians, Minerva: the Cyprians, Venus: the Candians, Diana: the Sicilians Proserpina: the Eleusians, Ceres: some Juno, other Bellona, other Hecate: and principally the Ethiopians which dwell in the Orient, and the Egyptians which are excellent in all

kind of ancient doctrine, and by their proper ceremonies accustom to worship mee, do call me Queen Isis.

ISIDIS Magn Deorum Matris


APVLEIANA DESCRIPTIO.
Nomina varia Isidis. Isis Minerva Venus Iuno Proserpina Ceres Diana Rhea seu Tellus Pessinuncia Rhramnusia Bellona Hecate Luna Polymorphus dmon. Explicationes symbolorum Isidis. A Diuinitatem, mundum, orbes clestes BB Iter Lun flexuosum, & vim fcundatiua m notat. CC Tutulus, vim Lun in herbas, & plantas. D Cereris symbolum, Isis enim spicas inuenit. E Byssina vestis multicolor, multiformem

Lun faciem. F Inuentio frumenti. G Dominium in omnia vegetabilia. H Radios lunares. I Genius Nili malorum auerruncus. K Incrementa & decrementa Lun. L Humectat. vis Lune. M Lun vis victrix, & vis diuinandi. N Dominium in humores & mare. O Terr symbolum, & Medicin inuentrix. P Fcunditas,

qu sequitur terram irrigatam. Q Astrorum Domina. R Omnium nutrix. S/M Terr marisque Domina.

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