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Artemis’ association with fertility is as a midwife. In no myths is she married. She has no children of her own. Not in one single story. Evidence of synchretization of Anatolian Kybele and Greek Artemis which only occurred at Ephesus and in no other part of the ancient world due to Greek colonial mentality. -merging major cult of Artemis with Mary in Jewish Christian Ephesus
A philosophical creation story traced to Cosmogony of Taautus, whom Philo explicitly identifies with the Egyptian Thoth
—"the first who thought of the invention of letters, and began the writing of records"
—which begins with Erebus and Wind, between which Eros 'Desire' came to be. From this was produced Môt 'Death' but which the account says may mean 'mud'.
The germs of life appear, and intelligent animals called Zophasemin -translated 'observers of heaven, formed together as an egg.
Then Môt burst forth into light and the heavens were created and the various elements found their station
Taautus of Byblos, according to the Phoenician writer Sanchuniathon, was the son of Misor and the inventor of writing, who was bequeathed the land of Egypt by Cronus. Sanchuniathon's writings, through the translation of Philo, were transmitted to us by Eusebius in his work Praeparatio evangelica.
The Mountain to the Heavens or the Tree of Life (earth sky underworld trinity / trunk, branches, roots/ head heart soul)
The Mountain of Heaven
Eagle, Journey, Adventure, Seeking, Pilgrimage, In clouds, Extreme Floods, Volcanos, Earthquakes, Otherworld Nature Experience
The Tree of Life
Serpent, Trunk, Branch (towards sky), Roots (underworld and or ancestors) Stability, Sacred Space, Staff, healing pole, Divinations,
Ziggurat
Mount Meru
Mount Olympus
Capitoline Hill
Mount Sinai
Sacred Trees and Pillars: Early religious sites often used natural trees or stylized, carved, wooden posts/poles to symbolize the goddess.
Stone Pillars (Matzevot): These were often placed together with asherah poles, representing the male, in contrast to the asherah's female, presence.
Matzevot (singular: matzevah) are traditional Jewish tombstones, typically upright stone slabs, marking a grave with Hebrew inscriptions and symbolic carvings. They honor the deceased and often reflect personal history through symbols like Menorahs or Torah scrolls. Historically, many were destroyed or repurposed during WWII.
Ashkenazi matzevot are generally vertical, while Sephardi stones may lie horizontally.
Symbolism: Carvings often indicate the deceased's role, such as a menorah (light/piety), shofar, or tools related to profession.
Significance:
They represent a "standing stone" or monument, serving as a permanent marker for the soul (nefesh).
Destruction and Recovery: During the Holocaust, Nazis frequently used matzevot for paving roads, building materials, and cleaning. Organizations like The Matzevah Foundation now work to restore these sites.
Documentation: Modern projects, such as the 3D Matzevot Project, are digitally preserving these monuments to recover history.
The Fruit from the Tree in the Garden of Eden was a FIG not an Apple. The Bible (Genesis) never identifies the fruit as an apple, and apples were not native to the region.
Zacchaeus and Jesus (Luke 19:4): A wealthy tax collector climbed a sycamore-fig tree in Jericho to see Jesus over a crowd. The tree’s low, spreading branches made it ideal for climbing.
Plagues of Egypt (Psalm 78:47): The psalm mentions that God destroyed Egyptian vines with hail and "sycamore-figs with sleet," confirming the tree's prevalence in Egypt.
Solomon’s Prosperity (1 Kings 10:27; 2 Chron. 1:15): Solomon made silver as common as stones and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills, symbolizing great abundance.
The Prophet Amos (Amos 7:14): The prophet describes himself as a shepherd and a "tender of sycamore-fig trees," highlighting its agricultural significance in the region.
Flight into Egypt Tradition: In Wikipedia notes, tradition holds that the Holy Family took shelter under a sycamore tree in Egypt, known as the Tree of the Virgin
After her departure from the Garden of Eden, Lilith settles near the Red Sea, a place that, according to other Jewish traditions is cursed and symbolically evil- where the rocks are red and parched. Jewish text narrate that Lilith was Adams first wife and they were born at the same time- as equals.
The Sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus), known as nehet in Ancient Egypt, was a sacred tree symbolizing life, sustenance, and the "Tree of Life" goddess Hathor. It provided shade, edible fruits, and functioned as a vital link between heaven, earth, and the afterlife.
The sycamore fig was deeply revered in Ancient Egypt, with many Egyptians identifying it as a holy, life-giving tree. It was used to make sturdy mummy coffins, and it was often considered a manifestation of the goddess Hathor, who was titled "Lady of the Sycamore".
Revered as a manifestation of goddesses like Hathor, Nut, and Isis, who were often referred to as "Lady of the Sycamore". It was believed to provide food and water to souls in the afterlife.
Symbolism: Represented as a "Tree of Life" which connected the sky to the underworld. It also appeared in mythology as a protective entity and was associated with the Osiriac cycle.
The sycamore is often found in tomb paintings, and was considered one of the most significant trees in Ancient Egypt, found throughout the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt.
Wood: Widely used for making coffins/sarcophagi.
Fruit: Produced edible figs, with fruiting occurring year-round, peaking from July to December.
Medicine: Extracts were historically used for skin conditions.
Celtic mythology, the apple symbolized immortality, wisdom, the Otherworld, and magic. Apples were widely considered a sacred fruit representing life's eternal cycle, often associated with healing, fertility, and divine love, acting as a bridge between the mortal world and the spiritual realm. Connected to the Tree of Life
The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden became associated with the apple primarily through a linguistic shift in 12th-century France and subsequent medieval art. While the Latin Vulgate (4th century) used malus (evil/apple), the widespread depiction of the fruit as an apple appeared in art and literature centuries later, cemented by figures like Albrecht Dürer. Lucas Cranach the Elder popularized the image of Adam and Eve with an apple.
Hathor, Isis, and Nut are connected to Greek mythology, primarily through syncretism—the blending of cultures during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods when Egypt was under Greek rule. Greeks often identified Egyptian deities with their own, with Isis being equated to Aphrodite, Demeter, or Hera, and Hathor also frequently identified with Aphrodite due to her role as a goddess of love and beauty.
Isis: During the Hellenistic period, the cult of Isis spread throughout the Mediterranean and was fully integrated into the Greco-Roman world. She was seen as a universal goddess with traits of Hera (goddess of marriage), Aphrodite (love), and Demeter (agriculture). Some traditions even connected her to the Greek myth of Io.
Hathor: Known as a goddess of love, music, and joy, the Greeks recognized her as a version of Aphrodite. Her role as a sky goddess was sometimes conflated with the goddess Nut.
Nut: While not as widely integrated as Isis or Hathor, Nut, as the sky goddess, was often associated with the Greek goddess Rhea, the mother of the Olympian gods, as they shared roles in the cosmological ord
Hathor to Isis: Isis eventually "absorbed" many characteristics of Hathor. Both were revered as mother figures (especially in the context of Horus) and were called the "Eye of Re".
Hathor and Aphrodite: Hathor's association with beauty, dancing, and music made her the perfect equivalent to the Greek Aphrodite.
Isis and the Madonna: The image of Isis nursing her son Horus is considered the direct influence for the later Christian icon of the "Madonna and Child"
Trinity of Goddesses
Eileithyia was the goddess of childbirth and Hera represented wives, but Rhea was more abstract and then replaced.
Rhea was closely linked to the earth as the daughter of Gaia. But it she was possibly more, which caused her frustrations.
Rhea was connected with the Anatolian goddess Cybele. Worship of Cybele was incorporated into Greek culture in such a way that the two goddesses were usually considered to be one and the same.
The shift in the primary goddess triad
Rhea, Hera, and Aphrodite to Hera, Demeter, and Aphrodite reflects the
transition from Titan-era mythology (focused on primordial creation and the "Mother of Gods") to
Olympian mythology (focused on the functional roles of agriculture, marriage, and human emotions).
The three prominent Greek goddesses of Olympus, each representing distinct facets of life, power, and nature.
Hera is the queen of the gods, goddess of marriage and women; Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and fertility; and Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, and desire.
Rhea could be linked to Greek rheo, or “flow,” an etymology connecting her to menstruation, birth waters, and breastmilk. Modern historians, however, believe it originated with the pre-Greek era, or “earth.”
Cybele also made a transformation as most women goddesses went from powerful protectors and life givers to birthing persons who were fed propaganda about mothering great military leaders. Their healing skills which often included comfort was reduced to more scientific views of medicine- where Mercury then carries the medical staff, as opposed to the women who used a wand- Heba,
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