Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Goddess of Travel



Western Hemisphere 



Trivia, a Roman diety, is said to be the goddess of commerce and travel.  She is an aspect of Artemis/Diana with three heads to represent the place where three roads meet or the triune goddess of  earth, heaven and the underworld. During a life cycle, we travel through those worlds.  Her Latin name is  Taurian Artemis.  Another form of the name is Termemina which protects the life and death cycle.


Ayizan, in the Haitian symbolic tradition, is the first ‘mat’ laid on original water represented by a palm leaf.  She takes the form of serpent, protects the marketplace, roads, doorways and gates.  Her alternate name is Ayizan Velequete.









Eastern Hemisphere

Inari of Japan is a Shinto goddess described as a vixen associated with commerce and travel, life and death cycle, sexuality, wealth, hunting and wild animals.  These are also attributes of Artemis/Diana in the Greco-Roman tradition.  And like Artemis, this icon protects prosperity bringing long life.  She is affiliated with rice and fertility.  

Poi-Soya-Un-Mat, from the Ainu province of Japan, is the woman of Poi Soya who raised herself above the gods, dressed like a man to go hunting and sailing like a trader.

Tian-Fei  is the sailor’s goddess of navigation and safe passage.  The Celestial Spouse originates in Chinese tradition to protect travel and commerce.

Doumou, or Toumo is the goddess of the Northstar, and she also originates in China. Buddhists and Daoists invoke her while traveling and for protection from disease and war. It’s possible that she is affiliated with Marichi from India and also Buddhist goddesses Guan yin and Maritchi the Queen of heaven, a Buddhist dawn goddess of three faces, who is not known to offer travel protection. 

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