#mythedit

Branwen(Bronwen meaning ‘Blessed Raven’) was the goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Llyr(god of the sea) andPenarddun in Celtic mythology. Because of her connection to white ravens if they were found in the willd they were considered sacred to the goddess. They were also associated with prophecies and dreams in the Celtic religion. The druids believed ravens were able to travel to the Otherworld and return with messages of ancient knowledge and wisdom from the deities. Branwen was also a triple goddess of AvalonalongsideCeriddwen(goddess of the moon)andArainrhod(goddess of reincarnation) and was considered to be the maiden aspect of the triple goddess due to her beauty as a young woman. 

(Georges Hobeika Fall 2018 Haute Couture Collection)

Serket(SerqetorSelket) was the goddess of fertility, nature, animals, medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites in Egyptian mythology. She was thought to also have power over venomous snakes and scorpions, like Meretseger(goddess of cobras)andIsis(goddess of magic). It was believed that Serket could protect a person from venomous bites, and that she could send snakes and scorpions to meet out punishment to those of whom she disapproved. She also helped protect Isis and her infant son Horus(god of the sky) when they were hiding from Set(god of war) in the marshes of the delta. She was also associated with the seven scorpions who acted as a bodyguard for the mother and child and was sometimes named as the goddess who convinces Ra(god of the sun) to stop the sun barque and help when Horus was poisoned by a magical snake sent by Set. Because of this story, she was thought to offer special protection to children and pregnant women from venomous animals.

(Zuhair Murad Spring 2020 Haute Couture Collection)

Lilith (לִילִית, meaning ‘nocturnal’) was a figure in Jewish mythology that was believed to derive from a class of female demons known as the Lilitu found in the religions of Mesopotamia. The Lilitu were malicious, winged spirits which had the tendency to prey on pregnant women and infants. Amulets and incantations were used as protection against such evil spirits. The earliest recordings of Lilith’s story are from the Medieval period. The story states that GodcreatedAdam and Lilith at the same time on the seventh day. Trouble soon started when Lilith wanted to be the dominant partner sexually, which Adam refused. In anger she uttered a forbidden name of God and left the Garden, becoming a type of demon. Adam begged God to bring her back, but when his angels tracked her down, she refused. Lilith became known as a demon of lust and death. She was known to cause miscarriages and sudden infant death, but it was said that talismans with the names of the three angels responsible for tracking Lilith could protect people from her harm. She was also known as the ‘Mother of Demons’ and the ‘Goddess of the Night.’

(Georges Hobeika Fall 2018 Haute Couture Collection)

Athena (Αθηνη) was the Olympian goddess of wisdom and war and the adored patroness of the city of Athens in Greek mythology. She often appeared in mythology as a champion of heroes such as Argos,PerseusandHercules. These stories celebrated Athena’s kind regard for struggling mortals and often displayed her craftiness and ingenuity. For example, Athena advised Argos on how to construct the Argo, the ship that took Jason and the Argonauts to find the Golden Fleece. Athena also aided Perseus in his quest to slay Medusa, the Gorgon with hair made of serpents whose gaze turned onlookers to stone. As he set out on his quest, Athena appeared before him and gave him a bronze shield, polished to reflect the sight of Medusa so that Perseus would not have to look in her eyes. When Perseus struck Medusa with a scythe gifted to him by Hermes(the messenger of the gods), Athena guided the swing to ensure it would sever her head. Hercules also benefited from Athena’s intervention. When he was charged with stealing the golden apples from Hera’s secret garden, which was overseen by the daughters of Atlas, Hercules offered to hold the sky while Atlas beseeched his daughters to gather the apples. When the sky proved too heavy for Hercules, Athena took action and lifted the sky so that he would not be crushed under its weight.

(Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2009 Haute Couture Collection)

Medusa (Μέδουσα meaning ‘Guardian’) was one of the three Gorgonsalongside her sistersSthennoandEuryalein Greek mythology. Of the three sisters only Medusa was mortal but they were all described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of their hair. She also had the power to turn anyone to stone if they should ever gaze upon her face. Medusa was eventually beheaded by the hero Perseus, who thereafter used her head as a weapon which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone until he gave it to the goddess Athena(goddess of war) to place on her shield.

(Zuhair Murad Spring 2018 Haute Couture Collection)

Philotes (Φιλότης) was a minor goddess of affection, friendship and sex in Greek mythology. Sometimes she was referred to as a spirit or daimones rather than a deity. Philotes was the daughter of Nyx(goddess of the night) and sister to Hypnos(god of sleep) and according to some myths she was one of the driving forces of the creation of humankind. She was the force of good things. Additionally Philotes was offended by life-destroying offerings and demanded abstention from animal sacrifices. In some writings, she was also associated more with famous goddess of love, Aphrodite.

(Elie Saab Fall 2018 Haute Couture Collection)

Milda was the goddess of love, courting, friendship and freedom in Lithuanian mythology. She was the worst enemy of loneliness and was often portrayed as a woman who drove a chariot pulled by doves. Milda also liked to ride naked, causing hearts to flutter and it was rumoured that one glimpse at her delightful vision wafting down the street meant that you were mere seconds away from love, romance and all the other stuff you’d been waiting for. Apparently she didn’t care about marriage. In her eyes, matrimony was secondary to love and friendship. To her worshippers she represented freedom. The female figure at the top of the Freedom MonumentinRiga is affectionately called ‘Milda’, because the model for the sculpture was a Lithuanian woman named Milda Jasikienė who lived in the city.

(Marchesa Spring 2016 Ready-to-Wear Collection)

Inanna was the goddess of war, sex, and the dispensation of justice in the ancient kingdom of Sumer in Mesopotamian mythology. One particular Sumerian hymn details how she became a goddess of sexual love, particularly for women. In the story, Inanna asked her twin brother Utu(god of the sun) to accompany her to a magical place called the Kur, where sacred plants grew because she was forbidden from traveling alone. When they arrived, she wanted to eat a sacred fruit of knowledge so that she could learn the secrets of intimacy, telling Utu “What concerns women namely, men I do not know. What concerns women lovemaking I do not know.” Utu relented and allowed her to eat the fruit, and so Inanna then became aware of the power of her own sexuality. Over time though she merged with the figure of Ishtar in the ancient world, and they are often portrayed as one and the same. 

(Zuhair Murad Spring 2020 Haute Couture Collection)

Venus(meaning‘love’) was the goddess of love, maternal care, sexual reproduction, and erotic desire in Roman mythology. The loveliest of all deities, Venus desired and was desired by mortals and gods alike. As the goddess of love and sex, she possessed the ability to make mortals and gods fall madly in love. Venus’ chief weapons were her charm and erotic appeal, and in her mythological tradition, many fell victim to them. Like Apollo(Greek god of prophecy), Venus had a fluid sexuality and embraced male and female lovers alike. She was also the guardian of lovers and prostitutes, and a major figure in Roman religion. Venus was adapted from Aphrodite(Greek goddess of love), with whom she shared a mythological tradition.

(Ziad Nakad Spring 2020 Haute Couture Collection)

Vesta(meaning‘to dwell’) was the virginal goddess of hearth and home, family life and child-rearing in Roman mythology. She oversaw all aspects of home life, ensuring the sanctity of the house and securing its tranquility. Despite her seeming lack of mythological presence, Vesta’s enormous power over family, marriage, and children protected the moral integrity of all Romans. For this reason, all prayers and sacrifices began and ended with devotions to Vesta. She remained a virgin throughout her mythic existence, took no lovers, and bore no children. Vesta was adapted from Hestia (Greek goddess of the hearth) with whom she shared a mythological tradition.

(Elie Saab Spring 2020 Haute Couture Collection)

Pasithea(Πασιθέα, meaning ‘relaxation’) was the goddess of relaxation, meditation, hallucinations and all other altered states of consciousness in Greek mythology. She was also one of the Charities (Graces) which were believed to be the daughters of Zeus(king of the gods). As a minor goddess, the only real tale where she shows up is in the story where Hypnos(god of sleep) decides to help put Hera(queen of the gods) to sleep so that Zeus can get up to one of his many schemes. As a reward for his services, he gave Pasithea his daughter, to Hypnos in an Olympian marriage.

(Zuhair Murad Spring 2022 Haute Couture Collection)

Lofn was the goddess of forbidden loves in Norse mythology. Her name possibly meant ‘comforter’or‘loving’ and she could be invoked to get rid of the shame around one’s forbidden desires. Lofn also facilitated lovers coming together, and protected them from the wrath of others. Whilst she may not have changed the minds of those who disapproved, she helped star-crossed lovers find a way to be together safely and helped create their own hearth where the vision was more tolerant. In chapter 35 of Prose Edda she was described as “She is so gentle and so good to invoke that she has permission from All-FatherorFrigg to arrange unions between men and women, even if earlier offers have been received and unions have been banned. From her name comes the word lof, meaning permission as well as high praise.”

(Elie Saab Fall 2017 Haute Couture Collection)

Caer Ibormeith was the goddess of dreams and prophecy in Celtic mythology. She was also a daughter of Prince Ethal Anbuail of Sid Uamuin in Connacht. In Óengus’s(god of love) dream, which lasted over a year, Caer Ibormeith stood beside his bed though when he reached out for her, she would disappear. Every alternate Samhain she would turn to human form for one day, which began at sunset, and after that, she would revert back into being a swan, for another year until the following Samhain. Óengus went in search for this girl in his dreams at the lake of the Dragon’s Mouth and found 150 girls chained in pairs, Caer Ibormeith was among them. He was told he could marry her if he could identify her in her swan form. Óengus chose correctly and with that he turned himself into a swan and they flew away together. The pair sang beautiful music as they went, that put all listeners throughout Ireland to sleep for three days and nights.

(Georges Hobeika Fall 2018 Haute Couture Collection)

Themis(Θεμις) was the Titan goddess of divine law and order of the traditional rules of conduct first established by the gods in Greek mythology. She was also a prophetic goddess who presided over the most ancient oracles, including Delphi. In this role, she was the divine voice (themistes) who first instructed mankind in the primal laws of justice and morality, such as the precepts of belief, the rules of hospitality, good governance, conduct of assembly, and pious offerings to the gods. Themis was an early bride of Zeus(king of the gods) and his first counsellor as well as mother to The FatesandThe Horae. She was often represented seated beside his throne advising him on the precepts of divine law and the rules of fate. In Greek, the word ‘themis’ referred to divine law, those rules of conduct long established by custom. Unlike the word ‘nomos,’ the term was not usually used to describe laws of human decree.

(Zuhair Murad Spring 2013 Haute Couture Collection)

Coyolxāuhqui (pron. Koy-ol-shauw-kee) was the goddess of the moon in Aztec mythology. On the summit of Coatepec(Serpent Mountain), sat a shrine for Coatlicue(mother of the gods). One day, as she swept her shrine, a ball of hummingbird feathers fell from the sky. She snatched them up and became pregnant with the Aztec deity Huitzilopochtli(god of war). Hearing of the pregnancy Coyolxāuhqui led her brothers known as the Centzon Huitznahuas(Four Hundred Huiztnaua) in attack against their mother. However the attack was thwarted when Coatlicue miraculously gave birth to a fully grown and readily armed Huitzilopochtli. He killed his older sister by beheading her and throwing her body down the side of Coatepec and then scattered his brothers in all directions pursuing those who escaped relentlessly for years. Some authors have written that Huitzilopochtli tossed Coyolxauhqui’s head into the sky where it became the moon, so that his mother would be comforted in seeing her daughter in the sky every night, and that her scattered brothers later became Southern Star deities.

(Georges Hobeika Fall 2018 Haute Couture Collection)

Sekhmet(meaning‘She Who is Powerful’) was the goddess of the hot desert sun, plague, chaos, war, and healing in Egyptian mythology. She was born from the fire Ra’s(god of the sun) eyes as well as created as a weapon to destroy humans for their disobedience to him and for not living in accordance with the principles of Ma’at(goddess of justice). Sekhmet was a rather terrifying goddess, however for her friends she could avert plague’s and cure disease. She was the patron of physicians and healers and was seen as the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare. When she was in a calmer state she would take the form of the household cat goddess Bast. The ancient Egyptians believed that Sekhmet had a cure for every problem. In order to stay on her good side, they offered her food and drink, played music for her, and burned incense. They would whisper their prayers into the ears of cat mummies and offer them to Sekhmet. They believed that this was a direct connection to the deities and their prayers would be answered.

(Zuhair Murad Spring 2020 Haute Couture Collection)

Juno(meaning‘Youth’) was the goddess of marriage, home, and family as well as queen of the gods in Roman mythology. She was a champion of women and protector of the Roman state. She was also married to Jupiter(king of the gods), and served as a part of the divine ruling triumvirate known as the Capitoline Triad. Another aspect was that she was also considered a moon goddess, likely for her association with the waxing and waning of the celestial body, which in turn symbolised the cycles of growth and decay that defined all of existence. The fluidity of her identity made her one of the most broadly worshiped Roman deities, as is evidenced by the huge number of temples built in her honour and festivals held in her name. She was adapted from the Greek goddess Hera, and her essential characteristics and mythology were nearly identical to her Greek predecessor.

(Ziad Nakad Fall 2017 Haute Couture Collection)

Nāmaka(or Nā-maka-o-Kahaʻi, the eyes of Kahaʻi) was the goddess of the sea and older sister of Pele (goddess of volcanoes) in Hawaiian mythology. Like most sisters, the two were polar opposites. According to ancient legend, Nāmaka was married to a mighty sorcerer, Aukelenuiaiku. Upon meeting him she was impressed by his warrior spirit and showed him all her forms and taught him about her magical powers. But easily swayed, Aukelenuiaiku was seduced by her younger, beautiful sister, Pele. He ended up betraying Nāmaka by taking Pele as his wife. Overcome by rage, she sent high tides and floods to destroy Pele’s home. Pele and her family fled, but could not escape her sister’s wrath. Everywhere that Pele opened a crater for her volcanic fire to rest, the smoke would signal Nāmaka of her whereabouts. She followed Pele throughout the Hawaiian Island chain, until Pele finally settled in the high mountains of Mauna Loa, which proved too high for the ocean’s waves to reach. Pele then gained enough confidence to continuously battle Nāmaka. To this day, Pele’s eruptions from Hawaii Island’s volcanoes flow thick and hot till they reach the sea symbolising the match in strength between the sisters of fire and water.

(Zuhair Murad Spring 2019 Haute Couture Collection)

Selene(Σελήνη meaning‘Moon’)was the Titan Goddess of the moon in Greek mythology who was renowned for driving her moon chariot across the heavens. One of her great loves was with a shepard prince called Endymion who was granted eternal youth and immortality by Zeus(king of the gods) who then placed him in a state of eternal slumber in a cave near the peak of LydianMount Latmos. Each night Selene would visit him when the moon came down from the sky where she would consort with him because she couldn’t bare the thought of him dying. 

(Georges Hobeika Fall 2018 Haute Couture Collection)

Brigid (‘The Exalted One’) was the flamed haired goddess of spring, fertility and life in Celtic mythology. Beloved by poets, she was also the master of both healing and smithing. Her holiday, Imbolc(Saint Brigid’s Day), was held on February 1st which marks the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Like The Morrígan, some believed Brigid was once a triple deity.

(Valentino Spring 2015 Haute Couture Collection)