Daily Deities #6: Nikumbila/Narasimhi/Pratyangira

    I was in a bad mood recently. I was feeling very angry at myself for no reason. I was walking around and thinking to myself and so I did some research on Hindu goddesses, specifically the scary, angry ones. Whenever I look at the angry goddesses, there's always some form of good, powerful symbolism behind them and it makes me feel good. I stumbled upon one in particular who I found very interesting and so I wanted to share what I learned with you.

    I have watched and read the Ramayan on multiple occasions and I'd always heard that Ravan's son, Meghnad/Indrajit had gotten all his strength and magical power from a goddess named Nikumbila. I'd heard of how he performed Tantric rites in order to please her. I just never looked up this goddess to learn if she was an actual Hindu goddess. I sort of just assumed she was some kind of Rakshasa goddess who only appears in the Ramayan because I'd never heard her name anywhere else. Now, I had also heard of another goddess, Pratyangira, who was a form of Goddess Durga with a lion's head. I knew that she was one of the Matrikas, who are 7-8 forms of Goddess Durga who help the goddess fight in battle. The Matrikas each represent the energy and power of a god or an avatar of Vishnu (except for Chamunda, who has no male counterpart). Pratyangira is also called Narasimhi because she is the female energy of Narasimha, Vishnu's lion-man hybrid avatar. Narasimha is one of Vishnu's most powerful incarnations. His anger nearly destroyed the universe. So, if Narasimha is so powerful, just imagine how powerful Pratyangira is since she's the physical representation of his entire power.

    It wasn't until recently that I learned that Nikumbila was just another name for Pratyangira and it surprised me. She also goes by a couple of other names. In Vaishnavism, she is considered the wife of Narasimha. Narasimha literally means "human-lion" (Nara-simha). Narasimhi is the feminine version (name-wise). While she is often associated with Goddess Kali, she is also considered a form of Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. Hence, she is also called Simhamukha Lakshmi ( lion-headed Lakshmi). In South India, she is known as Atharvani Bhadrakali, identifying her as the goddess of the Atharva Veda (which also makes her the goddess of magic and spells, since the Atharva Veda has magic spells in it). Prati means reverse, while Angiras means attacking. Hence, Pratyangira is the goddess who can reverse and protect oneself from black magic. She is the goddess of both offensive and defensive power.

    Her lion head on a human body is a representation of the balance between good and evil. She also rides a lion and sometimes has blue skin and fur with a wide-open mouth and lots of teeth. Her eyes are often red with anger and in her four hands, she carries a trident, a damaru (basically a hand-drum), a cobra snake as a noose (badass!), and a skull.

    Pratyangira has a couple stories. She is often present whenever Durga or Shiva summons the Matrikas to help them fight in battle, and she also helps Goddess Lalitha when fighting Bhandasura. One story states that some sages were performing a yagna to the Ashta-Lakshmis (the eight forms of Lakshmi). While doing so, they were attacked by a powerful demon. To protect them, Lakshmi transforms into Pratyangira and kills the demon.

    Another story states that when Narasimha killed Hiranyakashipu, he was still so angry, that his anger and power were burning the universe and threatening to destroy it completely. In fear, the gods all ran to Lord Shiva for help. So Shiva sent his incarnation Veerbhadra to stop him. Veerbhadra tried to explain to Narasimha, but when words and reason failed, the two started fighting. Shiva felt that things were getting out of hand and so he incarnated as Sharabha. Sharabha was a bird-lion monster who began to fight Narasimha, but neither could defeat the other. So, Pratyangira Devi burst forth from Sarabha's wings and nullified Narasimha's power in a second. JUST. LIKE. THAT. No fight or anything! If Narasimha is so powerful, just imagine how powerful SHE is.

    Remember that as we segway into how her devotee became so powerful thanks to her. In the Ramayan, Pratyangira made a cameo appearance under the name Nikumbila. Nikumbila is actually Ravan's Kuldevi (family goddess). Meghnad was given a boon by Brahma that gave him knowledge of her mantra and the Tantric rites that he should perform to get her power. He did so and became very powerful, especially in the magical arts (like sorcery and illusions, since Nikumbila is the goddess of magic). Using this power, Meghnad defeated Indra, earning him the name Indrajit. Indrajit caused tons of problems for Lord Ram and his army during the Ramayan. At one point, He caused Ram and Lakshman to fall unconscious, and also nearly killed Lakshman. But luckily, Lakshman survived thanks to Hanuman and returned to kill Meghnad. He attacked Meghnad at the cave where he worshipped Nikumbila. If he disrupted Meghnad mid-worship, then Meghnad would be vulnerable, because he hadn't completed his sacrifice. Lakshman killed Meghnad, giving Lord Ram the upper hand in the war.

    Considering how powerful Pratyangira is, I'm not really surprised that Meghnad was as powerful as he was. Anyone would be if they worshipped her at his level. Well, you know what they say: Behind every great man is a great woman.

Nikumbila: Picture credit link

Pratyangira: Picture credit link

    What do you think of Pratyangira? Which of her names is your favourite? Did you know about Meghnad and Nikumbila? Comment below! (Please comment responsibly. Constructive criticism is welcome)

Daily Deities #5: Hestia/Vesta

     Hestia is the greek virgin goddess of the hearth, the household, and domesticity. I decided to write about her because I was feeling very comfortable and cozy in my home. I also reread the Dark Phoenix Saga. Together, they gave me a Hestia vibe (I don't know). My brother and I are X-Men comic fans and we love Dark Phoenix, so whenever we think of a "fire-related person", we tend to think of "badass-phoenix-powerhouse". So, when I told him about Hestia, he completely ignored the domestic, household part of Hestia and only focused on the fireplace aspect. He thinks she is some kind of Dark Phoenix-like fire goddess, and it's hilarious.

    Hestia is the oldest child of the Titan Kronos and his wife Rhea and the first deity in the Olympian pantheon. Her name has Proto-Indo-European origins and literally means "fireplace", or "hearth". She was the first child to be eaten by Kronos and also the last to be vomited. Hence, she is the oldest AND the youngest. When the Olympian gods defeated the Titans and set up shop on Mt. Olympus, Hestia's role was tending the sacred flame. She was a peaceful, benevolent deity, and never meddled in the crazy affairs and bickering of the other gods. When the god Dionysus came to Olympus, Hestia gave her position as the 12th Olympian to Dionysus, arguing that her place was at the fireplace (This story is actually more modern, but it never actually happened. When people list the twelve Olympians, they'll either include Hestia OR Dionysus. As Dionysus became more popular with time, people kind of assume he "took her place", but there are no primary sources for this story).

    One thing Hestia is known for is her virginity. Apollo and Poseidon both fell in love with Hestia and asked for her hand in marriage. But Hestia wanted to be unmarried for life. So, she went to Zeus and swore an oath to be unmarried and a virgin for all life. Because of this, Hestia is one of three goddesses whom Aphrodite has no power over. Once, the mother goddess Cybele was hosting a feast where gods, goddesses, satyrs ad nymphs were all invited. Hestia attended the feast, but Priapus (a minor fertility and wilderness god) saw her and became attracted to her. While she slept, he attempted to assault her, but Silenus's donkey started braying. Everyone woke up and rushed to defend Hestia and Priapus was chased away.

    One thing to note is that there is a small difference between Hestia and Vesta (her Roman counterpart). When people learn about the Greek and Roman gods, they tend to think they're the same gods, just with different names. That is only 70% true. The thing with the Roman deities is that they already existed before the Romans met the Greeks. The Roman deities evolved from various Italian tribal gods and from a hypothetical Proto-Indo-European Mythology (where the Greek gods also came from). The Roman gods had fewer stories about them but were still worshipped. When the Romans met the Greeks, they adopted a lot of their stories about their gods, and the two cultures heavily influenced each other. Hence, there is a difference between the gods.

    The difference between Hestia and Vesta is that Hestia isn't important in the Greek pantheon, but has a few stories about her. Vesta, meanwhile, is one of the most important Roman goddesses, but there are no stories about her (Vesta was more of an abstract goddess). Scholars can't seem to agree on where her name came from and what it means. Vesta wasn't depicted in human form and was represented by the sacred flame in her temple. The only people allowed in her temple were her priestesses, who were called Vestal Virgins. Their jobs were tending to the sacred flame. Assaulting them was seen as the worst crime in all of Rome. Vesta had almost no stories about her other than Vestal Virgins getting pregnant thanks to fire from a hearth (don't ask how).

    Vesta was the purest and good-mannered of the gods and was also seen as a fertility goddess and a mother goddess. She was represented by a fire stick in some fertility cults and was also a goddess of impregnation (ok? weird). Hence, in some versions, she played a role in the birth of Romulus and Remus (the mythical/historical founders of Rome). Because the fireplace and the earth both played an important part in the household (and because Vesta is a fertility goddess), Vesta has been linked to Terra, the goddess of the earth, by many scholars and poets. Thresholds were also sacred to Vesta. Hence, brides usually stepped over the threshold for good luck by not disrespecting Vesta. Both Vesta and Janus (the god of doorways) were present at all weddings and sacrifices and neither was fully depicted in human form.

    Vesta has always been one of the most important goddesses to the Romans and her worship goes as far back as the beginning of Rome itself, with her origins being even older. She was believed to be one of several Trojan gods whose worship was brought to Italy by Aeneas (ancestral Trojan founder of Rome). Her household worship expanded into a full-blown cult that was popular throughout Rome and regarded as the most important. All emperors were priests of Vesta from the title alone. But when Christianity began to rise in popularity, Vesta's popularity went down and was one of the last Roman cults to be deleted from existence.

    I like how Hestia is so calm and composed and that the Romans worshipped Vesta so much. Do you agree with my brother's Dark Phoenix representation? What do YOU like about Hestia/Vesta? DO you like Hestia/Vesta? Why or why not? Comment below! (Please comment responsibly. Constructive criticism is welcome.)

Daily Deities #4: Medea

    Medea is my favorite character in Greek Mythology and so I've decided to talk about her. Even though she's kind of framed as a bit of a villain in Greek Mythology, she's one of those rare strong female characters who had so much unique depth to her character rather than some pathetic damsel in distress. Also, it's fun to say "MEDEA THE WITCH!!!" for some reason. I don't know why.

    Medea's family tree is pretty simple by Greek mythological standards. Helios, the sun god had two children: Circe and Aeetes. Aeetes became the king of Colchis (a kingdom on the east coast of the Black Sea), and he is the father of Medea. All the descendants of Helios (including Medea), are all said to have golden eyes, and Medea is said to have very blonde hair (which is weird since all Renaissance painting versions of her show her with brown or black hair).

    Medea, like her aunt Circe, was a priestess of Hecate (the chthonic goddess of magic), which made her a powerful sorceress. Medea shows up all over the place in Greek mythology, but her main story comes to us from two written works. First, The Argonautica, an epic written by Apollonius Rhodes; and Medea, and play/tragedy written earlier by Euripides. The Argonautica focuses on Jason, the prince of Thessaly, whose uncle Pelias usurps the throne from his father and so Jason is raised in secret before returning to claim his throne. On the way, he helps an old lady cross a river. It turns out the old lady is the goddess Hera, who has a grudge against Pelias and so she helps Jason throughout the story.

    When Jason reaches Pelias, Pelias tells him he'll give him the throne if he can retrieve the Golden Fleece from Colchis. The Golden Fleece is the skin of a golden ram that is protected in Colchis. So to go to Colchis, Jason (with help from Hera), builds a ship called the Argo and assembles a team of famous Greek heroes who he dubs the Argonauts. They deal with many problems along the way but they eventually reach Colchis. Aeetes didn't want to part with his kingdom's most prized possession so he gave Jason some tasks to accomplish. First, he had to plow a field with fire-breathing bulls, then he had to sow the field with dragon's teeth and then defeat an army of warriors.

    While Jason thinks about how to do this, Medea falls deeply in love with Jason. She decides to help Jason by giving him an ointment to protect him and she also told him how to deal with the other tasks. Jason completes the tasks, and that night, Hera sends nightmares to Medea to warn her that Aeetes has found out about her involvement. So she runs to the Argo and warns them to flee from Colchis and take her with them. Jason promises to marry her when they go back to Greece and swears an oath to the gods to always love only her (remember that!). Medea then charms the snake guarding the Golden fleece to sleep, allowing them to steal it and run away. Medea's brother Absyrtus nearly catches them, but Medea lures him into a trap and throws his dismembered body parts into the ocean.

    So Jason and Medea arrive in Thessaly and give Pelias the Golden Fleece. But Pelias doesn't care. Meanwhile, everyone is amazed, since they'd never seen an Eastern woman before, let alone one skilled in awesome sorcery. The king's daughters watch Medea take a sick, old goat; butcher it, dump it in her pot of herbs and resurrect it. A young and healthy lamb comes out. The princesses think that's really cool so they try to do the same to their dad and fail. Due to being the center of a gruesome crime, Jason and Medea are kicked out of Thessaly and they move to Corinth.

    They have a pretty decent life in Corinth for ten years along with their two children. But then, Jason starts courting Creusa (princess of Corinth and daughter of king Creon), hoping that marrying her would secure the royalty of his lineage. Medea becomes crazy furious at this and so King Creon exiles her and her children to prevent Medea from murdering anyone. Medea pleads with him and he agrees to give her one whole day before she leaves. Medea is brilliant, clever, and powerful, and so starts carefully plotting her revenge (like the badass girlboss she is!).

    Now, being strategic, she starts planning an exit strategy, because she knows that if she just starts murdering people, she'll be wanted for murder with no safe haven to run to. She encounters Jason, who is angry at her for getting herself exiled and isn't even ashamed of his own behavior. Medea roasts him by reminding him of all the times she saved him and everything she sacrificed for him. She reminds him of how (in helping him) she's made enemies everywhere, making exile a death sentence for her. He tells her that she got more than what she gave since she's famous now (I think you mean infamous) and that she gets to live in Greece instead of her Eastern homeland. He also doesn't consider her his wife because she's a barbarian witch (who is crazy powerful and could kill you if she wanted to).

    Medea encounters Aegeus, the king of Athens, who sympathizes with her and offers her safety in Athens. Great! NOW she can enact her revenge plan. She takes a golden dress and crown (gifts from Helios) and covers them in a powerful poison. She also decides to kill her children (damn, she's going really far to hurt Jason). She calls Jason and pretends to be really sad about their argument and Jason buys it. She asks him to convince Creusa to convince Creon to at least let the children stay instead of joining her in exile. Jason agrees and Medea then gives the golden clothes to her children to give as wedding gifts to Creusa. Creusa wore the clothes and then caught fire! (Medea is badass, but where can I get poison like THAT?). King Creon laments, cradles Creusa's body, and also dies (haha!).

    Medea then appears, carrying her dead children, in a flying chariot pulled by dragon-snakes (awesome!). She taunts Jason about how she's taken everything from him and there's nothing he can do about it. He tries to tell her that she will be punished for her actions, while Medea roasts him, saying that he broke his oath to the gods and that she will purify herself of her sins. On the other hand, Jason would die a horrible, lonely death, crushed under the ruins of his only heroic achievement. Medea then flies off to Athens and marries Aegeus. Jason meanwhile, gets crushed by the rotting remains of the Argo (representing his only heroic achievement. Oof). Medea, meanwhile, had a son with Aegeus named Medes, then failed to kill Theseus, and then went into hiding. She helped Hercules deal with some mental insanity issues before people recognized her and Hercules bought her enough time to run off again. This time, she left Greece, and either went back Colchis and killed her father's usurper (badass girlboss!) or went as far as Iran, where her son founded the Medes tribe.

    It's also interesting that a pivotal character like Medea didn't have a story about her death. Her story is proof that despite being a nuanced villainess, SHE was the one who always had the tacit approval of the entire pantheon of Greek gods, and not Jason (the "hero"). Jason's heroism began when he won the favor of Hera, the goddess of MARRIAGE and FAMILY. She was his patron god and Zeus was known for punishing OATH BREAKERS. Then Jason BETRAYED HIS WIFE, and ABANDONED HIS CHILDREN, and BROKE HIS DIVINE OATH of loving only Medea. Medea was honestly, completely justified in doing everything she did. Jason would have never succeeded in his quest without Medea, but because of her murderous methods, he ended up failing to claim the royalty he had been after in the first place. The royalty he then tried to obtain through Creusa. But in casting aside Medea, he made a TERRIBLE enemy. I mean, I would LOVE to have a badass, girlboss, SORCERESS wife! Medea could have helped him gain royal status again through her cunning tactics WITHOUT him having to cheat on her! I mean, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING JASON?!!!

    You can tell how much I love Medea by my enthusiasm in this post. What do YOU think about Medea? Do you consider her a girlboss or a supervillain? Or something in between? Comment below! (Comment responsibly. Constructive criticism is welcome.)