Lug the God of All Skills

I find myself always focused on Egyptian deities so, for a refreshing change, I'm going to talk about an ancient European god who recently caught my attention. Lug (pronounced as "loo") is a heroic polymath god in Celtic mythology and the leader of the Tuatha De Danann, the gods of light and goodness. Lug was also artist, wise man, sorcerer, musician, warrior and blacksmith all rolled into one. He and his forces fought against the Formarians. a race of evil giants led by Balor of The Evil Eye.



"Wait! Stop! I think I think my contact lens fell off."

Balor of The Evil Eye was the grandfather of Lug. He was given that name because of his malevolent gaze that can destroy armies. It as prophesied that Balor's own grandson will kill him so he imprisoned his only daughter in a cave. However, she was seduced and she bore triplets. Balor had the triplets drowned but one of them survived and his name was Lug. Lug was rescued and raised by the smith god Goibhnu. The god, taught in all arts, crafts and skills, grew into a handsome and brilliant man. In the epic battle of good versus evil, Lug finally killed his grandfather Balor by piercing his eye with a sling stone. Afterwards, the Tuatha De Danann ruled Ireland for many centuries. However, after many centuries, the old Celtic gods were forced to live underground after a crushing defeat by the ancestors of the Gaels. As ages gone by, the all-skill god Lug became a fairy craftsman known as Lugh-chromain ("low-stooping Lug"), better known as the folkloric leprechaun.




Man he really let go.


sources:
Gods and Goddesses: A Treasury of Deities and Tales from World Mythology (Macmillan Books)
Wikipedia

Netjer Cards set 1

Last week, I drew this set of Egyptian deities on blank calling cards. They're originally for sale but I like them so much I'm going to put them in a frame and display them in my house. Besides, I can make more cards like these.

Bishounen Sobek and Bishoujo Hathor

Here are my "bishinized" versions of the Egyptian deities Sobek and Hathor.

Thor Factoids

I can't wait to see the upcoming Thor movie. Yeah it's hardly mythology but still Marvel's Thor is based on the god of the same name. Here are a handful of factoids about the mighty son of Odin. The mythological one I mean.

Some Thor factoids

- In the Norse mythology, the thunder god has red hair.
- Thor devotees wear images of his hammer as pendants as a response to the rise of Christianity in Europe.
- The day Thursday is named after him.
- Thor has two goats (named Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr) that pull his chariot.
- Thor will do battle with the great serpent Jörmungandr during the immense mythical war waged at Ragnarök.

God's face in the skies

Here's an unphotoshopped photograph of the NGC 281 "PacMan" Emission Nebula in Cassiopeia. It is said that God's face can be seen here. Hold on...

Tyrannosaurus Rex! 8D

That was fun! Wait, there's something else...

... okay now I'm convinced. HAIL SOBEK!!!

The Lord of The Waters

Here's my latest rendition of the Crocodile God Sobek. Sobek (or Sebek) is an ancient Egyptian god of fertility, power, abundance and water. He's one of my all-time favorite ancient gods and a patron of mine. Don't let His reptilian appearance intimidate you. As far as I can see, Sobek is a benevolent god. I often invoke Sobek for power, guidance and protection. He hardly lets me down. Also, Sobek is the husband of Hathor the love goddess and Khonsu the moon god known for His healing miracles back in the day. That tells you something.

I wish I could tell you more about He who makes the herbage green but for now look at my latest artwork and read Wikipedia's entry on Him.

Hathor's Blessings on Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day and to celebrate it, I invoke the Egyptian cow goddess of love and beauty Hathor. Here's a bit of information from the all-knowing sage Wikipedius:

Hathor (ḥwt-ḥr, Egyptian for Horus's enclosure),^[1] was an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy.^[2] She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt. Hathor was worshiped by Royalty and common people alike in whose tombs she is depicted as "Mistress of the West" welcoming the dead into the next life.^[3] In other roles she was a goddess of music, dance, foreign lands and fertility who helped women in childbirth,^[3] as well as the patron goddess of miners.^[4]

According to the Book of The Heavenly Cow, the people of Lower Egypt rebelled against the sun god Re who was in human form at that time. Ra knew that the people planned to assassinate Him and so He told His daughter Hathor. Hathor became so angry She became the war goddess Sekhmet and proceeded to slaughter the people. Sekhmet became bloodthirsty and refused to stop massacring when Ra told Her to stop. When Ra tricked Her into drinking wine (disguised as blood), Sekhmet got drunk and transformed back into the gentle Hathor.

It is speculated the the golden calf worshiped by the Hebrews and ordered by the legendary magician Moses to be destroyed was an image of Hathor although it could be a different cow/bull deity from other ancient Middle-eastern cultures. The Ancient Greeks who came to Egypt adore Her and identified Her with their love goddess Aphrodite. Depending on which temple, Hathor is either a consort to Horus the Elder or the wise and knowledgeable Thoth. In the temple Kom-Ombo, Hathor is the wife of the crocodile Sobek and the mother of the moon god Khonsu thus forming what I call the Sobekian Triad.

How they ended up together, I may never know.

So, by the power of Lady Hathor, I send you blessings on this Valentine's Day. Now go and eat your chocolates.

Hathor

Here's my own rendition of the cow goddess Hathor.