Week 13 Microfiction Story: Water Goddesses from Different Cultures

 

Statue of the Goddess Mazu. Located at Lin Moniang Park in Tainan. Source.

 

China - The Goddess Mazu

Worshiped by fishermen and sailors

A fisherman’s wife gave birth to her sixth daughter. The daughter was born with her eyes open, and made no sound or cry until she was four years old. They named her Mo – “the silent one.” The God Guanyin was impressed by the girl’s silence, and blessed her with powers. Mo excelled at swimming, and discovered she could manifest her spirit in far-off places. She used this to guide ships to shore. One day, her father and brother became lost in a storm at sea. Mo manifested on the shore, and used her powers to guide them home.

Babylon - The Goddess Tiamat

Goddess of the Sea

The sea merged with freshwater, and created a marriage between Tiamat and Abzu. This marriage produced divine offspring, but Abzu feared their rebellion. Abzu confronted his children who admitted they were planning usurp his throne. A fight ensues, and Abzu is slayed. Enraged, Tiamat morphs into a massive sea dragon, bringing forth monsters and dragons unto the world. She wages war against her children, attacking them with her devilish creations. The storm-god, Marduk, confronts the goddess. The bloody battle raged across the cosmos, but ended with Marduk’s victory. Marduk divided Tiamat’s body to form the heavens and the earth.

Ireland - The Goddess Boann

Goddess of the river Boyne

Dagda, husband to the goddess Boann, forbid her from approaching Connla's Well. Temptation overcame her, and Boann found herself drawing near. Looking into its depths, the goddess saw a salmon swimming in circles. The power of the well was tangible, and the goddess felt she must challenge it. Thrice the goddess circled the well, and with each step the ground shook. Suddenly, the water within surged up in a violent vortex. The waters rushed down to the sea, creating the river Boyne. In the madness, Boann was swept away to the sea. Unable to fight the current, the goddess drowned.

Author's Note: I didn't initially plan to write about water goddesses, but the first two just happened to be water deities, so I found a third to keep the theme. I didn't know about these goddesses beforehand, but I thought they were so cool! I've been interested in reading about deities lately, so I wanted to keep with with my micro-fiction momentum and make some more.

Week 12 Story: Three Microfiction Stories of The Mesopotamian Goddess, Inanna

 

Goddess Ishtar on an Akkadian Empire seal, 2350–2150 BC. She is equipped with weapons on her back, has a horned helmet, and is trampling a lion held on a leash. Source.

 

Inanna Steals the Divine Decree

The Goddess Inanna took pride in her conquests, as is wont of a god of war. However, due to her station as a woman, many of the Gods lacked the proper respect she knew she deserved — the god Enki among them. Enki was the God of Creation, and holder of the mes. Inanna snuck into Eridu and stole the mes — fleeing back to her city, Uruk. When Enki awoke, he was infuriated by the mes’ disappearance. He sent his legion after Inanna, but they were too late. She entered the safety of Uruk, claiming the mes as her own.

(99 words) 

Inanna Takes Command of Heaven 

The siblings Inanna and Utu discussed the temple Eanna. It being so near to Uruk, Inanna lamented that it was not in her domain. She resolved to claim it and journeyed to the temple. On the way, Inanna landed in a marsh. She became lost and unable to find her way. A passing fisherman saw her and guided her through. Upon exiting, she walked through the desert and came upon the temple’s steps. At the top stood her father, An. An was angry at her arrogance, but understood that she had overcome hardships. He gave her ownership of Eanna.

(99 words)

 

Inanna and Shukaletuda  

Inanna rested underneath a poplar tree. The tree belonged to Shukaletuda who discovered the sleeping goddess. Unable to contain his lust, he took her as she slept. The Goddess awoke in a rage and vowed to destroy he who had violated her. She stormed through the earth in search of her prey, unleashing plagues and turning water into blood. In fear, Shukaletuda hid in Uruk. Losing her target, Inanna asks Enki for help. He sends her across the sky as a rainbow to Shukaletuda. Shukaletuda makes excuses for his crime, but Inanna is unrelenting, and she cuts off his head.

(100 words)

 

Author's Note: I read about Inanna a few weeks ago, and thought she was the coolest goddess I had never heard of. I wanted to try out microfictions, and it was really hard! I like detail, so I had trouble trying to include enough, but not too much. I think it worked out OK, but I would have loved to include more!

Bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna