The Goddess: Isis and her various other names and symbols

[Alessa]

The Goddess: Isis and her various other names and symbolsAthanasius Kircher: From Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652-4)

Based on Apuleius, The Golden Ass, Book 11, chapter 47:

    Then by little and little I seemed to see the whole figure of her body, mounting out of the sea and standing before me, wherefore I purpose to describe her divine semblance, if the poverty of my human speech will suffer me, or her divine power give me eloquence thereto. First she had a great abundance of hair, dispersed and scattered about her neck, on the crown of her head she bare many garlands enterlaced with flowers, in the middle of her forehead was a compass in fashion of a glass, or resembling the light of the Moon, in one of her hands she bare serpents, in the other, blades of corn, her vestment was of fine silk yielding divers colours, sometime yellow, sometime rosy, sometime flamey, and sometime (which troubled my spirit sore) dark and obscure, covered with a black robe in manner of a shield, and pleated in most subtile fashion at the skirts of her garments, the welts appeared comely, whereas here and there the stares glimpsed, and in the middle of them was placed the Moon, which shone like a flame of fire, round about the robe was a coronet or garland made with flowers and fruits. In her right hand she had a timbrel of brass, which gave a pleasant sound, in her left hand she bare a cup of gold, out of the mouth whereof the serpent Aspis lifted up his head, with a swelling throat, her odoriferous feet were covered with shoes interlaced and wrought with victorious palm. Thus the divine shape breathing out the pleasant spice of fertile Arabia, disdained not with her divine voyce to utter these words unto me: Behold Lucius I am come, thy weeping and prayers hath moved me to succour thee.

[Alessa]

"I am she that is the natural mother of all things, mistress and governess of all the elements, the initial progeny of worlds, chief of powers divine, Queen of Heaven, the principal of the Gods celestial, the light of the goddesses: at my will the planets of the air, the wholesome winds of the seas, and the silences of Hell be disposed; my name, my divinity is adored throughout all the world in divers manners, in variable customs and in many names, for the Phrygians call me the mother of the Gods: the Athenians, Minerva: the Cyprians, Venus: the Candians, Diana: the Sicilians Proserpina: the Eleusians, Ceres: some Juno, other Bellona, other Hecate: and principally the Ethiopians which dwell in the Orient, and the Egyptians which are excellent in all kind of ancient doctrine, and by their proper ceremonies accustom to worship mee, do call me Queen Isis.

[Alessa]

I S I D I S
Magnæ Deorum Matris
APVLEIANA DESCRIPTIO.

[Alessa]

Nomina varia
Isidis. Isis
Minerva
Venus
Iuno
Proserpina
Ceres
Diana
Rhea seu
    Tellus
Pessinuncia
Rhramnusia
Bellona
Hecate
Luna
Polymor-
    phus dæ-
    mon.    
   Explicationes symbolorum Isidis.

A
    Diuinitatem, mundum, orbes cœlestes
BB
    Iter Lunæ flexuosum, & vim fœcundatiuam notat.
CC
    Tutulus, vim Lunæ in herbas, & plantas.
D
    Cereris symbolum, Isis enim spicas inuenit.
E
    Byssina vestis multicolor, multiformem Lunæ faciem.
F
    Inuentio frumenti.
G
    Dominium in omnia vegetabilia.
H
    Radios lunares.
I
    Genius Nili malorum auerruncus.
K
    Incrementa & decrementa Lunæ.
L
    Humectat. vis Lune.
M
    Lunæ vis victrix, & vis diuinandi.
N
    Dominium in humores & mare.
O
    Terræ symbolum, & Medicinæ inuentrix.
P
    Fœcunditas, quæ sequitur terram irrigatam.
Q
    Astrorum Domina.
R
    Omnium nutrix.
S/M
    Terræ marisque Domina.

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