Mari a Basque Goddess
Old Europe, with its woman-based religions, was settled prior
to 4,000 B.C. Similar earth-based, female cultures existed in
Crete, Greece, Catal-Huyuk and Euskadi. In a survey of ancient
European civilizations between 7,000 and 3,500 B.C., Professor
Marija Gimbutas explains how recent archaeology has given us
a clear picture of this period, unearthing some 30,000 sculptures
of clay, marble, bone, copper and gold from some 3, 000 sites.
Prof. Gimbutas shows that the Creator of the world was perceived
as a goddess (like the Basque goddess Mari), that the great goddess
was "the central figure in the pantheon of gods" and
that "the pantheon reflects a society dominated by the mother"
The Basque pantheon consists of:
Mari
The supreme and foremost goddess of the Basque pantheon.
She is the goddess of thunder and wind, the personification of
the Earth. The thunder spirit Maju is her husband, and the benign
spirit Atarrabi and the evil spirit Mikelats are her sons. She
protects the travelers and the herds, and gives good council
to humans. She rides through the sky on a chariot pulled by four
horses, or on a ram. Sometimes she assumes the shape of a white
cloud or a rainbow. Mari ("queen") is represented as
a woman with a full moon behind her head, or in an animal shape.
Her symbol is a sickle. With the Christianization she was degraded
to an evil spirit.
Maju (Sugaar)
The Basque divine spirit of thunder whose encounters with
his wife Mari cause terrible thunderstorms or hailstorms. Maju,
also known as Sugaar, appears in the form of a snake.
Ilazki (Illargui, Iretargui)
The Basque goddess of the moon. She is a daughter of the
earth-goddess Lur and sister of the sun-goddess Ekhi. Ilazki
is also a goddess of light who shines in the dark for the souls
of dead. Her other names include Iretargui and Illargui ("light
of the dead").
Lur
The Basque goddess of the earth, mother of the sun Ekhi and
the moon Ilazki. Lur is the source of power for all that is alive.
Ekhi (Eguzki)
The Basque goddess of the sun. One single beam of her light
is enough to take away to power of nocturnal spirits and evil
wizards. Ekhi is the daughter of the earth-goddess Lur and sister
of the moon-goddess Ilazki.
Laminak
Basque fairies. The Laminak live underground in beautiful
castles.
Lamia
A water sprite or mermaid in Basque stories. She has none
of the malignancy of the conventional Lamia of classical mythology.
Mikelats
An evil storm spirit of the Basque. He is the son of the
goddess Mari.
Atarrabi
A benign spirit of the Basque. He is the son of the goddess
Mari.
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