TASK 2
Greek -Athena- Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. She was the favorite child of Zeus. She had sprung fully grown out of her father's head. Her mother was Metis, goddess of wisdom and Zeus' first wife. In fear that Metis would bear a son mightier than himself. Zeus swallowed her and she began to make a robe and helmet for her daughter. The hammering of the helmet caused Zeus great pain in the form of headaches and he cried out in agony. Skilled Hephaestus ran to his father and split his skull open and from it emerged Athena, fully grown and wearing her mother's robe and helmet. goddess of war and parton defender of many greek cities . She stands for discipline against the more unruly conduct of the other gods. The olive tree is sacred to her . She is also associated with ship building and domestic crafts .
Poseidon- The son of Cronus and Rhea, Poseidon is one of six siblings who eventually "divided the power of the world." His brothers and sisters include: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. The division of the universe involved him and his brothers, Zeus and Hades. Poseidon became ruler of the sea, Zeus ruled the sky, and Hades got the underworld. The other divinities attributed to Poseidon involve the god of earthquakes and the god of horses. The symbols associated with Poseidon include: dolphins, tridents, and three-pronged fish spears. Many men drowned horses in sacrifice of his honor. He lived on the ocean floor in a palace made of coral and gems, and drove a chariot pulled by horses. He was relied on by the sailors for a safe voyage he was a very moody divinity and violent. When he was in a bad mood Posiden would strike the ground with a tridentand cause unreulwy springs and earthquakes, ship wrecks and drownings. He exerted power on women and objectifying masculinity. He had many love affairs and children.

Celtic
Morrigan-The Morrigan is a goddess of battle, strife, and fertility.Her name translates as either "Great Queen" or "Phantom Queen." The origins of the Morrigan seem to reach directly back to the megalithic cult of the Mothers. She often appaered as a beautiful woman or a hooded crow.
Aengus-Irish god,of love and youth. Son of the Dagda and 'the wife of Elcmar'. He was a young handsome god that had four birds flying about his head -- some say they symbolize kisses -- who inspired love in all who heard them. He is associated with the valley of the River Boyne. Aengus was said to have dreamed of a beautiful maiden, for whom he searched all Ireland. He eventually found her, named Caer, chained to 150 maidens who were destined to turn into swans at the feast of Samhain. Aengus transformed himself into a swan and was so united with Caer, who followed him back to his palace at Brugh na Boinne on the River Boyne
Polynesian
Tāwhirimātea-the god of weather, including thunder and lightning, wind, clouds and storms.children of Tāwhirimātea are the various kinds of rain, mists and fog. Tāwhirimātea's attacks on his brothers led to the flooding of large areas of the land.
Faumea- Faumea was an ocean goddess. Man-killing eels dwelled in her, but she taught the sea god Tangaroa how to safely lure them out. Tangaroa and Faumea subsequently had two sons together
African
Mawu-Mawu is the Supreme Deity of the Fon people of modern Benin. With Her husband, Lisa, She created the universe. They are sometimes presented as Mawu-Lisa the great androgymous Creator.Their son, Gu, is the smith god, or divine tool. They used him to shape the universe. The serpent Da, also helped them during creation.
Mawu was the goddess of night, joy, and motherhood. In many of the myths she constantly reminds characters that she created life and could just as easily take it away.
BUMBA-the African Creator God of Vomit. He was seen as a giant pale figure. As the myth goes he did not feel well and vomited up the sun and universe. he then vomited up nine animals and humans off all shaped and sizes.
Chinese
CH'ENG-HUANG-God of moats and walls. Every village and town had its own Ch'eng-Huang, most often a local dignitary or important person who had died and been promoted to godhood. His divine status was revealed in dreams, though the gods made the actual decision. Ch'eng-Huang not only protects the community from attack but sees to it that the King of the Dead does not take any soul from his jurisdiction without proper authority. Ch'eng-Huang also exposes evil-doers in the community itself, usually through dreams
KWAN YIN-Goddess of mercy and compassion. A lady dressed in white seated on a lotus and holding an infant. Murdered by her father, she recited the holy books when she arrived in Hell, and the ruler of the underworld could not make the dead souls suffer. The god sent her back to the world of the living, where Kwan Yin attained great spiritual insight and was rewarded with immortality by the Buddha. A popular goddess, Kwan Yin's temple at the Mount of the Wondrous Peak was ever filled with a throng of pilgrims shaking rattles and setting off firecrackers to get her attention.
Hindu
Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming, knowledge, and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self." Saraswati is represented in Hindu mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped by all persons interested in knowledge, especially students, teachers, scholars, and scientists. In Her popular images and pictures, Goddess Saraswati is generally depicted with four arms (some pictures may show only two arms), wearing a white sari and seated on a white lotus. She holds a book and a rosary in Her rear two hands, while the front two hands are engaged in the playing of a lute Her right leg is shown slightly pushing against Her left leg. She uses a swan as Her vehicle. There is a peacock by Her side gazing at her.
Lord Ganesha - the Hindu deity in a human form but with the head of an elephant - represents the power of the Supreme Being that removes obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. For this reason, Hindus worship Ganesha first before beginning any religious, spiritual or worldly activity. In Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is the first son of Lord Shiva and the Divine Mother Parvati. Their second son is Lord Subramanya and their daughter is Jyoti. As explained below, the portrayal of Lord Ganesha as the blend of human and animal parts symbolizes the ideals of perfection as conceived by Hindu sages and illustrates some philosophical concepts of profound spiritual significance.
Japanese
AMATERASU- Sun goddess, ruler of the heavens. When her great enemy, the storm god Susa-No-Wo, destroyed her fine palace, Amaterasu went to hide in a cave. The other gods used all their magical tricks to get her to come out, to no avail. In her absence, darkness and demons ruled the earth until Ama-No-Usume lured Amaterasu out of the cave with a trick. With a comical and obscene dance, he made the gods gathered at the mouth of the cave laugh. When Amaterasu asked what was going on, Ama-No-Uzume said that they had found another and better sun goddess. Amaterasu peeped out of her cave and saw her own reflection in a mirror which Ama-No-Uzume had hung on a nearby tree. Fascinated, Ameratasu drew a little closer for a better look, and the gods grabbed her and hauled her out.
IZANAGI- Creator god and goddess sent down from heaven to build the earth. The other gods and goddesses are his descendants, but when the god of fire was born he burned his mother to death. Descending to the underworld, Izanagi followed Izanami to bring her back, but she forbade him to look at her. Izanagi looked anyway and Izanami tried to imprison him in the underworld. Pursued by Izanimi's furies, Izanagi escaped and sealed up the entrance to the underworld with a boulder. Enraged, Izanami vowed to kill a thousand of Izanami's subjects a day, and Izanami vowed to create fifteen hundred a day. So it was that Izanami became the goddess of death and Izanagi became the lord of life.