Lady of the Wild Creatures

LADY OF WILD CREATURES

Goddess as Lifegiver: Throughout Paleolithic and Neolithic cultures, the link between the Goddess and Her creatures was more than a bond: the animals were considered a manifestation of the Goddess Herself. She ruled the creation, growth and nurturance, death and regeneration of plants, animals and people. Her widespread iconography can be found in many forms: on sacred and everyday objects as well as on cave walls, pottery and jewelry. She is wearing a Scythian necklace and holding a staff with a finial from c. 4th century BCE Ukraine. The carving on the purple stone is from a 16th century BCE seal from Knossos, Crete; the gold winged goddess with animals is after the decoration on a hydria from Italy, 570 BCE. They are sitting on a rock with a carving of the Goddess of Canaan, from Israel or Lebanon, 1200 BCE; the drawing of the deer on the rock is after a Cro-Magnon cave drawing from Lascaux, France. The gingko is the oldest tree and the only surviving tree from the vast forests that covered the earth millions of years ago.