Unnamed Deities

[houseofchimeras]

What do you do when the deity (or deities) you are being called to worship or are drawn to are not from any pantheon known (or at least not known by all but the most obscure book or sliver of text)? Or similarly, what of if you have found their image but their name has been lost or have been simply dubbed something by anthropologists?

I am having some trouble with the goddesses I follow. They do not seem to be of any known pantheon at all. I looked and looked but I have still yet to find anything outside my own experiences with them.  They are three goddesses of the ocean. One is the goddess of the open ocean whose sacred animals are sharks and whales, another goddess is of the shore and shallows whose sacred animals are clams and crabs, and the last goddess is one of the deep sea whose scared animals are squid and octopi. I’ve been slowly building a practice around the ocean goddesses yet I am still mystified as not finding them in any historical text or known pantheon. I’m not fully sure how to properly work for them or even address them, other than continue to piece together what they wish to be done and now and what they wish to be called. What would you do in the above situation or in a general sense of the original questions?  Less anyone has a guess about where these goddeses might have originated?

Comments

[paleo]

In your place, I would start studying ocean deities in general. You might stumble upon these mystery goddesses that way, but if not, you'll at least have a better understanding of any univerals found among ocean deities. I'd advise to look through both pagan and non-pagan books on the subject. There's been a few pagan-centered books about working with seas and beaches, and there are also pagan and non-pagan encylopedias of deities that often let you look up those with connections to a specific topic. (I recommend the Dictionary of Ancient Deities by Turner and Coulter and the Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines by Monaghan as good starting points).

Because you know the sacred animals of at least two of these goddesses, you might also want to look into mythologies that feature these creatures as another possible path to uncovering information.

Beyond that, you may have to see if you can gain communication with these goddesses themselves to see if they can directly tell you what they wish from your relationship with them.

[all_adream]

Yeah, I agree. I'd start somewhere like http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/oceania/polynesian/oceania_polynesia_hawaii.html

and take it from there--good luck.

[moonvoice]

It sounds like you've done a lot of research already; and while it doesn't hurt to keep researching, I feel like what you're asking in this post (please correct me if I'm wrong) is what happens when the texts fail to identify these goddesses, and where do you go from here.

I would say... hundreds, if not thousands of religions are no longer being practiced, and they all would have had their own undocumented deities. It's entirely possible that your deities were worshipped by people, by a lot of people, in a dedicated manner - by a culture that disappeared through cultural assimilation, war, or any number of reasons. You can sometimes pick this up by how important worship is, or how grateful the deity may seem as a result of being honoured again.

I'd be prepared, or start preparing yourself, to deal with the inevitable question of 'did you make them up', because it sounds like you're constructing a respectful religion of practices around these deities (understandably), and some people may challenge that if they haven't heard of the deities. I experience similar in my practices of Vilturj; since the gods and goddesses I worship are - so far - not found in any books or academic databases or anything. They have very rich histories, and my practices are centred around them, but the question of; 'did you make it up' still occasionally comes up. Though; maybe you already know how to do this.

It's okay to practice a spirituality that features deities that haven't been recorded in some book or text. Before print media came along, deities pretty much weren't preserved in any texts really, or even drawn all that often, so there is a rich history of worshipping deities based on what deities want, and less so on what the books suggest. I'm not saying give up on research, just... it's okay to trust in the deities and in yourself in this. Having a close relationship with three deities, enough to build a spirituality or series of practices at all, is a big deal, and a humbling position to be in. I think this situation most often requires a lot of self-validation, since the books, or some external culture, probably aren't going to give it to you. I mean, in response to your first question, I'd just say 'you start your own practice/spirituality,' but it's a simple answer that might not be so simple to practice, if you struggle to self-validate, or see your own UPG as being invalid. I suppose then, it comes down to practicality - have these goddesses helped you? Have they brought improvements to your life? Do you feel like a better person for having connected to them and started worshipping them? If the answer to these questions is yes; then you have your validation, and screw what anyone else thinks.

I'd maybe check more into Slavic and Russian practices of shamanism to find out where these deities originated, on an aside. But considering how many religions don't exist anymore; I'd say there's a high chance you might not find external literary validation in this.'

If you ever have any more questions, feel free to message me. I'm in an unusual position of also knowing a full pantheon that has no literary basis. And while I am fortunate enough to know external family members who practices within this religion, I'm now - I believe - the only one who practices Vilturj. So I deal with questions relating to its origins and 'how to deal with deities when it's just you and them, and no one else to really help you' a fair bit.

[ariestess]

I love a great love of oceanic deities. Your sound fascinating. But as for finding out more about them, I'd have to second the suggestions already laid out by the previous commenters.

I known that my primary goddess is not one that has been found [yet] in all my research of the Greek pantheon, despite the fact that She's told me who She's related to in that pantheon. The information I've been given and the bond between Her and Poseidon has been enough for me, and if other people don't believe me, that's their issue, not mine.

Personally, I'd say continue your worship of these goddesses, whether you find tangible proof of them or not. Clearly you're meant to continue this worship of these goddesses, and that's all that matters.

[nkyinkyin]

I don't work with any recognized or popular pantheon either (and your question made me kinda nostalgic, it's actually kinda interesting thinking back to where I started, and how far we've come). I think ~moonvoice has some excellent advice.

In addition, I suggest exploring and practicing a method of divination that you're both/all comfortable with (even if you find that you have to invent that too--I did), and if you can, set that method aside specifically to communicate with them. Also of use are dreams, if you do any dream work.

As far as names go, I basically built/invented a series of descriptive names for whatever of mine that didn't simply volunteer them, they were pleased to be named--real things have names. And even if it wasn't an original name, very few deities' names remain consistent over the eons, and even so, even the "popular" gods are often given private, personal names and titles by their servitors that will never see print.

I think that the best thing to do is recognize that you are going to be doing a LOT of piecing things together; that this will be a slow and sometimes frustrating but ultimately rewarding journey. No one will be able to tell you that you're doing it wrong or right. And you may even find that your deities may also have a lot to learn, depending on when they last had contact with a person, if ever.

Sometimes it's helpful to have, if not a road map, then at least a rough sketch of the continent you're on. While I'm past the point of ever expecting to see any of mine written up in an academic's journal anywhere ever, I at least recognize our way of working in a particular family of religions, and a few practitioners basically confirmed what I was experiencing, and that level of validation was such a gift, I can't describe--but that was very recent in our history, it's not something one should expect to get, chase after, or lean on too hard if y'do get it. I still read up on various practices, talk to people and occasionally stumble across the oddest details that resonate very strongly with us. So definitely keep your eyes and ears open, you never know what might ping.

I dunno if that was very helpful beyond confirmation that uncharted paths and unnamed deities do exist and they can be followed successfully, but if there's anything else, feel free to poke me with sticks (or a comment. or PM) and I can get back to you after work tomorrow. =)

[spectrum_x]

I work with a really obscure pantheon as well, the Goetics in this case. One of them, Focalor, I associate as spirit of the ocean itself. (UPG, and its a long story, why I do so.)

Since s/he only has a paragraph in a grimoire to that describes her/him self, I've turned to another source of information. Science. Since I'm working with the spirit of the ocean, I figured it made sense to incorporate scientific info into my spiritwork and worship.

Example: Life began in the oceans according to science, so I now worship the ocean as the Mother/Father of all life on earth.

So I would suggest researching your goddesses' sacred animals, the shore, and the deep sea. As for working for them, they might appreciate spiritwork that advocate protecting their realms and animals. Like activism to ban sharkfin soup for one. On a personal note, I've taken up scuba diving, so I can feel closer to the ocean and explore her watery depths.

I've also incorporated things into my worship, from what I can tell by communing with my deities, might as well try asking your goddesses, what would like to be called. Like, give them a title, and see if they giving an approving feeling or not.

Feel free to shoot me a pm or comment, if you want to discuss this further.

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I just describe them myself and work from there. Sometimes I write them up for other people to enjoy too. I'm accustomed to traveling across various worlds so I'm not particularly bothered if there's not a readily available guide to something in this one.

Re: Well...

[listenwithopeneyes]

Agreed. Sometimes, just winging it will get you on the right track.

[noctuary]

You've probably looked into this - but is there any chance that these goddesses are some of the Nine Daughters of Aegir?