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Beliefs
Maiden: Independence in Action
The Maiden is the youngest aspect of the Goddess, related with discovery and most creative aspects of our personality. She is the innocence and lack of worries, the joy of living. She is asociated with Spring and beginings, and her festival falls on Ostara
Before we go on, I'd like to make a small note on this particular aspect of the Goddess. The name for it is Maiden, but we must remember when we think about her that we're not referring to maidenhood in the sense that was given to it later of sexual virginity. What were really talking about is an aspect of general innocence, and mainly independence. The Maiden is her owner, responsible for herself, in a way almost inconcivable in patriarchal societies, closer to contemporary equal rights than the idea of women we had during most of christianity's history in the Western civilization.
The names this aspect can take vary according to the different cultures we look upon. Some of these represent different, secondary aspects of the Maiden, like smaller facets on the bigger face of our crystal. As possible examples, we could mention:
- Ninniane, also called Nimue, in the arthurian myth. She was the maiden that Merlin courted, who learnt from him only to lock him in the oak or cave (depending on the version) after his constant advances.
- Artemis, among the greek deities, as the eternal Virgin Goddess, Lady of the forests and hunting, and in a somewhat strange atribute, also of birth.
- Persephone or Proserpina, whose name means exactly maiden. Daughter of Demeter, was kidnaped by Hades and reigns with him in the Underworld, thus reminding us of another aspect of the Goddess: the Crone.
- Rhiannon, in celtic myth. Maiden from the Underwolrd (which relates her to Persephone) in her myth we can see each and every aspect of the Triple Goddess, in sucession. This makes her a good example to study them.
- Parvati, in hindu mythology. She first appears as Maiden, only to become later Shiva's, the Lord of Destruction, mate.
- Chalchihuitlicue, wife of Tlaloc, the God of Rains for the Aztecs, was called the Precious Jewelled Lady, and had in her aspects asociated with the Maiden like flowers, spring and the beauty of youth.
An interesting note on all these cases is that in every single one of them, the relationship with the masculine aspects is made under strict rules. In cases like Nimue or Artemis, an undesired masculine intromision is punished with confinement in the first case, and with a horrible death in the greek myth, like Acteon being chased and killed by his own hounds. In Parvati's case, she demands the man's complete submission before she's conquered. And Rhiannon only accedes to marry after a long series of trials her lover must pass.
Other typical aspects of the Maiden we can mention are Rhada, Krishna's mate for the hindus, a joyfull, almost playfull deity; or Blodeuwed for the celts, that was made as a perfect woman and punished by turning into an owl for killing an abusive husband. We sould keep in mind that the owl, also associated with wisdom, is one of the Maiden's favourite animal, like we can well see in Atenea.
The Maiden is usually associated with the Waxing Moon, the colours white and pink, and flowers, especially the wild and/or white ones. The animals associated with her are the already mentioned owl, deers or any other wild animal.
This is the aspect of the Goddess we should call upon in anything that deals with beginings in our lives, wether they are jobs, relationships or projects
