#ruha

Queen of the World of Darkness (alma ḏ-hšuka) in Mandaeism. She rules with her son, Ur; in one myth she is lead by the light-born figure Hibil Ziwa and trapped in a middle-realm. With her child after he is born she produced children who represent the seven planets and twelve constellations. In creation she represents the 'spirit' of the human whole, where her opposite, Ptahil, represents the 'soul', neither being able to produce anything without the other. She is said to have created Eve in her image and, in many stories, is spoken about more like a demon or seductress, whereas in others she is simply a fallen ruler and mother figure. She speaks in the way a wise mystic would, rather than an evil demonness, leading to conflicting beliefs of how she should be viewed, drawing parallels to the figure of Sophia in Gnosticism.

Pantheon: Mandaeism

Domain or Function: Queen of the World of Darkness, mother of dark figures.

Alternate Names: Namrūs, Hiwat (ࡏࡅࡀࡕ), has many epithets referring to her in both negative and positive light.

Character Traits: She is most commonly said to be evil and represent darkness but in several versions of her tales she is written as wise, humanlike, and sometimes kind.

Visual Traits: She is only said to wear a blue cloth or veil.

Symbolism: Waters of the underworld, seven planets, twelve constellations.