Varunor

Cuca

A bogeyman developed from Spain and Portugal's tale of a dragon called Coco. In Brazil the monster has become a horrible beast, said to be a crocodilian woman with long blonde hair, Cuca. She abducts children who are never to be seen again, either stuffing them in a bag or swallowing them. It is said that when she becomes angry you can hear her coming from miles and miles away.

Pantheon: Brazilian

Domain: Bogeyman

Alternate Names: Coco, Coca

Character Traits: She preys on children who misbehave.

Visual Traits: Said to be a monstrous crocodilian humanoid with long blonde hair.

Symbolism: N/A

Chalchiuhtlicue

The goddess of groundwater, opposite her heavenly consort Tlaloc. She is the goddess of all waters; rivers, oceans, springs, tears, storms, and important the water of the womb. At the time of birth the parents asked for blessings from the great goddess, sprinkling water and bathing the baby while praying to her. She was most importantly the Fourth Sun in the Aztec creation cycle, succeeding her husband Tlaloc after his destruction of the last sun by fiery rain, and being succeeded by Huītzilōpōchtli after she wept for so long that she turned all humans into fish.

Pantheon: Aztec

Domain: Water, rivers, oceans, motherhood, childbirth, healing, protection, fertility.

Alternate Names: Chalchiuhtlatonac, Matlalcueye.

Character Traits: She blesses all children and protects mothers, and while she is a healing force she can also summon horrible storms on those who wrong her.

Visual Traits: She is identified by the color blue-green, symbolizing water, and her large fanned out paper bark headdress (amacuexpalli) decorated with black spots of dripped rubber, representing rain. She usually has a river of water pouring from behind her or underneath her skirt, symbolizing birth.

Symbolism: Paper bark headdress, blue-green, scepter with yauhtli flowers as possibly incense, rattle staff (chicahuaztli), water flowing from behind/under her, seashells.

Taweret - tꜣ-wrt

The great goddess, depicted as one of the most powerful animals the Egyptians knew: the hippopotamus. She is both a nurturing mother figure and a ferocious protector, worn as an amulet by mothers. Taweret is one of the few gods who had no dedicated temples, instead being used as a protective charm on the front of temples or a household name. Along with her sometimes consort Bes she is considered both a demon and a god. She is also associated with the flooding of the Nile and the Big Dipper constellation. Her worship survived as a cult goddess and spread even to places like Nubia and Crete.

Pantheon: Egyptian

Domain: Motherhood, birth, water, rivers, protection, fertility.

Alternate Names: Taweret, Tuart, Ta-weret, Twert, Thoeris, Taouris.

Character Traits: Predominately seen as a chaotic and powerful goddess who protects with power.

Visual Traits: Almost always in the form of a hippopotamus with the features of a lion and crocodile. Sometimes wears a modius crown or horned solar disk.

Symbolism: The sa symbol representing protection, the hippopotamus, apotropaic wand/birthing tusk.

Oshun

Orisha of love, fertility, fresh waters, femininity, and beauty. In many stories she is venerated as one of the most important orisha, the most important female orisha of them all. Sometimes it is said that the male orisha sent to aiye (Earth) could not perform their tasks as they lacked feminine energy, and despite originally shunning Oshun they come to beg for her aid. She later comes to marry Shango, and in some stories Orunmila as well who teaches her divination. Without her the world has no beauty and no balance.

Pantheon: Yoruba

Domain: Love, fertility, beauty, water, wealth, prosperity.

Alternate Names: Ochún, Oxúm, Ọṣun.

Character Traits: She is motherly and sensual as well, a protectress, powerful, and can even sometimes be vengeful.

Visual Traits: Usually a woman of African descent adorned in yellow. Depictions of her often drown her in gold or have her next to bodies of water.

Symbolism: Identified most by the colors yellow, orange, gold, and white. Fans, mirrors, jewelry, anything gold or bronze, honey, and the sacred number five. Bodies of fresh water are sacred to her and are where offerings can be made.

Ishtar - 𒀭𒈹

Ishtar is a goddess of love and war primarily. She is depicted in her stories unlike most other gods; she is thirsty for power and conquest. Almost all of her stories feature her acting almost mortal: getting Enki drunk to steal the mes tablets of power, destroying Mount Ebih for daring to be more beautiful than her, disrespecting her sister Ereshkigal and having to be saved by other gods. Her most famous appearance is in the Epic of Gilgamesh, where she is rejected by Gilgamesh himself and summons the Bull of Heaven to wreak havoc as punishment. She is a goddess of justice alongside her brother Shamash, and she is also a goddess known for her graphic sexual nature, especially with her husband Dumuzid. While her tales may seem unserious she was extremely powerful and notable for the region throughout its many people. She became syncretized with so many deities that there exist "Ishtar tablets" detailing each of them.

Pantheon: Mesopotamian

Domain: Love, war, heaven, fertility.

Alternate Names: Inanna

Character Traits: Power-hungry, immature, vengeful.

Visual Traits: Often depicted as a woman with a multi-horned crown, sometimes wings, and holding a rod-and-ring symbol, bow, or scepter.

Symbolism: The planet Venus, rosettes, rod-and-ring symbol, weaponry, six/eight pointed star, lions, doves, possibly the color green.

Pele

Goddess of volcanoes, life giver of the islands of Hawai'i. She is known for her capricious nature, sometimes a bountiful and positive goddess, and sometimes showing her temper. It is said she journeyed there from far away, sometimes chased by her sister Nāmaka. She also has rivalries with another sister, Poli'ahu, goddess of snow, and is said to have contributed to the art of hula with her sister Hi'iaka. She lives on Kīlauea in a fiery pit called Halemaʻumaʻu, surrounded by other members of her family.

Pantheon: Hawaiian

Domain: Volcanoes, fire.

Alternate Names: Tūtū Pele, Pele-honua-mea, Ka wahine ʻai honua.

Character Traits: Her temper is a highlight in many stories, often showcasing her very human nature. She can be both a helpful goddess and a spiteful and destructive force.

Visual Traits: She can sometimes appear as a beautiful woman, but her appearance isn't usually very definite. In modern artwork she can be shown as a woman with hair made of fire or lava, sometimes adorned with lei.

Symbolism: Fire and volcanoes, the flora and fauna of Kīlauea, specifically the ʻōhiʻa lehua flower.