GODESSES

Medusa

Her name means ‘‘queen,’’ a title often used of the primary female divinity. Athena, the offended goddess turned Medusa into a snake-haired Gorgon, later engineering Medusa’s murder by sending Perseus to decapitate her, because Medusa’s glance turned living beings to stone.

Ehuang

This daughter of a river god shared a husband with her sister, Nuÿing. When he died, Ehuang drowned herself in sorrow.

Aotis

An early dawn or sun goddess, she rode through the sky in a chariot drawn by white steeds. She was honored as a spirit of fertility.

The Bella Coola

The Bella Coola ‘‘mother of flowers’’ brings forth all the plants every spring.

La Sirena

The image of the siren is common in Haitian folk art, representing African water goddesses. A figure of both beauty and threat, the water goddess remains popular in African diaspora communities today.