Tuesday, March 13, 2012

MAGNA MATER

MAGNA MATER
"Satan here held his Babylonish court, and in the blood of stainless childhood the leprous limbs of phosphorescent Lilith were laved. Incubi and succubae howled praise to Hecate, and headless moon-calves bleated to the Magna Mater."
H.P. Lovecraft, The Horror At Red Hook

"Artemis Of Ephesus, perhaps best known from the "many-breasted" statues that have been discovered at Ephesus, is principally the Earth Mother, than Anatolian Magna Mater, or Cybele the goddess of fertility or fructification."
 Geoffrey W. Bromiley, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: A-D

"The Ephesus guidebooks say that these days most archaeologists don’t think the lumps on Artemis’ chest are really breasts, but rather the severed testicles of sacrificial bulls—fertility offerings that were part of her sacred rites. Historically, severed testicles were intimately associated with both Artemis and Anatolian Cybele; her priests cut off their genitals to honor her, and only a man thus unmanned could preside over her temple rites." 
Tim Ward, Savage Breast


1 comment:

  1. For those who follow Delta Green, the Magna Mater is an avatar of Shub-Niggurath, the Lovecraftian goddess of fertility.

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