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Queen of Heaven (Lady of Heaven, Mistress of Heaven, Lady of Heaven) - the title of heavenly goddesses in the mythology of some ancient civilizations in the Mediterranean and the Middle East . The title was used in relation to such goddesses as Anat , Isis , Hathor , Inanna , Astarte , Hera and possibly the goddess Asher (according to the prophet Jeremiah ). This title was worn by the goddess Frigg in Scandinavian mythology and Juno in Roman mythology . The forms and characteristics of worship were diverse. This title is currently used by Catholics and Orthodox Christians for the Virgin Mary .
Content
Isis
Isis was one of the first goddesses to be revered in ancient Egypt . Greek historian Herodotus , in the fifth century BC. e. wrote that Isis was the only goddess who was worshiped in this way [1] and whose influence was so widespread that she was combined with the Greek goddess Demeter . [2] After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great and the Hellenization of Egyptian culture , initiated by Ptolemy I , Isis became better known as the "Lady of Heaven." [3] Lucius Apuleius confirmed this in chapter 47 of the eleventh book, in his novel The Golden Donkey , in which his character prayed to the Queen of Heaven. One passage says that the goddess herself answered his prayer, thereby identifying herself with Isis and the Queen of heaven.
| Then, with a tear-stained face, I made a prayer to the mighty goddess, saying: O blessed Queen of heaven ... |
| After the divine form inhaled the pleasant spices of fertile Arabia , she did not hesitate to pronounce these words addressed to me in her divine voice: Look Lucius, I came, your crying and prayers prompted me to come to your aid. I am the one who is the mother of all things, the mistress and ruler of all elements, who founded the posterity of the whole world, the head of the divine power, I am the Queen of heaven ... and the Egyptians, who are skilled in all the intricacies of ancient knowledge, who are taught to worship me in their ceremonies, are called me Queen Isis. [four] |
In Christianity
In Christian iconography, the Queen of Heaven ( lat. Regina Coeli ) is the epithet that the Virgin is endowed with. In the Western Christian (Catholic) tradition, this naming goes back to litanies in the Glory of the Madonna ( Latin Salve, Regina - “Glory to the Queen”; in the Eastern Church - Praise of the Virgin . In Western European art, the iconography of the “Queen of Heaven” is directly related to the images of Madonna Immakulata and Sofia , the Wisdom of God , which in turn goes back to the Old Testament Book of Wisdom : "She is a breath of the power of God and a pure effusion glory of the Almighty" (Proverbs 7:25.) and to the Book of Revelation : "and there appeared a great wonder in heaven - Well on clothed with the sun, moon under her feet, and on its head a crown of twelve stars "(Revelation 12: 1.) In a more tangible form below." Queen of Heaven "is meant a certain Madonna image type in regal form, seated on a throne , with a power and a scepter , angels crown the head of the Virgin Mary with a crown , while the baby Christ on Her lap is also represented in the crown.This type is similar to Madonna Loretta , as well as images of the Madonna from the monasteries of Montserra and Mentorelle . In Orthodoxy, this is the image of the Mother of God the Sovereign . [five]
See also
- Guanyin
- Heavenly Mother
- Mother Nature
- Nuth (Thelema) , Nuth ( Egyptian sky goddess )
Notes
- ↑ Histories 2.42
- ↑ Histories 2.156
- ↑ RE Witt, “Isis in the Ancient World”, 1997, ISBN 0-8018-5642-6
- ↑ The Golden Asse of Apuleius: The Eleventh Booke: The Forty-seventh Chapter
- ↑ Vlasov, 2009 .
Links
Literature
- Vlasov V.G. Queen of Heaven // New Encyclopedic Dictionary of Fine Arts: In 10 vols. - St. Petersburg. : ABC classic, 2009. - T. T. X: F - I. .. - 927 p.
- RE Witt, "Isis in the Ancient World", 1997, ISBN 0-8018-5642-6 .