Bell 8

[Deirdre Towers]

A fascination for waves, the dance above and below sea level, leads one to wind, light, and hypnosis, and consider how rhythm is central to our being.

No two frames of wave footage are the same, nor are two seconds of being. The height, speed, texture of waves reveal the secret of rhythms

Exploring the myths of the gods and goddesses of the sea, we might conceive a new form of baptism

 

Aztec mythology

• Tlaloc, god of thunder, rain, and earthquakes.
• Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of water, rivers, seas, streams,  and baptism.
• Huixtocihuatl, goddess of salt.

Celtic mythology

• Acionna (Gaulish) - a water goddess/genius loci of the Orleanais region and the Essonne
• Belisama, goddess of lakes and rivers, fire, crafts and light
• Grannus, a god associated with spas, the sun, fires and healing thermal and mineral springs
• Lir (Irish), god of the sea
• Llŷr (Welsh), god of the sea
• Manannán mac Lir (Irish), god of the sea
• Nodens, god associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs

Chinese mythology

• Mazu, water goddess and protector of seafarers
• Guo Pu, Immortal of the Water Realm.

Egyptian mythology

• Tefnut, goddess of water, moisture and fertility.
• Osiris, god of the dead and afterlife. Originally god of water and vegetation.

Fon/Ewe mythology

• Agwé, a sea loa -  salute by blowing on a conch-shell. 

Finnish mythology

• Ahti, god of the depths and fish
• Vedenemo, a goddess of water
• Vellamo, the wife of Ahti, goddess of the sea, lakes and storms.

Greek mythology

• Amphitrite, sea goddess and consort of Poseidon
• Carcinus, a giant crab. 
  
• Charybdis, a sea monster and spirit of whirlpools and the tide
• Cymopoleia, a daughter of Poseidon and goddess of giant storm waves
• Delphin, the leader of the dolphins
  
• Eidothea, prophetic sea nymph and daughter of Proteus
• Eurybia, goddess of the mastery of the seas
• Galene (Γαλήνη), goddess of calm seas
• The Graeae, three ancient sea spirits who personified the white foam of the sea; they shared one eye and one tooth between them
• The Harpies, winged spirits of sudden, sharp gusts of wind
• Hippocampi, the horses of the sea
• Nerites, watery consort of Aphrodite and/or beloved of Poseidon
• Nereus, the old man of the sea, and the god of the sea's rich bounty of fish
• NymphsOceanus, Titan god of the Earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth's fresh-water
  • Nereides, sea nymphs
  • Oceanides, Ocean water nymphs
• Pontus, primeval god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures
• Poseidon, Olympian God of the Oceans His Roman equivalent is Neptune.
• Proteus, a shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god, and the herdsman of Poseidon's seals
• Scylla, a Nereid metamorphosed into a sea monster
• The Sirens, three sea nymphs who lured sailors to their death with their song
• Thalassa, primordial goddess of the sea -  depicted in Greco-Roman mosaics as half-submerged in the sea, with crab-claw horns, seaweed for clothes, and a ship's oar in her hand.
• Thaumas, god of the wonders of the sea 
  
• Thetis, leader of the Nereids who presided over the spawning of marine life, mother of Achilles

Hawaiian mythology

• Kanaloa, god of the ocean
• Nāmaka, sea goddess

Hindu/Vedic mythology

Varuna, the Lord of the Eternal Ocean

Inuit mythology

• Idliragijenget, god of the ocean
• Nootaikok, god who presided over icebergs and glaciers
• Sedna, goddess of the sea

Japanese mythology

• Mizuchi, Japanese dragon and sea god
• Ryūjin or Watatsumi, Japanese dragon and tutelary deity of the sea
• Susanoo, Shinto god of storms and the sea

Māori mythology

• Ikatere, a fish god, the father of all the sea creatures including mermaids
• Tangaroa, god of the sea

Mesopotamian mythology

• Amathaunta, goddess of the ocean
• Asherah, Mother goddess whose title is "She Who Walks Upon the Sea"
• Marduk, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic
• Nammu, goddess of the primeval sea
• Nanshe, goddess of Persian Gulf, social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing
• Tiamat, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods

Norse/Germanic mythology

• Nine Daughters of Ægir, who personify the characteristics of waves
• Njord, god of the sea, particularly of seafaring
• Nerthus, goddess of lakes, springs, holy waters
• Nix, water spirits who usually appear in human form

Persian/Zoroastrian mythology

• Anahita, the divinity of 'the Waters' (Aban) associated with fertility, healing and wisdom.
• Tishtrya, Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility.
• Haurvatat, he Amesha Spenta associated with water, prosperity, and health 

Philippine mythology

• Sirena, mermaid

Roman mythology

• Neptune, King of the sea. Greek counterpart: Poseidon

Slavic mythology

• Rusalki, female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons 
• Veles, god of earth, waters, and the underworld