The Many Names of the Summer Deities
Just as Persephone focuses on the return of spring, the story of her mother Ceres (also syncretized with Demeter) brings attention to the season of Summer. This is the season of fullness and maturity and the gods and goddesses representing the peak of strength, growth, and solar power.
Ceres, from whose name we derive the word "cereal", was consumed with rage and sorrow at the abduction of her daughter Persephone. She demonstrated her anger by punishing the earth with fierce and bitter cold and searing winds. Unless Persephone was returned of to her mother’s side, it was clear the earth would perish. Herakles came to the rescue by negotiating an agreement that the daughter would to spend part of the year in the underworld with her husband and part of the year on the earth with her mother. This is the part of the year when Ceres is at her most benevolent. Her fields are full with ripening fruits and grains. Her meadows are rich with the scent of blooming flowers and healing herbs. The hopes for a good harvest in this turn of the wheel of the year are actualized as the season matures.
Pan is a God of the full summer season, fertility, and ripened fields. He appears in the aspect of a strong young horned man with the legs and cloven hooves of a goat. He is often depicted with a reed flute, known as "Pan Pipes" which he uses to make sweet music to lure young maidens to his side.
Other deities associated with grains and ripening bounty include Nidaba, Litha, (after whom the pagan summer solstice celebration takes name), Aestas, Epona, and Furrina. The celebrations dedicated to these, and other deities of the summer season, are intended to highlight the rich transformation as the heat of summer consumes the growth of spring. This transformation is represented in the making of flower wreathes which are worn like a crown throughout the day of celebration and then burned in the bonfires as the celebrations continue on into the night.
These summer bonfires are a key element of many summer celebrations as they are representative of the heat and power of the Sun which is at it's greatest strength at this time. Fire dancing and leaping through the flames can be thought to confer the power of the Sun (and those deities associated with the Sun) to the dancer, the proof of this being in the ability to emerge through the flame unscathed. The power of the flame is conferred upon herds of cattle as they are driven between summer bonfires to bless them with the strength and protection of the flames.
There are many solar deities, from Apollo who drives the golden chariot which carries the Sun across the sky, to Helios who is the personification of the sun.
In Egyptian mythology the sun god Horus was born of the reunion of Isis and Osiris Out of the darkness came the light. The personification of this light was the sun god Ra.
There are not only sun gods, but sun goddesses as well. The Baltic sun goddess Saule. The Roman Sol Minerva. as well as Sol, Solis, and Sunna. These are but a few of the many solar goddesses (too many to mention here). The theme shared by all these solar deities is that of consolidating strengths and actualizing goals. These are deities of accomplishment and willpower.
The light and power of the sun is reflected in the sacred fires of Vesta and the truth-seeking torch of Justita, and the maturity of the hearth fires kept by followers of Juno, Brigid, or Freya, Goddesses of marriage, home-life, and in the case of Juno from whom the name for the month of June is derived.
As you can see the common thread in all the Deity names having to do with summertime is the fulfillment of the growth and promise of spring. This is the time to establish your personal power and mark your accomplishments. This is the season for consolidating your strength and confirming your strategy as you make your way through the wheel of the year.
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The Need S/he Fulfills
Clearly, the needs fulfilled by all of these powerful deities are those of strength, maturity, and firmly rooted foundations. Central to all the numerous myths having to do with the deities of summer is the enjoyment of your accomplishments and the celebration of achievements. Joy is the answer these deities bring to the needs of the season... joy is the gift this season brings to all who experience the rich power of summer.
Ultimately, it is Ceres' role as the benevolent goddess of the summer grain that is central to summer celebrations. She is the herald of ripening maturity and the fullness of the fields are a direct reflection of her joy at being reunited with her beloved daughter.
A central pagan mythos holds that the peak of summer, or the summer solstice, is the backdrop for the battle whereupon the Oak King defeats the Holly King. The strength of oak as a representation of the consolidation of power found in this season reflects the light and power of summer vanquishing of the darkness of winter.
In ancient Roman practice the summer brought the celebration of the Furrinalia. This was a ritual honoring Furrina, Goddess of wells and springs. It is fairly easy to see the importance of fresh running water supplies at a time when the heat of summer is high. Blossoms and coins are strewn about wells, springs and other sources of fresh running water in an effort to please Furrina. Well dressing is not limited to the mediterranian regions, however, and the Celtic practice of the "Furry Dance" is said to be traceable to these ancient Roman observances.
This is typically the hottest time of the year. The crops in the fields are in their greatest abundance and maturity. The young creatures of the forests and meadows born in the spring are maturing to young adulthood. In all of these events we can see nature's inexorable consolidation of power and establishment of strength.
It is even said that the veil between the fairy realms and this one is stretched to it's thinnest at the evening of the summer solstice and those with sufficient need and powerful will to express that need may pierce the veil to have their desires heard (and granted) at this most magical time of the year. If one wishes to see the little people it is said to be effective to smear fern pollen across your eyes. Avoiding them however is said to require the herb Rue. It is thought that you may carry some of the herb in your pocket to ward off enchantment by the little people or, (if rue is not available), you might try wearing your clothing inside out to make yourself unrecognizable to them.
The consolidation of power. The completion of desires. The fullest expression of will. These are the needs they fulfill.
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Their Legends and Myths
The legends and myths of the Summer Dieties are all about the expression of one's greatest strengths and abilities. The strength of the towering oaks in the forest. The peak of perfection found in the flowers of the fields and the blossoms of the meadows. The abilities of all the young growing things making the transition from the new beginning of spring to the established accomplishment of summer.
The story of Ceres' joy at the return of her beloved daughter, Persephone/Kore, is illustrative of the joy of an accomplishment and the satisfaction of your deepest desires fulfilled. So that mankind would not starve during the winter she supplied her son Triptolemus with seed corn, a plough, and a chariot drawn by snakes and sent him all over the world to teach the art of agriculture so that humans could ensure their own survival. Survival through the winter months is, of course, an accomplishment much to be desired and celebrated.
The mythos surrounding the mother/wife goddesses, Juno, Brigid, Hera, Freya is a mythos celebrating and supporting the stability of the family unit. Indeed, in Roman, Greek, and Norse mythology there are many tales to illustrate the strength of the marriages of the gods despite the fabled dalliences on the part of either husband or wife. What you don't hear much about is divine divorce. The consolidation of the strength of the marriage is central to the mythos that surround the goddesses.
Pan highlights the delights to be found at the end of desire and celebrations dedicated to this Greek God are often held on or around midsummer. Some believe that Christianity adopted and converted festivals dedicated to Jack-in-the-Green (the Celtic Green Man) to the Feast of St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with horns and cloven feet very similar to the depictions of Pan
The ancient goddess Litha is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon word Litha meaning "moon". This is a reference to to the sixth and seventh months of the Anglo-Saxon calendar known respectively as Aerra Litha (Earlier Litha) and Aefterra Litha (Later Litha), these corospond roughly our present day June and July. .
Yemaya was raped by her son. Yemaya's curse of her son during this violent incestuous act caused his death, whereupon she chose to die upon a mountain peak. As she died, her womb spilled forth the fourteen Yoruban Gods and Goddesses, and the breaking of her uterine waters caused the great flood which created the oceans. From her bones the first human woman and man were born. Yemaya brings forth life even during the worst atrocities that can be suffered by anyone, thus ensuring the continuity of life. She demonstrates the strength of the life force even in the darkest of times. Because of these life-sustaining qualities, the Africans sold into slavery brought their worship of Yemaya, the great sustainer and comforter, along with them in their new bondage as slaves.
The Mythos of the Deities of Summer are clearly about celebrating ones strengths, consolidating ones power, and establishing one's will in the world around you.
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Correspondences and Associations
Ceres is known as the giver of grain. She is also known as Demeter (Roman) and sometimes Deo. Her attributes include a torch and stalks of grain or seed corn, a plough, and a chariot drawn by snakes. She is often portrayed in paintings and sculpturewith her daughter, Persephone/Kore.
Pan is associated with the vine and the fruits thereof. All grapes and wines derived from the grapes are consumed in honor to him. Pan represents the spirit of the wild things in all of us. Pan is the half man, half goat that often represents the very image of the devil to followers of the Christian faith. There is a very good arguement that this representation is because he is the God and champion of those wild impulses that are so repressed by civilization.
Litha is associated with the mother aspect of goddesses in some traditions. For this reason she is often depicted as or in the presence of the full moon. She can be seen now as heavy with child, as nature is heavy with the bounty of the coming harvest.
Juno is associated with Marriage, the Scepter, a Diadem or Crown, and the feathers of the peacock. Indeed the peacock was her sacred bird. Her status as wife and mother also serves as the divine model for the role of women in human marriage.
Freya is associated with a chariot pulled by black cats, a feather coat which she uses to fly between the worlds, the "Brisinga" necklace, and the art of divination. In keeping with her reputation as an unsurpassed lover she is associated with every aspect of the art of love and is very much seen as a goddess of sexual love and lust.
Yemaya is the West African Creation Goddess often depicted as a mermaid, she is associated with the moon, the oceans and female mysteries. Her Colors are blue, silver, white. She is also associated with crystal, pearl, mother-of-pearl, coral, conch shell, and the stars There are Feast Days associated with her, among them June 22, and she favors the flowers of the water, like trout lily or sea lavender. She rules the conception and birth of children and ensures their safety during childhood.
There are other associations. Of course there are... there are, in fact, too many to catalogue here. Even if it isn't possible or practical to know everything about all associations with the deities of the season, it is a good beginning to know that the deities of Summer are associated with the full power of the sun, the full power of the season, the full power revealed from the promise of Spring. This is the association of Summer.
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Magical Attributes
The expression of will, the fulfillment of desire, the maturity of strength and the consolidation of power are the magical attributes of the Summer season.
It would be most appropriate to invoke the benevolent aspects of Ceres when encouraging a pleasurable association with family or close friends.
Juno and Hera are both excellently suited for any endeavors requiring the magical influence of the summertime deities to ensure the blessings of marriage.
Efforts that require a powerful cleansing to break very bad luck may be dedicated to Yemaya the mother whose children are the fish. By entering a body of water, like a lake or the sea, a person may pour sugar water or syrup in a circle around themselves, then dropping seven pennies in the water as an offering to Yemaya ask her blessing. Upon leaving the water, a person must tear their old (and now wet) clothing and leave them at the beach having dressed in some new clothing in the colors of Yemaya which are blue and white. It is said that this blessing can overcome even the strongest of crossings and dispel all bad luck associated with it.
The mythos of Litha brings the magic of the full moon and is most suited to work intended to look as far into the future (as a full moon will reflect the greatest light thus making it easier to perceive ones surroundings) as necessary to ensure successful outcomes. Invoking the aid of Litha in any divinatory effort is bound to yield a productive result.
The joyful expression of Pan is useful in any work intended to increase happiness and enjoyment, particularly of simple earthy pleasures. Song, music, drink, dance, and festivities involving the harmonious gathering of good friends will be multiplied to a pleasurable peak in this Summer Gods' twinkling eye .
Appeals to Vesta or Justita can be invoked when working to seek justice or right past wrongs. A torch (or candle) lit to either can accompany meditations both for those seeking to know the "right thing to do" as well as those asking for a just and fair answer to their needs.
The magical energies of the Summer deities are all about strength, power, firmly established will, and the culmination of desire. When working with any of these energies it may be beneficial to "go with your strengths" as they say. Perhaps it is time for your skill at a hobby to become your ability at a vocation, maybe you would seek to make a more secure financial foundation by consolidating your present resources, you may even wish to strengthen the bonds between yourself and those you love. These are all most appropriate efforts when working with the magical influences of the energies of Summer.
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