A Quick Reversal

"God has no sex," he said. "He is mysterious..."

"He" is neither male nor female,

says Rev. Sean Kealy

Cloacina

Having mentioned Hygieia, I thought it might be worth devoting a few words to Cloacina

Cloacina, Goddess of the tide
whose sable streams beneath the city slide.

[Gay, 1716]

The thing about ancient greek dieties is that they represent and protect anything thing that is important, in its many subtlties. Not just love but love in all its forms pure and lust, gay and straight, sated and unrequited.  And also those basic principles and structures that maintain health cleanliness and sanity.

Thus Cloacina, Goddess of the Sewer. Sometimes seen as a Goddess in her own right and sometimes an aspect of Venus, the Goddess of love and beauty.  A connection that was in no means considered contradictory--not only in that hygene was seen as crucial for health, but that sexuality was seen as part of filth.

Not much, I suppose, has changed.

The Snake

Most images in art of a woman and a snake are Eve, and the snake is a force of evil.  Which is all a bit hard on the snake... and the woman.  About the only other female figure in art shown with a serpent is Hygieia.

Hygieia is the daughter of the god of Medicine, Asklepius--Goddess of preserving health and leanliness. Like Asklepius she is often pictured with the snake, and also a medicine bowl.  Because snakes dwell in the earth they were seen as representing the soul and the wisdom of ancestors dwelling in Hades (the sleeping place of all the dead, not the Christian place for punishing the non-righteous.)

In my opinion we need fewer portraits of Eve, and more of Hygieai.