Wikipedia Trails: from Lilith to Xochiquetzal

I read the Adam and Eve Unit for Week two and three. I was aware of Lilith before this class through a television show called Supernatural. Reading the Adam and Eve units that mentioned Lilith and actual jewish mythologies of her were really interesting and eye-opening.  Many Christians are not aware of Lilith, so this is entertaining and satisfying for me. 

The next link was Samael. Lilith's page mentioned after she and this archangel coupled, she refused to go back the the Garden of Eden. Now, Samael is known by many names and none of them good: Angel of Death, Venom of God, Poison of God, or Blindness of God. He is regarded as both good and evil.

Samael was rumored to have mated with angels of sacred prostitution with the exception of Lilith. I found this interesting because sex is a very taboo thing in the Bible. It has many names: temple prostitution, cult prostitution or religious prostitution. It is a sexual ritual performing intercourse or other sexual activities in the content of religious worship. There are any cultures which influence Western culture on the list of ancient societies that partook in 'sacred sex:' Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and the Hebrew Bible.

Finally, going through the places that witnessed sacred prostitution I found a text on Xochiquetzal. In Aztec mythology, Xochiquetzal is a goddess associated with fertility, beauty and female sexual power. She also served as a protector for young mothers. I chose this link because I was interested in South American mythology; it was also the first mention of a society not near the Europe or Africa. 

(Xochiquetzal Codex Fejérváry-Mayer 29-1 from Wikimedia Commons.)