to which the Great Mother (as Durga is said to be) would belong. The Great Mother, as a ruler of the Underworld beside being the ruler of Earth and Heaven, is also a goddess of Wisdom and Judgment. On the whole, she is both beneficial and punishing, as any good mother should be.
Thus, inspite of being said to be created by a set of male gods, the War goddess in the shape of the Great Mother Durga is in charge of the war that keeps the balance in the world between good and bad, light and darkness, life and death, and in sum, she is first and foremost a Goddess of Fertility.
___________________
* These stories are taken respectively from North American Indians, Myths and Legends, by Lewis Spence; and a book in Hebrew of Chinese Mythology, by Dan Da’or.
List of War goddesses:
Agrona, Britain and Wells – strife and slaughter;
Bellona/ Enyo, Rome – War;
Junda, Lithuania – War goddess;
Menhit, Egypt – slaughter;
“Old Woman”, Amerindian – in charge of war dance;
Nerio, Roma – valor in war;
Durga, Hindu – Mother of all;
Ishtar, Babylon – High Mother of war and fertility;
Kali, India – Mother goddess;
Neith, Lower Egypt – War, water and creation;
Toci, Aztec – Earth creation, war and labor;
Andarta, Celtic France – warrior and fertility;
Athena, Greece – War, wisdom and fertility;
Freya, Norse – Fertility;
Macha, Ireland – slaughter, blood and fertility;
Vacuna, Latin – Victory and fertility.
Brighid, Ireland – Sun, crafts, medicine,