Five Badass Female Deities You Should Know About

Girls rule! Don’t get us wrong, we know guys rule too, but being part of the sisterhood is fricken rad.

Girl power and the celebration of femininity has never been stronger and we’re thankful that in this day and age women are being encouraged to be strong, intelligent, kind, badass girl bosses who are shattering glass ceilings and preconceived notions of what it means to be a woman. Whether you’re a single mum, the CEO of a big corporate company or a soul sister on a journey to find her purpose in life, being a female is something worth celebrating and being proud of.

But being an all-powerful Girl Boss isn’t a new concept. The world is not short of female role models - both in present day and throughout history. There is also no shortage of Girl Boss role models of the holy variety. We thought we’d shine a light on some of the most powerful, awe-inspiring female deities, hailing from a variety of cultures across the globe.

Hel: The Norse Goddess of the Underworld

Hel is the slight scary, very powerful female ruler of Hel, the underworld where only the dead dwell. Hel has famous parentage - her dad was Loki, a wiley old trickster in Norse mythology, and her mother was a giantess called Angrboda. Her brothers were a wolf and a serpent. In other words, her whole family was badass.

Hel was indifferent to the concerns of both the living and the dead, and is often described as being half black, half white and wearing a grim, fierce expression on her face. Basically, Hel was the Queen of ‘zero f***s given’ attitude.

Amaterasu: The Most Important Deity of the Shinto Religion

Amaterasu Omikami, as she is known, was made the ruler of the sky by her parents. Her name means ‘the great divinity illuminating heaven’ and she is known as the domain of spirits, and ruler of the High Celestial Plain.

Amaterasu is known in the Shinto religion for banishing her own brother, the storm god Susanoo, from heaven after quarrelling with him too much. Beautiful though she may be, Amaterasu can be ruthless if someone displeases her. Another time when Susanoo annoyed her (brothers!!) she broke his sword into three pieces, ate the broken pieces then spat them out as three other female deities. Girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Hina: The Polynesian Goddess of the Moon

Hina is a goddess whose legend spans most, if not all, of the various Polynesian cultures. Each of the different cultures has a slightly different Hina story, however in New Zealand, it is said that she is sister or wife of Maui.

Hina has close ties with the moon, after a failed attempt to climb to the sun (she was tortured and burnt alive by its intense heat) saw her going up to the moon to live there forever. Despite her earthly husband, Maui, from trying to stop her by grabbing her leg and breaking it, Hina made it to the moon, whom she also planned to marry! Since then, legend says that when the moon is full you can see Hina and her calabash, still there in her celestial home.

Morrigan: The Irish Goddess of Battle and War

The Phantom Queen, or Great Queen, Morrigan is an Irish goddess who often foretold fate in war or battle. If a warrior saw her while he was washing his armour the morning of a battle, it meant he was going to die that day.

Morrigan is often depicted as a crow or raven, and is considered one of the most complex figures in Irish mythology. Not only was her genealogy complicated but she also had a complex personality and could be rough, blunt and even violent. However, she was not seen as a threatening character, rather she was just very much in command. She was respected by all and never had to prove herself to anyone. The ultimate Girl Boss if you ask us!

Kali: The Hindu Goddess who Crushes Egos

Kali is a beautiful blue, many-armed Hindu goddess. It may be correct to say Kali is a goddess of death, but she brought death to the ego rather than specifically to humans. She is only ever portrayed as killing demons and was never involved in the process of dying, like some of the other Hindu gods and goddesses were.

It is said that when the ego sees Mother Kali, it trembles in fear and sees in her its eventual destruction and demise. A person who is too attached to his or her ego won’t accept Mother Kali into their life and therefore will see her in a terrifying form. However, those who are not attached to their ego and are engaged in spiritual practice will see her as having overflowing love and kindness. In other words, lose the ego and stay on the good side of Mother Kali!

Beyonce: The Modern Day Goddess and Queen Be

Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter is the ultimate modern-day goddess and all round Girl Boss. Winner of five Grammy Awards, this singing, songwriting, dancing, acting, record-producing beauty is also a full-time mumma to three children, including one set of twins!

Ok, ok so we don’t really worship Bey (or do we….?!) but we can’t deny this modern mum is a Queen when it comes to slaying the music and fashion industry year upon year.

We’re all goddesses really!

We reckon just being a woman makes you a goddess. Our unique shapes, sizes, colours, hair styles, fashion and lifestyle choices make us diverse, divine creatures, and that’s always worth celebrating.