10 Strange Idols, Totems, Stone-gods, etc.

There are as many gods as there are cultures. Some are tame and almost boring. Some, well, some are just bizarre. However, please know that I mean no disrespect. Sacred is sacred, even when it’s weird (except for Moloch – I’m not calling him sacred no matter what you do to me). I recognize that I am responding to this spiritual diversity from my own puny worldview. Thanks for indulging me.

1. Moloch (Middle East)

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The Moloch idol was a large, hollow brass statue with the head of a bull and a bulging human-like belly. The belly served as a firebox into which children were thrown. Pagan priests used to crash cymbals together to drown out the screams of the children as they burned alive. Well, I don’t know about you but I’m going to have nightmares.

2. Eshu (Africa)

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Eshu is a god of chaos and trickery, and pulls pranks on people to cause maturation. (When I first researched this, I thought I read “to cause masturbation.”) Whatever the little trickster is up to, he is one scary looking dude.

3. Dagon (Middle East)

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Dagon the Fish God is not very scary. He’s like a male mermaid – half man, half fish. Two words: Sex. Eee! Some people claim that the pope’s hat is modeled after this guy’s fish head. ???

4. Bhairava (India)

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Bhairava has serpents for earrings, bracelets, anklets and sacred thread. He wears a ritual apron of human bones. This dude sports some gruesome bling. He’s sometimes depicted as carrying an amputated head of Brahma.

5. Ganesha (India)

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Ganesha has an elephant head. Often depicted as dancing on a mouse. Buy one of these for your kitchen, like a mouse scarecrow.

Recent controversy surrounds good old Ganesha. A group called Concerned Christians Canada sent a letter to the Calgary Zoo, asking them to remove the “dancing elephant statue” as it was inappropriate to have a religious statue at a public place. In this case, the public place was, appropriately, in front of the elephant exhibit.

6. Aido-Wedo (Carribean)

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Aido-Wedo is the Vodoo goddess of water, snakes and rainbows. She’s pretty hot.

7. Huitaca (South America)

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Huitaca is a goddess of drunkenness and pleasure. Her punishment for being so popular? She was turned into an owl. How can one not worship a drunken owl?

8. Sedna (North America)

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Sedna is the Inuit Goddess of the Sea and Queen of the Eskimo Underworld. She rules the Arctic Sea and everyone and everything in or on it. Often depicted as a walrus, she has one eye and no fingers.

9. Heqet (Egypt)

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Heqet, Frog Headed Goddess of Childbirth has a frog for a head. Nuff said.

10. Bajang (Asia)

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Short, stocky, with a blunt nose and beady orange eyes, Bajang has no lips, his hands are bony claws and his feet feature talons. Whenever he wants, he can transform into a wildcat and woo you with cute meows. More nightmares for me.

Author: Robin Merrill — Copyrighted © roadtickle.com