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to be a construct of several deities from earlier religions. Whatever her origin, this girl knows how to multi-task. Not only is love one of her main gigs, she handles wealth, longevity, beauty, eloquence, fine arts, music and wish granting. Some accounts say she can turn into a dragon and others say that she rides a dragon. There are also sources that state she has eight arms, which makes sense because she needs more than two hands to handle the workload.

AINE: Beautiful Aine is the Irish goddess of love and fertility. Her fertility gig included control over animals and crops. She was also healer, associated with the moon, and one source claims she gave the meadows its sweet scent. (Didn't ancient peoples believe in delegation?) Not only did the overworked darlin' shoulder the responsibilities of a deity, but she was also a fairy queen. The good news is that on Midsummer's Eve she gets to party the like it's the year 99.

XOCHIQUETZAL: Xochiquetzal, the flower feather goddess of the Aztecs, was the first wife of the creator god of rain, Tlaloc. Tlaloc inspired fear and awe in his worshippersso much so that they ritually sacrificed humans to him. Lady X didn't merit the same kind of gory devotion. She was the Queen of Warm Fuzzies. Her retinue consisted of birds and butterflies. Fortunately for her, another god kidnapped her and took her to the Nine Heavens, where she assumed the official role as love goddess. She ruled over beauty, fertility, gardens, dancing, games, art, and agriculture. She was also the patroness of craftsmen, pregnant women, and prostitutes.

If that's not impressive enough, she was the goddess of chocolate. Sorta. The Aztecs created a special drink from cacao beans called xocoatl (bitter water), which was often used it in religious ceremonies honoring Xochiquetzal. In Aztec society, cacao beans were more valued than gold or silvermuch to the disappointment of Spanish Conquistadors. Prostitutes took the motto will work for chocolate to the extreme, exchanging hoochy-coo for about a dozen beans. In a devastating irony, most Aztec women were not allowed to partake from the food of the gods. Thank goodness the modern-day woman has more than made up for that travesty.

This article was edited from a previously published version.

Learn more about this author, Michele Bardsley.
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