Mdetis



MDETIS War-Goddess of the Amazonians 

Pantheon
None.

Regions of Worship

 * Amazon

Divine Relationships
None known.

Representation
The goddess of Amazon, Mdetis, is portrayed in sculpture as a beautifully shaped female head with thick, curling, wild hair, swollen eyes, fangs and an out-hanging tongue to give her beauty a fearsome aspect. Mdetis represents the mysteries of female genitalia, female wisdom and female cruelty. Her prolonged gaze can kill, just as prolonged exposure to the sun kills – and staring her in the eyes overlong blinds, again representative of staring at the sun. Seeing her face can also kill, for whomever gazes upon her face will see her own death as she looks upon the future. On Mdetis’s back are four great wings so she can sail through the air and command the heavens. These wings also serve as fins because she also brings life to the water.

Mdetis is a war goddess in one aspect, so she is depicted as having the body of a horse in that aspect, much like a centaur. As a war goddess Mdetis is an expert archer and she drinks the blood of men. Like the Stygian sun-gods, Mdetis rides across the sky in a solar chariot pulled by horses. She rides in a boat during the night. Her nightly boat ride takes her through the underworld; she is also a death goddess with the body of a bee. In this aspect she represents the inevitability of death and her gaze turns people to stone – the only part of the natural world that seems ‘dead’ to the Amazons.

During Mdetis’s trips through the underworld, her sister, Sipylene, rises as the moon. Further, Mdetis commands the beasts of the Earth and empowers them to kill demons. In this aspect she is depicted as having a lion’s body. She kills in this form so that life may continue. Mdetis is a goddess of healing as well, for she heats the thermal springs, giving them the power to heal. In this aspect she is given a cobra’s body or she wears a snake as a belt. She is also a fertility goddess and in this aspect is given a fish tail; in Amazonian symbolism, fish represent unborn souls.

She has alchemical powers to prevent pregnancy as well. Mdetis is a seer and can see the future death of anyone she looks upon; those who look upon her unveiled face see their own deaths. Mdetis’s blood is powerful. Blood from her right side kills but blood from her left side can heal and even restore life to the dead. In all depictions of the Amazon goddess, if she is looking to the right, she is shown as angry but if she is looking to the left she is peaceful in mien.

Artwork that depicts her healing aspect show people drinking the blood from her left side. In artwork dedicated to war, she is shown as giving her warriors blood from her right, giving them the power to deal death to their enemies. If Mdetis’s blood from her right side drips onto the ground, foul demons spring up but the blood on the left gives rise to helpful animals or guardian spirits. Mdetis lives on a sacred island enclosed in willows. She only allows the bravest of the brave to see her home.

Her body is covered in fish-scales but the exact form of her body depends on her aspect. Snakes are usually wrapped around her arms and/or entangled in her hair, that they may whisper ancient advice in her ears as she holds them overhead.

Gender representation: female

Symbolism

 * Blood
 * Cobra
 * Lion
 * Fish

Spheres of Power

 * Female genitalia
 * Female wisdom
 * Female cruelty
 * Alchemy
 * Death
 * War
 * Life
 * Healing
 * Water

Rituals & Beliefs
Followers of Mdetis must sacrifice at least one human male per month to the goddess to gain her favor.

Implementation IC & In-Game
Vanilla religion of Derketo as placeholder.

More Information

 * Conan: Player's Guide to the Hyborian Age (Conan RPG Book)
 * Faith and Fervour (Conan RPG Book)
 * Return to the Road of Kings (Conan RPG Book)