Chang’e is often described as fairy goddess in Chinese mythology, said to pull clouds across the moon at night. While her story has many variations, from fleeing to the moon to escape an angry king for a husband, or drinking a potion that lightened her body until she floated into space. This story has been retold many times depending on the writer, especially in more modern times. Chang’e is also a focus of China’s mid-autumn festival, where moon-cakes are popularly shared by lovers. 
This week I decided not the focus on one specific myth, but a group of mythological creatures: the Naiads. In Greek Mythology, Naiads are spirits/nymphs that preside over freshwater streams, rivers, etc. They are one of the three types of water nymphs. The other two are the Nereids and Oceanids. The Nereids are usually associated with the sea. Oceanids are associated with the oceans, and there are over three-thousand of them according to myth. Naiads are said to be the least helpful to humans compared to the others, often leading humans to get lost in swamps, and otherwise seeking revenge against their cheating lovers.
Ishtar is the Mesopotamian goddess of war, love and fertility, also known as Inanna in Sumerian. Because of her association with war, she is often seen wearing armor with a horned helmet, wings, and sometimes with weapons on her back. Ishtar is often believed to be the precursor to the Greek deity Aphrodite. My take on Ishtar attempts to blend these elements with the horned crown and gold armor on her limbs. In some engravings, she is depicted completely naked or with some sort of long dress with multiple layers, so I made her dress semi-transparent with multiple layers of streaks.
Benzaiten, also known as Benten in a simplified form, is the Japanese buddhist goddess associated with many things. She is the goddess of the arts, speech, learning, wealth, and feminine beauty, often pictured with a Japanese version of a lyre, or other musical instruments. She is also considered a goddess of the sea. She reminds me of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, who also has an association with the sea. This leads me to wonder why these two things have been combined together in worship of female deities and if there are others across the world that fit this mold?
Nut (pronounced Newt) is the Egyptian Goddess of the sky and heavens. Often times, she appears as a woman arched over the Earth, as she represents the sky. Her main myth is that she became pregnant with five children, and Ra forbid her from giving birth on any calendar day. Nut visited Thoth, the god of the moon and master of knowledge (among other things), and he altered the moons path to add five extra calendar days so that Nut could give birth to her children. One child was born per day and they are the “popular” or more well known Egyptian deities: Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephthys and Horus.
Her association with the cosmos and heavens inspired me to make her body look like the night sky, filled with constellations and galaxies. Therefore, it made sense to make her clothing transparent in order to see those details.
