Welcome to Day 1 of A2Z 2026. Am looking forward to sharing what I have learned about Goddesses from All Times and Places. The letter illustrations by Cari Buziak have been colored by me and used in other A2Z’s. The goddess illustrations by Marty Noble have been colored by me and are used whenever a goddess in the book was available. When one wasn’t, I found other images. I also tried to use one photo or image when a goddess wasn’t available to color from Noble’s book. I’ve also included a question at the end of each post to get you in touch with your inner goddess.
I look forward to following many participating blogs this month, learning and having a good time.
Let the series begin!
Amaterasu (Japanese)
Amaterasu (Japanese)
Amaterasu Ōmikami, often called Amaterasu for short, also known as Amateru Kami and Ōhirume no Muchi, is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (kami) of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan’s earliest literary texts, the Kojiki (c. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE), as the ruler (or one of the rulers) of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and as the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi. Along with two of her siblings (the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm-god Susanoo) she ranks as one of the “Three Precious Children,” the three most important offspring of the creator god Izanagi. Amaterasu’s chief place of worship, the Grand Shrine of Ise in Ise, Mie Prefecture, is one of Shinto’s holiest sites and a major pilgrimage center and tourist spot. As with other Shinto kami, she is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan.
Source: wikipedia
In Pop Culture
Amaterasu appears regularly in popular culture, including:
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In the popular video game series Ōkami, where she is banished to Earth and takes the form of a white wolf. This form of Amaterasu appears in multiple adaptations, most notably Marvel vs. Capcom 3;
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In the manga Naruto, where a powerful jutsu called Amaterasu burns its victims to nothingness;
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In the video game SMITE, where she appears as a playable character;
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In the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card game, where she appears as a powerful card;
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In the television series Stargate SG-1, where Amaterasu is a Lord of the Goa’uld System who seeks peace with humanity;
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In the novel Giles Goat-Boy, where the people of Japan are called the Amaterasu. In this story, the Amaterasu were eaten by WESCAC during the Second Campus Riot, an event that serves as a metaphor for World War II and the atomic bombings;
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In the famous manga Urusei Yatsura, where a satirical version of the cave tale is told. In this version, Amaterasu is locked in the cave after the lewd dance instead of being released.
from Mythopedia:
Question: If you were a goddess
where would you want your shrine to be?
Tao-Talk 
If I was a goddess, I’d prefer my shrine to be nowhere near where people could see. Because I would be one ugly woman.
This is cool! I like learning about new subjects. Everyone knows about Zeus, Thor, and Hermes.
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If I were a goddess I’d want my shrine to be in the mountains, probably in the indian ones!
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I know this might sound disingenuous but in the heart.
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