In Haitian voodoo, a female demon who controls sexual passions in women. She is symbolized by a vagina.

(1856–1917) In U.S. history and legend, popular name of James Buchanan Brady, American financier and philanthropist, noted for his passion for diamonds. He wore them on his fingers, cuffs, and shirt fronts and is believed to have had some diamonds in his bridgework. He was also noted for his immense appetite for food. Brady’s usual [...]

(belonging to the divine) In Roman mythology, an ancient Italian goddess honored in central Italy; identified with the Greek goddesses Artemis and Selene. The Italian Diana was the guardian of those treaties by which peaceful relations were begun. In her sacred grove at Aricia she presided over the league of Latin cities. Her worship moved [...]

In Armenian mythology and folklore, demonic spirits. The Devs are male and female spirits, often appearing as humans, such as old women, or in animal guise. One Armenian folktale, “The Sheep Brother,” tells how a girl encountered a Dev. She stepped into a cavern and saw a thousand-year-old Dev lying in a corner. The Dev [...]

In Buddhism, the Wheel of the Dharma, which was set into motion when the Buddha preached his first sermon in the Deer Park near Benares.

(pure, chaste) (fourth century) In Christian legend, martyr. One of the Four Great Virgin Martyrs of the Latin, or Western, Church; patron saint of betrothed couples, gardeners, and virgins. Invoked to preserve chastity. Feast, 21 January. Agnes is one of the most popular saints in Christian legend. Her life is discussed by St. Ambrose, who [...]

(verses on Dhamma) A Buddhist sacred book in 26 divisions, consisting of 423 verses attributed to the Buddha. Each aphorism is encapsulated in a legendary incident, which is told in the Dhammapadattha-katha (Dhammapada commentary) collected in the fifth century c.e. Another version exists in Chinese, translated from the Sanskrit, and a partial manuscript of still [...]

(moving in a curve) In Hindu mythology, physician of the gods who was produced at the Churning of the Ocean when the gods and demons fought for the Amrita, the water of life.

(Dhamma) Term in Hindu and Buddhist works (Dharma in Sanskrit, Dhamma in Pali), variously translated as truth, law, religion, doctrine, righteousness, virtue, or force-factor. For Buddhism it often means the doctrine of the Buddha as found in the sacred writings and a momentary, irreducible component of the perceived universe. It is the Buddhist term for [...]

(Dharma protector) In Maha-yana Buddhism, the Eight Terrible Ones, defenders of the Dharma, who wage war against demons and enemies of Buddhism. They are Lha-mo, a female goddess, portrayed on a mule with a sword and mace; Ts’angs-pa Dkar-po, often portrayed on a white horse, with a sword, and sometimes carrying a banner; Beg-Ts’e, god [...]