Few names stir up as much controversy as that of Lucifer, a minor Latin God associated with the dawn star, or Venus, herald of the Goddess of the Dawn whose singular appearance in the Bible in Isaiah 14:12 which says "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" has forever branded His equivalent to the Christian Devil. This misunderstanding, as so many in the Christian Bible, comes from a translation issue from the Hebrew to Greek to Latin1.
The name Lucifer means "light bearer" or "light bringer". It was a poetic name given to the "dawn star" which is the appearance of the planet Venus in the sky just before dawn.. The name referred to the "star" itself, but also to a minor deity associated with it.
The Greek version of this minor deity is Eosphorus, sun of the Goddess Eos, the Dawn.
Classic Roman References to Lucifer
Virgil's Georgics (III, 324-5):
Luciferi primo cum sidere frigida rura
carpamus, dum mane novum, dum gramina canent"
"Let us hasten, when first the Morning Star appears,
To the cool pastures, while the day is new, while the grass is dewy"
Cicero On the Nature of the Gods
Stella Veneris, quae Φωσφόρος Graece, Latine dicitur Lucifer, cum antegreditur solem, cum subsequitur autem Hesperos
The star of Venus, called Eosphorus in Greek and Lucifer in Latin when it precedes, Hesperos when it follows the sun.
Lucifer in Modern Witchcraft
Some modern traditions, particularly those based in Italian tradition, claim that Lucifer is the brother and/or consort of the Goddess Diana. In some traditions she created him to be her companion. He is the God of Light and the Sun and She the Goddess of Darkness and the Moon. Their daughter is Aradia, Queen of Witches. The most well-known version of this story, and perhaps the one from which subsequent versions have evolved is detailed in Leland's Aradia: Gospel of the Witches2.
Luciferianism recognizes the Biblical Lucifer, that is the angel cast down from Heaven for disobeying or challenging the God Jehovah. In some cases Lucifer is seen as the true God, a liberator from the tyranny of Jehovah. He is seen here as akin to Prometheus who gifted fire to humanity and incurred the wrath of Zeus. Here Lucifer is the God of enlightenment, knowledge and magic.
In some cases, Lucifer's female consort is Lilith. Lucifarian Witchcraft is based on these ideas.
The Satanic Bible recognizes Lucifer as one of the four crown princes of Hell, ruling over the East and the element of Air.
See Also
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