Mistress

==MSanctor on Mistress==
This is the file of Dr. Maurice Sanctor's notes on the goddess he came to worship. It features a draft of the new entry to the HMRC Pantheon book, as well as some of his personal commentary on it.
===??, Goddess of Living===
"??: Goddess of Living, also known as Mistress Medicine, Lady Life, Bloody Mistress." 
Note: I found traces of her existence in the ancient mythologies as well: ancient Romans might have known her as Duellona, Discordia and, conversely, Disciplina - the sources are too fragmented. Interestingly, perhaps the ancient northerners held her in greatest respect of all: I believe I can identify connections between her and Freyja, as well as her and Morrigan; interestingly, the books also mention a group of female deities collectively known as Disir (singular - Dis). In all of the latter names, the theme of a female authority figure persists: Lady, Queen, Mistress - those are the translations.
It seems that the most reasonable translation to modern language would be "Mistress", but "Dis" is also prominent in the legends.
===The picture===
A sketch attached to the file shows a woman wearing a white labcoat. In her left hand she holds a chain that binds across the chest of a featureless man beside her. The man is falling into the chasm before him, held back by that chain. The chain itself, the man's chest where the chain binds him, and the whole left half of the coat is covered with blood.
In her right hand she holds an apple, extended to the viewer. Her right shoulder is bare, the labcoat lowered almost to her breast. The labcoat on that side is pristine white.
The symbol below is a bloodied chain.
Note: The symbolism here is plenty, so I'll try to keep it at the less obvious parts. Chain here symbolises perseverance - involuntary, if needed. The white means both the purity, as usual, and the clarity of mind. The blood means not only pain and suffering in the course of living, but also the "dirt" and "grease" of real human life. The apple is both appealing, as a source of pleasure, knowledge or power to some, and also the key to living, the conscious choice of life as struggling and perseverance - an interpretation upon the old Christian symbol by some 23nd century thinkers. And, of course, in the ancient tradition of Halloween, the apple is signified by the possibility of a razor hidden in it. Where applicable, the right arm (and side) signifies giving, left - taking, or in this case, keeping possession.
===The description===
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Category:Background
Category:HMRC Pantheon