Greek Goddess Makaria: Goddess of Blessed Death

While having a chat with Lord Morpheus and Lord Hypnos sometime two weeks ago about who is the father and who is the son (as for whatever reason I can never :expressionless: ), I came across the name Makaria. I have never heard of her and, while I nominated her in the Lesser-Known Deities Chatroom, I still wanted to make a post about her.

Basic Info

Because Lady Makaria isn’t well-known, and because a lot of Greek deities were assimilated into the Roman Pantheon her origins have two different origins. Per Roman, she is the daughter of King Hades and Queen Persephône, and her name is spelled Macaria. Per Greek, she is the daughter of Heracles, and her name is spelled with a k. For this post, I will be talking about her Greek origin as I separate the two pantheons and I view the deities in both as separate entities.

Macaria’s divine presence could be attributed to her by association with the Isles of the Blessed (Νήσοι τωv Μακάρων). She was also mentioned as a goddess of the Elysian Fields.

:man: ‍ :woman: ‍ :girl: Parents: Heracles and an unknown mother

:woman: 🧑Siblings: none that we know of

:couple: Partner/Lover/s: none that we know of

☠Goddess of: Blessed Death

⚜Symbols: none that we know of in the Greek pantheon, but it is possible she does have some in the Roman pantheon as she is mainly revered in the Roman pantheon

UPG: I would associate skulls, moths and butterflies given her role in the Underworld and her personality which I’ll get into in a bit.

:art: Colors: none that we know of

UPG: I would associate the softer pale colors like grey, silver, purple, and possibly blue aligned with her role and personality.

Name and Etymology

(I’ll be copying and pasting this information straight from the source I’m using)

The name Macaria derives from the Greek word makarios (μακάριος), meaning blessed, serene or happy, which is fitting for a deity embodying the concept of a peaceful and blessed death. In ancient texts, she is sometimes referred to as Makaria, a variation of her Greek name Μακαρία, emphasizing her role in ensuring a serene age to the afterlife.

Macaria’s epithets and alternative names are scarce, reflecting her specific role in the Greek pantheon. On the one hand, Macaria’s singular focus on a blessed death implies that her name encapsulates her entire being and purpose, so she is not given any additional names.

Relationships

As far as we know, she does not have any lovers. However, given her role in the Underworld, she is more focused on the transition from life to death rather than focusing on the earthly bonds that tie individuals together; making her essence more ethereal.

Appearance

Makaria’s image is said to be one that is gentle, sort of like a mother. Her presence is thought of as serene and comforting, similar to the peace that comes with a blessed death.

Personality

Because we don’t know much about her and not many myths are about her, we can only speculate what her personality is based on her role in the Underworld.

It is believed that due to her role as goddess of blessed death, she would be comionate and kind. Understanding that death can be difficult for some people but there to let them know that death should not be feared.

She teaches us that death is a natural and potentially beautiful part of the life cycle. Her demeanor is one of calming, reassuring those on the verge of death, which gives us a hint on what blessed death means.

Even while writing this post, I get a very calming and soothing sensation (which is much needed as I’m feeling nauseous at the moment). And I can only hope those that read this, gets a similar sense as well. :blush:

Powers

Makaria’s powers are subtle yet profound, centered on the ability to grant a peaceful and blessed death. Her powers are more focused, focusing solely on making sure the end of one’s life is as serene as possible.

Sites and/or Temples

Like most Underworld deities and lesser-known deities, there isn’t a site or temple dedicated to her. Instead, any site/space associated to the Underworld or the cycles of life and death could be dedicated to her.

Final words

I hope you enjoyed reading my post. I had a fun time writing about her and learning more about her. I’m sad that we don’t know much about her, but if I ever reach out to her either through meditation or with my clairaudiency, I’ll definitely ask her for more information and make a follow-up post. I would love to learn more about her role and who her parents are.

References

~Picture: courtesy of Speedy from Pinterest. The website credited this person for the photo.

~https://olympioi.com/demigods/macaria#:~:text=As%20the%20goddess%20of%20“blessed,on%20the%20verge%20of%20death.