Ugajin
Also known as: Hakuja (White Snake); Ugano-kami
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami
Ugajin is the lord of prosperity, wealth, destiny, and having enough to eat. He has dominion over food, especially rice. Ugajin is
venerated beside Benten at her shrine in Kamakura, Japan—a shrine originally dedicated to him. In the Western year 1185, on the day
of the snake in the month of the snake in the year of the snake, Yoritomo Minamoto (1147–1199), founder of the Kamakura
Shogunate, had a dream in which an old man who identified himself as the Lord of Ugajin gave him directions to a spring, telling him to
worship Ugajin with the water. If he did this, peace, then lacking, would be restored. Minamoto did as directed; the shrine Zeniarai
Ugafuku Jinja, now popularly called Zeniarai Benten, still stands at the spot.
M anifestation: Ugajin manifests as an old man or as a big white snake with an old man's head.
Iconography: A coiled snake with a human head
Spirit ally: Dragon goddess Benten, his frequent companion
Animal: Snake
Offering: Whole, unbroken raw eggs
See also: Benten; Kami; Sojobo

Ukemochi
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami

Ukemochi is the kami who created food; she is the literal source of food on Earth.
According to legend, Amaterasu sent her brother Tsuki-Yomi, Kami of the Moon, to Earth to visit Ukemochi. When he arrived,
Ukemochi prepared a feast for him:
• Rice spilled from her mouth.
• She turned to the sea and fish spilled from her mouth.
• She turned to the mountains, disgorging other foods.
Tsuki-Yomi was appalled and disgusted. This wasn't how he envisioned food being prepared. He promptly gave her a piece of his
mind,telling her she was impure, and then stabbed her to death with his sword. Even in death, Ukemochi continued to create:
• Cows, oxen, and horses emerged from the top of her head.
• Silkworms emerged from her eyebrows.
• Millet sprang from her forehead, rice from her belly, wheat and beans from her vulva.

Tsuki-Yomi returned home and reported his actions to Amaterasu, who in turn was appalled and disgusted—but with
him, not
Ukemochi. She banished Tsuki-Yomi from her presence, vowing never to be near him again. (The division between Amaterasu and
Tsuki-Yomi explains why sun and moon avoid each other.)
Ukemochi's presence on Earth survives in the form of the products of her body. When you touch silk, eat beef, fish or rice, or quaff
beer, you are in contact with the essence of Ukemochi. Ukemochi may also linger under the guise of Inari (or at least some guises of
Inari).
Sacred site: Ukemochi is venerated in the Outer Shrine of Ise, whose primary deity is Amaterasu. (Tsuki-Yomi is venerated there,
too.)
See also: Amaterasu; Inari; Kami; Susano'o; Tsuki-Yomi

Ukko

The Old Man
Origin: Finland
Ukko was the supreme male deity of the pre-Christian Finns. He is technically the lord of thunder, but he is more than that: Ukko is
the lord of abundance, well-being, prosperity, and fertility. He is invoked to control the weather but also for healing, safe childbirth, and
luck in hunting.
Ukko is celebrated by toasting him and drinking in his honor. Christian commentators were appalled by the ecstatic, sexual nature of
his rites: men and women drank and celebrated together. Ukko is sometimes classified among those spirits believed to lurk under the
guise of Santa Claus.
Consort: Rauni
Attribute: Hammer (source of his thunder)
Creatures: Reindeer, butterfly, snakes
See also: Aiatar; Odin; Rauni; Saturn

Uma

Lady of the Mountains; Lady of Light
Origin: Himalayas

The goddess Uma, daughter of Himavat, Lord of the Himalayas, and the Apsara Mena, is the sister of river goddess Ganga.
Different versions of Uma's myth exist, but in all she determines to marry Lord Shiva, who has retreated from the world in grief
following the death of his beloved Sati. Uma may be the reincarnation of Sati.
Shiva, living an extreme ascetic existence, took no notice of Uma. Finally, a sage (rishi) sent by Indra advised Uma to simultaneously
perform the following:
• Visualize Shiva.
• Practice austerities.
• Chant the mantra OM NA MAH SHI VA YAH
.
The sage assured Uma that if she did this long enough and intensely enough, Shiva would come to love her. How long is long enough?

Uma practiced austerities, chanting, and meditation for eighteen-thousand years in order to gain Shiva as a spouse.
She abandoned her luxurious life as a princess, traveling to a forested mountain to meditate on Shiva. Uma wore bark clothing and
ate only fruit and leaves that fell from trees. She surrounded herself with five fires: four bonfires around her and the sun above. Finally,
she abandoned eating all together. She stood endlessly on one leg, as in the yoga position (
asana) called Ardha Chandrasana ,
chanting her mantra, focused on Shiva and her goal. The sage had not lied to her: Shiva appeared, impressed and moved by her
austerities and determination, and took Uma as his bride.
Uma is usually venerated alongside Shiva as an aspect of Parvati. However, she is also worshipped independently, especially in the
Himalayan nation of Nepal. Female ascetics, in particular, venerate Uma as a role model.
The myth of Uma and Shiva is retold graphically in Virgin Comics' Uma.

See also: Apsara; Ganga; Indra; Parvati; Sati; Shivaand the Glossary entry for Mantra

Umm Es Subyan

The Child Witch

King Solomon summoned a parade of harmful, malignant spirits to appear before him and reveal their identities. He also demanded
that they reveal who or what was the antidote to the harm they caused. Among the spirits who appeared to him was one who identified
herself ominously and solely as the "Mother of Sons", the literal translation of the Arabic Umm es Subyan, also sometimes translated as
"Mother of Children." Umm es Subyan has dominion over people and their possessions. She becomes intensely fixated and jealous of
women, striking out at them by causing their children to die. (She's called the child witch because of what she does to children, not
because she is a child.)
• Umm es Subyan causes infertility, impotence, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
• She kills children.
• She destroys property, careers, harvests, and financial well-being.
Solomon forced her to reveal a device that would protect against her. She promised to avoid harming anyone carrying the amulet
known as the Seven Covenants of Solomon and never to go near the amulet. Needless to say, the Seven Covenants of Solomon was
once an extremely popular amulet, fairly ubiquitous in the Middle East, Ethiopia, and North Africa. The amulet was hung from children's
necks, hung over cradles, and carried by men and women alike.
The standard Seven Covenants of Solomon amulet is a lithographed strip of paper, four inches wide and seventy-nine
inches long. The text is heavily Islamic: it invokes the protection of God, the four archangels, the Prophet and also recounts
the story of Solomon and Umm es Subyan (reminding her of her vow, just in case she forgot). The scroll is rolled up tightly,
tied, and placed into a leather or silver amulet case.

M anifestation: Umm es Subyan appeared to Solomon in the form of an old, scrawny, blue-eyed woman with disheveled hair and
a uni-brow. Flames emerged from her gaping mouth. She has clawed hands and a voice loud enough to fell trees. She doesn't usually
reveal herself full force but told Solomon that she usually signals her presence via the sound of animal noises heard where they shouldn't
be. The sound isheard, but the appropriate animal is nowhere near. She barks, meows, hisses, neighs, and so forth. Umm es Subyan has
a seemingly unlimited repertoire of sounds.
See also: Solomon, King; Karina; Lilith

Urisk
Origin: Scotland
The Urisk is a water spirit, variously classified as a Fairy or Elf. He haunts lonely ponds, springs, and waterfalls in the Scottish
Highlands. The Urisk is a gregarious spirit who enjoys human company and sometimes seeks it out. He resembles a goat god, like Pan
or fauns. His appearance makes people nervous, so encounters are often tense. The Urisk can be extremely helpful and benevolent (but
can be tricky and mischievous, too). His behavior may depend on the reactions of humans he meets.
See also: Elf; Fairy; Faun; Fuath; Pan

Ursitory
Origin: Roma (Gypsy)
The Ursitory are three birth Fairies who arrive on the third night after birth to foretell a baby's fate. Only the infant can see them but
the mother and midwife ( drabarni: literally "herb woman") can hear them and thus their pronouncements. No one can change destiny
once it's been fixed by the Ursitory. The fate they decree cannot be annulled. The Ursitory make no mistakes and do not lie. They
cannot be bribed. In The Ursitory, the 1946 book by Roma author Matéo Maximoff (17 January 1917–24 November 1999), the
author uses the word angels as a synonym for the Ursitory in order to emphasize their power, grandeur, and significance.
URSITORY BIRTH RITUAL
Invite good fortune by welcoming the Ursitory politely:
• On the third night following a birth, cast a circle within which you must place offerings for the Ursitory. The circle should be large
enough to enclose the baby and may be cast around the baby's bed and a small table.
• Set three places, one for each Ursitory. Each Ursitory should receive a glass of wine and a slice of bread or cake. It's
recommended that sweet bread or honey cake be served in hopes that the destiny they reveal will be similar.

M anifestation: Depending on who's describing them, the Ursitory may be male or female. Sometimes
male spirits and Urme refers to their three female counterparts.

Ursitory refers to three

See also: Fairy, Birth; Keshalyi

Ushas

Leader of Light
Also known as: Ushus; Usas; Usha
Origin: India (Vedic)

Ushas, Goddess of Dawn, is the twin sister of Rati, Goddess of Night. Sometimes the sisters are partners and friends; sometimes
they're bitter rivals. Ushas brings the light that heralds each new day, driving a chariot drawn by seven cows or mares with saffroncolored wings. Her name may be translated as "to burn." Demons and malignant spirits run and hide from her like cockroaches fleeing
kitchen lights.
M anifestation: Ushas wears saffron-colored robes and a veil. She reveals herself fully to enlightened adepts only.
Number: 7

See also: Aurora; Eos; Rati

Uzume
Also known as: Ama-no-Uzume
Origin: Japan
Classification: Kami

When the despairing sun goddess Amaterasu barricaded herself in a cave, the world plunged into darkness. Try as they might, none
of the other kami could persuade her to emerge. They sat outside her cave, as despondent and despairing as Amaterasu within. Finally,
Uzume, the Goddess of Mirth, approached. She whispered to the smith kami and set them the task of creating a mirror and situating it
right before Amaterasu's cave. Then Uzume bound her head and sleeves with vines, overturned a barrel, and climbed upon it. Grasping
leafy branches in her hands, she began to stomp rhythmically on the drum and dance. It's unclear how the other kami first reacted, but
eventually her joy was infectious. They began to clap and drum, too.
Uzume's dance evolved into a strip tease, one full of fun, defiance, and humor. She exposed her breasts. She flashed her vagina. All
the other kami roared with laughter. Amaterasu, locked within her cave, was puzzled. She heard laughter, not grieving. Why was no one
mourning her absence? She called out to ask what was going on. Uzume called back, telling her that the kami had a brand-new sun
goddess, one more beautiful than ever. She beckoned Amaterasu to come see. Amaterasu, unable to resist, poked her head out and,
gazing directly at the mirror positioned before the cave entrance, saw her own radiant beauty. Before she could retreat, she was pulled
from the cave and the entrance blocked. Dance and hearty laughter restore order to the world.
Uzume came to the rescue with Amaterasu and again with Sarutahiko. (See: Sarutahiko.) Uzume, savior of the world, is not a young
beauty nor is she the standard sex goddess. Instead she is envisioned as a middle-aged woman who doesn't appear especially youthful
or young for her age. Her breasts and belly are a little saggy. She's got some wrinkles, and her hair may be a little gray. She could
probably lose a little weight, but it doesn't matter: she is the spirit of joy and good humor that defies despair. Uzume is a primal spirit of
shamanism, intoxication, sex, fertility, and reproduction. She is not mirthful because she is innocent or inexperienced. Uzume has seen it
all and still perceives the joy of life, even in moments of absolute, deepest despair.
Uzume is the prototype for Japanese shamanic dance. She is still dancing under the friendly guise of Okame.
See also: Amaterasu; Amatsumara; Bastet; Baubo; Kami; Okame