Sovereignty

​Sovereignty (pronounced Saw-vr-uhn-tee) is not a term that is often used today; however it is relevant to understanding some myths and the roles of some goddesses. If you google the term you will find definitions like “supreme power or authority”, “the authority of a state to govern itself or another state”, and “a self-governing state”*. However, this does not really explain its meaning when describing the function of a goddess. There are several goddesses associated with sovereignty among the different pantheons. For instance, in Irish myth The Morrigan (more specifically her Macha aspect), and Ériu (the namesake of Ireland) are sovereign goddesses. In Greek myth it is Hera and Diana, while in Norse myth it is Mebd and  Freya that can represent sovereignty. These examples, of course, are not the only ones, but they are good examples if you know their stories.
A goddess who holds sovereignty is one that personifies that land/territory, embodying the power and authority over it. In any myth the duty of the sovereign goddess is to join together with a worthy king allowing him the right to rule over that land until such time as he can no longer perform his duties or dies. She does this by marrying or having sex with him, thus “marrying” him to the land. Marriage to the Sovereign Goddess does not mean he cannot marry a queen, as this is a symbolic marriage. That said there are some stories that portray this marriage as more than that. One such familiar story would be that of King Arthor and Guinevere. While many people see this story as a tragic love story where King Arthor is betrayed by his beloved Guinevere and his friend Sir Lancelot, this is not necessarily the case. There is a theory that this was actually a case of sovereignty being passed from the old king to the new, younger man Guinevere chose as Arthor’s worthy replacement. This “affair” led to the downfall of Arthor’s kingdom because he could not let go of what he thought was “rightfully his”. Another theory suggests that the Lady of the Lake that presented him with the sword Excalibur, and was Sir Lancelot’s foster mother, was the Sovereign Goddess.
The Morrigan, another sovereignty goddess, shows her power and authority over the land in her many tales involving Cú Chulainn. However, she was also married to Dagda, who is the king/chieftain of the Tuatha De Danann, and a god of fertility, abundance, and the earth in his own right. She helped the Tuatha De Danann save Ireland from their mortal enemies the Fomorians.
In Greek mythology Diana was seen as a Goddess of Sovereignty as she is the Goddess of the Hunt; giving her domain of the wild. This, linked with her roles involving cycles, renewal, purity, and unattained power show how sovereignty as part of her roles and responsibilities. The story of Rex Nemorensis (King of Nemi) is one example. Diana was worshipped as the huntress in Nemi, where runaway slaves could vie for a chance to be ruler if they plucked a golden bough from the grove of Nemi and challenged (to the death) and beat the current ruler. A classic “hunter becomes hunted” scenario, since the new king would have to continue to fight each new challenger until beaten. This story shows how she regulated the succession of leadership in her territory. As a virgin goddess she would not have used traditional methods.
So, now that you know what sovereignty is and how it works, how does this apply to us personally and in our practice? Well, while we may  not be immortals with control over vast territories, we do have domain over our own homes, and most certainly over our own bodies. Our sovereignty over our own bodies is possibly the most sacred power we have. What and whom you allow to enter or have any control over your personal space is up to you. While, as women, we still struggle with body autonomy in a legal sense, depending on where in the world you live, we still fight for that right, and it is a right. As the popular saying goes “Your body is a temple”. How do you worship your sovereign goddess within?   
 
*Definitions provided by Google from Oxford Languages