Language is a tricky thing

Especially when you're dealing with spirituality

Ariadne’s Tribe is an inclusive Minoan spirituality tradition. So we do our best to use inclusive language - which can be a challenge when we have to come up with new terms.

Our family of deities includes a number of divine beings we associate with specific food crops and occupations. We consider that these deities aid and support humans in their endeavors in these fields.

What should we call this kind of aid and support? That’s a topic that swirled around in the Tribe for several weeks before we finally settled on a term.

Everyone’s first thought was “patron deity.” However… besides the fact that this term is now often used to mean the deity an individual is personally closest to and perhaps oathed to as well, the term is gendered. It comes from the Latin word for father.

Some people have taken to using the term “matron deity” for goddesses in order to broaden the linguistic field a bit. But that’s still a gender binary, and we have more than a few deities who just don’t fit in that binary.

We tossed around a number of different possibilities, some of which sort of worked but didn’t feel optimal. Honestly, this is not the kind of issue I ever thought I’d be up against in terms of building a modern spiritual tradition, but here we are.

After a lot of discussion, we did finally settle on a term: Benefactor.

Its Latin roots literally mean “doing good,” and it has long meant someone who bestows favors and helps others to thrive. That’s very much our experience in relationship with these deities.

So herewith, our list of Benefactors in the Minoan family of deities. Perhaps you’ll find one who can help you in your endeavors.

Minoan Deities as Benefactors

Together we are joy!