Winter goddesses also appear in the pantheons of warmer climes. Even in milder climates then the northern reaches we normally associate with the snow queen, there are many deities. Having watched the US South suffer from 100 Year freeze recently, one understands why there needs to be someone to pray to and honor.
The most surprising is the Hawaiian divinity “Poli’ahu” , who dwells at the summit of Mauna Kea. In the winter she spreads a ceremonial white Kapa robe on the peak. She is the opposite of Pele and covers the dormant volcano with a pink and gold garment the rest of the year. Living at the top of the highest mountain in the world (technically) probably makes her a little more important than our next incarnation who hails from Mt. Olympus.
Khione is the goddess of Snow and wind from Grecian myth. Also known as Chione, she is the daughter of Boreas the god of winter. She was one of the Horae (/ˈhɔːriː/) or Horai pronounced [hɔ̂ːraj]. They were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time.
The Moari have a personification in Hine-takurua, the Winter Maid. She is one of two wives of Tamanuiterā , the god of the sun. She dwells in the ocean and takes care of the fish. On the summer solstice, he leaves his summer made wife and will begin to slowly make his way back to Hine Takurua in the North. The days will get shorter, and the nights will grow longer.
There are more gods and goddesses of the cold spread throughout the warm places of the globe, and with the arrival of climate change I think there’s going to be a lot more mention of them.
A note on my pictures, I try to use only using art or photos that I have created. So yes, I know that is not actually Mauna kea. It is a mountain top in Wyoming and those statues adorn the Albright Knox museum in Buffalo New York.
