Kali: Hindu Mother Goddess of Death and Destruction

Illustration of Kali by Calcutta Art Studio, public domain

When you guys suggested that I cover the goddess Kali from Hindu mythology, I knew I had to pick her, as she's one of my favorite deities.

Not only that, but she (my fictional interpretation of her, anyway) plays an important role in my upcoming book The Gods Are Rotting (The Gods Are Rotting, #1). I also named a character in my War on the Gods series after her.

Yes... I love Kali that much, and if I'm being honest, those probably won't be the only books I reference her in. But let's get into why she's so awesome, shall we?

Who is Kali?

To be honest, I think I'm drawn to Kali because of how fierce she is. Whenever I think about her, about her duality, all I can say is, Holy shit, she's awesome.

Let's start with her appearance. She's generally described as having black or blue skin and multiple pairs of arms, her dark hair long and wild, her eyes a vibrant red. She also wears a necklace of human heads and a skirt of severed arms - which, yes, can sound rather frightening if you don't know her well.

In fact, Kali has been demonized in the west again and again, not only because of how she looks, but also because of what she's in charge of. An important deity in the Hindu pantheon, she's a goddess of death, destruction, and time. She's often considered an embodiment of time, how it "devours all things."

But the dark stuff isn't all she's about. She's also a loving mother and a slayer of demons, determined to protect the world from evil, and her destruction of the old can lead to creation of the new.

Kali's most well-known story

Speaking of Kali being a slayer of demons: In (what I believe to be) her most iconic tale, she defeats the demon Raktabija, which is no easy feat. According to the story, the gods are having trouble killing Raktabija because each time a drop of his blood hits the ground, another demon exactly like him is born from the earth.

Durga, Goddess of Strength and Motherhood, becomes so angry at being unable to best Raktabija that the fierce Kali manifests from her forehead. (Side note: while Kali and Durga aren't the same goddess, it's my understanding that Kali is an incarnation of Durga.) Anyway, after Kali manifests, she goes on to eat Raktabija's copies, then drinks up all his blood before any of it can touch the ground again.

Despite killing Raktabija, Kali's bloodlust isn't satiated. She goes on a rampage so great it threatens to destroy the world, and the only being who can stop her is her husband, Shiva. Shiva throws himself in her path, and when Kali steps on him, she realizes what she's done and that she needs to calm down. This story is one reason why Kali is so often depicted as standing on Shiva!

I hope you enjoyed January 2022's Myth of the Month!