"Seven Mothers of the World," root of the Greek kritikos, "judge." They killed and gave rebirth to gods who were castrated to make them fertile, like women. The name of Queen Semiramis, legendary founder of Babylon, also meant "Dove" in the Syrian tongue.
The cult of the Doves used to incorporate primitive rites of castration and its modification, circumcision. India called the seven Sisters "razors" or "cutters" who judged and "critically" wounded men, the Krittikas,
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She was said to have castrated all her consorts. 15 When circumcision replaced castration, the doves were involved in that too. Even Christian symbolism made the connection. The official symbol of the Festival of the Circumcision of Christ was a dove,
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holding in its beak a ring representing the Holy Prepuce. "Christ's fructifying blood" was linked with the similar emblem of Pentecost, which showed the descending dove on a background of blood red,
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officially described as a representation of the church fertilized by the blood of Christ and the martyrs. 16 A certain "maiden ma~tyr" called St. Columba (Holy Dove) was widely revered, especially in France, although she never existed as a human being.
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17 Another curious survival of pagan dove-lore was the surname given to St. Peter: Bar-Iona, "Son of the Dove." 18 Some survivals may have been invented to explain the doves appearing on ancient coins as symbols of Aphrodite and Astarte.
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