Goddesses and mythology
The Great Mother Anahita was the ancient Persian Goddess of water, fertility, and patroness of women, as well as a Goddess of war. She embodied the physical and metaphorical qualities of water, especially the fertilising flow of water from the fountain in the stars; thus She ruled over all the waters – rivers, streams, lakes, and the sea, as well as the life-giving fluids of mankind, such as semen and mother’s milk. Rivers and lakes were sacred to Her, as they were thought to be the waters of birth.