Amalur (

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

for "Mother Earth"), also known as Ama Lurra was the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

of the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

in the religion of the ancient

Basque people The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Ba ...

. She was the mother of

Ekhi Eki (also Ekhi, Eguzki, Iuski, Iguzki, Iduzki or Eguzku) are the names of the Sun in the Basque language. Michel Duvert, Dictionnaire illustré de mythologie basque � Diccionario Ilustrado de Mitología Vasca y algunas de sus fuentes » Donost ...

, the sun, and

Ilazki Ilargi, Ile or Ilazki is the name of the Moon in Basque language. In Basque mythology, she is the daughter of Mother Nature, Mother Earth, to whom it returns daily. Basque goddesses Lunar goddesses Basque mythology {{Europe-myth-stub ...

, the moon. She is also believed to not only be the goddess of the earth, but the earth itself. The 1968

documentary '' Ama lur'' was a celebration of the Basque countryside.

Myths and legends

As the primary

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

of the Basque mythos, Amalur holds the life force that powers the world. Her power allows life to exist, so faith in her is very important among Basques, predating the

Indo-European migrations The Indo-European migrations were hypothesized migrations of Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) speakers, and subsequent migrations of people speaking derived Indo-European languages, which took place approx. 4000 to 1000 BCE, potentially expla ...

into

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. Amalur also created other deities. She created Ekhi, the sun, and Ilargi, the moon. She also created the

stemless carline thistle ''Carlina acaulis'', the stemless carline thistle, dwarf carline thistle, or silver thistle, is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe. The specific name ''aca ...

, a species of sunflower important to the Basques, as it was believed that putting it on one's door would scare malicious spirits away. According to mythology, the center of Amalur is wealthy with many treasures. These treasures could be accessed through various caves, and that although humans look for them, they cannot find them.

References

Basque goddesses Earth goddesses Basque mythology {{Europe-myth-stub