Nyx in the House of Night

in Eastern Buddhism. She is highly venerated for her humanity across Asia, especially in China, and it is believed that when a Buddhist dies, Kuan Yin will put their soul in a lotus flower and then send them onto paradise.
Grandmother Spider : a creator goddess in many Native American religions. She created the world, and in one Cherokee myth, she stole the sun and brought it to the Cherokee people in a large clay pot, also giving them the gifts of fire and pottery.
Dawn : Aurora (Latin) or Eos (Greek) was the goddess of the dawn. In Roman mythology, she flew across the sky to announce the coming of the sun. In Greek mythology, she opened the gates of heaven for Apollo so he could drive his sun chariot across the sky.
    A-ya
    (Cherokee) me
    In the House of Night . . .
A-ya is an original myth created by the Casts for the House of Night series. Sculpted from earth clay, A-ya was created solely for the purposes of trapping Kalona. The Ghigua called her A-ya , or me, because she had a piece or trait of each of the wise women placed inside her. Zoey is a reincarnation of A-ya. In Burned we learn that A-ya is also the name of the persona of compassion in Zoey’s soul.
    Of note . . .
P.C. chose the name A-ya in part because this figure could embody that something magickal that exists in every woman.
    Brighid
    (Celtic) exalted one
    In mythology . . .
Brighid is the goddess of the British Isles and the patron of poets, healers, artisans, inspiration, and fertility. She is also the goddess of fire and hearth. St. Brigid of Kildare, one of Ireland’s patron saints, is closely associated with the Pagan goddess. St. Brigid’s cross resembles a Pagan sun wheel, and it is often hung in kitchens to protect homes from fire and evil.
    In the House of Night . . .
In Burned , Brighid appears to Zoey in the Otherworld as a tall goddess-like woman with bright, fiery red hair. She is the strength persona of Zoey’s soul.
    Erebus
    (Greek) deep darkness or shadow
    In mythology . . .
Erebus is the embodiment of primordial darkness. He is described as the region in Hades (the Underworld) where the dead pass immediately after dying. From Erebus, the spirits are ferried across the river Styx by Charon to enter the land of the dead.
    In the House of Night . . .
Erebus is the namesake of the Sons of Erebus, the male vampyre warriors who protect their society (and Nyx’s priestesses) fiercely (see Darius ).
    Kalona
    (Cherokee) taken from the Kalona Ayeliski , or “Raven Mockers,” also referred to as angels of death
    In mythology . . .
The worst of the Cherokee witches, the Raven Mockers of Cherokee myth steal the hearts of the old and sick in order to add on to their own life spans, and these thefts contribute to their old and withered appearance. Raven Mockers can be male or female. As a Raven Mocker dives to collect the sick and dying it croaks like a raven, explaining the creature’s name and alerting all that death has come.
    In the House of Night . . .
After being tossed from the Otherworld by Nyx for loving her too much, Kalona fell to earth. He became a god among the Cherokee and was good until he succumbed to his dangerous lust for the women of the tribe. Kalona, who had wings the color of night, could also change into an animal that looked like an enormous raven; thus, the women he raped gave birth to Raven Mockers. After being trapped in the earth for centuries by A-ya, Kalona is resurrected by Neferet and the blood of Stevie Rae, whose affinity for earth releases him from his underground prison. No longer obsessed with stalking Cherokee maidens, he sets his sights on one in particular, Zoey, the reincarnation of A-ya and the being on earth closest to his former Goddess, Nyx.
    Of note . . .
Kalona was created by the Casts to explain the origins of the Raven Mockers in the House of Night; he does not exist within actual Cherokee myth. Sylvia Redbird compares him to the Nephilim (a biblical race of half-angel supermen who survived the flood of Noah) and to the Greek and Roman Olympian gods. Both Kalona and his son Rephaim were inspired by the Christian myth of Lucifer, the “light-bearer” or “Morning Star.” Like Kalona, the former archangel was cast down from heaven after attempting to elevate his power to that of God. According to biblical stories, after his fall Lucifer, who is also called Satan, refocused his attentions on humanity, leading God’s followers astray and building an army for the time when he would attempt