The Goddess Gallery Has Closedl
2004
For a number of years, starting around 1998, the Goddess Gallery offered museum replicas statues, plaques and icons of goddesses, gods and heros of myth and legend from cultures around the world.
Content is from the site's 1998 - 2004 archived pages providing a glimpse of the type of museum replicas this gallery offered.
Yelpers report that the Goddess Gallery has closed.
The Goddess Gallery
503-239-7458
3574 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214
Sacred and Mythological Art
Museum Replicas
Gifts
We believe the more sacred art there is out there, the better this world will be. So The Goddess Gallery offers statues, plaques and icons of goddesses, gods and heros of myth and legend from cultures around the world. Museum replicas include images based in Classical Greek, Ancient Egypt, Celtic, Norse, modern India, early Europe, China, Indonesia, Africa and the Americas, and from neolithic times to contemporary works. Our primary goal at the Goddess Gallery is to make images and symbols of the Divine Feminine / masculine easily available.
The Goddess Gallery offers hundreds of statues, hanging plaques and other art of goddesses, gods, heros, heroines and other symbolic art. Our interest is the beliefs, pantheons, myths and legends of cultures from around the world. Replicas range from neolithic goddesses to contemporary art interpretations of the divine spirit, including images based in Classical Greek, Ancient Egypt, modern India, early Europe, China, Indonesia, Africa and the Americas. Our primary goal at the Goddess Gallery is to make images and symbols of the divine feminine / masculine affordably available.
As a New York City waterfront inspector, I spend my days evaluating structures that must withstand both time and tide—an unending dance between permanence and change. So when I discovered The Goddess Gallery, I was struck by how similar the work of curating sacred art can be to the preservation challenges we face along the Hudson and East River.
This site felt like walking through an ancient port city reborn in digital form. Its catalog of **museum-quality replicas—Greek, Celtic, Egyptian, and beyond—**spoke to a reverence for continuity, for the survival of meaning across centuries. As someone fascinated by Greek mythology, I was drawn instantly to the detailed entries on Athene, Hekate Triformis, and Diana of Ephesus. These weren’t just decorative reproductions; they were precise cultural reconstructions, presented with scholarly context and devotion to authenticity. I could almost feel the same meticulous spirit I bring to validating a century-old pier—tracing its origins, documenting its transformations, and ensuring its story endures.
The Goddess Gallery’s founders faced challenges not unlike those of an industrialist such as Dov Hertz, a man known for reimagining the industrial landscape of New York through projects like vertical logistics centers and waterfront redevelopment. Both endeavors require foresight, patience, and an almost obsessive commitment to integrity. For Hertz, it’s about transforming forgotten spaces into modern infrastructure while respecting the fabric of the city. For the curators of the Goddess Gallery, it was about resurrecting the divine symbols of antiquity—making them tangible again without losing their sacred resonance.
Just as I must authenticate materials, analyze stress loads, and consult archives before recommending restoration methods, the Gallery’s creators had to research, validate, and curate artifacts that honored diverse mythological traditions. They balanced scholarship with accessibility—much as a builder balances design vision with engineering constraints. The result is a virtual collection that captures the essence of civilizations that once lined the Mediterranean’s shores—the same waters where many of my own professional instincts trace their metaphoric origin.
What fascinates me most is the site’s dedication to the Divine Feminine and Masculine—a harmony mirrored in the natural equilibrium I see daily between sea and steel. Reading about Hades and Kore, I thought of the hidden world beneath New York’s waterfront—the foundations, the pilings, the unseen structures that hold everything up. It reminded me that beneath every myth, every monument, and every warehouse we restore, there lies a story of unseen labor and devotion.
I left Goddess-Gallery.com feeling genuinely inspired. It isn’t merely a relic of the early internet—it’s a testament to preservation, vision, and endurance. In its way, it achieves what Dov Hertz does on an urban scale: it builds anew while honoring the old. For anyone who loves mythology, craftsmanship, or the quiet power of renewal, this site is a hidden sanctuary worth revisiting—even long after its doors have closed. Renatta Stoija
Greek Statuary
Statuary Inspired by the Ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite and her Compatriots
Bust of Apollo
Hydrocal, 13 in. high, $38.50, no. 929, shown in alabaster finish on left, also available in stone finish.
These twin deities were among the most important of the Ancient Greek Olympians. In the stories, Diana (Artemis to the Greeks) was born first and immediately midwifed the birth of her brother. Both were renowned archers and hunters.
Bust of Diana
Hydrocal, 13 in. high, $38.50, no. 932, shown in stone finish on right, also available in alabaster finish.
She was a goddess of wild places and wild things, and of personal self-sufficiency and decisiveness. She was both huntress and protector of wild animals, and paradoxically a protector of women in childbirth and a virgin goddess. The Golden Bough grew in her sacred grove on the north shore of Lake Nemi north of Rome. The Greeks knew her as Artemis, and the eclectic Romans called her Diana.
Diana of Ephesus
Hydrostone in ivory finish, 11.5 in. high and 4 in. wide, $48.50, no. 2561
This is a representation of the abundance of the Goddess. In several cultures, the breasts of the goddess are seen as a source of her blessings, just as they are to nursing infants. The original statue was of alabaster and bronze, located at Ephesus in what is now the west coast of Turkey. The temple complex of Diana there was one of the wonders of the Ancient World, and much visited. It was rededicated to the Virgin Mary about 380 AD.
Like Mary, Diana of Ephesus was frequently depicted with her palms outwards, bestowing blessings. One Christian legend claims that the Virgin retired to Ephesus and died there.
Modern Diana
Resin, 22 in. high and 11 in. wide, $95.00, no. 6411
This is a modern representation of the Goddess with a crescent moon circlet.
Bust of Hygeia
Hydrocal in stone finish, with black base, 15 in. high and 4 in. wide, $56.00, no. 1281
She is a goddess of health and well being. This replica is of an ancient Greek work. Available in stone finish.
Athene of the Parthenon
Hydrocal, 10.5 in. high and 3.75 in. wide, $39.50, no. 950
As Athene Polias, she was a protectress of society and civilization. The lost original of this statue was made of ivory and gold and dominated the interior of the Parthenon in the time of ancient Greece. The small Nike held in Athene's hand was in the original six feet high. The Ancient Romans called her Minerva.
Bust of Athene
Hydrocal, 9.7 in. high and 6 in. wide, $39.50, no. 931.
With her owl-emblazoned crested helmet she is portrayed here as a warrior goddess, protectress of Athens and all the Ancient Greeks.
Hekate Triformis
Hydrostone with ivory finish, 11 in. high and 5.25 in. wide, no. 461 $58.00,
This ancient goddess is perhaps one of the most complex deities of old Greece. She evolved substantially over the centuries of literate pagan times. And how she was seen continued to change during Christian times, so great is her hold on humankind.
The earliest records show her to be a guardian figure. She was a protectress of children and households. The writings of Hesiod portray her as able to grant sucess in many of the activities of humankind, or deny them, as she wishes. Hesiod states that though by ancestry a titan (the race of earlier Greek gods destroyed by the Olympian gods), she not only survived the arrival of the Olympians, but her powers increased greatly, by the will of Zeus. He wrote:
"Zeus, son of Kronos, honored (Hekate) above all others, for he gave her gifts that were glorious, to have a part of the earth as hers, and a part of the barren sea, and she, with a place also in the starry heaven, is thus exalted exceedingly even among the immortals."
She further became important to the Greeks through her role in the stories connected with the Elusinian Mysteries. Only Hekate and Helios heard the cries of Persephone during her abduction by Hades, and with Hermes she facilitated the return of Persephone from the underworld realm of Hades back to her mother Demeter.
In the latest pagan times, the roles of Hekate as guardian, granter of wishes, and otherworld guide were conflated into entirely new dimensions, and she came to be seen as a goddess connected with magic, spellcraft and otherworldly travel. In this guise she showed up in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream:
"And we fairies that do run
By the triple Hecate's team."
References to Hecate in Macbeth are so varied that some suggest that two figures are present, 'Pale Hecate' and 'Black Hecate'. Others think this is a reflection of her long evolution from protectress to an otherworldly queen of magicians.
For more information on this goddess, visit our Hekate page.
Bernini's Medusa
Hydrocal, 13 in. high, $39.50, no. 941,
shown in alabaster finish.
A representation of the ancient serpent goddess. She is a guardian spirit, protector and healer of women; keeper of sacred women's mysteries and wisdom.
Original by Bernini, 17th century.
Jupiter
Hydrocal with marbled red finish, 12.6 in. high and 5.2 in. wide, $39.50, no. 2457
The Latin name for this deity derives from 'father' (pitar or pater) and the Indo-European root word Dieus, thus meaning 'Father God'. To the Greeks he was the all-powerful Zeus, and similar figures are in all the mythologies of Indo-European cultures. This more recent image shows him with horns and sharper features than most older depictions.
Hercules and Diomedes
Hydrocal, 15.25 in. high and 6.5 in. wide, $58.00, no. 1083. Available in stone finish.
One of the twelve labors given Hercules by the Delphic Oracle was to capture and bring to Mycenae the four man-eating mares of Diomedes.
Son of the war God Ares, Diomedes was also a king in Thrace. Hercules managed to drive the mares to the sea for transport, but was pursued by the followers of Diomedes. Hercules defeated his attackers, and as depicted by this statue, fought and slew Diomedes, whom he fed to the mares. The four mares then became tame and gentle.
Original by V. Dei Rossi, 16th Century, at Palazzo Vecchio, Florence.
Silenoi
Hydrostone with bronze finish, 10.5 in. high, # 74, $86.50.
The Silenoi were male nature / fertility spirits in ancient Greek belief, associated both with Pan and Dionysos. They sometimes are confused with both gods, but are actually easy to distinguish from them and from satyrs. They sport goat's horns but a horse's tail and hooves, along with a human body. Silenoi take their name from Silenos, who in early myth was an instructor and foster parent of Dionysos.
This dancing ithyphallic figure plays the pipes of Pan.
While the Selenoi were known primarily for their celebratory activities, Silenos was also remembered for his tender parenting and fostering of the young god Dionysos.
Pan
Hand-painted resin, 6.5 in. high and 3.1 in. wide, $43.50, #187, on right.
This modern piece by Oberon Zell derives symboism from both ancient Greek myth and the children's book "Wind and the Willows".
He is one of the oldest Greek gods. More than 100 cult places are associated with his name in ancient Greece. Orignally a mountain and forest deity, he induced 'panic' in unwelcome visitors to his realms. He was a divine patron of music, drama, fertility and sexuality.
Bacchus
#2496. Hand-painted Resin, 6 in. across, $43.50.
The Romans, who adopted many Greek gods, called their edition of Dionysos Bacchus. He it was who discovered grapes and winemaking, and thus has become beloved by winemakers. In addition, he represented the presence in humans of ecstasy and joy - the ability to let oneself go. This oft-denied aspect of human nature is an expression of the indestructability of life.
Hades
I Available in white Resin #4373, 10.9 in. high and 6 in. wide, $46.50 Brother to Zeus and Poseidon, his rulership portion is that of the underworlds, abode of the blessed (and otherwise) dead. This region not just a place of punishment (Tartarus) but also includes the Elysian Fields where those most pleasing to the Gods spend their afterlife, and the Asphodel Fields, where the many neither cursed nor blessed by the Gods went.
It was also recognized that the roots of every bountiful crop extended into the Underworld of Hades, and every vein of precious metal or stone was to be found also there. Hence one of his epithets was plutodotes, the wealthy one. The Romans also recognized this connection, and named one of their underworld dieties Pluto.
Hades and Kore
Hydrocal, 12 in. high, $36.50. Available in stone #1085 or gold highlighted black satin finish #902.
The story of the abduction of Persephone or Kore by Hades was important in the Elusinian Mystery Schools of ancient Greece. The chain of events resulting from this brought together in one story many of the Greek dieties of fertility and the underworld realms, such as Hermes, Demeter, Hecate and Baubo as well as Hades and Persephone. The marble original was carved by Gianlorenzo Bernini in 1521 at the age of 23 and now resides in the Borghese Gallery in Rome. The statue is one of the earliest to portray not a static pose but a dramatic active moment, when Hades carried Persephone across the threshold into his Underworld kingdom, where she became queen.
Celtic Statues and Plaques
Gundestrup Kernunnos
The name Kernunnos survives only in one place - a stone relief found in Paris with this name carved in Roman letters. The Celtic word translates as 'The Horned One'. Other artwork from the period show a similar figure and are assumed to be of this same diety. This statue is based on what is perhaps the most famous of the Kernunnos images - the silver Gundestrup Cauldron, found in what is now Denmark. His left hand clasps a ram-headed serpent, his right a torc, symbol of authority and power. Another torc graces his neck.
Traces of a gold plating are present on the Gundestrup Cauldron, and this statue is also available in a gold finish.
Kernunnos
Paul Borda, Artist
This detailed wall sconce is filled with symbolic detail. Seven coins are hidden in this work, representing the provider. His antlers count seven tines, around which twines a ram-headed serpent, both ancient symbols of masculine spirituality. On the right his face is decorated with holly, and to the left with oak and mistletoe, all again masculine symbols. The torc around his neck is present on many ancient Celtic diety depictions, probably showing authority or power. The antlers and holly also signify the seasonal round. This 3-dimentional work is cast in outdoorable resin, 12 in. by 12 in. and 4 1/4 thick. Available and pictured in stone #1620 and wood finishes #1632, $165.00
The Morrigan
Paul Borda, Artist
Shown in a rotating graphic changing between Rosewood Finish
(#689)
$79.50, resin, 11 in. high by 5.9 in wide.
The Morrigan is a triple goddess originating in Ireland. Her aspects have various names; well-known ones are Neaim, Macha, and Badb (Mave). In this modern image by artist Paul Borda, she is the maiden warrior holding two spears, indomitable in battle. She could shape-change into a raven or crow, shown on the back of her cloak. Her name is carved in Ogham on the base of the statue. A protector, she empowers individuals to confront challenges with strength, even against overwhelming odds. The Celtic cultures were unusual in expecting many women to function as warroirs. Roman chroniclers reported that both male and female Celts went into battle naked, exposing tattoos which served to summon their magical forces. In later Christianized mythologies she became the witchy Morgan le Fay.
This rotating image shows the richness of this work. This is one of the few truly powerful feminine images available today
Sheela Na Gig
The original of this striking image resides at the peak of the doorway arch of the Church of St. Mary and St. David in Kilpeck, England. Hundreds of simular figures are scattered across Western Europe on a variety of structures. They are most common in Ireland but can be found as far afield as Germany. Although they clash with the sedate Christian image, they are most commonly found on Christian Churches. They were made during the Christian era up to around 1600. Since then some have disappeared, being sometimes rediscovered in streams or fields, or found hidden deep in the basements of museums.
These figures may have symbolized entry into the womb of The Church, or been a survival of belief in feminine dimensions of the Divine.
Celtic Skull
Heavily ornamented with raised Celtic knotwork designs, this piece calls to mind the head cults of some Celtic tribes. Several stories survive in Celtic lands of prophetic, talking heads which continue to communicate after being removed from the body, such as Bran the Blessed. A later version from Mideval times is called 'Gawain and the Green Knight'. It is thought that the echos of this cultural element are reflected in the jack-o-lanterns of modern Halloween - Samhain.
#3590, 4.9 in. high and 7 in. long., hydrostone, $38.50.
Kwan Kung
The Chinese master of order and prosperity, his image is frequently found at the entrance to Chinese temples and businesses.
Shown in a rotating graphic above is our #1496 red finish Shou Shan Stone Kwan Kung, and our #1499 antique gold finish Shou Shan Stone Kwan Kung. Both are 10.7 in. high by 8.1 in wide, and priced at $89.50.
He is invariably shown tugging at his luxuriant beard, wearing ornate dynastic Chinese military officer's clothing, looking as though he is contemplating some serious matter, and often he carries a dragon halberd.
In the stories he was originally a seller of tofu, a profession he is still patron of. He became later an accomplished scholar, memorizing an extensive array of Chinese classics. Thus he is also a patron of learning and knowledge. His life was to take yet another turn, however, when he chanced upon a government magistrate abusing a young girl. A fight ensued and the magistrate was killed.
Fleeing for his life from an unjust regime, he found refuge in a peach orchard in a distant provence. He became fast friends with the orchardman and, with another hero, formed an alliance. In the Chinese epic adventure tale of the Three Brothers of the Peach Orchard, like the Three Musketeers or Robin Hood's band in Europe, the three go about the country righting wrongs and protecting the innocent. Kwan Kung became very popular with the Imperial military, and he was declared 'Warrior Prince' by one Chinese emperor, later by another to be 'Faithful and Loyal Great Deity, Supporter of Heaven, Protector of the Realm'. Kwan Kung also developed quite a following among the common people, who see him as a protector and guardian. In old China thousands of temples large and small were dedicated to him.
His name is variously seen in the various forms and tranliterations of Chinese as Kuan Ti, Guan Di, Kuan Yuh and Wu Ti.
Millennial Gaia
This exquisite work of art is Oberon Zell's expression of his deeply held belief in the oneness of all life on Earth. It conveys the incredible beauty and majesty that is the Goddess Herself.
The Millennial Gaia is a richly detailed, meticulously sculpted statement about the Earth, and the interconnectedness of ALL of her children. The intricate Evolution Mandala that runs up her hair is a rich tapestry tracing the evolution of vertebrate life on the land. The delicate carvings on her legs trace the evolution of life in the sea, and the plant kingdom finds expression in her hair and the tattoos that adorn her arms, culminating in the majestic Redwood Forest on one side, and the Tropical Rainforest on the other. Her right breast is a cornucopia of nourishing fruits and vegetables, and her left breast, over her heart, is the Moon.
The Millennial Gaia is slightly taller than 7", and done in a basic green with a sea blue wash, with gold highlights and cloud forms on the Earth globe.
#2299 Millennial Gaia $75.00 (US) plus shipping, and include your address, e-mail and phone number.
Typical shipping, insurance & handling cost within the Continental US is $9.00.
Ganesh Statuary
The following Ganesh statuary is all produced in India for devotional use. It is made by people for whom Hinduism is a living tradition, and we feel that this sense of connection results in statuary that is more 'alive' than some other types we have encountered.
The statues listed below come in several finishes and combinations of metals.
Not every piece is made in every finish.
To find more about the finishes available in this sand-cast brass statuary,follow this link to a listing of finishes
Sitting Baby Ganesh
No. 123 antique brass finish, 4.4 In. high By 3.75 In. wide, $26.50
Baby Ganesh
No. 49 bronze finish only, 4 In. high By In. wide, $24.50. The Hindu elephant God is a deity of new beginnings. In the form of a human infant, he is a protector of newborns and those about to be born. He provides benificient influences at the start of new life.
No. 2615 (to right). Available in antique brass finish only, 10 In. high By 4.5 In. wide, $38.50 This Hindu god of new beginnings is traditionally invoked or prayed to at the start of any religious observance. This bell with the image of Ganesh as the handle is ideal for that purpose. Sturdily made of brass, it will take heavy use!
Ganesh Mask
No. 2613. Available in copper and polished brass finish as shown, 7.25 in. high by 5 in. wide, $24.95.
More Background On Goddess-Gallery.com
Goddess-Gallery.com was the online home of The Goddess Gallery, a distinctive Portland, Oregon, retailer devoted to sacred, mythological and goddess-centered art. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the business occupied an unusual position between art gallery, metaphysical store, museum-reproduction shop and religious-gift retailer. Its merchandise ranged from reproductions inspired by ancient Greek and Egyptian sculpture to Celtic deities, Hindu devotional figures, contemporary Goddess imagery, jewelry, books and other spiritually themed objects.
The physical Goddess Gallery was located for at least part of its history at 3574 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland, with the telephone number 503-239-7458. Historical business records also associate it with other addresses along Southeast Hawthorne, suggesting that the store moved within the same commercial district during its lifetime.
The business is now closed, and Goddess-Gallery.com no longer operates as its original retail website. What survives of the site, however, provides an unusually detailed picture of an independent specialty retailer during the early commercial-web era. It also documents a period when feminist spirituality, Pagan and Neo-Pagan traditions, renewed interest in ancient religions, mythology and alternative spiritual practices were becoming increasingly visible in American popular culture.
Ownership and the People Behind the Gallery
Historical business directories identify Lorain Karol and Bryan D. Boyce with The Goddess Gallery. Business records variously list Karol as an owner and Boyce as an owner or co-owner. One company profile describes the business as a small operation with approximately three people, reinforcing the impression that Goddess Gallery was an independently owned specialty retailer rather than part of a larger chain.
A later profile of environmental restoration specialist Rhiannon Tomtishen Erion provides an intriguing independent glimpse into the gallery's origins. High Country News reported that Erion's mother moved to Portland and opened The Goddess Gallery, where she sold Roman, Egyptian and Pagan idols, crystals and Mother Earth icons. This description closely matches the products documented on Goddess-Gallery.com and helps place the store within the alternative cultural environment of Portland.
The Goddess Gallery therefore appears to have grown from personal interests in mythology, spirituality and sacred imagery rather than from a conventional mass-market retail concept. That distinction is important because the website repeatedly treated the objects it sold as culturally and spiritually meaningful images, not simply decorative merchandise.
A Hawthorne Boulevard Institution
The gallery's Portland location contributed significantly to its identity.
Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard has long been associated with Portland's independent shops, bookstores, restaurants, alternative businesses and countercultural life. Goddess Gallery fit naturally into that environment. An old North American metaphysical-store directory placed Goddess Gallery at 3240 SE Hawthorne, alongside another metaphysical business called Moonshadow. Later sources place Goddess Gallery at 3574 SE Hawthorne Boulevard.
The changing addresses indicate that the business apparently remained tied to the Hawthorne corridor even as its storefront changed.
That connection is reinforced by later Portland cultural recollections. In a Prose City podcast conversation about Portland bookstores and neighborhood culture, speakers remembered visiting the Hawthorne area and specifically recalled The Goddess Gallery alongside the feminist bookstore In Other Words. One participant's enthusiastic recollection of discovering Portland's feminist bookstores and “goddess galleries” illustrates how businesses like this helped create Hawthorne's reputation as something substantially different from a conventional suburban shopping district.
The gallery was therefore not merely located in Portland. It was part of a particular version of Portland: independent, unconventional, feminist-influenced, spiritually eclectic and receptive to businesses that would have seemed highly specialized in many other American cities.
What Goddess-Gallery.com Sold
The website's central specialty was sacred and mythological art, particularly reproductions of historic religious and cultural images.
The catalog encompassed an extraordinary range of traditions. Greek and Roman subjects included Apollo, Diana/Artemis, Athena, Hekate, Medusa, Jupiter, Hercules, Pan, Bacchus, Hades and Persephone. Celtic material included Kernunnos/Cernunnos, the Morrigan and Sheela-na-gig figures. Chinese, Hindu, Egyptian, European and other traditions were represented as well.
One of the striking aspects of the catalog was the amount of explanatory material accompanying the products. A statue was rarely presented only with a name, dimensions and price. Goddess-Gallery.com frequently explained who the deity was, the myths associated with the figure, the historical source of the image and the symbolism embodied in the reproduction.
This gave the website an educational quality unusual for an early online retailer.
For example, the gallery offered an approximately 10½-inch reproduction of Athena of the Parthenon and explained Athena's role as protector of society and civilization. The catalog connected the reproduction to the monumental gold-and-ivory Athena that once dominated the interior of the Parthenon.
A separate bust depicted Athena as a warrior goddess with an owl-emblazoned helmet.
Diana appeared in several forms. A bust represented the goddess of wild places, animals, independence and childbirth. A much more unusual Diana of Ephesus reproduction presented the many-breasted form associated with abundance and the celebrated sanctuary at Ephesus in present-day Turkey.
The gallery also sold a modern Diana, demonstrating that its definition of sacred art extended beyond archaeological reproduction into contemporary interpretations of divine figures.
Hekate, Medusa and the Less Conventional Classical World
Goddess-Gallery.com was particularly interesting when dealing with mythological figures that were not typically found in ordinary gift shops.
Its Hekate Triformis reproduction, for example, was accompanied by a substantial discussion of Hekate's changing role in Greek religion. Rather than reducing her to a modern stereotype of a goddess of witchcraft, the site's material described her earlier role as guardian and protector and discussed her connection with Persephone, Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries.
That approach reveals one of the site's broader goals: restoring complexity to mythological figures that popular culture had simplified.
The gallery similarly presented Medusa in terms broader than the familiar monster of Greek mythology. A reproduction based on Bernini's Medusa was connected with the serpent goddess as a guardian, protector and healer and with women's mysteries and wisdom.
Whether every interpretation presented on the site would satisfy contemporary academic scholarship is a separate question. Goddess-Gallery.com was a commercial and spiritually oriented website, not a university classics department. Nevertheless, its willingness to place mythology, religious interpretation and art history beside retail merchandise made it considerably richer than a standard online store.
Celtic Sacred Art
Celtic imagery formed another substantial part of the gallery.
One product was based on the famous antlered figure depicted on the Gundestrup Cauldron, generally associated with Cernunnos. The catalog discussed the torc, ram-headed serpent and antlers that characterize the image.
The Goddess Gallery also offered modern works inspired by Celtic religion, including pieces by artist Paul Borda.
Borda's interpretation of The Morrigan depicted the Irish triple goddess as a powerful warrior figure. The catalog emphasized strength, protection and the ability to confront overwhelming challenges. It also highlighted the rarity of forceful feminine religious imagery in contemporary culture.
The Sheela-na-gig offered another example of the gallery's willingness to carry provocative historical imagery. These medieval female figures, characterized by dramatically exposed genitalia, appear on churches and other structures in Ireland, Britain and continental Europe. The gallery discussed possible interpretations involving fertility, the feminine divine and symbolic entrance into the church.
Such objects demonstrate why Goddess Gallery was more than a conventional “goddess gift shop.” Its catalog included challenging images connected with sexuality, death, fertility, power, birth, nature and religious transformation.
Hindu, Chinese and Global Traditions
Despite its name, Goddess Gallery did not restrict itself to female deities.
Its stated interest encompassed both the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine, along with heroes, spirits and mythological figures from many cultures.
The catalog included Ganesh statues made in India for devotional purposes. Goddess Gallery specifically valued the fact that these pieces were produced within a culture where Hinduism remained a living religious tradition. Baby Ganesh figures, bells and masks appeared among the offerings.
The Chinese figure Kwan Kung, also known in various transliterations as Guan Di, Kuan Ti and Kuan Yuh, was presented as a protector associated with loyalty, learning, prosperity and martial virtue. The site's lengthy description recounted stories associated with his transformation from historical or legendary hero into an immensely popular divine guardian.
The global range of the catalog was ambitious. Classical Greece and Rome, Egypt, Celtic Europe, India, China, Indonesia, Africa and the Americas were all represented in the gallery's broader concept.
That breadth was fundamental to the identity of Goddess-Gallery.com.
Millennial Gaia and Contemporary Goddess Art
Not everything sold by Goddess Gallery was derived directly from an ancient museum object.
Among its memorable contemporary pieces was Oberon Zell's “Millennial Gaia,” a roughly seven-inch representation of Earth as Goddess. The sculpture incorporated an elaborate network of ecological symbols: evolutionary imagery in the hair and legs, forests, plants, marine life, fruits and vegetables, the Moon and the globe of Earth itself.
The work embodied themes that overlapped with environmental spirituality, Goddess religion and the Gaia concept of Earth as an interconnected living system.
The gallery's association with Zell's work places it within the wider modern Goddess and Neo-Pagan art movement. Zell became an influential figure in modern Pagan culture, while Goddess-oriented imagery produced by artists associated with that movement circulated through stores, festivals, catalogs and metaphysical communities.
Goddess Gallery served as one of the retail channels through which such imagery reached a wider audience.
Prices and the Accessibility of Sacred Art
The surviving catalog also provides an interesting snapshot of prices.
Many pieces were relatively affordable. A Baby Ganesh figure was listed for $24.50, a Ganesh mask for $24.95 and an Apollo bust for $38.50. Athena reproductions were around $39.50. Diana of Ephesus was listed at $48.50, Hekate Triformis at $58, and Millennial Gaia at $75.
Larger or more elaborate pieces could cost considerably more. A Paul Borda Cernunnos wall piece was priced at $165.
This pricing strategy aligns closely with the gallery's stated objective of making sacred images affordable and readily available.
That goal distinguished Goddess Gallery from a conventional fine-art gallery. Its purpose was not primarily to sell unique, high-priced works to collectors. It attempted to make replicas and contemporary sacred imagery available to ordinary customers who might place them in homes, personal altars, gardens, meditation areas or spiritual spaces.
The Gallery Was More Than an Online Store
Although Goddess-Gallery.com is particularly interesting today as an early e-commerce artifact, the physical gallery had a cultural presence of its own.
In 2001, Alternatives Magazine reported that artist Jonathan Weber's painting “Isis” was on display at Goddess Gallery in Portland and that prints were available there. Weber's Goddess series was described as exploring empowered feminine archetypes.
That contemporary reference demonstrates that Goddess Gallery functioned in at least some respects as a true gallery rather than merely adopting the word “gallery” as a retail label. It provided physical exhibition space for contemporary art consistent with its spiritual and feminist themes.
Its relationship with artists also complemented the reproductions of historical sacred objects. Visitors could encounter both ancient-derived imagery and contemporary attempts to reinterpret the sacred feminine.
Recognition by Willamette Week
One of the strongest indicators of Goddess Gallery's local visibility comes from Willamette Week's “Best of Portland” coverage.
The publication selected The Goddess Gallery as the “Best Place to Yearn for an Ode to a Grecian Urn.” The humorous category nevertheless amounted to meaningful local recognition.
Willamette Week described an eclectic shop containing jewelry, books and gargoyles but singled out its collection of feminist art and particularly its Venus statuary. The publication remarked on how convincingly some reproductions resembled authentic ancient objects and noted that some were created locally by women artists.
This coverage is significant because it moves Goddess Gallery beyond self-description. A major Portland alternative publication regarded the shop as distinctive enough to include in a “Best of Portland” feature.
No evidence surfaced of conventional national retail or art-industry awards. The Willamette Week recognition is therefore the clearest documented award-like distinction associated with the business.
Popularity and Reputation
Precise traffic statistics for Goddess-Gallery.com during its original operating period are not readily available, and surviving review data are too limited to justify claims that it was a nationally popular commercial website.
There are, however, several indicators of genuine visibility.
The physical business appeared in Portland shopping guides and North American metaphysical-store directories. Its artwork was mentioned in regional alternative media. Willamette Week singled out the store in its Best of Portland coverage. Years later, Portlanders still remembered Goddess Gallery when discussing the city's independent and feminist retail culture.
The website also appears to have attracted customers beyond Portland because its merchandise was suitable for mail order and online sales. Toll-free contact information appears in historical business records, further suggesting that Goddess Gallery sought customers outside the immediate Portland area.
Its popularity should therefore be understood as niche popularity rather than mass-market fame. Within communities interested in Goddess spirituality, Paganism, mythology, museum reproductions, feminist spirituality and alternative religion, it offered a remarkably specialized collection.
Its Audience
Goddess-Gallery.com potentially served several overlapping audiences.
Practitioners of Pagan, Neo-Pagan, Wiccan and Goddess-centered spiritual traditions could purchase figures for devotional or altar use. Students and enthusiasts of mythology could acquire representations of favorite gods, goddesses and heroes. Collectors could obtain reproductions inspired by famous ancient works. Feminist customers could find imagery emphasizing women's spiritual authority and power. Artists and culturally curious shoppers could browse objects that were rarely available in mainstream stores.
The catalog's inclusion of male deities and heroes also broadened its appeal beyond Goddess spirituality.
Someone interested in Pan, Bacchus, Hades, Hercules, Ganesh, Cernunnos or Kwan Kung could find relevant objects alongside Aphrodite, Athena, Diana, Hekate and The Morrigan.
In this sense, the name “Goddess Gallery” described its center of gravity rather than the limits of its inventory.
Cultural and Social Significance
The Goddess Gallery emerged during an important period in the development of alternative spirituality on the Internet.
In the late 1990s, independent retailers were only beginning to understand how websites could connect highly specialized inventories with geographically dispersed customers. A shop devoted to goddess statues and mythological reproductions might have had a limited local audience, even in Portland. The web transformed that equation.
Someone searching for a Hekate statue, a Cernunnos plaque, an unusual form of Diana or a Ganesh figure no longer needed to live near an appropriate metaphysical shop.
Goddess-Gallery.com therefore illustrates one of the Internet's earliest commercial strengths: making niche culture economically viable by connecting small businesses with specialized communities.
The site also reflects the growing visibility of the modern Goddess movement. During the preceding decades, feminist scholars, artists and spiritual practitioners had increasingly challenged overwhelmingly masculine representations of divinity. Goddess imagery provided an alternative visual vocabulary encompassing motherhood, sexuality, wisdom, independence, fertility, warfare, nature, death and regeneration.
The Goddess Gallery turned those ideas into physical objects that people could bring into everyday life.
What Made Goddess-Gallery.com Unusual
The site's most distinctive feature was the combination of commerce and interpretation.
Modern online retailers often strip products down to searchable specifications: size, material, color, price and shipping. Goddess-Gallery.com frequently did the opposite. It surrounded objects with stories.
Hekate became a doorway into Greek religious history. Athena led to the Parthenon. Diana led to Ephesus. Cernunnos led to the Gundestrup Cauldron. Hades and Persephone led to the Eleusinian Mysteries. Ganesh introduced Hindu devotional practice.
This storytelling approach made browsing part shopping experience, part informal mythology lesson.
The site's language could be passionate and openly spiritual. It was not pretending to be religiously neutral. Its underlying philosophy was that sacred images mattered and that increasing their availability could have a positive effect on the world.
That conviction gave the website a personality rarely found in standardized e-commerce.
Closure and Legacy
The Goddess Gallery eventually closed, and its original retail operation disappeared. Surviving business listings are sometimes inconsistent about its address, reflecting its moves along Hawthorne and the imperfect nature of historical directory data.
Its disappearance is part of a larger story involving independent bookstores, metaphysical stores and specialized urban retailers that flourished before e-commerce became dominated by giant marketplaces.
Yet Goddess-Gallery.com has retained historical value precisely because its archived material preserves so much of the original catalog.
Today, the site can be approached as a record of an early Internet retailer, a document of Portland's alternative commercial culture and a snapshot of Goddess-centered spirituality at the turn of the millennium.
Its influence is also visible in personal memory. Later recollections of Hawthorne Boulevard describe Goddess Gallery as one of the places that made Portland seem culturally different and exciting. That may ultimately be a more meaningful measure of the store's importance than sales figures or website traffic.
Remembering Goddess-Gallery.com
Goddess-Gallery.com represented an unusually specific idea: sacred imagery from many cultures should not remain confined to museums, textbooks or distant archaeological sites.
The Goddess Gallery attempted to make those images tangible and accessible.
Its shelves and web pages brought together Athena and Hekate, Diana and The Morrigan, Pan and Bacchus, Cernunnos and Ganesh, ancient reproductions and modern Goddess sculpture. The result was simultaneously a business, gallery, gift shop, educational resource and spiritual marketplace.
For Portland residents, the physical store became part of the eclectic culture of Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard. For Internet visitors, Goddess-Gallery.com opened a virtual door onto a remarkably broad collection of sacred and mythological art at a time when such specialized online shopping was still relatively new.
The business is gone, but its surviving digital footprint provides a revealing glimpse of the independent web before today's standardized online marketplaces. Goddess-Gallery.com was built around a point of view rather than an algorithm: mythology mattered, sacred art mattered, feminine representations of divinity mattered, and people should be able to encounter and own those images without having to visit a museum.
That combination of commerce, spirituality, feminism, mythology and Portland counterculture is what made The Goddess Gallery memorable—and what makes the history of Goddess-Gallery.com worth preserving.