Ix Chel
A Mayan goddess of the moon who was also a deity who presided over childbirth, medicine, rainbows, weaving, fertility and lovemaking. In ancient times, it was believed that a lunar eclipse was a great threat to the safety of pregnant women and their unborn children, often affecting them with disease and deformity. Woman who were going through labor during an eclipse were said to be at teh greatest risk of danger. For protection, special amulets in the shape of Ix Chel would be placed underneath the bed, and incantations and prayers recited to the goddess until the eclipse passed.
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