S2 Ep9: Elamite Goddess Manzant: She Who Arcs the Heavens

In this episode of The Goddess Divine Podcast, we journey into the luminous world of Manzat, the Mesopotamian and Elamite goddess of the rainbow, liminality, and cosmic covenant. We begin with a reimagined microstory, a young girl standing beneath the desert sky, witnessing the rainbow goddess unfurl her arc in the twilight as a reminder that the world still holds together after chaos.

From there, we explore Manzat’s role in ancient Mesopotamian cosmology, where the rainbow was far more than color and light, it was a divine symbol of restored order. Known as “She Who Arcs the Heavens,” Manzat appears in Elamite inscriptions as a protector, intercessor, and guardian of boundaries and treaties. We examine the historical world that knew her: the powerful yet vulnerable cities of Mesopotamia and Elam, the shifting landscapes of the second millennium BCE, and the roles of women in ritual, property, and lineage.

Drawing on royal inscriptions and votive dedications from Susa, we uncover how Manzat was honored by kings seeking stability, and by communities who sensed in the rainbow a message of survival and continuity. The episode weaves ancient scholarship with spiritual insight, revealing Manzat as a goddess of aftermath and renewal, one who still speaks to modern listeners navigating transitions, healing after upheaval, or standing at the threshold of new beginnings.

We close with a contemplative reflection on the meaning of the rainbow as a bridge between storm and stillness, and an invitation to recognize the places in our own lives where Manzat’s presence may be quietly forming.