BENTEN

also called Benzaiten (Japanese: Divinity of the Reasoning Faculty), in Japanese mythology, one of the Shichi-fuku-jin (Seven Gods of Luck); the Buddhist patron goddess of literature and music, of wealth, and of femininity. She is generally associated with the sea; many of her shrines are located near it, and she is frequently depicted riding on, or accompanied by, a sea dragon. According to one legend, she married a sea dragon, thus putting an end to his ravages of the island Enoshima. She is often shown playing the biwa, a kind of lute. A white serpent serves as her messenger. Benten is identified with the Indian goddess Sarasvati, also a patron of literature and the arts, who probably travelled to Japan along with Buddhism. See also Shichi-fuku-jin.