Goddess Parvathi's legends are always related with Shiva, her husband. In Shaktha texts, which is goddess Shakthi oriented, she is said to transcend Shiva. She has been identified as the supreme being, Shiva is just the presiding deity of destruction and regeneration. The couple jointly symbloize the power of renuuciation and asceticism and the blessings of martial felicity.

Thus Parvathi symbolise different virtues which are all esteemed by the Hindu tradition: asceticism, devotion, fertility, martial felicity, power and the spouse. References in Saundaryalahari say that, She is the source of all the power in this universe, even Shiva gets all his powers from her.

In the pereninnial tension in Hinduism, Parvathi represents the household ideal, where as Shiva is represented as the household and ascetic ideal. The classical Hindu mythology claims the reason for the existence of Parvathi, and Sati is to lure Shiva into marriage so that get him into a wider circle of worldly affairs. Parvathi is supposed to civilize Shiva, who is a great unpredictable madman with her presence along with him. Is is said that, when Shiva does his violent and destructive dance, the thandava, Parvathi used to calm him by complementing his violence by slow, creative steps of her own Lysya dance. Many of the myths says: Parvathi is not as much jis complement as his rival, tricking, seducing or luring him away from his ascetic practices. Parvathi is said to subdue Shiva's immense sexual vitality. In supporting this context Shiva Purana says: 'The linga of Shiva, cursed by the sages, fell on the earth and burnt everything before it like fire. Parvathi took the form of a yoni and calmed it by holding the linga in her yoni.' The Padma Purana too tells the story of Parvathi assuming the form of yoni to receive lingam of Shiva. who was cursed by sage Bhrigu to be the form of the lingam.

There are three images, which are central to the mythology, iconography and philosophy of Parvathi:
1. The theme of Shiva-Shakthi
2. The image of Shiva as Ardhanarishvara(the lord who is half-man and half-woman)
3. The image of the linga and the yoni
All these images combine both the deities Shiva and Parvathi, which yield a vision of reconciliation, interdependence and harmony between the way of the ascetic and that of a household.

In Puranas the couple Shiva and Parvathi were often depicted as they were engaged in dalliance, seated on Mount Kailash or discussing abstract concepts in Hindu theology, some times they were depicted as quarreling. In the stories describing the birth of Karthikeya, the couple is described to as love-making, generating the seed of Shiva. Shiva and Parvathi's union is symbolized as the union of male and female in ecstasy and sexual bliss. In art, Parvathi is seated on Shiva's knee or standing beside him, the picture of this couple is referred to as Uma-maheshwara or Hara-Gauri or as Annapurna, the goddess of grain gives alms to Shiva.

Shaiva, the community of people who look Shiva a primary God approaches tend to look Parvathi as Shiva's submissive and obedient wife and helpmate. Where as Shakthas focus on Parvathi's equality or even Superiority to her consort. The story of the birth of ten Mahavidyas, wisdom goddess of Shaktha Tantrism explains this: When Shiva is living with Parvathi in her father's house, following an argument, Shiva attempts to walk out on her. Parvathi's rage manifests in the form of ten terrifying goddess block Shiva's every exit.

Scholar David Kinsley explains: 'The fact that Parvathi is able to physically restrain Shiva dramatically makes the point that she is superior in power. The theme of the superiority of the goddess over male deities is common in Shaktha textx, and so the story is stressing a central Shaktha theological principle... The fact that Shiva and Parvathi are living in her father's house in itself makes this point, as it is traditional in many parts of India for the wife to leave her father's home upon marriage and become a part of her husband's lineage and live in his home among his relatives. That Shiva dwells in Parvathi's house thus implies her priority in their relationship. Her priority is also demonstrated in her ability, through the Mahavidyas, to thwart Shiva's will and assert her own.'

Puranas tell the tale of Sati's marriage to Shiva against her father Dhaksha's wishes and her subsequent self-immolation at Dhaksh'a Yajna, leaving Shiva alone in grief and having lost interest in worldly affairs. In Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Sati appears in her devine form to Shiva and reassures him that she will return to him as the daughter of Himavan. Sati then reborns as Parvathi, the daughter of Himavan and the apsara Mena and is named as Kali, the dark one as per her complexion. Both Sati and Parvathi as considered as the manifestations of Mahadevi, the great goddess. In Ramayana, the river Ganga is depicted as the elder sister of Parvathi, while in Harivamsa Parvathi has two younger sisters called Ekaparna and Ekapatala.

Parvathi is depicted as interested in Shiva's tales and his appearances from her very birth and she finally remembers has last life as Sati. As Parvathi grew up into a young woman, she began tapas to please Shiva to grant her wish to reunite with him. She has been portrayed as surpassing all other ascetics in penance, undergoing mortification. As a final test, Shiva tests her devotion by sending an attendant or appearing himself in disguise to criticize Shiva. Parvathi is untouched by the act, she retains her desire for Shiva compelling him to marry her. After their marriage, Parvathi moves to Kailash, the residence of Shiva.

Kumarasambavam(Birth of Kumara), the Kalidasa's epic gives details with matchlessly lyrical beauty the story of the maiden Parvathi; her devotions aimed at gaining the favour of Shiva; the subsequent annihilation of Kamadeva; the consequent fall of the universe into barren lifelessness; the subsequent nuptials, in these circumstances, of the partners on many previous births; the immaculate birth of Skanda(Kumara, Shiva's first son) and the eventual resurrection of Kamadeva after intersecession by Parvathi to Shiva in his favour.

The depiction of Parvathi's marriage to Shiva, in the Shiva Purana is seen as an allegory illustrating the desire of an individual to achive a state of liberation from strife and banality. If one sets aside, for a moment, the idea of Shiva as a male entity and sees him instead as representing a state beyond human suffering, then Parvathi becomes symbolic of the aspirant who wishes to achieve nirvana, and the story becomes something considerably more than a quaint romantic tale. The acharyas, scholastic saints, who wrote the Puranas, may have interpreted Parvathi's asceticism as a means of winning Shiva's hand in marriage, in order t discourage young girls from following the goddess's example and becoming renunciates. In modern day Hinduism the marriage aspect of this story has been inflated in importance, but the most compelling picture we are left with, is Parvathi as an ascetic.

Parvathi is not seen in Vedic literature. The Kena Upanishad(3.12) contains a goddess named Uma-Haimavati. She appears as the Shakthi, the essential power of the Supreme, the Brahman. The primary role of the goddess is to be a mediator, who reveals the knowledge of Brahman to the Vedic trinity of Agni, Vayu and Indra boasting and posturing in the flush of a recent victory over a demon hoard.

But Kinsley notes say: it is little more than conjecture to identify her with the later goddess Sati-Patvathi although ... later text that extol Shiva and Parvathi retell the episode in such a way to leave no doubt that it was Shiva's spouse..." Where as textual and archaeological evidence suggest Sati-Parvathi appears in epic period (400BC - 400AD). The Ramayana and the Mahabharata present Parvathi as Shiva's wife. The plays of Kalidasa(5th - 6th centuries) and the puranas(4th through the 13th centuries) acquire comprehensive details about the myths of Sati-Parvathi. Kinsley also adds that Parvathi may have emerged from legends of non-aryan goddess that lived in mountains.

Prof. Weber suggests that like Shiva is combination of various gods Rudra and Agni, the puranic Parvathi is a combination of Uma, Haimavathi, Ambika, and earlier Parvathi, identified as wives of Rudra, of others like Kali, who could be a wife of Agni and of Gauri and others inspired by Nirriti, the goddess of evil. Tate suggests that Parvathi is a mixture of the Vedic goddess Aditi and Nirriti and being a mountain goddess herself, was associated with other mountain goddess like Durga and Kali in later traditions.