#quote from hesiod's works and days | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

deathlessathanasia · 1 year

Text

“Marriage served two main functions in ancient Greece: the creation of family alliances and the production of legitimate children. Although romances from as early as the Hellenistic period do narrate tales of young lovers who overcome any number of obstacles to marry and be together, love was not the usual basis for marriage. To date, scholars have no information regarding marriage or weddings in Bronze Age Greece. Some have interpreted the festive flotilla fresco from Thera as a wedding procession, but there is no clear evidence for this. We know that women were the primary caregivers for children as mentioned in the Linear B texts, but these texts deal mainly with palatial affairs, not the daily lives of “housewives,” so we know little about the workings of Mycenaean marriages. We learn more about marriage during the Dark Age and Archaic Age through Homer and Hesiod. Much can be gleaned from a short passage in Book 9 of the Iliad. Agamemnon, attempting to assuage Achilles’s wrath, makes the following offer: There are three daughters of mine in the well-built hall, Khrysothemis and Laodikê and Iphianassa, Of them let him lead her whom he wishes without bride-price to the house of Peleus. And I will give as dowry many things, as many as never before anyone gave with his daughter. What is first evident is that the father has the right to marry off the daughter, without either her or her mother’s consent. As in later Greek history, marriage arrangements were conducted between either the groom or his family and the bride’s kyrios, or legal guardian. Usually this was her father, although in his absence it could be a brother, or even a son.

Two financial transactions were involved in marriages: the bride price and the dowry. In contrast to later understandings of these, both transactions ultimately benefited the wife. The bride price consisted of goods offered by the groom or his family to the bride and her family. Such a tradition recognized the value of daughters to their families, especially their economic contributions vis-à-vis textiles and labor; the groom’s family had to “buy” her from her parents. The bride price might also include presents to the intended bride herself, especially if she were in high demand. In Book 18, 291–300, of the Odyssey, Penelope, one of Greek tradition’s most sought-after wives, reminded her suitors of their obligations and got some lovely jewelry. Somewhat the opposite of the bride price, the dowry was property given by the bride’s family into the keeping of the groom. In reality, the dowry was the bride’s inheritance from her natal family, usually around one-half or one-third of each of her brothers’ portions, although she received it upon marriage rather than the death of her father. Laws varied throughout the poleis concerning what property could be included in a dowry. For example, land was acceptable in Sparta, but categorically not so in Athens. In the story quoted above, Agamemnon includes copious tracts of land as dowry for whatever daughter Achilles would choose to marry, indicating that land was transferable as dowry in Homer’s world. Although technically the husband had use of the dowry while married to his wife, the dowry actually belonged to her and her natal family. If the marriage were ended for any reason other than the wife’s infidelity (and sometimes not even then), her entire dowry had to be restored to her or her family. This helped to prevent “frivolous” divorces. Furthermore, the wife continued to have use of her dowry after the death of her husband, providing her with a type of life insurance. Upon her death, she left her dowry to her children. In this way, some inheritance went through the female line as well as the male’s. . . .

Hesiod, more “working-class” in his concerns than Homer, strongly advises the listener against getting a bad wife while offering advice on how to get a good one in his Works & Days (ll. 695–705): Lead a wife to your home when you are of age, neither much less than 30 years nor much more, this being the appropriate age to wed. And let the woman be four years from youth; marry her in the fifth. Marry a virgin, so you might teach her good ways. Best of all to marry someone who lives near you, having looked all about, so your marriage is not a joke to the neighbors. For a man acquires nothing better than a wife of the good sort, but nothing’s worse than the bad kind, a parasite! As discussed below, many Greeks took Hesiod’s advice. Greek men generally married at around age thirty, when their own fathers might be near death, thus releasing the family land for inheritance. Women—girls, really—married for the first time while in their teens. In Sparta, this was seldom younger than age eighteen, when women were considered to be better able to bear children. In Athens, the more common age was fifteen, although in the fourth century b.c.e., girls could be married as young as thirteen. Men generally preferred virgins as their first wives, so as to ensure the paternity of their children. However, both divorced and widowed women could and did remarry, so female virginity was hardly a prerequisite for marriage.”

- The Ancient Greeks: New Perspectives, by Stephanie Lynn Budin

#ancient greece #marriage #quotes #excerpts

3 notes · View notes

verticordial · 2 years

Text

sacred to the horae

This will be my last post in this specific series about the Horae, the rest of which you can find HERE. I’ll introduce this post by saying there isn’t really much definitive information we have for them relating to things like holidays and offerings but I’ll do my best to share what I’ve found.

HOLY DAYS AND SACRED PLACES

The Horae were celebrated at an annual festival, the Horaea (or Horaia). Very, very little is known about it and information about the festival is usually summed up with “it was a festival.” The Encyclopaedia Britannica gives one definition which is commonly quoted - “In honour of the Horae a yearly festival (Horaea) was celebrated, at which protection was sought against the scorching heat and drought, and offerings were made of boiled meat as less insipid and more nutritious than roast.” - but the sources I’ve found for this suggestion are all in German which I cannot read (lol). It can be assumed then that the festival took place in the summer*, and that it was about protection for crops and seeking a bountiful harvest.

The Horaea as it was celebrated on Lemnos (and perhaps at other places) had more of a focus on transitions, manumission of slaves, and both the life-death cycle of crops and the metaphorical life-death cycle of a released slave. (I will admit to not being knowledgeable about manumission or Ancient Greek slavery, so if you’re looking for further information I suggest reading Kabeiroi, manumitted slaves and Xenoi: the manumission inscriptions from Lemnos by Rachel Zelnick-Abramovitz and the older authors in her sources. In this work Zelnick-Abramovitz also notes that it’s possible this Horaea was a completely different day than the festival to the Horae celebrated elsewhere.)

*It’s suggested that, at least in Lemnos, the Horaea was celebrated on the 7th day of Hekatombaion.

Also, Eirene equivalized as Pax (Roman peace) had an annual festival on the third of January.

*** EDIT: in a previous version of this post I mentioned that Dike is associated with the 5th day of the month because perjury and false oaths are punished by the gods on this day (Hesiod). While this comparison can still be drawn, my original source of commentary of Works and Days that I used for this post to support this idea has since been criticized for lack of its own sourcework/historical evidence, so I will no longer include that statement.

(Described as five Horae, or three Horae joined by two other goddesses) At Athens there was a temple to the duo of Horae Thallo and Karpo. I’m uncertain if this was the only temple to the Horae, but their likenesses could be found at temples in Argos, Olympia, Erythrae, Megara, and Mycenae, typically alongside Zeus, Hera, the Kharities, or their sisters the Moirae. Outside of temples, green pastures and general city-space are sacred to Eunomia by virtue of her name but are probably sacred to her sisters as well as Dike and Eirene have the same relationships with the city and rural growth.

THE CHORAL DANCE

The Horae are described as being in a constant choral ring-dance which represents zodiacal circling. In Ancient Greek festivals, choral dancing was extremely common and used as a way to extend the pleasure of the activity as an offering to the gods - the Horae take up this action (along with goddesses like Artemis and the Kharites) at the festivals and banquets held on Olympos. In this way their dance is both a celebration to the other gods, typically at weddings, and a metaphor for the revolving of stars and the consistent pattern of the changing seasons.

So it can be said that dancing on it’s own is important to the Horae, but the act of ring-dancing with three or more people joined by music or singing is specifically sacred to them.

(The Dance of the Horae)

OFFERINGS

The Orphic Hymns call for aromatic herbs and frankincense to be used as incense for the Horae. Philochorus says that offerings of meat to them were boiled and not roasted (it would appear this applied generally, and not just to the Horaea). Flowers and garlands are also sacred to the Horae, and were probably given as offerings.

Outside of that is mostly guesswork. Along with flowers we can presume that oils, perfumes, and cloth dyed with flowers would be given as offerings. Things which are typical to offer to other Ouranic gods were also likely given, such as wine, milk, honey, and fruit - probably also produce from a successful harvest was offered to them as goddesses of fruit and agriculture.

#the Horae #the Horai #Dike deity #Eunomia deity #Eirene deity #greek pantheon #greek religion #hellenic polytheism #helpol #hellenic pagan #personal

12 notes · View notes

10betterones · 2 years

Text

Brother Quotes That Celebrate Your Sibling Bond

Brothers can be a actual pain, however they are additionally some of the most treasured humans in our lives. Through all the laughs, arguments, and jokes at your very own expense, it can be challenging to discover the phrases to inform your brother how lots he capability to you. These uplifting and humorous brother rates are best for youthful brothers, older brothers, and even brothers no longer associated by using blood. And if you’re searching to have fun the female in your life, attempt these Brother Sister Quotes that will exhibit how a lot you care. 1. “Brothers and sisters are as shut as fingers and feet.”—Vietnamese Proverb

2. “There is a little boy interior the man who is my brother… Oh, how I hated that little boy. And how I love him too.”—Anna Quindlen

3. “I don’t trust an accident of delivery makes human beings sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, offers them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a circumstance humans have to work at.”—Maya Angelou

4. “Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the sunrise of our non-public testimonies to the inevitable dusk.” —Susan Scarf Merrell

5. “Brothers and sisters separated through distance, joined by means of love”—Chuck Danes

6. “Never make a partner equal to a brother.”—Hesiod

7. “Nothing can give up me from loving my brother.”—Brandy Norwood

8. “I had a brother who was once my savior, made my childhood bearable.”—Maurice Sendak

9. “The happiest days of my adolescence have been when my brother and I would run thru the woods and sense pretty safe.”—Rachel Weisz

10. “My brother is my first-class friend.”—Erinn Smart

#Brother Quotes That Celebrate Your Sibling Bond

0 notes

thelibraryiscool · 6 years

Text

μελέτη δέ τοι ἔργον ὀφέλλει·

αἰεὶ δ᾿ ἀμβολιεργὸς ἀνὴρ ἄτῃσι παλαίει.

“Dogged as does it.

The procrastinator grapples ever with ruin.”

- when Hesiod calls you out from ~2700 years ago

#and here i am on tumblr instead of like #writing my paper #how apt #hesiod #works and days #quote #sort of lol #books #procrastination #about me #ancient #ancient greek #side note hell knows if i pulled the right part from the greek #but seemed wrong to post without the original #not knowing how good of a translation i have #*shrugs* i tried ok

1 note · View note

blackswaneuroparedux · 3 years

Text

Anonymous asked: As a beginner in Classics I love your Classicist themed posts. I find your caption perfect posts a lot to think upon. I suppose it’s been more than a few years since you read Classics at Cambridge but my question is do you still bother to read any Classic texts and if so what are you currently reading?

I don’t know whether to be flattered or get depressed by your (sincere) remarks. Thank you so much for reminding me how old I must come across as my youngish Millennial bones are already starting to creak from all my sins of past sport injuries and physical exertions. I’m reminded of what J.R.R Tolkien wrote, “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” I know the feeling (sigh).

But pay heed, dear follower, to what Menander said of old age, Τίμα το γήρας, ου γαρ έρχεται μόνον (respect old age, for it does not come alone). Presumably he means we all carry baggage. One hopes that will be wisdom which is often in the form of experience, suffering, and regret. So I’m not ready to trade in my high heels and hiking boots for a walking stick and granny glasses just yet.

To answer your question, yes, I still to read Classical literature and poetry in their original text alongside trustworthy translations. Every day in fact.

I learned Latin when I was around 8 or 9 years old and Greek came later - my father and grandfather are Classicists - and so it would be hard to shake it off even if I tried.

So why ‘bother’ to read Classics? There are several reasons. First, the Classics are the Swiss Army knife to unpick my understanding other European languages that I grew up with learning. Second, it increases my cultural literacy out of which you can form informed aesthetic judgements about any art form from art, music, and literature. Third, Classical history is our shared history which is so important to fathom one’s roots and traditions. Fourth, spending time with the Classics - poetry, myth, literature, history - inspires moral insight and virtue. Fifth, grappling with classical literature informs the mind by developing intellectual discipline, reason, and logic.

And finally, and perhaps one I find especially important, is that engaging with Classical literature, poetry, or history, is incredibly humbling; for the classical world first codified the great virtues of prudence, temperance, justice, loyalty, sacrifice, and courage. These are qualities that we all painfully fall short of in our every day lives and yet we still aspire to such heights.

I’m quite eclectic in my reading. I don’t really have a method other than what my mood happens to be. I have my trusty battered note book and pen and I sit my arse down to translate passages wherever I can carve out a place to think. It’s my answer to staving off premature dementia when I really get old because quite frankly I’m useless at Soduku. We spend so much time staring at screens and passively texting that we don’t allow ourselves to slow down and think that physically writing gives you that luxury of slow motion time and space. In writing things out you are taking the time to reflect on thoughts behind the written word.

I do make a point of reading Homer’s The Odyssey every year because it’s just one of my favourite stories of all time. Herodotus and Thucydides were authors I used to read almost every day when I was in the military and especially when I went out to war in Afghanistan. Not so much these days. Of the Greek poets, I still read Euripides for weighty stuff and Aristophanes for toilet humour. Aeschylus, Archilochus and Alcman, Sappho, Hesiod, and Mimnermus, Anacreon, Simonides, and others I read sporadically.

I read more Latin than Greek if I am honest. From Seneca, Caesar, Cicero, Sallust, Tacitus, Livy, Apuleius, Virgil, Ovid, the younger Pliny to Augustine (yes, that Saint Augustine of Hippo). Again, there is no method. I pull out a copy from my book shelves and put it in my tote bag when I know I’m going on a plane trip for work reasons.

At the moment I am spending time with Horace. More precisely, his famous odes.

Of all the Greek and Latin poets, I feel spiritually comfortable with Horace. He praises a simple life of moderation in a much gentler tone than other Roman writers. Although Horace’s odes were written in imitation of Greek writers like Sappho, I like his take on friendship, love, alcohol, Roman politics and poetry itself. With the arguable exception of Virgil, there is no more celebrated Roman poet than Horace. His Odes set a fashion among English speakers that come to bear on poets to this day. His Ars Poetica, a rumination on the art of poetry in the form of a letter, is one of the seminal works of literary criticism. Ben Jonson, Pope, Auden, and Frost are but a few of the major poets of the English language who owe a debt to the Roman.

We owe to Horace the phrases, “carpe diem” or “seize the day” and the “golden mean” for his beloved moderation. Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, of Ancient Mariner fame, praised the odes in verse and Wilfred Owen’s great World War I poem, Dulce et Decorum est, is a response to Horace’s oft-quoted belief that it is “sweet and fitting” to die for one’s country.

Unlike many poets, Horace lived a full life. And not always a happy one. Horace was born in Venusia, a small town in southern Italy, to a formerly enslaved mother. He was fortunate to have been the recipient of intense parental direction. His father spent a comparable fortune on his education, sending him to Rome to study. He later studied in Athens amidst the Stoics and Epicurean philosophers, immersing himself in Greek poetry. While led a life of scholarly idyll in Athens, a revolution came to Rome. Julius Caesar was murdered, and Horace fatefully lined up behind Brutus in the conflicts that would ensue. His learning enabled him to become a commander during the Battle of Philippi, but Horace saw his forces routed by those of Octavian and Mark Antony, another stop on the former’s road to becoming Emperor Augustus.

When he returned to Italy, Horace found that his family’s estate had been expropriated by Rome, and Horace was, according to his writings, left destitute. In 39 B.C., after Augustus granted amnesty, Horace became a secretary in the Roman treasury by buying the position of questor's scribe. In 38, Horace met and became the client of the artists' patron Maecenas, a close lieutenant to Augustus, who provided Horace with a villa in the Sabine Hills. From there he began to write his satires. Horace became the major lyric Latin poet of the era of the Augustus age. He is famed for his Odes as well as his caustic satires, and his book on writing, the Ars Poetica. His life and career were owed to Augustus, who was close to his patron, Maecenas. From this lofty, if tenuous, position, Horace became the voice of the new Roman Empire. When Horace died at age 59, he left his estate to Augustus and was buried near the tomb of his patron Maecenas.

Horace’s simple diction and exquisite arrangement give the odes an inevitable quality; the expression makes familiar thoughts new. While the language of the odes may be simple, their structure is complex. The odes can be seen as rhetorical arguments with a kind of logic that leads the reader to sometimes unexpected places. His odes speak of a love of the countryside that dedicates a farmer to his ancestral lands; exposes the ambition that drives one man to Olympic glory, another to political acclaim, and a third to wealth; the greed that compels the merchant to brave dangerous seas again and again rather than live modestly but safely; and even the tensions between the sexes that are at the root of the odes about relationships with women.

What I like then about Horace is his sense of moderation and he shows the gap between what we think we want and what we actually need. Horace has a preference for the small and simple over the grandiose. He’s all for independence and self-reliance.

If there is one thing I would nit pick Horace upon is his flippancy to the value of the religious and spiritual. The gods are often on his lips, but, in defiance of much contemporary feeling, he absolutely denied an afterlife - which as a Christian I would disagree with. So inevitably “gather ye rosebuds while ye may” is an ever recurrent theme, though Horace insists on a Golden Mean of moderation - deploring excess and always refusing, deprecating, dissuading.

All in all he champions the quiet life, a prayer I think many men and women pray to the gods to grant them when they are caught in the open Aegean, and a dark cloud has blotted out the moon, and the sailors no longer have the bright stars to guide them. A quiet life is the prayer of Thrace when madness leads to war. A quiet life is the prayer of the Medes when fighting with painted quivers: a commodity, Grosphus, that cannot be bought by jewels or purple or gold? For no riches, no consul’s lictor, can move on the disorders of an unhappy mind and the anxieties that flutter around coffered ceilings.

Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt (they change their sky, not their soul, who rush across the sea.)

Part of Horace’s persona - lack of political ambition, satisfaction with his life, gratitude for his land, and pride in his craft and the recognition it wins him - is an expression of an intricate web of awareness of place. Reading Horace will centre you and get you to focus on what is most important in life. In Horace’s discussion of what people in his society value, and where they place their energy and time, we can find something familiar. Horace brings his reader to the question - what do we value?

Much like many of our own societies, Rome was bustling with trade and commerce, ambition, and an area of vast, diverse civilisation. People there faced similar decisions as we do today, in what we pursue and why. As many of us debate our place and purpose in our world, our poet reassures us all. We have been coursing through Mondays for thousands of years. Horace beckons us: take a brief moment from the day’s busy hours. Stretch a little, close your eyes while facing the warm sun, and hear the birds and the quiet stream. The mind that is happy for the present should refuse to worry about what is further ahead; it should dilute bitter things with a mild smile.

I would encourage anyone to read these treasures in translations. For you though, as a budding Classicist, read the texts in Latin and Greek if you can. Wrestle with the word. The struggle is its own reward. Whether one reads from the original or from a worthy translation, the moral virtue (one hopes) is wisdom and enlightenment.

Pulvis et umbra sumus

(We are but dust and shadow.)

Thanks for your question.

#question #ask #classical #greek #latin #horace #poetry #literature #arts #cambridge #classics #personal #study #habits #reading #books #culture #personal growth

70 notes · View notes

percabeth4life · 3 years

Note

Can you tell us something about Kronos? I don't know much aside from the fact that he ate his children. I am curious to know that how is he innocent?

Okay so let’s start being clear, He did indeed eat his children. In ATLOP I’m taking some creative liberties because the lead up to Him eating His children isn’t really discussed in the myths.

Anyways, onto info about Kronos (with quotes!)

He was a King, a good King. He overthrew Ouranus not because He wanted power but because Ouranus was genuinely horrid. Ouranus tossed the Kyklopes and the Hekatonkheir into Tartarus, He tormented the Titan’s with storms whenever they were within reach. He was genuinely a horrible Father (though it’s not explored what He was like before that so once again, creative liberties).

Kronos killing him was overthrowing a tyrant, it was saving His family.

And she spoke, cheering them, while she was vexed in her dear heart : ‘My children, gotten of a sinful father, if you will obey me, we should punish the vile outrage of your father; for he first thought of doing shameful things.’

So she said; but fear seized them all, and none of them uttered a word. But great Kronos the wily took courage and answered his dear mother : ‘Mother, I will undertake to do this deed, for I reverence not our father of evil name, for he first thought of doing shameful things.’ (Hesiod, Theogony 147 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.))

Summary: Gaea asked the Titans to destroy Ouranus and Kronos was the one to agree to do it.

His actions saved His siblings, and He in turn rescued the siblings of Their’s tossed to Tartarus-

Thus having overthrown Ouranos' (Sky's) rule the Titanes retrieved their brothers from Tartaros and gave the power to Kronos." (Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 3 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.))

Summary: The Titan’s rescued the ones in Tartarus

This time was known as the Golden Age for a reason, he was in fact a good king.

"First of all the deathless gods who dwell on Olympos (Olympus) made a Golden Race of mortal men who lived in the time of Kronos when he was reigning in heaven. And they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods. But after earth had covered this generation--they are called Pure Spirits (daimones hagnoi) dwelling on the earth (epikhthonioi), and are kindly, delivering from harm, and guardians of mortal men; for they roam everywhere over the earth, clothed in mist and keep watch on judgements and cruel deeds, givers of wealth [i.e. agricultural bounty]; for this royal right also they received." (Hesiod, Works and Days 109 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.))

Summary: the time was great and people were happy. Humans lived like Gods and death was peaceful. The Earth was filled with abundance.

Long ages before even cities existed . . . there existed in the time of Kronos, it is said, a most prosperous government and settlement . . . (Plato, Laws 713a (trans. Bury))

Summary: the time was really great

"[Animals could speak like men] in the reign of Kronos (Cronus). But anon, they say, Zeus changed all things to the contrary and in no happy mood, Zeus, the just, dispensing injustice, he robbed four-footed things of speech and, as if we had not strength enough even to bestow on others, he changed this hapless race to human kind . . . (Callimachus, Iambi Fragment 1 (from Oxyrhynchus Papyri 7) (trans. Trypanis) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.))

Summary: animals spoke like humans, until Zeus came in and took those away. He changed things to be worse.

These are just a few quotes lol

But as Ouranus died He foretold Kronos’ downfall.

But these sons whom be begot himself great Ouranos (Sky) used to call Titanes (Titans, Strainers) in reproach, for he said that they strained and did presumptuously a fearful deed, and that vengeance for it would come afterwards." (Hesiod, Theogony 147 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.))

Summary: Ouranus said that as He was overthrown by His children, so They would be

And this led to Kronos becoming fearful of His own children overthrowing Him as He overthrew His father. This paranoia led to Him eating His own children when they were born to prevent the prophecy from coming true. The basic lesson of the story is that avoiding a prophecy will only make it come true, and even the best kings can be corrupted by power.

So Kronos ate His kids and in the end was defeated by Zeus after a long war. A large chunk of mythology about Him revolves around this part, both the eating of His kids and the war.

And that’s basically a summary of His mythos. In some versions (started by Hesiod most likely as he has the earliest recorded mention of this) Kronos took over Elysium and was forgiven by Zeus for His crimes.

I hope you learned a new fact anon!

#anon asks #life answers #hellenistic chat #hellenistic polytheism #kronos #Cronos #Chronos #Cronus #Chronus #facts on the titan lol #Love Him #hellenic chat

102 notes · View notes

piristephes · 3 years

Text

The 5th lunar day, to the Eumenides/Kindly Ones.

The 5th lunar day, as all lunar days ending in 5, is dedicated to the Kindly Ones. They were midwives to Eris, the Goddess of Strife, and assisted the birth of Horkos, the daimon/god who punishes the oath-breakers.

Hesiod, Works and Days 218 ff : "The better path is to go by on the other side towards justice; for Dike (Justice) beats Hybris (Outrage) when she comes at length to the end of the race. But only when he has suffered does the fool learn this. For Horkos (Horcus, Oath) keeps pace with wrong judgements."

Hesiod, Works and Days 804 ff : "Beware of all the fifth days [of the month]; for they are harsh and angry; it was on the fifth, they say, that the Erinyes (Furies) assisted at the bearing of Horkos (Horcus, Oath), whom Eris (Strife) bore, to be a plague on those who take false oath."

At Haliartos there is in the open a sanctuary of the goddesses they call Praxidikai (Those who Exact Punishments) [the Erinyes]. Here they swear, but they do not make the oaths rashly. The sanctuary of the goddesses is near Mount Tilphousios." (Pausanias, Description of Greece)

Make no empty promises today, philloi (friends), honour the things you say. Also a good day to demand justice to the Gods if you have been wronged in any way and to pray to the Semnae - The Holy Ones, another euphemistic title to the Furies.

I found a quote that was rather lovely about a family who was in charge of priesthood towards Them:

Callimachus, Fragment 123 (from Scholiast on Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 489) (trans. Trypanis) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) : "And evermore to burn for them [the Eumenides] honey-sweet cakes is the duty of the sober priestesses, the Hesykhides (Hesychides, Of the Quiet, Of the Still)." [N.B. The descendants of the Athenian hero Hesykhos (Hesychus) were encharged with the priesthood of the Eumenides.]

Honey-cakes were really common offerings to the Gods back then. There are a lot accounts of Them receiving goat meat and wine as offerings too. Likely done in a chthonic manner, which means you take no part of what’s being offered and pour it on the ground/burn it all/bury it.

Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 38. 8 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "[Myonia, Lokris] has a grove and an altar of the Meilikhioi (Gracious Gods) [the Erinyes]. The sacrifices to the Meilikhioi are offered at night, and their rule is to consume the meat on the spot before sunrise."

They are punishers of evil-doers, inflicters of madness, guardians and oathkeepers, powerful and fearful Goddesses, described to be either daughters of Night (Nyx) or born out of the blood of Ouranos. If you wanna know a bit more about them, Theoi has a bit about their worship throughout Greece and you may also read the Oresteia, which tells the story of Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Klytaimnestra.

Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 34. 1 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "[Near Megalopolis in Arkadia] is a sanctuary of goddesses. They call the goddesses themselves, as well as the district around the sanctuary, Maniai (Maniae, Madnesses). In my view this is a surname of the Eumenides [Erinyes]; in fact they say that it was here that madness overtook Orestes as punishment for shedding his mother's blood. Not far from the sanctuary is a mound of earth, of no great size, surmounted by a finger made of stone; the name, indeed, of the mound is the Tomb of the Finger. Here, it is said, Orestes on losing his wits bit off one finger of one of his hands [in his Erinys-driven madness]. Another sanctuary called Ake (Remedies) because in it Orestes was cured of his malady. Near to the place called Ake is another . . ((lacuna)) a sanctuary called . . ((lacuna) because here Orestes cut off his hair on coming to his senses. Here too it a sanctuary of the Eumenides. The story is that, when these goddesses were about to put Orestes out of his mind, they appeared to him black; but when he had bitten off his finger they seemed again to be white and he recovered his senses at the sight. So he offered a sin-offering to the black goddesses to avert their wrath, while to the white deities he sacrifices a thank-offering. It is customary to sacrifice to the Kharites (Charites, Graces) [perhaps the Semnai] also along with the Eumenides. Historians of Peloponnesian antiquities say that what Klytaimnestra's (Clytemnestra's) Erinyes did to Orestes in Arkadia took place before the trial at the Areopagos; that his accuser was not Tyndareus, who no longer lived, but Perilaos, who asked for vengeance for the mother's murder in that he was a cousin of Klytaimnestra."

I wanted to make this post because I recently found out that I was born on a their day. Quite an ominous one, but as always, the Gods of the Underworld are portrayed as some of the scarier forces of the Cosmos - which makes it easy to understand why people are nervous to get in touch with some of Them - but that doesn’t mean that the Theoi Khthonioi are less honourable in any way. They are just as necessary to the world as the other Gods are, and you may always honour Them just as much. Hekate, Hermes Chthonios, The King and the Queen, along with the Kindly Ones, are all well-deserving of praise for their role in the universe.

May their fiery wrath strike only the deserving and keep us safe from any evil!

Errosthe (Be strong/healthy!)

#helpol #hellenic polytheism #the furies #The erinyes #hellenismos

87 notes · View notes

kevin-coleman · 2 years

Text

"And then Aidos and Nemesis, with their sweet forms wrapped in white robes, will go from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind to join the company of the deathless gods: and bitter sorrows will be left for mortal men, and there will be no help against evil." -- Hesiod, "Works and Days"

Started working on a new Burback story the other day. This image and this quote are the inspiration.

Photo by Emad Kolahi on Unsplash.

#amwriitng #writers on tumblr #writinglife #new writers corner #independent author #writers of tumblr #my writing #new story #writeblr #writing

3 notes · View notes

scarletarosa · 3 years

Text

Pluto

Greek god of death; King of the Underworld

Pluto (also Pluton or Hades) is the king of the Greek Underworld (which is called Hades) and is the lord of death. He presides over funeral rites and defends the right of the dead to their due burial. Pluto is also the god of the hidden wealth of the earth, from the fertile soil which nourishes the seed-grain, to the mined wealth of gold, silver, and other metals. One of the gods who works alongside him is Thanatos, who holds power over gentle deaths (while Pluto is death in general). In one myth, Pluto was said to have brought a plague to inflict Thebes after the king refused to give proper burials to warriors, which depicts Pluto’s harsher aspect of delivering death and justice. Pluto was also usually regarded as an infertile god, for a god of death should, by his very nature, be incapable of siring any children.

Pluto was depicted as a dark-bearded, regal god. He was depicted as either enthroned in Hades, holding a bird-tipped sceptre, or as the giver of wealth, pouring fertility from a cornucopia. The Romans named him Dis, or Pluto, the Latin form of his Greek title Plouton, "the Lord of Riches."

Myths: According to Hesiod, Pluto’s parentage is said to be of Kronos (god of time) and Rhea (goddess of earth and motherhood). He was said to have been devoured by Kronos along with four of his siblings while the infant Zeus was secretly hidden away by Rhea after his birth. When Zeus later returned and fought Kronos, his siblings were spat out and together they drove the titan gods from the heavens and locked them away in the pit of Tartaros. When the three victorious brothers then drew lots for the division of the cosmos, Hades received the third portion, the dark gloomy realm of the Underworld, as his domain. However, in another version of Pluto’s parentage, it is said by the Orphics that he is actually the son of Nyx (goddess of night) and Olethros (god of doom). In my workings with Pluto and Nyx, they have said the latter myth to be the true version, which makes Pluto the half-brother of deities such as Eris (strife), Philotes (unity), Hemera (daylight), Aether (god of the aether and upper light), etc.

In another myth, Pluto had desired a bride and petitioned Zeus to grant him one of his daughters. The god offered him the young Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. However, knowing that Persephone would resist the marriage, he assented to the forceful abduction of the girl and carried her away on his chariot as she cried out for help. When Demeter learned of this, she was furious and in great despair, causing a great dearth to fall upon the Earth until her daughter was safely returned. Zeus was eventually forced to concede lest mankind perish, and the girl was fetched forth from the Underworld. However, since she had eaten the pomegranate seed after being deceived by Pluto, she was forced to return to him for a portion of each year.

Apollodorus in the following passage summarizes the contents of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter (quoted here in the following section). Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 29-33 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.):

“Plouton [Haides] fell in love with Persephone, and with Zeus' help secretly kidnapped her. I begin to sing of rich-haired Demeter Semne Thea (Reverend goddess) - of her and her trim-ankled daughter [Persephone] whom Aidoneus rapt away, given to him by all-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer. Apart from Demeter Lady of the golden sword (khrysaoros), Giver of glorious fruits (aglaokarpos), she was playing with the deep-bosomed daughters of Okeanos and gathering flowers over a soft meadow, roses and crocuses and beautiful violets, irises also and hyacinths and the narcissus, which Ge (Earth) made to grow at the will of Zeus and to please the Host of Many [Haides], to be a snare for the bloom-like girl...The girl was amazed and reached out with both hands to take the lovely toy; but the wide-pathed earth yawned there in the Nysion plain, and the lord, Host of Many, with his immortal horses sprang out upon her...

He caught her up reluctant on his golden car and bare her away lamenting. Then she cried out shrilly with her voice, calling upon her father, the Son of Kronos [Zeus], who is most high and excellent. But no one, either of the deathless gods or of mortal men, heard her voice, nor yet the olive-trees bearing rich fruit: only tender-hearted Hekate, bright-coiffed, the daughter of Persaios, heard the girl from her cave, and the lord Helios (the Sun), Hyperion's bright son, as she cried to her father, the Son of Kronos [Zeus]. But he was sitting aloof, apart from the gods, in his temple where many pray, and receiving sweet offerings from mortal men. So he, that Son of Kronos [Haides], of many names...was bearing her away by leave of Zeus on his immortal chariot--his own brother's child and all unwilling. And so long as she, the goddess, yet beheld earth and starry heaven and the strong flowing sea, and still hoped to see her dear mother [Demeter] and the tribes of the eternal gods, so long hope calmed her great heart for all her trouble; and the heights of the mountains and the depths of the sea rang with her immortal voice: and her queenly mother heard her.”

Appearance: A man in his 40’s with tanned skin, black hair, a short black beard, and black eyes (only the irises). He wears a black toga and often has a solemn expression.

Personality: Pluto is very solitary, withdrawn, just, fair, serious, aloof, brooding, and compassionate. He requires his followers to respect the resting places of the dead, to show humility, and to overcome their toxic ways. He is one who understands that we all must go through the depths of suffering if we wish to gain wisdom and become better people. Yet this is something very difficult to do, so he is glad to assist along this path if one politely requests him to do so. Pluto is also a healer, but only in regards to mental sufferings due to loss and regrets; other things are not specialties of his. Pluto is a highly respectable deity and will be the guardian of many of us once we die (unless we enter a different kingdom). One should not speak cruelly of him or disrespect him due to his role as a divine king, lest they seek to invoke his wrath.

Personal experiences: Pluto embodies a feeling of immense loneliness, and had even bound himself to the Underworld as he felt that he could belong nowhere else. But in doing this, he is unable to leave this realm for very long and has made it very difficult for him to find a companion. So, in an act of desperation, he kidnapped Persephone when he saw her in a meadow one day and carried her off to his realm as she raged against him. He pleaded with her to listen and be understanding, but of course, someone who has been kidnapped does not respond well to this. So Pluto kept her locked up in his palace hoping that she would eventually calm down and come to want to understand him, but instead, Persephone became angrier and even more desperate to escape. This soon led Pluto to force himself upon her, and he continued this for ages. After a very long time of being kept prisoner, Persephone finally managed to be rescued by other deities, but she was not the same and had lost her connection to flowers due to her stay in the Underworld. She has been traumatized ever since and harbours great anger towards Pluto and any who change the myths about what had occurred. Pluto, however, is not the same as he was before and is repenting for his actions.

Nowadays, Pluto is a better version of his old self but still pains over his solitude. However, he does receive some company from some visiting family members such as Nyx and a few of his siblings, like Philotes. However, one is not advised to enter the Underworld through astral travel unless they are highly experienced and are granted permission to enter since this realm is not a pleasant place and some areas can even cause insanity. Despite this dark, abysmal domain, Pluto is a very understanding and patient god who is not quick to judge others and helps us to overcome our past evils in order to be reborn. Pluto also has a very strong understanding of pain and solitude, and what these emotions can turn a person into, so he can assist in healing these burdening emotions from our hearts.

He has explained that Pluto is his true name while Hades is simply the name of the portion of the Underworld which he rules over (as the Underworld is immensely vast and has multiple kingdoms such as Kur, Duat, Helheim, etc). His role as king of Hades is to watch over the spirits of the dead who enter his domain; where they are then tormented in order to overcome their wrong-doings, negative habits/emotions, and harmful obsessions. It is not like Hell, since only evil spirits go there and they are tortured for eternity in far worse ways; the Underworld is moreso a place of harsh lessons and rebirth before one is allowed entrance to Elysium. The torments of the Underworld are also all symbolic and assist the spirit in realizing what they must change about themselves before they can become anew, yet this process usually takes many years (sometimes decades or centuries). Pluto also has power over death itself (since he embodies it) and has explained that the god Thanatos is an aspect of himself, representing a small portion of his own power. Pluto also has the power of illusion, which makes him able to cause spirits and humans alike to see whatever he wants them to see (even able to manipulate one’s astral senses).

Some of Pluto’s Epithets:

Adámastos (Unconquerable)

Adesius (The Grave)

Agelastus (Melancholic)

Aidis (The Unseen)

Amænthis (The One who Gives and Receives)

Ánax (King)

Eubulius (The Consoler of Sorrow)

Feralis Deus (The Dismal God)

Larthy Tytiral (Sovereign of Tartaros)

Moiragetes (Guide of the Fates)

Nekrôn Sôtêr (Saviour of the Dead)

Opertus (The Concealed)

Polydegmôn (Host of Many)

Pluton (Lord of Riches)

Offerings: ginger ale, spiced rum, well water, ginger root, plums, mushrooms, eggplant, beetroot, parsnips, black peppercorns, bones, ash, scorpions, vipers, clay pots, black candles, styrax incense, chalk powder, black or grey rags, sceptres, scythes, black or dark purple cloaks, ebony wood, black leather moccasins, moleskin, old silver coins, bronze, silver, ivory, rust, obsidian, onyx, jet, charcoal

The Underworld

#pluto #pluton #hades #the underworld #greek gods #hellenic polytheism #hellenism #deity work

163 notes · View notes

shatar-aethelwynn · 3 years

Text

It has been brought to my attention that a quote I offered the other day from Plutarch may have not actually been from him. Cool. Pseudepigraphic texts are neat. So, out of curiosity, I’ve done a small amount of digging. And it seems that there may still be some debate on whether or not “The Malice of Herodotus” was authored by Plutarch or not, with more references simply saying “Plutarch” and foregoing the process of explaining the possibility of a pseudepigraphy. Which is not uncommon outside of academia when the precise attribution makes little difference to the lay reader’s interpretation of the content. But if any Classicists would like to suggest a scholarly article or 2 on the matter of the authorship of “The Malice of Herodotus” I might be inclined to read them. Either way, knowing with precision who the author is seems a bit irrelevant to the reason for the post in question which is “lol, Herodotus! Even back then people were criticizing him!” Which is still the case for that text regardless of who the author is.

So because I like to be helpful, here’s a few others-

Cicero:

“Marcus.—Certainly. History has its laws, and poetry its privileges. The main object of the former is truth in all its relations: the main object of the latter is delight and pleasure of every description. Yet even in Herodotus, the father of Greek history, and in Theopompus, we find fables scarcely less numerous than those which appear in the works of the poets.” (Treatise on the Laws)

That a character in the dialogue says this is likely evidence that this opinion was held by some people at the time this text was written.

Josephus:

“How can it then be other than an absurd thing, for the Greeks to be so proud, and to vaunt themselves to be the only people that are acquainted with antiquity, and that have delivered the true accounts of those early times, after an accurate manner? Nay who is there that cannot easily gather from the Greek writers themselves, that they knew but little on any good foundation when they set to write? but rather wrote their histories from their own conjectures. Accordingly they confute one another in their own books to purpose; and are not ashamed to give us the most contradictory accounts of the same things. And I should spend my time to little purpose, if I should pretend to teach the Greeks that which they know better than I already, what great a disagreement there is between Hellanicus and Acusilaus about their genealogies: in how many cases Acusilaus corrects Hesiod: or after what manner Ephorus demonstrates Hellanicus to have told lies, in the greatest part of his history: as does Timeus in like manner as to Ephorus: and the succeeding writers do to Timeus: and all the later writers do to Herodotus.” (Against Apion)

In other words, “most of the Greek historians bullshitted their way through anything not about the Greeks” and “Herodotus gets corrected often”.

Manetho (via Josephus):

“But Manetho was a man who was by birth an Egyptian; yet had he made himself master of the Greek learning: as is very evident. For he wrote the history of his own country in the Greek tongue; by translating it, as he saith himself, out of their sacred records. He also finds great fault with Herodotus, for his ignorance and false relations of Egyptian affairs.” (Against Apion)

I am greatly disappointed that a full text for the Aegyptiaca/Egyptian History doesn’t exist, but historians are generally in agreement that Manetho wrote it in response to the many errors in the works of Greek Historians, and Herodotus in particular as he references Herodotus consistently thought out the text fragments that remain in order to correct him. He also wrote a text called “Criticisms of Herodotus” of which little remains. Shame that.

Lucian of Samosata:

“Our guides described the life and guilt of each culprit; the severest torments were reserved for those who in life had been liars and written false history; the class was numerous, and included Ctesias of Cnidus, and Herodotus.” (True History / Verae Historiae)

Fictional satire, yes, but again not irrelevant since satire doesn’t come from nowhere.

And of course, Thucydides:

“So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand....Assuredly they will not be disturbed either by the lays of a poet displaying the exaggeration of his craft, or by the compositions of the chroniclers that are attractive at truth's expense; the subjects they treat of being out of the reach of evidence, and time having robbed most of them of historical value by enthroning them in the region of legend. Turning from these, we can rest satisfied with having proceeded upon the clearest data, and having arrived at conclusions as exact as can be expected in matters of such antiquity....The absence of romance in my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest; but if it be judged useful by those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the interpretation of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it, I shall be content. In fine, I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.” (The History of the Peloponnesian War)

While not explicitly calling anyone out, scholars have generally agreed that these statement are meant to refer to Herodotus’s Histories, since Thucydides was a near contemporary, and are held as evidence of Thucydides scorn for the texts so far as they constitute any factual narrative. There is occasional debate as to which of these authors truly deserves the title “Father of History”, for while Herodotus may have been on of the earliest ethnographic enquirers whose work survives, it is Thucydides who exhibits the form which is closest to modern standards of what constitutes “history”.

107 notes · View notes

deathlessathanasia · 9 months

Text

"When thinking of influence, one must first ask when we can consider the Theogony as something like a “text” that others might quote or imitate in a detailed manner. Such evaluations are, to a degree, subjective. I shall argue from a smattering of evidence scattered across the Greek world that by 600–575 bce we begin to see other authors “reworking” passages from the Theogony and Works and Days in something like their present form. Prior to this point, creation stories differ significantly from Hesiod’s.

We have already seen that Homer calls not Earth but Ocean and Tethys the first of the gods and that he has his own account of the division of the world. The Titanomachia, attributed to Eumelus of Corinth (fl. ca. 730), or Arctinus of Miletus, also has its version of origins: “everything comes from αἰθήρ” (aither, the higher, purer air), which is also Akmon, Anvil (meteorite?), “tireless fire,” the father of Ouranos (Sky). Zeus is born in Lydia. The Hundred-Hander, Aigaion, is born of Earth and Sea (Pontos), not of Earth and Sky, and Helios is a Titan but he does not fight against the Olympians.

Bits of evidence from early Sparta suggest that it may have had its own theogonic tradition, although a fragment from Terpander, Sparta’s oldest, semi-legendary poet, suggests that he, like Hesiod, viewed music as an expression of and a means to social harmony: kings “set the laws (νόμοι) of the Spartans to music” (Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 1.16.78.5). … Later Spartan poets, however, seem to have deviated from Hesiod’s vision of communal harmony. The war poet Tyrtaeus, ca. 650 bce, appears to have called one of his elegiac poems Eunomia, where the term means something closer to “Discipline,” to describe the city’s political and educational system (cf. Herodotus 1.65.2), rather than Good Governance. We see in the choral poetry of Alcman, Tyrtaeus’s younger contemporary, a tendency, like Hesiod, toward abstraction and analytic description of the physical world, but the sparse details suggest little in line with a Hesiodic tradition. One verse reads: “Αἴσα (Portion or Destiny) and Πόρος (Ways and Means/Pathway or Allotment), the most ancient of all, prevailed over (all)” (fr. 1.13–14).4 Another has Eunomia, Tyche (Fortune), and Peitho (Persuasion) as daughters of Promathia (Foresight) (fr. 64). According to Diodorus Siculus, Alcman made Sky and Earth parents of the Muses (fr. 67), although in two fragments a Muse is identified as the daughter of Zeus (and Mnemosyne?) (fr. 27 and 28).

Perhaps roughly contemporary with Alcman, Epimenides of Crete is credited with composing a Theogony of 5000 hexameters (five times the length of Hesiod’s), fragments of which suggest an intermixture of Hesiodic and Orphic components. In addition to living to a great age (either 157 or 299 years) and having out-of-body experiences, this semi-legendary holy man napped for 57 years at which time he conversed with Aletheia (Truth), Truth being Epimenides’ claim to divine authority, perhaps a more reliable source than Hesiod’s Muses who can tell the truth but also lies sounding like the truth. Epimenides identifies Aêr (Air) and Night as primordial progenitors, parents of Tartarus. In Orphic fashion, two unnamed Titans, perhaps generated asexually, emerge out of Tartarus, and they co-mingle, producing the world-egg, from which Earth, Sky, and perhaps Oceanus are born (DK 3 B19). Differing from Hesiod, this Sky gives birth to Aphrodite, the Fates, and the Erinyes, all through natural means. There is one hexameter from Epimenides, however, that is intriguingly close to one in the Theogony. This is Epimenides: Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται, κακὰ θηρία, γαστέρες ἀργαί (“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slothful stomachs”) (fr. 1 D-K) compared to Th. 26: ποιμένες ἄγραυλοι, κάκ’ ἐλέγχεα, γαστέρες οἶον (“Shepherds roaming the fields, evil reproaches, mere stomachs”). Is Epimenides deliberately reworking Hesiod? In contrast to the Muses who in the Theogony never tell Hesiod that they are in fact telling him the truth, in this version presumably Epimenides has Truth speak the reproach quoted above as a prelude to her asserting that she is about to convey the full hidden truth. Parallels between the two poems are closer than what we find from Sparta, but it is clear from all the passages discussed above that the version of creation as told in the Theogony was only one of many competing creation stories."

- Hesiod's Theogony: from Near Eastern Creation Myths to Paradise Lost by Stephen Scully

#theogony #cosmogony #hesiod #homer #eumelos #alkman #epimenides #quotes #excerpts

1 note · View note

wendimydarling · 4 years

Note

Henry's characters as Greek/Roman Gods 😆

OKAY girl. I’m finally getting around to this. I did a lot of research as I’m not superly familiar with all of the greek gods and their stories, but I did a pretty good job I think, and I ran the list by @littlefreya and @agniavateira; they stan (for the most part)!

All of my info (including the quotes I will use) I pulled from this website, so if anything isn’t accurate, I’m sorry! Here we goooooooo!

Stephen Colley

Stephen Colley is Aristaeus, minor patron god of useful arts, such as gardening and hunting. I’m basing this off of who he was and his role to the family, NOT on the sudden acting career that was thrust upon him.

“In Greek mythology, Aristaeus was the god useful arts, such as bee-keeping and cheese-making, olive-growing, herding, and hunting. He was a rustic god, a god of the countryside and pastoral places.”

Aristaeus also would visit cities, see the problems, and find a solution, which is basically what Stephen did for the bitch he was in love with, to the detriment of his own heart.

Mikey

Mikey is Momus. the god of Mockery and Satire.

“Momus is typically depicted as a man lifting a mask from his face. In more modern art, he is depicted as a fool or king’s jester.

Greek tragedian Sophocles wrote a satyr play called Momus. Satyr plays were tragicomedies with choruses of satyrs. The plays were often full of drunkenness, sexuality, sight gags, and other forms of merriment.”

Mikey loves a good joke and to fool around. He didn’t take life seriously, he wanted to have fun.

Melot

Melot is Dinlas, god of chaos and hatred. Dinlas was abandoned by his mother and banished to the underworld where Hades discovered him and turned him into an agent of darkness, similarly to how Melot wasn’t as well received by his uncle as Tristan was, and so was taken in by Wictred and used for evil.

Hades gave Dinlas a job that seemed right and good, much how Melot thought that he was doing what was best for the kingdom. Both of them sought acceptance and love wherever they could find it, and for both of them it was ultimately their downfall.

Evan Marshall

Evan is the god Paean, physician to the Olympic gods. Paean treated everyone from Ares to Hades, he didn’t differentiate. This may seem like an obvious choice, but it goes a step further.

“The name “Paean” was also commonly used in a general sense to refer to anyone who could save people from evil or calamity.”

This is Evan. He was brought in by his brother to save their home from the evil that resided in that bunker, and he did what he had to, wishing to save not just his family but the family that lived there, regardless of what his brother thought. He didn’t differentiate, same as Paean.

Charles Brandon

Charles is Kratos, god of strength and power. I’m basing this off of the myths that include his lineage as the son of the Titans Pallas and Styx, which makes him a relative of the Olympian gods but not one of them directly.

“In this form, Kratos is seen as a companion of Zeus and the guardian of his throne. He is usually one of Zeus’ primary enforcers and is an extension of his will.”

This is Charles. Friend of the King and Enforcer of His Will, even when it means carrying out unnecessary vengeance, similarly to how Kratos was required to chain Prometheus to a rock to be tortured for all eternity after Prometheus stole fire for humans.

Clark Kent/Kal-El

Clark is Atlas, who was a Titan instead of a god. This might seem like an unusual choice, but hear me out. Atlas chose a side and lost, and because of it was forced to carry the weight of the heavens on his shoulders for the rest of his life. Clark too was forced to choose a side, and though he didn’t necessarily “lose”, he still had to carry the weight of that burden on his shoulders for the rest of his life.

“Atlas was known as being ‘stout-hearted,’ strong, resilient and only a little gullible”

Clark is all of those things. And when I say gullible, I more just mean that he’s so good, so innocent, people have been able to take advantage of him before.

Napoleon Solo

Napoleon is Hermes, god of trade, thieves, travelers, and border crossings, guide to the Underworld.

“Hermes was known to be quick and cunning and had the ability to freely move between the mortal and divine worlds.

In some myths Hermes is also depicted as a trickster where he would outwit the gods either for the good of humankind or for his own personal amusement and satisfaction.

Both Homer and Hesiod portrayed Hermes as the author of skilled or deceptive acts, and also as a benefactor of mortals.”

This depicts Napoleon to a T. He played both sides to his benefit, and often “went against the man” if it benefited the greater good or if it amused him.

Captain Syverson

Captain Syverson is Zeus, god of law, order, and justice.

“Hesiod described Zeus as a god who “brought peace in place of violence” and referred to him as the “lord of justice”.”

There are many different character traits of Zeus that Syverson embodies: hospitality, willingness to avenge wrong, keeper of oaths, and he struck terror in his enemies.

“According to “Work and Days” by Hesiod (line 59), Zeus was a carefree god who loved to laugh out loud. He was regarded as wise, fair, just, merciful, and prudent. He was also unpredictable – nobody was able to guess the decisions he would make.”

This also seems to me like Syverson. Although we don’t see him laugh much in the film, we do get a snippet of that smile when he greets Mahmoud.

“He is often described as a strong, imposing man with a regal body and long, often curly, hair. He usually had a short beard or scruff and carried his trusty thunderbolt at all times.”

Syverson is all of this except the long curly hair. His thunderbolt is the Beretta 92FS he’s always got tucked into his belt.

August Walker

August is Hades, god of the underworld.

“Hades was depicted as stern and unyielding, unmoved by prayer and sacrifice.

[He] had a cap or helmet that made its wearer invisible.

His wife was Persephone, Demeter’s only daughter, whom he kidnapped and made his queen.”

August’s mission is his manifesto. He is unyielding in that sense; he will do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal, unmoved by the opinions and pleading of others. He worked for the CIA and they had no idea of his true intent, which makes him pretty invisible, and he would absolutely kidnap a woman to make her his bride (Trapped, anyone????). Although I think he would make her fall in love with him first.

Walter Marshall

Walter is the Hypnos, the god of sleep. Again, seems like an unusual choice, but hear me out.

“Hypnos is said to be a calm and gentle god who helps mortal humans in their time of need.”

This is Walter. He is a gentle giant, who aids people when they need help the most. This is his job, this is his life. Hypnos lived in the underworld, in a cave that received no sunlight or moonlight. Walter lives his life in a similar darkness, his mind engulfed in the horrors of his job. Hypnos’s cave was surrounded by poppies and other plants that produce sleep, which explains why Walter always looks so tired. *cue laughing emoji*

Geralt of Rivia

I see Geralt as Heracles (Hercules). He did not choose the life he was given, but he used it for the good of people.

“Heracles was known for his extraordinary strength, courage and cleverness. When his brawn would not suffice, he would call upon his wits...”

Hercules also had his Twelve Labors, which I equate to Geralt running around slaying monsters. Hercules often acted impulsively, and though done out of love, it would get him into trouble. Geralt does this too, though he would never admit it. His love for Jaskier, Yen, and Ciri gets him into heaps of scraps and trouble, which he is then often forced to serve his way out of.

Thanks for this ask, @wondersofdreaming! Sorry it took me so long; it was a bit of a research project and I felt like I was in school again!

Fan Club: @littlefreya @sciapod @thiccgeralt @fucking-hell-cavill @brexrif @peakygroupie @viking-raider @constip8merm8 @daniig95 @elinalfrida @hell1129-blog @oddsnendsfanfics @agniavateira @dearlybelovedluke @sofiebstar @wanderinglunarnights @mary-ann84 @nuns-and-roses @luclittlepond @thekingstachemademedoit @iloveyouyen @lestersglitterglue @funnygirlthatgab @wondersofdreaming @yoursecretsmutblog @valkavill @kevia1000 @trippedmetaldetector @lifeofrileyp @captaingothgirl1996 @sasusakubae @princess-of-riviaa @vivodinson @paradisecitychild @stuckupstucky @speakerforthedead0-blog @aletheladyinred @madbaddic7ed @magdelen69 @emelinelovesjc @msblkfire84 @mstgsmy @harlotforhenry @daddys-littlewhitegirl

(If your name is crossed out I couldn’t tag you, check your settings!)

#henry cavill #henry cavill characters #character headcanons #greek gods #which are they

176 notes · View notes

hellenicherald · 3 years

Photo

Delphic Maxim (from Monday ><) Maxim #5: ἡττῶ ὑπὸ δικαίου. Be overcome by justice

Τον σοφόν ού κατά τους κειμένους νόμους πολιτεύσεσθαι, αλλά κατά τον της αρετής. (The wise man would regulate his conduct as a citizen, not according to the established laws, but according to the law of virtue.) ~Antisthenes of Athens

Πολλάκι και ξύμπασα πόλις κακού ανδρός απηύρα. (Often an entire city has suffered because of an evil man.) ~ Hesiod, Works and Days

Discussion questions for Maxim #5: What does 'be overcome by justice' mean to you and your practice? What does justice mean to you? What do you think of these two quotes from ancient Hellas? What is one thing that you can do to embody just behavior in your everyday life?

#delphic maxims #maxim monday #hellenism #hellenic pagan #hellenic community #hellenistic #hellenist #greek #justice #Athena

1 note · View note

demeterspriestess · 4 years

Note

Hello! I've been drawn to Demeter as a goddess for a while now, but am having trouble getting started (mostly due to most of my energy being taken up by school and being raised an atheist) do you have any tips/suggested resources? Many thanks!

Hi there! I have no idea how long this has been sitting in my inbox. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it. Hopefully you’ll see this and it helps!

Lacking energy:

I want to make it clear that I fully believe the Gods do not want us to put our health in harms way to worship them, and that definitely includes our mental health and energy level. When I lack energy, I go sit in my garden, get dirt under my nails, pull weeds slowly and meditatively, and smell the earth and flowers. I know, you’re thinking “yard work when I’m tired?!” Not yard work. I might pull two weeds while I’m doing this, the main focus is relaxing and talking to Demeter.

If you don’t have a garden and no space to start one, or for the life of you can’t keep a plant alive (been there), go sit in a local park. Have a picnic and leave some veg for Demeter, or take some bird seed as offering. Or, if you have a sunny window, grow some mint in a pot. Its a weed, so as long as you remember to water it once or twice a week it will thrive, and its sacred to Demeter. Don’t plant it in the ground. I made that mistake and wound up with four feet of mint a few months later!

I really enjoy doing a tree root meditation (you can find so many different variations of this on the internet and in books, but here is an example). And while they call it a grounding (releasing excess energy), it can also supply energy when you lack it.

Being raised atheist:

This one may be tricky for me. I was raised in a very Christian household, in the deep south of the United States. I will try my best!

Anyone new to any religious or spiritual belief, raised atheist or not, should start small. Read as much as you can. Keep a notebook with you to write down questions you have while you’re reading or just going about daily life, so you can research it later. I’ll put some recommendations at the bottom of the post.

I would imagine learning how to pray would be an issue coming from an atheist background? I like to write letters to Demeter (on non-toxic, recycled paper) and compost them. I write poems as prayers or offerings. If you don’t like to write, don’t write. Do what feels comfortable for you. And again, start small. Even a short “Hey Demeter, I’m thinking of you. I love you, bye” can have a profound effect on your relationship with Her. It doesn’t have to be eloquent or special or take 10 minutes. Any time you take those few seconds, you’re developing the skill of prayer. The more you practice, the better you get, the more comfortable you feel doing it.

I would imagine another barrier to be the voice in your head that is your upbringing, telling you that its not real, what are you doing, etc. We all have that voice that is an echo chamber for everything we’ve heard, it bullies us, tells us we can’t, the devil on your shoulder, if you will. Give it a name. I call mine Karen. Whenever she starts on something, I say “okay Karen, that’s enough out of you, sit back down.” Recognizing that voice as not yours, will help you recognize YOUR voice, YOUR intuition. Listen to what your intuition is telling you. These exercises may be helpful and there are many more to be found.

Resources:

Ignore Homer. Or don’t, he can be entertaining, but that’s all it is. The myths are entertainment. Xenophanes (pre-Socratic philosopher) said “Homer and Hesiod have ascribed to the gods all things that are a shame and a disgrace among mortals, stealing and adulteries, and deceiving one another.” Theagenes responded in defense of Homer saying they were allegories to teach a lesson, never meant to be the actual gods. The myths are fanfic, not canon. Focus on academic sources, because the gods and the religious practices of the Greeks are so completely different from the myths.

The links on the following books will take you to worldcat.org where you can find a library near you that has the books, links to purchase from different sites, and sometimes even a downloadable or PDF version of the book.

The Ancient Greeks in Their Own Words by Matthew Dillon is one book that I turn to time and time again. Its where I start my research. As the title suggests, its full of direct quotes from a wide variety of first hand sources. He has a few other books that I would like to get one day but haven’t read yet, including Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents, Pilgrims and Pilgrimage in Ancient Greece, and Girls and Women in Classical Greek Religion.

Greek Religion by Jan Bremmer

Servants of the Gods: a Study in the Religion, History, and Literature of Fifth Century Athens by Borimir Jordan

Festivals and Legends: the Formation of Greek Cities in the Light of Public Ritual by Noel Robertson

Here is an extensive list of academic search sites, and online archives that you may find useful. A lot of museums are beginning to digitize their collections and you can find some links to those in there, too.

Finally, community and learning from those around you and their experiences is incomparable. I recommend the following blogs @honorthegods @thepastelpriestess @persephobug. I know I’ve missed others but I haven’t been on for so long that I’m spacing, so here is thepastelpriestess’s Masterpost of Followers of Hellenic Deities!

#anon

22 notes · View notes

sisterofiris · 5 years

Note

Hi. Could you share some quotes or anecdotes about σκῐᾱ́ please? And if you can explain the concept a bit, I'd be thankful. Have a nice day :)

Hi :)

In most contexts, σκιά is quite a straightforward word: it’s simply the equivalent of English “shadow”. It can be shade from the sun, as in Hesiod, Works and Days 592-593:

… ἐπὶ δ᾽ αἴθοπα πινέμεν οἶνονἐν σκιῇ ἑζόμενον

drink sparkling wine, sitting in the shade

Or it can be the shading in a drawing, as in Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Isaeus, 4:

αἱ δὲ μετ᾿ ἐκείνας εὔγραμμοι μὲν ἧττον, ἐξειργασμέναι δὲ μᾶλλον, σκιᾷ τε καὶ φωτὶ ποικιλλόμεναι

the later paintings are less well-drawn, but better worked, and made colourful through shading and light

The word gets significantly more interesting when it’s used poetically. One of the most famous phrases containing σκιά is Pindar, Pythian Ode 8.95-96:

Ἐπάμεροι· τί δέ τις; τί δ᾿ οὔ τις; σκιᾶς ὄναρἄνθρωπος.

Creatures of a day: what is a person? What is he not? Man is the dream of a shadow.

Here σκιά highlights the vulnerable nature of humanity: we’re not just a shadow, but the dream of a shadow, the intersection of something fleeting with something intangible. It’s worth noting that ἐπάμεροι, or “ephemeral”, doesn’t just refer to the briefness of our lives, but to the fact that we live from day to day. We are at the mercy of the Gods, never knowing if they will bring us blessings or curses tomorrow. I’m not sure how intentional it was, but this subtext makes the parallel with shadows even stronger, since shadows, too, appear and disappear at the mercy of the skies.

Another fascinating usage of σκιά is to describe the ghosts of the Dead, as in Homer, Odyssey, 10.494-495:

Τῷ καὶ τεθνηῶτι νόον πόρε Περσεφόνεια,οἴῳ πεπνῦσθαι, τοὶ δὲ σκιαὶ ἀίσσουσιν.

To him, even in death, Persephone has given sense, so that he is conscious while the others flit about as shadows.

The word often appears as a synonym of εἴδωλον (phantom, or image; literally “that which is seen”) or ψυχή (soul; literally “breath”). All these words show how insubstantial the Dead were conceived to be. Odysseus’ mother Anticlea, herself a ghost, tells us why (Od. 11.218-222):

ἀλλ᾿ αὕτη δίκη ἐστὶ βροτῶν, ὅτε τίς κε θάνῃσιν·οὐ γὰρ ἔτι σάρκας τε καὶ ὀστέα ἶνες ἔχουσιν,ἀλλὰ τὰ μέν τε πυρὸς κρατερὸν μένος αἰθομένοιοδαμνᾷ, ἐπεί κε πρῶτα λίπῃ λεύκ᾿ ὀστέα θυμός,ψυχὴ δ᾿ ἠύτ᾿ ὄνειρος ἀποπταμένη πεπότηται.

But this is the law for mortals, when someone dies: for the sinews no longer hold flesh and bones together, instead the fierce power of blazing fire destroys them, once life* has left the white bones, and the soul flutters off and away like a dream.

*θυμός can be translated as “life” or, more figuratively, as “spirit” or “mind”

Σκιά, then, is one of many words conveying this dreamlike nature of the Dead. I find this to be quite a poetic truth: when someone dies, however dearly you remember them, you can only preserve a fraction, a shade, of who they were…

All in all, when it appears metaphorically, σκιά can easily describe human nature - both during life and after death. Alive, we are the dream of a shadow. Dead, we flit about as shadows. Isn’t that a beautiful - yet eerie - way to depict mortality?

#ancient greek

36 notes · View notes