#( ancient lesbians. .. )

[alexandriad]

🏺🏺

[zaahvi]

GLORY TO THE RISEN GODS

[mythology-void]

okay so I was doing a Research™️ about ancient Greek etymology as one does and I found some Things that made me want to Violently Claw My Arms Off please allow me to force feed you my discoveries

So there are 2 words for "not" in ancient Greek, depending on the context: ou and mē. Having introduced himself in the Cyclops episode as " ou tis", or No-man, he then stabs Polyphemus in the eye. When Polyphemus' brothers come to check on him, they say this:

"... surely no man [mē tis] is carrying off your sheep? Surely no man [mē tis] is trying to kill you either by fraud or by force?"

Right after this, after the other cyclopes ditch Polyphemus, Odysseus's inner monologue goes something like this:

"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of my clever strategem [metis]." (pronounced mEH-Tis)

Now, there's a difference between mē tis and metis. [mē tis] (pronounced mEH-Tis with a space between the syllables) is the literal translation for "no man". Metis is a word for extreme intelligence/cunning, which is something Odysseus is famous for.

Now, there are several examples of abuse of metis/intelligence in the Odyssey, but I think the juxtaposition between [mē tis], or the concept of anonymity, and metis, or extreme intelligence, is REALLY interesting. Odysseus's adoption of the title "No-man" was characteristic of metis--it was a really smart move that simultaneously hid him from the cyclops and avoided any future consequences. It was a highly effective strategy all wrapped up in a nest little package with a bow on it.

But when he revealed himself as Odysseus of Ithaca, effectively throwing off No-man (anonymity and [mē tis]), that was characterized as idiocy--he's essentially doxxed himself, and now he's doing to (spoiler alert) get tossed around the Mediterranean by Poseidon for the next 10 years.

This is really interesting because it lets you see the parallels/codependency between metis(intelligence) and humility. When Odysseus refused to allow himself to go unnoticed (hubris) he suffered for it. BUT when he declined instant glory/satisfaction (kleos) in order to achieve the long term goal of survival, he was rewarded with Athena's favor (pay attention. This part is important).

And this situation repeats itself MULTIPLE TIMES in the Odyssey--the EXACT SAME THING happens near the end of the book, with the suitors. When. Odysseus is dressed as a beggar and the suitors/Antinious are abusing him, he ACTIVELY CHOOSES not to react--he doesn't stand up and rip off his disguise and start hollering "TIS I, ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! FEAR MY WRATH"

No. He sits there patiently and waits. He plans and schemes and quietly orchestrates their downfall without alerting them of it. Why? Because he learned his lesson the first time this happened. He buried his rage and adopted what was, according to Grace LA Franz, a more feminine form of metis, weaving a web of destruction for his enemies that ultimately resulted in their total annihilation (see Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Metis in the Odyssey by Grace LaFranz). His patience allowed him to win the whole prize--no questions asked, no 10-year-long-business-trip strings attached--just the sweetness of a full victory. And he is, once again, rewarded with Athena's favor--both in the battle with the suitors and in the aftermath (cleanup/reuniting with Penelope).

This really reinforces the idea in the Odyssey that Odysseus's defining characteristic is not just his intelligence--it's his ability to learn from his mistakes. He used what he learned at the Lotus Eaters Island against Polyphemus--the Lotus Eaters drugged his men, so he drugged Polyphemus. He used what he learned from Circe and Polyphemus against the suitors--Circe used false sweetness and honeyed words to lure his men into a trap, so that's exactly what he did to the suitors. His hubris on Polyphemus' island cost his whole crew their lives, so he intentionally left well enough alone until the right time. He didn't just learn from his failures--he turned them into BATTLE STRATEGY.

i don't care what anyone says that is completely totally and objectively awesome

[flaroh]

The Lovers of Akrotiri 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🐦‍⬛🌺🌞

Junes illustration is a sweet scene of two Minoan girlfriends, that plays on the saffron gatherer motif but this time with a stylised lily landscape reminiscent of the “Spring Fresco of Akrotiri”. 🐦‍⬛🌺🌞

Their dresses are based on frescos of women and goddesses from the Minoan city of Akrotiri that was preserved in a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BCE🌋

[ionomycin]

Swim free

[efemmera-archive]

Red-figure kylix (drinking cup) depicting two women in an intimate setting. Attributed to the painter Apollodorus, c. 490-480 BCE.

[outromoony]

I wish i had enough followers that i could just post “Narcissa Black is a lesbian ” and have 20 people just be like “real ”.

[lesbianarthistory]

Statue of Idet and Ruiu (1480–1390 BC) The two women are depicted in a form typical to married couples. Idet is given priority by the artist who placed her on the right, and is given the title "Lady of the House".

[acertifiedwitch]

they’re fucking btw

[homo-ousios]

Dear Tumblr, come read about ancient lesbians! This is a free anthology of Ancient Greek and Latin works by/about wlw (translated into English), and it’s the first sourcebook specifically dedicated to wlw!

The translations and commentaries are done by queer scholars, but it’s inclusive toward a non-scholarly audience. And the project director hopes that “new creations, texts, films, video, may emerge […] and contribute to forging a new LGBTQI+ mythology that would - finally - not be based on shortcuts and reductive views about women in ancient society” (issue 1 p. 6).

So please come check it out and then make a bunch of art or stories about it (and show us!)

[alexandriad]

back to the antiquity with these ancient grecian gal pals

[zeldahime]

Anacreon, poem 358

I read this poem in Female Homosexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome (Sandra Boehringer, 2007, translated to English by Anna Preger in 2021) in the section on representations of female desire in archaic Greek poetry and went OH MY GOD

[aoiveaeart]

… Look at me … |🌿✨| Medusa and the blind woman she loved

Lot’s of people loved Catradora as my Medusa AU so I decided to share this piece here today. Happy holidays!

[beatingdrumspouringwine]

Hymn to Womanly Dionysos

I praise the God who runs with wild women, She who takes joy in their forms, Who Herself bears long hair, soft skin, delicate lashes, Dionysos of womanly epithets, Who wore long dresses in Her youth. I praise Dionysos who runs with the Maenads, Who surrounds Herself with ever-present holy wild women, Reveling in their company, Dancing under the sacred darkness at night, By day feasting on wine and honey and milk. Come to me now, O gently blessed one, Whether Your head is laid in the lap of Your beloved wife Ariadne, Who traces Your lips with Her own gentle hands, Or whether You are lying in flowered meadows with maenads, Who themselves rejoice in Your feminine form. Bless me with an ever-present sense of peace, Bless me with the love of women, Bless me with perfect joy in my own gender. May Your gentle cow-like eyes always behold me with kindness, May Your hands hold mine when I sorrow, And when the world raises a hand against me, May I hide behind Your flowing skirts, And may Your thyrsos be raised in my defense.

[k-wame]

this what yall call filler eps? bc i love this so much omg

[frenzyarts]

When I was 13-14 I had just come to terms with the fact that I was attracted to women, but I was very closeted and so I would try to “cleverly” hide my true feelings in my drawings. I really though writing “cat suits are never not not not going to never not be not not hot” would somehow throw people off the trail of what I was trying to say. Same with writing “girls with guns,” (and then, in tiny letters) “are hot” would keep people from realizing I’m a homo. Truly one of my baby gay moments of all time