#Aethiopia

[whencyclopedia]

Andromeda

Andromeda is a princess in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Cepheus, the king of Aethiopia (Ethiopia), and his wife, Cassiopeia. The most famous myth associated with Andromeda is the story of her rescue by the Greek hero Perseus, who saved her from being sacrificed to a sea monster. She married Perseus, and they had several children together.

Andromeda is also one of the best-known and recognised star constellations, which also contains the Andromeda Galaxy, the largest galaxy closest to the Milky Way.

Family

Andromeda is the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, the king of Aethiopia. However, some sources mention that Cepheus was the king of Joppa (in modern-day Israel). After Perseus rescued Andromeda, they got married, and together they had seven sons and two daughters, including Perses (the legendary founder of Persia, from whom all Persian kings are descended), Helios, Alcaios, Mestor, Electryon, Sthenelos, Cynurus, Autochthe, and Gorgophone.

Continue reading...

[sarafangirlart]

Andromeda’s race/ethnicity and why it’s not inaccurate to interpret her as black/African

Now you’ve seen how I draw my babygirl as Afro Palestinian Egyptian so you know where I personally stand on the subject. However, my interpretation isn’t the only one, ancient authors, from mythographers to historians to poets to playwrights, have proposed various different locations for Andromeda’s homeland, often times contradicting each other, what I’m trying to do here is correct some misinformation as well as argue that even if Andromeda isn’t black/ethiopian, she still wouldn’t be considered white or ethnically European.

I would like to reiterate like I did with my Hephaestus/Aphrodite post that I’m not a mythology or history expert, I just read a lot. So do your own research and come up with your own conclusions.

Let’s go.

The etymology of “Aethiopia”

Aethiopia means "of burned face" which yes is pretty racist be modern standards but basically means that its inhabitants are dark skinned, so even if you go by sources that it isn’t in Africa, the inhabitants still wouldn’t be white or Greek.

Location of the Kingdom

You’d hear the statement that the Aethiopia in mythology is not the same as Ethiopia the modern country, which is true. You’d also hear that it’s a completely fictitious location, that’s only partially true, while Aethiopia existed mainly as a mythological location (mentioned as early as the Iliad) that didn’t stop ancient historians, mythographers and poets from placing it in real locations or calling pre-existing nations Aethiopia. It’s hard to pick which one is more “accurate” bc they all contradict each other, not only that, but these writers didn’t actually visit these locations and ancient ppl weren’t as well versed in geography as we are today so they’d be weirdly vague or confusing about these locations, I mean just look at an ancient map and you’d see what I mean.

So personally, I think you can go with any version you personally prefer, the options are quite limitless, she could be from the Arab peninsula, the Levant, North Africa, Persia, hell maybe even India if you are like Ovid.

Andromeda’s genealogy

(I just realized that these are the Waterson kids color palette while writing this lmaooooooooo)

Yes Andromeda is descended from Zeus (no family tree can escape that man lol) and she’s also the great granddaughter of Poseidon, which adds a whole new layer to the fact he tried to kill her.

Now for a bit of history: The Trojan war (which didn’t happen irl obviously) was dated as taking place in the 12th or 13th century BCE by some ancient writers, that war happens a few generations after Perseus’s story, which means that Egypt was in the New Kingdom era, also called the Egyptian Empire, when Nubians (who would be considered black by today’s standards) were a very important part of society, even becoming Pharaohs. Ancient Egypt was a lot more diverse than modern ppl give it credit for, there were multiple ethnic groups living there. Not to mention that you can’t get more Egyptian than being descended from the god of the Nile River lol

Libya is (obviously) the personification of the region of Libya, not the modern country Libya, but the general area in North Africa west of Egypt. The name Libya comes from the Libu, a berber tribe. So once again, even if Andromeda wasn’t black, even if you interpreted that her kingdom is placed in Asia, she’d still be of African decent.

Cassiopeia is a tricky one, her origins are obscure, she’s called a nymph by Nonnus, while Stephanus of Byzantium (a very late source) states she’s from Ioppa and that the city takes its name from her. However, Ioppa/Jaffa was identified as Andromeda’s home much earlier in Periplus attributed to Scylax, which was composed in the late fourth century bc.

Conclusion

You can make Andromeda black it’s ok. Ancient writers couldn’t agree on her country’s location but we can still speculate. Anyways ummm… I think that’s it? Maybe I’ll add to this if I find or remember more interesting information.

Have a great day.

[gemsofgreece]

Hey quick question princess andromeda from the myth with Persus is from Ethiopia ? But then how come in paintings she is white ?

Quick question, long answer. Yes and no. It’s a little confusing. There are several parameters to this.

Aethiopia, an etymologically Greek name, is the name different Greeks gave to different places of the world. In the classical era (440 BCE), Herodotus called all the area south of the Sahara and the Nile as Aethiopia, making thus the most relevant description. Pindar however, a contemporary of his (~450 BCE), calls Aethiopia the region around Elam (Southwest Iran). Same as Hesiod, who did that in 700 BCE already. In ~500 BCE, both Scylax of Caryanda and Hecataeus of Miletus seem to agree Aethiopia is east of the Nile and expands throughout the Arabian peninsula all the way to the Indus Valley and the Indian Ocean. The first mention of Aethiopians is by Homer (~800 BC) who vaguely says that they lived in the extremities of the world, in the far east and west.

So as you see, the earlier back in time, the more generic and distant the term’s meaning is. Herodotus is likely the one who seals the association of Aethiopia with only sub-Saharan Africa and the country south of Egypt in particular.

The origins of Greek mythology precede all these writers. In general many historians suggest that the Aethiopia of the myth of Perseus and Andromeda was supposed to be in west Asia and perhaps somewhere around Israel and Palestine. Some believe it is Jaffa, Tel Aviv in particular. I am not totally sold on the explanations why. The point is however that Aethiopia’s geographical definition especially before Herodotus and even more before Hesiod was very vague and fluid. It seems it described places that in general were too hard for Greeks to reach, exotic.

The name itself can help us understand. Aethiopian means the one who looks burnt, smoked. From αίθω (aétho - burn) and όψη (ópsi - look, face). Now, this sounds low-key horrible in English but in Greek it’s not derogatory, but I have no better way to explain it. Ancient Greeks had written quite a few times about the attractiveness of the Aethiopians (whoever they were) so they didn’t associate the term with a repulsiveness like that of burnt flesh but just as the effect of the sun on their complexion.

In short, at least prior to Herodotus, Aethiopia was all the land inhabited by POC, even if that included large parts of Africa and Asia all the way to India. It did not include Libya (North Africa) and Egypt. This was not so much due to skintone (although it could be too - as North Africans can be way more white passing than people far from here believe) but because Greeks were well aware of these regions. Aethiopia was associated with exotic, distant places with darker people. This could be black people and brown people and all their various tones. Perhaps simply anyone who was noticeably darker than a Greek.

Now if we compare Jaffa (Andromeda’s Aethiopia) with modern day Israel or Palestine, then Andromeda and her parents could be medium brown or light brown or white / white passing.

However, I seriously doubt Ancient Greek art was concerned about skintone accuracy, simply because it was art made by Greeks and viewed by other Greeks. Everyone depicted usually followed the Greek standards of beauty. Besides, it’s a Greek myth, right? If we wonder about Andromeda’s complexion, then we should also wonder about her name! And her mother’s name! Why are they Greek? Well, simply, because it’s Greek mythology, which provides a genealogy where all progenitors are kin to Greek progenitors. Cepheus, Andromeda’s father, is brother of Danaus and has Argive ancestry (since this is a myth from Argos!). So if that’s true, Andromeda has Greek ancestry and might be white-passing because of that. But these is just exhaustive and in my opinion unnecessary nitpicking.

In Ancient Greek art complexion is almost always not depicted accurately but men are usually depicted as dark and women as fair because this was the beauty standard.

No this doesn’t mean Perseus was black and Andromeda white! It only shows the beauty standards of the time. Corinthian vase. Archaic period.

Andromeda, Perseus and Cepheus. Apulian vase, Classical Period. All look white or white passing.

Here although the skintone is the same, the artist makes Perseus blonde in order to stress Andromeda’s darkness through the haircolour. Zeugma, Roman period.

And… look at that!

In this ‘mildly’ racist art, Andromeda is depicted as a dude as the tall white-passing person in the middle and she is getting tied for the beast by fellow Aethiopians who however look nothing like her. They are shorter and clearly African. Andromeda wears Phrygian, thus non-African clothing, but also nothing like the Greek clothing. This artist wanted to provide some diversity but apparently not for the beautiful princess lol Attic vase, probably Classical period.

Anyway so, Andromeda was either brown or black or white passing at most, because of Jaffa and the argive ancestry. Once Aethiopia - Ethiopia’s location had become more specific though, western artists depicting Andromeda as pretty fair of skin or blonde is misrepresentation with questionable motives. My opinion is that there is a wide range of looks Andromeda can be depicted to have, but not something that makes her look whiter or even just as white as Perseus.

[kemetic-dreams]

Aethiopian, Æthiopian, Æthiopic or Ethiopian Sea or Ocean (Latin: Æthiopicum Mare or Oceanus Æthiopicus; Arabic: البحر الأثيوبي) was the name given to the southern half of the Atlantic Ocean in classical geographical works. The name appeared in maps from ancient times up to the turn of the 19th century

The originally Greek term Okeanos Aithiopos is an old name for what is now called the South Atlantic Ocean. It is separated from the North Atlantic Ocean by a narrow region between Natal, Brazil and Monrovia, Liberia. The term Ethiopian Ocean appeared until the mid-19th century, for example on the map Accuratissima Totius Africae in Lucem Producta, engraved by Johann Baptist Homann and Frederick de Wit and published by Jacob von Sandrart in Nürnberg in 1702.

The name Aethiopian was related to the fact that, historically, Africa west and south of Egypt was known as Aethiopia. Nowadays the classical use of the term has become obsolete. Also the nation of Ethiopia, then known as Abyssinia, is located nowhere near its namesake body of water but in the opposite eastern end of Africa which is much closer to the Indian Ocean and its subset the Red Sea

[tyrannoninja]

Memnon Leads the Charge

Memnon, warrior king of Aethiopia, leads his army charging into battle on the hot sands of the eastern Sahara Desert!

Although the character of Memnon comes from Homeric poetry, the version of him you see here is based on his portrayal in the Total War game franchise, specifically its entries Troy: A Total War Saga and the “Dynasties” update for Total War: Pharaoh. In the former game, he leads a traveling horde of Aethiopian warriors fighting the Achaeans on behalf of Troy, whereas in the latter he heads the Napata faction. I love playing as him in both games, even if his faction is far from the most powerful in either game.

[zorubark]

Did you guys know Andromeda was most likely black? She came from a place cale Aethiopia,

Ancient Aethiopia, (Greek: Αἰθιοπία, romanized: Aithiopía; also known as Ethiopia) first appears as a geographical term in classical documents in reference to the upper Nile region of Sudan, areas south of the Sahara, and certain areas in Asia. Its earliest mention is in the works of Homer: twice in the Iliad,[1] and three times in the Odyssey.[2] The Greek historian Herodotus uses the appellation to refer to such parts of sub-Saharan Africa as were then known within the inhabitable world.

The Greek name Aithiopia (Αἰθιοπία, from Αἰθίοψ, Aithíops, 'an Ethiopian') is a compound derived of two Greek words: αἴθω, aíthō, 'I burn' + ὤψ, ṓps, 'face'. According to the Perseus Project, this designation properly translates in noun form as burnt-face and in adjectival form as red-brown.[4][5] As such, it was used as a vague term for darker skinned populations than the Greeks since the time of Homer.[i][6] The term was applied to such peoples within the range of observation of the ancient geographers, primarily in what was then Nubia (in ancient Sudan).

Nubia had many queens, princesses, kings, so Andromeda being a nubian princess is likely! There's debate on where exactly she is from, since myths are a difficult thing to track down, but when I searched about it Nubia is one of the options that make more sense.

Happy Black History Month! I just wanted to dump my Andromeda lore and spread some awareness that she was in fact, not greek at all, like many may think!

Perseus and Andromeda (Frederick Leighton, 1891)

[zorubark]

the ancient greeks literally named the aethiopians after "burned face", made multiple sculptures and pottery of heads that are clearly black, but Andromeda still got portrayed as white even though everything points to her being black

[draconesmundi]

What species of dragons are found in Africa? What clades do they belong to?

ooo so I was wanting to do a Smaugust Post about this but I was unsure how, so I'll just reply to this question with 12 very rushed dragon doodles...

(edit; to be clear this is in my creative project Dracones Mundi, not 'real dragons' or a comprehensive list of mythology. Dragon designs inspired by mythology)

Click the 'keep reading' to learn more!

West African Rainbow Serpent (Dracovermidae: Afroserpens iris)

This dragon is specifically a 'west African rainbow serpent' to differentiate been this and the Australian rainbow serpent. The West African Rainbow Serpent is based on West African folklore (Vodun tradition among other things, deities such as Ayedo Wedo etc.) and the physical design is based on an art sculpture of Ayedo Wedo a friend sent me a picture of (black head, white neck collar) + some snakes I like (spots with dark rims) + rainbow gradient.

Grootslang (Dracovermidae: Afroserpens magnus)

A gigantic dragon with diamond eyes said to live in caves under South Africa - looking into South African caves to discover there are vast bodies of water in huge caves was an experience - the above design is a loose idea, the final Grootslang for the Dracones Mundi project may look different...

Elephant Eating Serpent (Dracovermidae: Afroserpens aethiopicus)

Based on bestiaries saying 'big serpents in Africa wrap elephants in their coils'.

Chicken Headed Serpent (Afroserpens gallocephallus)

I might merge this design with the existing cockatrice design (see further below), only time will tell...

Nile Serpent? (Dracovermidae: Dracovermis hydra)

Huge serpent found in the Nile, and in the Mediterranean. Inspiration for Apep/Apophis in Egypt, but also for the Hydra in Greece.

Congan Plated Dragon (Testudracidae: Stegosuchus monstrum)

Large dragon that lives in the Congo Basin - inspired by Mokele Mbembe, Emele Ntouka and Mblieu Mblieu Mblieu

Dinodrakes (Drakonidae: Dinodrako...? )

Silly dragon I put on Madagascar - not inspired by folklore, these are just funny dinosaur inspired dragons. Mr Razzledazzle and his beautiful big wife.

Green Wyvern (Megaviperidae: Megavipera virida)

Based on Europeans slapping a little green dragon on maps of Africa for 'Aethiopia', 'here be dragons'. Also this is Saint George's dragon, so in versions of the legend where the saint fights the dragon in Libya I decided to put the green wyvern in Libya. Green wyverns therefore have a wide distribution in Dracones Mundi as Saint George has fought the dragon throughout North Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Kongomato (Megaviperidae: ?)

A swimming dragon that lives in Zambia - it can grab boats with it's powerful jaws, swim with it's powerful tail and has huge wings. I am not certain on this final design, working on it...

Cockatrice (Medaviperidae: Basilliskos gallimimus)

CHICKEN DRAGON. Very deadly. Found throughout the world, including Africa.

Jaculus (Megaviperidae: Pteraserpens jaculus)

Jaculus, the javeline serpent, can fly at intense speeds, stabbing prey with it's sharp face.

Terrorsaur (Megaviperidae: Pteroserpens...?)

Silly dragon based on "what if janky cartoony green pterodactyls are dragons?" and then I found a lot of cryptozoology places 'pterosaurs' in central Africa. Playing with this concept, nothing solid yet.

...

There are some other African dragons that I'm not sure about including - Ninki Nanka is something I have had on my radar for a while but I could not find enough info on it to write or draw something (recently looked it up again and there is more info wow... Okay next draft will include Ninki Nanka!!!!)

and Akhekhu which I had in a previous draft then abandonned. Might put him back in. Not sure if he's dragony enough?

So in this current roster of African dragons we have 6 inspired by African folklore and mythology (Grootslang, Rainbow Serpent, Nile Serpent, Congan Plated Dragon, Kongomato, Chicken Headed Serpent) 4 inspired by European mythology saying 'this lives in Africa' (Cockatrice, Green wyvern, Jaculus, Elephant Eating Serpent) and 2 I made up just for fun (Dinodrakes and Terrorsaurs)

[jacobpking]

Perseus and Andromeda In a lot of classical artwork, I always see Andromeda depicted as white/greek, and since she's the Princess of Aethiopia, I wanted to try and make a more authentic, historically accurate depiction. I hope you enjoy! In other words: She's everything, he's just Perseus. (Nah jk, Perseus is a really solid dude overall, I just had to make the reference)

[star-of-zeus]

Zeus Aethiops

For the people that come to my blog for the information, the actual post is in non-italics below (pls scroll down quick otherwise I'll look like a dork haha) For the people who have been following my blog for a longer period of time (and those fond of the dramatic) I set this scene:

You open your eyes to a sturdy oak table in the midst of a dimly room that smells of moisture, frankincense, and oakmoss. A deep blue satin cloth, about three feet long, lies upon the table, held down on either side by lit candelabras. The surface is bare otherwise. Pulled out a few feet behind the table is matching sturdy oak armchair with eagle head detailing on each of the armrests, and a royal purple satin cushion. Star-of-Zeus enters, wearing square glasses and holding a old and dusty-looking leather-bound tome that's thicker than their hands can hold stretched to their max, so Star chooses to hold it to their chest wrapped in their arms. Walking to the table, you watch them lean forward to set the heavy tome on the table with a solid, resounding thump before wiping the dust off their shirt and blowing the rest of the dust off of the tome before opening it up. [You, standing on the other side of the table, are subsequently covered in this dust and have to stand there looking like a bizarre snowman while listening] Finally, Star looks up through their glasses after settling in their chair and grins.

"My, my. It seems that it's been three years and two months since my last Zeus Epithets post. Finally ready for the next one?"

Zeus Aethiops is one of my absolute favorite epithets that I commonly venerate, and though this epithet comes rooted in a notion of race that looks nothing like our modern concept, I will take a stand (likely in another post so I can make a full breakdown/rant) against other opinions that I've seen that advise against blending the two (ancient and modern) notions of race when venerating such an epithet, but it will be written entirely from my perspective and experience, so be aware. But I digress - let's get back to learning about this epithet. Some translations I've seen include "of the Burnt Face" or "Ethiopian". Our beloved resource, theoi.com, defines this epithet of Zeus as:

AE′THIOPS (Aithiops), the Glowing or the Black. A surname of Zeus, under which he was worshipped in the island of Chios. (Lycophron, Cass. 537, with the note of Tzetzes.)

If we go to the theoi.com translation of Lycophron's Alexandra, 537, we find the line:

But we have one, yea one beyond our hope, for gracious champion, even the god Drymnius Promatheus Aethiops Gyrapsius, who, when they who are destined to suffer things dread and undesirable shall receive in their halls their fatal guest, the swooping robber, the wandering Orthanes...

The god referred to only by epithets in this line "Drymnius Promatheus Aethiops Gyrapsius" is indeed Zeus - the epithets Aethiops + Gyrapsius are cult-names from Chios, while Drymnius is from Pamphylia and Gyrapsius from Thurii.

So, now that we've established this epithet is from Chios, and attributed to Zeus, let's take a closer look at what the term Aethiops might signify. Merriam-Webster defines Aethiops as an alternate spelling of Ethiops, and defines Ethiops and simply meaning "Ethiopian" but the old Greek etymology of the word is a compound, according to Wikitionary --

From Proto-Hellenic*aitʰiyokʷs, explained since antiquity as αἴθω (aíthō, “I burn”) +‎ ὤψ (ṓps, “face”), though this is likely a folk etymology.

Thus, it wouldn't be outrageous at all to assume that this was a word used to refer to peoples with higher amounts of melanin, or generally those from the ancient region of Aethiopia, which was a geological term used to designate the "upper nile region of Sudan, south of the Sahara, and certain areas of Asia."

But yes, overall the opinion of scholars and historians is that the term 'Aethiops' could reasonably be associated with features that are associated with the Black or African people of today. As an American, I could go on long-winded talks about my experience worshipping a Justice god that is depicted as what I see as Black (not even to mind that I started following this path in 2020, during another round of BLM protests) but that's a topic for a more personal post instead of a research-based one. In the meantime, please look at one of my favorite pictures of Zeus from a Laconian cup, and if you look at me in my beautiful hazel eyes and tell me those aren't locs coming from Zeus's head I'm having Sisyphus crush you under his boulder.

Was Homer's Zeus Black?

Chios is a Greek island off the Western coast of Turkey, and I watched one video that also talks about Zeus Aethiops but makes the claim that Homer is from the island of Chios (which the author provides evidence for from the Homeric hymn to Apollo) and therefore the Zeus that Homer writes about in the Iliad and the Odyssey could be Black. In my personal opinion, they're playing very fast and loose with the Homeric Question, something scholars have been arguing over for centuries, but at the same time I very firmly believe in the mystery of history and the fact that it is incredibly important for people to see themselves in the deities or things they venerate, and at the very least it's great food for thought. The Homeric Question is outside the scope of this post, but I just wanted to share some other resources in case someone wants a longer more video-essay style post about Zeus Aethiops and that perspective on Homer.

But yes. That's all I have to say on Zeus Aethiops for now, but rest assured I will be shouting from the rooftops about him again soon. I'm so happy I finally did a post on one of my (probably top 5?) Zeus epithets, even though there isn't a lot to be found about this surname of his since I suppose it could have been considered minor in the ancient world.

As always, feel free to send in requests for other epithets!

[aliciavance4228]

Never really got this part about the myth of Perseus and Andromeda, so if you know more about the historical/cultural context of that scene I will be glad.

So we know that after the Oracle told Cepheus that Andromeda must be sacrificed to Cetus she was chained to a rock, right? The thing is, she was also stripped naked, for reasons ancient poets didn't care to explain. At first you would be like: "Well, maybe this was a religious/cultural thing when it came to human sacrifices, right?" I haven't managed to find any source that states that, and we never really see any other human sacrifices from Greek Mythology (Iphigenia, the Coronides etc.) being stripped naked. Not to mention that Andromeda was embarrassed at first when Perseus saw her like that.

Why was she naked in the first place? So that Cetus won't choke himself with her clothes? Because her mother claimed that she's more beautiful than the nereids and by beauty she ment her body as well and it's some sort of an association?

I know that this is rather a modern idea, but removing someone's clothes can be perceived as a form of humiliation, since you're putting someone in a posture of vulnerability. Even in the previous century there were a lot of cases of people being stripped naked during interrogations for this reason. Men were asked to take off their clothes in order to break their spirit by not being in control, whereas women usually had their clothes cut or torn off.

Honestly, at this point I'm wondering why were Andromeda's parents surprised by the fact that she wanted to go with the guy who saved her rather than remain with them in Aethiopia in the first place.

[sarafangirlart]

I like to think that Andromeda was Afro Palestinian with Egyptian descent. Sources are all over the place about where “Aethiopia” is but the one real location stated is Jaffa so I’ll stick to that.

[transdimensional-void]

bael the bard, danaë, perseus, and jon

has anyone discussed before how the bael the bard legend is not only a remix of the hades/persephone myth but also of the myth of danaë and perseus?

the myth

i want to start by retelling the full myth because while there’s a lot that isn’t relevant to bael the bard’s story, i believe some of the other parts might be relevant to the future story in the books. bear with me because it’s a little long.

danaë is a princess, daughter of the king of argos. the king has no male heirs, so he consults the oracle of delphi, who tells him that he will never have a son but that his daughter will...and that this grandson will one day kill him.

fearful of his life, he locks danaë in a room beneath his palace (or at the top of a tower, depending on the version of the myth) to keep her from ever conceiving a child. however, the god zeus takes a shine to her and sneaks through her prison bars in the form of a golden rain. the rain falls upon her and impregnates her.

when the king learns of danaë's pregnancy, he decides he must get rid of both her and the child. however, murdering his own kin would anger the gods, so instead he locks mother and child inside a chest and sets them afloat on the sea. the gods intervene, and poseidon, brother of zeus, sees to it that the pair make it safely to another island, where they are taken in by the local king. the child, perseus, is raised in the temple of athena.

the king who takes them in wants to marry danaë, but she refuses. he says he'll give up on the idea if perseus slays the gorgon medusa. the gods grant perseus gifts that help him succeed. he is bringing medusa's head back as proof of his success, when he sees a princess chained to a rock by the sea. this is andromeda, who is being sacrificed to a sea monster that has been terrorizing the coast of her homeland, aethiopia. the sea monster is revenge from the gods for her mother's hubris in claiming she was more beautiful than the nereids. perseus makes a deal with her father that he can marry her if he saves her.

perseus uses medusa's head to turn the sea monster to stone and consequently receives andromeda's hand in marriage. at the wedding feast, her uncle, to whom she was promised before the whole sea monster debacle, tries to intervene, but perseus turns him to stone with medusa's head. then he takes andromeda home with him, shows the head to the king as proof of his success, and saves his mother from the unwanted marriage.

later, he goes to the olympic games and, while participating in the discus (or javelin) toss, accidentally hits his grandfather in the head, killing him instantly. thus, he unintentionally fulfills the prophecy. having murdered the king of argos, he refuses his claim to its throne and instead becomes king of a nearby land.

bael the bard

there are some clear parallels between this myth and the bael the bard myth we learn in "a clash of kings." (oops just noticed i had the book wrong here).

the king who lacks a male heir but has a daughter whose son could become his heir. the girl locked underground. the girl ripped away from her home and family. a dubiously consensual romantic encounter that results in the girl's only child. the son going on to unwittingly kill a male forebearer.

of course, the bael the bard myth is echoed in-universe by several storylines, most notably the story of lyanna...which means that it is also echoed in the story of jon.

implications for jon's story

it's interesting to consider whether some of the elements of perseus's story which aren't included in the bael the bard myth will show up in jon's story. some of them already have, such as the girl's son being rescued by his uncle (poseidon rescues perseus, ned rescues jon) and a prophecy being made about the child even before he is conceived (perseus will kill his grandfather, jon will in some way fulfill a prophecy rhaegar was obsessed with).

the stark maiden's son goes on to become an unwitting kin/kingslayer, and so does perseus. if jon ends up killing a king or queen who is also his blood relative, then he would be following the pattern set by both stories. while bael's son slays his father and perseus slays his grandfather, in both cases the girl's son kills the man who imprisoned his mother and separated her from her home and family. jon, of course, can kill neither his father nor his grandfather, as all of these people are already dead. however, he could kill another relative, perhaps one who has already fantasized herself as rhaegar...and by killing her, he could in essence be "killing" his father's family's entire legacy.

it's also interesting that, while the son in the bael the bard story takes his grandfather's seat (not his father's), perseus refuses to take his grandfather's seat after having killed him and instead takes a nearby throne. i wonder which one jon's story will more closely resemble. i don't see jon ending the story as lord of winterfell or king of westeros (his two grandfathers' seats). i can see him ultimately refusing both seats, especially considering he's already refused the lordship of winterfell. but he could be given a lordship near to winterfell instead...

another fascinating connection is the story of perseus and andromeda. the andromeda story is seen as a possible precursor to the story of st. george and the dragon update: this is the meta i meant to link (thanks to @kellyvela for opening my eyes to this amazing reference within the novels). in andromeda's story, not only does a mythical monster get slain to protect the beautiful princess, but her uncle who is trying to marry her also gets killed to keep him from getting his hands on her. i wonder if there are any princesses in the novels who have uncles trying to marry them who might need to slaying... i can't conceive of why such a princess would be showing up in a story related to jon! hmmm... of course, in george's twist on the tale, the princess will get to slay her own monstrous uncle (in a castle made of snow).

also, i'm sure i'm not the first to point out the strong possibility of danaë being an inspiration for dæny's name. dæny is a princess who is sent by sea to live in another land and does conceive a child of prophecy. however, it very much seems that with her son's death, her connection to the myth of danaë dies as well. she takes on the destiny prophesied for her son, in a sense becoming the hero of her own story.

conclusion

considering how many bael references are sprinkled throughout the novels, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are other connections to the myths of danaë and perseus than the ones i mentioned here, so i’d love to hear what other think!

[britany1997]

Stargazing with the Lost Boys

Poly lost boys x GN reader (my first actual fic!)

Your boys were rowdy and uncontrollable ninety percent of the time. Every night they were either tearing up the boardwalk, racing their motorcycles (completely ignoring every traffic law in sight), or swiping their favorite comics and jewelry from whatever vendor looked away for long enough. Every once in awhile though, they spent a quiet night in with you. As much as they loved raising hell (especially Marko) they loved you more, and they’d do almost anything to make you happy.

You had always loved the beach, it was part of why you had moved to Santa Carla in the first place. There was something about the sound of crashing waves, the sand beneath your toes, and the smell of salt water in the air that made you feel so at peace. You wished you could share your beach days with the boys, but you knew that if you did, you’d be enjoying the beach with four piles of ash. Dwayne had been the one to suggest you move your quiet night in to stargaze on the beach.

So there you were, laid out on a threadbare blanket from the cave in between Paul and Marko, staring up at the Santa Carla sky. Paul pointed at a constellation. “Which one is that?” he asked. “That’s Cassiopeia,” you replied, “it’s named after the queen of Aethiopia in Greek myth. The story is she was banished to the sky after enraging Poseidon by bragging about her daughter’s beauty. Her daughter was Andromeda, and her constellation is that one right there.” Paul smiles and sighs as he stares up at the star formations. Dwayne motions to a particularly bright star, “That one’s Polaris right baby?” You nod in reply, “That’s right! It’s the North Star.”

You fall into a comfortable silence with the boys while they watch the stars move slowly in the sky and listen to the sounds of the ocean. But then you all watch David walk over to you from boardwalk. You whip around to look over at the spot on the blanket where you thought he had been, and then turn back to look at him confused. “Where’d you get off to?” Marko asks as David wipes his blood stained mouth. “Got hungry” he says, shrugging. You and Dwayne roll your eyes while Marko looks annoyed. “You weren’t going to grab a bite for the rest of us?” He asks. “Why?” David asks back, “are your legs broken?” Marko opens his mouth to send back a snarky reply when Paul says, “now that you mention it… I am kind of hungry.” You smile softly, sensing that the stargazing had come to an end. Marko leans over to give you a kiss, which makes Paul pout until you roll your eyes and give him a kiss as well. David sends you a wink and a wave as he follows the two blondes back to the boardwalk.

Dwayne scoots closer to you on the blanket, filling the space Marko left. “You’re not going to go hunting with them?” you ask him. “Not hungry baby,” he replies, “besides, I’d rather be spending time with you anyway.” You smile and blush at Dwayne’s sweet words, settling back into his side to take in the stars for a little longer.

[thefirststarr]

SPACEMAS DAY 15 ✨🪐🌎☄️☀️🌕

Gravitation strong enough to form stars, and stellar winds and radiation powerful enough to create and dissolve towers of gas are the powerful forces at play in the Wizard Nebula. Located only 8,000 light years away, the nebula surrounds a developing open star cluster called NGC 7380. Visually, the stars, gas, and dust have created a shape that might appear like a fictional medieval sorcerer. The active star forming region spans 100 about light years, making it appear larger than the angular extent of the Moon. The Wizard Nebula can be located with a small telescope toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia (Cepheus). Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the stars being formed may outlive our Sun.

Image Credit & Copyright: Ioan Popa

[rithshell]

“TELL HER I'M SORRY.”

“CEPHEUS is a constellation in the deep northern sky, named after Cepheus, a king of Aethiopia in Greek mythology. It is one of the 48 constellations.”

Used to be the Princess Rosalina's most loyal guardian. But he wanted to be a king, only to fall and be once again a king escort.

Cepheus was found in front of the Koopa Kingdom, after seeing what the kingdom supposed a shooting star. Definitely not.

The koopa said he was exiled but— He never gave any detail about... What happened. Probably was something pretty messed up for Cepheus to tell... But he said he comes from the Comet Observatory, and that he has this valuable artefact called the Star Axis, his sword, and a very valuable historic weapon in the Princess Rosalina's family.

But that was enough to decide that, maybe Bowser can give this koopa a ceiling and job. He had valuable information of one of the most important princess around the kingdom. A legend...

Maybe Mario would like to see this boy and what he could do, before messing with the King Bowser.

Summarized in this way, I introduce Cepheus, the royal knight of the Koopa Kingdom, in charge of escort Bowser and his child, and also the Koopalings.

As in personality, he never seems what it looks like, pretty impredictable. He could be the calmest one in the room, to later be s hysterical egocentric asshole. There's no between.

He got a voice too!! (With old fanart)

(let's ignore the fact i used Elevenlabs to make his voice claim, this was actually a joke but i count it LMAOO)