#Aphrodite of knidos

[artschoolglasses]

Bronze statuette of Aphrodite, a variant of the Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles, Greek, 150-100 BCE

From the Met Museum

[volno]

"A*******E"

first of an ongoing series I'm working on about nudity, censorship, and queer bodies.

[greekmythcomix]

#ClassicsTober23 27: ⚒️Pygmalion❤️

Pygmalion, the Cyprian sculptor who carved such a beautiful statue of Aphrodite that he fell in love with it and the goddess gave it life: it became Galatea (‘milky-white’, presumably because of the marble from which it was carved).

I love this scene of artisans and sculptors making things from bronze, which is on the outside of the Thetis and Hephaestus kylix - the ‘Foundry cup’ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Foundry_Cup

This sculptor seems to be making a statue of an athlete, with the statue leaning on a support while he’s about to put the head on. But Pygmalion carved from marble so I’ve put the head on my statue.

I’ve nicked the statue from Praxiteles, it having been the most successful Aphrodite statue!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite_of_Knidos

[casskeeps]

aphrodite of knidos

basic information

name: aphrodite of knidos

date: 350 bce

sculptor: praxiteles

height: 1.52 metres (life size)

original, reconstructed, or copy: copy of a marble original

subject matter

anthropomorphisation of gods - aphrodite

everyday action - bathing

more bold depiction of female figures - nude

context

last few decades of the late classical period

naturalistic form has been almost perfected

sculptors more interested in deviating from the norms of draped female and nude male forms - this is the first large-scale female nude

composition

contrapposto again - emphasises and enhances the curves of her body

the hand is positioned carefully over the pubis in order to retain modesty for the otherwise completely exposed figure

the body is sensitively carved, despite it not being the praxitelean original, but it is generally believed that the copies have not been able to capture the same "essence"

the jaw and torso are soft and rounded, creating a much more feminine impression that contrasts greatly with the more harshly muscular male figures

the content of the statue is highly innovative for the time - the female nude had not been depicted in this manner until this statue by praxiteles

the statue, as many classical statues do, has a distinct lack of clear expression in the face; the expression is largely relaxed and impartial, which could be argued to serve as a representation of aphrodite existing outside of our world - the impartiality of her expression despite the vulnerability of her position demonstrates her existence as a non-human goddess

the proportions are very naturalistic and realistic - this serves to make the statue more aesthetically pleasing as the human viewer is able to recognise the human form in a very familiar representation

this is most evident in the softness of the curves of her stomach and thighs - she is not overly muscled like statues such as the artemision zeus, but not flat and simplistic like the archaic korai

the drapery is highly realistic, creating numerous arcs and lines as it falls - this demonstrates an impressive awareness of the effect of gravity on the cloth

stylistic features

the softer features in the face and body

the polished marble, giving an impression of the radiance of skin

the largely stoic face, with an enigmatic expression

preservation of female modesty despite pushing boundaries of the traditions of art

scholars

osborne: "in representing aphrodite naked, praxiteles was breaking with conventional practice"

woodford: "reveals the newly discovered charm of the feminine form"

[phthalo-ocarina]

I'm doing an art project on this and...I've just realized I can't draw

Aphrodite Braschi, Roman copy of the Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles , ca. 350–340 BC

Roman, 1st century BC

[eucanthos]

Aphrodite Knidia

Venus of Martres, ca 1st- 2nd c. AD. Parian marble H: 40 cm. Collection Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A9nus_de_Martres

[neomedievalist]

Having classicist friends is great i messaged the groupchat hey what was that one guy who fucked a statue in ancient greece? and it took less than 30 mins to get a link to an article

[everymanpdf]

possessed with urge to paint after looking at museum pictures in my phone and now my hands are fully black

[astrogre]

Aphrodite(1388) Beauty Indicators

What counts as Aphrodite(1388) beauty indicators:

Aphrodite in 1st house (YOU are appealing, this asteroid is simply who you are as this house represents you as a whole, physically and personal identity)

Aphrodite in 10th house (this is how you publicly appear to others at large, so if you have an asteroid here it kind of shows those themes come to mind in general when people think of you and what your reputation is associated with, imagine yourself as a concept, you perceived as a brand)

Aphrodite Conjunct Venus (your beauty and the way you style express yourself, you express your love and sense of beauty in similar ways, Venus also shows where we are most beautiful therefore the things that make you most beautiful are like Aphrodites)

VERY Strong indicators:

Aphrodite Conjunct ASC (it further amplifies because you become the physical embodiment of Aphrodite, no longer just a hint but may even be mistaken for her your form of expression and how you come across to all and most importantly yourself is just like Aphrodite)

Aphrodite Conjunct MC (same as 10H however it’s even more prominent, your Aphrodite characteristics may manifest or be needed for the job you do as well)

Aphrodite conjunct is at 0-2 orbs. Closer the orb more exactly like your appearance. 0 orb means Aphrodite is YOU to a T. Your physical appearance/public image/expression of oneself, if described with an adjective would be the asteroid itself.

2 or more of any of the previous Aphrodite indicators this asteroid is far too prominent in your chart to be an adjective to describe your beauty, it’s more like an epithet.

What kind of beauty you have:

- You embody the ideal beauty standards

- You shapeshift to appeal to the senses and pleasures of individuals who look at you

- People may struggle to define you by your appearance because you come across so differently to each person

- The allure (the buzz and positive talk of you) stands out more than what you put out to reality especially for Aphrodite asteroid in 10H/conjunct to MC

- You’re beauty is so rare that it’s unbelievable, people that hear of you described by others who know you may think you’re a myth or not real like a catfish or someone pretending to be real. Eg someone looking at your instagram may think you’re not real or if a guy is explaining you to his friends you sound too good to be true especially from the male gaze. That is until they meet you and realise you live up to their expectations and then the rumours of you further amplify as even MORE talk of you. If you start dating around jumping from man to man, people will gush over you

- You may pretend to be modest, demure and coincidentally sexually attractive yet your sexual attractiveness is purposefully intentional

this is based on aphrodites Greek and Latin scholars who wrote about the famous statue at Knidos on which it is based, says that Aphrodite’s facial expression and gesture show ‘false modesty’. She purposefully displays false modesty to look like her nudity and sexual allure is unintentional and just happens to be on her

- You show your beauty through your clothing perfumes and hair accessories. Aphrodite wore perfumed and silken garments, a crown of gold or flowers in her hair, and had expensive jewellery covering her body

- As time goes on you are more sexualised, no joke if you guys made a sex tape in your elder years you’d be like a trending milf dilf, especially with Capricorn, Saturn and 10H Aphrodite

Aphrodites depictions were always fully clothed until as centuries progressed the men that idolised her wanted to make her wear less and less, become sexier and sexier, they project their lustful thoughts on her and Aphrodite viewed it as compliments

- No matter what people may say about you, they cannot shake or change the fact that you are beautiful, they may also bring that up when talking about you behind your back if in 12H conjunct ascendant

- You have feminine curves which are shown best through draped clothing, you look best in clothes that drape to your skin and hug your curves

- No matter what you wear people will always see you nude or want to, they may sexualise you and you may subconsciously enjoy it because you feel desired and it feels good to know you’re making others feel pleasure just from looking at you

- You look best naked, your breast and hips may be most prominent and something men recognise you for and what garners admiration from women too. Women may look up to you as the standard and what they wished the looked like

Source: the idealization of womanhood in all her femininity; the Aphrodite sculpture, Praxiteles was mainly responsible for establishing the type-sensuous in its soft curves and voluptuousness.” (Morford 180). As told by Morford, the exaggeration of body parts, breasts mostly, became Aphrodite’s spotting mark in art

- You could have long hair, or your hair can be styled in a different way to other women, very distinct, it can be different from what others expect, your hair may be “immodest” like it looks like it’s uncovered, not domestic, you may put a lot accessories on it or do something specifically that makes it stand out and look better, it’s kind of “unintentionally” erotic.

- You look best in bodies of water, playing with your hair in water, when you’re showering, wringing your hair dry, you may get a lot of stares when you go to the beach just relaxing, or if you’re swimming. It’s something people could watch for a long time

- You love to accessorise excessively

- Men change the way they see you physically from your body to your face and hair, all just to fit their imagined ideal beauty standards. For an example: say a man may prefer brunettes, if you’re blonde, that man will imagine you with brown dark hair and romanticise it, from that point onward he can no longer see you as blonde no matter how blonde you are because the fantasy of an idolised you is so overwhelming

- Men fantasise about you a lot, women too. You invoke fear/admiration into women because of your appearance

- You represent the most ideal physical traits, you can be compared as the standard for others and people may put you on a pedestal so high that makes others want to be where you are but knowing they simply cannot as it’s not in their nature. Because competing against you would destroy them and they do not compare

- You may make people feel ashamed of themselves because you’re so uplifted and idealised by many

- You can adapt to the taste of the target/person you’re trying to seduce

- Your clothes and the way you style yourself enhance your features and make you look like someone who is wealthy and important of high status/nobility

- You are one of the most physically desired people to others

- Your physical appearance isn’t the only thing that makes you so beautiful, it’s the fact that everyone finds you desireable no matter who is looking.

Honestly when I think of Aphrodite I think of someone who is overly sexualised by men. Like they collectively came together and said THIS is what we like. She is the image of sex and desire because they put her there. And she likes it, which is probably why she is labelled as the god of sex, pleasure, love and beauty, it’s because she accepts all kinds of admiration from anyone. No matter how degrading or intensely it manifests. Do you too also accept love no matter how sexually degrading or intense it is? Do you have a tendency to expect to be glorified?

Source:

Link to the historical study of Aphrodites physical appearance

Homer, for example, said that the goddess could be recognized by her shining eyes and “desirable breasts.” Other writers gave her the epithet “Smile-Loving,” indicating that she often had a happy expression. More often, writers described Aphrodite’s beauty through her clothing. She wore perfumed and silken garments, a crown of gold or flowers in her hair, and had expensive jewelry covering her body. most of what we know about Aphrodite’s looks must be drawn from the art of the period.

gain, the representations leave much room for interpretation. The one aspect they have in common is that, fittingly, Aphrodite was shown as beautiful.

This usually meant that she had feminine curves, which were often accentuated by closely-draped clothing. When she was dressed it was often only partially, but the goddess was just as often shown in the nude.

She usually had long hair that was left at least partially down, in contrast to the more demure, covered hair of matronly and domestic goddesses. A favorite subject of classical artists was the emergence of Aphrodite from the sea, in which she was sometimes shown wringing the water out of her long hair.

Sculptors had more freedom than painters to imagine the goddess in different poses and situations. Often these poses emphasized her feminine shape and attractiveness to the male gaze. As the goddess of beauty, she represented the most desirable female form possible.

She often changed her appearances to suit her purposes.

This shape-shifting also allowed artists to portray her in a way that reflected the physical idea of their own time and place. Aphrodite could have dark hair in one place and be blonde in another.

Thus, our modern interpretation of Aphrodite has been filtered through the ideals of female beauty from not only Greece and Rome, but long after as well. Medieval artists gave her a high forehead and Renaissance painters showed her with flowing blonde hair because those were the ideals of their times. The written descriptions of Aphrodite were open-ended enough to allow artists to show her in a way they thought was beautiful for centuries. While later artists were influenced by the paintings and sculptures of Rome and Greece, they had the license to show the goddess of beauty in a way that made sense within their own cultures.

Most often, Aphrodite’s clothing and jewelry were described in greater detail than her body or facial features. The richness of her garments and adornments both enhanced her features and signalled her nobility.

The lack of written detail meant that artists were able to portray Aphrodite in a way they felt was beautiful. While these typically followed certain conventions, these conventions could vary between regions and time periods. Aphrodite/Venus was therefore shown with certain marks of beauty that had persisted from the ancient world, but also with the features and clothing considered ideal in the artists’ own times. She could be recognized not by a specific feature, but by her desirabilithy.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Word List: Aphrodite

to include in your next poem/story

Appetency - a fixed and strong desire

Avidity - an urgent desire or interest

Effulgence - the state of looking very beautiful or being full of goodness

Grandeur - a quality of great beauty and size which attracts admiration

Luster - a very special, attractive quality that people admire

Radiance - happiness, beauty, or good health that you can see in someone's face

Resplendence - a very bright or beautiful appearance

Uxorious - excessively fond of or submissive to a wife

Venerate - to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference

Venusberg - the court of Venus; in German, literally ‘mountain of Venus’

Writing Notes: Aphrodite

Aphrodite - the Greek goddess of love and beauty

Also known as: Pandemos, Urania

Identified with Venus by the Romans

From the Greek word aphros means “foam”

Hesiod relates in his Theogony that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus (Heaven), after his son Cronus threw them into the sea

The essence of Aphrodite's power was her ability to provoke desire

One of the earliest evidence for Aphrodite is from around 1658, in the writing of John Cleveland, the poet

The goddess's body was not fully revealed in Greek art, however, until about 350 B.C., when a sensational cult statue in her temple at Knidos (in present-day Turkey), carved by the sculptor Praxiteles, represented her naked for the first time

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: Word Lists

If these notes are helpful in your writing, do tag me or send me a link. I'd love to read your work!

[lunarforager]

Who Is Aphrodite?

Welcome to the first of my "Introductions to the Hellenic Gods" post series! I thought it wise to start with Aphrodite as she is the deity I have been working with the longest and is also one of my favourites of the 12 Olympians. Now, onto the introduction!

---

Aphrodite is the name given to the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, passion, pleasure and sexuality. Her Roman equivalent is the goddess Venus.

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There are multiple myths that speak of Aphrodite's birth/creation.

Hesiod, in his Theogony, said that Aphrodite was brought into being when Cronus cut off the genitals of his father, Uranus, and threw them into the sea. Out of the sea foam created by the mixing of blood and water emerged the beautiful goddess.

Homer, on the other hand, in the Iliad, says that Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione (who is either an Oceanid or a Titan, depending on the author).

---

Aphrodite also has many different epithets, or versions of herself that were worshipped in different places across Greece. I suggest looking into all the different versions of her that are out there, they are all so fascinating!

But my favourite of all of her forms, is Aphrodite Areia, translated as Aphrodite the Warlike. This form of Aphrodite was worshipped by the Spartans and she was seen in a similar light to Ares or Athena, as a goddess of war and battle, often depicted in a full armor.

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Aphrodite was worshiped by many across Greece and throughout both the Classical and Hellenistic periods. In the Classical period the festival of Aphrodisia was held in her honor and in the Hellenistic period, Aphrodite had many temples and was particulary worshipped in Alexandria.

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To wrap up this post, I wanted to share my favourite stories and art pieces that mention or depict Aphrodite.

The Aeneid, by Virgil --> Venus (the Roman equivalent to Aphrodite) appears often as she is the mother of the main character, Aeneas

Venus de Milo --> Statue of Venus carved during the Hellenistic period, currently in the Louvre

The Birth of Venus painted by Sandro Botticelli --> A beautiful work of art depicting the birth of Venus as she rose from the sea

Aphrodite of Knidos sculpted by Praxiteles of Athens --> My favourite statue of Aphrodite, marks an important shift in art at the time as typically only men were depicted nude as a display of heroism

Aphrodite and Anchises by Homer --> Aphrodite annoyed the god Zeus by causing gods to fall in love with mortals, so he made her fall in love with a mortal named Anchises who later would be the father of her son, Aeneas of the Aeneid

[gardengnosticator]

Aphrodite of Knidos

PAIRING: ellie williams x abby anderson.

SUMMARY: Being a freshman in college is hard, it's even harder when your roommate is the living embodiment of a Greek statue. Ellie Williams is doing the best she can, juggling her classes, her (nigh-nonexistent) social life, and a sketchbook filled with images no one could ever see. Shame her roommate, the immensely popular, confident and terrifyingly handsome, Abby Anderson knows exactly what to do to press all of Ellie's buttons...

WARNINGS: modern au, loser!sub!ellie, dom!abby, oral (abby receiving), face fucking, face sitting, mild exhibitionism, ellie is a huge nerd and down BAD!!!

WORD COUNT: 5k, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Everyone had always badgered Ellie that she should study art. Her doodles and sketches were always stuck to Joel’s fridge with pride even well into her senior years of high school when such parental pride would elicit nothing but groans of teenage frustration. It was all she really enjoyed, well, all that she enjoyed that could be moved into the field of higher education. Try as she might there were no classes offered anywhere that specialized in “being mediocre at video games” and “smoking large amounts of weed,” and Joel’s fatherly monologues about the school of hard knocks did not sway Ellie to a life of puttering around perpetually fixing a muscle car lodged forever in their driveway. 

So here she was, a full-fledged art student, with a tiny personal studio nook, and paints and pens and palettes and assignments. Dear lord, the assignments. Turns out college art was not just drawing her favorite comic characters kissing and actually involved writing long-winded essays about long-dead Italian and Dutch masters whose talent and skill made Ellie want to curl into a ball and burn all her work. 

At least Thursday was her escape. When she could just shut her brain off and sit in front of an easel with pencil or charcoal in hand and just draw. “Fundamentals”, a simple title for what Ellie thought of a simple class (one that certainly wasn’t the most “FUN” and the countless sketches of fruit bowls was driving her “MENTAL”)  but one she could just zone out and stop thinking in, and as of this semester she has been thinking, a lot. 

Thinking a lot; about her roommate. 

Abigail Anderson. 

An honest-to-God legend on campus. A pre-med student whose father, Jerry Anderson, had quite literally co-authored several of the huge textbooks she left lying around their shared campus apartment. A woman who, rumor had it, had a personal key to the campus gym to workout when it was closed because when she was warmed up and ready, it was too risky to let some frat bro half-ass some bicep curls in her vicinity. A flirt who had her tongue down so many girl’s throats there was a line leading up to her bedroom. Okay Ellie couldn’t comment on the first two but she knew for a fact that if Abby was getting action, it couldn’t be in their apartment. The walls were too thin to muffle the sounds of sex and the only time (okay, times…) Ellie peaked through the crack in Abby’s door to spy on her, she would be hunched over her laptop, furiously typing notes. 

Ellie understood though, there was something about Abby that commanded respect, and she wasn’t just saying that because Abby knew exactly how to bark at Ellie if the dishwasher hadn’t been unloaded. It was the way she so subtly chewed on the tip of her glasses whenever some paragraph wasn’t speaking to her, the way the muscles in her shoulders and back flexed when she was standing in the kitchen prepping her meals for the week, or the times when Ellie managed to get herself out of bed before midday and could watch in quiet awe as Abby tucked and tied her golden locks into the effortless French braid only she could pull-off. 

Ellie would find herself thinking about Abby more and more as the semester went on and that proved dire to her sketchbook, with pages ending up shamefully bundled into the trash to hide the fact she had spent several minutes carefully extenuating the curves and defined bridges of Abby’s thighs whenever she sat around in the lounge in gym shorts and a tank top that despite definitely being a large hugged Abby’s torso too well. 

Yes, Ellie thought about Abby a whole lot,  but she was quickly pulled back to the real world as her lecturer brought his hands together in a loud clap, drawing the attention of her and the entire class. 

“Now as you all know, if you had been following the syllabus,” Something Ellie most definitely hadn’t been doing, “Today is our first of several life drawing sessions.” A collective groan escaped the class as they all knew what life drawing would entail. Staring at a naked stranger for three to four hours at a time while drawing from the shoulder, not the elbow, not the wrist and trying not to make direct eye-to-genital contact with the model. 

“Come on, I know you’re all going to have a lot of fun but remember, it takes a lot of effort to make a life drawing authentic, to truly capture the dynamism of a real figure standing a few feet in front of you.” Ellie’s professor looks around at the exasperated faces of his cohort. “But… It takes more effort and quite honestly, a lot of confidence to be a life model. So say hello to…” 

Ellie’s heart drops. And then immediately decides to crawl its way up and out of her throat as an all too familiar figure, clad in just a bathrobe, damned French braid still immaculately tucked over her shoulder, marches into the room. 

“Now everyone, say thank you to Ms Anderson for giving you her time and her quite obviously well trained physique for the following weeks of classes, it takes a lot of guts to stand nude in front of your fellow college buddies, sober that is.”

That elicited a small wave of laughter from the class but Ellie had suddenly developed an incredible interest in the well chewed back-end of her pencil, absolutely positively not going to give Abby the satisfaction of making eye-contact right here and now.

Okay maybe just a glance. 

Which proved to be a devastating mistake on Ellie’s part as Abby’s blue irises all but bore into Ellie’s soul, that damned Anderson smirk coming to her lips as she brought her arms up and across her chest. “Well, my roommate does like to say that ‘if she had my body, she’d be walking around naked 24/7’, so I thought this would be a very natural thing.” 

Ellie had said that. In jest, Once. While very high and splayed on the couch, watching Abby do her neurotic routine of laying on the floor alternating between push-ups and the pages of one of her impenetrable anatomy textbooks, reciting the names of muscle groups and their insertions through the reps. The way her shoulders tensed and every single sculpted portion of Abby’s back seemed to strain against the material of her shirt had allowed Ellie, her mind dazed with weed, to mumble out the statement which she hoped Abby had neglected to hear. 

But no, that would be too good. The universe was too cruel to allow for such a small mercy and as such, Ellie found herself, freckled cheeks flushing a soft pink as she chewed on her bottom lip, Abby’s gaze still locked directly at her despite the sea of awaiting faces. 

“Today’s class is going to be broken into four separate sketches, two with a 15 minute time limit, one at 30, and then finally an hour for your last one. Use the time wisely, remember the point of life drawing is…” 

Whatever Ellie’s professor was rambling about meant quite literally nothing right now. 2 hours of staring at Abby Anderson’s naked form, no excuse not to ogle and lust after every curve and indentation of her physique, no way to avoid her eyes wandering over the supple mounds of muscle and flesh that made up Abby’s chest, her thighs… her ass. Ellie could swear her heart was on the verge of giving up on her right now, not even in her most private moments, the nights when she was tucked well under her covers, brows furrowed, lips red and raw from being chewed on, one hand languishing itself against her breast and the other working overtime between her thighs, her fingers curling into her most delicate inner walls as she imagined Abby looming over her, that husky voice a whisper as she claimed Ellie over and over again. 

And here Abby was, marching forward to take her position amongst the semicircle of student artists fumbling with their pencils and papers before claiming a very-very obviously particular spot. Right-smack-bang in front of Ellie. Oh Abby was enjoying this, Ellie was sure, really relishing the way her cheeks were darkening and her breathing getting more erratic as Abby just stood there, smug and confident as always.

“We are ready whenever you are Ms Anderson, all you are required to do is-” Abby sharply interrupts, “Stand here and look good?”

Once again a smattering of giggles come from Ellie’s fellow students and for once since she walked in, Ellie feels like she can breathe. 

“Well that and stand as still as possible, no need to worry about any sort of specific pose, just find something that’s natural and not going to give you any cramps.” 

And with that, Abby’s robe was dropped to the floor and ever so casually kicked aside and Ellie could swear the gasp that came from her throat was louder than a chainsaw. 

Abby’s body was better than anything Ellie’s filthy imagination could ever come up with. She looked like a statue of Athena. Despite being buck-stark-naked, somehow Abby didn’t shrink or hide, in fact it was quite obvious that she ruled the room right now, hip cocked to one side, a hand lazily resting against it as the other draped itself over her torso just barely hiding the folds of her slit from everyone’s gaze. And no one’s gaze was more enraptured than Ellie’s. After all that was the point of this exercise, right? To take in every inch of Abby’s bare body as presented to her, to allow her eyes to trace over the veins just bursting from her biceps, the motion of her abdominal muscles contracting with Abby’s relaxed breathing, the defined V-taper of her waist drawing Ellie’s line of sight to what could only be the most neatly maintained happy trail in the universe. 

It was good that Ellie had abandoned her grip on her pencil prior to Abby’s disrobing because it would have snapped in the death grip that was forming as the poor brunette white knuckled herself in an effort to maintain a professional allure as she made mental captures of Abby’s body. Plenty of material for those lonely nights at the very least. 

—

The collective two hours seems to drag itself over the course of what Ellie thought was closer to several years, several years that would have been preferable performing hard labor in a Siberian gulag. As Abby moved between poses, no matter how she angled her body, her face was always coyly directed right at Ellie. As the time continued to pass, Ellie could feel herself getting weaker, her lines getting shakier and the detail of her sketches slowly declining. After all, it was hard to concentrate when a good 90% of her blood flow was being directed to her cheeks and the growing warmth between her thighs. The longer Ellie allowed her eyes to trace over Abby’s frame, trying so desperately to stay on track, to allow her pencil to do the talking and not lose herself in the allure of a body so carefully crafted and put together it made Ellie’s thighs clench and the knot in her stomach to churn. 

Could Abby tell? Her classmates? Every breath Ellie let slip from her lips sounded guttural and laced with the kind of intoxicated desire that burned in her soul whenever Abby returned home glistening with sweat from whatever superhuman workout she had burdened herself with all while Ellie had been experimenting with just how long she could hold bong rips. Pure unadulterated lust radiated from those dark green irises and a slightest of slight hints of pink on Abby’s cheeks only made Ellie more desperate. 

“Pencils down, time is up, class is over. For those who wish to stay for class critique, you can have a fifteen minute break and for those who are just one and done, you may leave!” The sighs and groans of her classmates snapped Ellie out of her trance. There was no way Ellie could let anyone see these, let alone critique them! Ellie felt as if God or Zeus or some kind of deity was on the verge of divinely smiting her as she hurriedly stuffed what she could shove into her backpack, her sketchbook slammed shut with such noise several people to the side of her glance over in confusion and with that Ellie was up and gone. Before Abby had even managed to get her robe back on.

—

Ellie downs what feels like a gallon of cold water the second she returns to the apartment but no matter how hard she cranks the cold handle on the faucet it’s not enough to relax the aching, burning sensation that was deep inside of her. She began to contemplate just how easy it would be to crawl inside the freezer when the sound of the front door opening caused her to tense up against the sink. Ellie’s bottom lip is at risk of being chewed right off as she watched Abby ever so casually strut inside, gym bag cast to the floor with so much ease one would never have assumed that a mere few hours ago she had been buck naked in a room of people, people including the one gawking at her from the apartment’s kitchenette. 

“What… what th’ hell was all that about, Abs?” It feels cringy to use that nickname, something oh so casual and relaxed as if Ellie hadn’t been eye-fucking Abby’s bare cunt for two hours straight. 

“Oh that? Nothing really. Someone had put a signup sheet next to the sauna and I thought, ‘What the hell’, you don’t put this much effort into your body without wanting to show it off, just a little.” Abby brought a hand up, tucking her braid that had been resting over her shoulder to her back before turning around and leaning against the wall, broad arms crossed over her wide chest in that infinitely cocky manner that made Ellie’s legs feel like jelly.

Abby snorts, looking Ellie up and down with one corner of her lips curling into a smirk, “What’s the problem? I thought you’d have enjoyed the show, considering the effort you put in to doodling me with clothes on.” If Ellie could curl up inside herself, she would, but all she can do is white knuckle the sink and try to pretend like Abby hasn’t delivered a verbal punch to the gut. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…” 

Abby lets out a tired sigh, shaking her head as she leans up from the wall, each step she took towards Ellie eliciting a seeming electric tingle down her spine until Abby was right beside her. 

“Ellie, I’m the only one here who empties the trash, don’t act as if you haven’t already been using me as your muse for the last few months.” 

Abby’s lips are mere inches away from Ellie’s ear as she speaks, her voice a hushed whisper that still held such a stranglehold on Ellie. 

“I’m flattered, honestly I am. It’s weird but in an endearing sort of way.” 

“T-Those were just practice sketches! Y-You’re so fuckin’ big a-and you take up so much space that I don’t have anything else ‘n this shithole to take inspiration from!” 

Ellie swings around to stare down Abby, face burning, brows furrowing and the anxiety inside her gut readying to express itself through her tear ducts. But all that greets her is two large palms pressing themselves against her cheeks, squeezing them in equal parts affection and control, Abby’s forehead coming down to rest against Ellie’s as she holds her in place. 

“Now-now, I know baby, I’ve been so selfish. You’ve been agonizing over me for so long and I didn’t even notice.”

 If it hadn’t been for Abby’s hands on Ellie’s cheeks she would have collapsed to the floor, Abby Anderson calling her “baby”? If this is a dream or hell, even a nightmare, Ellie doesn’t want to wake up.

 “That’s why I volunteered Ellie, because I just knew you needed that extra push to finally ask for what you’ve been wanting for so long, am I right?” 

A hand that had been cupping Ellie’s cheek had teasingly cruised its way to grip the crook of her neck, holding her head in place as Abby’s smirking lips moved to the side to graze over the lobe of Ellie’s ear.

“It must have made your stomach churn to see me like that, naked for everyone to see. Your little muse 

getting gawked at by all your classmates, bet it just made you so jealous, so needy. I’m surprised you didn’t sneak off to the bathroom to rub one out considering how fucking jittery your legs were getting.” 

Abby’s words were drenched with some horrific blend of  cruel, teasing lust that drove Ellie absolutely wild. She could feel the crotch of her boxers begin to grow damp, her half-lidding as she tried to muster some kind of retort, some kind of come back that would stop Abby in her tracks and keep Ellie from creaming her jeans right there in the middle of their kitchen. She simply couldn’t. 

“Need you… need you so fuckin’ bad Abs…” 

Ellie wasn’t even shocked at how desperate she sounded. There was no stopping this, she didn’t want this to stop and as Abby obliged, her lips trailing down, over the nape of her neck before giving the trembling little thing a hungry and possessive kiss, suckling hard and loud, every motion intent on pulling a dark purple splotch onto Ellie’s throat. 

“Show me then, show me how fuckin’ bad you need me, Ellie.

—

Ellie was prone on her bed at this point, her shirt tussled upwards to reveal her lean torso, the adorably unkempt smattering of body hair rolling from her belly button to just rest alluringly at the waist of her boxer briefs. She was so utterly and completely turned on she could barely make out the silhouette of Abby, looming over her, straddling her hips, thick hand tracing its way up and down Ellie’s bare chest. 

“No bra Williams? How masculine… or lazy, I can never really tell with you.” 

Abby crescendos her teasing by bringing her thumb and forefinger up to agonizingly pinch and roll the perked bud of one of Ellie’s nipples, the provocation drawing out a low, husky moan from the woman beneath her. Ellie trembles, her arms neatly removed from the equation as Abby’s free hand holds them both by the wrist, pinning them to the bed. All she can do is moan and whine and writhe beneath the Anderson’s body weight, the digits manipulating her nipple soon being replaced by her lips, blue eyes watching Ellie intently as her teeth and tongue raked over her chest. 

Ellie was in Hell. Definitely not Heaven. Because in Heaven the intense, aching, leaking folds of her cunt would be granted some relief but no, Abby was intent on drawing this out for as long as possible. 

“A-Abby please, please for f-fucks sake… I-I can’t…” 

That detached, aloof persona Ellie tried to carry about might as well have been crumpled and dumped into the trash as Abby’s mouth suckled atop her teat, tongue lazily rolling circles over her nipple as Ellie’s weak legs kicked about beneath her, thighs slick and dragging against one another in a desperate attempt to generate the friction Ellie was so desiring. 

“Can’t what? Come on, use your words, you’re a big girl. You were so silent during class, all those dirty, filthy, depraved things… you can say them, I want you to say them, Ellie.” 

Abby’s words were muffled as her lips busied themselves in gorging on Ellie’s flesh. Sucking, licking, biting every inch she could reach as she raised her head from her chest and down to the tender, sensitive muscle and meat of Ellie’s throat. All those nights of laying on her stomach in bed, head buried into a pillow as she writhed and humped herself stupid against her palm, fingers curling inside her cunt as she bit back moans of Abby’s name were now unraveling and it was better than any of her fantasies. As Abby sunk her teeth back into the nape of Ellie’s neck she groaned, eyes rolling back and her hips bridging up and off the bed almost in an attempt to buck the larger woman off. “Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-FUCK! I-I’ve wanted you since I s-saw you on moving day! P-Please for fucks sake, A-Abby jus’ fuck me already!” 

Abby might as well have reached inside of Ellie’s chest and snatched her very soul but instead of an onslaught of hungrier and hungrier kisses, all Ellie could feel was Abby’s weight lifting off her hips, hands freeing themselves from her body. The only thing this sudden loss in contact garnered was a needy whine, Ellie’s eyes fluttering open to behold the sight of Abby standing over her on the bed, hands fiddling with the buckle on her jeans as she smiled down at her. Ellie’s breath hitches as she watches Abby begin to drop her pants down her thighs. Thighs Ellie had spent those two hours lusting over from an uncomfortable artist’s stool and there they were, mere inches away, taunting her, beckoning for her lips and fingers to drag over them only for Abby to harshly rebuke such intent with a quick slap to Ellie’s hand. 

“Uh-uh-uh, you’ve been waiting all semester for this, I think a few more seconds isn’t going to kill you.” 

Ellie wasn’t so sure of that, if she had to wait just another minute before she could bury her head right into Abby’s crotch she was sure she was going to wither away, die and leave a pent up corpse. And that intense lust-filled gaze was definitely having an affect on Abby, she might not say it, but as her pants were discarded to the side of the bed, the dark, wet patch in the crotch of her panties was enough evidence that she was enjoying herself just as much as Ellie. The way her arousal glistened over her inner thighs was perfect, if Ellie wasn’t so overcome with desire she would have begged Abby to allow her to draw this, but all she can do is reach up to nervously tuck her thumbs under the leg holes, swirling circles with the calloused tips of her digits just near Abby’s swollen, throbbing bud. 

Just this is enough to garner a low, guttural groan from her, head craning forward to stare down at the delicious sight of Ellie’s desperate, nervous expression gazing right back up at her. 

“Go on… take ‘em off for me.” 

Abby’s tone is low, harsh, part command and part plea, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as Ellie nodded oh-so-eagerly. Ellie’s fingers curled sharply, using every ounce of her remaining self-control to not tear Abby’s panties from her hips and instead politely shuffle them southwards, her chest rising and falling harshly as Abby’s bare crotch was once again revealed to her, only this time it was drooling over her, heat radiating from it in such a lurid way Ellie couldn’t help but lick her lips. Abby shivered at the sight of those dark green pupils darkened with a greedy lust, a lust that had been calling to her the entire time she stood in front of all those straining artists but here, in the domicile of Ellie’s bedroom, the air drenched with allure of sex, it made her feel like God. 

As Abby stepped up and out of her panties she half expected Ellie to bury her face into them, debase herself even further as she fell into her grasp, but Ellie has her eyes on the prize, the bundle of nerves throbbing overhead of her, one she so dearly wishes to lavish with her tongue. Ellie’s mouth was curling and contorting with silent, wordless pleas and Abby, as cruel and cocky as can be, just wants to put this poor girl out of her misery. So she shuffles forward, allowing Ellie to snake her lithe arms around her thighs and with a surprising amount of tenderness and compassion she slowly lowers herself, taking a seat mere inches over Ellie’s face. Abby’s chest is heaving now, the tension of the situation even too thick for her to ignore, so instead she greets Ellie by grabbing a fistful of her short brown locks and holding her head in place. 

“I’m gonna fuck your face Ellie, I’m going to use your tongue and your lips and that cute little nose and I’m going to fuck you right into the bed, okay?” 

Ellie was more than okay. Ellie’s eyes were wide, her mouth hanging slack as her tongue pathetically writhed from her mouth trying to close the distance between her lips and the prize that was sitting right above her. 

“Good girl~.”

Abby croons out those last two words before committing to her descent and Ellie finally is allowed the indulgence she’s been thirsting after for God knows how long. The sharp, gasping exhale that shuddered through Abby’s throat echoed throughout Ellie’s room, but Ellie did not care. The only thing on her mind was sinking her lips into those soaked, trembling folds, intent on draining every ounce of that sickly nectar from Abby’s core. She outright moans into Abby’s cunt, eyes clenched shut with determination as her tongue rolled forth, up and down, back and forth over every delicious, leaking inch of flesh that beckoned to her. 

Ellie’s fingers tightened against Abby’s, nails driving themselves callously into her taut skin as she craned her neck for leverage as she greedily pushed her tongue forth to glaze against Abby’s inner walls. This sudden intrusion draws out a low moan from Abby’s throat, her head craning downwards to watch as Ellie rutted her face up and between her thighs. It was a divine sight, the way her slick began to smear itself across Ellie’s freckled cheeks, the girl between Abby’s legs showing no sign of stopping as she tongued her way over Abby’s insides. 

Ellie’s sloppy eagerness was more than enough to draw out louder and louder groans of pleasure from Abby, the only thing louder than her voice was the squelching of Abby’s juices smearing across Ellie’s greedy lips. Lips that soon found themselves darting upwards to circle around the throbbing bud of Abby’s clit, the sudden lavishing of Ellie’s lips causing Abby to ruthlessly buck her hips down into her face hard. The grip on Ellie’s hair was tight, and it seemed as if Abby was a cowgirl trying to tame a wild stallion and not the writhing groaning pervert beneath her.. Abby lets out a hiss of unrestrained pleasure, arching forward and giving Ellie’s now half-lidded eyes the beautiful show of her toned abdominals flexing and caving in on themselves as Abby rode her face. 

Ellie didn’t even need Abby to touch her right now, her boxers so soaked that it was if she had taken a shower in them, her thighs so slick and the tension in her core so tight all she could do was bury her face forward, nose jamming right into Abby’s hips and her fingers death-gripping those tensing thighs on either side of her head, entrapping her in stereo and not letting Ellie’s mouth receive any sort of respite. Not that Ellie wanted that right now, the apartment could be on fire, the world could be ending, and none of that would be as important as driving Abby over the edge alongside her the visceral knot of tension in both their cores pulled so tight, the edge of this cliff of pleasure clawing its way closer and closer with each wet, sloppy movement of Ellie’s tongue over Abby’s bud.

“A-Ah fuckin’ hell E-Ellie… t-that’s it… that’s fuckin’ it!” 

Whatever minuscule amount of restraint Abby had possessed had at this point completely left her body, too debased and riding the high (and Ellie’s face) of that contorting arrangement of muscle that was Ellie’s tongue diving so deep inside of it. Her hand hadn’t left Ellie’s head this entire time, not that the other girl needed to be held in place, no this was somehow the most natural of positions for her to be in, but Abby’s other hand had busied itself, riding up and under her tank-top so she could grope her chest, squeezing at the fat and muscle of her breasts in time with each of Ellie’s wet, slovenly kisses to her core. 

Abby’s stuttering demands were music to Ellie’s ears, even as Abby’s thick thighs acted as quite an efficient pair of mufflers. She wanted nothing more than for the both of them to tip over the edge together, for the sheer pressure of her tongue to become so unrelenting that Abby broke apart atop her and in that moment she could finally get the release she’s been craving since she first laid eyes on her. The only thing louder than perhaps Abby’s incessant panting was the creaking of Ellie’s wafer thin mattress as the girl on top thrashed her hips down to meet Ellie’s soaked lips until it became all too much for her. 

The fist in Ellie’s hair verged on yanking a chunk out of the poor girl’s scalp as Abby slammed her hips down, her orgasming rocketing through her, body tingling from head to toe as she gritted her teeth, jaw clenched tight as she proceeded to squirt directly onto Ellie’s face, not that it really made much of a difference considering how much slick and saliva had already smeared itself over her freckled cheeks. It was heavenly, Ellie gulping as much of Abby’s white, creamy slick as she could as the rest smeared itself over her gaping mouth. 

A mouth agape because the sheer sensation of Abby’s quivering, clenching sex above her was enough to drive the poor, pathetic, little thing to her own climax. Legs spasming and twisting around one another, partially because in Abby’s blissed out state she had proceeded to rest all her weight atop Ellie’s head directly and because she knew the amount of cum spreading over the legs of her boxers had made the pair so sticky it was as if she had run a marathon in them (No amount of cycles in the washing machine was going to undo the pure unadulterated sin these undergarments had just been through…). 

Abby would have remained in her seated position for as long as it would take for her breathing to return to normal and lungs to regain some of their capacity if not for the slightly muffled plea that came from beneath her, alerting her that in spite of everything Ellie also needed to breathe. Abby clambered off her, collapsing onto the bed right by Ellie’s side as the two women stared up to the ceiling, their chests rising and falling in unison as the sparks and spots in their vision slowly began to return to them. It was Ellie that broke the stillness of their post-coital exhaustion, a trembling hand that had previously been clutching at Abby’s thighs reaching out to lay atop of her’s. 

A breathless chuckle escapes Abby’s lips, hand rolling to the side so their fingers can intertwine. Ellie’s head lazily lolls to the side, the darkness of her room perfectly illuminating the soft green tint of her pupils as she stares across at Abby like a puppy looking at its owner. 

“When… when’s your next modelling session?” 

Abby’s hand squeezes down tightly on Ellie’s as she cranes her head over to face her.

“Not for another week I’m afraid.” 

“I don’t think I can wait that long…” 

Ellie’s rendered breathless once again as Abby shuffles over, lips pressing a possessive kiss to her throat before she mumbles,  “Well… I promise I won’t make you wait that long.”

[milksockets]

'a roman copy of praxiteles's aphrodite of knidos, restored by ippolito buzzi, 17th century' in harlots, whores + hackabouts: a history of sex for sale - kate lister (2021)

[gardenofafterthoughts]

16/11/24

Marble statue of Aphrodite

Roman, Imperial period, 1st or 2nd century A.D. Copy or adaptation of a Greek statue of the 3rd or 2nd century B.C.

The goddess of love is shown as though surprised at her bath. Originally, her arms reached forward to shield her breasts and pubis in a gesture that both concealed and accentuated her sexuality.

Statues of Aphrodite in the nude proliferated during the Hellenistic period. All were inspired to some degree by the Aphrodite of Knidos, created in the fourth century B.C. by the famous Greek sculptor Praxiteles. That statue, the first major Greek work to show the goddess nude, was celebrated throughout antiquity. This work has the same gesture of modesty and is similar to another Roman copy, the so-called Medici Venus, which has stood in the Tribuna of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence since 1688.

[starsthewitch]

More Aphrodite facts!! ^ ^

⭑ The Aphrodite of Knidos was sculpted during the 4th century BCE.

⭑ Aphrodite has 17 known children based on ancient literature and text! These children include Eros, Phobos, Peitho, Priapus, the Three Graces, Aeneas, Hermaphroditus, and more.

⭑ Some of her symbols include but are not limited to: Golden apples, the evening star, the number 5, eggs, and the triangle.

⭑ There is a flower named after Aphrodite! The Calycanthus Aphrodite, or also known as the sweetshrub, is greatly valued for its sweet and fruity floral fragrance.

⭑ There are actually more artworks of Aphrodite than any other classical mythological creature!

⭑ Aphrodite’s name has been spelled and officially recognized in many different ways! Some of these alternative names include Afrodite and Afroditi. In Greece, she is also known as Acida’lia which is derived from the well of Acidalius located near Orchomenos. This place is also known to be a place where Aphrodite used to bathe with the Three Graces. She is also known as Acraea in other temples and Ambologe-ra in Sparta.

⭑ Pomegranates were also once associated with Aphrodite!

⭑ When Aphrodite was created, she was immediately in her adult form. There are no records of Aphrodite in her infancy or childhood, nor are there any mentions of such in ancient Greek texts and mythologies.

[along-the-silkroad]

The statue is a Roman copy of the Greek "Aphrodite of Knidos," originally sculpted by Praxiteles in the 4th century BCE. This groundbreaking piece caused an uproar in the Hellenic world as it was the first full-scale nude depiction of a woman. While earlier depictions of women may have been revealing, this statue marked a transformative moment in the artistic portrayal of the female form.

After the initial shock subsided, the practice of depicting Greek women and goddesses in the nude became more accepted. The "Aphrodite of Knidos" is one of the most replicated sculptures in antiquity. Its iconic pose—Aphrodite modestly covering her private parts while holding a towel, emphasizing her nudity—has become universal visual language. The composition invites the viewer to feel as though they are secretly witnessing the goddess preparing for a ritual bath.

Praxiteles' original masterpiece was intended for the Temple of Aphrodite in Knidos.