#Artemis: I helped mother give birth to you

[aj-artjunkyard]

Hc: in the Riordanverse, neither divine twin is older. Bc of the fluidity and contradiction of myths (that the books acknowledge), both Artemis and Apollo fully remember being born first and think the other is just teasing them. Neither have ever considered for a moment that their sibling might be telling the truth

Most other gods have worked this out but the twins’ pettiest on-going drama is very funny. Everyone’s stoking the flames. Leto diplomatically claims she doesn’t remember

[aliciavance4228]

Was Athena a Feminist or a Female Misogynist?

Athena is perhaps the one most famous goddesses from Greek Mythology, and was for a very long time considered a good role model for women and a feminist due to the fact that she's a smart woman who can fight in battles. However, there are also a lot of people who claim that she is in fact a female misogynist and consider her to be the original "pick-me girl" or "I'm not like the other girls" girl. And the fact that she's seen besides male heroes most of the time or the myths of Medusa and Arachne doesn’t make this situation any better.

And the very first problem in this equation is that people are using a lot of modern terms (and a modern mentality in general) in order to label a figure that was firstly mentioned thousands of years ago. So there's a LOT to unpack here.

The first mentions of Athena come from mycenaean mythology. Back then the place that later became Athens surpringly had a matriarchal view on society, which would explain why Athena as a female figures isn't depicted in a traditionally feminine way. But years have passed, and things have changed a lot both socially and culturally. Athens, despite of being one of the most developed cities from Ancient Greece, had a very patriarchal view on society, to the point where even the other cities considered it to over exaggerate. In order to understand just how misogynistic athenians were, they believed not only that the woman is a disfigured version of the man, but that men could find a way to reproduce themselves without the help of women and that the female is nothing but a vessel when it comes to reproduction.

The thing is that, while a lot of things changed in the Athens in time, the goddess that was the patron of that city remained the same. So the question that naturally comes is: If women are inferior to men, then why is our patron deity a goddess? And so, the only play which specifically depicts Athena as a female misogynist appeared: Eumenides. This play was obviously written by a male Athenian, and its pure intention is to answer to that question. In the Eumenides, Athena says this thing:

It is my duty to give the final judgment and I shall cast my vote for Orestes. [735] For there was no mother who gave me birth; and in all things, except for marriage, whole-heartedly I am for the male and entirely on the father’s side. Therefore, I will not award greater honor to the death of a woman who killed her husband, the master of the house. [740] Orestes wins, even if the vote comes out equal.

As you can observe from this quote, the dialogue is ment to confirm the ancient athenian perspective about reproduction, as well as their views on women in general. Despite the fact that Metis was supposed to be Athena's mother since she was pregnant with her when Zeus ate her, in this play she is completely erased and Athena has one single parent figure: Zeus.

In other words, Athena was clearly a product of the society that worpshipped her; a society that believed that traits such as high intellect or strenght cannot be attributed to women. It is up to you guys to decide wheter the Eumenides is canon to the rest of Greek Mythology or not.

However, aside from this particular play, Athena shows no ill-will towards women purely for their gender. She had a very close relationship with Pallas to the point where she even takes her name after she killed her by accident (Thank you, Zeus!), and acted as the big sis towards Artemis and Persephone, as it is suggested in Homeric Hymns to Demeter.

Furthermore, if you ever read the Iliad then you would observe that her interactions with mortal women are very different compared to those with Medusa or Arachne from Roman Mythology.

In the Iliad, Athena gifts Penelope in handicrafts, wiles, and storytelling, making Penelope an anti-Arachne due to the fact that she isn't punished by the goddess for her talents, but rather blessed for them.

Athena has endowed her above other women with knowledge of fair handiwork and an understanding heart, and wiles, such as we have never yet heard that any even of the women of old knew, of those who long ago were fair-tressed Achaean women— [120] Tyro and Alcmene and Mycene of the fair crown—of whom not one was like Penelope in shrewd device…

At the same time, we have the story of Cassandra and how Athena avenged her. Cassandra was brutally raped by Ajax the Lesser in her temple. She asked Athena for revenge, telling her what happened to her. Athena was absolutely livid, sent a storm to wreck the Achaeans' boats when they failed to kill Ajax, then destroyed his ship near the Whirling Rocks and left him to die, or lifted him in the sky during a storm and impaled him with her father's thunderbolt. At this point, Cassandra is an anti-Medusa, because she was avenged instead of being punished for being raped. Furthermore, in the original greek myths Athena herself was about to be raped by Hephaestus at some point. She was very aware of the fact that there's a difference between a woman who had sex on her own will and one that didn’t consent to it, so it makes no sense why she wouldn't help a rape victim.

Medusa and Arachne were later additions by Ovid, and their stories were anti-Authority Propaganda.

So instead of quickly coming to any sort of conclusion and deciding wheter or not Athena was a Feminist or a Misogynist, perhaps people should understand the fact that the situation was way more complicated as she was nothing more than a character that was depicted both according to the societal and personal views ancient greeks had on women (which were more or less different depending on the century and the poet), and that the answer is way more complicated than we think.

[strawberryhenisey]

You drew stars around my scars

Ror men asking about your childhood scars (silly) pt. 1

Hades

He has a crazy childhood because he and his brothers had to defeat their father after getting swallowed whole as infants

But he was intrigued about knowing your childhood memories too

In spite of curiosity he wondered why you have a scar on your knee

He was expecting a story that you got attacked by lions or something, but no, he overestimated that scar

"Dear, I'm just curious how'd you get your scar? Did you fight any wild beasts as a child?"

The man asked with a mix of curiosity and concern about the scar

"Oh this on my knee? I was playing with my classmates and they made me sit on the trolli bag, and boom I landed with my knees"

Hades was expecting something more intense than that story but hey at least he knows

Apollo

He has a crazy childhood too, his mother got delayed to give birth to him and Artemis because of Python, and when his mother gave birth to Artemis she literally HELPED their mother to give birth to Apollo which us crazy when she just came out of the womb!

Sunshine boy is very curious as to why you have a scar on the edge of your eyebrow

He was curious if a former lover of yours threw a discus or a frisbee at you Hyacinthus flashback iykyk

Apollo couldn't sleep for nights thinking about your scar

It's bad for his beauty so he has to know the reason of your scar!

"Sunshine, I am very curious as to why you have a scar underneath your brow!"

He asked curiously

"Oh this? Because when I was a kid my sibling accidentally dropped me and my eyebrow got scarred because when I fell I bumped into the edge of a table"

He didn't know if he should laugh or feel bad

Thank you for reading!

[somepsychopomp]

Ok but omega ody going into labour while with Athena. She brings out an axe to help and then is utterly traumatised because why do mortals birth like that she thought offspring came out of the head?! Also why is the baby a baby not a fully grown adult 😭😭😭

I absolutely think Athena would be way more in touch with mortals than this but yeah sure why not:

For Ody to go into labor with Athena around, I think he'd have to be otherwise alone. So maybe he snuck out of the palace because he was sick of constantly being hounded by the royal physicians. No doubt his mother would also constantly smother him and order the servants to do the same.

Athena joins him and they take a little walk together. Neither of them think anything's wrong until Odysseus stumbles over himself. Athena catches him, but they both smell... something in the air.

Ody looks down and boom, his water broke.

Athena thinks nothing of it. She summons a small axe to one hand and a chisel + mallet in the other, asking Odysseus which he'd prefer.

He looks at her like she's crazy and says he needs to get back to the palace ASAP. Athena is like "Oh of course. Mortals die of childbirth all the time. Well, they do tend to perish when their skulls are cracked open, so that makes sense."

She uses a bit of magic to get them there faster, masking herself from everyone but Odysseus' sight as the servants hurry him to his birthing suite. They get him settled on the provided bed and do all sorts of things to calm him down, like massaging his muscles and rubbing his skin with warm oil. Athena is like "Yup this checks out. Definitely don't want to be stressed when they crack your head open."

She even keeps quiet as a priest prays to Artemis for a safe birth for both the child and the dam despite Athena being right there. Because surely, at any moment now, Odysseus will ask his dear mentor to do the honor of delivering his child. After all, what mortal's hand could possibly be more steady or precise than her own?

Athena is honestly a little excited and a little nervous. She's never delivered a human's offspring before. But she doesn't trust the midwives or physician to do the cutting and/or splitting. What if they accidentally kill Odysseus?

As someone who's vanquished many foes in battle, she's confident that she can get Odysseus' head open just enough for the child to pass w/out killing her mentee. And right now, Odysseus is looking quite stressed and seems to be in a lot of pain. There's some blood coming from his lower area but hey, maybe that happened when Zeus bore her as well. Or maybe it's a human thing.

Athena startles at the first of Odysseus' screams. This isn't a low whine to indicate discomfort. It's not a battle cry, either. It's a sound of pure pain. As soon as he empties his lungs, the midwives & his mother + wife get him off the bed and seated on a strange chair with a large portion of the seat missing.

(Two notes- I think it's insane that it was common practice in ancient Greece for women start labor by laying down and THEN getting moved to a birthing chair because like... idk about you, if I began to experience the worst physical pain of my life I wouldn't want anyone manhandling me.

And two- I HC Odysseus' mother as an omega. So she'd definitely be there to coach her poor son through his labor. Also, despite childbirth being strictly regarded as an omega's ordeal, I do think Odysseus would want Penelope to be present. She's still a woman so there's not too much taboo crossing there. And having her familiar scent nearby is really comforting to him.)

At that point, it finally crosses Athena's mind that humans give birth very differently from how she was created. There is so much blood and other bodily fluids, it's wet and smells terrible, Odysseus is red in the face from his screaming and exhaustion, and it goes on. For. So. Long.

Hours. All night and into the morning, Odysseus is pushing and pushing and Athena is just watching from the corner of the room and wondering which other god cursed her poor mentee with this demon of a delivery. Because surely, this isn't normal, right?

At one point, Penelope put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down and Odysseus physically snapped at her and bit her hand.

Penelope doesn't pull her hand away, she doesn't even flinch, not until Odysseus lets go of his own volition. He seems to have gone downright mad. At another point in the birthing process, he screams at his midwives and even his own family to be quiet, even when no one is speaking. He yells at them not to touch him even when no one is.

Athena is horrified and bewildered by his behavior but literally everyone else in the room acts like it's completely normal. Like this is expected.

"Yes, Odysseus," his mother murmurs, having been on her feet for hours and yet not tired at all, "Let it all out. It'll be alright..."

"Stop telling me that!"

And his mother continues to hush and shush him, no fear or anger on her face. Only love and concern.

Athena wishes childbirth was as easy as making a neat split in Odysseus' skull and pulling the child out. Whatever in Hades this all is... it is beyond even her comprehension.

At long last, a tiny fleshy thing drops out of Odysseus and into a midwife's waiting arms. It's cleaned and dressed in white cloth, with the staff declaring it's a boy!

Odysseus slumps in the chair, at last being able to cradle his son. Penelope leans over his shoulder with a smile and all at once, his sanity seems to have returned to him. Odysseus smiles, exhausted but clearly very happy, as his alpha kisses him on the cheek.

Penelope says, "Well done, my beloved."

She's crying, as is Odysseus' mother. Tears of joy, no doubt. Odysseus seems to have shed every tear he could possibly have as he finally gets to recline and relax.

In all his life, he's never looked so fragile, so mortal.

Odysseus spots Athena in the corner of the room and asks to be left alone for a moment. He wants to pray, he says. It takes a great deal of convincing for his mother & wife to leave his side, Penelope seems intent on being removed only by force, but they don't want to argue with the poor omega who just spent 12+ hours giving birth. Odysseus assures her it'll just be for the shortest moment.

When it's just the three of them, (Ody, Athena, and Telemachus) he asks if she wants to hold the baby. Athena politely but swiftly declines, thinking the little thing in Odysseus' arms must be as soft as clay and just as easy to misshape.

Curious, Odysseus asks her what it was like to watch.

"It was... unlike anything I've ever seen."

Odysseus smiles softly. It seems he has no strength to laugh.

He asks her a question that catches her by surprise, "What was I like?"

"What do you mean?"

Odysseus truly doesn't remember long stretches of his birth. He asks again what he was like. Athena decides he doesn't yet need to know about how he snapped at everyone in the room. Now, she can see it was only a coping mechanism for someone in terrible, terrible pain and all the mortals understood that far before she did.

"Rest, Odysseus. You've fought a great battle," she says, before taking her leave. She flies out of the window in the shape of an owl and heads to her abode on Olympus. Athena sits down at her loom, the pattern for a baby's blanket already fully drafted in her mind.

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Penelope & Athena headcanons because a certain moot (yes it's YOU @dootznbootz) infected my brain with them :)

Athena knew of Penelope before Odysseus, as she is the patron of Sparta and has been watching the Spartan royal lineage for the longest time.

Weaving is Athena's love language, and she weaved with Penelope a lot as the princess grows up. Don't tell Artemis and Persephone this, but Athena enjoys this activity with Penelope more because she is actually skilled with it and is delightful to teach.

In the Hyacinthia festival, women would offer their woven chiton to Apollo. Athena would not shut up about how Penelope's chiton is the prettiest out of the bunch and Apollo rolled his eyes like, "Yeah, yeah, I know your human is the best weaver. How about I give you her chiton???"

Aside weaving, Athena also trained Penelope in sport and some fighting skills. As a girl, Penelope isn't required to undergo heavy military training, but she still must participate in physical training to stay fit.

They play a lot of petteia (an ancient Greek board game). Penelope is smart but never stood a chance against the goddess of wisdom herself, but she's too competitive to give up. Athena very much indulged her lmao

They talked about their family a lot, from their sisters' silly frolics to their brothers' stupid antics. Penelope is one of the few who knows how much of a gossiper Athena actually is.

Mutual understanding over bystander's guilt. Athena witnessed Persephone getting kidnapped as a young goddess and Penelope saw Helen getting stolen away as a child. Both failed to save them and had dreamt of being able to do something, anything to stop the tragedy.

Silly arguments about whether saltwater or freshwater is better between half-Naiad Penelope and half-Oceanid Athena (Metis was an Oceanid and Athena had lots of connection with the ocean)

One time Athena took Penelope to the mouth of the Eurotas River at the Laconian Gulf to settle the debate by swimming and... taste testing the water.

They finally found a common ground in deciding that the brackish water at estuaries isn't actually as great as they thought. And so they decided to respect each other's opinion.

In another universe where Odysseus never came to Sparta, Athena welcomes Penelope to become her priestess.

Despite not having the best relationship with Aphrodite, Athena still brings herself to ask the goddess for tips and helps on how to matchmake Penelope with Odysseus when she found out her two pets are smitten with each other.

"Do you think I just start a fight between them so they get to speak directly?" - "Athena, sweetie, just no."

A lot of people joke about Athena thinking Odysseus gave birth to Telemachus via his head because that's how she was born, but we don't talk much about Athena's potential hidden trauma of her father swallowing her mother before that.

Even though Athena knows Odysseus would rather die than hurt Penelope, there's a tingling intrusive thought at the back of her head that she should keep an eye just to ensure the smallest of chance wouldn't happen.

When Penelope went into labor, Athena dragged Artemis to support her. The composed goddess lowkey panicked when her pet human is giving birth lol

Penelope called Athena by her epithet "Soteira" (Saviour) two times in her life: when Helen was stolen by Theseus and when Helen was taken by Paris which led to Odysseus having to leave for war.

It was a half desperate cry for help, half bitter sarcasm that The Saving Goddess could not save those whom she claimed to watch over, and not to mention Athena was part of the Golden Apple drama that eventually led to Helen being given to Paris.

Athena was immensely guilty for having a hand in the events that led to Penelope having to watch her husband depart for war and Telemachus having to grow up without a father. She tried to spend as much time where she wasn't participating in the war as possible to help out Penelope in raising Telemachus, basically becoming a temporarily stand-in parent for the boy.

Another reason for Athena's constant involvement in Telemachus' upbringing is that, deep down, she didn't want the boy to grow up half-orphaned like she was.

Penelope asked Athena why she didn't make the suitors suddenly choke on their food and die. Athena replied (for the 7635th time) that her father is the Lord of Xenia and her doing so would not please him.

Penelope: We can stage it like an accident.

Athena: I already told you, I cannot violate my father's domain!

Penelope: You started a rebellion against your father but draw the line at making a guest die because it'll disrespect him???

Athena: ... Be quiet.

[starborncoven]

Greek God Apollo ☀️

Hello everyone! We wanted our first informative post to be about this amazing god who has lighten our paths many times during these years. So here you have a small post about him!

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, titan of the light of night and, later, light of day; and twin brother of Artemis.

God of light, medicine, diseases, plagues, dance, music, writing, arts, divination and prophecy, initiation, colonization, archery, youth and male beauty, among other things.

His best known places of worship were Delphi and Delos, but Apollo's cults have been all over Greece and have been very varied. Moreover, as a god of colonization, many of his cults invaded the lands of others and forced them to worship Apollo. A well-known case is that of the women who worshipped Gaia who ended up being massacred by one of the cults of Apollo, and it was this fact that gave rise to the myth of Apollo and Daphne.

Being such a popular god in both Greece and Rome, he has a multitude of myths that reflect very well his diversity and ambivalence. Let's talk about, for example, that of his birth, which can also be consulted in the Homeric Hymn III to Apollo. Here we will speak only of one of the versions, since it has several.

It all begins when Zeus got Leto pregnant. Hera, who was jealous, made it impossible for Leto to give birth anywhere both on land and in the ocean. Luckily for Leto, his sister Asteria had also been harassed by Zeus and, to escape from him, had turned herself into a floating island by the name of Ortigia. Thus, Leto found a place to rest.

However, Hera had put more obstacles in her way. She had forbidden Ilithia, goddess of childbirth, to attend the titanide, so Leto spent nine days and nine nights in agony until the other gods managed to bribe Ilithia.

First Artemis was born, who assisted her mother to help in the birth of Apollo; he was born on the seventh day of the month, hence the number usually associated with the god.

Ortigia was renamed Delos, where a temple and a statue were established in honor of Apollo. From here comes one of his epithets: Delius Apollo.

On the other hand, the serpent or dragon Python resided in Delphi, where he had an oracle. It is said that one of his prophecies spoke that it would be a son of Leto who would kill him, so he had pursued the Titan during her pregnancy and did not stop until Zeus put a stop to it.

Thus, on the fourth day of his birth, Apollo set out for Delphi with his bow and arrows in hand to avenge his mother. There he killed Python with one of his arrows, and one of his epithets is "Apollo far-shooter", and took the oracle. Other versions say that he chased the dragon to Tempe and killed him there.

Apollo established his oracle in Delphi and, in honor of Python, placed his bones in a cauldron that would serve both for the oracle and for the initiation of the Pythia. And here is born another of his epithets: Apollo Pythius.

As you can see, he is a rational and at the same time visceral god. He has his reasons for killing Python, but he still doesn't think twice and does it.

There are many more myths, such as that of Admetus and Apollo, Niobe and the children of Leto, or the well-known myths of Apollo and his lovers (which are not few), such as Daphne, Hyacinth, Cassandra, Cipariso or Coronis. I invite you to read them and learn about him.

As for his attributes, Apollo is related to the number 7, to wolves for shepherding, to mice for plagues, to laurel for his myth with Daphne or even for his myth with Python and his victory against him, to hyacinths for the myth of Hyacinth and an endless number of animals, plants and crystals such as crows, cypresses or the sunstone.

He is also characterized by his silver bow, the sun and the lyre, which he acquired from Hermes.

Apollo is the chief of the muses and nymphs, the lord of the arts in all fields, although at the beginning it was especially of dance. And, if you want to work something related to the arts, Apollo is the right god.

The arts, oratory, divination, sports, self-esteem, self-respect, anxiety, medicine (biosanitary field in general), decision making, personal growth, etc., are areas that can be worked with him.

Personally I have a very good relationship with Apolo. I have been in contact with him for a few years now and we have worked on some things together, and I can assure you that it is a pleasure to work and talk with him. I don't want to generalize, because the gods present themselves differently to each person, but he tends to be patient and very kind, as well as funny if he trusts you.

Apollo is, in my opinion, such a diverse and magnificent god that you can learn everything from him. Just don't piss him off, because his bow never misses and it hurts when he shoots an arrow.

And so much for this divine Sunday! This month we dedicate it to Apollo in the account. What did you think? Do you want to know more about him? Have a sunny day ☀️

[superkooku]

Favorite character from Greek mythology + favorite myth from Greek mythology?

Favorite characters

I'll turn this into a tag game : @margaretkart @dootznbootz @sarafangirlart @aliciavance4228 @katerinaaqu @hermesmoly @go-rocksquadsfan @sanska @vint-knight .

And @anon (you can give your answer in another ask 😉).

So, I have a loooooooot of faves. This list is long.

Here are mine :

Nobody. Yeah, in reality, I hate mythology and just pretend I like it. Or I just love making puns about my favorite lying war criminal. Who didn't cheat btw.

Penelope. These two are soulmates, no ifs or buts. I always found her underrated and @dootznbootz 's ramblings on her confirm that. Cunning and sassy half-naiad queen.

"The delian twins", as I like to call them. Idk I really love their multifaceted natures of protectors and deadly huntress/inflictor of illnesses (with an affinity towards plague). And their familial bond is precious. And I like them both equally, even though I talk about Apollo a bit more ig.

Leto. She's precious. They're always ready to defend each other. Like when Apollo and Artemis killed Niobe's kids because she was disrespectful to Leto. Or when Leto came in to save her son from being thrown in Tartarus by Zeus. Or when baby Artemis helped her mother deliver her brother. She fought for her children and now they fight for her.

Hestia. Too bad there isn't more about her because I relate a lot to the concept of chilling at home and staying away from drama.

Ariadne. Because of her family's tragic history, her healing from it with Dionysus (in most versions) and overall, she's great. Also, it's funny how Theseus wanted to marry a child of Zeus but his ex girlfriend actually succeeded 😂. Speaking of her family tragedy...

Asterius. I bet most adaptation authors don't know who I am referring to 🤣. He's a man-eating monster, yes, but he grew up isolated, trapped and unloved. I feel so bad for him.

Perseus. The GOAT. Partly thanks to @sarafangirlart. I already liked him since I always knew he wanted to save his mother, but he genuinely grew on me since I read her posts. That and when I learned of his war against Dionysus. Extremely underrated story.

Athena. Idk I don't think I need to elaborate on why she's cool.

Hades. In retellings, I often hate him because he's either woobified or made into "Greek Satan" (at least in Disney he's fun), but he's genuinely cool in mythology. Morally gray Hades save me.

Hermes. From birth, he was always a little trickster. I love how many functions he has (messenger of the gods, god of merchants, thieves, communication, also a psychopomp btw). A very energetic and helpful god.

Asclepius. I think I should make a post explaining why he's great because, yeah, I don't talk much about him even though there are things to say (yeah it's because I did a lot of research on him).

And... finally... Dionysus 🤣. Of course he made it in this list. I dedicated a whole essay series about this god, come on !

Honorable mentions : Hector, Andromache, Menelaus, Demeter, Telemachus, Hephaestus, Hippolytus, Danae, Ares and many others.

Favorite myths/plays/poems

I already answered that but can't find the post. So I'll do it again, with some new answers in mind. Basically "the myths with the characters on the list".

It's either because they're that compelling or just hilarious.

The homeric cycle. Ok, an easy one.

The Bacchae by Euripides (mandatory reading if you want to understand Dionysus imo. No excuses).

The frogs by Aristophanes. Because it's funny.

Asclepius' story. Seriously I'll elaborate on it one day.

Hermes' birth story. Him stealing Apollo's cows and Apollo getting mad at his scallywag of a brother 🤣🤣. And then just him winning Apollo over with the lyre.

Pirithous and Theseus getting their asses stuck on a chair (yes this is my title for this story). I love to mock these two, especially Pirithous because... give this man a Darwin award please. No thoughts and no survival instincts in his brain 😂.

Orpheus and Eurydice. Simple but powerful.

The Argonautica. Aka a huge crossover. Seeing more interactions between all these heroes would be awesome (especially if we take every version into account 👀. So many faces...). It's funny how I love the Argonautica but never talk about Jason himself 🤣🤣. The embodiment of the protagonist who's less interesting than the other characters.

Perseus' war against Dionysus. A potential retelling about this myth would go so hard !! Especially since we could get a scary Dionysus. Hopefully it doesn't get ruined :(

Edit : some English mistakes I had to correct.

[audreyscribes]

Hi! If you want to, can you do headcannons about a child of Asteria (goddess stars, nighttime divination, astrology, and more I think), you do really good with writing these headcannons, and I love each master list, so I just wanted to ask! She is a really cool goddess in my opinion, and I wanted to hear your thoughts!

Thank you!

Oh this takes me back! Hecate is one of my favourite ancient Greek gods and I researched her parents as well. 

Asteria is rather interesting because not only she is the titan goddess of shooting stars, night-time divination, she is also the Goddess of Delos; where, escaping Zeus’ pursuit and his advances, Asteria transformed herself into a bird before a wandering island. The same island where her sister Leto, the mother of Artemis and Apollo, could give birth on. 

I’ll be brief because I might come back to this as a standalone demigod H/Cs that I’m writing so here we go! 

Being the demigod of Asteria is going to be a very rare existence. A once in a million occurrence; this is mostly due to the fact that Asteria is basically an island goddess so there’s very few occurrences she’s going to wander like the other gods. That said, you are probably the only child that Asteria has given birth aside from her divine daughter, you might have heard of her, Hecate the goddess of Witchcraft, spells, the moon, the night, and crossroads. You know, her.

That said, you’re still going to be hunted by monsters because of the whole curse of Lamia and every demigod is going to be hunted by monsters because of Hera (and Zeus). However, because you are also technically Hecate’s (half) sister, and you are technically Lamia’s aunt/uncle, you are at the least aren’t going to be targeted/hunted by Lamia, and the Empousai. Though it’s not total immunity because if you target Lamia or any Empousai, its free game.

In terms of skills, being a child of Asteria grants you the ability of divination with nighttime elements; such as astrology or by dreams. You’re taking the words “It’s written in the Stars” a bit too literally. You also know how sometimes people have prophetic dreams? You’re going to have those a lot. Like…a lot.

That said, you do not have prophetic tendencies where you randomly get glimpses of the future when you’re conscious, like the children of Apollo. If anything, it’ll only be when you’re asleep; adding to the whole bane of demigod dreams.

I feel like because Asteria only had one child, Hecate may have the same presence as she does with her kids. Even if you are a demigod, it is rather intriguing and unusual for Hecate since she has never had a sibling before. You may have some magic abilities which you are more than welcome to the Hecate cabin to perfect your craft.

And because you are technically related to Leto, who is your aunt, therefore also related to Artemis and Apollo as your cousins, there may be some familiarity there. If you’re a girl, Artemis would definitely offer you a position with her huntresses and you would do wonderfully in her domain. You would also be approached by Zoe Nightshade, who is part of the stars and would guide your bow and arrow so you may shoot your arrow as if its like Asteria’s shooting stars. If you’re not that interested in joining her huntresses, you would still be under her protection as Artemis is the patron of young children, especially girls. Paired that with being the daughter of the goddess and island that helped their mother and their birth, you’re further under her protection.

Regardless if you’re a girl or boy, though, Apollo would be your patron god or a favoured god because you’re the child of Asteria, who became the island that would be Delos, who would eventually become his sacred island, and allowed his mother to give birth to him and his sister. You’re also his baby cousin, as well which tops it all off. Apollo is going to help you coach you through prophetic/divination, teach you haikus, and how to shoot arrows like they’re shooting stars.

[ssparksflyy]

what if. hera DID have children but they were born in a more athena-like way, and not how demigods are typically born

ALLOW ME TO ELABORATE

what if children of hera were born from a feeling or emotion or just idea so deep, that hera is able to transfer that energy into a human-like form?? OR what if she just like decided to make herself pregnant IDK LMAO

but i mean like what if she blessed/gave (???) lets say something like couples who want kids but cannot have them, or couples that lost their baby/mothers who had a miscarriage

im fully aware anybody who has a miscarriage still has a chance of giving birth to another baby, so this part kinda applies more towards couples that want kids but cant have them- but id say she looks for people who desperately want and are worthy to have kids, and kinda like (god i wish you guys could see my hand movements right now) gives them a child??? idk i mean she could just kinda like leave a kid on their front doorstep and just so happens to be a perfect mix of the couple (or person)?? something like that??

yea i know its such a weird concept and very loose but i think its a nice thought ! like the goddess of childbirth using her power to help those who want but cannot have kids

i think artemis would also have to play a role in this, like she and hera judge and evaluate whoever theyre gonna give a kid to so they know theyre not giving it to somebody who wont treat the kid right or like a couple that thinks having a kid will fix their relationship

AGAIN very very vague and probably doesnt align with greek mythology at all but like this is directed for the pjo fandom anyway so any greek mythology nerds out there pls dont come for me in my dms 😭

and now we enter the questioning period

"would they still be considered demigods?"

i think so yep!! cause yk they came directly from hera .. she created them .. kinda like athena babies !! theyd obviously stay in cabin two :)

"do the parents know their kid is a demigod?"

i mean like no demigod parents know that their kid is but i feel like hera would leave a little note with the kid making up a story about how she needs somebody to take care of the kid cause she cant or wtv but then shed actually sign it 'hera' (and probs add like a little heart or something or maybe theres like a mini peacock drawing on the card) but i think most parents would just kinda brush her name off i dont think they would really realize like 'ohmygod the queen of the heavens hath given me a child' yaknow

"what traits or powers would a child of hera have?"

ummm idk. im not thought daughter enough for that ngl, especially cause their nonexistent and this is literally just me making up a theory but i feel like she mostly has daughters (cause shes the goddess of women - but that doesnt answer the question at all), i think theyd be really sweet (even though hera is a jerk in the books), and i feel like theyd also be good at archery and have an interest in nature, that they get from artemis :)

oh also!! these kids are like rare. like big three rare- max three roll around every decade or so

lmk what u think !! ˊᵕˋ

[boymanmaletheshequel]

you're soooo thirsty for sympathy and approval but fail to address actual valid points that paint you as a MISOGYNIST. Being gay doesn't mean you can't be misogynist it's almost funny that you're trying to use ancient Greece, the gayest and most misogynistic society in history. Artemis would smite you if she saw your face (read her myths and you'll know this is true) but luckily for you you've failed to be seen by the gods

Alright, I’m getting pretty sick of your shit. I tried to handle you and your blasphemic hatred the kind and sympathetic way but clearly thats not how you wish to play it. First of all, please explain to me how I have “painted myself as misogynistic”? All I’ve ever done is post in favor of feminism and have expressed and embraced my femininity and androgyny thoroughly, as have I disavowed toxic masculinity on numerous occasions. I have been NOTHING if not understanding and sympathetic to your arguments and views, and yet you attack me nonetheless. Well now it’s my turn channel her rage.

how fucking dare you attack her followers? We are all devoted to her divinity and her grace, and her animalistic beauty, wether we are male, female, androgynous, non binary, or anything else. We are her cult, and in her cult, she does not appreciate such senseless and hateful infighting. I admire the rage and righteousness you hold, but it is Ill placed. Artemis doesn’t hate men, she hates abusers, she hates men who abuse their power and hubris to attack and defame women who have done nothing wrong. And that’s the difference here, YOU have done something wrong. I’ve spoken to Artemis directly and asked for her guidance in typing this right now, and she has made it clear that she is ashamed and incensed that her own follower would backstab and lambast one of her devotees and bastardize her convictions and righteousness in such a volatile way. She HATES IT. she doesn’t hate you, nor does she hate me, but she hates IT. I have read her myths and now where does she or her cult ever mention hating boys or men for the sake of being men, nor women. She hates those who use sexism, misogyny, and yes, even misandry, in her name, and who disrespect her by claiming those views and hubrises to be her own.

And while yes, gay men are NOT exempt from misogyny, to suggest in your snarky and tone deaf little message to me that acceptance of homosexuality in Ancient Greece is equivalent to misogyny is downright homophobic. Gay men have done just as much for women as women have done for gay men across all of history.

As for the smiting, Artemis has not smitten me, she was the first god I started worshipping, and she has stayed a mother figure and a lesson teacher to me since than. And although she’s taught me a thing or two and sometimes rather aggressively called me out for my faults, she has been just as supporting and nurturing when I learn to overcome and learn from them, and now, right now, she makes it clear to me that YOU are the one abusing her name and image. So fucking STOP IT. she says she doesn’t hate you, she hates the way you are acting. You tell me to read her myths, have you? You are so quick to judge my interpretation of Hellenic mythology that you seem to have forgotten to consider it yourself. Neither Athena nor Artemis, nor any other god hated men, nor did any hate women.

Artemis specifically liked Orion so much in some versions of their story that Apollo got worried that she would forget her oath to remain a virgin, and she never did, she simply admired him for being a good man who was not toxic and abusive.

She also admired Hippolytus, son of Theseus, and she loved both the male and female children of Greece. In fact, the notion that Artemis held some grudge against men is rather recent, and doesn’t appear in any ancient texts. As for the idea she hates those who don’t remain chaste, one of her most sacred duties was to help Pregnant women give birth, which they would’ve needed to break chastity to do. Just because she’s a feminist and a more feminine deity, doesn’t mean she hates men and masculinity, only the noxious and harmful parts of it, and the followers that misconstrue her notions, which having confronted her about it myself, she has assured me in ways more than one that I’m not one of them. I accidentally knocked over one of my favorite plants recently, and I was afraid I might have upset her, and I felt terrible, but than, the plant healed right up afterwards as reassurance that it was just an accident and nothing against me. I have a thriving garden I’ve devoted to her, and if she hates me as you suggest? than surely it would’ve died long ago.

And by the way, while we’re on the subject of gender, and to end this part of this discussion, I think I need to make something quite clear here.

I DONT IDENTIFY AS SOLEY MALE.

I have long considered myself andro, and although I do have masculine attributes, (as did artemis, btw, but I’m sure you’re not ready for *that* discussion) I lean much more into my feminine traits. So you attacking me as a man and soley as a man is ignorant and not very respectful or considerate of you, or of Artemis’s character and attributes you so revel in attacking me for recognizing.

That is all, if you wish to keep this conversation up, at least stop being a coward and hiding in the asks, you and I both know that Artemis wouldn’t do that. She was no coward like you are being, she fought proud and claws out, just as I am now.

Please reconsider your understanding of lady Artemis, and understand that Greek myths are exactly that. MYTHS. As rumors are spread about us mortals, myths are spread about the gods, and like rumors, they are often exaggerated and disingenuous. Do you truly believe that Artemis was a crazy non-virgin hater who sent hunters out to kill them? Do you believe she was as cruel and as spiteful as gossiping men and women alike painted her as? And by the way, attacking and killing women who lost virginity, including by RAPE in some of her myths, is not feminist AT ALL. She DOES that in some of her myths! Do you really think she ACTUALLY did that? because I doubt that those events really went down like they are written. people use your same argument style to condemn hades, Zeus, and Athena, among many others, and their followers with them, not understanding that one’s fictional and embellished stories do not define them and that all of the gods are much more complicated and nuanced than the myths humans made up or wrote about them. Thank you, and finally, have a nice fucking day. I hope you can learn and change how you conduct your views, and let Artemis show you the truth she has shown to me.

[englandsgirl18181234]

Scrolling through your asks…and…and Apollo was born to be a Chthonic god in the Chthonic!Apollo AU????

that is absolutely the most interesting original AU take I think I’ve ever seen. Please tell me more?

how does that even work with him being god of light and the sun? Although given his domains tend to be a bit two-sided that actually makes a lot of sense.

Thank you, that's so sweet of you to say!!

So Apollo being Chthonic just came to me randomly at one point when I remembered that he was the god of both healing and plagues at the same time. Because you're absolutely right about his domains being two-sided! It's actually kind of wild, how balanced his domains are.

Basically the reasoning for him being Chthonic is two fold. One point is that he can both give and take life in a way that very few gods can, Persephone, Hades, and other Chthonic Gods making up that entire number in my AU's.

Demeter can technically do it as well, but only as far as plants go. She can't bring a person fully back to life, at least in my AU's, because that's not a domain she has enough control over to manage.

Adding a cut because this has gotten rather long while I've been writing!

There are gods that can bring people fully back to life, though. Apollo's son, Asclepius, the God of Medicine, for example. But those gods don't hold the power to take life as one of their primary domains as well, and that's the main difference.

Apollo is the God of Healing, Prophecy, Plagues, Archery, Knowledge, Light, the Sun, and Poetry, as well as several others.

Plagues and archery both take life, with very little in the way of giving it beyond side effects.

Healing and light both give life in the same way that plagues and archery take it.

The Sun and Knowledge do both, give and take.

Prophecy has it's roots in his connection to the Oracle of Delphi and the Moirai, or the Fates, who are said to live in the Underworld in certain myths.

Poetry connects him to the 9 Muses, of which he is often seen as the leader or conductor.

He's a very important and balanced god, so it made sense to me that when combined with his connection to Artemis, one of them would have to be Chthonic.

I think most would probably expect Artemis to be the Chthonic one of the two, because of her connection to the Moon and the Hunt, but she's also a goddess of Childbirth, Nature, and Animals, all of which are based in life rather than death, which is what ended up making up my mind.

The second point actually also relates to Artemis, in that she's often considered to be the older of the twins. She's sometimes even depicted as helping her mother deliver Apollo directly after she was born.

This also ended up helping make up my mind, as the first born child* was typically the one that would be given a greater inheritance.

*technically first born son in many places, but we're talking about Gods so it's different

Both Zeus and Leto, the twins parents, are Olympian, so if only one of their children could be Olympian, it would make more sense for it to be their first born.

So yeah, Apollo's a Chthonic god here!

And about the Sun part, an interesting thing I learned while researching is that Apollo and Artemis didn't become the major solar and lunar deities until after the Romans took over, with the Greeks worshiping Helios and Selene as their major deities in that respect.

So I'm actually having the Sun be a secondary domain for Apollo here, because he gained it when Helios faded as opposed to having it from birth. It just happened to become one of the ones he's most well known for thanks to the Romans.

Now more on the actual AU front, since that's probably what you were actually asking about now that I think about it.

One interesting thing in this verse is that one of the ways Hades realizes Apollo is Chthonic and not Olympian is the fact that he could sense Athena was actually dying, as opposed to just being ill or hurt. An Olympian wouldn't have been able to sense that, because she was dying from direct damage to her soul, not fading or because anything was physically wrong.

Even in mortals, Olympians can't sense damage to the soul, it's not an ability that they can have. Even Zeus, with his stolen power, doesn't have that ability.

Another thing is that up until Zeus struck Apollo with lightning, Apollo constantly spending time with Athena was actually prolonging her life because of his status as a Chthonic God. She would have died eventually, when the wounds in her soul were causing significantly greater damage than Apollo's presence could heal, but she lived much longer than she would have without him.

Zeus striking him overpowered the small amount of healing he could do by several orders of magnitude, his uncleansed wounds making his presence an active detriment to Athena's condition while they were on the run.

That's all I can think of at the moment, but please send me more questions!! I love them and I promise I'm working on them, even if it takes a while for them to be answered!!

[theoi-crow]

do you know of any deities related to reproductive rights? i apologize if this is a silly question 😅

Hi, this isn't a silly question at all!

Unfortunately since women were not considered "people" in the ancient world (they were often seen as baby incubators with the sole purpose of having children which is why they were married off as soon as they got their periods and, unless they were from Sparta, without an education since education for young girls was seen as useless, unlike their brothers who would often receive an education, and sometimes if no other male relative was alive, their younger brother could be in charge of his older sister's life and marriage fate. Could you imagine having your annoying little brother in charge of your life? HELL NO!)

There are no Greek gods officially assigned to reproductive rights because reproductive rights were not a thing for women back then because they didn't have a say in their own life (there may be exceptions but those are super rare) but I believe that as time changes so do the gods which is why I believe any fertility god back then is also a god of reproductive rights, today: 

You are free to look into the list of fertility deities in case you prefer someone else but I highly suggest Artemis for a number of reasons: 

1) Artemis is one of the oldest fertility gods in the pantheon: She has an older Mycenaean version where she was already a fertility goddess since her older version, A-te-mi-to was a part of an ancient Arcadian tree cult in Greece that had orgies for reproductive purposes so she was firmly a fertility goddess but when they decided to change her from the non-virgin, non-twin Mycenaean version to her post Bronze Age collapse virgin, twin of Apollo version they re-invented her myth to include her helping her mother give birth to her brother Apollo, so she could keep her original title as a fertility goddess.

2) Artemis jealously guarded her own virginity throughout her myths: As the goddess who refuses to be the wife of any man or god she was openly hostile to anyone who challenged her virginity. In some versions, instead of Apollo tricking her into killing Orion who secretly was planning to rape her, she kills Orion herself as a show of self-defense. While bathing naked she turned a peeping Tom into a deer and had his own hunting dogs kill him. She's also aware of her virginity being a desirable target because she uses it to distract the two giants who had imprisoned Ares.

3) She's the unofficial god-mother of the Amazons and she's the head patron goddess of the strong women of Spartan: Her and Ares, the father of the Amazons, are really close so she is often with the Amazons herself. This is probably the closest to children Artemis will ever have since she has no children of her own. She is also the main patron goddess of Sparta (with her brother Apollo), and Spartan women were the exception, they didn't get married until 18, often with combat training and an education, and since they often inherited their dead husband's wealth and kept getting re-married, the two kings in Sparta would often petition the women in Sparta for money to fund whatever war Sparta was involved in since the women of Sparta were often richer than the sitting kings.

So for these reasons, I imagine Artemis would be a very strong candidate as a fertility rights goddess since she exercised her right to remain child free all throughout history. 

[katerinaaqu]

Sorry if this is a bother or you've already talked about it

I've seen some people refer to Leto choosing to be "the sidechick"( I hate using this term here but I'm just quoting) of a married man, I was a bit confused because I was under the impression Zeus's romance with Leto happened before Hera??

I remember reading about him having few wives before Hera, so I'm really curious what it is exactly

Why would you "bother me" with an ask! That's why the asks are there in the first place!

For starters you are right it is absolutely annoying that people say stuff like that for the gods. Like I have answered and analyzed that many times and how the gods are symbolically associated with each other because their attributes match or have something to do with each other. Affairs and mistresses Zeus has have nothing to do with "sidekicks" they have to do with the attributes they bear (in this case Leto is the goddess of childbirth or motherhood) and she is associated with Zeus who is also associated with fertility marriage union and fatherhood and nourishing of heroes and gods etc

Ah yes I believe that in the Hesiodic tradition especially the Theogony we have the mention that Leto was married or has mated with Zeus before Hera with Hera being his last and final wife. However I believe many times over people refer to the myth of Leto being cursed and pursued by Hera not to give birth to any known place on earth so in order to save her the pain, Zeus ordered the moving island of Delos to make a stop so that Leto could give birth. She gave birth to Artemis first who also played the role of the midwife and helped her mother give birth to Apollo and ever since the island of Delos made its final stop to its current position and is the center of Apollo's worship in antiquity. So in this tradition it seems that Leto was a lover to Zeus after his marriage to Hera. One such example is Callimachus hymns one specific is the Hymn to Delos.

Hope that helps! ^_^

[artemis-fowl-incident-report]

Artemis Fowl: The American Deception update.

@a-usernamelol, @bassiascoparia, since you both have apparently recited the incantations and scarified to the old gods well enough to get me to write this damn fan fiction, I thought I'd give you a little treat. I present to you, Artemis's dream team. No, I will not explain what for yet 🤐

Omen Freeman: 20yo, They/Them lesbian, black, journalism student who heads a student run magazine called "The Panthers child" and is highly involved with organising protests on campus. Their great grandmother was a member of the Black Panther Party and they are determined to carry on that legacy.

Obediah (Obie) John Stokely: 37yo, He/Him, former Maga supporter, widower, Trucker. Obie had a very black and white view on the world and his place in it, until his daughter got brutally beaten up at school and because she was trans (something he didn't know at the time). Once he learned this, he re-evaluated his entire stance on the things he had been told, the people he was told to hate, and the outlook he was told he should have on the world. Now, he runs "The Midnight Highway", a fleet of vintage, decommissioned trucks that he repairs himself to transport goods from different donation centres around Georgia, making sure they spread evenly and that no one had to go without.

Beryl Lilian Stokely: 20yo, Graphic designer, trans woman she/her. She works as a part time teacher at the local high school, helping the kids there learn computer skills, skills she had to teach herself, since they didn't have the budget to send her to college. She originally faced a bit of backlash from the students, teachers, and parents. Now, they would die for her because she and her father do so much good in their community. It was her who originally came up with "Midnight" after learning about the Book Women of Kentucky, also known as "The packhorse library". Women who would travel hundreds of miles to deliver books to Appalachians during the great depression (IRL, this also inspired Dolly Parton to create "The Imagination Library")

Benjemin (Benny) Papadopoulos: He/Him, 16yo, Autistic, Greek/Jewish, hyperfixated on public transportation, infrastructure, and efficiency. He has a YouTube channel where he talks about these topics through the lens of videogames, and its reasonably popular. He has hundreds, HUNDREDS of letters of complaint to his local cities governing body about problems surrounding roads, trains/busses, and gentrification. He has many opinions about Thomas the Tank Engine (OP here, I am also autistic and I approve this message 👍)

Hoon Jang: Trans man He/Him, 66yo, Korean (birth right citizenship) raised by a singe mother. When he was 10, the Stonewall Riots happened (1969), he even saw and heard the tale end of it from his bedroom window. Next morning he asked around to see what had happened, and it fundamentally changed him. He got his law degree and started fighting for the community even before he realised he was truly a part of it, only figuring out he was a man in his 20's.

Sofia Flores-Ruiz: She/her, 32yo Latina (2nd generation, family immigrated from Mexico), Ex-Military, disabled (wheelchair user). Sofia always had dreams of going into politics or law, but had to change her plans when her parents died in a car crash when she was 17. She needed money quickly, so she joined the army, leaving her five siblings in the care of their Abuela. She did a handful of tours, including Pakistan and Iraq with two chances, Army and Marines over 10 years, ending up as a Captain. One day, she narrowly missed being hit by a shell, but son of the shrapnel hit nerve ending in her back. She can walk, technically, without the chair, buts its incredibly painful. By day, she's a telemarketer because it allows her to work from home, and she SBSOLUTELY hates it. By night she is a volunteer councillor for a military transitional program, helping vets get back into civilian life, specialising in those who have physical disabilities and motability issues.

[deathlessathanasia]

Maybe I have a bizarre sense of humour but few things make me laugh as much as trying to translate passages from ancient Greek using online translation services. I mean, here are translations of Hesiod's Theogony lines 10-21. Aren't they hilarious?

Google translate: The beautiful goddesses stood there, chanting Zeus, the earth-loving one, and the sweaty Hera. The Argives, wearing golden sandals, cut the sheep of Zeus, the blue-eyed Athena. Apollo and Artemis were the gods. They saw Poseidon, the earth-loving one, and Themis, the serpent-eyed one, Aphrodite. I saw the beautiful gold-crowned Hebe and Dione. I saw Iapetus and I saw the girt-necked Cronus. I saw the great and shining Helios. The Moon The Earth and the Ocean were great and Night darkened others the immortals, the sacred race of eternal beings.

DeepL: And they shall be sent to the periwinkle as they are, praising Jupiter the Egyptian and Pothnaeus the Greek. Argyne, the golden pedestals of the earth, "Cyrene the Aegean, Jupiter the Greek, Jupiter the Greek, Jupiter the Athenian. Fibonacci, Apollo and Artemis, and Artemina. Poseidaon geohon, enosis, and Themis, a helicopter maiden called Aphrodite. Ivin the golden-headed, good Dione. Leto the Iapetus and see Cronus the anchor "I'm the great bright and shining moon If the great ocean and the night were dark The holy race of other immortals was not born.

Also Hesiod's Theogony 901-927 because I can't help myself.

Google Translate: secondly, he brought forth the fat Themis, which bore Horus, Eunumia and Justice and Peace of the dead, whose labors are laborious and oppressive, Fate will, if Zeus gives the greatest honor, I will cut off Lachesis and Atropos, whether they give mortal men either good or bad. And Eurynome gave birth to three beautiful women, Ocean's hair, of a long-haired appearance, Aglaia and Euphrosyne, and Thalia, of the yearning: And from the eyelids he said that he was a man of the skin, a man of the hair: they will be well-groomed under the brow. Then Demeter, the multi-faceted, came to the land, who gave birth to Persephone, the fair-haired, whom Aidoneus had stolen from her mother: but Zeus gave her a daughter. of memory, the most beautiful, from which the gold-bearing Moses produced nine, the most beautiful of the seas and the most delightful of the eternal. When Apollo and Artemis were wedded, they bore offspring to all the heavenly beings, she became the eternal son of Zeus, mingled with love. You made Hera the most beautiful goddess, and you saw her: when Hebe and Ares and Elistheus were mingled with the love of gods, kings and men. He is the son of Tritogeneia, a wretched warrior of the Atryonian army, who, having no wars or battles, has not been mingled with love, and has been made a slave of Hephaestus, and has been given to whoever he pleases, who has been made of all the art of the Heavenly Ones.

DeepL: Secondly, he begat a fat woman named Thame, the daughter of Horus, Eunoomin the Dike, and Irene the Potter, …and the work of the work of the devil, Fate, O most honored one, the most honored mother Zeus, and atropos, and they teach to mortal man have good and evil. And three of the Evryonomy Grace, the three of the Grace of the Caliphares, the ocean's hollow, and the ocean's cavernous, and of a perpetual kind, Aglaine and Euphrosyne Thalene, the lover: of which, and of a pair of eyelids, were made of leather. And it is good that they be leached under the buds. He himself, Demetrius Polyformis, came to the word, or Persephone, who was white, or Persephone, who was white. And Aedile took her by the mother: and she gave her mother Zeus. And the sixth memorial was a calliope, from which the Musai chrysabytes rebelled. Nine, and the ghosts of wonders, and the serpents of the abomination. Let Apollo and Artemina be drawn, …and Imeroene's son over all the heavenly bodies, I have spoken to the Aegean God, the Son of Philately. I have heard the voice of the Lord, the voice of the gods: "The Eve and Ares and Elythia This man is of the head of a glaucous tritogenian heavenly, holy, holy, holy, holy Atrion. …and the celled ones and the gnarled ones and the wars and the battles and the fighting, I have spoken to Hephaestus, the cylon, the philosopher. and he was bent and he lived, and he lived as a paraclete, …of all the arts of the heavenly host. And Heres lived and died as a paraclete.

[sihayadunee]

Mythic Symbolism in the Mayfair Witches

a mythic and psychoanalytical thread exploring themes of: alchemy, star lovers, fairytales, greek myth, three fold goddesses, and beastly grooms within the amc series ‘anne rice’s mayfair witches’

*disclaimer*

This post will be split up into multiple parts as it is very lengthy.

The point of this post is not to discuss how the show adapts the source material, but instead how the show stands on its own, utilizing psychological and mythic motifs in its plot and character journeys.

For those who want to see the show, it is available on physical DVD and Blue-Ray as well as streaming. The entire eight episode first season is available on AMC+ which you can get a free trial for through Prime Video channels.

A second season has also already been green-lit. However the first season ends on what I would consider a very satisfying note.

Part One, Part Two

————————————————————————

THE TRIPLE GODDESS: MAIDEN, MOTHER, CRONE

Aside from Rowan’s story, there are two other Mayfair women whose lives we follow. The progenitor Suzanne in the 17th century, and Rowan’s biological mother Deirdre. While together they each represent one of the goddesses, we also see each of them move through these roles in their own journeys.

The concept of the triple goddess also has strong roots in the myth of the Greek Fates and the Norns of Norse myth. Both represent the Birth/Life/Death cycle. This archetype is also strongly associated with Persephone, Demeter and Hecate, or Artemis, Selene, and Hecate.

Each of these Mayfair women has a role directly associated with life and death. For example, Suzanne is a midwife whose work, like her aunt says, is not just curing people but also helping give them a good death.

Rowan, like Persephone as Maureen Murdock puts it, is pulled out of the innocence of everyday life into a deeper consciousness of self by Hades. Or in this case Lasher.

Furthermore, Deirdre like Demeter is overcome with grief and surrenders to her sorrow, when her daughter is taken from her. However in this instance her daughter is taken away by Carlotta.

Suzanne is like Hecate as Jean Shinoda Bolen describes, a guiding companion force. When Rowan meets a crossroads in her journey at the Witching Hour, Suzanne is there to guide her as the first matriarch, as a mistress of life and death.

They each have mirroring moments in their journeys. Just like Rowan, Suzanne too was visited by a murder of crows, and the Dark Night of the Soul that Rowan is facing is likened in dialogue to the dark subconscious place Deirdre is trapped. In fact, episode two is titled The Dark Place.

Each of them share the same animus. A being known as Lasher. He is bonded to each of the “Designees”, the matriarchs of the Mayfair family. We’ll delve into him soon enough.

DREAMS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS

When Rowan uses her powers on the crows, causing a couple of them to fall down dead, she lays them down in her jacket, and drives off to a beach. She then walks to the shore and digs into the sand until she has a hole she can bury the crows in.

After this she takes a pill to force herself to sleep, both exhausted and desperate to flee into oblivion to escape her consciousness as it begins to recognize her shadow. But now as she is laying by the ocean, she is submerged in the unconscious. 

She experiences a dream that evokes Cinderella, fairy godmothers, transformation, and spiritual death. She is wearing a shimmering blue gown, and is chasing after Ellie who is leading her somewhere. She runs after her mother, who leads her to The Mayfair House. 

Whenever we see the house, it’s presented as a piece of nature itself, overgrown, hidden among trees, and the sound of water. It is a true representation of the subconscious, the underworld.

A FALSE START AND CLEANSING FIRE

When she finally goes to New Orleans, we think she’s going to get the answers she needs and reconnect with the feminine. However forces intervene and Rowan’s first impression of her Mayfair lineage and the power she possesses is one of fear, in part thanks to Ciprien Grieve. He means well, but his actions and perspective are a literal extension of Ellie as the “too good mother”.

The organization called the Talamasca that Ciprien is part of, actually puts a spell around his building where Rowan is staying. Which acts as a wall or barrier keeping Rowan separated from her Shadow. It was made to keep Lasher out. This is when we have that cleansing flame, as Lasher sets a fire to get the alarms to go off and Rowan to leave the building. 

And the first thing she intends to do, is find the Mayfair House which as we know is her subconscious…

End of Part Two