#Athenaeus

[jeannereames]

"Nothing in the ancient sources says Alexander was gay!"

Oh? How about this?

φιλόπαις δ᾽ ἦν ἐκμανῶς καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ βασιλεύς.

"King Alexander was a quite mad boy-lover."

Probably better rendered, "King Alexander was exceptionally infatuated (mania) with boys."

*cough*

(Athen. 603a/13.80, as the preface before recounting one story from Dikaiarchos, a student of Aristotle, and another from Karystios of Pergamon, 2nd century BCE)

No, I wasn't out looking, but I've been reading through Athenaeus as part of the Hephastion-Krateros monograph research, and that was right there.

Yeah, Athenaeus isn't always trustworthy, a late author, but he's one of our major sources for a lot of fragments from earlier (especially Greek) historians now lost. For you Bagoas fans, btw, the first story mentions ATG's affection for Bagoas. The second story, from Karystios, related an incident at a banquet thrown by Krateros. The point of that story is to underscore Alexander's self-control with regard to sex and propriety. He could have demanded a kiss from the boy in question, but knew it would hurt the boy's lover (erastes), so turned it down.

The one issue with Athenaeus, even when he's "quoting" other historians--he's rarely-to-never ACTUALLY quoting them as we understand it. He's paraphrasing to suit the narrative he's telling at the moment. All of Book 13 is about eros.

The nuts who want the proof-texting neither understand nor care about the finer points of historiography. I doubt they've ever even HEARD of Athenaeus, although some have read the highly sanitized/moralizing of Plutarch on ATG's sexuality.

If you want to read the whole little section: Athenaeus 13.80 on Perseus

[red-moon-at-night]

Athenaeus, Deipnosophists, 7.53 - ca. 228 CE 

This doesn't have any right to be as funny as it is, and yet here I am, laughing.

[cynthiabertelsen]

Once Upon a Time, There were No Cookery Books

Celery Leaf (Photo credit: C. Bertelsen) Cookery books perch on nearly every possible level spot in my house, so much a part of my life that I cannot imagine not seeing them every time I walk to the front door or start cooking dinner in my modern kitchen. I own way more cookery books than a normal person probably does. And more than likely, you too no doubt struggle to find shelf space for…

[theyearoftherose]

[...] crocus, hyacinth, and blooming violet and the sweet petals of the peerles rose so fragrant, so divine.

Athenaeus describing the garments of The Graces, The Deipnosophists or Banquet of the Learned

[aboutanancientenquiry]

The Greeks and Their Wine

“ Abstract 

The fifth-century BC played a crucial role in the formation of Greek identity, during which the Greeks developed both a unified and a divided Hellenic consciousness. The Persian Wars (490-479 BC) encouraged the formation of a Pan-Hellenic identity while the Peloponnesian War (431-411 BC) between Athens and Sparta fractured the unity of Greek identity. During both wars, the Greeks used wine as a marker of their collective and individual identities. The Greeks identified the Persians as “barbarians” because they did not consume wine. The Peloponnesian War revealed divisions within Hellenic identity, as shown in the Athenian attitude toward Spartan drinking practices. Examining both Greek writings and material culture reveals that wine played an important part in Greek society. Herodotus’ Histories and Thucydides’ The History of the Peloponnesian War shed light on these two major fifth-century BC conflicts. Athenaeus’ Deipnosophists, from the second-century AD, possesses an assortment of cultural details about the Greeks and “barbarians.” Ancient Greek historians, such as Athenaeus, described the practices and  rules regarding wine consumption. The numerous discoveries of wine paraphernalia demonstrate the spread of wine and wine culture throughout the Greek world. Dionysus, the god wine in Greek mythology, reveals the cultural importance of wine and its relation to the East. Modern scholarship of the fifth-century BC has neglected to make an explicit connection between Greek attitudes toward wine and the formation of their multilayered identities.”  

 John Haberstroh The Greeks and their Wine: Hellenic Identities in the Fifth-Century BC (abstract)

The whole paper is available on https://www.academia.edu/1803087/The_Greeks_and_Their_Wine_Hellenic_Identities_in_the_Fifth_Century_BC

John Haberstroh, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada.

As I said in a recent post of mine, I find this paper and its subject very interesting. However, I believe that the claim that “the Greeks identified the Persians as “barbarians” because they did not consume wine’ is excessive. Moreover, the Greeks (or at least Herodotus’ readers -see Book I 133.3 of Histories) knew that the Persians consumed also wine, often abundantly.

Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine, and members of his thiasos on an Attic black-figure krater-psykter (525–500 BCE, Louvre Museum)

[gotstabbedbyapen]

This post popped up in the "More like this" corner on my blog so I'm gonna add this little excerpt about Spartan cuisine:

"And some say that a citizen of Sybaris, who was staying at Sparta, and who dined at their Phiditia, said: 'It is natural enough for the Lacedaemonians to be the bravest of men; for any man in his senses would rather die ten thousand times over, than live in such a miserable way as this.'" - Athenaeus, "The Deipnosophistae"

With a review like this on Spartan food, I can imagine Apollo having a bit of a culture shock (even as a god) when having lunch dates with Hyacinthus 🤣🤣🤣

do you have sources/any information about day to day life in sparta? as well as more specifically, the royaltys day to day life? i got this hyapollo fic idea and its been eating me alive so i must write it but i want it to be as close to accurate as i can get it and when i looked up spartan lifestyle i got a bunch of "THIS IS HOW YOU CAN BE A MODERN DAY SPARTAN DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES" and youre really good at your researching. your fic notes are always so nice and detailed

omg anon i am SO SORRY with how late this is!! :(

I'm afraid I do not know much about Sparta (still looking into it myself!) but maybe my good moot @gotstabbedbyapen can help you there? That is if you're still working on that hyapollo fic (*EYES*)

[kebriones]

Alcibiades' ass getting mentioned in 2000+ year old texts is iconic.

[my-name-is-apollo]

Might be unpopular opinion but I love dark hair on Apollo 🖤 I know people envision him as blond but black or brown hair does it for me even if the myths say otherwise..

I have warmed up a lot to non-blonde Apollo lol so yeah, i agree that he dark hair also looks great on him! Even if it is a rare thing in the hymns/myths (but hymns that describe him as dark haired do exist!) the Roman paintings that have survived show Apollo with brown hair most of the time.

[timetraveltasting]

ITRION (3rd c.)

I've had a stressful week of work and am in need of energy, so this weekend I decided to make a very simple Tasting History recipe that powered armies: Itrion, a thin and crispy sesame honey bar from Ancient Greece. While this recipe for itrion is gathered from the 3rd-century Deipnostophistae by Athenaeus Naucratites, the crispy snack was likely eaten centuries earlier, especially by hoplite citizen-soldiers. Most Ancient Greek armies were made up of hoplites. City-state armies, like Sparta's professional standing army, were rare. Each hoplite soldier was responsible for supplying their own equipment and food, which needed to be cheap, travel well, and be easy to prepare. Itrion fits this bill perfectly. The Ancient Greek itrion is a bar whose recipe has remained largely unchanged over a couple thousand years; they are known in Greece today as Pasteli (Παστέλι). There are big companies in Greece that mass-produce these bars, and you can get them in any shop or kiosk. Not bad staying-power for what is often called 'the world's first energy bar'! See Max’s video on how to make itrion here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from his website.

My experience making it:

Since I already had a packet of toasted sesame seeds at home from another recipe I had made, I actually cheated a little bit by using pre-toasted sesame seeds for this recipe. For honey, I used raw German linden tree honey. I decided to halve the recipe, because I didn't want to end up with too much, and I only had about half the sesame seeds called for.

I used a 9" x 9" pan, lined it with a baking sheet, then added my pre-toasted sesame seeds to a frying pan. While you would think this shouldn't be necessary due to them being toasted already, Max says it is actually important to add the sesame seeds to the honey while they are hot, so I thought it still important to do a bit of extra toasting (being careful not to burn them, of course). When I heated my honey in a saucepan, it didn't foam much, so I didn't have to skim any off the top, luckily. Because I don't have a kitchen thermometer, I eyeballed the amount of bubbles, being sure it looked similar to how Max's looked when his hit the correct temperature (quite bubbling). At this point, I added the hot, toasted sesame seeds, mixing them in for about 3-4 minutes on low heat. They combined really easily, and the proportions of honey and sesame looked correct and balanced. Because I halved the recipe, when I poured the sesame honey mixture into the pan, it didn't spread out to the edges but looked more like a blob shape. I let it cool on the counter, but since it's quite hot and summery in my apartment at the moment, I decided to put it in the fridge to allow it to crisp up just a little faster. When I took it out, I removed the paper, cut the itrion into squares/triangles (my blob shape did not divide so well into uniform shapes!), and arranged them on a plate for snacking. They did not break apart in a completely crispy way, like peanut brittle would, but they were kind of gooey in the centre with a nice crisp on the top and bottom.

My experience tasting it:

I took a small first bite: fairly crisp on the outside, but gooey and a bit hard to chew on the inside. My husband took a large first bite, and found it very hard to chew as a result. I decided to stick with small bites after that! The honey melted in my mouth, and was the main flavour I could taste at first. As I kept chewing, the sweet honey taste gave way to the crispy and toasty sesame seed flavour (which I absolutely love). Overall, the flavours are very balanced between sweet and savoury, and there is a good mix of textures. I could even taste the linden tree flavour, and I would say that whichever type of honey you use to make itrion will likely retain its unique taste once cooked. My husband and I both enjoyed the itrion, and will snack on the pieces through the week. However, I was very glad I halved the recipe and cut the itrion into small pieces, as I do think it's a flavour that you can become bored of easily if you eat too much of it. Still, I would definitely make this recipe again - it only requires two ingredients, it's a very quick and simple process to make, and it will last a week or so of snacking, in my opinion. While the flavour isn't particularly mind-blowing, itrion does make for a great, light snack while still scratching the sweet and savoury itches. And so easy to make! The Ancient Greeks were on to a winner with itrion; there is a good reason this recipe has survived for so long. If you end up making this dish, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Itrion original recipe (3rd c.)

Sourced from Deipnostophistae by Athenaeus Naucratites, 3rd c. AD.

Then there is the itrion. This is a thin cake, made of sesame and honey, Anacreon mentions it like this: 'And I breakfasted on a bit of crisp itrion, breaking it off, and drank a jar of wine.'

Modern Recipe

Based on Deipnostophistae by Athenaeus Naucratites (3rd c.) and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (225 g) sesame seeds

1/2 lb (225g) pure honey

Method:

Line the bottom and sides of a pan (9" x 9" works) with parchment paper. You can use a larger pan if you want thinner itrion.

Place a dry pan over medium heat and add the sesame seeds. Cook until nicely toasted and aromatic, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the sesame doesn't burn. Take the pan off the heat but don’t let the sesame cool too much, you want it to still be quite hot when you add it to the honey.

Melt the honey in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. If any white foam rises up, skim it off. Continue to heat the honey until it hits 260°F (126°C), then immediately add the hot sesame seeds. Stir until combined.

Continue to cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the mixture into the lined pan and spread evenly.

The itrion can be cut after a few minutes. If it cools completely, the cut edges will be nice and crisp. Turn the itrion out of the pan, cut it however you like, and serve it forth.

[maleficea]

"Insensible the palate of old age, More difficult than the soft lips of youth, To move, I put much mustard in their dish; With quickening sauces make their stupor keen, And lash the lazy blood that moves within." Anthippus in The Deipnosophists; or, Banquet of the Learned of Athenæus, by Athenaeus of Naucratis

[jeannereames]

The second of two Tiktok posts wherein I discuss the ancient sources on Alexander the Great. In this one, I discuss the extant (still existing) sources, the biographies/histories and a few other places we find him such as Polyaenus, Athenaeus, Plutarch's Moralia essays.

[leynaeithnea]

Greek Mythology Sources

Interest in greek mythology rises anew with the new number of retellings and adaptions...and misconceptions all around...

Claims like "that never happened" or "that's the roman version" are around a lot...but even if you wanted to learn more, where would you even start looking? Where do you begin your research for your next fic, or next discussion? Well...That's for you!

Here's a list of source names, links to access them, maps, family trees & more

Where to access the texts:

ToposText

Database, interlinks all names and places, has almost all sources translated, can find all name mentions of place or character in the sources, has a map with the places

Perseus Collection Greek and Roman Materials (and Scaife Viewer)

Digital Library, nearly all main greek and roman sources, including OG language text and dictionary for those languages (is instable at times, try coming back a few hours/days later and it should be up again)

Theoi Greek Mythology

Database, has summary posts for individual heroes, creatures, gods and events, as well as many translations, has a search function

List of Ancient Sources

Homer's Iliad (8th BC)

Homer's Odyssey (8th BC)

Epic Cycle (and Theban Cycle) fragments (8-6th BC)

Homeric Hymns (7th BC)

Orphic Hymns (2nd BC/2nd AD)

Quintus Smyrnaeus’s Posthomerica (3rd AD)

Tryphiodorus’s Taking of Ilium (3rd AD)

Apollonius Rhodius’ Argonautica (3rd BC)

Nonnus’ Dionysiaca (5th AD)

Hesiod’s Theogony, Works and Days, Catalogue of Women (8th BC)

Statius’s Thebaid, Achilleid (1st AD)

(More under cut)

Virgil’s Aeneid (1st BC)

Valerius Flaccus’s Argonautica (1st AD)

Colluthus’s Taking of Helen (6th AD)

Pindar’s Odes (5th BC)

Plays by Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides (5th BC)

Fragments of lyric poets (8th-6th BC)

Athenaeus’s Deipnoshists (2nd AD)

Lycophron’s Alexandra (3rd BC)

Pausanias’s Description of Greece (2nd AD)

Strabo’s Geography (1st AD)

Scholia on Homer (~ 5th BC - 11th AD)

Scholia on Pindar  (2nd AD?)

Scholia on Sophocles, on Euripides (1st BC-15th AD)

Maurus Servius Honoratus’ Commentaries on the Aeneid (5th AD)

Corpus Aristotelicum (4th BC)

Fragments of Hellanicus’s works (5th BC)

Diodorus Siculus’s Bibliotheca Historica (1st AD)

Herodotus’s Histories (5th BC)

Dionysius Halicarnassius’s Roman Antiquities (1st BC)

Plutarch’s Quaestiones Graecae (1st AD)

Eustathius’s commentaries on Homer (12th AD)

Apollodorus’ Bibliotheca, Epitome (2nd AD)

Hyginus’s Fabulae (2nd AD)

Ovid’s Works (1st AD)

Antoninus Liberalis’s Metamorphoses (2nd AD)

Conon’s Narrations (1st AD)

Dictys Cretensis (4th AD)

Dares Phrygius (5th AD)

Malalas’s Chronography (6th AD)

St.Jerome’s Chronicon (4th AD)

Eusebius’s Chronography (5th AD)

Philostratus the Athenian’s Heroicus (3rd AD)

Seneca Plays (1st AD)

Suda (10th AD)

Tzetzes (12th AD)

Duris of Same (4th BC)

Ptolemy Hephaestion (2nd AD)

More Sources:

WordHoard

(Software/Java Document for Scholia on Homer, commentary on the Odyssey & Iliad)

About This Book – Euripides Scholia: Scholia on Orestes 501–1100

Scholia on Euripides

LacusCurtius • A Gateway to Ancient Rome

Roman Sources and History

https://web.archive.org/web/20050625081727/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Hesiod/iliad.html

Little Iliad Fragments

Most of these places have older translations for the epics, poems and hymns (with older language), places like Poetry In Translation and https://www.gutenberg.org often have newer translations available for free, though…with a bit of digging most translations even recent ones can be found online :)

Comparing several translations is also good if you want to make any arguments about what a text says without being able to read the text in the original language, does the text really say that or is it just this translation?

It also doesn't hurt to research a little about the author of a work as well to get context for which time and sociopolitical and personal situation they were writing in (it helps to do a quick search into the history of ancient greece too, i.e. epic writers writing during the 7th century BC had different agendas than playwrights of the 5th century during the persian wars, athenians during the conflicts with sparta, or later hellenistic writers after Alexander the Great)

Wikipedia: CAN be used, it's a good starting point, but check the sources cited as much as you can, rather than believing what the page itself says

Links to Maps

Ancient Greece Maps – Ancient Greece: Φώς & Λέξη

User:MaryroseB54 - Wikimedia Commons

Cyowari - Professional, Digital Artist | DeviantArt

Some of the Realms of Greece in the Heroic Age by Yaulendur on DeviantArt

Late Bronze Age Mediterranean Trade, c. 1400-1200 BCE: Empires, Merchants, and Maritime Routes of the Ancient World - World History Encyclopedia

Translators:

Translate to Ancient Greek Online

https://logeion.uchicago.edu

Wiktionary

Ancient Art 

Resources

Harvard Art Museums

Family Tree: 

(Compiled by a friend, not exhaustive) - Note that there are often various different versions of lineage for many characters, so this only represents ONE of many possibilities)

Family Echo

Books

Oxford classical dictionary.pdf

Brief History Of Ancient Greece.pdf

168679208-Ancient-Greece.pdf

Complete Greek Drama

The Ancient Epic Cycle and it's ancient reception A companion.pdf

Final Note

These things should not be gatekept, its time to share them freely

I wish I could offer even more sources via academic books and papers but I fear this would exceed my abilities considering the vastness of the topic of Greek Mythology! But this is a starting point :D Have fun! 

Google Scholar has a lot of secondary sources (scholia commentary & theories), books about history, society, politics, flora & fauna, religion, culture, etc. of the time both of history and mythical history…if you have a friend in academia with university access (if you don’t have it yourself) you can ask them to check if they have access to the papers/books otherwise hidden behind insane paywalls, because a LOT of them are available as pdfs!

I also wish I had more visual/audio sources but this is smth I cant change :") I'm sure there's some good videos on youtube out there...somewhere x)

Feel free to contact me if you have more sources you want to add or any links don't work

Here is the Post as DOCs to share outside of tumblr

[galusandmalus]

collective list of the random shit helen of troy did,

its far to easy to forget that helen is a hero from mythology as well and got up to some wild shit, where is the helaniad retelling "Naturally they weep; but Helen, being a daughter of Zeus, and having learned many counsels from the wise men of Egypt," "Helene, who ate more than any other woman ever did."(he spe-Athenaeus, Deipnosophists

"what time she beheld Canobus, the helmsman, swooning on the sands of Thonis; for as he slept a female blood-letter, on which he had pressed, struck him in the neck and belched forth its deadly poison into him, turning his rest to ruin. Therefore Helen crushed the middle of its trailing shape, breaking the ligatures of the back about the spine, so that the backbone started from its body. "-Nicander, Theriaca "he (Thonis) fell in love with her, and when he attempted to force her to lie with him, the story goes that the daughter of Zeus repeated the whole tale to the wife of Thonis (Polydamna was her name), and she on her side, anxious lest this alien should prove more beautiful than she, removed Helen to the safety of Pharos and gave her a herb disliked by the snakes there; so as soon as they were aware of this, the snakes went underground. But Helen planted the herb and in time it flourished and produced seed disagreeable to the snakes, and in Pharos such creatures have never recurred. Experts in these matters say that this herb is called Helenion." "Canobus, the helmsman of Menelaus, encountered in Egypt during the reign of Thonis; and when Helen realised how strong this venomous, beast was she broke its spine and extracted the poison. But for what purpose she was eager to obtain this precious stuff I am unable to say"-Aelian, Characteristics of Animals

"Some say that Helen was taken away by Alexander when she hunted on the mount of the Virgin" -Photius, Bibliotheca excerpts

"All these personages Helen surpassed in proportion as she excelled them in the beauty of her person. For not only did she attain immortality but, having won power equalling that of a god, she first raised to divine station her brothers, who were already in the grip of Fate, and wishing to make their transformation believed by men, she gave to them honors so manifest that they have power to save when they are seen by sailors in peril on the sea, if they but piously invoke them.

After this she so amply recompensed Menelaus for the toils and perils which he had undergone because of her, that when all the race of the Pelopidae had perished and were the victims of irremediable disasters, not only did she free him from these misfortunes but, having made him god instead of mortal, she established him as partner of her house and sharer of her throne forever." -Isocrates 9, Helen

"The eighth tells about Proteus the Egyptian seer, whose daughter Theonoe fell in love with Kanobos (the steersman of Menelaus from Troy), unrequited. And how Kanobos, who was handsome and young, was bitten by a viper and his leg rotted when Menelaus was taking Helen away from Egypt and they landed their ship. After a little he died and Menelaus and Helen buried him in Egypt where the city named for him now stands."-Conon, Narrations

"Helenium, which had its origin, as I have said, in the tears of Helen, is believed to preserve physical charm, and to keep unimpaired the fresh complexion of our women." -Pliny the Elder, Natural History

(about a cursed tripod, or just a fancy tripod people fight over, given to the wisest man or people will war over it) "There is yet another version, that it was the work of Hephaestus presented by the god to Pelops on his marriage. Thence it passed to Menelaus and was carried off by Paris along with Helen and was thrown by her into the Coan sea, for she said it would be a cause of strife" -Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers "and some strangers from Miletus bought the catch as yet unseen. It proved to contain a golden tripod which Helen, on her voyage from Troy, is said to have thrown in there, when she called to mind a certain ancient oracle." -Plutarch, Life of Solon

"for thence he says that Helen brought things of virtue which Polydamna, the Egyptian wife of Thon, gave her; there the grain-bearing earth produces most drugs, many that are good, and many baneful" -Theophrastus, Enquiry Into Plants

"For you may remember the verses of Homer in which he relates how Helen mingled in the bowl of wine certain drugs from Egypt to drown the heartache of the heroes; well, I think that Helen must have picked up the lore of the Egyptians, and have sung spells over the dejected heroes through their bowl of wine, so healing them by a blending of words and wine."-Philostratus "The pan is, it is said, a monstrous sea fish whose appearance reminds one of Pan; in his body is found a stone, the "asterite" which, exposed to the sun, catches fire; it is useful otherwise to make a potion. Helen was in possession of this stone, which carried graven on it the image of the pan fish itself, and she used it as a seal."-Photius, Bibliotheca excerpts edit: the stuff I found later "This seems to be from a story, inasmuch as Helen is said to have received many drugs from the wife of Thon, as Homer [Odyssey 4.228] says: ‘These (drugs) Polydamna, the wife of Thon, gave her—an Egyptian woman—many good ones mixed together, and many baneful ones.’" scholia to euripidies

" Gras is the son of Orestes. For Orestes, after killing his mother, went mad, as Euripides says. But wanting to kill Helen because she had angered him by stirring up the crowd and making him an exile"

-tztetses

[the-banks-of-lethe]

˚ʚ♡ Hypnos & the Erotes ♡ɞ˚

I'm sure you're all familar with Hypnos and the Erotes, respectively. But it's not as common to hear about them working together. Although, it is quite logical when you put some thought to it;  "Sleep and Love, after all, are activities that both have the bed in common." - Sleep and Death

Unfortunately, most of what we know about Hypnos' association with love and the Erotes comes from Nonnus.

"Nonnus (flourished 5th century ad, b. Panopolis, Egypt) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Roman period. His chief work is the Dionysiaca, a hexameter poem in 48 books" - Britannica

Here are a few quotes from 'Nonnus, Dionysiaca' [theoi.com]

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 31. 103 ff : ". . . Then Hypnos as one obeying a mother started up, and swore to charm the eyes of unresting Zeus even until the third dawn should come; but Iris begged him to fasten Kronion (Cronion) with slumber for the course of one day only. There Hypnos remained, awaiting the happy season of marriage. Then goddess Iris returned flying at speed and hastened to deliver her welcome message to her queen."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 32. 95 ff : ". . . [and after their lovemaking] Hypnos (Sleep) the servant of the Erotes (Loves) had charmed the eyes of Zeus . . . Zeus slept delicately charmed among the flowers, holding his wife in his arms on that bed unseen."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 42. 336 ff : "He [Dionysos in love] sorrowfully prayed to Hypnos (Sleep) and Eros (Love) and Aphrodite of the Evening [the star Venus], all at once, to let him see the same vision [of his love] once more, longing for the deceptive phantom of an embrace."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 47. 345 ff : "[Ariadne laments her fate after being abandoned in her sleep by Theseus on Naxos :] ‘Give me again, Hypnos (Sleep), your empty boon, so pleasant; send me another delectable dream like that, so that I may know the sweet bed of love in a deceptive dream! Only linger upon my eyes, that I may know the unreal passion of married love in a dream!’"

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 48. 264 ff : "The maiden [the virgin Aura] awoke . . . [and] bold Hypnos (Sleep) she reproached more than all and threatening the Oneiros (Dream) [i.e. for sending her a prophetic dream in which she loses her virginity to Dionysos]."

! CW : rape ! Nonnus, Dionysiaca 48. 621 ff : "Iobakkhos (Iobacchus) [Dionysos] seeing her [Aura asleep] on the bare earth, plucking the Lethaean (Forgetful) feather of bridal Hypnos (Sleep), he crept up noiseless, unshod, on tiptoe, and approached Aura where she lay without voice or hearing. With gentle hand he put away the girl's neat quiver and hid the bow in a hole in the rock, that she might not shake off Hypnos' (Sleep's) wing and shoot him . . . On the ground that hapless girl heavy with wine, unmoving, was wedded to Dionysos; Hypnos (Sleep) embraced the body of Aura with overshadowing wings, and he was marshal of the wedding for Bakkhos (Bacchus), for he also had experience of love, he is yokefellow of Selene (the Moon), he is companion of the Erotes (Loves) in nightly caresses."

And some non-Nonnus ones

Greek Lyric V Anonymous, Fragment 929g (Rainer papyrus) (trans. Campbell) : "Soft-eyed Hypnos (Sleep) came, embracing all his limbs, as a mother on seeing her dear son after a long absence folds him with her wings to her loving breast."

Licymnius, Fragment 771 (from Athenaeus, Scholars at Dinner) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric V) (Greek lyric C4th B.C.) : "[Endymion was a handsome youth loved by the moon-goddess Selene. He was granted immortality in a state of eternal slumber :] Likymnios of Khios (Licymnius of Chios) says the Hypnos (Sleep) loves Endymion and does not close they eyes of his beloved boy even while he is asleep, but lulls him to rest with eyes wide open so that he may without interruption enjoy the pleasure of gazing at them. His words are ‘And Hypnos (Sleep), rejoicing in the rays of his eyes, would lull the boy to rest with eyes wide open.’"

^^ I understand that this one can simply be interpreted as one of his 'love stories' as most of the Theoi have them. However I thought it nice that it was said that He loved Endymion so much that He (Sleep) stayed with him forever; being forever in slumber.

Cult images depicting Him with the Mousai (Muses) and Aphrodite

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 31. 3 : "Not far from the Mousai's (Muses') hall [at Troizenos (Troezen) in Argolis] is an old altar, which also, according to report, was dedicated by Ardalos. Upon it they sacrifice to the Mousai and to Hypnos (Sleep), saying that Hypnos is the god that is dearest to the Mousai."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 31. 5 : "[At Troizenos (Troezen) in Argolis there is] an ancient altar . . . they sacrifice on it to Hypnos (Sleep) and the Mousai (Muses); who they say are particular friends."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 18. 1 : "[Beside the temple of Athena of the Bronze House in Sparta :] Near the statues of Pausanias is an image of Aphrodite Ambologera (Postponer of Old Age), which was set up in accordance with an oracle; there are also images of Hypnos (Sleep) and of Thanatos (Death). They think them brothers, in accordance with the verses in the Iliad."

Little other bits!

Hypnos is married to Pasithea, one of the Charites, which slightly solidifies his association with 'love-like', good feelings; as the Charites presided over "grace, beauty, adornment, joy, mirth, festivity, dance and song."

His role in the myth of Endymion in which, depending on the version, was in love with Endymion himself or acted as a 'wing-man' for Selene in a way. <- linked a previous post of mine about the variations of the myth!

And yes, at the end there I did include his (more well-known) affiliation with the Mousai; I did this because, although not romantic (with exception for Erato), the Mousai can represent to some extent the love we feel for ourselves, for friends, the passion of a new hobby, the love of happiness, and really just a love for life. Since the Greeks didn't view love as a catch-all-term and had specific names for each type of love, I though it was fitting to also include his beloved friends, the Mousai.

Although we have little information on Hypnos' depiction as an Erote / companion to the Erotes. We can make the connection that the role of sleep and the role of love have much in common.

The bedroom, a holy place for sleep and love. Where intimacy and dreams mingle together. Dreaming about your lover, or of a friend (philia). Waking up next to someone, their arms around you as you remember the previous night (doesn't have to be sex, you could have just embraced each other in your sleep). Winding down after a long day by laying down and reading in bed, your partner joining you, just laying in silence. The giggles of a sleepover. The comfort of your pet snuggling up next to you. The solace you feel when your head hits the pillow, loving yourself and treating you to an early sleep. Anything!

Do I personally regard Hypnos as a love god? Yes and no. My perspective lies within the wording of it; and since this is purely my opinion, I will label this next part as !UPG! Okay, so. I think it would be wrong to say that Hypnos is a 'love god' or a 'god of love', because he is not, he's the god and daimon of sleep; with dreams, altered consciousness, and relaxation / wellbeings being under this domain as well - notice, love is not listed. However, would I ever reach out to Lord Hypnos concerning love? Personally, yes. I don't believe love to ultimately fall under his domains, but he can assist. I sometimes call him an 'assistant to Aphrodite' [or an 'assistant to love'], because that is how I personally view his role regarding love, assisting. To put it into a lil metaphor; Think of Aphrodite as a full-time, dedicated, expert-in-the-field person for Love - and Hypnos as a Casual-worker, called in when needed, knows how to work in the department but doesn't specialise there. Does that make sense? It does to me. Either way, this paragraph was just my personal view on it, if yours doesn't match mine that is totally fine. This aspect of Hypnos is nuanced and gives a huge allowance for UPG.

Anyway, let me know if I missed anything or you'd like to share your own interpretation of Hypnos' love aspect! I'd love to hear them! [heh]

May Hypnos bless you, and sweet dreams ♡

-> heart divider made by @/strangergraphics -> sleep [zzzz] divider made by @/sisterlucifergraphics

[whencyclopedia]

In ancient Greece, dance had a significant presence in everyday life. The Greeks not only danced on many different occasions, but they also recognized several non-performative activities such as ball-playing or rhythmic physical exercise as dance. In fact, dancing to the ancient Greeks seemed like a natural response of the body, mind, and soul to music. They would dance spontaneously at weddings or drinking parties (symposia), or perform pre-arranged choreographies as exemplified by the chorus' dances in the ancient Greek theatre. Greek dances could be performed individually or in a group. They could tell a story, showcase martial and athletic skills, entertain guests, or shape processions and other key parts of religious rituals. Whilst dance is largely defined in ancient Greek literature as an element of the mousike (the umbrella term which covers all categories of the performing arts: making music, dancing, singing, and recitation), there is a wide range of evidence that suggests dancing was practiced as an independent skill. Dance-training (gymnopaidai) was a foundation subject in school, and pictures of boys and girls practicing dance under the supervision of male and female tutors appear in vase painting. Classical writers such as Plato, Lucian, and Athenaeus recommended dancing as an essential part of the development of good citizens, men and women, thanks to its constructive effects on the body and mind. As in many ancient cultures, dancing played a fundamental role in ancient Greek society for thousands of years.

[deathlessathanasia]

For all that husband imprisons your children inside your body and wife conspires with your youngest son to have you castrated thing, Gaia and Ouranos seem to be on surprisingly good terms: together they tell Kronos that he will be overcome by his son, together they help Rhea save Zeus from Kronos, together they warn and advise Zeus. And they still have an active sex life, apparently (Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists 13.73): „The earth loves rain when the parch'd plains are dry, And lose their glad fertility of yield From want of moisture. Then the ample heaven, When fill'd with rain, and moved by Aphrodite's power, Loves to descend to anxious earth's embrace; Then when these two are join'd in tender love They are the parents of all fruits to us, They bring them forth, they cherish them; and so The race of man both lives and flourishes. And that most magnificent poet Aeschylus, in his Danaides, introduces Aphrodite herself speaking thus—Then, too, the earth feels love, and longs for wedlock, And rain, descending from the amorous air, Impregnates his desiring mate; and she Brings forth delicious food for mortal man,—Herds of fat sheep, and corn, the gift of Demeter; The trees love moisture, too, and rain descends To indulge their longings, I alone the cause.”