#Macedonia (ancient kingdom)

[jeannereames]

So there is now a community. You may request to join, I believe, instead of needing me to invite you. That makes my life a lot easier.

I am very likely to approve you (especially if I already know you), but I will glance through Tumblrs for those I don't recognize. I've tried to keep the topics associated but fairly broad.

I DO want folks who I don't know able to find the group and join.

What I don't want are porn stars, alt-right crazies hyped on antiquity, ultra-nationalists, or lazy students who want us to write their school essays. If you're coming for a laugh, serious discussion, pretty art, or community, hop on. If you're coming for a fight, go back to "X" or Truth Social.

Please read the welcome message. I think most of it is pretty common-sensible.

[twofielder]

Coin of the Day #2 (5/6/2024)

To a ‘great’ Monday…

Kingdom of Macedon

AE16 - 3.67g

Alexander III 336-316 BC

Kourion Mint

Obverse Head of Hercules right, wearing lionskin

Reverse ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ

Bowcase above, club and branch below

Price 3113

[viscericorde]

incredibly petty pet peeve i have is when writers recycle names from ancient or medieval civilizations for their fantasy kingdoms w no regard to if the cultural inspirations even match up. it's like an unspoken assumption that if they've never heard of these names before yoinking them from wikipedia then surely no one else has. such flat and disappointing worldbuilding

[gemsofgreece]

Sike

Initial info snippet: Βεργίνα (or Vergina in English) is pronounced ver - YEE - nah. Just saying, for no particular reason whatsoever.

Perhaps you know that there is a country in the periphery of Greece that has a flag with a sun. This alongside other issues has been a cause of contention between Greece and this country, as it using this sun as a symbol of its non-Greek nationality was condemned by Greece as an act of cultural appropriation.

That sun looked suspiciously like (as in, it was identical down to the last line) to the Vergina Sun, or sometimes called Vergina Star, most famously discovered in the tomb of King Philip || of Macedon, in Ancient Aegae, Vergina, Macedonia, Greece.

The golden larnax with the Vergina Sun found in the tomb that is believed to be King Philip's.

For some time the Vergina Sun was mostly perceived as a symbol of Macedonia or Macedonian royalty, except that meant polar opposite things to Greeks versus to their neighbours. The Vergina Sun became the symbol of the administrative and historical region of Macedonia within the Greek state, which has this local flag:

The flag was first created in the late 80s after archaeologist Michael Andronikos made the huge discovery of the tombs in Vergina. The Vergina Sun was added as a national symbol at the Hellenic Parliament in 1993.

Meanwhile, in 1992 the newly founded neighbour state (risen through the collapse of Yugoslavia) adopted the EXACT same flag as their official national flag, except the background was changed to red. Greece condemned the use of this symbol, accusing the country of appropriation. Due to the rising tensions between the states, the neighbouring country eventually changed its flag.............. which means it's still the same red flag with the sun except now the sun is "designed differently". Of course, the implications behind it as well as the claims have not changed one bit. The neighbour country was mad at Greece for preventing them to express their true ethnicity and for using her immense evil power (which, as we all know, Greece definitely possesses) to steal THEIR history, because Greece is jealous of THEIR history. Anyway even though there was a legal agreement of sorts between the countries in the last years, it is honoured so little you might as well believe it was never done. And it is crap for our side as well, so everybody hates it.

But here's the funny thing. Even if one argues the true issue is what being a Macedonian entails (which shouldn't truly be a discourse but let's pretend it is)... the hilarious truth is that the Vergina Sun..... is actually not a symbol of Macedonia and Macedonians.

You see, the symbol has been discovered all throughout Greece since at least the 6th century BCE, way before the Kingdom of Macedon rose to any prominence.

Vergina Sun originating from… Sparta, 6th century BC, exhibited in the Louvre.

This famous amphora by Exekias, 6th century BC, depicting Achilleus and Ajax playing a board game. The Vergina Sun decorates their cloaks. Exhibit in the Vatican Museum.

Hercules fighting the Amazons. The Amazon bears a shield with the Vergina Sun. Early 5th century, Gela, Italy. (So it was crafted in the Greek colonies in Magna Grecia, South Italy.) Exhibited in the Regional Archaeological Museum "Antonio Salinas", Palermo.

Jar with the Judgement of Paris. Athena's shield is decorated with a Vergina Sun. Athens, c. 360 BC.

So you know, not only it wasn't an exclusively Macedonian symbol but it actually seems to have been an Archaic symbol of Panhellenic (encompassing all the Greeks) warfare.

Dem evil Griekos stealing other pipl's history.

[whencyclopedia]

Macedon was an ancient kingdom located in the north of the Greek peninsula first inhabited by the Mackednoi tribe who, according to Herodotus, were the first to call themselves 'Hellenes' (later applied to all Greeks) and who gave the land their name. The kingdom was founded c. 7th century BCE by Caranus who seems semi-mythical and named after the god Makedon (also given as Makednos, Macedon), a son of Zeus. For centuries, the Mackednoi had little to do with southern Greece and the Greeks considered them barbarians who were useful only for the raw materials their region provided, especially timber for shipbuilding. The Mackednoi, for their part, held the Greeks in equal contempt. During the Persian invasion of 480 BCE, Macedonia was under Persian rule and compelled to provide troops for the invading force. Their participation on the Persian side does not seem to have worsened the poor relations between Macedonia and southern Greece in any way. Following the Greek victory and expulsion of the Persians, Macedon preferred to remain aloof from the rest of Greece and the squabbles and fighting which constantly took place between the Greek city-states and the southern states did the same with Macedon. All of this changed under the rule of King Phillip II (r. 359-336 BCE) who systematically brought the southern Greek city-states under his control. After Philip's assassination in 336 BCE his throne passed to his son, Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 BCE), who would spread Greek culture and civilization across the known world of antiquity. Macedon fell out of favor with southern Greece after the death of Alexander in 323 BCE with many Greeks resenting Macedonian rule and virulent antagonism expressed toward anything even remotely Macedonian. Macedon continued as an autonomous and powerful kingdom until it was annexed by Rome, along with the rest of Greece, c.146 BCE.

[thewhisperofzagreus]

Zagreus Sabazius

Important reminder. Everything I write about here is only indirectly connected by distant assumptions and rare crossings and absolutely should not be considered the immutable truth. As someone whose patron is Zagreus, I write about my findings and assumptions, but I am also totally possibly to be mistaken and see what I want to see myself. Take everything with a grain of salt.

We have already once looked at the Greek sources with the story of Zagreus. But beyond the rare surviving Greek sources, we will always have something else. Why is Zagreus sometimes mentioned with the epithet “Sabazius”? What does this epithet mean? What are Zagreus' powers? And why, after all, is he and Gaia called “highest of the all gods” in the Alcmeonis?

Welcome to my deep dive on one of the most mysterious theoi — Zagreus Sabazius.

So, later Greek writers, like Strabo in the first century CE, linked Sabazios with Zagreus. But who is Sabazios and what does it mean?

Sabazius comes from a common root with Sanskrit sabhâdj, honored, and with Greek σέβειν, to honor. It's also may be connected with the Indo-European *swo-, meaning "[his] own," and with the idea of freedom.

Sabazios is a deity originating in Asia Minor. He is the chief sky god of the Phrygians and Thracians. Sabazios gained prominence across the Roman Empire, particularly favored in the Central Balkans due to Thracian influence. On some monuments Sabazius is called “master of the cosmos”.

Decree of the organisation of worshippers of Sabazius, 102 BC

It seems likely that the migrating Phrygians brought Sabazios with them when they settled in Anatolia in the early first millennium BCE, and that the god's origins are to be looked for in Macedonia and Thrace. The ancient sanctuary of Perperikon in modern-day Bulgaria, uncovered in 2000, is believed to be that of Sabazios.

Two altars in the sanctuary were used for blood sacrifice.

And as Euripides has already graciously told us, Zagreus was honored as a god of blood, among other things. Sabazius, as a deity, was often associated with sky, thunder, nature, boons, mystery, and blood. One of its most frequent symbols was serpent.

Sabazius' references sometimes included Cybele. She is an Anatolian mother goddess. She is Phrygia's only known goddess, and was probably its national deity. Greek colonists in Asia Minor adopted and adapted her Phrygian cult and spread it to mainland Greece and to the more distant western Greek colonies around the 6th century BC.

In Greece, Cybele met with a mixed reception. She became partially assimilated to aspects of the Earth-goddess Gaia, of her possibly Minoan equivalent Rhea, and of the harvest–mother goddess Demeter.

And now everything suddenly made sense. Why are Gaia and Zagreus named the highest of all the gods in Alcmeonis? Because they always have been.

In her transition to Greece, Cybele, Phrygia's only known goddess, was named Gaia (which honestly makes much more sense to me than associating her with Rhea or Demeter). And Zagreus? And Zagreus remained Zagreus.

Gaia Cybele and Zagreus Sabazius, Mother Earth and Sky King, the highest gods of the Phrygians and Thracians, who later also made their way to Greece.

But unfortunately, no individual direct myths about King Sabazius have survived either.

But there was also one thing that persisted and always baffled me.

In my personal experience with Zagreus, his signature weapon has always been moonblades to me. And I always wondered why. What does Zagreus have to do with the moon? Why is it always an integral part of his power and history in my experience?

Well, now I know the answer.

At one point Sabazius merged with the Asia Minor and Syrian moon deity, Mēn. Mēn was a lunar god worshipped in the western interior parts of Anatolia. He is attested in various localized variants, such as Mēn Askaenos in Antioch in Pisidia, or Mēn Pharnakou at Ameria in Pontus.

Bust of Mēn in Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

In the Kingdom of Pontus, there was a temple estate dedicated to Mēn Pharnakou and Selene at Ameria, near Cabira (Strabo 12.3.31). The temple was probably established by Pharnakes I in the 2nd century BC, apparently in an attempt to counterbalance the influence of the Moon goddess Ma of Comana. The cult of Mēn Pharnakou in Pontus has been traced to the appearance of the star and crescent motif on Pontic coins at the time.

A similar temple estate dedicated to Mēn Askaenos existed in Pisidia, first centered around Anabura and then shifted to the nearby city of Pisidian Antioch after its founding by the Seleucids around 280 BC. The temple estate/sacred sanctuary (ἱερόs) was a theocratic monarchy ruled by the "Priest of Priests," a hereditary title. According to Strabo, this "temple state" that the cult of Mên Askaenos controlled near Pisidian Antioch, persisted until the city was refounded by the Romans in 25 BC, becoming Colonia Caesarea Augusta.

The Augustan History has the Roman emperor Caracalla (r. 198–217) venerate Lunus at Carrhae; this, i.e. a masculine variant of Luna, "Moon", has been taken as a Latinized name for Mēn.

Even though no specific myths have survived about any aspect of Zagreus, it gives us a wealth of information about what Zagreus was and is and the diverse number of domains he holds.

Yes, Zagreus. Zagreus, god of mysteries, blood, flesh, sky, thunder, nature and moon. Zagreus Sabazius, Zagreus Mēn, Zagreus the Winged Serpent Hunter, Zagreus the Scarlet Thunderer, Zagreus the Serpent King. Zagreus Prince of Chthonia, Zagreus King of Sky, Zagreus Highest of All the Gods, Zagreus Master of the Cosmos.

                                         Ζαγρεύς Σαβάζιος

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Sorry if my question was uncomfortable, but I'm a foreigner and would like to understand more about the "feud" between Greece and North Macedonia. I've seen (heated) discussions between Greeks and Macedonians about culture, but I don't know much about the context. Again, sorry if the question is uncomfortable or insensitive.

I think this Geography Now! video does a good job of explaining the controversy. Basically, the Greek position is that since Slavs came a thousand years after Alexander in the area, and the culture and language of North Macedonians are largely Slavic it's illogical for them to name their country after a Hellenistic kingdom and claim many Greek figures, and also Alexander the Great, as people from their culture.

For clarification, Alexander the Great was certainly Greek and he spoke the Macedonian dialect of Greek which was Doric (for reference the Spartans also spoke the Doric dialect). When North Macedonians say "he was Macedonian" they mean he was from their culture and he spoke their language, and he wasn't Greek.

North Macedonian history tends to confuse the administrative regions with culture and ethnicity because it's convenient to them. It doesn't matter if Kyrillos and Methodios were two Greek brothers from Thessaloniki. To N. Macedonians, because these two brothers were in a region that was occasionally the administrative region of Macedonia, they were "Macedonians", hence "from North Macedonia". To them it doesn't matter that Alexander's birthplace and all important cities of the Hellenistic Macedonian Kingdom are in Greece.

What is crucial to understand about this controversy is that Macedonia for a long, long time, was basically "a geographical region of many mountains". The Greek word Μακεδονία literally means "Mountainous Region", and because it's kind of a distinct region it was a district on its own many times. That's an approximation of the limits of "Macedonia" as a geographical region with distinct characteristics.

Below is the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia. However, the people who are now residents of N. Macedonia won't be here for another thousand years!

The guy in the video says the Macedonian kingdom expanded, but then he doesn't say that it was separated into more kingdoms for better governance, and one of those kingdoms was this controversial region (in Green) which is now part of Greece and North Macedonia. (Slavs were still not in the area)

When Romans conquered these kingdoms they also separated the area into administrative regions. The province of Macedonia within the Roman Empire, circa 125 (Slavs were still not in the area):

Later administrative departments of Roman empire (Slavs were still not in the area). In fact, "Provincia Macedoniae" changed almost at the time the Slavs arrived, in the 7th century.

Within the Eastern Roman Empire there was later separation into Themata, but now the department of Macedonia was moved to the West, occasionally including parts of the region where N. Macedonia is today. (Slavs in the area after 7th c. ACE)

Theeeen came the Turks, and separated the regions differently. Now everyone, Turks, Greeks, Slavs, Hebrews and whoever else lived in that region, are all part of the same "millet", the Rum Millet. "Macedonia" wasn't an administrative area then.

In the 19th century, Turks and Slavs were the majority in the region of Macedonia, with Greeks coming third population-wise, and Hebrews also having very large communities.

(Greeks might not like this fact, or they may ignore it completely, but if you open actual historical books and maps, you'll see the demographics. We have censuses from that era. I learned the old Slavic and Turkic names that villages and places in my region had. There's also a reason Kemal Ataturk's mother wrote to him "They took our Salonik" when Greeks reclaimed the city after 600 years. We can still love our country and appreciate our history, without erasing parts of it.)

In 1912, the largest part of the region of Macedonia was claimed by Greeks. In time more Greeks came to it as immigrants from Anatolia and other Greek regions, shifting the population in such a way that Greeks were now the majority. (North Macedonia still doesn't exist as a country)

In 1991, when the country of North Macedonia was created, Greece already had an administrative region of Macedonia which covered most of the Macedonian geographical area, also the ancient Greek cities of the kingdom, and the emblem of Greek Macedonia was the ancient Greek Macedonian star. The Vergina Star, and the ancient Greek city of Vergina is also in Greek ground today. (Our Emblem and Flag)

So you can imagine it came as a shock to Greeks when a newly founded country used not only their symbols, but also distinctly Greek symbols. People who are now residents of N. Macedonia lived in the geographical region that a few centuries ago was also "Macedonia" in the administrative sense, so I get where they're coming from. However, when culture gets appropriated, when the culture of important ethnically Greek figures is erased, when Greek words are claimed to be "Macedonian" all of a sudden since 1991, things get tense.

It's a political matter, as the video says. People from the two countries usually have normal interactions if the matter doesn't come up. And I don't think there's hate between the simple people.

[blueiscoool]

Greece Reopens the 2,400-Year-Old Palace Where Alexander the Great Was Crowned

The 2,300-year-old Palace of Aigai—the largest building in classical Greece—had been under renovation for 16 years.

On the day he was crowned king of Macedonia, Alexander the Great stood atop the intricately patterned marble floors of the Palace of Aigai. This week, the historic palace finally opened to the public after a 16-year-long restoration, report Derek Gatopoulos and Costas Kantouris of the Associated Press (AP).

At 160,000 square feet, the Palace of Aigai was classical Greece’s largest structure. Built primarily by Alexander’s father, Phillip II, in the fourth century B.C.E., it was the home of the Argead dynasty, ancient Macedonia’s ruling family. It was destroyed by the Romans in 148 B.C.E. and endured a subsequent series of lootings. Renovating and excavating this sprawling monument was a serious undertaking, costing over 20 million euros ($22 million).

The Greek government was able to maintain the “general appearance” of the site amid careful alterations to the monument’s towering marble columns, delicate mosaics and textured flooring, according to Xiaofei Xu and Chris Liakos. The palace once featured large column-lined courtyards, worship sites and expansive banquet halls, and its restoration presented a “three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle,” per the AP. Archaeologists solved it by combining stones from the structure’s ruins with replica parts to reproduce the original structures.

Archaeologist Angeliki Kottaridi started working on the renovation efforts as a university student. Overseeing the project’s progress over many years and contributing to its excavation and reconstruction, Kottardi became a leading figure in the project.

“What you discover is stones scattered in the dirt, and pieces of mosaics here and there,” Kottaridi told state television before an opening ceremony on Friday, per the AP. “Then you have to assemble things, and that’s the real joy of the researcher.”

The Palace of Aigai is located in northern Greece between what are now the towns of Palatitsia and Vergina. Its reopening builds on discoveries made in the late 1970s by Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos, who unearthed a cluster of royal Macedonian artifacts, including gold and silver ceremonial weapons and armor, and burials, one of which is thought to contain Phillip’s remains. The palace and its neighboring tombs are now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Deeming it “among the most important archaeological sites in Europe,” UNESCO writes that the Palace of Aigai “represents an exceptional testimony to a significant development in European civilization, at the transition from the classical city state to the imperial structure of the Hellenistic and Roman periods.”

As the site of the first capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, the Palace of Aigai signifies the onset of Alexander’s rule, which would stretch from Asia to the Middle East, and provides a crucial window into Macedonian culture.

“The importance of such monuments transcends local boundaries, becoming property of all humanity,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, at the inauguration event, per CNN. “And we as the custodians of this precious cultural heritage, we must protect it, highlight it, promote it and at the same time expand the horizons revealed by each new facet.”

By Catherine Duncan.

[foxboyroadkill]

MACEDONIAN HISTORY

hi. history of all of macedonia, by a macedonian. I will not be calling it north macedonia, im sorry. VERY LONG POST. Im sorry if its messy, i did my best

Before people accuse me, no i dont have anything against greeks or bulgars, frankly idgaf what you are, as long as you dont deny our existance and yes, greeks and bulgars can interact.

@dressuprat hey bud you said you wanna be tagged, im finally done

So, Macedonia has existed for very, very long now.

Macedonia is also the oldest surviving name in Europe! Archaeological evidence shows that old European civilization flourished in Macedonia between 7000 and 3500 BC. In 808-399 BC, Caranus enstablished the first Macedonian kingdom, which was lead by Alexandar I "Phihellene", who fought as a Persian alley in the Greek-Persian wars. His son, Perdiccas II started a conflict between Sparta and Athens, leading to the 27 year Peloponnesian War. Archelaus is who turns Macedonia into an economic power, reorganizing the army. During 359-336 BC, Philip II manages to raise Macedonia into the greatest European power, overcoming all its neighbours (Greeks, Illyrians and Thracians) on August 2nd, 338 BC, defeat the Greeks in The Battle of Chaeronea. This marks an end of Greek history and the start of the Macedonian era. Theopompus, an ancient writer, titles Philip - "the greatest man that Europe had ever given." 336-323 BC, Alexandar III the Great - the son of Philip - carries the Macedonian armies to Asia, conquering Persia and creates the largest Empire (the Macedonian Empire), which stretches from Europe to India and North Africa. 323 BC is the death of Alexandar, which plunges Macedonia into a civil war. By 300 BC, the Macedonian Empire is carved up into the dynasties of Alexandar's generals, aka, Antigonus I, Ptolemy I and Seleucus I.Under Antigonus II Gonatas, Macedonia achieves a stable rule, strenghtening its occupation of Greece. The two "Macedonian wars" which are against the Romans, defeat Philip V's armies, and Macedonia is reduced to its original borders, losing Greece. In 168 BC, the last Macedonian king, Perseus, dies in prison in Italy, after being defeated by Rome in the third "Macedonian war". In 65 BC, the Selecuid Macedonian Kingdom in Asia is conquered by Rome. An end is put to the last Macedonian descendants in Egypt, aswell as the remains of the Macedonian Empire, in 30 BC, when the Romans win over Cleopatra VII.

As of 395, the Roman Empire is split into Western and Eastern. Macedonia falls into Eastern - Byzantine. In 855-886, two Macedonian brothers, Cyril and Methodius, create the first Slavonic alphabet and spread Christianity among the Slavs. Cyril and Methodius' disciples Clement and Naum of Ohrid spread Christianity in the Slavonic language and later establish the first Slavonic Universiy. The first Macedonian Byzantine emporor is Basil I the Macedonian, aka founder of the Macedonian Dynasty. The empre reaches its 'Golden Age' while being ruled by the Macedonian Dynasty (867-1052). The Bogomil teaching, which appeared in the first half of the 10th century and spread through the Balkans and Europe, first appeared in Macedonia. Around 976, the Macedonian Slavs start to rebel against Bulgarian authority, and create a strong Macedonian Medieval Kingdom under Tsar Samoil. The kingdom spreads and Samoil conquers parts of Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Dalmacia and Epirus. It's defeated by Basil II the Macedonian in 1014, and Byzantium takes his empire by 1018. Two major uprisings erupt against the Byzantine rule in Macedonia. Being led by Petar Deljan (1040) and Gjorgji Vojteh (1072). Macedonia remained on Byzantine territory until 1389, when the Ottoman Turks conquered it. In around 1564/65, the first significant Macedonian resistance movement against the Turkish occupation is recorded, known as the Mariovo-Prilep Rebellion. In 1689, the Karposh uprising follows, however the leader (Karposh) is executed on the stone bridge located in Skopje. Under preassure from the Greek Patriarch in Istanbul, in 1767, the Turks abolish the Ohrid Archbishopric, which was what had kept the spiritual soul of the Macedonians alive since the times of Tsar Samoil. In 1822, the Negus uprising erupts, which is an insurrection of the Macedonians for liberation in southern Macedonia.

Greece (1828), Serbia (1830) and Bulgaria (1878) gain independence from the Turkish rule, desplaying territorial aspirations on Macedonian territory, which raises the "Macedonian question" - Serbs, Bulgars and Greeks compete in their quest to occupy Macedonia. In 1878/79, The Macedonians rebel against the Turkish occupation, once again, known as the Krersna Uprising now. The Macedonian freedom fighters adopt a constitution known as the Rules of the Macedonian Uprising Committee. Bishop Theodosius of Skopje begins a campaign for the restoration of the Ohrid Archbishopric (which was, once again, destroyed in 1767) and an independent Macedonian Orthodox Church, in 1891, the Bulgars destroy this. The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, known as VMRO is founded in 1893. Under the slogan "Macedonia belongs to the Macedonians", its objectives are clear (freedom and an independent country). Its leader is Georgi (Goce/Gotse) Delchev. The Macedonian revolutionaries known as Demidzii, carry out a series of attacks on buildings in Salonica (where VMRO was founded) in hopes to draw attention to the Macedonian people. On august 2, 1903, VMRO launches the Illinden Uprising, declaring Macedonian Independence. The town of Krushevo is liberated. However, the Uprising is brutally crushed by the Turks, Krushevo is burnt to ashes and more than 150 Macedonian villages are destroyed. Krste Petkov Misirkov - who founded the modern Macedonian language and orthography - published his book, "On Macedonian matters" in 1903. It is an important book that talks about the the principles for standardization of the Macedonian literary language. In 1908, when The Young Turk revolution shutters the Ottoman Empire, The Macedonian revolutionary organization, through Jane Sandanski and the newly formed National Federal Party, actively takes part in the Young Turk movement for Macedonian independence.

Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria all join forces and with the help of 100,000 Macedonians, defeat the Turkish army in Macedonia in 1912. However, Macedonia is still denied independence, despite helping. In August 1913, the Treaty of Bucharest, parts the country between them three. Greece takes the biggest part (the southern part of Macedonia, Aegean Macedonia), they rename it "Northern Greece". The Greeks burn Kukush (the birthplace of Goce) to ashes. Bulgaria annexed the Pirin region, abolishing the Macedonian name, while Serbia took the Vardar region and called it "Southern Serbia". In world war I, Bulgaria sides with the Central Powers and occupies the Vardar side of Macedonia by 1915. By the end of world war I in 1918, Macedonia is left divided. In 1919, the Macedonian peoples demands for independence at the Paris Peace conference are ignored. Vardar Macedonia was "given back" to the now kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1924, the Macedonian "Abecedar" which the Macedonian children need, is withdrawn before it is given to them.

In 1925, the leader of VMRO is Dimitar Vlahov. VMRO's main objective was to free Macedonia and create an independent political unit, that'll be an equal member of the Balkan Federation, and 10 years later, in 1935, the Macedonian national movement is established. In 1941, when the second world war started, Bulgaria (a fascist ally of Hitler) occupied almost all of Macedonia and helps the nazis departuring the Macedonian Jews to concentration camps. October 11th, 1941, a war for liberation of Macedonia was launched. The anti-fascist sentiment lends support for the Communist movement and in 1943, the Communist Party of Macedonia is enstablished, the first unit of the Army of Macedonia is founded. The Headquarters of the National Liberation Army (NOV) publishes a manifesto of the goals of the war for liberation. On August 2, 1944, which is 2282 years after the Battle of Chaeronea, aswell as the 41st anniversary of the Ilinden uprising, ASNOM (the Anti-Fascist Assembly of the National Liberation of Macedonia) proclaims a Macedonian state. The ASNOM presidium is formed with Metodia Andonov Chento as its first President. In 1945, April 16th, the first government of the People's Republic of Macedonia is formed, having Lazar Kolisevski as his leader. In 1946 Bulgaria (which is under the leadership of Georgi Dimitrov) finally recognizes Macedonia as a nation. The majority of the population of the Pirin part of Macedonia declares itself as Macedonian. In the Greek civial war (1946-1949), the Macedonians of the Aegean side of Macedonia fought on the side of the Greek Communistic party (KKE) as they were promised rights after it. A few years later, when the communists loose the war, Macedonians are stripped out of their human rights and heavily dehumanized. 28,000 Aegean Macedonian children, called "child refugees" are seperated from their families, taken to eastern Europe to save them from the horriors that follow. Thousands of Macedonians are slaughtered in cold blood and many Macedonian villages are burned to ashes. In 1956, Bulgaria, under leadership of Todor Zhivkov, reverts its recognision of the Macedonian nation and yet again forbids any and all expression of Macedonian nationality (language, etc). In 1958, the Ohrid Archbishopric, which was abolished in 1767, is restored and in 1967 the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences is founded, as well as the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Macedonia is proclaimed.

In 1986, the Greek letter known as "Elefteros Tipos" says that the prime minister Papandreu has agreed to recognize Macedonian as an offical language in Yugoslavia. In 1988, the Macedonian language was supposed to be recognized in Greece, however the banker’s affair "Koskotas" brought down the PASOK government, and the documents were never signed. The United Macedonian Organization - Ilinden was founded in 1989 and it declared cultural and national autonomy for the Macedonians in Pirin Macedonia, where it was founded. Federal Yugoslavia began to disintegrate in 1991 as the countries began gaining independence. On a referendum on September 8, Macedonia finally gains its independence, and Kiro Gligorov is elected as its first president. The Republic of Macedonia is the declared a sovereign, independent, civil, and democratic state, and in 1993, it is admitted into the United Nations. In 1994, Greece insists that there is no Macedonian nation and says we have no right to use the name Macedonia, so Greece imposes a trade embargo on Macedonia because of the refusal to change the country and nation name as well as the language, and change the Constitution Article 47 that specifies "the Republic of Macedonia cares for the statue and rights of those persons belonging to the Macedonian people in neighboring countries”. Greece withdraws any Macedonian talk and blocks any Macedonian acceptance. In 1995, when Macedonia becomes a part of the Council of Europe, The Human Rights Watch condemns Greece for the oppression of Macedonians, which Greece denies exists. Both Amnesty International and the European Parliament urge Greece to stop the oppression of the ethnic Macedonians on the Macedonian territory Greece appropriated in 1913 and just recognize the language.

In 1963, there was a very strong earthquake on July 26. It was in Skopje, capital of Macedonia, with the power of 6.1 moment magnitude. It killed over 1070 people, injured around 3000-4000 and left over 200k homeless, 80% or more of the city was destroyed. It started at 5:17am (Macedonian time), lasted 20 seconds and was felt mostly along the Varder River Valley. There was smaller aftershocks until 5:43. It was a lenghty recovery that took around 20 years, maybe more, but we got help from all over the world.

Macedonia officially changed its name to North Macedonia on February 12, 2019. This change was the result of the Prespa Agreement, which was signed on June 17, 2018, between Greece and Macedonia to resolve a long-lasting over the use of the name "Macedonia." The name change was an attempt at bettering our and Greece's relationship.

Important notes, misc history things I didn't mention:

We were forced to change our name for a very dumb reason. Solun, Pella... the area in Greece that carries the name Macedonia is rightfully ours, it's the area that was taken in 1913 and not given back. Kukush is also ours.

Bulgarians and Greeks try claiming some Macedonian heros - Alexandar the great, Goce Delchev, some more I think - for reasons I will debunk. They either:

- were born in area that was ours, but got taken by them,

- spoke in Bulgarian/Greek,

- or called themself Bulgarian/Greek.

Many Macedonians called themself Bulgarian or Greek throughout history for simple reaosons: Macedonian talk was forbidden, any Macedonians were killed in cold blood.

When we were occupied by Bulgaria, Macedonians had to put wooden desks on their windows so they could freely speak their own language. It was banned. If you were heard speaking Macedonian, using a Macedonian name, speaking of Macedonia or Macedonian tradition, you would be slaughtered. Kids were taken from their homes, taken to Bulgarian schools and forced to learn, write and speak in Bulgarian, use Bulgarian names. They were forced to memorize and sing a song that went "I am a Bulgar"

Macedonians were forced to Greekify their names. An example- Nikifor, a traditional Macedonian name, would be turned to Nikiforos. Nobody was allowed to learn in Macedonian- it was either Greek, Bulgarian, or sometimes, Serbian.

The only historical figure Bulgarians won't try to claim, is Krste Petkov Misirkov. He would explicitly call himself Macedonian, no matter what, write in Macedonian, no matter what, and repeatidly fought for the Macedonian language. He boycotted many schools to learn in Macedonian. However, they did try to silence him- burning his books.

Macedonia has been mentioned in the Bible. Five times. I'm aware not everyone is religious, but I'd still like to mention this. Please don't get upset.

In short, I'm sick of everyone either not knowing, or ignoring, the many years of Ethnic clensing and torture we have been through. I am tired of people just joking about it. We are still actively discriminated against, perhaps I'll make a post on it.

[reikolovespickles]

Winx Club Headcanon: War(s) of Solaria

In my headcanon, Solaria isn’t like it was shown in the original series. It was a war-torn kingdom with a history of vertical and horizontal conflicts between the Solarians and Lunarians. Though, in the present day, the kingdom has recovered significantly, in terms of socioeconomic and politics, the past friction and hatred between Solarians and Lunarians are still present and both people now live in separate places (Solarians in Solaria and Lunarians in Lumenos). The war(s) is what caused Stella’s parents to divorce (because I don’t think the original series explains why they separated). This writing will dive into Cassandra’s conspiracies that caused the long conflict and its effect(s) on the kingdom. Also, I will be referring to some ancient Greek/Roman/Babylonian history in terms of the culture, society, and politics of Solaria.

************************************************************************

In the year 668 of the Solarian calendar (The Solarian Calendar draws inspiration from the lunisolar calendar of Ancient Macedonia), Prince Radius of Solaria married Princess Luna of Lumenos, and both became the new King and Queen of Solaria and the first rulers to unite the two people in the planet, the Solarians and Lunarians. Both earned the title “Sun God Shamash” and “Moon Goddess Yarikh” by both people.

In the year 670, two years after their marriage, their first and only daughter was born. They named her Stella—blessed with the title “Ishtar” (meaning Evening Star). She grew up to be a talented, genius young princess and has a natural affinity for magic. Young Princess Stella would soon create her derivation of light magic, drawing sources from both of her parents’ inherited magic (sun and moon magic), Star Magic was born. Princess Stella quickly became the strongest candidate for the Solarian throne due to her brilliance.

This news was a sign of fortune for the Kingdom of Solaria, but for others, it was a threat. Enters Countess Cassandra, a member of the Royal Court of Solaria and Duchess of Sh’va (pronounced “shee-ba”)—one of the regions in Solaria, she was one of the most respected members of the high council and the most influential. This news upset the countess, she had an ambition to take over the kingdom and made herself queen. But King Radius’ success in uniting the Solarians and Lunarians through inter-cultural marriage and the positive perceptions of the royal council and the public regarding Stella, only minimizes the chances of her coup d’etat plan (to be honest I based Cassandra off of Agrippina The Younger, and her conspiracy to dethrone and assassinate Emperor Claudius and made Nero—her son—emperor of Rome. Just like Cassandra who desires her daughter, Chimera, to be the Princess of Solaria)

So, in the year 682, Cassandra’s conspiracy starts its first move. By abusing her power at the Royal Court, Cassandra launches several “campaigns” in the grassroots community of Solaria and uses the “divide and conquer” tactics because what’s a better way to destroy a multicultural society than to divide them and put them onto each others’ throats? Cassandra sent several mercenaries to attack the Solarian community near Sh’va. These mercenaries wear Lunarians’ traditional clothing and a cloak with Lumenos symbols on it. The injured civilians believed that the Lunarians had attacked them, sparking rages all over the region, and within days, Sh’va became a war zone between the Solarians and Lunarians who lived there. Cassandra took this advantage to send spies into the other regions, these spies acted as provocateurs and also informants to Cassandra. Within a couple of months, chaos spread all over Solaria, civil unrest was inevitable and the streets turned into a pool of blood. The Royal Court informed Radius and Luna about this and demanded them to take immediate action.

The Royal Court, comprised of both Solarian and Lunarian descents started to blame each other for the war. However, the Solarians believed that the Lunarians were the ones who started the conflict by pointing weapons at them first. This argumentation and conflicts occurred both horizontally (between civilians) and vertically (between the members of the Royal Court), prompting the King and Queen to act.

The situation worsened when the Solarian High Council pushed King Radius to launch an attack at a possible Lunarian rebels' hideout, located in a region called Enzu. Radius complied believing that it was their hideout ended up killing roughly one hundred Lunarian civilians. His action enraged Luna. Radius commands the army without discussing it with his wife first or even confirming that there were no civilians in that region, this results in a heated argument between the two. Luna, feeling betrayed and disappointed with the Solarians and Radius, decided to side with her people.

The war continues, and although both King and Queen have stepped in to try to ease the situation, the culmination of all the events happens one night, when an angry Solarian mob storms the Temple of Yarikh and destroys it along with all of its contents including the artifacts, some sacred tablets and the statue of the goddess. Of course, this enraged the Lunarians because the Temple of Yarikh is the sacred place built for Luna, and the Solarians soiled the sacred temple. The Lunarians decided to launch an attack on the Solarians but Luna warned them not to act recklessly because they were easily outnumbered. Instead, Luna suggested that both sides sign a treaty of peace because they are already too many casualties from both sides. 

The treaty happened in the year 685. The treaty of peace contained an agreement that both sides must follow: “...the planet of Solaria belongs to the Solarian people and therefore planet Lumenos belongs to the Lunarian people.” Both sides parted ways, and soon after Radius and Luna signed the treaty, they were divorced. There is no point in retaining their marriage after all of this bloodbath. The year 685, marked the end of the lunisolar calendar that was used in Solaria and Lumenos for centuries, both changed their calendars, marking the end of the Year of The Sun and Moon and in Solaria it became year 1 of the new Solarian calendar—also called as the Year of The New Sun while in Lumenos it was called the Year of The New Moon.

Hence, the first step of Cassandra’s conspiracy is complete. She had succeeded in removing Luna from the Royal Family.

After they divorced, Radius was busy rebuilding and revitalizing Solaria. Radius turned into a workaholic and even though he loves his daughter, he has too little time to be with her. Stella, the genius princess, grows up to be a teenager with abandonment issues, she often seeks validation from other people and gets in trouble just to gain her father’s attention. Her relationship with her mother was not better either, Stella has a complicated relationship with her mother, she doesn’t hate her because she “abandons” her family but Stella always feels that there is a gap between her and her mother. To the point that she became scared when she had to face her mother, not because she viewed her as a traitor to her family but because of the past that she kept seeing in her, a time when all of them were still together. 

After a few years, Cassandra decided it was time to move on to her second plan—assassinating Stella and dethroning Radius. But there’s a problem, Stella goes to Alfea to study how to become a fairy and it becomes impossible for Cassandra to assassinate her. So, she sticks with her plan to dethrone Radius first, of course, she needs to be more careful this time because Radius is much more cautious. 

Luckily for Solaria, it took Cassandra some time to strategize and the evil woman was too comfortable basking in her victory. We’ll see what she has up her sleeves.

[sleeplesssmol]

Reference to Alexander the Great, his General, Antigonus, and the Battle of Gabiene.

The "Treasures of the Aegean Sea" tells the saga of a family of Western arcanists whose journey spans thousands of miles and over two millennia. Their ancestors fought alongside a Macedonian God-King (possibly Alexander the Great), shifting their loyalties after his death to the one-eyed general (possibly Antigonus). These war-hardened veterans joined his army after the Battle of Gabiene and formed a powerful but volatile force.

The arcanists within this army were eventually sent east, where they blended into the Sogdian tribes and thrived along the Central Asian trade routes. Over time, they settled near the ancient Hellenistic city of Ai-Khanoum, establishing a small arcanist commune. However, the turbulence of early conflicts eventually scattered them once again, leaving behind only fragments of their story—maps, diaries, epitaphs, and archives that tell the tale of their incredible adventure.

Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), king of Macedon, succeeded his father Philip II at age 20 and embarked on a decade-long military campaign, creating one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Greece to India. Undefeated in battle, he conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire and expanded Macedonian control across Western and Central Asia, Egypt, and parts of South Asia. After defeating Indian king Porus, Alexander’s army refused to advance further, leading him to turn back. He died in 323 BC in Babylon. His conquests spread Greek culture widely, marking the start of the Hellenistic period. Alexander’s military legacy influenced later leaders and became legendary, inspiring literature across many cultures. source

Antigonus I Monophthalmus aka "Antigonus the One-Eyed"; 382 – 301 BC) was a Macedonian general and a key successor to Alexander the Great. After serving in Alexander's army, he became satrap of Phrygia and later assumed control over large parts of Alexander’s former empire. He declared himself king (basileus) in 306 BC and founded the Antigonid dynasty. Following a series of wars among Alexander’s successors, Antigonus became one of the most powerful Diadochi, ruling over Greece, Asia Minor, and parts of the Near East. However, he was defeated and killed at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, leading to the division of his kingdom. His son Demetrius later took control of Macedonia. source

Gabiene: After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, his generals immediately began squabbling over his empire. Soon it degenerated into open warfare, with each general attempting to claim a portion of Alexander's vast kingdom. One of the most talented generals among the Diadochi was Antigonus Monophthalmus (Antigonus the One-eyed), so called because of an eye he lost in a siege. During the early years of warfare between the Successors, he faced Eumenes, a capable general who had already crushed Craterus. The two Diadochi fought a series of actions across Asia Minor, and Persia and Media before finally meeting in what was to be a decisive battle at Gabiene (Greek: Γαβιηνή). source

[jeannereames]

Hello professor Reames! I just read your earlier answer about Antipatros, yet I still have to ask: didn't Alexander foresee how dangerous letting so much power consolidate in the hands of such a man could be? In the Macedon proper, nonetheless! Do you think, if Alexander had lived enough to return to Greece or at least after his conquests were solidified, that he would have removed Antipatros from his position as regent?

Why Antipatros Couldn't Become King

Antipatros couldn’t become king���not while an Argead lived. So why remove him? Also, it could have been dangerous. See, Antipatros had held the role of regent at least back to Perdikkas III, and his father/grandfather Iolaos, held it under Perdikkas II. That suggests a sort of hereditary position. To simply “remove” him from it would require a damn good reason.

Just like, when ATG came to the throne, he couldn’t just “fire” the Bodyguards (Somatophylakes) who his father had appointed. He had to wait until either they died, or they were reappointed (by him) to a more prestigious position such as a satrapy (as happened with Balakros).

If regent was indeed an hereditary role in Macedon, by removing Antipatros, Alexander would’ve had to be VERY careful about who he put there, if not Kassandros (which he’d have done when iron floated). Supposedly, towards the end of his life, he did send Krateros back to Macedon to become regent, as he’d apparently been quite ill, so it was a “medical leave” from active military duty. Although as I’ve said elsewhere, I think his real job, at least at first, was to oversee the construction of a fleet in Cilicia, for Alexander to attack Carthage. They just didn’t want to advertise that too soon. He may (or may not) have been intended to then go with the army to Carthage.

Antipatros was, meanwhile, summoned to Babylon. Again, some have assumed he was being called on the carpet for over-reach back home. I’m not so sure. If Alexander was about to leave Persia for Arabia and/or Carthage, it’s possible that he wanted somebody Very Experienced to hold the fort in Babylon/Persia. It’s possible, again, that he intended to leave Hephaistion there, but that obviously fell through. Even so, the orders to Antipatros and the sending home of Krateros happened sometime in the summer of 2024—before Hephaistion died. So that would have reflected what he intended before Hephaistion’s death cast a spanner in his original plans.

In short, I think there are ways to interpret these orders that aren’t negative. It’s possible he was worried about Antipatros’ consolidation of power, but I kinda doubt it—because that assumes Antipatros could make a bid for the kingship. And he couldn’t. Especially back home in Macedon, the citizens wouldn’t have accepted a non-Argead while an Argead lived.

The mistake I think folks commonly make is forgetting the “must be an Argead” rule…or discounting it because that dissolved in the Successor Wars. But it didn’t dissolve until surviving Argead males were dead. Nobody called himself “king” until after, even when they were acting like kings, and may well have planned to kill the king(s) as soon as they could get away with it. AND note that the Successor kings were really keen to marry an Argead woman (Kleopatra or Thessalonike). Furthermore, I suspect the idea that they could become kings themselves developed over time. Initially, they just wanted to carve off a chunk of the empire to effectively rule over, as satrap.

That (religious) royal charisma of the Argead line MATTERED, and was very, very deeply embedded in the consciousness of Macedonian tradition.

So, theories that Parmenion/Philotas were plotting to kill Alexander to become king, or that Antipatros planned to do so…those arise from not understanding how Macedonian kingship worked. And, furthermore, are kinda modern. Sure, it’s possible they wanted to kill Alexander (specifically) because they thought he’d got out of control…but they’d need an Argead to replace him. (Which would have been either Arrhidaios or, earlier, Alexander of Lynkestis.)

Such a supposition also assumes Philotas was part of Dimnos’s plot n the first place, and I don’t believe he was. I think he was just an arrogant little shit who didn’t take seriously, and so failed to report, Dimnos’s plot, then fell victim to his own stupidity. 😉 As for the supposed plot of Antipatros (and Aristotle) to poison Alexander (much later), that’s a product of the Successor Wars. Negative propaganda about Antipatros by his enemies.

So, I don’t think either plan was real anyway, at least not on Parmenion’s or Antipatros’s part. (Dimnos’s plot was certainly real.) Yet if they had been, neither Parmenion/Philotas nor Antipatros could have become king themselves. Ergo, any concerns on Alexander’s part wouldn’t have been over Antipatros consolidating power to take the throne, but consolidating power to assassinated HIM, specifically.

[barbucomedie]

Sarcophagus Carving from Egypt dated between 332 - 330 BCE on display at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland

This sarcophagus comes from the conquest of Persian controlled Egypt (under the Achaemenid Empire) from Alexander the Great of Macedonia. During the Persian rulers the art styles and customs of ancient Egypt adapted to new rulers but still were maintained by said rulers. The art styles of the ancient kingdoms that came before the conquerors can be seen here in the sarcophagus.

Photographs taken by myself 2023

[tmwcs]

Mermaids Tale - Chapter 4

This was a fun chapter to revise, no smut, just pure details of Heeseung's ancestry. hehehehe. it's getting good.

So because tumblr is still being a pain, this isnt' really proof read. I couldn't copy and paste the chapter in, so i had just retype the whole thing while staring at the original draft to keep the flow of the storyline accurate, but there might be some grammar errors. I'll fix that whenever Tumblr stops being mean to me.

Pairings: Heeseung and you

Warnings: So while there is no smut, there is mentioning and implying of slave breeding, coerce sex, rape (not mentioned directly, just implied) being used for DNA, capture and imprisonment, and i think that's it. some of it is directly stated, while majority of it is heavily implied.

Begin read below line :)

8th Century BC

In the northern sphere of the southwestern district, an area where the Balkan Peninsula would eventually run through in the Mediterranean region, an ancient kingdom currently occupies a large part of the European continent, bearing as the most notorious empire in the world.

Named after its line of successors during the age of its victorious period, the kingdom had become the most significant empire during the Byzantine Dynasty. It’s last known ruler, history’s triumphant conqueror, Alexander III of Macedon, son of Philip II, became greatly known for his enhanced strategic command and leadership, and the greatest King during the Macedon Dynasty.

Today, he is commonly known as Alexander the Great. 

Following the events that took place within the Asia Minor, the great king feared of the dangers that lurked and threatened his line of succession. Establishing a hidden order and made up entirely of his secret sons to carry out his legacy, a clan, called the “Sons of Adam”, named after the First Man, was created. Carrying the bloodline of his ruling essence, through ages of descendants produced by his own offspring, Alexanders will, unaware by the myriad of enemies he made during his conquer, thrived through the proposed non-existence of his male heirs.

Knowing the dangers of corruption that remained prevalent in his kingdom, Alexander could not afford to put his bloodline at risk of elimination at the hands of his enemies, thus all records of his sons were destroyed, as they were removed from the kingdom and tucked away within the great monasteries of the continent.

By forming the clan, members, simply known as an “Adam”, were highly trained and skilled in the art of using sword and shield. They learned the battle techniques that were both domestic and foreign to them, developing advanced flexibility, stamina, and strength. Under secrecy, they were assigned to the temples that worshipped the ancient Gods of their time, serving as the guardians that protected the old religion, becoming just as forgettable as the priests and nuns who lived amongst, and cared for them.

When Alexanders untimely death came about, many throughout Persia and the Asia Minor displayed their corruptions as countless formations that the former king left behind, were eradicated. Many agreements became broken, all leading to the division of the Macedon Kingdom, ceasing its existence.

To avoid the risk of exposing their identities, the Sons of Adam were eventually migrated to Hellenistic Sicily, to further keep their lineage a secret as the last known warriors of Macedonia.

Through the natural and manmade disasters that occurred through every period of the world’s age, the sons of Alexander the Great had no choice but to spread, furthering the promotion of their procreation as the prestige lineage of a dying breed.

In the early 19th century, a young Merchant Marine by the name of Ethan Alexandros, travels and participates in the Russo-Japanese War during the Joseon Dynasty. In the aftermath, Ethan retires and remained in the conquered country of Korea, marrying a local woman, and carrying out his deed as a descendant of his great relative and wife, Alexander and Roxana, as well as carrying out the sworn duty as an Adam.

Much like his relatives, the fellow Adams immigrated throughout the world, spreading their legacy, and secretly merged with humanity. Through their great traits, some of which displayed longevity in their lifespan and youth, or inhuman strength, the Adams were careful to remain unidentified, Ethan was no different.

Continuing the bestowal of his ancestor’s birthright in the oriental region, Ethan and his wife produced three sons, all of which continued the lineage of male born offspring to continue. Just as his relatives had done to him, he blesses them with a surname that is not of his own, to carefully maintain the discretion of the clan’s formation. Allowing his children to inherit the name of their mother’s family, Ethan’s sons were all christened with the surname, Lee.

Today, a young man, unaware of his superior lineage, migrates through the city. With the intelligence equivalent to that of the most respected educators in the world, and the abnormally high aptitude of mastering abilities, both in combat and various skillsets, Lee Heeseung is bidding farewell to his peers and employment, as a member of the elite SWAT force of the Provisional Government in his division. Along with his elder brothers, the boys displayed impressive records of their abilities in their military background, earning them an expedited transfer into the force upon completing their time in service, as the eldest became the lead security chief of staff for the nation’s government, while the middle brother was contracted as a general for the nation’s largest military force. The youngest, with his high modest and humble value, opted for a contract to better serve the public, and signed with the police organization, accepting the role of supervising team leader and chief of his division.

For the youngest son, that was always the case, he differed greatly from his elder brothers. He was smarter, stronger, the highest skilled and talented among the three. It was widely known how abnormally attractive each brother was, however, Heeseung always won the majority of popular votes when it came to being the best looking out of the three. It wasn’t just limited to his appearance either, the man had a gift of song as he would often, while unintentionally, serenade every woman, or even men, whenever his team would let off some steam and partake in a night of drinking and karaoke. Bewildered by the trait of capturing the hearts of everyone around him, it was eerie for his friends and co-workers to note how the people around him, as he sung sweetly to the tunes of the song of choice, entranced all around him.

How was this possible?...

‘The ancestor Ethan was a descendant of Alexander and his youngest wife, Roxana, well after the order was established, many Adam’s caught the eye of kings and rulers during the period of when mortals were at war with the Sirens. Noting their enhanced combat abilities and vast knowledge in foreign weaponry and techniques, the Adam’s were all bid and hired by the kings of the land to aid in humanity’s conquest in defeating the Sirens.

Just as expected of them, the Adam’s were able to not only fend off the maidens of the sea, somehow, though still unexplainable, the Adam’s were immune to the whims of the oceanic goddesses as many of them were defeated and brutally killed off by the prowess of the clan, though, had they not been masked and blinded by the steel guard of their head pieces, inhibiting the clear view of the other worldly beauty of each maiden slaughtered, the clan would have committed to more humane death.

After realizing the beauty of these maidens, which appeared to be the only factor that had any effect on the clan, the eldest Adam, Philippe, commanded his brethren to capture and detain whatever maiden was left. Upon learning that the maidens had the ability to develop legs, the captured Sirens were imprisoned on land, within the grand estates of the clan, all awarded by the kings that hired the young men.

Unbeknownst to the royal family, the Adam’s brought back the remaining Sirens, trapped them within their mansions as they turned them into wives, and produced future sons with them. It was both out of endearment and love for their beauty and to enhance their bloodline as they discovered that offspring between an Adam and a Siren, contained the capabilities of both worlds. Their lifespan increased, immunities against disease and poison was enhanced, their strengths and ability in the water also evolved. Though it wasn’t apparent with every single offspring, some, the rare types, were born with all the above traits, along with the ability to hypnotize their opponents with their voice, a trait that solely came from the lineage of their maternal side.

An uncommon ability, yet widely desired amongst the descendants, the Adam’s strived to produce the strongest of heirs, as they kept the Siren’s to themselves, forcing them to live and adapt to live among mortals, something that Celine, the youngest siren, did out of her own accord.

Aware of what had happened with her captured sisters, Celine was careful to avoid crossing paths with the male descendants. However, the dying number of sirens that managed to avoid getting captured, were all forced to hide in the deep trenches of the ocean, remaining out of sight as they feared the clan. Realizing that she did not desire to lurk in darkness forever, Celine migrated to the land, where she portrayed herself as a mere mortal survivor from shipwreck, met and married a kind sailor who became enamored by her beauty and sweet voice.

Within due time, Celine learned to love and care for her husband, wanting nothing more than to be by his side forever. Even though her tolerance for mortals was more temperamental and gentler compared to the ruthless behavior of her sisters, Celine never thought it possible to love one. Yet, as fate would have it, her immortality inhibited her from continuing her happiness with him in the afterlife, thus was left with no choice but to disappear and go back to the sea once her husband aged but noticed that his wife’s appearance remained the same. It was heart breaking; however, she knew it had to be done for the safety of herself and her daughters. Making a pact and telling them of their bloodline, the daughters bid farewell to their mother, and continued their lives, promising that the story of their ancestry is passed down to each generation, and if the moment comes where a daughter falls in love and marries a mortal, she too, at some point in her life, will have to disappear and live her life roaming in the sea…’

Earlier in the year, the elders of the Lee family established an agreement for the three brothers to take over the major corporation as the President, CEO and Executive Director of the affluential company that monopolized the world, establishing an impressive family background and insurmountable wealth to their name. It was always the family’s wish, contracting an agreement with the boys since childhood that they were free to choose their path up until the time would come, where each one must set aside whatever career or background they marked on their own, and take in the responsibility of continuing the direction of the family’s economical creation, to maintain the superior status of the Lee family line. It was an act to keep the business strictly within the family, avoiding the risks of outsiders in corrupting and ruining what the Lee family had created and entitled in their name.

Each day, adorning dashing suits and expensive accessories, Heeseung slowly acclimates to a lifestyle that lacked the thrill and adventure he was accustomed to by joining the Navy Seals, transferring into the SWAT force, and overseeing the division of the districts most promising officers.

Soon after he inherited his new billet of becoming the executive director of his family’s company, under the mentorship of his grandfather, the feeling of complacency coated his mood as he found himself succumbing to boredom. Taking note of his lack of enthusiasm, the senior member of the company’s presidential board did his best to enthrall his grandson in a myriad of ways; hiring the prettiest applicants to fulfill the roles of his personal secretary or filling the entire upper floor of the headquarters building with the loveliest staff members to accompany his business trips at his choosing.

Appreciating his grandfather’s efforts, Heeseung put up a front, but never exposed that his grandfather’s method didn’t work. It only provided temporary aid in relieving the mental frustrations he developed from his administrative duties as he chose one lovely woman or another each week, bedding and spoiling them rotten until they too became dull and boorish to his desire.

Day by day, Heeseung managed to acclimate to his new duties by balancing his time in the prestige gym facility at the company’s headquarters building, or by frequenting the luxury spots in town with a different beautiful woman by his side. The thrill of seeking, tracking, and capturing criminals or terrorists was hard to replace, but he somehow was able to manage. Long before he knew it, the yearning sense of that active career didn’t bug him as much, largely thanks to the amount of martial art sessions he did throughout the day, at least his senior position at the company allotted him his own schedule to do nearly whatever he wanted. It was good to be king. Within due time, he mastered the arts of Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, hell, he ever learned to dance extravagant choreographies, hiring the best in the business as tutors.

Getting by, he grew more content, putting his elder family members at peace of mind as they were overly concerned the boy would stray from his diligent duties, due to the austerity of adapting to his new environment. It all became a lot easier once he was able to fill his days with the most challenging and physical demanding hobbies, and developing friends whose families became connected to his family through contracted partnerships, expanding influence and wealth, yet remained just as humble as he did. Friends such as Jake, and Jay.

Yes, all was seemingly going well and finally he was beginning to feel content…

Until he met you…

Not only did the urge and the thrill of ‘hunting’ came back to his senses, but it was also stronger. Much stronger than it ever had been. Unsure as to why, it was clear that you weren’t a criminal or posed as a threat to anyone, if anything, you were dignified and classy, it was remarkable. Yet your physical traits, whistling voice, and royal posture went unnoticed as he couldn’t help but watched you the entire event that night. His mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts, some sordid, while others were genuinely romantic. It was hard to make sense of the feeling, he’s never felt it before, something just stirred inside him, and it was so powerful that he swore he stopped breathing for a moment.

Aside from being trapped in a world of your wonderous beauty, there was another matter that was left unexplained. In the parameters of your presence, there was a feeling, a sensation that ripped through his body, it was neither painful nor pleasant. Almost as if something about you was calling to him, it was a phenomenon that only could be felt whenever you were nearby, yet the moment he noticed and watched you sneak out, under the pretense that you did so undetected, he allowed you to ‘escape’ as his theory turned into a fact when he watched you exit out of the ballroom, and along with you, that odd sensation disappeared.

However, even after you departed, it did nothing to inhibit the image of your face, the swaying of your body and feminine essence as you walk, and the flowing of your hair, it all permanently remained in his mind. When he took Kourtney to his bed that night, fucking her was hard to focus on, which wasn’t an issue with all of the women he’s had in the past. Fact is, the dashing playboy became desired not just for his handsome looks and soothing voice, the rumors that spiraled from one woman to the next built his reputation of how talented he was in bed. By morning, each woman lucky enough to be plunged by the Asian Casanova became a pool of a submitted mess as they became dazed and begging for more, in which he gladly obliged, all thanks to his high stamina, yet after weeks, perhaps even months, he left a trail of broken hearts as he expressed his lack of enthusiasm with whatever beauty he had been courting at the time.

Somehow, there was something inside that gave a sense, that when it comes to you, things would be different. Much different. Almost as if his gut was telling him that you both were meant to be, that you were his soulmate, it was crazy, yet it only made sense to him as the voice in his head beading his mind, repeatedly chanting…

‘Take her.’

Writer's note: Chapter 5 is going to be posted really soon ;)

[gemsofgreece]

I know we often talk about all the regions of Greece plus the Islands, but what about Thessaly region? It's so underrated even though it has Olympus, meteora, beautiful places, forests to go. Not only that but wasn't part of king Aiolou in the Odyssey?

This region in my opinion is not talked enough about it's culture and history i am sure even from ancient times it has given a lot to Greek history.

Yay let's give some love to Thessaly! I share your feelings. I like this region a lot. So let's make a post with cool facts about Thessaly.

But before that I would like to comment on why Thessaly appears to be overlooked. I think the reason is that Thessaly is in between two regions that have attracted so much the interest of historians. It is sandwiched between Argos, meaning all of south Greece with Athens and Sparta and all the load of city states, and Macedonia. It gets more or less the same treatment with Epirus. Furthermore, Thessaly's biggest power is also its weakness. Thessaly is what is considered the "breadbasket" of the nation. An essentially provincial agricultural area, vast as nowhere else in Greece, it did not intrigue as much as the other regions with their drama, polities, conquests or artistic and scientific achievements.

Cool facts about Thessaly:

Despite its later obscurity with historians, exactly because of its vast fertile land, Thessaly had some of the earliest advanced settlements in Europe during the Neolithic period, such as Sesklo (6800 BC) and Dimini (4800 BC).

In the Mycenaean Age, Thessaly was known as Aeolia. The dialect spoken was Aeolic Greek. The Homeric epics are written in a mix of Ionic and Aeolic Greek. Aeolic Greek was considered the ideal dialect for poetry and lyricism. Poets and Rhapsodoi would travel to Thessaly to find inspiration.

Thessaly has paramount significance for the Greek mythology. Mount Olympus is located where Thessaly and Macedonia meet, so this is where the Gods lived. Achilles was born and reigned in Thessaly (his kingdom encompassed Phthia and extended beyond the Thessalian borders into Hellas, the westernmost meeting point of Thessaly, Epirus and Central Greece). Centaur Chiron raised many heroes in Mount Pelion, which is the origin place of centaurs. Jason and the Argonauts embarked for their journey from the city of Iolcos (now Volos). And loads more myths are associated with Thessaly.

Thessaly was somewhere between the world of the southern city states and the Kingdom of Macedon. It was usually a kingdom too or dismantled in a few smaller kingdoms ruled by the tagoi, aristocratic warlords. During the early classical period, Thessaly started being influenced by democracy however after observing the rise of Macedon, the Thessalians essentially invited King Philip to incorporate the region into his sphere of influence and Thessaly returned into having one single powerful king.

It is kinda evident that the Thessalians just wanted to live their lives and were absorbed with their own matters, trying to stay away from most drama. That lack of drama earns them their obscurity. Of course there were microdramas between nobility and kingdoms and all that but honestly nothing in comparison to the southern mayhems or the excessive northern ambition. Despite their low profile, Thessalians were wanted in other Greek armies for their cavalry.

During Roman and Byzantine times, the region was constantly targeted by invaders including Slavs, Avars, Huns etc due to its fertile land. This made the Byzantine emperors often remove or transfer away foreign populations from the area and have Greeks from other regions to settle in, to reinforce the Greek element of the region.

Much like in all other eras of its history, Thessaly was somewhere in the middle during the stages of the Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire. It was incorporated to Greece after Peloponnese and Roumeli (Sterea Hellas) but before Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace.

Thessaly is a diverse land. It has a core of extended farmland dotted with hills and mountains as well as rivers and lakes, surrounded by a ring of big mountain ranges. At its west it expands to the Pindus mountains and their woodlands, at its north lies Mount Olympus and its east finds the Aegean sea and boosts a remarkable coastline. It also has three major islands, generally considered some of the most densely forested in the country and with beaches often featured in Top lists across the world. Sightings of seals and dolphins are common near its coasts.

Due to its geomorphology, the Thessalian plain gets some of the hottest temperatures in the summer and some of the coldest in the winter.

Thessaly is home to the most significant natural wonder of Greece. The rocks of Meteora. Meteora is a group of massive rock formations dating to the Paleogene era when this area was still part of the seabed, before the sea was pushed upwards and away. Meteora have been inhabited by monks ever since the middle Byzantine period. It has 20 Byzantine and post-Byzantine monasteries, out of which six are still in service. Aside from a natural wonder, the region is also a UNESCO world heritage monument.

After the independence, the region prospered due to being the largest farmland in Greece as well as having the third largest port in the country. It is the third most populous region after Sterea Hellas (which has Athens) and the large Macedonia (which has Thessaloniki). As a result, Thessaly is the only region in Greece with two major cities of about the same population, Larissa and Volos, the 5th and 6th largest cities of the country respectively, in close proximity. Larissa boasts an ancient past associated to Achilles and is the metropolis of agricultural and industrial Greece, all while buzzing with nightlife and a lot of student life. The also mythologically rich Volos is the Thessalian port, ensured with prosperity even during the hardship of Ottoman times, and is very notable among Greeks and those few foreigners who know for being surrounded from all sides by beautiful scenery, including very forested mountains, hills, extended shorelines, peninsulas, islands and numerous beautiful villages which combine tradition with a cosmopolitan flair.

The rest of the region is decorated by the rare outstanding mountainous beauty of Trikala, which also encompasses Meteora, and is one of the towns in Greece more focused on improving the quality of life for its citizens, often becoming a point of reference for other places. Karditsa with its traditional feel completes the quartet, offering access to the beautiful Lake Plastira and Agrafa mountains, some of the most unexplored and undisturbed, both naturally and culturally, regions of Greece.

And now some photos from Thessaly under the cut. Enjoy!

Various regions of Larissa

Various regions of Magnesia (Volos)

Various regions in Trikala

Various regions in Karditsa

Various regions from Sporades islands

All photos chosen randomly in Google search just to give you an idea. I do not own any of these.

Hopefully you enjoyed this tribute Anon!

Also, to anyone wondering "wasn't this supposed to be a farmland?", well yeah, it is by Greek standards. The farmland is indeed very big, it's just that if I showed many photos from the plain I would be running short of mountains and coasts. And also, Greeks typically don't take photos of their plains as often so I'd had to make a more strenuous search.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 11.13

Holidays

Actor’s Day

Advocacy Action Day

Blame Someone Else Day

Brassiere Day

Canterbury Day (New Zealand)

Caregiver Appreciation Day

Day of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops (Russia)

Geographic Information Systems Day

International Day of Huntington’s Disease

International Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome Awareness Day

Lhabab Duechen (Bhutan)

Madder Day (French Republic)

Mister Rogers Cardigan Day

National Community Education Day

National Dream Destination Day

National Hug a Musician Day

National Japanese Culture Day

National Mom’s and Dad’s Day

National Reread Old Letters and Magazines Day

National Saddle Hunting Day

National Sunflower Day (South Africa)

Njegos Day (Montenegro)

Odd Couple Day

Odd Socks Day (UK)

Quasihomosexual Pride Day

Sadie Hawkins Day [also 11.15 & 1st Saturday]

Start a Rumor Day

Swiftie Day

Symphonic Metal Day

Tree Festival Day (Tunisia)

Tree Day (Macedonia)

World Kindness Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Frankfurter Day

Indian Pudding Day

National Bread Pudding Day

National Chicken Nugget Day

National Roast Dinner Day (UK)

National Sea Salt Caramel Day

World Mediterranean Diet Day

Independence & Related Days

Politzania Independence Day (Klaatu)

2nd Wednesday in November

Blue Wednesday [2nd Wednesday]

Buß- und Bettag (Day of Repentance and Prayer; Bavaria, Saxony) [2nd Wednesday before 1st Sunday in Advent]

Hump Day [Every Wednesday]

International Pathology Day [2nd Wednesday]

National CTEPH Awareness Day [2nd Wednesday]

Wacky Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Watermelon Wednesday [2nd Wednesday of Each Month]

Website Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Workout Wednesday [2nd Wednesday of Each Month]

Weekly Holidays beginning November 13 (2nd Full Week of November)

Geography Awareness Week (thru 11.17)

World Kindness Week (thru 11.19) [Week Starting 11.13]

Festivals Beginning November 13, 2024

Cairo International Film Festival (Cairo, Egypt) [thru 11.22]

Country Living Christmas Fair (London, United Kingdom) [thru 11.16]

Rock the Bells Cruise (Miami, Florida) [thru 11.17]

Feast Days

Abbo of Fleury (Christian; Saint)

Agostina Livia Pietrantoni (Christian; Saint)

Arcadius and His Companions (Christian; Martyrs)

Barneveldt (Positivist; Saint)

Benny Andrews (Artology)

Bertel Thorvaldsen (Artology)

Brice of Tours (Christian; Saint)

Charles Simeon (Church of England)

Chillen (a.k.a. Killian; Christian; Saint)

Chuang Tzu’s Day

Constant (Christian; Saint)

Cranberry Sparkle Cake Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

The Dangerous Dragon (Muppetism)

Death-Watch (Celtic Book of Days)

Didacus (Diego) of Alcalá (Christian; Saint) [Cooks]

Epulum Iovis (Festival of Feronia, Juno, Minerva and Jupiter; Ancient Rome)

Eugenius II of Toledo (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Feronia (a.k.a. Epulum Iovis; Old Etruscan and Roman Fertility Goddess)

Feast of Hundred Thousand Martyrs of Tbilisi (Georgia)

Feast of the Saints of the Premonstratensian Order (Roman Catholic)

Festival of Feronia (Ancient Roman Goddess of Wildlife, Fertility, Health & Abundance)

Festival of Jupiter (Ancient Rome)

Fontinalia (Festival to Fons, Spirit of Springs; Pagan)

Fortuna Primigenia (Fortune of the Firstborn; Ancient Rome)

Frances Xavier Cabrini (Christian; Saint)

George V. Higgins (Writerism)

Homobonus (Christian; Saint)

The Hundred Thousand Martyrs of Tbilisi (Georgian Orthodox Church)

Ides of November (Ancient Rome)

John Chrysostom (Eastern Orthodox, Repose)

Kilian (Christian; Saint)

Leandro (Christian; Saint) [Spain]

Maxellendis (Christian; Virgin & Martyr)

Mitrius (Christian; Saint)

Nicholas I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Otis Campbell Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Quintian of Rodez (Christian; Saint)

Rivkah (Artology)

Robert Louis Stevenson (Writerism)

Saints of the Benedictine family (Christian; Saints)

Saints of the Premonstratensian Order (Christian; Saints)

Stanislaus Kostka (Christian; Saint)

Stephen Baxter (Writerism)

Talk to Birds Day (Pastafarian)

Tooth Collection Days begin (Fairies; Shamanism)

William Gibson (Writerism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Day of Darkness, Evil & Misfortune (Medieval Europe) [13th Day after Halloween)

Prime Number Day: 317 [66 of 72]

Premieres

Aladdin (Animated Disney Film; 1992)

An Arrow Escape (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1936)

Beauty Shoppe (Ub Iwerks Cartoon; 1940)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Film; 1992)

The Bush Pusher or Beri Beri Who’s Got the Berry? (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 178; 1962)

Caroline Lamb (Writerism)

Double Danger (Animated TV Show;Jonny Quest #9; 1964)

Downhearted Duckling (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1954)

Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man, by Aleksandr Ostrovsky (Play; 1868)

Fantasia (Animated Disney Film; 1940)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Stop Motion Film; 2009)

The Forty Thieves (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1932)

Hairied and Hurried (WB MM Cartoon; 1965)

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad (Novel; 1902)

Laundry Service, by Shakira (Album; 2001)

Laura, by Vera Caspary (Novel; 1942)

The Lightning Bugs or Nuts and Volts (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 177; 1962)

The Line, The Cross & The Curve, by Kate Bush (Short Film; 1993)

Lionheart, by Kate Bush (Album; 1978)

Lose Yourself, by Eminem (Song; 2002)

Mountain Mover or Boris Sneaks a Peak (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 72; 1960)

An Old-Fashioned Love Song, by Three Dog Night (Song; 1971)

1, by The Beatles (Compilation Album; 2000)

Out of the Past (Film; 1947)

Out of This Whirl (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1959)

Porky’s Double Trouble (WB LT Cartoon; 1937)

Rocky and the Rock or Braver and Boulder (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 71; 1960)

The Saint in Pursuit, by Fleming Lee (Short Stories; 1970) [Saint #43]

Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (Hanna-Barbera Animated TV Movie; 1988)

A Short History of Decay, by Emil M. Cioran (Science Book; 1949)

Silent Night, recorded by Bing Crosby (Song; 1935)

Ski for Two (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1944)

2012 (Film; 2009)

War and Remembrance (TV Mini-Series; 1988)

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak (Children’s Book; 1963)

Whistler’s Father, Parts 1 & 2 (Underdog Cartoon, S2, Eps. 33 & 34; 1965)

Yellow Submarine (Animated Film; 1968)

Today’s Name Days

Eugen, Livia, Stanislaus (Austria)

Brcko, Brickije, Didak, Dobroslav, Homobonus, Ivan, Mitar, Stanislav, Stanko (Croatia)

Tibor (Czech Republic)

Arcadius (Denmark)

Krister, Kristjan, Kristo, Risto (Estonia)

Ano, Kristian (Finland)

Brice (France)

Eugen, Livia, Stanislaus, Rene (Germany)

Chrysostomos, Damaskinos, Hrysostomos (Greece)

Szilvia (Hungary)

Brizio, Diego, Omobono, Paterniano (Italy)

Eižens, Jevgēņija, Jevgēņijs, Taida (Latvia)

Arkadijus, Eirima, Norvydas (Lithuania)

Kirsten, Kirsti (Norway)

Arkadiusz, Arkady, Brykcjusz, Eugeniusz, Jan, Mikołaj, Stanisław, Walentyn (Poland)

Ioan (România)

Stanislav (Slovakia)

Diego, Leandro (Spain)

Krister, Kristian (Sweden)

Brice, Bruce, Bryce, Bryson, Stan, Stanford, Stanley (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 318 of 2024; 48 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of Week 46 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 18 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Yi-Hai), Day 13 (Xin-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 12 Heshvan 5785

Islamic: 11 Jumada I 1446

J Cal: 18 Wood; Threesday [18 of 30]

Julian: 31 October 2024

Moon: 93%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 10 Frederic (12th Month) [Gustavus Adolphus]

Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 52 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of November

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 21 of 30)