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dwollsadventures · 4 years ago

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The second part of a request from TheLOAD from... a while back. The initial one was the Nix/Nokk/Knucker piece. This one took me a little longer for a few reasons. Mostly school reasons. And writer's block reasons, which is why this is taking the place of the monthly preview. And because, for research, I had to re-read the entirety of Drakon by Daniel Ogden for information. For those not used to my pedantry, this is not an "in-canon" family tree of the Greek dragons, such as you might see in those huge Greek mythology family tree pictures that are on the internet (I've got a few in my favorites from waaaaayyyy back as well). Rather, this is a way of showing how the concept of the dragon came about throughout time and how other beings are related through those branching lines. Of course this is presented as a lot more neat than it probably should be. If it were truly accurate it would have interconnected lines all over the place and obscure the little lizards. Before we talk about what's on the tree let's talk about what's not on it. Though Odgen talks about every (and I mean every) slightly Draconic being in Greek and Roman mythology, I've opted to include a trimmed down version. Because some, like Medusa and Lamia, I personally do not consider dragons proper, and others like the goddess Keto are relatively obscure and probably only exist to explain the existence of a related being (like the ketea). Creatures like Chimera and Typhoeus are included because, while not usually serpentine or draconic, they are in effect dragons; horrible, vaguely reptilian monsters slain by a hero. Not every individual dragon is depicted, only the ones I thought pertinent to include. (warning: LONG)

To start with, a drakon is a snake. The Greeks used the word to refer to both huge monsters and mundane snakes. Drakon itself is derived from the word dérkomai and is believed to literally mean, "the one who sees". The hypnotizing power attributed to snakes is present in drakons, traditionally given the job of the sleepless guardian of treasure. Going back even further, we see that the drakon comes from two disparate cultural perceptions of snake, each of which is still present in its classical form.

Snake Goddess - One of the native precursors of the Greeks were the Minoans. They had more in common with their Egyptian and Near Eastern neighbors than the Italians and Balkans. From what little we can gather of their culture, it appears the snake was a symbol of the goddess. Whether or not it was any goddess in particular is unknown. This theme survives into ancient Greece, however. Athena often uses snakes as agents when acting with mortals, Hera uses them as well (the twin serpents who attempted to strangle Heracles and the Hydra), and Medea had a chariot pulled by snakes. Earth goddesses in particular are heavily associated with them. Python was a direct product of Gaia, and the snake was a divine symbol of Demeter, who also had a rad snake chariot. Even in mortal women, their dynamic with snakes and dragons is nurturing. Several heroines sing to snakes as their masculine counterparts steal the treasure they guard, fulfilling a nurturing role in comparison to the destructive masculine one. Here the snake is a guardian, a creature of the earth and everything beneath it, including gold and the dead. These dragons are usually not slain, but pacified by the presence of a woman. In addition, the beard is an originally Greek symbol associated with snakes, particularly those connected to the gods. This was quite possibly a signifier of their supernatural status above mundane serpents. The goddess depicted above isn't any one in particular, though her dress does pull from a statue of Athena holding a curled python.

Drakaina - One way in which the snake goddess has survived is in the drakaina. This word is simply the feminine form of drakon, but also encompasses the numerous beings characterized by having the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a drakon. Numerous beings in Greek mythology fit this theme, but the one I've focused on is the Scythian drakaina, a woman who intercepts Heracles during one of his labors and kidnaps some cows. She offers to return the cattle in exchange for a night of intercourse. And then Herc is off and we're told the three sons of that union go on to become kings of great renown in Scythia. Some authors interpret this as a Greek adaptation of a Scythian myth, with one of the key pieces of evidence being that the drakaina's name is Hora, meaning "Seasons". Regardless of whether or not this is a goddess, it is a story where the snake-woman is neither killed nor stolen from, instead given the prestige of being the founder of a line of kings.

PIE Chaos Serpent - From the Proto-Indo-Europeans up North, we get the dragon we're all more familiar with. Serpents of this breed, such as Apep, Tiamat, and Jormungand, are all enormous, destructive creatures allied with darkness and the unforgiving seas. They represent the primordial chaos from what order sprang out of, and often have a hand in trying to return the world to that way. One of the primary themes associated with them is the dragon slayer: a god or hero who fights a dragon to save something, be it a land or treasure or an Ethiopian princess.

Typhoeus - This guy, though significantly more humanoid and giant-like than any others, is the clearest example of a PIE chaos serpent in Greece. It does not get more typical than a giant snake (like) monster fighting a storm god. Typhoeus probably sprung from traditions where he was more serpentine, but gradually added other aspects. Such as his own storm god qualities. In Greece, gods associated with the winds are always given wings, save for Zeus. The two's battle is reflective of a battle between the terrible whirlwinds and lightning strikes and the calmer, helpful rain showers that enable humanity to survive.

And then we get to the drakon proper. Taking elements from both sides of the tree, the archetypal Greek drakon is an enormous, often monstrous serpent associated with both the underground and the waters in some way. They are agents of gods, most often goddesses, sent to battle heroes or guard priceless treasures. Sometimes they're killed, sometimes they're merely lulled to sleep by a helpful maiden. Rather than breathing fire (which everything from mechanical bulls to horses to giants do), they possess venoms and rows of sharp teeth. Mention of their terrible gazes is often made. This drakon has both a beard and a casque-like crown, common elements in drakon descriptions from Greece. Its face is much less serpentine, being modeled after a clay illustration of the Colchian dragon. This gives is a suitably monstrous look, as if it were being pealed from layers of mud.

Chimera - Despite its odd appearance, the chimera fits the pattern of a dragon terrorizing a countryside and being slain by a plucky hero. The chimera may in fact be the originator of the classical Saint George imagery, where the saint is depicted as towering over a crawling, pitiful dragon. A 3rd century mosaic from Imperial Rome may have started this trend. What makes her (because despite her mane the Chimera is a female) stand apart from all the rest is the sheer strangeness of her form compared to others. Especially the little goat that comes out of her back, like a rider. Which I had to cut for spacing reasons :(

Hydra - Another classical Greek dragon is the multi-headed hydra, who has given its name to a whole genre of creatures with more heads than they ought to have. In addition to having the attributes of a typical Greek drakon, the Hydra has two traits seen in Mesopotamian monsters as well. The first is the amount of heads. Having many heads is not as common in Greece as it is in the Near East, where the idea of an eleven-headed sea serpent pops up numerous times across several different cultures. The second is that the hydra, in its earliest mentioning by Hesiod, is said to have been raised by Hera specifically to combat Heracles. This same tactic is done by a few Mesopotamian gods. In their realm of influence, monsters are pawns of the gods, who send them out to do their bidding on Earth while they lounge in Heaven. Our Hydra may have been a later influence from Greece's neighbors to the East. Also, had to add in the crab that Hera also sends in to help the hydra. If this were a spec bio piece, I would make it a species of crab that evolved to clean the hydra of parasites.

Cetus - Sea monsters such as these are perhaps the furthest from the traditional Greek drakon, while still remaining core parts of the mythology. In form cetoi range from exaggerations of real whales and sharks to dog-headed serpents with frilly fins and ears. Or even animal-headed fish. Because they live underwater, they almost always function as tools of divine vengeance. Kinda hard to steal treasure underwater. Heavy metal tends to sink. While cetus was originally a word for any sea monster, it would eventually become the root of the scientific term cetacean: whales and dolphins.

But the tree doesn't end there. See, even after the culture we recognize as the Ancient Greeks and Romans faded, their dragons still lived on. Medieval Europe, with its glorification of Greco-Roman texts, derived many of their folk beliefs from their predecessors. Or, the people who they liked to imagine were there predecessors.

Draco - The Romans adopted the Greek drakon whole-clothe, like a lot of stuff. The only noteworthy original dragon to come out of the pre-Fall Roman era was the Dacian Draco. The Dacians used the image of a dragon as a standard during war-time, represented as a serpent with the head of a dog. When conquered, the Romans adopted this, possibly beginning the Western tradition of associating dragons with military power and identity. The dog-headed serpent would also survive to the modern period, showing up in descriptions of Balkan lamya.

Indian Drakon - Here begins a tradition in Greek and Roman literature that claimed that foreign parts were full of large, dangerous, and more interesting fauna than the mundane peninsula they were all stuck on. This is a common theme of humanity in general, where everyone you're not familiar with is teeming with exciting and ancient life. Just look at cryptozoology. India in particular was a favorite of Greek tall tales, being far away for journeys to be rare, but also rich and full of exotic animals. Philostratus populated India with three types of drakons: the lowly marsh, the silver hill, and the dazzling golden mountain drakons. They were typical in every respect, having enormous sizes, red crowns, beards, and guarding treasure beneath the earth. An interesting addition was that they were the mortal enemies of elephants. Being the largest land-animal (in real life), they made perfect prey for these humongous serpents. Feeding on them was fraught with peril, however, as the struggle between reptile and mammal could result in the death of either party, or both. To symbolize the foreignness of the drakon, I drew it as a sort of hybrid between the drakon and the Hindu naga.

Pliny's Drakon - This drakon is otherwise the same as the Indian, but is the start of another theme. As time went on, philosophers began taking more grounded looks at fantastical animals. While also perpetuating even more outrageous falsehoods. None was more popular than Pliny the Elder, hence the name. He believed that, while foreign drakons might be real, they were much more similar to the snakes of Greece than the monsters of legend. He scoffed at the crowns and hair they were adorned with. His Natural History was the first of many instances where the fantastical elements of the dragon were toned down to seem more palatable to a scientifically minded audience. It also introduced an interest into the life history of the dragons, treating them as real animals with lives beyond the myths. Our dragon up top evolved to resemble pythons, rather than the other way around to what probably happened in real life, where pythons were exaggerated to become dragons.

Then, we get two foreign influences, which would come to shape the modern definition of the European dragon. Christianity's influence cannot be understated here. As Jonathan Evans states in Medieval Folklore, the dragon came to be confused with several other desert animals. In Jewish and early Christian belief, desert animals were themselves demonic, living in inhospitable regions devoid of human life. Later, texts like Revelations would specifically denote dragons as heralds of evil, and even harbingers of Armageddon itself. This is in contrast to the morally neutral Leviathan. In the medieval era, dragons were beings of evil, without a doubt. Bestiaries were full of on the nose fables about how the natural lives of dragons. Like how they could not stand the breath of a panther (a symbol of Jesus Christ). Or how they could not catch birds that nested in the Peridexion tree (the tree being the church and the birds being Christians, who are safe from the devil so long as they do not stray from the arms of God). This is represented by a typical medieval devil, being brightly colorful and made in mockery of God's creations, aka a weird hybrid with a snake coming out of his butt. Then, the Germanic dragon. This is seen especially in Northern and Western Europe. The Germanic dragon is otherwise similar to the Greek, except that it began as a character of evil. Lindworms and other serpents are almost always antagonists, and there is no heroine who saves them from their fate of death. They also had a stronger connection to treasure. Greek dragons guarded treasure as a job, but the very existence of Germanic dragons is tied with their golden hoards. In addition, in Greek myths, getting transformed into an animal is usually the end of one's story. With the Germanic dragon, it's merely the beginning. Transformed dragons act as antagonists and moral lessons wrapped in one; a lesson to all to not be greedy. Germanic dragons, represented by the lindworm, reinforced their role as antagonists and agents of selfish evil.

Which finally brings us to the medieval dragon. In a way, this creature is a mix of everything above. The dragon is an animal and demon in one, simultaneously a figure of evil who spoils the land around them and a living being with its own life and needs. The medieval era also introduces the origin of dragons, showing them as having nests and young, not simply coming into existence out of the earth or sea like before. They also developed some less reptilian traits, like wings and hair. This was probably because of artistic traditions among the monks who wrote bestiaries rather than popular legend, which continued to conflate them with snakes and lizards and even crocodiles. This particular line of the tree would develop a life of its own, spreading far and wide across Europe and eventually reaching beyond the seas. Our modern conceptions of dragons are a whole 'nother story.

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sol-hailstorm · 5 years ago

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LADY MORPHINE

Deep into the Earth I was (re)born, skin covered in mud, rising in a golden field poppy crowned Goddess ecstatic and sensual, queen of intoxication nurturing mother sacrificial virgin bleeding white nectar bestower of peace bringer of death.

PHARMACOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

The opium poppy was domesticated in Europe by 6000 BC and was widely used in the Mediterranean region for its medicinal properties. It was used in tinctures, concoctions, steam baths and pills to relief pain, fever, cough and treat wounds, insomnia and depression. A recipe of opium, mandrake and wine was used as an anaesthetic before amputations and other surgical procedures. According to Herakleides of Pontus (340 BC), euthanasia was widely extended in the Greek Islands, where people, especially women, lived until very old age. As they grew weak and before they became disabled, it was common for them to end their lives by taking a preparation of opium poppy. Poppies were known for bringing an easy and painless death.

Ancient Greek pharmacology distinguished two different preparations from poppies. “Opium” being extracted from the seed capsule of the poppy and taken internally, and “mekonion” being the result of boiling the poppy's leaves and fruits and most often used externally. Poppies and their derivates have accompanied us for a very long time.

Swiss-German alchemist Paracelsus reformulated a traditional opium tincture known as “laudanum” in the 16th-century. The use of laudanum was widely extended in Europe and it was used as a cure all in people of all ages, including babies. In 1804 Friedrich Serturner isolated morphine which became a popular and safer alternative to traditional opioids. In 1834 Pierre Robiquet isolated codeine while experimenting with different morphine extraction procedures. While laudanum still exists today, its prescription is rare and morphine and codeine have been the preferred opioids in the last two centuries. Diamorphine (heroin) is used to treat severe pain such as cancer and post-surgical pains. Heroin is commonly used as a recreational drug too and it's highly addictive. Heroin users become tolerant to the opioid very quickly and they need higher and higher doses to achieve the same euphoric effects. Under the name of diamorphine it's also prescribed as a maintenance treatment for long-term heroin addicts. Heroin is behind most deaths by drug overdose. Different opioids, but most often morphine, are used in palliative care to comfort patients throughout the dying process.

Outlined above we have a broad picture of how opium poppies have accompanied us through our history. This first draft focuses on opium uses and lore in Europe avoiding matters concerning heroin abuse, and its illegal production and distribution since I have no capacity to talk in depth about these matters. This is not an exhaustive paper and I expect to expand or change its contents in the future.

ORIGINS OF LADY MORPHINE

Opium poppy was more than a medicinal plant, it was a tool to achieve altered states of consciousness and visionary states, and a physical manifestation of the Great Goddess ancient Europeans worshiped.

We know poppy flowers originated in Europe, the oldest opium poppy seeds being found in Western European Neolithic burial sites of around 6000 BC. Opium poppy's are not the only psychotropic seeds found in such sites, cannabis seeds have been found too and most likely they had similar ritual uses, as well as being used for their medicinal properties. However, opium poppies' popularity meant they were imported to the rest of the continent and into Asia and Africa where we find depictions of poppies in ancient Egyptian and Assyrian art, and clay tablets describing some of their uses. In Crete, not far from Knossos, we found figurines of an “ecstasy goddess” wearing poppy capsules in her hair. The figurines' closed eyes and relaxed smile seem to show the euphoric feelings resulting from the use of opium. These figurines date from around 1300 BC.

It's from Minoan and later Hellenic sources that we can trace the symbolism and use of opium poppy in the European Neolithic and Bronze Ages and we can attempt to reconstruct its lore.

The Minoan civilization is considered the first advanced civilization in Europe. There's no evidence of a Minoan army and everything seems to point the Minoan Empire was ruled by an elite of priestesses. The Palace of Knossos, the biggest Minoan palace, doubled its functions as temple and political and administrative centre. Minoan palaces' paintings depicted scenes of Minoans' daily lives and their beliefs. Their goddesses were represented with poppies, serpents and birds taking this way the roles of initiator, Queen of the Underworld, of the Earth and the Sky, and prophecy, among others. Archaeological evidence points Minoan priestesses used opium and other herbal potions ritually to achieve trance states.

Around 1100 BC the Minoan civilization started to decline. A series of volcanic eruptions and foreign invasions changed this refined civilization forever. Under the Mycenaean Greek rule, the Minoan Great Goddess, her opium poppy and her cult passed to mainland Greece and were assimilated into the Hellenic religion, with a more conservative cult being preserved in the Eleusinian Mysteries.

In this process of religious assimilation and syncretization the Great Goddess was split and subsumed, denigrated and transformed. The poppy as a symbol of the goddess takes a discrete place in the new religion and its myths, in fact, it will be exchanged as fruit of the Queen of the Underworld by the more acceptable and innocent pomegranate. It's worth noting the physical resemblance between the pomegranate fruit and the poppy capsule, and their parallel symbology including, blood, fertility and death.

At the centre of the Eleusinian Mysteries which promised a blessed afterlife to the initiates, we have the goddesses Demeter and Persephone. These two goddesses, mother and daughter, were represented with baskets of poppies and ears of corn. The poppy's poetic name was “daughter of the field”, and its flowers splashing cereal fields with their red petals are a reminder of blood sacrifices nourishing the ground. Life and death intermingled.

The myth of the abduction of Persephone, at the heart of the Eleusinian Mysteries, has different layers of meaning. The legend says, Persephone was picking flowers in the Nysian fields with other nymphs when the ground opened and Hades seized her and brought her to the Underworld to make her his wife with Zeus' blessing. Demeter mourned the loss of her daughter and rendered the earth infertile bringing death and famine to the world. Hekate witnessed Persephone's abduction and helped Demeter to reach an agreement with Zeus and Hades. Persephone was then able to spend half year with her mother and and the other half in the Underworld with her husband, bound forever to Hades after eating a handful of pomegranate's seeds.

The most obvious interpretation of this myth is it's trying to explain the changing seasons. Demeter makes the earth fertile and fruitful during spring and summer when she reunites with her daughter. The rest of the year, the earth rests while Demeter mourns. When we focus our attention to the finer details of the legend, however, we start uncovering a whole new story. Persephone is not an innocent girl picking flowers for a nice bouquet. All the listed flowers have psychotropic properties, and she's picking them in the Nysian fields, the domain of Dyonisios, god of wine and ecstasy, and widely considered an alter ego of Hades. Therefore, we can understand this myth also as the tale of Persephone's initiation as a pharmakeus/witch/priestess. This interpretation is further reinforced by the fact Hekate, goddess of witchcraft and magic, stays in the Underworld with Persephone as her minister and companion.

Despite Hades being King of the Underworld, his lore is extremely limited and most often linked to that of Persephone. He never leaves his domains and shares his role with his wife, who rules as his queen and she travels between worlds. She's actively involved in other myths too. This seems to strongly confirm Persephone is, indeed, an older and more prominent deity squeezed into the Hellenic myth.

The Eleusinian and Orphic Mysteries focus on the deities mentioned above; Demeter, Persephone, Hekate and Hades/Dyonisios but it's worth to mention the central deity linking all the others is Persephone, “the bringer of death”, the poppy goddess, Queen of the Underworld.

Hekate, Demeter and Persephone form a triad usually interpreted as crone, mother and maiden respectively. However, another name for Hekate is Melinoe, “the dark one”, goddess of ghosts and nightmares. Under this name she's the daughter of Persephone and takes the place of the maiden in the triad. It's interesting to note how Melinoe/Hekate is the goddess of ghosts and nightmares/dreams, hallucinations and spirits, and daughter of Persephone, who's the bringer of death, the opium poppy, the seed, and daughter of Demeter, the fertile field. A full goddess' recycling.

Melinoe is not the only child of Persephone though. She's mother to the serpent Zagreus, the first child of Zeus who was supposed to take the throne from his father but was dismembered and eaten by the Titans. His heart the only piece left whole and rescued by Athena who gave it to Zeus. He then prepared an elixir with Zagreus heart and gave it to Semele to drink, who got pregnant and gave birth to the god Dyonisios, “born twice”, the reincarnation of Zagreus, god of wine and ecstasy and the prototypical shaman or mystic.

Dyonisios/Zagreus married Ariadne (“the most holy”), Minoan Lady of the Labyrinth completing this way the cycle and taking his place once again, as son-consort of the Great Goddess. Ariadne, who was also identified as another face of Persephone, keeper of the labyrinth of initiation and goddess of the snake and ecstasy. The labyrinth is an universal symbol of birth-death-rebirth and transformation.

We have seen now, the symbols and elements of the Minoan Great Goddess and her cult recycled in Greek mythology. The poppy that grows in Demeter's fields and in Hekate's garden in Kolchis, and the serpent in Zagreus. Life and death, and rebirth. The changing of seasons, the cycles of the Earth, the ages of the Moon, the power of blood, the visionary states, the seeds of the poppy and the pomegranate, and the labyrinth. A circle within a circle, within a circle...

The initiate to the Goddess mysteries would go on a vision quest, entering the labyrinth with the help of a drink of opium wine. A vision of the fertile Elisian Fields where each soul is a seed awaiting.

#mythology #persephone #demeter #hekate #ariadne #zagreus #dyonisos #minoan #goddess #opium #morphine #ancient pharmacology #my thesis #paganism #shamanism

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metanoiyed-archive · 5 years ago

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Ariadne - Goddess of the Labryinth, Fertilty, Childbirth, and Marriage.

Who is Ariadne the mythological princess?

Let’s review:

Ariadne’s myth is from Minoan Crete, where she is known for helping Athenian Theseus defeat the Minotaur and escape the Labryinth. Theseus abandons her on the shores of Naxos — why, we can’t be sure, but it’s likely because by helping Theseus she betrayed her home, and to do so was seen as terrible.

From here, the myth splits. Some versions say Dionysus married her from the shores of Naxos and they traveled teaching the art of wine making. In some versions of the myth, Ariadne is immortal - either made that way by Dionysus, or simply is - and they continue to travel still. In other versions, she dies of old age and Dionysus, when he goes to retrieve his mother from the Underworld, retrieves Ariadne as well and raises her to immortality. There is a version of the myth where Ariadne was dropped ashore Cyprus by Theseus because she was heavily pregnant but he was washed out to sea, and she dies of childbirth and had a shrine dedicated to her.

Who is Ariadne the Goddess?

Let’s review:

Ariadne is likely a Cretian Goddess from Minoan Crete. There’s theories of the Ariadne in the story being her avatar, her high priestess, or a non-deified version of her. Cults of Ariadne spread from Crete to Cyprus (where as I mention below, it’s traditional for her to be venerated next to Aphrodite) to Argos, to Naxos and other Greek Islands. Her name also means “most holy,”

Attributes and Symbols of Ariadne

Ariadne was often venerated with these symbols. Additionally, she was traditionally venerated with Aphrodite on Cyprus.

- vegetation

- mazes

- paths

- fertility

- wine

- snakes

- passion

- bulls

- lions

- thread

- cranes

- ivy

Devotional Acts/Worship/Offerings

What do you offer Ariadne? Historically, young men used to offer her a ritual where they would imitate the labors of childbirth. I’ve got a few different options for you if you’re not feeling that one. (Some of these are historical offerings, not UPG, please keep that in mind, I wouldn’t write “ecstasy like trances” otherwise, also, please be safe when offering things to Gods, because the ancients really were whack.)

- Ritual dancing

- Ecstasy-like trances

- Honey

- Milk

- Mead

- Wine

- Grapes

- Fruit

- Bread

- Saytyr imagery

Yeah, yeah, people used to pray to Ariadne for childbirth and love and all that. What can you pray to Ariadne for now?

Well, you can still pray to Ariadne for assistance with love, childbirth and such — she is the wife of Dionysus, after all, and He loved Her enough to make Her His wife! But, what else does Ariadne do for us? Who did she lead out of hardship?

Theseus.

Out of the labyrinth, she lead him with the thread, she provided his sword. To Ariadne, you can pray for help with hardships. For guidance out of a “maze”. If you feel as if you’re lost, she can help you.

A Prayer to Ariadne to Find Ones Way Out Of Difficulty

Fun Fact: Though it’s probably not right, some mythology equates her with the Roman Prosperpina (or, apparently, because I guess classics can’t get their opinion straight) but most (by most I mean literally all except like one place) equate her with Libera. But the one or two Proseperina equivalents kind of solidified my private UPG theory that with her maiden-like and gentle presence, her and Persephone would get along often.

Also, her Roman name translates to Arianna or Ariadna, though Hyginus is the one who identified Prosperpina as Ariadne’s opposite. (Though we know now that the equivalency of the Greek and Roman pantheons are false.)

Sources:

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses – By: Judika Illes

Theoi.com/Ariadne

Ariadne via the Greek Mythology Link, by the author of the Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology.

The Ariadne Project

Completely forgot to add that I did send an ask to @olymposhiraeth about Ariadne and meant to tag them as a source too, I checked out their post during my research. Thank you for your response, it helped decide what I was going to offer to Ariadne for answering my prayer!

#ariadne*#ariadne #ariadne goddess #dionysus #hellenismos #hellenic paganism #hellenic pagan #devotional acts #worship #prayers #long post #hellenistic polytheism #ariadne mythology #mythology #greek mythology #cretian mythology #minoan mythology

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a-safe-and-quiet-place · 5 years ago

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Harpy

The Harpies were mythical monsters in greek mythology that had the form of a bird with a human female face; often agents of punishment they abducted people and tortured them on their way to HADES’ domain, employed by the God as instruments for the punishment of the guilty. They stole food from their victims and would carry evildoers to Erinnyes of the Furies (female goddesses of vengeance and retribution). Their name means snatchers and is thus very appropriate for the acts they carried out. Known as the hounds of ZEUS, they were dispatched by the God to snatch away people and things from the earth; sudden and mysterious disappearances were often attributed to them.

They initially were classified as wind spirits, seen as the personifications of destructive winds. Hesiod mentioned two harpies by name; Aello (storm swift) and Ocypete (swift wing) and Virgil called another, Celaeno (darkness). In the Homeric poems, the Harpies are nothing but personified storm winds, and he only named Podarge (felt foot) who was married to the West Wind Zephyrus and gave birth to the two horses of Achilles; Xanthus and Balius.

Hesiod described them as lovely fair locked and winger maidens, the daughters of Thaumas and the Oceanid Electra, who surpassed winds and birds in the speed of flight. Grecian pottery depicted the harpies as beautiful women with wings. However, as early as Aeschylus, in the Eumenides, Harpies are described as ugly creatures with wings and later writers would carry these characteristics so far as to represent them as disgusting, cruel and terrifying monsters that were always ravenously hungry. Sometimes they were thought to be cousins of the Gorgons, three sisters with hair made of horrible venomous snakes and a stone wielding stare, Medusa is the most famous of the three sisters.

They appear as evil forces in Ovid’s story of King Phineus of Thrace, whom Zeus gave the gift of prophecy. Phineus used this gift against the gods, uncovering their secret plans and was thus punished by an angry Zeus, sentenced to an island, blind and with a buffet of food he could not eat because the Harpies would steal all the food before he was able to indulge and satisfy his hunger. Years later Phineus was rescued by his fate by Jason and the Argonauts, and the winged Boreades drove the Harpies away. The Boreades were twin winged brothers named Calais and Zetes, sons of Boreas and Oreithyia. The goddess Iris commanded that they turn back and not harm the wind-spirits thus the ‘dogs of great Zeus,’ the Harpies, escaped to their cave in Minoan Crete leaving their past residence of the islands called Strophades. In exchange, the exiled King told Jason how to pass the Symplegades Rocks. In this form the Harpies acted as agents of punishment; vicious, cruel and violent.

According to the story of the daughters of Pandareus, the Gods killed King Pandareus and his wife, after the King stole a bronze dog from Zeus. His daughters Cleodora and Merope were spared and raised by several of the Greek goddesses on Mount Olympus, particularly Aphrodite. When the girls reached an age to be married off, Aphrodite went to seek permission from Zeus for the marriages and while she was gone the Harpies came and took the daughters to become servants of the Furies.

The Harpies, like many characters in Greek mythology, evolved over time and different tales, beginning as wind spirits then personified as winged woman and eventually into the monstrous creatures we most recognize today.

Other Interesting Facts:

• Harpies remained vivid mythical beasts throughout the Middle Ages, in Dante’s Inferno Harpies infest a tortured wood in the seventh ring of Hell where the suicides have their punishment • Roman and Byzantine writers detailed their ugliness and monstrous qualities. • In the Aeneid, Aeneas encountered the Harpies on the Strophades as they made off with the feast the Trojans were setting, Celaeno cursed them, and the Trojans fled in fear of the mythical beasts • In ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ by Shakespeare, the term Harpy is used metaphorically to refer to a nasty or annoying woman, and though not often used in modern vernacular it is understood that this is what the term currently describes

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I am currently giving continuation to my project where i edit all mythological creatures that i can find day by day, tomorrow i’ll be doing Hræsvelgr a giant shapeshifter, all edits are mady with:

pixlr.com/x/

photomosh.com

:: btw it really sucks that tumblr doesn’t let people upload gifs with less than 3mb

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graysonfirewolf85-blog · 6 years ago

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Queer Positive Deities

Keep in mind that this is NOT a complete list of ALL pantheons and deities that are queer positive. This is a good majority, but by all means it is NOT all of them. Also not all photos would fit.

DISCLAIMER

This wiki will contain sexual terms and other mature items that each deity represented or did in their specific pantheon. If any of it bothers you, please exit the wiki and move on from it. Thank you.

Achilles (Greek)

The Greek hero Achilles was invulnerable excepting his famous weak heel, but a male shieldbearer broke through the warrior’s romantic defenses. While Homer never explicitly states a gay relationship between Achilles and sidekick Patroclus, many scholars read a romantic connection between the two, as only Patroclus ever drew out a compassionate side to the famously arrogant warrior. Patroclus’s death at the hands of Trojan Prince Hector sent Achilles into a rage in which he killed Hector and dragged his body around Troy. Other myths also disclose Achilles was struck by the beauty of Troilus, a Trojan prince.

Adonis/Tammuz (Phoenician/Greco-Roman/Mesopotamian)

The name “Adonis” now refers to a strikingly beautiful male, but the original Adonis is a cross-cultural deity, showing up in Phoenician and Greco-Roman mythology. Adonis is often equated with the Mesopotamian Tammuz, with whom he shares many attributes and stories. Most noted for his relationships with goddesses, including Astarte, Aphrodite, and Persephone, Adonis was also the beloved of the god Dionysus. Adonis and Tammuz are fertility gods, representing the vegetation of the land, in a constant state of life, death, and resurrection. Adonis died from a boar’s attack, which mutilated his genitals. In the much-celebrated descent-of-the-goddess stories known in many cultures, the Goddess travels into the many layers of the underworld to retrieve the spirit of her consort. Adonis is seen not as a king, but as a lover, somewhat effeminate or homoerotic. His priests in Athens were homoerotically inclined, and, along with priestesses, they celebrated his life and death by planting gardens of Adonis, and then uprooted them only a few days after sprouting. In the Greek magical papyri, Adonis is invoked for lesbian love spells.

Antinous (Greco-Roman-Kemetic)

This resurrection figure holds ties to ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures. Antinous was a real historical figure and the male companion of the Roman emperor Hadrian. The pair would take journeys around the Mediterranean. And on one trip, Antinous drowned in the Nile on the same day that Egyptians commemorated the watery death of Osiris. Deeply affected by the death of his lover, Hadrian encouraged the deification of Antinous, and cults sprung up around the Mediterranean honoring him. In some tellings, Antinous rose from the Nile after his death and was then revered as a form of Osiris reborn. Indeed, the god and the Roman cult that followed him still have devotees today.

Apollo and Hyacinth (Greek)

Apollo was initially the Greek god of light and later was associated with the Sun. His twin sister is Artemis. As the god of music, dance, divination, healing, and artistic inspiration, he can grant these gifts to others. Apollo is known for taking many male lovers, most notably, Hyacinthus, or Hyacinth, a mortal youth. When he was tossing the discus with Apollo, it struck Hyacinth with a mortal blow. The western wind god Zephyrus, who desired Hyacinth and was angry and jealous of Apollo, caused the accident with his winds. The Sun god could not save his beloved, but from his wound Apollo created the Hyacinth flowers, a symbol of youth cut too short. Hyacinth later became a divine patron to those pursuing same-sex love.

Aphrodite/Venus (Greco-Roman)

Aphrodite embodies the powers of love on every level, especially romantic love. Known as Venus to the Romans, and associated with the morning and evening star, the planet Venus, she was renowned for her gifts of attraction and beauty. She originated—along with the Furies—from Uranus, the sky god, springing forth from the foamy sea where Uranus’s genitalia had fallen after being castrated by his son Chronos. She is usually displayed as a beautiful woman rising out of the sea, as in Botticellis painting, “The Birth of Venus.” As she walks on land, she trails flowers behind her, even in the most barren of deserts. Her aid Eros is the original archetype for the Valentine’s Day cupid, shooting his arrows and making people fall in love. She had many lovers, most notably Ares the war god and her husband, Hephaestus. She bore Hermaphrodite from her union with Hermes.

Artemis/Diana (Greco-Roman)

Artemis is the huntress, the goddess of wild things, the protector of women and children, and the maiden aspect of the Moon. From her bow, she fires silver arrows, the shafts of moonlight to illuminate her path. In many versions of her myths, she is the archetype of the strong, independent woman, goddess of Amazons and unsympathetic to those of traditional masculinity. After her birth, she immediately got up and helped her mother deliver her twin brother, Apollo. Artemis rejects many traditional roles, such as marriage and conventional society, and feels kinship to those beyond traditional roles. Her festivals included same-sex eroticism involving both females and males. As the Romans’ Diana, she took on a more maternal, universal goddess archetype, and became the mother of Aradia, her avatar in 14th-century Italy, who taught the Goddess’s craft.

Astarte (Phoenician/Canaanite)

Astarte is a manifestation of the Great Mother Goddess of the Paleolithic cultures, identified with the earlier goddesses Ishtar and Inanna, and later the Greco-Roman Aphrodite/Venus. Versions of Astarte were worshiped throughout the Middle East, Egypt, and even across Europe, with the spread of the Roman Empire. She is a Queen of Heaven, and patron of love and war. She, too, is involved in the resurrection and fertility myths of Adonis, also known as Adoni, or lord. Though usually remembered in feminine form, like other goddesses, she does have mixed gender incarnations, sometimes depicted as a hermaphrodite, and later the Phoenician records mention King Astarte. Astarte’s temples were served by the kelabim and possibly a gender-variant order of Amazonian women.

Athena/Minerva (Greco-Roman)

Springing fully formed from the head of Zeus, without aid of a goddess, Athena is presented as the wise warrior woman of the Olympians. She has the ability to transform into a young man. Her affairs often end on a tragic note, and most modern myths present her as celibate, though such descriptions were probably added by the patriarchal rise, to demonstrate a strong warrior woman could not have love. In one such myth, her “brother” Hephaestus makes her armor, for “her love.” He means physical love, while she assumes platonic love. I find it hard to believe such a goddess of wisdom and strategy would misunderstand such an offer. Most likely, our modern Athena is a sanitized version of the ancient Minoan snake goddess. Her darker half was shed and cast off as the gorgon Medusa. Modern Athena carries a shield with Medusa’s face on it. Athena is the goddess of strategy, weaving, and invention, who is credited with teaching humans how to graft olive branches onto trees, yielding more harvest. The city of Athens is named after her. She is often called Pallas Athena, in honor of her friend (or possible lover) who died as a youth in a spear throwing accident. Minerva is her Roman name.

Atum (Kemetic)

In the creation story for the Egyptian gods, the first deity, Atum, was both male and female, according to studies by researcher Mark Burstman. The ancestor to all self-produced two offspring, Shu and Tefnut, through either a sneeze or his own semen, and it wasn’t for a few generations that the archetypal male and female gods of Isis and Osiris were born.

Baphomet (Europe)

Baphomet is not a traditional pagan god, but one most noted for its link to the Knights Templar. Pictured as a hermaphrodite, with breasts and a penis, Baphomet was also a mix between human and goat, a perfect mix between male and female, human, and animal, although something akin to the traditional Middle Age view of the devil. Baphomet is a deity of fertility and wealth. To curb their growing power and influence, King Philip IV of France claimed the Knights Templar were worshiping Baphomet and practicing homosexuality, two acts of heresy in the eyes of the Church.

Baron Samedi (Vodoun)

The Voodoo loa (law) named Baron Samedi is a god of the dead and magick, but is also evoked for help in daily life. His place is the cemetery and his symbol, a skull. Samedi is depicted as transgendered, wearing a combination of men’s and women’s clothing of black and purple, possibly representing his walk between two worlds, the living and the dead, in the same way that his sunglasses, with only one lens, do. He sees in both worlds. The Baron is known for his sexually suggestive movements indicating a desire for anal intercourse.

Bona Dea (Roman/Italian)

Bona Dea is the “Good Goddess” about whom little is known. She is a goddess of healing, magick, prosperity, and women. In fact, her cult did not allow the participation of men, and none of her mysteries were to be shared with the outside world. Most of our information on Bona Dea comes to us from the written accounts of male scholars lacking a personal connection to her rites. Her ceremonies possibly included lesbian acts of love as a part of worship.

Bran (Welsh)

Bran the Blessed is a Celtic hero/god of the mystical otherworlds. In many Celtic myths, the line between divine and mortal, spirit and flesh, is less visible than in most other mythologies. The legends were passed on orally, and recorded only much later by Christian writers. To preserve the story, yet not blaspheme, the gods and goddesses were transformed into heroes of folktales as the stories are told and retold. Bran is a patron of magick, battle, and resurrection. His main tale is the rescue of his sister, Branwen, who in many ways seems like his feminine half. She was abused by Matholwch, her husband and king of Ireland. Bran’s army defeated Matholwch’s men and rescued her, but Bran was fatally wounded. His head was eventually severed and continued, after his death, to speak and give magical advice. Eventually it was buried in London. As an interesting note to his history, Robert Craves, the somewhat controversial author of The White Goddess, believed Bran was worshiped by an order of homosexual priests, and Amathon, a version of the Green Man, wrests Bran’s secret magical name by seducing one of Bran’s priests.

Cernunnos/Herne the Hunter (Celtic/Proto-Celtic)

Cernunnos is the fabled Horned God, a central figure in modern witchcraft. He represents the god of the waning year and animal lord, the complement to the Green Man. Usually depicted naked, sitting in a lotus position, with stag antlers and a torc (Celtic neck ring resembling a choker) around his neck and one in his hand, surrounded by the animals of the forest. Some renditions portray the Horned God with an erect penis, surrounded by men with erections as well. Very little of Cernunnos’s original mythos survives, so old are his cults. Worship of him, primarily in Caul and other Celtic territories, is believed to predate the arrival of the Celts. We don’t even know his proper name; Cernunnos is a Roman variation. He has been equated with Herne the Hunter and even the Greek Pan and Dionysus due to their similar associations with nature and shamanic trance work. Herne is a figure of British folklore, the God of the Wild Hunt, appearing at times of crisis. Cernunnos is sometimes associated with the chalk carving of the god figure at Cerne Abbas in Dorset. The figure is not horned, but associated with fertility, due to his depiction with his exaggerated phallus. Cernunnos is an aspect of the Great Father God, a force of nature, like the Goddess—loving, gentle, and receptive, but also fiercely protective and powerful.

Chin (Mayan)

Chin is described as a small child or dwarf, and is a deity of magick, divination, and the destiny of rulers. He introduced homoerotic relationships to the Mayan nobles. The nobles would obtain youths of the lower classes to be the lovers of the nobles’ sons. Such unions were considered legal marriages under Mayan law.

Chrysippus (Greek)

Euripedes wrote that this divine Peloponnesian hero was on the way to compete in the Nemean Games when his Theban tutor Laius ran off with him and raped him. The incident drew a curse upon the city of Thebes.

Damballah (Vodoun)

Damballah is the serpent god of the Voodoo loa and although Damballah is portrayed as a father figure, he has an androgynous nature and can manifest homoerotically or bisexually. Invoked for guidance, peace, and prosperous good fortune, Damballah is the god of rain and rainbows, making a modern connection to the queer rights movement.

Dionysus/Bacchus (Thracian/Greco-Roman)

Dionysus is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Semele. Myths paint Zeus’s immortal wife, Hera, as the villain, tricking Semele to her death while she was still pregnant. Zeus could not save her, but saved his child, and implanted the unborn child in his thigh, carrying him to term. Thus, in this myth, Dionysus is “twice born” and associated with immortality and Zeus is transgendered and associated with birth. Older myths cite Dionysus’s early death and rebirth, as well as a serpent, perhaps Persephone in disguise, as his mother. Hera plagued him after his birth, so to disguise himself, he learned the art of shape shifting into various plants and animals and dressed in women’s clothing to avoid detection. He kept company with woodland creatures, depicted as soft and feminine, yet virile and strong, Dionysus is a balance of extremes. His myths, too, contain both ends of the spectrum. As a god of ecstasy, wine, and love, he traveled the world with his teachings, before ascending to Olympus as one of the twelve main deities. Like Jesus, but predating him, Dionysus spread his message and gathered followers to his cult. Some expressions were peaceful and loving, while others were more extreme and violent. His female followers of the more extreme rituals were called the Maenads, or Bacchante. Noted for his associations with Aphrodite and Persephone, taking a sacrificial Adonis-like role in several stories, Dionysus was less well known for his love affairs with men, including Adonis and Hermaphrodite. Dionysus is both an upperworld god of light, as a newborn child of innocence, and one who has braved the underworld, in search of his mother’s spirit, to come back with the power the shamanic realms has to offer. As Bacchus to the Romans, this god was depicted less beautiful, and more masculine, yet he retained his softness and sensitivity. Dionysus is quite the example of balancing gender identities as a path to enlightenment.

Ereshkigal (Sumerian)

Sister to Inanna, and Queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal is the dark goddess of the dead. She is like the crone, and associated with the power of transformation and destruction, with Greek Kore/Persephone, Hindu Kali, Celtic Morgan, and Norse Hel. In Egypt, Ereshkigal was petitioned for gay male love spells.

Eros (Greek)

Eros is most popularly known as the cupid image of Valentine’s Day cards, and as the aid to Aphrodite, shooting arrows to make mortals and gods alike fall in love. The mythic, truly worshiped god Eros is much different from our conception of him. Like Dionysus, he contained a mixture of feminine and masculine energies, being soft, gentle, loving, effeminate, and childlike on one hand, and ancient, wise, aggressive, and masculine on the other. Eros is the patron and protector of homosexual love. He, along with Hermes and Hercules, could grant blessings upon male couples—the gifts of loyalty, eloquence, and strength, respectively. Eros is a major deity in the Orphic Mystery Schools, associated with the dolphin, flute, lyre, rose, and rooster. As a patron of success in battle, he was called upon by warrior/lovers before a fight, because many in the Greek world believed the love men had for each other would unite and lead them to victory.

Erzulie (Vodoun)

Erzulie is the Voodoo loa of love, seduction, and beauty, who grants the gift of manifesting beauty to those in the creative arts, such as painters, musicians, poets, and designers. Although similar in some ways to the Aphrodite archetypes, Erzulie also contains darker elements akin to the underworld goddesses. Her symbol is the mirror, not only to admire her beauty, but in Voodoo, the mirror is the symbol of the spirit world, the gateway to the realm of the loa. She is sometimes known as a loa of tragic love, for she is Erzulie Ge Rouge, Erzulie of the Red Eyes. She weeps constantly because no man can love her enough. Some practitioners consider her a patron to gay men and lesbians. Men “ridden” by Erzulie often display transgender traits.

Freyja (Norse)

The Norse myths divide the gods into two tribes, the Aseir and Vanir. The Vanir tribe is considered earthier, embodying the natural forces. The Aseir represent the more intellectual aspects demonstrated by sky-god cultures. The two tribes clashed and eventually the Aseir won the conflict. As a sign of peace, the tribes traded members. Freyja and Freyr lived in Asgard with the Aseir as part of the agreement. Freyja is the good goddess of these ancient people who would become the Norse. She is the goddess of the land, fertility, eroticism, and magick. She specialized in a shamanic magick called Seidr, the practice of inducing shamanic states through shivering and shaking, and sex magick acts are also attributed to her. She wears the golden falcon cloak, which carries her into the otherworlds like the bird of prey. Freyja taught her magick to the god Odin, the all-father of the Aseir. This great goddess later became a goddess of battle, and her initiations included the rite of boys becoming men and warriors. Although modern practitioners of the Norse traditions, the Asatru, are often seen as dominantly heterosexual and sometimes even unwelcoming of gays, it appears possible their ancient spiritual ancestors had homoerotic overtones in actuality, or ritually, like most ancient cultures. Becoming a warrior was a form of blood brothering. Ritual anal intercourse may have been a part of that warrior bonding.

Freyr (Norse)

Her brother, the god Freyr, also embodies the earth, like a vegetation king, growing, dying, and then resurrecting. Sharing attributes with the traditional Wiccan horned and green gods, Freyr is sometimes depicted with an erect penis, and fertility icons are present as part of his worship. He is also a patron of magick, shamanism, water, eroticism, love, peace, boars, horses, and stags. Freyr seems to keep his associations with peace, an association many queer men identify with instead of focusing on the more patriarchal and warlike gods, while other gods, including his sister, were directed toward war. His priest may have been homoerotic or transgendered, and well versed in his sister’s form of shamanic magick. In many ways, Freyja and Freyr are like two sides of the same coin, even in name. To modern pagans, they represent the primal Goddess and God of the land, the Lady and Lord seen all over the world

Ganesha (Hindu)

Ganesha, the breaker of obstacles and binder of evil, is usually depicted as a four-armed, plump, elephant-headed man, riding a rat. Ganesha is a benefactor, a wise, gentle, and loving god, acting as an aide and intermediary for other deities of the Hindu faith. He is the son of the goddess Parvati. One myth claims his father is the god Shiva. Another says he was created by Parvati from clay and dust, to be both her son and servant. Lesser-known myths say he sprung from the union of Parvati with the goddess of the Ganges River, Ganga, or another handmaiden goddess. Shiva beheads him in a fit of anger, as Ganesha protects the inner chambers of Parvati. The goddess replaced his fallen human head with an elephant’s head. Shiva later gave control of his armies, his own power, to Ganesha. The inner chambers of the goddess represent the inner, sacred power, and the power of sexuality, as he is said to guard the root chakra, and kundalini. The gates to the kundalini energy are the vagina and anus, and the elephant-headed god has been linked to homoerotic forms of worship involving anal sex. Ganesha is mixed in terms of sexuality, masculine in gender, and as represented with the elephant’s trunk, but also is soft, tender, and portrayed with breasts. He opens the gateways that block our path, removes obstacles, and protects travelers. Speaking from personal experience, Ganesha is a powerful ally to have when overcoming challenges placed before you.

Ganymede (Greek)

The most famous male lover of the Olympian god-king Zeus, Ganymede was a prince whom Zeus coveted. Taking the shape of an eagle, Zeus snatched Ganymede up to Mount Olympus to be his lover and his cupbearer, pourer of the golden ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. Ambrosia, like other sacred liquids, is associated with semen. The sign of Aquarius is associated with Ganymede.

Gwydion (Celtic)

Brother to the Welsh warrior Gilfaethwy, Gwydion is an archetypal magician figure, whose attributes were later absorbed by the Arthurian legends in the figure of Merlin. Gwydion is a trickster, as well as a magician, associated with the Celtic otherworlds and rites similar to shamanism, shape-shifting, and transformation. To woo the lady Goewin from the warrior/magician/king Math, Gilfaethwy asked for Gwydion’s aid. Though greatly skilled, they failed, causing a war with the King Pywll. Math punished them by transforming them into animals of the opposite gender and having them mate, producing a deer, pig, and wolf, who were later transformed by Math into human men, the heroes Hyddwn, Hychtwn, and Bleiden. Gilfaethwy took the female role twice, but Math made them both retain their human consciousness within their animal incarnations, as punishment. The results, however, were quite

wonderful, creating three heroes. Such myths can construe an archetypal reality that preceded events of ritual transgenderism and homoerotic worship among the Celtic people. Only later, as the myth was retold to Christian audiences, does the same-sex union become punishment for misdeeds. Gwydion later guides the development of the warrior Lleu, much like Merlin did with King Arthur.

Hecate (Greco-Roman)

The archetypal goddess of the witches, Hecate is the triple goddess of magick, justice, travel, the night, and the crossroads. She guards the roads of travel, sailors, horses, dogs, and wealth. As Hecate Triformus, she is the one who is three, embodying maiden, mother, and crone, but is most often seen as the crone, the dark goddess of the underworld—the bringer of light or terrible darkness, as a goddess of blessings and curses. Her symbol is the torch, carried into the dark night. As a handmaiden to Aphrodite and Persephone, she is a goddess of love, evoked for gay male love spells going back to the 3rd century C.E. She is also linked with Diana and Proserpina by the Romans, as triple Moon goddesses, and with Artemis, Luna, and Persephone in various triplicies, by the Greeks. Though most typically viewed as a Greek goddess, worshiped by priestesses, her roots trace back to Thrace, and she was honored by gender-variant male priests called semnotatoi. The Romans did not change her name when they assimilated her from the Greek pantheon.

Heracles (Greek)

The famous hero had a number of male companions through his many trials. Among them: Abderos, who kept the mares of Diomedes for Heracles but was eaten by the beasts; Hylas, Heracles’ companion when he sailed on the Argo, who was eventually kidnapped by nymphs in Mysia; and Iolaus, who help cauterize the necks of the hydra when Heracles famously chopped off the beast’s many heads. Indeed, the relationship with Iolaus was enshrined in Thebes, where male couples of the day could be found “exchanging vows and pledges with their beloved at his tomb,” according to historian Louis Crompton.

Hermaphrodite (Greek)

Hermaphrodite is a deity of both genders, having a penis and breasts. One myth states Hermaphrodite is the child of Hermes and Aphrodite, hence the name, and contained the best attributes of them both. Another myth states a nymph named Salmacis pursued a mortal man who spurned her. She asked that she and the mortal be joined forever, and the gods did just that, fulfilling her exact words, and not her intention. The gods melted the two together into one being with both masculine and feminine attributes.

Hermes/Mercury (Greco-Roman)

Although called the messenger god of the Olympians, Hermes has a much greater sphere of influence. True, he is the god of travel, but he is not restricted to any place or role. When speaking to his father, Zeus, he asks to go anywhere he chooses, and takes the role of messenger and psychopomp, traveling between the heavens, Earth, and underworlds. A psychopomp is a guide for souls who takes the dead to the underworld, and new souls to Earth. The psychopomp is the divine archetype of the shaman and magician. As one not bound by traditional roles and obligations, he is free to go and do as he pleases. Hermes took male and female lovers as he desired. With Hercules and Eros, he is part of a homoerotic trinity. His son is the god Pan. Although a male deity, Hermes is androgynous, and carries a lot of boyish charm. Called “Mercury” by the Romans, and associated with Thoth of the Egyptians, Hermes was evoked during the 3rd century in Egypt for gay and lesbian love spells in Hellenistic (Greek) magick. Dill seeds are considered the “semen of Hermes.” Hermes is also credited with giving humans the gifts of writing, mathematics, music, geometry, games, gambling, gymnastics, and wrestling. He is even said to be the inventor of masturbation. Invoked for protection when traveling, Hermes is another Greek patron of the crossroads. He is the god of both intellect and cunning, and as a trickster spirit, he is a patron of thieves. The symbols of Hermes include the winged sandals and cap, the caduceus, and the wand. The caduceus symbolizes the currents of kundalini, rising in a spiral, and later pictured as a double helix, like DNA, or the currents of masculine and feminine energy blending together. Now it is the symbol of modern medicine, as Hermes is a patron of healers. Hermes is a versatile god of many talents, trades, and attributes.

Horus (Egyptian)

Horus is the avenging son and a savior figure, a divine child in the Osirian cults. Horus is the falcon-headed god. One of his eyes is the Sun and the other is the Moon. The son of Osiris and Isis, he revenges himself against his father’s murderer, his uncle Set. Although Horus and Set were in constant conflict until Horus’s eventual victory, one myth relates the story of oral intercourse between Set and Horus, and Set consequently gives birth to Horus’s child. The child is either the Moon god Khonshu or the scribe of the gods, Thoth. Thoth is also associated with the Moon and homosexuality, although in most stories Thoth predates Horus. Homoerotic reproduction is common between divine personages, and their union often signifies birth of a mystical truth rather than a physical child. This particular birth suggests that the child of light and the god of darkness, nephew, and uncle are really two sides of the same deity, much like the cyclical Oak and Holly King of Celtic myth. Unfortunately, many scholars interpret the saga of Horus and Set as the struggle of good versus evil.

Hypnos (Greek)

Popular in mythology is the story of the Moon goddess Selene, who loved the boy Endymion. Most versions tell us she was so distracted by her love that she failed to pull her Moon chariot across the sky, causing darkness and the phases of the Moon. The gods punished her by putting poor Endymion to sleep, yet she still visits, continuing the dark phases of the Moon. The underworld god Hypnos, god of sleep, also loved Endymion, and he put Endymion to sleep, so they may share time together through dreams.

Indra (Hindu)

Indra is the Hindu sky god, with many similarities to Zeus. Both bisexual and transgendered, Indra loves his wife, Indrani. Indrani and Indra are viewed as the feminine and masculine sides to one being. Indra also loves the Moon god Soma, who elicits comparisons to Ganymede. The word soma also refers to the drink of the gods, like the Greek ambrosia, an offering, or potentially a psychotropic substance, real or mythic, which opens the gate to the gods. Soma also forms a union with Agni, the Hindu god of fire.

Isis (Egyptian)

The most beloved of goddesses, Isis is the Great Mother goddess of the Egyptians, the mother of gods and pharaohs. As the goddess of the land, agriculture, Moon, heaven, the underworld, healing, and magick, she is essentially the goddess of life. Her worship started in Stone Age Egypt, but was later incorporated in the more patriarchal myths of Ra, Osiris, and Horus. Even so, she plays a pivotal part in such dramas. Her worship spread into Europe, particularly as a result of Rome’s contact with Egypt, and only diminished with the rise of Christianity and the violent conversions associated with it. Christianized emperor Constantine forbade her worship and rites, desecrated her temples and killed her priests and priestesses. Actually, she was worshiped almost twice as long as Christ has been, and modern pagans are reviving her worship. Her cults and mysteries may have been similar to or even inspired the Eleusian mysteries of Persephone and Demeter. Although associated with homosexuality through her son Horus and brother Set, Isis, like other goddesses of her time and place, is served in ancient times, and today, by gay and transgendered priests and priestesses. Priests of the ancient world grew out their hair and nails, wore skirts, engaged in ritual sex, fertility rites, and possibly ritual castration, all to the dismay of later Christian observers. As the Great Mother, she welcomes all genders, orientations, races, and classes to her worship, and is considered one of the most popular and well-known goddesses in the modern pagan movement.

Kali Ma (Hindu)

Known in Hindu myth as the destroyer, the warrior goddess, and devouring mother is Kali. She is a dark goddess of magick, tantra, thieves, warriors, and death, with many arms carrying weapons, skin like ebony, and wearing a necklace of human heads. She is the destroyer of demons, and the wife/mother of Shiva, the dissolver. In modern practice, Kali is the harsh mother called upon to destroy what does not serve, including our own egos and illusions. She is both beauty and horror personified, forcing us to face our fears. Most people misunderstand the power of Kali. She is not a monster. She is akin to the Celtic war goddesses and crones, like the triple Morgan and the Cailleach. In the Hindu traditions, she is like Mother Nature. Male worshipers sometimes dress as Kali, with fright wigs, masks, and dresses, or ritually cut themselves with swords, as a symbolic castration.

Loki (Norse/Scandinavian/Germanic)

Originally, Loki was a fire god, later absorbed by the Teutonic tribes. In Norse myth, he is adopted as Odin’s blood brother. As his myth changed over time, he was demonized much like the Egyptian Set was. Loki is the trickster, in the positive and negative associations of the word. Although oriented to fire and light, Loki is as much a mercurial figure as Hermes and Thoth, working in words and clever unpredictability, like a combination of The Fool and The Magician of the tarot. Later his words turned to lies and his pranks turned much more malicious, siding with the enemies of the Asgardian gods, causing the death of Balder, the Sun god, son of Odin and brother to Thor. Loki is credited with starting Ragnarok, the Norse Apocalypse the gods desperately tried to prevent. As a shape-shifter, Loki is associated with transgenderism. To help Thor recover his hammer, stolen by the giants, he dresses Thor as Freyja and disguises himself as “her” handmaiden. Later disguised as the giantess Thokk, he prevented Balder’s resurrection by refusing to cry for Balder and defying the goddess Hel’s vow to release Balder from the land of the dead if all would shed a tear for him. Loki also assumed Freyja’s form and cloak, indicating magical and shamanic associations with the goddess, although it appears Loki never had a cult or priesthood exclusively his own. He transforms to a mare, gets pregnant, and gives birth to Odin’s eight-legged magical steed Sleipnir. Because of it, Loki, as a male god, is associated with homosexual union, called “argr” by Odin, an abusive term in old Norse for a sexually receptive male. Related to the word “ergi” that may indicate a sexually receptive male and one versed in Freyja’s magick. Loki also fathered the Midgard Serpent, Fenris Wolf, and Hel, the goddess of death.

Macha (Celtic)

Macha is an aspect of the Celtic triplicity known as the Morgan. Her name means “battle” and she is associated with both the crow and the horse. Three Machas have appeared in Celtic myth. The first is the wife of Nemed. Another is Cimbeath’s wife, who becomes a war chief, herself. The last, and most unusual, is Macha, the wife of Crunnchu. She came to Crunnchu as a fairy lover, making him promise never to reveal her identity. She becomes pregnant with his child. Foolishly, Crunnchu brags to the King in Ulster that his wife can outrun any of the king’s horses. The king accepts his challenge, demanding Crunnchu’s head should the latter lose the bet. Macha, in her mortal guise, is forced to run the race, and she wins, immediately gives birth to twins, and reveals her divine nature, cursing the men of Ulster for their treatment of her. For nine generations, in times of great crisis, all the men of Ulster experience a feminine transformation, living the pains of childbirth. Such androgynous transformation could signify a strong goddess cult influence in Ulster, originally demonstrating not a punishment, but an understanding of the goddess Macha. Although a goddess of war, she is also a goddess of life and sovereignty, giving birth under harsh conditions. Both Emain Macha, Ulster’s capital, and Ard Macha are named after her.

Morrigu/Morrigan/Morgan (Celtic)

The Celtic trinity of war goddesses are known by the name Morrigu. One version contains the goddesses Anu, Babd Catha, and Macha. Another version consists of Babd, Macha, and Nemain. All are associated with battle and death, but also with life. On Samhain, the Morrigan mates with the Dagda, with one foot in the river and one on land, symbolizing the veil between the worlds opening as spirits pass through it. In the revival of modern witchcraft, she is one of the most popular Celtic goddesses, associated with the Great Mother of the Earth, sea, and cosmos. In later myths, she was transformed into Morgan Le Fey of the Arthurian legend, sometimes ally and sometimes villain.

Narcissus (Greek)

A figure mostly known for his obsessive vanity, this son of a nymph and a river god would spend his last days gazing at his own reflection, but the first man he showed affection for was not himself. A myth traced in origin to the Boeotia region mentions a relationship between Narcissus and the smitten Ameinias, whom Narcissus would eventually grow tired of before sending him a sword as a kiss-off. Ameinias, desperately depressed over the rejection, killed himself.

Nephthys (Kemetic)

While there are fewer tales in Egyptian history and mythology about female than male homosexuality, many considered the goddess Nephthys to be a lesbian. The sister and constant companion of Isis, she married brother Seth but bore him no children. Scholars have debated whether the stories of Nephthys, who did bear one son by Osiris, show that the culture held lesbians in greater esteem than gay men, because they could still be fertile despite their sexual orientation. Then again, others express skepticism about her lesbianism altogether.

Odin/Wotan (Norse/German/Scandinavian)

Known as Wotan the Wanderer in Germanic myth, Odin is the all father and king of the Aseir, the warrior gods of the Norse pantheon. Credited with creating, with his brothers, the nine worlds of the Norse cosmology Odin, is a god king and mercurial figure, a traveler, binder, and inspirer. Odin is very shamanic, hanging himself from the world tree to gain knowledge of the runes and giving his eye for knowledge. He is attended by two ravens—Thought and Memory—the head of Mimir who granted him knowledge, and the spirits of the warriors of Valhalla and the Valkyries. (“Valkyrie” means “choosers of the slain,” a group comprising of Amazon-like warrior goddesses acting as psychopomps to the souls of heroes, leading them to Valhalla.) He is the god of nobles, leaders, warriors, poets, magicians, and mad men, evoking a frenzy or fury for battlers. His son Thor is the chief god of the common folk. Odin is known to have assumed feminine dress and identity when it suited his purpose. Freyja initiated him into Seidr shamanic magick, a form traditionally reserved for women and transgendered/homosexual men. He is blood brother to Loki, and their bonding has homoerotic overtones, much like the process of warriors bonding in the rites of Freyja.

Orpheus (Greek)

The legendary poet and musician may be best known for the story of his journey to the underworld to retrieve his wife, Eurydice; he failed to do so when he succumbed to temptation and looked at her before both had returned to the world of the living. According to Ovid, he never took another female lover after that — but did love other young men in Thrace. Spurned, Ciconian women would eventually tear Orpheus apart during a Bacchic orgy.

Osiris (Egyptian)

Osiris is one of the few fertility gods of the ancient pagan world not specifically associated with homosexual relationships, as Adonis and Dionysus are. His only association comes from his brother Set and his son Horus. Originally a god of fertility, he is killed by his brother Set, and resurrected by his wife, Isis. Angered by his resurrection, Set dismembers him. Isis finds all the pieces, except his penis. She resurrects him, placing a symbolic phallus in the correct position. Because of his inability to create new life, Osiris becomes lord of the dead. Either prior to his second death, or through the magical workings of Isis after his second resurrection, he conceives a child with Isis, named Horus, who continues his battle against Set, with the aid of Anubis, Nephthys, and Thoth, and eventually wins, becoming the new pharaoh, ruling in Osiris’s name. The flooding of the Nile River is said to be the semen of Osiris, the life-giving waters resulting from his acts of self-pleasure in the realms below. Pharaohs may have imitated Osiris during their enthronement rituals, masturbating before the image of the gods. These rituals later led to public masturbation as religious worship in Egypt. Such acts of religious sexuality can be found also in ancient Phoenicia, Babylon, and Assyria.

Pan/Faunus (Greco-Roman)

The horned god Pan incarnates the power of the land and animals, the power of wild things, into an archetype of immense power. Often viewed as the primary representation of the Wiccan godforce, Pan is the goat-legged god of music, creativity, poetry, nature, animals, sexuality, and even terror. He is the god of life and death, though not often portrayed as a lord or king, but somewhat as a trickster or nature spirit, cavorting with nymphs and satyrs. Originating the term “pansexual,” Pan loves both men and women. Artwork depicts him playing the panpipes, penis erect and chasing after men and maidens, particularly shepherds and young men to whom he is teaching music. He has been associated with Dionysus and Ganymede. Unfortunately, his visage was partially adopted by Christians to embody the devil, or Satan, though Pan’s pagan historical worship had absolutely nothing to do with Satan.

Poseidon (Greek)

According to Pindar’s First Olympian Ode, Pelops, the king of Pisa, once shared “Aphrodite’s sweet gifts” with the ocean god himself. Pelops for a time was taken to Olympus by Poseidon and trained to drive the divine chariot.

Quan Yin (Asian)

Quan Yin, or Kuan Yin, is the Chinese goddess of compassion. She sits on an island and listens to the prayers of the world, particularly those of women, children, and sailors. In Buddhists terms, she is a bodhisattva, one who forsakes her own union with divinity to remain behind on a spiritual plane, to guide and help the people of the world. She could be thought of as an ascended master or saint. Quite possibly Quan Yin was once depicted as male, from Indian origin, as Avalokiteshvara, and later viewed as a female figure, since union with the divine reconciles the female and male aspects. The Buddha is generally shown as male, so his companion, Quan Yin, was depicted as female in the 8th century. As a bodhisattva, Quan Yin is seen as beyond this world’s concept of gender, and can change gender at will, as needed.

Ra (Kemetic)

While the sun god Ra in most mythological accounts was regarded as the father to the major gods, Sir Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge wrote of clear indications of a double-gender nature to the deity. As early as the fifth dynasty, Budge wrote of Ra’s female counterpart Rat, who was considered the mother of the gods.

Rama (Hindu)

Another origin story for the hijras comes from the Ramayana, which tells the tale of Rama gathering his subjects in the forest before his 14-year adventure. He tells the men and women to return to their appropriate places in Ayodhya, but upon his return from his epic journey, Rama finds some have not left the place of that speech and instead merged together in an intersex fashion. He grants hijras the ability to confer certain blessings, the beginning of the badhai tradition.

Sedna (Native American/Inuit)

Several myths paint Sedna has a gynandromorphous creation deity, served by two-spirit shamans. Others depict her as a young woman who lived with her female partner at the bottom of the ocean. She is a mother goddess of life and death, of animals, particularly sea creatures, hunting, heaven, and destiny.

Set (Egyptian)

Set, or Seth to some, is the brother to Isis and Osiris, the divine mother and father of dominant Egyptian myth. He is also husband to his sister Nephthys, a dark goddess who lacked Set’s association with evil and later defected to her sister Isis’s cause. Set is considered the god of evil by the Osirian cults of Egypt, but more rightly he is the god of the harsh forces, the desert, the tests of the world, and the mysteries of death and sacrifice. He is distinguished by his red hair and fair skin—a far cry from the other Egyptian gods—suggesting a previous incarnation and set of associations from another people that were later absorbed into the Egyptian pantheon. His redness is reminiscent of the red sands and dust storms. He is also considered pansexual. Much later he was connected with Typhon, the serpent chaos god and nemesis of Zeus. Typhon is associated with the watery chaos serpent creation goddess Tiamat of Sumeria. In modern mythology, Set slays his brother Osiris twice out of jealousy and twice Isis returns him to life, though finally as a god of the dead. The two begot Horus, who continues the fight. Though Set himself was Horus’s nemesis, the two have oral sex, Set swallows Horus’s seed, and gives birth to a child.

Teiresias (Greek)

The blind prophet of Apollo was most famous in Greek myth for being transformed from a man into a woman for seven years. During his female years, Teiresias became a priestess of Hera, married, and even had children, according to Hesiod. Call him mythology’s original transgender person. After the gods changed him back, Zeus asked who enjoyed sex more, men or women. Teiresias revealed the ladies had it roughly 10 times better than the lads. Reporting this earned him a blinding by Hera.

Tezcatlipoca (Aztec)

As the Father of Witches, Tezcatlipoca walks the jungles in many forms, including a jaguar, coyote, monkey, or woman. He is the patron of sorcery and divination, often depicted holding his namesake, a black obsidian, or “smoking,” mirror. Seen as a dark solar figure at times, he is the mirror image of Quetzalcoatl, with whom he battled often. As a magician and shaman, Tezcatlipoca grants miraculous healings, although he is associated with death and sacrifice. Tezcatlipoca and his priests are associated with transgenderism, homosexuality, and ritual prostitution similar to the cults of the Middle Eastern goddesses.

Thoth (Egyptian)

The myths surrounding Thoth are numerous and varied, ranging from his role as a primal creation god to that of guide and aide to the ruling god, or son of Set and Horus’s homosexual union. His is pictured variously as a man with an ape or ibis head. Thoth’s title, “shepard of the anus,” comes from his association with the ibis, which fastidiously cleans its anus with its beak. He is primarily a god of writing, communication, magick, invention, justice, and the Moon.

Tlazoteotl (Aztec)

Tlazoteotl is the “Eater of Filth,” “Dirt Goddess,” or the “Shit Goddess” who takes all the darkness of the world, all the horrors, pain, and suffering and transforms it to purest gold. With these attributes in mind, Tlazoteotl can be viewed as an underworld, dark goddess figure, bringing the wisdom of the shadow to her people. She is a powerful goddess of life and death. Viewed as the archetypal witch, even in the Americas, she is seen partially nude, with either horns or a conical hat, holding a snake and riding a broom. The rabbit is her animal. Along with Xochiquetzal, she is mother and protector of the huastecs, transgendered, lesbian priestess. She is also linked with male homosexuality in her form as “Goddess of the Anus.” In most recent times, in a pop-culture, graphic story called The Invisibles by Grant Morrison (Vertigo/DC), she is associated with a shamanic drag queen named Lord Fanny.

Xochilpilli (Aztec)

Known as “the prince of flowers,” Xochilpilli is the Aztec patron god of flowers, physical pleasure, fine food, dancing, singing, games, entertaining, and perfumes. Although he is a giver of curses as well as blessings, his festivals are known for their lack of human sacrifice. Xochilpilli is a corn or grain god, partaking in the fertility mysteries of the spring equinox, much like a New World Adonis, with his mother and lover, Xochiquetzal. He is a patron of gay men, gender variance, and male prostitution. As a form of the god Naxcit-Xuchitl, he is said to have introduced homosexuality to his people. As Naxcit-Xuchitl, he ruled the Age of Flowers, or the Cosmic Cycle of the Four-Petaled Flower. Though most records of this time are derogatory, the general, less hostile position marks it as a time ruled by women warriors, where a form of Xochiquetzal was prevalent, and men focused on the arts and possibly same-sex relationships. Perhaps the Four-Petaled Flower age was a New World matriarchal age.

Xochiquetzal (Aztec)

An Aztec goddess of the underworld and of spring flowers, Xochiquetzal is somewhat akin to the Greek Persephone in that regard, though others relate her to the biblical Eve. The rain god Tlaloc is her husband, though Tezcatlipoca fell in love with her and took her away. Tlaloc then brought the great flood. Xochiquetzal is the mother of Quetzalcoatl and Xochilpilli. Marigolds, the Moon, red serpents, deer, spiders, butterfly wings, and thorns are her symbols, as she is a goddess of weavers, painters, sculptors, craftsmen, smiths, poets, and those engaging in nonreproductive sex. She is a protector of lesbians, along with Tlazolteotl, and is strongly linked to gay and transgendered men.

Vishnu/Mohini (Hindu)

A major deity of the religion regarded as protector of the world, Vishnu is clearly depicted in the faith as gender-fluid. This major Hindu deity frequently took on the female avatar of Mohini. Vishnu even procreated with Shiva in the Mohini form, resulting in the birth of Ayyappa, a major figure still worshipped by millions who make pilgrimages to shrines in India. The avatar Mohini frequently gets describes as an enchantress who maddens lovers.

Yemaya (Santeria)

Yemaya is the orisha of oceans, rivers, and water, a divine mother. The orisha are like the loa of Voodoo, but Santeria practices have a particularly Spanish flair. Yemaya is a great sorceress, a powerful patron of magick, and is known to shapeshift into a man at times. As a warrior woman, Yemaya is linked to transgendered and lesbian women. Water is generally associated with healing, cleansing, and emotion, so Yemaya is appealed to for healing, particularly now, to wash away HIV/AIDS, as she is also seen as a patron to gay, bisexual, and transgendered men.

Zeus/Jupiter (Greco-Roman)

Zeus is a sky and storm god, the carrier of lightning and rain, and the leader of the Olympians. The son of Chronos the Titan and grandson of the sky god Uranus, Zeus led his siblings to victory against the Titans. He divided creation among his brothers. He gained the heavens, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the underworld. Zeus is both a beneficent father figure and a stern patriarch, but always the supreme god. Zeus is associated with the planet Jupiter, which is his Roman name, and the granter of fortune, blessings, and prosperity. His wife is the sky goddess Hera, although he is known for his liaisons with both men and women, siring numerous offspring. Zeus is a shape-shifter and often uses the ability to seduce unsuspecting young men and women. In the Orphic mythology, he is transgendered as Zeus Arrhenothelus, being both mother and father. Later myths completely abandon Zeus’s transgendered aspects, but he retains some motherly attributes. Zeus gave birth to the goddess of wisdom, Athena, directly from his brow, as he did Dionysus from his thigh. This ability to carry a child to term echoes Zeus’s older attributes and we should not forget Them.

https://www.pride.com/entertainment/2017/9/11/52-queer-gods-who-ruled-ancient-history

Christopher Penczak’s Gay Witchcraft: Empowering the Tribe

#queer positivity #pantheons #lgbttqqiaap #magick #witchcraft

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spjcomicart · 7 years ago

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How did the women of Ancient Greece benefit from participating in the Cult of Dionysus

Stefano Junior November 2017 How did the women of Ancient Greece benefit from participating in the Cult of Dionysus If sculptor Polikleitos’s "Spear Bearer"or the "Doryphoros", the 6’11” originally bronze sculpture was the canon by which ancient Greeks at the height of Classical antiquity measured harmony and beauty, which in turn represented not only their reverence for Male athletics and form, but also as a measurement of what was morally good (derivative of the Greeks pride in their exertion of will over Nature and thus balance and order over chaos, than most certainly Women represented the opposite. “The blood that issues with the newborn, the mother was considered ritually impure, both “polluted” and “polluting”…as we learn from a sacred law from the Greek colony of Cyrene…The woman who has just given birth pollutes the house; she pollutes anyone inside the house….the person who is inside the house shall be polluted for three days. “ (1) Certainly if menstruation was regarded as essentially a spell of pollution for the both the woman and those within her vicinity, than it is little surprise that authorities of these collective city-states had initiated common practices that ensured women were left to tend to hearth and home and forbidden to partake in affairs of state and government. Certainly if their natural physiognomy was one of chaotic expulsion and pollution than the notion of women participating in athleticism and games would only be set aside for their “superior” Male counterparts, save for the Amazons of legend (a fearsome matriarchal race of breast carving archers and weapon wielders who bred only female babes and sacrificed their male offspring for whom their Queen’s girdle was allegedly stolen by Heracles’ conquest of them—Heracles himself reflecting the notions of maximum masculine superiority by means of partial Divinity, the son of the Father of the Olympian gods himself, Zeus) and perhaps Artemis, goddess of the Hunt, conveniently a Virgin and perpetually incapable of “Pollution”. Yet ever so, Artemis, as reflective of the notion of the Anima in Greece, is tied to the wild—surveyor and champion of all animal life; a woman, no doubt, unchecked is unbridled and base-without logic or reason. Thus, unreliable, untrustworthy, and unpredictable as The beast, for whom the Greeks sought to overcome within themselves. Logic and reason-the qualities reserved and revered by a modern classical Greek citizen for whose very Athenian surrounding was the bedrock for modern philosophy. Or perhaps Athena herself, sprung from the head of Zeus himself, the namesake of Athens herself and the guardian of warfare and creative arts and craftsmanship and WISDOM; perhaps an collectively unconscious contradiction on the capacity of the female, or a carryover evolution of goddess worship from the Cycladian and Minoan peoples that remained, however transformed, as an element of gender balance within a Pantheon of Gods. Not only would the measure of a woman’s nature be in comparison to the gods, but her Very origins, according to Greek religion. Woman’s untrustworthiness and unpredictability, after all Pandora, Eve of Christianity’s grandmother, was the “original” woman and set the standard of behavior Forever associated with the ancient woman. “and he (Zeus) ordered golden Aphrodite to shed grace on her head and cruel passion and worries that knaw at the limbs. And he commanded Hermes…to put in her a bitch’s mind and a thieving heart…..in her breast…put lies, tricky speeches, and a thieving heart.” (2) And regarding that famous box or cairn of hers “But the woman lifted in her hands the great lid from The jar and scattered these evils about-she devised miserable sorrows for men” So not only was this First woman and wife rife with poor character and qualities, but she, through her insatiable curiosity, Chaotic unpredictability, and untrustworthiness, unleashed ALL ills and unpleasantries that vex Mankind. Not only does this fortify the belief of woman as a literal vessel, either as for sexual or procreative purposes-or as the vessel of chaos and pollution. Is it any wonder then, that the ancient Greeks would have cause to resent and thus control and inhibit the life of an average woman or girl? “From birth to death a freeborn female in Athens was under the supervision of a kyrios, the Man who was responsible for her maintenance and upbringing as a child, and for all situations in which she would interact with the public, such as marriage or legal transactions.” (1) Her father, essentially, would be her first Kyrios, transferring ownership of her to a spouse or whatever living Male relative claim her. Woman as property, woman as cattle, woman as rearers, woman as spinners, woman as weavers, woman as potters, woman as waxmakers, woman as culinarians,….Woman with no power of her own. There were nurturer roles that women could aspire to, however, as evidenced by Phanostrate, The Athenian mid-wife and physician. A role assigned either an aged female, or one by circumstance Whom, not barren, was unable to birth children of her own. In this regard, both in the administration of Ritualistic elixirs and medicine, woman could earn money and the admiration and respect of fellow Greek citizens as child rearers and caretakers. Becoming a nurse, or moreover a wet nurse, may have Been boon to the Greek woman whom was able to lift herself from the mires and drudgery of the toils Of regularly sequestered female wife life and to the woman of high status for whom she was employed. According to Women of Ancient Greece by Bonnie Maclachlan, some may have indeed have been slaves or “Malicha”, plucked from the Peloponnese. Apparently, evenslavery on the socio economic stratum, as a nurse was still regarded with respect. So the ancient woman, by limited means, and one might imagine by limited numbers, circumstances, luck, and paternity, may (albeit in the capacity of a nurturer) aspire to something greater than property. So what about DIONYSOS? Who were these Maenads, or raving ones, that carried Out ritualistic libation ceremonies to honor a god whose very origins predated the Athenian sky gods And whose very essence and tenets were at odds with a culture so refined and elevated beyond the Natural earthy realms for haughty orchestrations of reason, intellect, and philosophizing? How and why Should this ancient deity and subsequent cult attract women ofHomeric times? And how might they Have benefitted from the rituals and practices therein in great opposition to their general existence and Expectations in classical Greece? “Procreation takes place in moisture” (3) Walter Otto writes in Dionysos: Myth and Cult And continues to elucidate the symbolic relationship between women, water, and its chaotic (antithesis Of reason and order) in the ancient religious symbolism. The watery nymphs, or maidens of the water, Themselves “nurture and rear the child Dionysus”. That very origin itself may have emerged from the Depths, if you will, from the waters that surrounded Crete during the height of the Minoan culture, Named for a king (Minos) who allegedly reigned there. But it isn’t a reigning patriarchy that is of Interest there; it is the art, and pottery, and history that remain that illustrate a highly matriarchal Society, where the station of a woman was elevated to that of priestess or regent or perhaps even a A governing one. A rich culture that succeeded at architecting complex communal “Palace” structures And the earliest potter’s wheel, which in turn led them to become a profitable and formidable trader of Goods throughout the Aegean as far as Egypt and Asia Minor and even mainland Greece for whom, their Militaristic Mycenaen culture greatly imitated and incorporated Minoan art and ceramics. But of most Interest here, was the Bull god for whom, according to (4) Arthur Evans “The God of Ecstacy” was Arguably the basis for Dionysos and begat many other stories as well, i.e.: The Minotaur. During Ceremonial ritual, Minoans would drink from great vessels called rhytons sculpted in the shape of a bull: The ultimate consumption of divinity—by intoxication, in the shape of a beast—Purely Dionysian. “Zeus gave birth to a bull-horned god, and crowned his son with a wreath of snakes” (5) Euripides writes in The Bacchae and Other Plays and borrows, not one, but two symbolic images Associated primarily with Minoan ritual: The Bull and the Snakes (see the famed Minoan Snake Goddess) Giving further evidence to Dionysos’ relationship to a more ancient feminine culture and one that so Closely married the anthropomorphic elements that were more closely tied to nature and all its Instinctual ramifications, logic be damned. Arthur Evans (4) quotes another author Nilsson, 1950, who Explains plainly why in modern classical Greece, the ideals Dionysus would have reemerged and held Value for women “We have a warlike upper class which created a state of the gods model of their own Feudal organization. On the bottom was the great mass of architectural workers and slaves who retained the agrarian and nature deities of the old Minoan religion and their special rites” Evans continues “by the time of the classical era, he had become the center of a massive cult….that disturbed the upper class…,therefore, the return of the repressed…not just of the underclassses at last making their social clout felt…also a resurgence of a world-view,…regarding nature, sexuality, and religion that directly threatened the established concepts of the time.” In Classical Greece, certainly no other citizen would have defined the word repressed better …than a woman. Dionysus own mythical family and mother Semele, relative to Minos, was derivative of Crete and the Minoans, so who better than one Bull headed god of chaos and nature harkening back to a time of female patronage and power could champion an entire downtrodden indentured sex in an effort to either overthrow establishment or subvert it or at the very least, release. These mad maidens, imbibed with the liquid essence of Dionysus, for which they no doubt Pressed with their own feet and fermented and bottled and toiled over, could, in the private company of Other “sister” citizens retreat literally into nature into the forests and hills and unleash all of their Urges and desires, and rage against a society that revoked their will while recounting and recollecting a Time in which women held greater powers . A celebration of, not a triumph over the beast as the Athenians admired, but an intercourse with him and thus, perhaps a greater understanding of the The nature of physical reality and life. One that, by their very physiognomy, would remind them of That vey crimson element of life and death that runs through all living things, once a month: the “Pollution” of menstruation. Where women were expected to be softer, docile, and recepitous of sexual Engagement—as ornamental and immobilized as the very vessels from which they drank, here within Ancient sacred Dionystic rites, was an opportunity for them to unsheathe their ferocity, Aggressiveness , and sexual desires into a state of frenzied abandon and freedom. Freedom, even if only Symbolically set aside for a ceremonial night of debauchery would have appeared a powerful aphrodisiac To a repressed woman of Ancient Greece, in contrast to the restrictions of their daily modern and “Platonic” lives. Perhaps the greatest benefit they may have gleaned was a therapeutic one. Work Cited 1. Women In Ancient Greece (A sourcebook) by Bonnie Maclachlan 2. Women’s Life in Greece & Rome (A sourcebook in Translation) by Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant 3. Dionysys Myth and Cult by Walter F. Otto 4. The Cult of Dionysys by Leon Davalos 5. The Bacchae and Other Plays by Euripides (translated by John Davie) 6. The God of Ecstasy by Arthur Evans

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