#Sea Creature Mosaic

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Sea Creatures Mosaic, originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii, is a stunning artwork displayed at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples

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“Creatives have reputations for floating in unreality. It’s true that what they espouse hints of magic and mystery, having little to do with what the larger world calls real. People like [this] are labeled ‘hermit,’ ‘madman,’ 'eccentric.’ Because they don’t live as others live, or accept the routine that makes the world go round, they are blamed, ridiculed, barely accepted as members of society. They are driven […] to greater extremes and further isolation, and rarely helped to do what they are born to do. Some do it anyway, and anyone who doubts the groundedness necessary for such a life should try it. To face each day supported, not by the dictates of a reliable outer framework, but by a chosen obedience to an inner necessity, one has to have one’s feet on the ground.” — Leif Anderson, from “Grounded,” Dancing with My Father (University Press of Mississippi, 2005)

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POETRY / MAGGIE SMITH :: Stonefish ::

There are fish in the black trenches of the sea that look like rocks. Their poison shouldn’t trouble me. They are so deep, we’ll never touch. But I think of them. If it is paranoid to believe there is a trench in me the doctors haven’t dragged, a cave no one’s plumbed with light, then fine, I’m paranoid. But whatever plaques and tangles, whatever cells wait deadly with their terrible hunger must be disguised. You should know the most venomous fish lives in the shallows. It also looks like a rock.

[ltwilliammowett]

A charming little octopus from a Roman villa at Villaquejida, Spain, 2nd-3rd century AD. Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. Photo by Alison Fisk

[lionofchaeronea]

Mosaic of sea creatures (the so-called "Fish Catalog") from the House of the Geometric Mosaics (VIII.2.16) at Pompeii. Artist unknown; ca. 100 BCE. Now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples. Photo credit: Massimo Finizio.

[hook-line-and-sinker]

Goofy Mosaic Wet Creatures Id like to share with the class

[indigopoptart]

EPHEMERALITY

in honor of my birthday being yesterday, take art from my first ever—and dare i say one of my most dearest—concepts!

+ plus some more WINDSTORM doodles below the cut ofc <3

ugh i miss these guys

they remind me of my love of fantasy

[wundrousarts]

I wonder if animation exists in the world of Nevermoor. Like, is someone out there making Gertie the Dinosaur but with the Scaly Sewer Beast?

[bouncinghedgehoglikesart]

Mosaic with sea creatures, House of the Faun, Pompeii

[redgalecus]

Catch of the Day (03.01.24)

[sheltiechicago]

Sea Creatures Mosaic- National Archaeological Museum, Naples. Originally from the House of the Faun, Pompeii

[uncleclaudius]

Mosaic with sea creatures from the House of the Faun, Pompeii.

[julesarago]

Some more art of my Rook, Vasari Laidir!

Made this for my Spotify playlist that I really haven’t even made yet cause I only got an inkling of my character rn, but hey, why not, what a time to be alive.

This wasn’t originally supposed to have a super detailed background, but after I started sketching sea creatures, I immediately decided it HAD to look like those ancient Roman mosaics and I’m fairly happy with the result, even if I had so color all of these tiles individually.

Hey here’s to all of us communally suffering until this game comes out ;__;

[fiyaa-xoxo]

Theres something different about receiving a handwritten letter......

✧˚ · .Spring has sprung as the NCR students walk through out the NRC campus. With spring here and the flowers blooming, and most important of all valentines day right around the corner. NRC launches lockers for students to anonymously give someone something for valentines day. Surprise, Surprise the prefects locker was the one with the most letters. Lets see what some of them wrote, will u find out who wrote what?....

From: A crimson flower...

My Crimson Rose,

In this whimsical realm where time dances to its own curious tune, I find myself enchanted by the notion of Happy Unbirthdays and the delightful chaos that ensues in the shadow of the Queen of Hearts. It is within this peculiar Wonderland that our paths have crossed, and my heart, typically bound by the rigidity of rules, has succumbed to the joyful mayhem of your presence.

Oh, how the tea parties unfold in blissful disorder, each cup raised in celebration of the nonsensical day that is every day but one! The Queen of Hearts, with her regal decree and whimsical demands, presides over these gatherings where laughter echoes like the most harmonious of melodies. In the mirthful company of jesters and creatures, our souls intertwine, and the rules of reality bow to the capricious whims of Wonderland.

As the Queen commands the cards to paint the roses red, I am reminded that the essence of love in this fantastical realm is as unpredictable as the ever-changing hues of Wonderland's flora. In the intricate dance of courtly affections, I find myself waltzing with you, my partner in this splendid, topsy-turvy masquerade.

From: An Inky Dealer...

And so, my heart, once bound by the rigid laws of reason, now surrenders to the whimsy of Wonderland and the joyful rebellion that accompanies it. With every unbirthday tea party we share, I am reminded that true happiness lies not in conformity but in the enchanting chaos of love.

To my Siren,

As the currents of fate weave through the whimsical waters of Twisted Wonderland, I find myself drawn to you like a siren's call echoing in the depths of the Monstro Lounge. In this ocean of magical mayhem, your presence is a beacon that lights up the darkest corners of my heart.

The glittering allure of Ursula's domain mirrors the shimmering depths of the feelings that swirl within me. Much like the ebb and flow of the tides, our connection resonates with a rhythm that transcends the ordinary cadence of everyday life.

In the enchanting embrace of the Monstro Lounge, where secrets are exchanged like treasures and laughter dances upon the waves of conversation, I am captivated by the spell you cast upon my existence. Ursula's wisdom echoes in the whispers of our shared moments, and I am reminded that love, much like the sea, holds depths yet to be explored.

So, let this letter be a testament to the enchantment you bring into my life, a tale woven with threads of magic and mystery. In the embrace of Ursula's sanctuary and the symphony of the Monstro Lounge, my heart finds its rhythm in harmony with yours.

From: The oasis in the hot sands...

Dear, sunshine

With the boundless energy of a desert breeze, my affection for you grows, and the tapestry of our shared moments becomes a mosaic of joy and laughter. Your smile, a treasure more precious than any gem in the sands, illuminates my world with unparalleled warmth.

In the vibrant oasis of love, I find solace in the melody of our shared laughter and the dance of our dreams under the twinkling stars. With each passing day, my heart beats in rhythm with the magic you bring into my life.

So, let this be a simple testament to the love that blossoms like a desert rose within my chest—a love as boundless as the endless sands of Twisted Wonderland.

From: A loyal knight

My dearest Everglow,

Amidst the tapestry of my own existence, I pledge my loyalty to you with the same unwavering devotion that I offer to the illustrious Malleus Draconia. To serve him is an honor, and in his guidance, my loyalty becomes an intricate dance—a choreography of duty and affection.

In this realm where loyalty is both a shield and a key, my heart beats with the rhythm of a promise made not just in service but in love. Your understanding gaze, a refuge in the labyrinth of obligations, is a testament to the deep connection that transcends the boundaries of duty.

So, let this be a tender acknowledgment of the magic that binds me to both my fae heritage and the loyalty I extend to you and Malleus—a love letter written with the ink of allegiance and sealed with the embrace of my heart.

Writers note: Hello everyone! Were u able to find out who's who? Let me know if u want more writings like this!

Requests are open!! ^^

───────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──

[ltwilliammowett]

A beautiful mosaic depicting a grand ship with its sail raised and blowing in the wind, amidst a plethora of sea creatures - fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods, Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 4th century AD

[blueiscoool]

Roman Mosaics Unearthed During Rescue Excavations in Turkey

Teams from the Diyarbakır Restoration and Conservation Regional Laboratory Directorate also contributed to this remarkable undertaking.

The excavation revealed mosaic floor tiles belonging to a Villa Rustica, a rural settlement enclosed by walls, comprising a central structure along with smaller auxiliary buildings distributed around it.

The mosaic floor, measuring approximately 100 square meters, exhibited intricate designs depicting fish scales, triangles, hexagons, octagons, arch formations, trees, waterfowl, octopuses, fish, mussels, seals and aquatic plant imagery.

Director Abdulgani Tarkan highlighted the significance of the findings, emphasizing that this Roman settlement in the forested area between Kızıltepe and Artuklu districts is not just a rural villa; it encompasses diverse architectural remnants, including living quarters and a necropolis dating back to the fifth to seventh centuries.

"These mosaics, adorned with animal figures and rare sea creatures like octopuses and various fish species, are distinctive in this region. Our priority is to preserve these historical relics to prevent further deterioration," Tarkan emphasized.

Plans are underway to carefully remove and exhibit these unparalleled mosaic artifacts at the museum, showcasing this newfound chapter of Mardin's rich historical narrative.

[alsadeekalsadouk]

The use of hippocampus on coins

-Greek Civilization:

In Greek mythology, the hippocampus was often associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. Poseidon was said to ride a chariot drawn by hippocampi, which symbolized his dominion over both land and sea. The hippocampus also appeared in ancient Greek art, particularly in pottery and mosaics, where it was depicted as a graceful and powerful creature. These representations often emphasized its role as a creature of the sea, embodying both the beauty and the danger of the ocean.

-Phoenician Civilization:

The Phoenicians, a seafaring people known for their trade and maritime prowess, also featured the hippocampus in their art and mythology. The hippocampus in Phoenician culture symbolized their connection to the sea, which was central to their economy and way of life. The creature was depicted in Phoenician art, particularly in the form of amulets, seals, and decorative items, serving as a protective symbol for sailors and merchants.

-Roman Civilization:

In Roman culture, the hippocampus continued to be associated with the sea and was often linked to Neptune, the Roman equivalent of the Greek Poseidon. The Romans adopted and adapted much of #Greek_mythology , so the #hippocampus retained its significance as a creature of the sea. It appeared in Roman mosaics, sculptures, and other artworks, often in scenes depicting marine life or the gods of the ocean. The hippocampus also symbolized power and strength, qualities that were highly valued in Roman society.

In all these civilizations, the hippocampus served as a powerful symbol of the sea, embodying the duality of beauty and danger, as well as the connection between the human and the divine. #archaeology #ancient #ancienthistory #museum #numismatics #numismatist #numismatica #rarecoins #oldcoins #worldcoins

#coincollecting #coincollection #gold #metaldetecting #silvercoins

#coin #romancoin #ancientcoins #ancientgreekcoins #money #history.

#temple#art #greece #alsadeekalsadouk #الصديق_الصدوق

[amaryllis-sagitta]

Tinfoil: Destructive envy & imitation - Ghilan'nain wanted Mythal's secret knowledge?

The main body of the post doesn't contain DATV spoilers.

Staring at the Evanuris symbols and dismantling their divine archetypes makes me think Ghilan'nain was the driving force behind Mythal's murder, or at least some thematic parallels point out that she had a reason.

Symbolically speaking, Mythal is born of the Earth and the Abyss, the primary Lifesource of all creation.

Elgar'nan had defeated his father, the sun, and all was covered in darkness. Pleased with himself, Elgar'nan sought to console his mother, the earth, by replacing all that the sun had destroyed. But the earth knew that without the sun, nothing could grow. She whispered to Elgar'nan this truth, and pleaded with him to release his father, but Elgar'nan's pride was great, and his vengeance was terrible, and he refused. It was at this moment that Mythal walked out of the sea of the earth's tears and onto the land. She placed her hand on Elgar'nan's brow, and at her touch he grew calm and knew that his anger had led him astray. Humbled, Elgar'nan went to the place where the sun was buried and spoke to him. Elgar'nan said he would release the sun if the sun promised to be gentle and to return to the earth each night. The sun, feeling remorse at what he had done, agreed. (Codex: Mythal: The Great Protector)

After committing the elvhen iteration of Divine Patricide, Elgar'nan attempted to replace all living creatures on his own, but he was doomed to fail because he refused to acknowledge that the Sun was needed for life to exist.

The temple mosaic depicts Mythal as pregnant and holding reeds, emphasizing her innate connection to the Lifesource. She is worshipped as the All-Mother.

Ghilan'nain reached her divinity after the gods recognized her ability to create new life forms. From the earlier codices, it seems that she also has some innate connection to the Lifesource in the Abyss. Through the aravels and the association with the craft of navigation, she carries attributes of both the Waters and the Air. Her Air attributes make sense as something bestowed upon her by Andruil -- the goddess depicted as one wielding a spear of starlight.

But more than that, Ghilan'nain is entangled with Andruil & Mythal in the story of Andruil's descent to the Void.

Andruil put on armor made of the Void, and all forgot her true face. She made weapons of darkness, and plague ate her lands. She howled things meant to be forgotten, and the other gods became fearful Andruil would hunt them in turn. So Mythal spread rumors of a monstrous creature and took the form of a great serpent, waiting for Andruil at the base of a mountain. When Andruil came, Mythal sprang on the hunter. They fought for three day and nights, Andruil slashing deep gouges in the serpent's hide. But Mythal's magic sapped Andruil's strength, and stole her knowledge of how to find the Void. After this, the great hunter could never make her way back to the abyss, and peace returned. (Codex: Elven God Andruil)

Ghilan'nain kept herself apart from the People. She used her power to create animals none had ever seen. The skies teemed with her monsters, the land with her beasts. Andruil hunted them all, and after a year of killing, approached Ghilan'nain with an offer: the gods would share their power with Ghilan'nain, but only if she destroyed her creations, for they were too untamed to remain among the People. Ghilan'nain agreed and asked for three days to undo what she had made. On the first day she struck down the monsters of the air, except those she presented to Andruil as a gift. On the second day she drowned the giants of the sea, except those in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought, and Pride stopped her hand. On the third day she killed the beasts of the land, except the halla, whose grace she loved above all else. This is how Ghilan'nain was made youngest of the gods. (Codex: The Ascension of Ghilan'nain)

Now, cue to Trespasser and The Horror of Hormak, which re-contextualize Ghilan'nain's ability to create life as something more of a horrid caricature of something that seems to be natural and benevolent as an attribute of Mythal (looking at The Skin That Stalks and the entirety of the Hormak laboratory). Ghilan'nain's main symbolic cue is now the briny substance that transmogrifies life -- a pale (sic) imitation of the original Abyssal waters where all life hails from and where spirits "return" and reform when they disintegrate (per All New, Faded For Her).

Mythal, in her serpent form, took the knowledge of the Void back from Andruil. Thus, she reestablished her position as the deity with a unique mystical connection to the Abyss/Void, and the guardian of secrets related to these realms.

The mystic associations of Mythal are made known through her modern incarnation as Flemythal. Flemeth makes several comments in the passing about knowing something about the unfolding universal Fate. We don't know for sure if Mythal is the source of Flemeth's alleged prophetic gift, but there is a parallel to be drawn. The connection between Mythal, the Abyss and mystical experience is also echoed in Andraste's story of finding The Maker through the deepest despair and grief, which destroy her human experience, cause the archetypal "dark night of the soul", and lead her to the hidden reservoir of wisdom in the emerald waters of the Abyss. Since then, Mythal and Andraste share the divine archetypes of Sorrow, Grief and enlightenment from despair, as if something unique was to be learned from the experience of loss.

My tinfoil theory is that Ghilan'nain desired that knowledge, which was Mythal's birthright, not hers, and wanted it for herself to push the boundaries of creation -- since her main theme since Trespasser seems to be transgression against whatever can be considered the natural law or natural order in Thedas. Which is a take that, to me, seems to be deeply informed by the Christian outlook on morality* -- Ghilan'nain is merely "playing God" and going against some form of divinity implicit in the world's natural laws, while Mythal would be doing stuff As God Intended. This might have driven Ghilan'nain to incite the Divine Matricide on Mythal, which would imply her repeating Elgar'nan's cycle of ill-informed retribution, and provoking further vendetta at the hand of Fen'Harel, who has his own connections with Mythal's divine lineage and Mythal's worshippers.

Following this line of reasoning, there would be shared themes between Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain -- one of destroying something that was precious on a personal level in an act that was meant to be empowering; and one of trying to replace or imitate life in a way that tries to overlook or erase some indispensable components of life; something discordant with the natural law, something that Mythal knows intimately by virtue of her connection to the Abyss. Because both Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are blind to these fundamental connections in their respective stories, they sow destruction and distort life as a result.

It's ironic that Fen'Harel inadvertently committed a very similar transgression by depriving the physical world of its Fade connection -- in locking the Evanuris out of the world, he committed severe ill-informed metaphysical shenanigans and thus continued the cycle. His saving grace in the situation is his sincere regret about the devastating side effects of his deed. He doesn't need any convincing that what he separated from the world is good and necessary. In this specific regard, he doesn't seem to come from the place of folly like the Evanuris before him.

Ghilan'nain might be able to make new creatures but she seems to have lost the discernment on how far "the God" (the Nature, the Fate, Gnosis or Enlightenment locked in the Abyss, yada yada) allows a creator to go in this endeavor -- or, like the Elgar'nan of the myth before her, she has scorned something fundamental about life so far that she was willing to engineer life to avoid it. And as an old sci-fi trope dictates, some boundaries should not be broken because those who carry on with hubris and disturb Nature from a place of incomplete information** are doomed to cause Major Fuckups.

And another thread that might connect these potential motivations is how primal acts of Envy bring destruction and discord -- how The Sun envied that Elgar'nan got to enjoy all pleasures and bounties of the Earthly life and scorched Its own children in the aftermath. I have theorized*** that Envy is the main motivation and the driving "will" of the Void when we consider it as an active metaphysical counter-force to All That Exists; that the Void, in a very abstract sense, is not content with its secondary position to existence and aims to replace it.

Ghilan'nain's goal might have been to create life without traces of the Void, life more perfect than anything that actually exists -- invulnerable to decay, suffering, oblivion, etc. But that is simply impossible***, the Existence/ Life and the Void in Thedas must be considered as a dynamic dyad that allows change.

*speaking as a Central European whose country was founded on the principles of the Holy Roman Empire's Christianity some time before the Great Schism.

**this wasn't intended as a post containing any Veilguard spoilers but: Hello, Rook

***the work is orphaned but I maed that. See this post.