#Thesprotia

[gemsofgreece]

𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘝𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘢, 𝘚𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘢 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘴 ||  Kᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛɪɴᴏs Lᴀɪᴏs

[epestrefe]

Mercedes Benz O322 της Βιαμάξ με αριθμό ανεμοθώρακα «20» στο ΚΤΕΛ Θεσπρωτίας, ιδιοκτήτης ο Κώστας Ντάνης.Στη φωτογραφία από τον Βασίλειο Παραμυθιώτη, επάνω, ο Ντάνης από την πρώτη ημέρα παραλαβής του λεωφορείου του από τη «Βιαμάξ», σε κυκλοφορία με δοκιμαστικό αριθμό τύπου «Μ».

Πηγή και περισσότερα στο:https://busoldtimers.blogspot.com/2014/10/blog-post_25.html

[shamsaddinmegalommatis]

Michael Pasiakos (1959-2023): an Obituary

Ο Καλός μου Φίλος Μιχάλης Πασιάκος (1959-2023), οι Αχανείς Αναζητήσεις του, και η πάντοτε Άφθαστη για μένα Σαγιάδα

Краткое содержание на русском языке в конце / Deutsche Zusammenfassung am Ende / Résumé en français à la fin / English Summary at the end 

Η γνωριμία μου με τον Μιχάλη άρχισε με μία ολότελα απρόσμενη πρόσκληση! Αυτή προερχόταν από μία χώρα από την οποία δεν είχα περάσει ούτε καν για μία φορά τα προηγούμενα δεκα οκτώ (18) χρόνια: την Ελλάδα. Από τον Ιούλιο του 2001, οπότε είχα φύγει, ούτε είχα σκεφθεί να επισκεφθώ κ��ποια περιοχή της χώρας, ούτε είχα επικοινωνήσει με κανένα, ούτε και μου είχε κάποιος γράψει.

Περιεχόμενα

Ι. Ο Πεπερασμένος Κόσμος μου από το Μαρόκο μέχρι την Κίνα και ο Απέραντος Κόσμος του Μιχάλη στην Σαγιάδα

ΙΙ. Περιστατικά της εξ αποστάσεως γνωριμίας μας

ΙΙΙ. Όταν η ανταλλαγή μηνυμάτων μετατράπηκε σε επικοινωνία με emails

ΙV. Όταν ο Μιχάλης αυτο-προσδιορίστηκε: Άθεος, Αναρχικός κι Αγρότης!

V. Οι τελευταίες επικοινωνίες μας

VΙ. Una furtiva lagrima ή ξηροῖς ἀκλαύτοις ὄμμασιν;

Επίμετρο

Краткое содержание / Zusammenfassung / Résumé / Summary 

Ήταν Νοέμβριος του 2019 και, ως συνήθως, βρισκόμουν σε πολλά ταξείδια. Όλα άρχισαν με ένα μήνυμα που δέχθηκα στον λογαριασμό μου στο μεγάλο πόρταλ academia dot edu. Είχε αποσταλεί από τον Μιχάλη και ήδη με την πρώτη ανταλλαγή μηνυμάτων με προσκαλούσε να δώσω μία διάλεξη στους Φιλιάτες, μία μικρή πόλη της ΒΔ Θεσπρωτίας την οποία είχα πολύ παλιά επισκεφθεί για μόνον μισή ώρα, ένα απόγευμα του 1964, όταν πήγαινα ταξείδι με τους γονείς μου και ένα ζευγάρι θείων μου στην Κέρκυρα.

Ποτέ δεν ξέχασα εκείνη την βανίλια-υποβρύχιο που είχα απολαύσει σε ένα καφενείο της πλατείας απέναντι στην εκκλησία της κωμόπολης. Όπως και ποτέ δεν ξέχασα την αποτυχία μου να πείσω τον θείο μου να μας οδηγήσει από την Ηγουμενίτσα, όπου εφθάσαμε αργότερα και εβγάλαμε αρκετά νωρίς τα εισιτήρια για το φέρρυ μπωτ, στην κοντινή Σαγιάδα, εφόσον η απόσταση ήταν κοντινή και ούτως ή άλλως, θα περιμέναμε ακόμη για 45 λεπτά μέχρι τον απόπλου για την Κέρκυρα.

Όλα αυτά είχαν για πολλές δεκαετίες παραμείνει βαθειά στις χαράδρες της μνήμης μου αλλά αυτόματα ανασύρθηκαν στην επιφάνεια χάρη στο μήνυμα-πρόσκληση του μακαρίτη πλέον σήμερα Μιχάλη. Ωστόσο, μου είχε φανεί παράξενο να προσκληθώ να μιλήσω σε μία πόλη, την οποία εγνώριζα τόσο λίγο, για θέματα της ειδίκευσής μου, τα οποία τόσο ελάχιστα θα ενδιέφεραν το εν Φιλιάταις φιλομαθές κοινό. Με άλλα λόγια, τα τόσο αντιφατικά στοιχεία μιας τέτοιας πρόσκλησης ντε φάκτο με έκαναν να ενδιαφερθώ για τον μυστηριώδη αποστολέα.

Ι. Ο Πεπερασμένος Κόσμος μου από το Μαρόκο μέχρι την Κίνα και ο Απέραντος Κόσμος του Μιχάλη στην Σαγιάδα

Έτσι και εγώ, πριν απαντήσω, ανακάλυψα .... the United States of Σαγιάδα, ή για να είμαι πιο ακριβής, τον Μιχάλη ... dans tous ses états! Δηλαδή μυήθηκα στα ατελείωτα μυστικά και στα άγνωστα σε μένα πιο πριν αλλά ιδιαίτερα σημαντικά τοπία και μνημεία, περιστατικά και γεγονότα της περί την Σαγιάδα Θεσπρωτίας που τόσο θαυμάσια και τόσο πλουσιοπάροχα εκείνος αναπαριστούσε στο μπλογκ του.  

Και σ' αυτή την τόσο απίθανη και τόσο ξεχωριστή ικανότητα του Μιχάλη οφείλονται οι παραπάνω όροι τους οποίους εδημιούργησα κάθε τόσο επισκεπτόμενος το -εξαιρετικό και βαθύπλουτο σε γνώσεις, στοιχεία, αναλύσεις, περιγραφές, τεκμήρια και ιστορικές φωτογραφίες- μπλογκ του, La Bastia (https://labastia.blogspot.com/), όπου εκείνος, με αναφορά στην παλαιότερη, ιταλική ονομάσία της Σαγιάδας, με πρωτοφανή συνέπεια, με ανεξάντλητη επινοητικότητα, και με υπερβατική αγάπη επέμενε να παρουσιάζει ακόμη και την τελευταία πέτρα της Θεσπρωτίας σε όλες της τις διαστάσεις.  

Συνεχίστε στο PDF

---------------------------

Download the obituary in PDF:

[travelsandwandering]

After years of working and living in Greece, I wanted to share another one of the wonderful villages I got the privilege of working in. It is stunning and away from the mass crowds on the islands and around the tourist traps.

[wrathfuldissonance]

I've mentioned Phobos' twin sister Persephone before, but little about their mother Demeter.

The Lethe family has a long and complicated history with Amaurot; from the day the treaties were signed, Thesprotia has been a part of but separate from Amaurot proper. Those residing in Thesprotia are subject to Thesprotian Justice. The people there, while oft confused for proper ancients, are truthfully dryads descended from a world tree they refer to as Grandmother.

Like many of her ancestors, Demeter claimed the seat of Halmarut when the need arose in ancient Amaurot and held it in good standing. She chose a mate from among the ancients and bore a pair of identical twins before returning her focus to her duties. She taught them little more than that children were for display and then to be put away and be silent until their formal education began; even then silence and compliance were expected.

Phobos and Persephone rebelled in their own ways; Phobos honing his silence and genially cool demeanor into potent weapons and simply going around the rules and obstacles Demeter laid down. Persephone challenged the woman with the appearance of recklessness, deliberately and pointedly cracking her mother's pristine reputation at every turn.

Determined that her eldest would be the perfect daughter and follow in her footsteps, to say she was enraged that Phobos chose gender affirming care and reforging his identity with the support of his twin and dearest friends would gravely understate the situation. When Demeter attempted to bar him from Thesprotia until he 'came to his senses', Grandmother intervened - such a rarity that even those outside the body garden took note of it.

Shortly after Phobos' marriage to the then-current Emet-Selch - properly done in Thesprotian ritual - Phobos, Persephone, and Emet-Selch hatched a plan to rid themselves - and Thesprotia - of the bitter woman. Phobos approached his mother with a seeming compromise, that he would take the seat of Halmarut as she wished, if she would just step down.

Demeter took the bait, naming him her preferred successor - only for Persephone to take the seat instead, while Phobos snatched the headship of the family from under Demeter. The woman banned from Thesprotia and judged wanting by Amaurot, she left to visit the groves of her sisters and aunts, searching for a method of revenge.

It emerged in the form of a newly-appointed Azem summoning Emet-Selch to her aid in a truly rotten and decaying grove. Before either Convocation member could call in backup from the twins, Demeter triggered a deadfall that dropped Emet-Selch into the roots of the grove's mother tree, leaving them to die to Thesprotian Justice. Azem, unaware the trap had been deliberately sprung rather than being as ancient as the grove, returned to Amaurot with the horrifying news.

Phobos retreated to Thesprotia, refusing to take on his spouse's former seat and nigh paralyzed with the grief - unaware of the true fate of spouse and mother both.

[lyculuscaelus]

“πολλῶν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων ἴδεν ἄστεα καὶ νόον ἔγνω…” (of many men he saw their cities and learned their mind…)

Ok you stop right there Homer. Tell me the cities you speak of.

Are they…

Ismarus: bro you just destroyed their city…and “learned their mind” on revenge. That surely counts doesn’t it

The land of the Lotus-eaters: bro you just sent three men to eat lotus, and you weren’t sightseeing at all cuz you didn’t even mention any city

The land of the Cyclopes: bro you went to a cave, not the city—if there was one, that is

Aeolia: bro that’s a god, and his children too

Telepylus: bro they’re giants

Aeaea: bro that’s a goddess, and no city

Hades: …

Thrinacia: bro they’re cattle and sheep, and still no city

Ogygia: bro that’s a goddess, and still no city

Scheria: yes definitely, the Phaeacians, and their Xenia

Home sweet home

Final count: 1, honestly

Ok so that’s a “lot” of cities to see…right? Enough for you to use the plural ἄστεα, right Homer?

That doesn’t compute.

Now seriously, what are the cities Homer was talking about? It can’t be the ones Odysseus had visited before the war (cuz “ἐπεὶ Τροίης ἱερὸν πτολίεθρον ἔπερσεν:”—“after he sacked the sacred citadel of Troy”), and now that we’ve seen, they’re not really included in Odysseus’s return. So is it actually from other versions of Odysseus’s story, or are they nowhere to be found?

Unless…if you’re including his oar quest after his return:

“ἐπεὶ μάλα πολλὰ βροτῶν ἐπὶ ἄστε᾽ ἄνωγεν ἐλθεῖν…” (since he (Teiresias) has ordered me to go to quite a lot of cities of mortals…)

Problem solved. Homer was talking about something that’s not even in his epic at the very beginning of his epic. what a clickbait smh /lhj

Again, seriously, the part of Odysseus’s return is actually included in the next two lines: “πολλὰ δ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἐν πόντῳ πάθεν ἄλγεα ὃν κατὰ θυμόν, ἀρνύμενος ἥν τε ψυχὴν καὶ νόστον ἑταίρων.” (at sea he endured many pains in his soul, striving to secure his life and the companions’ return.) (and of course he didn’t get the latter) and judging by the forms of the verbs (ἴδεν, ἔγνω, πάθεν are normal aorist verbs, while ἀρνύμενος is a participle), line 5 is the continuation of line 4 while line 3 and 4 are parallel to each other, each summarizing a journey that Odysseus undertook (line 3 is about Ody’s oar quest while line 4 and 5 about the Odyssey). This is a brilliant design.

And it might indicate that Odysseus’s second journey is of some importance too.

So, Homer, tell us the cities you speak of. We would like to know.

[infirmux]

OHHHHHH i have been trying to figure out how alexander is related to cassandra for five thousand years but if he is the lion & the argives are the persians that makes perfect sense. okay sorry everyone who i have accused of lying on this matter very loudly in front of vast audiences

[allmythologies]

greek mythology: dione

dione was the titan goddess of the oracle of dodona in thesprotia, and the mother of aphrodite by zeus. her name is simply the feminine form of zeus. dione was described as "the temple associate" of zeus at dodona. the three elderly prophetesses of the shrine, known collectively as the peleiades, were probably her priestesses. these women were named "the doves" after the sacred bird of dione's daughter aphrodite who also posssessed a temple at the shrine.

[katerinaaqu]

opinions on the telegony? do you think it deserves all the hate it gets?

Well for starters one must think that Telegony is yet another piece of ancient literature; written for a specific purpose of its time. People are of course mad at it because it has some fundamental differences with the style Homer has. And here come the differences and contradictions

In Telegony,we follow from where Homer left things and follow as Odysseus goes to his redemption trip to the mainland (according to Tiresias prophecy), we also have Circe who has apparently not just Telegonus but plenty of children with Odysseus. She sends her son to Ithaca armed for whatever reason with a spear poisoned with a stingray poison. Telegonous shipwrecks in Ithaca and for some reason again proceeds performing Piracy where he and Odysseus clash unknown to each other who is who till Odysseus gets stabbed by the stingray poisonous spear and dies and the last moment he recognizes his son and Telegonous him.

Now that is not the worst part of Telegony per se for Homer fans. Apparently during the trip of Odysseus in Thesprotia he gets married to queen Callidice and bears a son with her named Polypoetes. So the first contradiction here is that Odysseus gets married while Penelope is still alive and waiting in Ithaca. Which seems odd given how Odysseus was refusing the advances of two goddesses and one young princess in the Odyssey to go to his wife. Here he appears to marry another woman while Penelope is alive and waiting. Not only that but he remains in Thesprotia till Callidice dies and establishes his son to the kingdom before turning back. Also he seems not to return to Ithaca hastily not necessarily to see his wife again but to defend his property against the piracy of Telegonous. Which again seems to be a massive contradiction to his character as portrayed in the homeric poems Then there is the contradiction of his death. According to the Odyssey Tiresias predicts that he will find peaceful death in ripe old age out of the sea. This story definitely doesn't sound peaceful way to go. So we have contradictions to the Odyssey material already regarding Odysseus alone.

Also seems to be a certain level of irritation with the ending of Telegony that wants Telegonous after the burial of Odysseus taking Penelope and Telemachous with him to Aeaea where Circe makes them both immortal and then they proceed in a cross-marriage; Circe marries Telemachous and Telegonous marries Penelope. Now other than the fact that the modern audiences do not really stand such unions people critisize that Penelope would never marry her husband's murderer. Well I am only thinking how much would Penelope blame him or not (given that neither party was aware) but I believe we also see there is the pattern where Telegonous is in a way her stepson given how he is the illegitimate son of her husband. Such unions were not particularly approved for mortals even in ancient Greece (although here Telemachous and Penelope are technically gods so here we enter in a different sphere)

Either way I must say that indeed Telegony seems like a messy continuation of Odyssey or rather an attempt of it but one thing that must be said is that it wouldn't be the first time that a post-homeric writer basically changes the hell out of the homeric characters. I very rarely find a post-homeric version that does proper justice to the homeric characters. Eurypedes even makes Odysseus much more dislikable and even Menelaus who was the number one Odysseus supporter after Diomedes is portrayed badmouthing him (see my other humorous post about it). Odysseus is no exception given that from roman writers like Virgil till Conon who makes him want to backstab no other but Diomedes to get full credit for stealing the Palladium of Athena and failing no less, there is no doubt that Odysseus was not as heroic or as complicated to all post-homeric writers.

I believe what bothers most people is that Telegony has passed in history as part of the Epic Cycle because it takes things from where Homer left them so historically it was used as continuation/sequel despite the fact that it contradicts fundamental parts of the original homeric poems. Most likely Telegony is an epic poem that is based on local oral traditions that were created in order to place Odysseus as the mythological progenitor of thisspecific area of Thesprotia and show the greek roots of th area. Apart from that I do agree with those who do not consider it "canon" to Epic Cycle the same much as I do not count Eurypedes's tragedies as part of the Epic Cycle. It is definitely a piece of ancient literature that follows the pattern of Epic Cycle and is worth analyzng for its contents and what information it gives us for ancient Greece and the ancient past but yes I doubt one can call it an actual "sequel" of the Odyssey. Too many contradictions.

So yeah "hate" would be a strong word here but I definitely agree to those who do not consider it actual continuation of the Odyssey. Is it part of ancient literature? Absolutely. Does it have information to give us? No doubt but yes I do not consider it Epic Cycle the same as I do not consider roman scholiasts as necessarily accurate given the negative representations of homeric heroes but I study their interpretation anyways.

I hope this answers the question.

[echoesofolympus]

PERSEPHONE; A GUIDE TO WORSHIP.

TEXT BELOW;

Persephone;

Greek Name: Пероєрп (also called Kópn // Kore)

Transliteration: Persephonê

Roman Name: Proserpina

Translation: Destroy-Slay

Parents: Demeter and Zeus

Consort: Hades (god of the dead)

Goddess of: Spring growth, life and death

Symbols: Torch

Sacred Animal: Deer, bat

Sacred Plant: Pomegranate, seeds of grain, wildflowers

Epithets and titles;

Κόρη, Κουρή (Korê, Kourê) - Maiden, Girl

Χθονία (Khthonia) - Of the Earth

Καρποφόρος (Karpophoros) - Bringer of Fruit

Σώτειρα (Sôteira) - Saviour

Μεγάλα Θεά (Megala Thea) - Great Goddess

Ἁγνή (Hagnê) - Holy One

Δαείρα (Daeira) - Knowing One

Πραξιδίκη (Praxidikê) - Exacter of Justice

Offerings and associations;

Stones & gems: amethyst, onyx, obsidian, topaz, citrine, pink tourmaline

Incense: Frankincense, Vanilla, anthing floral

Colours: black, green, blue, Purple, magenta, yellow

Food & drinks: red wine, olive oil, water, fruit, honey, milk, grains, bread, pomegnates, herbal or floraliten, dark chocolate, mint

Tarot: The High Priestess, The Hermit

Other: images of the things she's associated with, flowers (real or fake), sheaves of wheat, frieshly harvested fruit, fake/decorational fruit, crowns, bones (real or fake), jewellery

Historical worship;

Patron of regions;

Attika, Thesprotia, Enna in Sicily

Holiest shrine;

Eleusis in Attika, Greece (home of the celebrated Mysteria)

The neermantic oracle in Thesprotia

Other shrines;

Temples throughout Greece,

Asia Minor & Sicily

Typically invoked for matters concerning harvest, the dead and curses and honoured as the Queen:
of the Underworld

Known festivals:

Thesmophoria -a festival honouring Demeterand
Persephone, held annually, mostly around the time that seeds were sown in late autumn (women-only)

Koris Katagogi - a festival celebrating Persephone's descent to the Underworld

Colour associations;

Black — Represents her role as queen of the underworld, death, mystery, and the transformative power of the underworld.

Green — Represents life, renewal, and vegetation. Tied to her role as goddess of the spring.

Blue — Represents her connection to water (streams and rivers), and the calm serenity she can embody.

Purple — Represents her royal status as queen of the underworld.

Magenta — Represents transformation, symbolising her frequent journey between the living and the dead.

Yellow — Represents light, energy, and harvest, linking to the nourishing power of the sun.

[gemsofgreece]

Wetlands of Drépano, Thesprotia, Greece by Kafetsis A. Fotis.

[moiroloi]

Itsa of Sasma or, The Backwards Dance (Η Ίτσα του Σάσμα ή, Ο Ανάποδος Χορός) by Vassilis Nitsiakos, dir. Konstantinos Markellos. Ancient Theatre of Gitana, Thesprotia, 2024.

[blue-lotus333]

Queen Callidice of Thesprotia

I hate the telegony, but Callidice sounds like an interesting character tbh…

[winxanity-ii]

You can hate Odysseus as much as you want, the guy was far from a good man, but saying "Man had kids with: Circe (Telegonus), Calypso (Latinus and Nausithous depending on the myth), Callidice, queen of Thesprotia (had another son and ruled with her for a bit), and probably half a dozen unnamed island women because fidelity who in ancient times? " as if all of those aren't from completely different sources with new things anyone could just make up because they didn't like him either is not a good argument 💀 if we go and throw things from all sources around then Penelope also cheated with every single suitor + Hermes

LOL hey! First off, I’m sorry if that post rubbed you the wrong way—that really wasn’t my intention! I totally get where you’re coming from, and I know pulling from multiple myth sources can look messy or inconsistent to some. But honestly… that was kind of the point.

I’ve seen so many posts lately treating Epic the Musical as though it’s word-for-word canon Greek myth, and I just wanted to remind folks that Greek mythology is already full of contradictions and alternative versions. Like yeah, I know those Odysseus “baby mama” references are pulled from different sources (some obscure, some poetic, some later additions)—but they still exist, and people have cited them when crafting their own takes too.

I wasn’t trying to drag Odysseus personally or say he’s irredeemable or anything—it was more of a jokey reminder that myths are flexible, and just because Epic chooses to frame him a certain way doesn’t mean everyone has to follow that interpretation. (Also let’s be real… fidelity in Greek myth?? Practically a myth in itself.)

But fr, I do try to do my research and take what fits the tone or direction of whatever story I’m working on. Myths contradict each other all the time—so as long as I’m clear that something’s inspired by X or Y version, I think it’s fair game. That post was more of a lighthearted PSA than a serious analysis.

Also, I couldn’t tell from your comment if you were genuinely upset or just making a point, so if you were offended, again—genuinely sorry. I wasn’t trying to start anything! I just like poking holes in how we frame these characters sometimes, especially when people get too comfy treating a modern musical like an encyclopedia.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk LOL. Wishing you good vibes and no indefinite beef!

[wrathfuldissonance]

{ @avaloniamagus | con't }

“Can you hear that?”

Grim turned curiously blank eyes on the mage, a hazy sheen of green-gold-purple over the blue.

"You'll have to be more specific, dear Merlin." With his senses opened up to the grove, Grim could hear everything - from the crackling gossip of the trees, to the whispers from the Aetheric Sea they reached into, channeling the dead down where they belonged. Whispers that something was deeply, desperately wrong. The natural order was being thwarted, and it wasn't Thesprotian Justice being served to blame. Though perhaps Thesprotia could be blamed for the shadow of Phobos peering out.

The singing was at the edge of his awareness, not yet catching his attention.

[lyculuscaelus]

Thinking again about the oral tradition nature of epics. Thinking again about the musicality lost over time, leaving only written words in the books and remaining fragments collected by scholars. Thinking again about the performance of epics, if they were sung in a certain scale—if the mode for each book would be different, if the delivery could change how we view certain lines—gosh, to feel all the emotions in the delivery, perhaps different bards having different opinions on how to perform those lines, creating different effects…

Just imagine Homer singing “ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι ἥνδανε νύμφη” in such a grievous tone, all the pain and the unjust in “no longer did the nymph bring any joy to him, either with food or shelter, or with words of comfort—then why was she still keeping him???” Imagine him raising his voice in a comedic tone when singing Odysseus’s Cretan tales, stressing on words like “Thesprotia” “Aeolia”, almost mocking the invalidity of other traditions—“all part of a lie!” Imagine all the emotions he mustered to sing of the death of Patroclus (with all the apostrophae hitting you, gosh), the sorrow of Achilles, the lament of Andromache, the reunion of Odysseus with his family after so many rhapsodies of wandering—the tender moment just between a father and his son, a husband and his wife, a son and his father—imagine the bittersweet tone he used, the tears in his eyes, the passion and softness of whispers he put into these words—all the things, only for the audience of his time to listen, to feel, to remember—till it all becomes just a secret of time.