#aeneid book 1

[sapocipo]

Get a load of these guys, I keep drawing tragic heroes in the most unserious way possible

[aeneiddaily]

what if the saddest, wettest man in all of Troy had to give a motivational speech. would you cheer for him. would you clap and cheer

[lilacerull0]

you think you can't catch up with time and you are too old and your mother's body is your body and it's dragging behind you and your friend thinks this makes you an ancient goddess and this is her lifeline. you live in a time where everything is about subversion in all spheres of life and your friend exists as a physical manifestation of these ideas and your form, your form that you hate and feel trapped in, is the only thing that can't be altered by time in your friend's eyes and you feel this way too. it's your greatest fear. but to her, this was life-saving somehow. what if you felt like you were in a perpetual state of waiting no matter how fast you were running and no matter where you went and your friend saw this quality of yours as her greek temple.

[chaoticvintagelesbian]

The Aenead so far is a lot less of a shit show that the iliad. Tho only read book 1. Some notable things tho:

- Venus sprinkled her son is sexy dust

- Juno went to the winds like, yo I'll give u brood mare wife if u start a storm to kill those Trojans over there, winds went, bet.

- iulus seems to be between a year old and 13, we do not know, he says his first word after he has done archery and ridden a horse.

- oh and love is an infection.

[lastwave]

i dont think we as people get insane enough about the imagery in book 1 of Mars- the gruesome, bloody version- chained up under the capitoline hill. city Literally founded on war and bloodshed. vergil when i catch you.

[nyxinastris]

there's something so endearing to me about vergilius calling the trojans (or, to be more specific, their offspring) "hectorea" in book 1. like, those are his people. the people he tried to protect and fought for every day in the trojan war, until his death. they get to carry on his legacy, troy's legacy, partly because of him. that is why they are "hectorea".

[hiemihymni]

:}

[mimikyuno]

someone probably already made a million post about the thematic relevance of julian’s lecture to the greek clique in chapter 1 in the overall narrative, how so much of what he is saying gets mirrored at various points as the story progresses. after all, this is the lecture that made the greek clique want to perform a bacchanal.

but i just noticed this one little parallel that is making me lose my mind a bit, to be honest.

I always found it peculiar that it was bunny who answered julian here – you’d think he wouldn’t remember the latin name for the erinyes, or that someone else might have said something. yet he is very engaged right now, “his eyes dazzled”.

i think there are two main reasons why bunny is the one who mentions the furies.

the first reason relates to julian’s words before his question. from a narrative point of view, by answering, bunny gets linked to these paragraphs.

“It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and no thing hurts along with one's burned tongues and skinned knees, that one's aches and pains are all one's own. Even more terrible, as we grow older, to learn that no person, no matter how beloved, can ever truly understand us.”

bunny, the one often compared to a child, already before and especially after finding out about the murder starts hurting, worrying, and quickly realizes he is the only one to feel this way. the others are not sharing in his worries. they excluded him from the successful bacchanal, henry mocked him in his diary, and no one confided in him. they hid the fact that they murdered someone from him with apparent ease. after italy, suddenly henry is all chummy with richard, and the group includes him even more – and bunny feels like no one understands him, no one is willing to. they treat him like a dumb child, and try to keep him quiet.

the second reason why I find it peculiar that bunny is the one to answer julian is to be found in julian’s segue to bunny’s answer.

the book often mentions dante, who was led through hell and purgatory by virgil. while the number of erinyes/furies is ambiguous in greek mythology, virgil, in the aeneid, mentions three: alecto (endless anger), megaera (jealous rage), and tisophone (vengeful destruction). and isn’t this the core of bunny’s behaviour prior his murder? his anger towards the rest of the group, and especially henry, at excluding him, mocking him. his jealous rage towards richard. his vengeful destruction – almost revealing what the group has done, exploding at henry, mocking charles’s drinking, deriding and belittling camilla and her relationship with charles, being cruel to francis bc of his sexuality, alienating even richard, who didn’t have much to do with any of this, by trying to expose his lies about his past and how much money he has.

in chapter 5, richard wonders how come bunny was losing his mind and turning against his friends post-murder reveal (pls ignore richard being a pretentious baby btw) and we get this amazing insight from camilla.

in julian’s own words, the erinyes/furies drove people mad by turning “up the volume of the inner monologue, magnif[ying] qualities already present to great excess, ma[king] people so much themselves that they couldn't stand it.”

and isn’t that what camilla is alluding at here? as if possessed by the furies, bunny becomes so much himself, or what he thinks the others see him as – stupid, simple, annoying, less sophisticated than the others – that he cannot bear it, no one can. it all magnifies, all that he thinks the others dislike about him, belittle him for, laugh behind his back about.

there’s also something to be said about julian asking about the erinyes/furies by their greek name and bunny answering with the roman one. when it was in rome with henry that it all started to fall apart. but yeah

[tylermileslockett]

"Atalanta and the Argonauts" (#5)

When the call went out to Greece’s greatest heroes, for fame and glory, to join Jason and his quest for the Golden fleece, only the bravest answered the call. Heroes like Hercules, Orpheus, Telamon, Peleus, and yes, Atalanta mustered her courage and journeyed to join them.

Appollonius of Rhodes wrote the epic poem “Argonautica�� about Jason’s quest for the golden fleece around the 3rd century B.C. based on a much older tale, (referenced in Homer and Pindar). Apparently Appollonius elevated the romantic relationship between Jason and Medea, which in turn inspired latin poetry and Virgil’s Aeneid. In Appollonius tale, Atalanta shows up to join the Argonauts, but Jason turns her away, fearing having such a beautiful woman on board would cause conflict between his men. However, In Appollodorus “Library” (1-2nd century A.D.)  he lists Atalanta as being one of the heroes who accompany Jason for the Golden fleece. Unfortunately, there are no surviving versions where we see the entirety of the journey with Atalanta involved, which begs the question; what would the adventure be like if Atalanta joined?

On the topic of sea quests, lets take a quick look at ancient Greek seafaring. The Argo ship is portrayed as a sort of Trireme (ancient warship with three rows of oars and curved prow). Developments in astronomy helped ancient sea sailors navigate through constellations like Ursa Minor (little dipper) , as well as moon cycles and eclipses. They also used “sounding weights” to measure sea depths, which helped to inform distances to land. There is evidence from around 100 B.C. of an ancient “Orrery” (solar model) tool for celestial navigation called the Antikythera Mechanism. This ingenious, hand-powered device contained gears and could predict and track astronomical positions and eclipses.

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[aeneiddaily]

this is i, aeneas the trojan.

[rightwheretheyleftme]

Did Helios love Circe?

There’s a lot of discussion on Greek mythology Tumblr about how the relationship between Helios and Circe should be portrayed in retellings, so I’m compiling every source that sheds light on their bond.

1) Helios saves Circe from the giants

Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History Book 4 (summary from Photius, Myriobiblon 190) (trans. Pearse) (Greek mythographer C1st to C2nd A.D.): "The plant moly of which Homer speaks; this plant had, it is said, grown from the blood of the Gigante (Giant) killed in the isle of Kirke (Circe); it has a white flower; the ally of Kirke who killed the Gigante was [her father] Helios; the combat was hard (Greek malos) from which the name of this plant."

Eustathius, Ad Odysseam 10.305: “Alexander of Paphos reports the following tale: Picoloos, one of the Giants, by fleeing from the war led against Zeus, reached Circe’s island and tried to chase her away. Her father Helios killed him, protecting his daughter with his shield; from the blood which flowed on the earth a plant was born, and it was called μῶλυ [moly] because of the μῶλος [molos: struggle] or the battle in which the Giant aforementioned was killed.”

2) Helios takes Circe to Aiaia on his chariot

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica (Greek epic C3rd B.C.):“[Aeetes]: For I marked it once, whirled along in the chariot of my father Helios, when he was bringing my sister Circe to the western land and we came to the shore of the Tyrrhenian mainland, where even now she abides, exceeding far from Colchis.”

Hesiod, Catalogues of Women Fragment 46 (from Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius 3. 311) (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.): “Apollonios (Apollonius), following Hesiod, says that Kirke (Circe) came to the island over against Tyrrhenia on the chariot of Helios. And he called it Hesperian, because it lies towards the west.”

3) Circe breeds the sacred horses of Helios with mortal mares

Virgil, Aeneid (Roman epic C1st B.C.): “[…] and for the absent Aeneas there was a chariot, with twin horses, of heaven's line, blowing fire from their nostrils, bastards of that breed of her father's, the Sun, that cunning Circe had produced, by mating them with a mortal mare.”

4) Helios gives newborn Circe to a sanctuary in Aiaia

John Malalas, Chronographia (Byzantine chronicle, C6th A.D):“Circe was priestess of Helios, having been given by her father as an infant to be raised in the sanctuary in the island Aiaia. When she grew up, she became a mystic magus.”

Sidenote: I’m not a classicist so if you know of any relevant source that I’m missing, please let me know!

Conclusion

Ultimately, I believe that the bond between Helios and Circe wasn’t of much importance to the ancient greeks and romans. Compare these texts to the ones about Helios and Phaeton or Aeetes and the contrast is evident. However, I do lean towards the idea that they had a positive relationship, there’s more evidence for that than for a contemptuous kinship.

I also think that retelling authors can chose whatever path they want when portraying Helios and Circe. For instance, you could write that Helios noticed Circe’s passion for animals and decided to let her borrow his horses- on the other hand, you could write that rebellious Circe stole her father’s horses and was punished for it. We have no context surrounding this event, so both interpretations are equally valid.

[saintetheldreda]

okay

this one is for all the ancient myth, folklore, urban myth, cryptid and supernatural people of tumblr

i am trying to start a folklore reading group on discord for 2025 covering all of the above categories

every month we pick a category of folklore to read around. categories can be anything. could centre around culture/period/place (eg ancient chinese myth and legend) or individual text (eg the aeneid, the poetic edda) or specific monster (eg vampires) or specific approach (eg theories of myth and their puprose eg joseph campbell)

anything is fair game from aztec myths to angelology to modern urban myths to aliens and cryptids

wed be a reading group but SUPER low key so it can fit in with everyones lives

like. im not gonna assign the same book to everyone to read by the end of the month

use whatever sources you wish - the internet, your local library, buy the specific book you think looks most useful, read/watch fictionalised retellings you think look fun

we can all use our own sources and most importantly we can recommend the ones we find the most useful to the rest of the group to help each other (or just to gush about it)!! < 3

oh and if youre an artist and you want to make art (drawing the monsters/creatures, writing your own adaptation of the story, write a self-insert where you get to shoot the monsters w/ dean winchester or dana scully or smth, writing mothman x reader fanfiction) youll get so many brownie points and everyone will think youre really cool

point is well all be reading the same broader points. so we can chat about it and discuss interpretations and make memes and show love for your favourites or complain about the dryness of your least favourites and there is so much weirdness to make fun of in myth and folklore

every month we will vote on the next topic (dont worry there will be a channel to argue about why your suggestion is the best haha) and by the end of the year well all know so much weird shit itll be great. dont you want every month of your 2025 to be defined by a weird little folklore era

well its about halfway through january when i post this meaning we'll only have half a month for the first one, no time for a vote either so if you want to hop in and start nerding out immediately january is going to be your

~ ancient japanese myth era ~

well discuss sources in the discord if you dont know where to start

but if you just want to join to wait it out so you can vote on next months subject, youre so welcome to

everyone welcome. contribute as much or as little as you like. friendliness and good vibes only!!

also ill be making a tag, "folklore2025" for people to post stuff related to this reading project thing on their tumblr if they wish

discord link below

[vamptember]

IT'S TIME TO GET READY FOR THE VAMPIRE PARTY AGAIN! 🦇

Welcome back to Vamptember, everyone! Miss us? We missed you! 🖤

For the month of September please join us in MAKING VAMPIRE STUFF! Fic, art, headcanons, playlists, fic recs, meta, anything you can think of! Base it on the books, the movie, the show, the musical, or even that other movie! Canon or AU!

RULES 1. There are no rules. Please have fun! 2. Each day has THREE PROMPTS in case one doesn’t speak to you! Pick one or combine them or rearrange them, it's up to you! 3. Tag your posts #vamptember so that we can reblog! If your post isn’t showing in the tag please don’t hesitate to DM it to us!

Tell your friends and share to spread the word! Daily prompts (3/day) under the cut! 

5+1 / Pantheist / Leather

Dissection / Rome / Bathed

FREE DAY

"And why were such things made in the world?" / Folk Horror / Second Breakfast

Fix-It / Midnight Sun / Stain

Rio de Janeiro / “You should leave.” / Aeneid

Reverse AU / Fragrant / Calendar

Metamorphosis / St. Patrick’s Cathedral / “What’s out there?”

Fatal Domain / First Time / Doctor

FREE DAY

Royalty AU / Flowers / Les Innocents

“Love never dies a natural death.” / Creamy / Les Diaboliques

POV Switch / Bittersweet / Ocean

Vision / "You knew?" / Creature

The Paragon of Animals / Dress Up / Jungle

Coffee Shop AU / Email/Text Message / Kemet

FREE DAY

Fairy Tale / Baby / Aliens

Genderswap / Priest / Favorite Song

Cowboy/Cowgirl AU / Pearls / San Francisco

Sense of Humor / 1990s / Heaven or Hell

Strip / Mad Scientist / Carnival

Enemies to Lovers / Good Luck Charm / Egypt

FREE DAY

Snowed In / Urban Legend / Heartbeat

Secret Lover / Amnesia / Outsider POV

Fake Dating / Glasses / Uruk

News / Jealousy / Present Day

Unreliable Narrator / Sunlight / Fight & Make Up

Sonoma Compound / “Take me home.” / Bed Sharing

[hildegardavon]

Apollonio di Giovanni, ca. 1415/17-1465 (miniaturist)

Venus reassures Aeneas about the fate of his companions. Parable of the 12 swans (Aeneid, Riccardiana, Ms492, f°68v), ca. 1466/1500, illumination. Virgil, Aeneid, Book 1, 2F, 68v

Florence, Riccardiana Library Inv. Ricc.492

[best-nun-tournament]

Round 1, Match 12

Sister Illuminata of Perugia (Pentiment) vs Iris (Fire Force)

Sister Illuminata is a Benedictine nun. She is the librarian of Kiersau Abbey.

Iris is a sister of the Holy Sol Temple.

Poll Runner's note: I was going to make some comment about St. Lawrence here, but he's specifically patron to professions where fire is an occupational hazard (like librarians) while St. Florian is patron saint of firefighters. Ah well.

Sister Illuminata of Perugia

No propaganda submitted

Poll Runner's note: Sister Illuminata takes her responsibility as librarian very seriously. She is also, as you would expect, quite familiar with literature and poetry. Early in the game Andreas has a long conversation with her about the books the monks borrowed and she has some strong opinions about them, especially on how Dido is treated in the Aeneid.

Iris

No propaganda submitted

[mossnstudy]

100 Days of Productivity - Day 24/100

7/12/24

Hello Hello!! So today I basically got everything I wanted to done!! Made my friends birthday presents (it was a protection spell candle :)) and wrapped it all up. Cleaned up around the house and washed some more clothes!!

I got half of book 1 read of the Aeneid but I got distracted because i really desperately needed to cook for my friends party so!! Im making that an acceptable excuse.

I spent most of the evening at hers so I didnt get much done after that!

Thats my updates!