#civic mythology

[kontextmaschine]

Between the increasingly dated midcentury songs and TV specials, the legacy prewar department store stuff like the Macy's parade, and Hallmark movies about rejecting yuppie urbanity for idealized small-town life, Christmas in the US is increasingly an American Golden Age nostalgia festival

[tragediambulante]

Jupiter and Europa, Annibale, Agostino and Ludovico Carracci, 16th century

[7pleiades7]

Juno Dressed by the Graces by Andrea Appiani, (1811), oil on canvas, 100 × 142 cm, Civic Museum of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

[obsidian-pages777]

Asteroid Vesta in your Astrological Chart. Where are you Dedicated?

In Mythology,Vesta is the Roman goddess of hearth, home, and family. Her Greek counterpart is Hestia. Vesta's domain includes the fire at the center of the household and the community, symbolizing warmth, safety, and continuity. Her worship was fundamental to both private homes and the state.

In Roman mythology, Vesta is a virgin goddess, embodying purity and the sanctity of domestic life. The Vestal Virgins, her priestesses, maintained the sacred flame in her temple in Rome, ensuring it never extinguished. This flame represented the heart of Rome itself, and its continuous burning was believed to guarantee the city's eternal life.

Vesta's festivals, like the Vestalia in June, involved rituals that underscored her role in protecting the home and ensuring communal harmony. Her influence extended to everyday Roman life, emphasizing the importance of the hearth as the center of family and civic stability.

In astrology, Vesta is an asteroid associated with themes of dedication, service, sacred space, and focused commitment. It represents where we invest our energy and devotion, as well as areas of life that hold sacred importance to us. When interpreting Vesta's placement in the natal chart by house, it indicates the area of life where these themes are most prominent.

Vesta in the 1st House

Focus: Personal identity, self-expression, and physical appearance.

Themes: Dedication to self-development, personal integrity, and maintaining a strong sense of identity. You might be seen as devoted to self-improvement and personal goals.

Vesta in the 2nd House

Focus: Finances, personal resources, and values.

Themes: Commitment to building financial security and valuing material possessions. You might find a sacredness in your personal values and be dedicated to preserving and enhancing your resources.

Vesta in the 3rd House

Focus: Communication, learning, and immediate environment.

Themes: Devotion to acquiring knowledge and sharing information. You might be dedicated to your siblings, neighbors, or local community, finding importance in staying informed and connected.

Vesta in the 4th House

Focus: Home, family, and roots.

Themes: A strong commitment to family and creating a sacred space at home. You might be dedicated to your family’s wellbeing and have a deep connection to your ancestry and heritage.

Vesta in the 5th House

Focus: Creativity, romance, and children.

Themes: Dedication to creative pursuits, hobbies, and self-expression. You may be deeply invested in romantic relationships or feel a sense of sacredness in your role as a parent or mentor.

Vesta in the 6th House

Focus: Work, health, and daily routines.

Themes: A strong commitment to your work, health, and service. You might find a sense of purpose in your daily routines and be dedicated to maintaining good health and being of service to others.

Vesta in the 7th House

Focus: Partnerships, marriage, and one-on-one relationships.

Themes: Dedication to partnerships and maintaining harmonious relationships. You might place great importance on your marriage or close relationships, seeing them as sacred commitments.

Vesta in the 8th House

Focus: Shared resources, transformation, and intimacy.

Themes: Deep commitment to transformative experiences and shared resources. You might find sacredness in intimate connections and be dedicated to understanding deeper psychological or mystical truths.

Vesta in the 9th House

Focus: Higher education, philosophy, and long-distance travel.

Themes: Devotion to higher learning, spiritual pursuits, and expanding your horizons. You might be dedicated to exploring different cultures, philosophies, or religious beliefs.

Vesta in the 10th House

Focus: Career, public life, and reputation.

Themes: A strong commitment to your career and public standing. You might find a sense of purpose in your professional achievements and be dedicated to attaining your goals and ambitions.

Vesta in the 11th House

Focus: Friends, groups, and social causes.

Themes: Dedication to friendships, group activities, and social causes. You might be deeply invested in your social networks and find sacredness in collective endeavors and humanitarian efforts.

Vesta in the 12th House

Focus: Spirituality, solitude, and the unconscious.

Themes: Commitment to spiritual growth and inner work. You might find solace and purpose in solitude, meditation, and exploring the subconscious mind, dedicating yourself to understanding and healing hidden aspects of your psyche.

Understanding Vesta’s placement in your natal chart can offer insights into where you feel a sense of duty and sacred dedication in your life, guiding you towards areas that hold profound meaning and significance.

Celebrity Examples:

1. Oprah Winfrey – Vesta in the 10th House

Focus: Career and public life.

Themes: Oprah is renowned for her commitment to her career and her influence in the media. Her dedication to empowering others through her platform and maintaining a strong public presence aligns with Vesta’s influence in the 10th house.

2. Albert Einstein – Vesta in the 9th House

Focus: Higher education, philosophy, and long-distance travel.

Themes: Einstein’s dedication to higher learning and the pursuit of knowledge in the field of theoretical physics reflects Vesta’s themes in the 9th house. His work transformed our understanding of the universe, showing a deep commitment to intellectual exploration.

3. Princess Diana – Vesta in the 7th House

Focus: Partnerships and marriage.

Themes: Princess Diana's life was marked by her dedication to her roles in her marriage and her public relationships. Her commitment to humanitarian causes and her efforts to maintain personal relationships are indicative of Vesta’s influence in the 7th house.

4. Steve Jobs – Vesta in the 6th House

Focus: Work and daily routines.

Themes: Jobs’ dedication to his work at Apple and his meticulous attention to detail in his daily routines highlight Vesta’s presence in the 6th house. His commitment to innovation and excellence in his work is a hallmark of this placement.

5. Frida Kahlo – Vesta in the 5th House

Focus: Creativity and self-expression.

Themes: Frida Kahlo’s intense dedication to her art and self-expression aligns with Vesta in the 5th house. Her work often explored personal and emotional themes, reflecting a deep commitment to her creative process.

6. Nelson Mandela – Vesta in the 12th House

Focus: Spirituality and solitude.

Themes: Mandela’s long imprisonment and his profound inner strength and dedication to the fight against apartheid align with Vesta’s themes in the 12th house. His commitment to justice and his spiritual resilience were central to his life and legacy

[kneelingshadowsalome]

so, i’m currently taking a west civics class in college, and i am currently researching ancient greek civilizations, most notably, the arts and culture of ancient greece. i know you have written a fic based on its mythological stories, with minotaur könig (bless your beautiful soul).

but through my readings, i couldn’t help but come up with such a dirty daydreams while in class. i couldn’t stop myself from thinking about könig and… the ancient olympics…

i know, realistically speaking, women were not allowed to attend or watch these games for the most part. so, in a universe where könig’s dedication not only falls upon him being a top man, but being the perfect man in honor of being recognized by the god of strength himself, he becomes so enticing in the way he trains and readies himself for such a significant event of his life. he’s never really had much to care for, neither does he need to prioritize anything that isn’t him or his training. he’s a workhorse, nothing stopping him from being the best, most valuable follower of zeus. that is… until…

well, it was your fault, and you admit that, but he wasn’t stopping you either. i mean, who could blame you, this little thing sneaking and peeping at a man who’s at work in order to provide to cute women like yourself. in fact, you argue that this was your way of appreciating a man, to observe them in their element in such a loving gaze. it didn’t help that könig was a man who preferred to train naked too, in all his glory, so of course there was no missing you, you were just too obvious for a man like him to notice you.

and with every grunt he’d give after each swing of a fist or a blade, a mew is what you’d give in return, your own form of a cheer for him to keep going. and you promised you didn’t mean to stare and make distracting noises, but an innocent maiden like yourself was just too hypnotized by this new anatomy that was found between this man’s legs. so outspoken, so dirty for your mouth to spew such beautiful filth to a stranger.

was this könig’s new test of endurance? part of the program to make him stronger for the olympic event that was just around the corner. he has heard man advising others to refrain from sex before the games, but he hadn’t even been given the chance to work on that since no one was bold enough to approach him like you did. he wonders, does fucking before a game really make a man weak, does thinking about shoving his big dumb cock in his soon-to-be wife distract him too much to succeed? perhaps, perhaps not, one thing he does know though, he’s got someone else to honor and worship, which makes his training all the more necessary.

Oh my god….. I’m totes not getting caught up in the fact that women were not allowed to participate in these activities….

This led me to think, what if some misbehaving little creature decided to peep at this Hercules reborn? She gets caught one day, but because she’s absolutely carefree and unhinged, she asks König if he could show her how to train.

CW: Nudity, implied sexism/misogyny (Ancient Greek society thang), teasing König to the point where he gets a boner and growls

Our Olympian hero gets so confused that he forgets he was supposed to report you or throw you out of the gym. Outside, where birds fly free and the sun tortures the trainees, he has picked a spot where he can train in solitude and silence: for some reason, other people’s stares make him uncomfortable… Until this curious, sweet little nymph came around, perched atop a wide rock, munching some wild mountain herb as she watched him train.

He allowed her to watch him train for two days, but on the third, he marched over to her and told her she needs to leave. Women are not allowed here, doesn’t she know that? Where are her parents? Does she have a husband?

No, no husband, and her parents don’t really care what she does. Well, this explains why she’s behaving this way. Running around the hillside so untame, watching men train—can’t she see she’s putting herself in danger? Any one of these men could decide to just take her on the barren land if she’s not careful.

She just giggles and asks, would he like to take her? Then points out that men shouldn’t waste their seed before a big competition. Also, Zeus’s wife would not think well of him if she saw him rut innocent women on the hill... There’s nothing but heaven above them, surely someone would see. The gods could curse him with a weak ankle, or a sprained muscle, a failing heart or a snake bite…

“All right, all right, that’s enough,” he says, but there’s even worse to come.

Next, she asks if he could show her how to lift those smaller rocks, how to throw a javelin or a discus. Could he teach her how to wrestle…?

“Absolutely not,” he scoffs while his groin floods with warmth at the thought of wrestling with this pretty, wonton woman. She’s absolutely disgraceful, and yet, he doubts she’s running from man to man, teasing them to death. She’s not begging to get raped, she’s just… a little gullible, or something. Happened to take interest in him, little thing. As she should, after all, he’s the pride of this city...

“You fear I’ll become better than you?” She asks with little stars in her stare.

“Bah. Don’t be ridiculous...”

They’re both smiling, now. This kind of banter and games he has never experienced with a lady, she’s making him extremely uncomfortable and at the same time, fly high like Icarus. He’ll have to be careful he doesn’t get burned…

When he still refuses to show her how to train, she shrugs and goes over to the wooden javelin that’s taller than her. Picking it up, he expects the gods to smite her down with a sudden hail or thunder, but nothing happens. The sun keeps on shining, and the sheep keep on baaing. She weighs it with two hands, then starts to look for a spot to try and throw it.

“Wait,” he calls after her, but she only looks back at him with a smile. Picks off to run, with the javelin securely in her right hand, she runs like a deer while he lumbers after her, completely perplexed.

Insufferable woman… He’s growing hard from the cock as he runs, somehow aroused by this silly chase. Like Apollo trying to court Daphne, but his Daphne is not meek and unwilling; she’s giggling as he huffs and runs after her like a stumbling giant.

At a distant field of nothing but rock and weather-beaten flowers, she stops. Shields her eyes as she looks for a perfect spot, she’s not even breathless when he finally catches her. She turns around to look at her hero, catching his breath in the sun.

“You’re not fit enough for a marathon,” she comments. “Did you lift too many weights?”

“Give me the javelin,” he pants, dismissing her blunt analysis of his weaknesses. Stepping towards her, he extends his hand, offering her a chance to return it to him without fuss.

“Wrestle it from me,” she smiles, so playfully and brightly that his cock suffers another throb.

Gods damn this woman... She’s toying, playing with him, teasing him to the point where he’s left no choice.

He doesn’t want to hurt her, which means the “wrestling” becomes an awkward battle of snickers and limbs. His cock gets in the way, and to an outsider, this might look like a scene of an oddly gentle, upcoming rape… This little minx is giving him such an ache in his head and his loins that he’s gritting his teeth by the time he gets his hands around the wooden spear. By then, she has her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms above her head as she’s lying on her back with him on top of her.

“I’m not letting go,” she laughs as they both hold the spear, his erection now blissfully trapped between her legs.

“Who sent you,” he grunts, head spinning as he tries to figure out which of the gods is trying to give him trouble this time.

“What do you mean…?”

“You’re here to thwart and tease me. Tell me who sent you, now.”

“You think I’m sent by some angry god?”

Her eyes sparkle even more, if possible. She even giggles under him and under the sun, her laugh like a thousand little bells in his ears.

“That’s so cute…!”

His grunts turn into a hollow, painful growl – even Tartaros is better than this.

“Train me, and I’ll let you have your silly javelin,” she smiles, even licking her lips before they purse together innocently.

But he knows she’s far from innocent. She has to be a curse of some sort, a plight sent here to torment him, because he finds himself sighing, “Alright…”

He gives her one condition: she has to wear clothes; no flaunting herself around him and especially not around the other men if they were to ever see her. They will both get flogged or worse if this mockery comes to daylight… She gives him a soft, adoring smile this time, and says of course, whatever he says.

The next day, she’s waiting for him at the training grounds, javelin in her hands…

Completely, utterly naked.

[incorrectmahabharatquotes]

For reference, this is the context. Please do your civic duty.

Also reblog! If you have mutuals who would be interested, it's nice to let them see it. The more, the merrier!

-Mod S

[brielledoesastrology]

There is just something about Vesta (4) & Hestia (46) prominent people in astrology (a theory)

By : Brielledoesastrology (tumblr)

⚠️before this post start i just wanted to say that all of this is a theory, so i could be wrong. These are just observations from what i've seen when i do famous people charts and i saw some repeating patterns about it. And not gonna lie this is probably one of the most confusing posts I've ever made cuz I still have no answer to this too, that's why i hope other people have answers about this too.⚠️

asteroid Vesta code number : 4

asteroid Hestia code number : 46

- Marie Antoinette has hestia conjunct her moon in aquarious in the 5th house

- Audrey Hepburn has vesta conjunct her mercury at taurus - gemini

- Madonna has hestia conjunct her midheaven in gemini

- Henry Cavil has hestia conjunct his venus and northnode in gemini

- Cillian Murphy has vesta conjunct his venus and mercury

- Marilyn Monroe has hestia conjunct her midheaven in taurus

- Pamela Anderson hestia conjunct her mercury in cancer and mercury also her chart ruler

Other people that i can't include in the pictures because tumblr didn't let me too 😭 :

- Eminem has hestia conjunct his sun in libra

- Cardi b has hestia conjunct her sun in libra

Some repeating patterns i saw :

- most of these people are considered as "sex symbols"

- some of them are authentic about what they do in their career

- some of them are like not afraid to be extremely honest or blunt

- not gonna lie most of these people are really extremely physically gorgeous

- some of them had really pleasant voices (ex : marilyn, audrey, cillian)

Is it me only or other people notice some repeating patterns too or does anyone have any answer to this?

Tagging some people too (it's ok if u don't have time to answer, it's not a must to answer this) : @zeldasnotes @d4rkpluto @a-d-nox @astrosky33 @notanastrologer @littledigest @evangelinesbible

Update ( i forgot to add abt the mythology of vesta/hestia too) :

Vesta, in Roman religion, goddess of the hearth, identified with the Greek Hestia. The lack of an easy source of fire in the early Roman community placed a special premium on the ever-burning hearth fire, both publicly and privately maintained; thus, from the earliest times Vesta was assured of a prominent place in both family and state worship. Her worship was observed in every household along with that of the Penates and the Lares, and her image was sometimes encountered in the household shrine.

Hestia, in Greek religion, goddess of the hearth, daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and one of the 12 Olympian deities. When the gods Apollo and Poseidon became suitors for her hand she swore to remain a maiden forever, whereupon Zeus, the king of the gods, bestowed upon her the honour of presiding over all sacrifices. She was worshipped chiefly as goddess of the family hearth; but, as the city union was only the family union on a large scale, she had also, at least in some states, a public cult at the civic hearth in the prytaneion, or town hall. Hestia was closely connected with Zeus, god of the family in its external relation of hospitality and its internal unity. She was also associated with Hermes, the two representing domestic life on the one hand, and business and outdoor life on the other. In later philosophy Hestia became the hearth goddess of the universe.

[tsatsked]

Analysis of some details in Polar Town

Specifically locations 1, 3 and 5 of the UTTU part of Rayashki event. There are not a lot of screenshots - if you need some, I can DM them. Thanks to @vingler-mirror for the screenshots of Civic Square descriptions and the final Spotlight Chronicle

1 - Rayashki Elementary

Big-Eared Monkey and Mr. Crocodile - a reference to Cheburashka and Gena the Crocodile in form of August’s nicknames. The song Vila often sings might be based on The Blue Wagon from the 70s cartoon.

The collage shows not a bayan accordion but another accordion type called “гармонь” (garmon’) in Russian

2 - Hotel

Honestly, I believe Windsong enthusiasts will analyse the texts better than I could have

3 - New Mine

We’re getting more lore about the critters based on Inuit mythology. Kikituks are said to be evolved from shamanic statues into amphibious creatures and preferring mammal meat over fish nowadays. Ijiraks are said to be former people trapped into the boundary between life and death for wandering too far into the wild. Qiqirns are described as malevolent canines that wander aimlessly for eternity (it can be connected to their role in shamanism).

Information about the background character because I've got attached to him: the Rayashki guest arrived here following an Irish merchant ship. He’s a miner from Greenland expedition team with a bushy red beard and bear belly. He has a crude front but is a symphony enthusiast and likes literature - the temporary library helped him to bond with his teammates over literature without feeling weird. Also he has a little daughter. Pushkin’s Ode to Liberty that he read is a historically interesting piece where the author supports a political activist exiled to Siberia (the ode gets Pushkin exiled too but to a more gentle place)

4 - Swimming Pool

The descriptions go in chronological order of mermaid history.

@sleeplesssmol have copied Rusalka Spotlight Chronicle in their post here!

5 - Port

Among the stage descriptions, there are two interesting objects described:

A preserved seabird, seemenly for the migrated critters.

Rayashki Cheese - is said to be made out of milk from northern tundra. The cheese’s wrap design is based on Friendship cheese made by KARAT. The peculiar detail about it is that the only KARAT factory is in Moscow

Rayashki seemly participates in barter with the ships.

Cultural Palace - is a common name for major club-houses

6 - Civic Square

The polar bear statue was made after one of the meetings and now is taken care of as a symbol of the community

[shortnotsweet]

HEAD HEART HANDS: “TURNING A NEW PAGE”

Charlotte is hardwired for realism. It’s a hefty task, given the present company and the dubious physics that have kept them all alive for the past few years, but if a resume could receive an A+, her feats in risk assessment and time-sensitive innovation deserved it. Charlotte would know; she installed the updates herself. Still, with the leader of their trio absent and Jasper dealing with impossibilities on the side, the biggest challenge these days is seeing eye-to-eye.

[ Jasper and Charlotte discuss Henry’s leave of absence, as well as his radio silence. ]

The mythology of Greek craftsman, inventor, and architect Daedalus has been cited by a variety of sources, including Homer, Pliny the Elder (Pliny’s Natural History, AD 77-79), and Plato, the latter of which interpreted his inventory and intellect as a parallel for the pursuit of truth. Pliny credited him with the invention of carpentry, as well as ship sails and masts, in addition to sculptures so lifelike they may as well have been animated; his genius was so evident that life was born into the wood. The most famous of his feats, however, was the tale of wings constructed out of wax, and the fall of his son, Icarus, into the sea.

It’s one thing to live in pursuit of knowledge. It’s not like that’s a bad thing, per se. Plenty of people do, and are perfectly content people with no lingering emotional or psychological hangups. That being said, the itch of knowing and the object of doing are not the same. For doctors who treat the sick in the morning and the engineers who study maths to reach the moon, knowledge alone is poor sustenance. For years—too early—invention has been a means of civic duty. She is too clever to fall into the sea unplanned, but she’s not heartless. She’ll make them wings, and a parachute. She left Harvard and the future she’d made for herself to follow the people she loved. Love—to the point of modification. To the point of invention.

[nonbinarytoast]

Nooooooooooo my entire speech for speech and debate isn’t under the cut………….. tumblr doesn’t need a ten minute rant about Greek mythology and culture…………….. they don’t want to talk about how modern reinterpretations are slowly destroying the original myths just like early Christian’s did………………….

When I was a kid, I went to my schools yearly scholastic book fare. And I found something.

I found a little book called Percy Jackson and the olympians. And that book consumed my life from 8 to 14. I’m 14 years old.

Now if you’ve never heard of Percy Jackson you don’t know what that means, but reading Percy Jackson is a slippery slope. First you read the first book. Then you read the first series. Then you’re reading the next two series. Then suddenly you’re watching a five hour video essay on how Ares got stuck in a box and how that solidified Artemis’s aromanticism.

Now, I love this. I love Greek mythology! But then, after reading countless Wikipedia pages, and watching countless informational YouTube videos, I found one of the scariest things I’ve ever encountered.

Modern re-interpretations!

All of a sudden, the stories I loved were completely different! Persephone was a radical feminist with an abusive mom, Hera was the mother of all of Zeus’s children, and Hades was a bad person just because he ruled over the dead. It scared me. It scared me to think of what happened to this beautiful myth of of beautiful stories just because the original meaning didn’t line up with our ideologies! So, with this speech, I hope to be able to tell you all that Greek mythology, however disgusting or vile to us, is a picture of history that does not deserve to be painted over and destroyed.

Before we even start on Greek mythology we have to start on Greek culture. Mainly, the relationships between family members.

The Greeks referred to the basic family unit in their culture as oikos. This word encompassed not only the people but also the house and the surrounding land. This little bit of vocabulary actually tells us a lot. Places and old family ties were very important to the Greeks, important enough to refer to a family not as the people in it but as the household itself. This is why so many myths make a big show of where someone is in reference to something else, because the Greeks liked to have that persons background. This was not only essential to the Greeks understanding of personal identity but also societal role. If you lived in a poor neighborhood, you were poor. If you lived with your family, you were a part of your family no matter what.

Then, there was the patriarchy in Greece, which was actually decently progressive given the time period. While the eldest man in the house was expected to show up for civic duties and keep society running, the women would take care of children and do household chores. However, in the event of the patriarchs absence, then the eldest woman would start doing the finances and making public appearances. While the Greeks did treat women better than most other cultures of the time, they still felt that women should be overshadowed by men. The Greeks saw women as a smart and talented, even good at fighting and capable of making their own decisions (which was not then common and still isn’t now). But with all of that, they still felt that women were more smart, decision making, talented, battle worthy objects. Not people.

Another thing about Greek culture is that weddings were very important. While most had arranged marriages, almost no spouses hated one another, as the marriages were built on getting more political power and finances. Because if this, often the two getting married had a mutual respect for each other and carefully evaded quarrels that could turn into a sad life for them both and their children. All of this is important to the next thing we’ll talk about, common themes.

Many myths share attributes and common themes, making the gods less like Gods and more like characters. When a god says or does something so many times it becomes a character attribute, and when you get enough character attributes whatever you were seeing can be classified not as a god, but as a character.

If we see Zeus as a character instead of a god, we see that he is a serial cheater and rapist. Accounts vary, but overall most think that Zeus had around 92 children. And, the make it even worse, only 41 of those children are gods. All the rest are with assorted mortal women, most of whom weren’t willing to carry his child. And out of that 41, only 4 are actually his wife’s kids! All the rest are just with other random goddesses, most of whom, yet again, were not totally willing to carry his child. Almost all Greek myths start with not the story of the hero, but the story of the hero’s mother getting impregnated by Zeus.

The next common theme is the laws of hospitality. Something always comes up with the laws of hospitality, and they really aren’t that hard. They referred to these laws as Xenia, a word directly translated to mean “friendship with guests” and all you had do to follow it was treat people kindly. The host had to provide food, clothing, and whatever else the guest needed, and in return the guest had to be courteous, kind, and respectful of the hosts wishes.

That doesn’t sound so hard does it? Well, you’d be wrong. A few instances of this are, say Tantalus who technically did feed his guests, but fed them his own son. And although it doesn’t say it, the meal you have to provide your guests shouldn’t be human. Then there’s a bad guest, Erysichthon, who killed a sacred tree while in one of Demeter’s groves, and was then cursed to be so hungry he eventually ate himself; which was a perfectly sound punishment for disobeying the laws of hospitality.

Now, during those last few sections, you’ve probably felt uncomfortable at least once. Whether it was the misogynistic views, or Zeus, king of the gods being a serial rapist, or the gods having so much wrath for so little a crime. And you should be uncomfortable. You should feel weird that I call Greek mythology beautiful while there’s all this disgusting stuff in it. But like I said. The gods are characters.

To the Greeks, the gods did play an important role in their society, but not the same role as most gods now do. Let’s take a look at Christianity, for example. Christians see God as an all powerful, perfect being, who sent his son down to us so that we could ascend to heaven. Then theres Buddhism, which is not the belief in God or Gods but more a belief in enlightenment knowledge and philosophy. Now, these religions are almost entirely different but there is one key similarity. Their god or beliefs, are always good. Christians see God as a perfect being and Buddhists see these teachings and enlightenment as the best thing someone can follow or do, but that’s not the case for the Greeks. The Greeks didn’t see their gods as perfect. They saw them as people. Powerful, insane people who lived up in the clouds and drove the sun across the sky, but people nonetheless. The Greek gods were not made to teach people how to be better. The Greeks knew how to be good. The god were there to warn them. To say “if you don’t take in a kind stranger that kind stranger can turn you to ash”. They existed not to be perfect, but to warn people of what could happen to them. And yes, the Greeks believed they were real, but all of the prayers and tributes didn’t get written down because there was no need. Only the myth got written down. Stories of great kings who never even existed, born to tell a tale and teach a lesson.

And that is why modern reinterpretations cannot be true to the original stories. We can’t think how the Greeks thought. We think “surely they must’ve meant for the god of death to be bad” but they didn’t. We think “the king of the gods would never do that” but he did. And we change those stories. Because we’ve already changed them far too much.

During the 9th century non-native cults, Christian’s, and other religious groups started invading the Mediterranean Sea and other Greek lands. Slowly but surely, the ancient Greeks culture started to get lost in battle with these new and exciting religions. The Greeks also had a descentralizar belief system, where every city-state that made up what we call Ancient Greece had a slightly different set of beliefs. While most major gods and stories existed throughout Greece the stories changed ever so slightly, and sometimes the city-states would have their own myths entirely. This meant that when a city-state was taken over by a new religion, part of, or even entire myths were lost. There was no reason to keep them around anymore.

Then it was only a matter of time until Rome came along and destroyed everything the Greeks ever knew. And now we’re here. Historians picking up murals and carvings on cave walls trying to make sense of it all. But not all of us are historians.

Some of us keep destroying it. Some of us need these beautiful stories of hero’s and gods to fit our personal ideologies so badly that we’re willing to spread misinformation just to get people to agree. So here’s a little more information that you’ll want to go home with.

Persephone did not choose to go to the underworld.

Hades is not and never was a satan figure.

Artemis never fell in love with Orion.

Hera hated Heracles so much she killed his wife and kids and then forced him to go to court and do 12 trials to pay for her crime, AND his name is Heracles not Hercules so SCREW YOU DISNEY!

And finally. We don’t know everything. Many parts of greek myths are still a mystery. But we don’t have to make them more of a mystery. And if we do, we can at least be informed that we don’t have the full picture.

[daisukitoo]

In the American civic religion, the traditional role of the church came to be played by, appropriately enough, a corporation. As formal religion waned, the Disney corporation took the reins of hegemonic cultural development, preservation, and transmission.

Pilgrimages to Disneyland and Disneyworld replaced similar holy trips to Rome, Jerusalem, or Mecca in other faiths. The poor would save for years in hopes that they could afford a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. The middle class would go as they could afford. The wealthy would either make a spectacle of an annual pilgrimage or of announcing themselves above such proletarian religious observances.

Like other religious institutions, Disney came to subsume competing mythologies, most often through purchase, as might be expected of a corporation. "Super heroes," a popular American form of demigod mythology, came to be owned by Disney, not just renamed as saints or called aspects of an existing deity.

Like all religions, there were schisms. Take the Pixar sect, officially a part of Disney but usually operating semi-independently, depending on whether the current leadership was promoting conformity or diversity. Pixar is perhaps best known for its paean to the American institution of Cars, a trilogy of stories in which the cars themselves have outlived humanity and formed their own nation on the highways that so long divided Americans from each other.

Pixar's iconography was one of rebellion from the church-corporation that had purchased it. Whenever it could get away with it, Pixar films started with a panopticon image of a self-powered spotlight, crushing the self ("I") from Pixar itself before looking directly at the viewer. The rebellion at Pixar showed this tragic destruction of "I" before showing that "you" are next, before performing their prescribed role of celebrating the culture and the corporation, a mix of the prescribed and the proscribed.

[alsadeekalsadouk]

‏Symbols on ancient Greek coins

Ancient Greek coins often featured unique symbols or emblems that represented the city-state that minted them. These symbols were an early form of coinage emblem or "badge" that promoted the prestige of the city.

Some common symbols :

- Owls on Athenian coins, representing the city's patron goddess Athena.

- Pegasus on Corinthian coins, representing the mythological winged horse tamed by the hero Bellerophon.

- Bees on coins of Ephesus, representing the goddess Artemis who was associated with the city.

- Lions on coins of Miletus, a common symbol for the city.

- Roses on coins of Rhodes, representing the island's famous flower.

- Celery on coins of Selinunte, depicting the local plant.

These symbols were more than just decoration - they served to identify the issuing authority and promote the identity of the city-state. Coins were an important symbol of civic pride and power in the ancient Greek world. The variety of symbols used reflects the diversity of Greek city-states and their local mythologies and iconography. #archaeology #history #ancient #art #alsadeekalsadouk #ancienthistory #travel #archaeological #rome #italy #museum #roma #heritage #greek #arthistory #culture #antiquity

#4thcentury #photography #tetradrachm #greekcoin #greekarcheology #greekancientcoins #stater #الصديق_الصدوق

#Greek_mythology

[chemicallywrit]

Happy Audio Drama Sunday! I am currently so so sick. Audio drama is a great comfort. Love my stories ❤️

🐱Kakos Industries is always good, and this episode was a pretty typical episode of it, but I just need you all to understand how much i love Kakos Industries. If you need a new lowkey comedy podcast, I can’t recommend it enough.

📱 @worldgonewrongpod never misses. This episode was about bureaucracy, the real horror, and was equal parts funny and infuriating, but it hit so hard on a real truth, the way real people’s everyday lives are affected by sloppy civic design. This is the first week of Disability Pride Month, and I can’t help but think about how police brutality disproportionally affects disabled folks—how much worse would it be in this world affected by aliens and mythology and monsters? People already associate disability with evil. It’s a good reminder.

👼 Literally what do you even say about the Silt Verses? I am amazed in this episode at the parallels between Rane and Faulkner on the one hand and, way back in season two (maybe?), Elgin and Paige on the other hand. They approached the weird strained relationship they had with honestly and now they are working together; Rane and Faulkner were backstabbing and power-hungry from the start and now? Well. This is all to say nothing about the freakin sound design this episode. Can't wait to see how this story ends.

✅ The Deposition is a new show from Hug House, a dramatized nonfiction podcast where actors like Josh Rubino (Kingmaker Histories, Valence, etc) read, word-for-word, the record of a deposition of Famed Internet Idiot Elon Musk. It is. INCREDIBLE. It’s hard to even describe it. Please listen to it, I need to talk to someone about it.

🤖 HELLO, LISTEN TO ASK YOUR FATHER. I just got to episode seven and no spoilers. But I knew it, I frikkin knew it.

No Hannah news this week, I’m too tired, I’m gonna nap. Go listen to Inn Between and make me some fan art to speed my recovery, i love you, have a good week

[max1461]

Yeah it's like. Well I guess this is a situation that is handled pretty well by my heuristic of "like half of what people say is pure social posturing of one kind or another, it's a speech act with some intended interpersonal effect but it has basically no relation at all to what they actually literally believe about the world." And this is doubly true for political speech, so that "I support universal human rights" might actually mean "I identify as team blue" or alternately "I am emotionally invested in American civic mythology" or something like that, but only in unusually reflective people means something recognizably similar to its denotative content.

Maybe this is an overly pessimistic perspective but it has served me fairly well thus far.

[st-just]

The mythologizing of George Washington honestly kind of makes sense because he was one of if not the most successful revolutionary leaders ever. Won the war, bloodlessly put down a rebellion, voluntarily gave up power. Compare him to Simon Bolívar, who spent the last years of his life watching all his dreams turn to shit before dying in exile.

Oh tbc my stance has nothing to do with the merits of Washington himself. I just find that sort of civic cult an affront to...I don't know, it's deeper than just aesthetics, civic dignity, maybe?

Leaders and institutions can be useful and respected, but it's offensive to demand or expect they be revered. The highest esteem a ruler should ever be held in is affectionate contempt, anything beyond is degrading to those under their power.

Besides, on ne peut point régner innocemment. It's dangerous to get into the habit of looking up to those who are invariably monsters.

[beardedmrbean]

Muslim pupils who expressed outrage after their teacher presented a Renaissance painting of nude women in class will be disciplined, France’s education minister has said.

A French teacher at the multicultural Jacques-Cartier college showed students the painting Diana and Actaeon by the Italian artist Giuseppe Cesari, which portrays a Greek mythology story in which the hunter Actaeon sees the goddess Diana and her nymphs bathing.

The work, which depicts a naked Diana and four female companions, is held at the Louvre museum in Paris.

Sophie Vénétitay, secretary general of the Snes-FSU secondary school teachers’ union, said: “During a French class, a colleague showed a 17th-century painting that showed naked women.”

“Some students averted their gaze, felt offended, said they were shocked,” said Ms Vénétitay, adding that “some also alleged the teacher made racist comments” during a class discussion.

A pupil’s parent sent an email to the school director saying that his son was prevented from speaking during that discussion and that he would file a complaint.

“We know well that methods like that can lead to a tragedy,” Ms Vénétitay told BFMTV news. “We saw it in the murder of Samuel Paty. Our colleagues feel threatened and in danger.” Teachers at the Issou school said that pupils admitted lying about events in their art class but that the damage had been done. “We’re dealing with vindictive parents who prefer to believe their children than us,” they said. Gabriel Attal, the education minister, visited the school in person on Monday and later said that a disciplinary procedure would be launched “against the students who are responsible for this situation and who have also admitted the facts”.

A team would also be deployed to the school to ensure it adhered to the “values of the republic”, he said.

Staff at the Jacques-Cartier middle school in Issou, west of Paris, refused to work on Monday, saying they feared for their safety given the recent murders of two teachers by jihadi terrorists.

Dominique Bernard was stabbed to death by a Muslim man in his school’s playground in the northern town of Arras in October.

In 2020 a civics teacher, Samuel Paty was stabbed and beheaded by a terrorist in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, 12 miles from Issou, after he showed his pupils a caricature of Mohammed in a class on free speech.

In an email sent to parents on Friday, teachers said they were exercising their right to stay away from classrooms over the “particularly difficult situation” and “an increase in cases of violence” as their daily reality.

Deteriorating discipline at the school

The school’s head teacher recently asked the education ministry for more staff and resources to deal with deteriorating discipline at the school, saying that fights and death threats and threats of rape had become common among pupils.

“We feel we are clearly in danger. We are supported by our direct superiors but not from higher up. This is a real call for help,” said one teacher.

Last week a Paris court convicted six teenagers over their role in events that led to the beheading of Mr Paty, who was their teacher at the middle school in Conflans when he was killed by Abdoullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old of Chechen origin.

In another sign of school-religion tensions, the state this week said it would withdraw funding for the country’s biggest state-subsidised Muslim high school. In its teaching of Muslim ethics, the Averroes school, in Lille, was found to be violating French republican values.

On Tuesday, Jordan Bardella, leader of the hard-Right National Rally party, warned that “freedom of expression is under threat in France from an all-conquering political Islam that is imposing on our society its laws, its way of life and its prohibitions”.